Category Archives: Uncategorized

Coletter.me: Not your average E-card + meet the creators

Posted on by under Art, Uncategorized

What do you get when a talented artist (Younes Abied) and a cool website designer (code name: Abel) work together? A really awesome artsy tool by the name of Coletter.

These guys mashed up the retro romance of sending cards, with unique handcrafted collage style artwork, and sleek, minimalist web design to create a one-of-a-kind, classy interactive tool that lets you send postcards by mail. The kind you don’t have to be ashamed of, unlike the kind your parents and overly affectionate relatives sent you when they just started to discover the Internet…

Because unlike those smiley-filled, sparkly, SPAM alert triggering – though well intended – eye sores of obnoxious E-vites and E-cards, these digital postcards are actually classy and use sophisticated, handmade illustrations.

The cards balance modern abstract composition with a retro postcard lay-out, infused with an oriental, Arabic flare. The artist tapped into Moroccan and Middle Eastern culture for illustration inspiration, color and design, which compliments the vintage feel and the romance and mystery of a wayward postcard that travelled around the world with a secret message. Certainly fit for a modern-day Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, who don’t necessarily have to be in Casablanca to keep the conversation going.

(All copyrights go to the Coletter.me founders)

How does it work?

The creators value the randomness of faith, so they left the automated match up of text and image up to chance. This way everyone gets to be pleasantly surprised by the (post) card they are dealt. The beauty behind these seemingly random combinations is the illusion that Coletter senses which visual will work best with your personal text.

In just a couple of steps (and in 350 characters), Coletter lets you create an exclusive card with limited edition artwork. Try it yourself and surprise someone who you don’t write nearly enough. Text messages don’t count.

The Reckless Animals Behind The Site

Enough about the site. Let’s meet the creators behind Coletter, because they were very willing to get into their Reckless Animals masks and participate in a photo shoot in the local recycling center. Yes, that means trash.

 

Younes Abied, illustrator + artist
aka owl & smoking polar bear

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What icons/artists do you look up to?
Basquiat, Mark Rothko, Michael Borremans, Raoul De Keyser, Cody Hudson, Christoper Nolan and Madlib.

Favourite artwork?
The swimming pool by Michael Borremans, but there’s so much great art…

What is your favourite city? And your favourite spot?
BERLIN if I ever get the opportunity to live there, that city breaths art. Favourite spot… I can’t really think of one right now, but I think it’s really chill to hang out in Coffeelabs in Antwerp and have a Latté.

Who or what is your soulspiration?
Actually that could be every person who is really passionate about something. It can vary from an independent bookstore owner to a painter. Everyone who invests time and energy in their passion and just commits to it.

Your favourite quote?
(Laughs) That has to be this one: “The only way to get smarter is by playing a smarter opponent.” —Fundamentals of Chess, 1883

Your favourite movie?
Inception,  Revolver, Basquiat, Seven, I saw the devil

Your greatest ambition?
My ambition leans towards the side of technology and neurology, being able to capture actual dreams. Or develop a machine that is able to recycle clothes and produce a new piece of clothing using your recycled fabrics.

What would be the ultimate recognition?
Yeah, that would be when my work is being featured in a gallery and the publication of my work in a book…

Who would you like to send your postcard to and what would you say?
Michael Borremans, your work is really inspiring and astonishingly beautiful. I hope there’s a lot more to come. Your work only keeps evolving. Sincerely, …

Best character trait? & Best character trait in each other?
Me: Determined, funny, creative & excited.
Abel: Creative, quiet, friendly, respectful.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
A fox, because he’s fucking wily, sly and crafty and nobody would play chess against a fox in the forest… No, I joke, I would probably pick something that flies, like a raven.

You are an old man and you’re telling your story. Where are you telling the story from and how will that story go? 

I’ll be in my atelier, crafting something, and my grandchild will be there as well, puttering away at some project. I’ll be telling him proudly about the website I once made with uncle Abel, and I’ll tell him the website would translate text into images, and after that my grandchild will ask me: “What is a website?”. And then I’ll have to tell him there used to be something called ‘the Internet’ and that everyone was connected by it, but that it no longer exists, “so nevermind… go on with your crafts.”

 

Abel, web design + programming
aka fox & awkward wolf 

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What icons/artists do you look up to? 
That always changes, at the moment its D*face & KAWS.

Favourite artwork?
So many, last time I was impressed by a Tunisian street artist “El seed”. He painted a whole town in Cairo into a massive artwork.

What is your favourite city/spot?
NYC, favourite spot… the times i’m in the ‘creative zone’.

Who or what is your soulspiration?
At the moment: Tumblr

Your favourite quote? 
“Poor are those who have eyes but cannot see.”

Your favourite movie?
Ghost dog

Your greatest ambition?
Having a good and healthy life.

Who would you like to send your postcard to and what would you say?
To my girlfriend telling her that I love her.

Best character trait? & Best character trait in each other?
Mine: I don’t know.
Us: true Bromance 🙂

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
House cat. Eat, sleep, destroy sofa, repeat.

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Go check out their portfolios and work on Coletter.me. Start writing and I hope to receive a Coletter from you guys!

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OYA, an urban dance performance by @Sarahadadia and @crewPIT

Posted on by under Uncategorized

This was a first for me too, but I need to say it… Get your music-dance-loving asses to Genk!

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the rehearsals for Oya by dance collective Parents In Trouble. I met with a more than lively bunch of young aspiring dancers, whose ambitions got translated into a mesmerizing choreography by talented rhythm artist (yes, I’m pitching this term and hoping it sticks) Sarah Hadadia.

The choreo is Ibeyi inspired, which I love, because hello former blog post, and is called OYA, which pretty much stands for “change”.

Oya is a West-African orisha/goddess of change (and tempests and winds). She represents a reckless, changing and free attitude. All great qualities we want to see in a modern choreography.

Sarah (21) took these aspects and moulded it into a vibrant and hypnotizing piece of urban dance.

Impressive, because the young performers are all between 13 and 19 years old, but transform into mature, professional dancers when hitting the stage. The way they move is not just impressive, but expressive in a way you don’t expect from dancers their age.

Their performance is raw in precise motion and precise in raw emotion.

At times it’s like looking at wordless theatre, while they pull you in their story with their flowing movements and captivating rhythms, elegance and drama in all the right places.

The dancers move in unity, creating a perfect flow that guides you through the different elements that create OYA, without losing their individuality and the unique character they all add to the performance.

The way they surrender to the music, the motions and eachother is absolutely breathtaking. At times it’s like looking at a human scoubidou or – more elegantly put – a playful wind that ripples through a city, picking up, twirling and putting down everything in sight.

It’s the perfect blend of discipline and freedom.

You feel there is a community growing here. Basically it’s fun people, being weird, trusting eachother and cooperating, creating a dynamic piece of art.

So go. Let it take you in. Feel the magic that is happening here.

Meet the performers/movement masters of this production here:

Cast: Bueno Wintraecken, Nina Muñoz, Letizia Ospitalieri, Alexandra Fenucci, Floris Carpentero, Jennifer Meeuwissen, Ilaina Sponga, Riana Presti, Loredana Marceschi, Riccardo Schirinzi, Morena Husson, Chiara Troiani

Premiere date is tonight! You were supposed to get tickets here: http://www.c-minecultuurcentrum.be/programma/view/id/459/h/programma/c/te-gast… but they are SOLD OUT!

If you still want to score some tickets, put yourself on a waiting list or scour for leftover tickets on their Facebook page.

And be sure to visit Parents in Trouble and Oya Production’s Facebook Page.

 

MIA – #Borders | Where’s your “We’dom”?

Posted on by under Art, Music, Uncategorized

MIA is back. She’s going to release a new studio album, named Matahdatah. I’m eagerly waiting its release, but M.I.A. has been steadily releasing tracks and the visually stunning videos that go with them.

The most recent one is Borders. A beautiful, self-directed clip in which she depicts the refugee crisis that’s hitting Europe. In her clip refugees run in straight lines and get confronted with fences they need to climb. They get crammed in small boats, floating aimlessly, and create a larger human boat together. MIA usually in the middle.

But the music video is of course more than just smart choreo. Her lyrics are simple, clear and still manage to grasp the complexity of the situation. She asks harsh, hard-hitting questions, that seem so simple, but still don’t really get answered. Questions that go straight to the point, but politicians and society seem to avoid. To say it in MIA’s words: “What’s up with that?”

Freedom, ‘I’dom, ‘Me’dom
Where’s your ‘We’dom?
This world needs a brand new ‘Re’dom
We’dom – the key
We’dom the key’dom to life!
Let’s be ‘dem”  MIA – Borders

MIA takes this song and uses it as a mirror on society. She doesn’t just look at a difficult situation and asks for pity. No. On the contrary. She asks you to question yourself. “Your values, what’s up with that?”

Egos (What’s up with that?)
Your values (What’s up with that?)
Your beliefs (What’s up with that?)
Your families (What’s up with that?)
Histories (What’s up with that?)
Your future (What’s up with that?)
My boys (What’s up with that?)
My girls (What’s up with that?)
Freedom (What’s up with that?)
Your power (What’s up with that?)”

Einstein once said: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

She proves she understands, by making her message short but powerful.

There’s a reason why she can comment so directly and clearly. MIA’s message is easily accessible and simple to understand. Yes, it’s kind of catchy, but without losing credibility and relevance. She masters her art. The best rappers don’t shy away from complex matters, neither does she. She has the words, the – slightly hypnotic – rhythm, a message, and – very important – a Voice. A voice that carries and is motivated by experience.

Her narrative in previous songs has on occasion also reflected emotions and frustrations of displaced identities, even referenced civil war, migrant status, and the struggle of growing up in scarred neighbourhoods.

In a recent tweet, she also reveiled that her uncle was one of the first Tamil migrants to come to the UK and that he helped her family come over from Sri Lanka.

So now you know why I can’t wait for her album to drop. MIA seems to be a priestess of truth and I hope she keeps on dropping those – visually and rhythmically stunning – bombs, figure of speech obviously.

Wanna see/hear more from MIA? She also released Matahdatah Scroll 01 “Broader Than A Border”, which consists of 2 songs: Swords and Warriors, both featured in the clip beneath.

 

Sources: Pitchfork / The Verge / Spin

The Karl Daily

Posted on by under Art, Fashion, Uncategorized

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Haute of the press!

Have you scooped up a Karl Daily yet?

Karl Lagerfeld has done it again. When he zigs he zags, and when you think he’s gonna zag, he zigs just for the hell of it. When the fashion guru is not busy being a brilliant photographer or the architect of some kind of fabulous event, whilst pampering Choupette, he publishes his own newspaper. Yes, the man lifts multitasking to a new level.

If I didn’t already love him because of the creative mastermind he is, I do now more than ever because he confesses to being “a paper freak” to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).

I love paper. I’m a paper freak. Paper is the material I use for sketching. I always need to have paper under my fingers in order to express myself. I like newspapers. Maybe the iPad is very modern and everything, and I’m not against it, but I like the physical contact. And the physical contact of metal and glass is not as sensuous as paper.”

You tell ‘m! They won’t listen to me.

Books, newspapers, sketch books, magazines… where does he find the time to keep up? Apparantly he barely does…

I read whenever I can, but you know, between the collections, the photos, and all the other things I do, interviews included, there is not so much time left, huh?” – Karl Lagerfeld to WWD.

But still, he managed to publish a gazette.

What to expect? Well, the magazine is mainly Karl in pages. It features his talents for sketching, fashion insight, wordplay, photography and humor prominently, and a couple of pages are reserved for advertising (for his own brands). Like in every decent paper, there will also be a comic strip and it wouldn’t be ‘fashion’ without some street-style elements. Lagerfeld will also treat his readers to a list of hot spots and who doesn’t want to know what he finds hot and where you can spot him? I’m hooked.

And don’t you worry, Choupette will have her part. The fashionable cat was hired as a guest editor and reporter and won’t hesitate to shine her light over the going-ons in the world. Several other contributors will also bring you more exclusive insights into the amazing universe of Karl Lagerfeld.

The newspaper also carries Lagerfeld’s fall campaign picturing model Kati Nescher posing in a mock newsstand stuffed with copies of The Karl Daily.

Check out The Karl Daily and enter the Karl world by visiting his website, Karl.com.

You can also access the full newspaper here.

Don’t forget to like Karl Lagerfeld’s facebookpage for more interesting (& stylish) footage. Because he may share my love for paper, he’s also very aware of the visual world. Being an accomplished photographer and director, he spices up several social media feeds with his classy videos and teasing pictures.

 

PS. Eternal reckless love for the animal who finds me one of those paper Karl Lagerfeld newspapers… I haven’t been able to get my hands on one – yet.

Purple Ferdinand – Birds | Some tattoos, some ukelele and so much Soul

Posted on by under Art, Music, Uncategorized

Recently my attention got drawn by a new up and coming artist by the name of Purple Ferdinand. A ukelele playing tattoo artist who launched a single titled ‘Birds’. Since I believe every artist who can combine my love for tattoos, ukelele and birds needs to be featured on this blog, I dedicate a post to her.

She brings beautiful songs that are deeply soulful as well as (neo-)folky. The snares of her ukelele pluck and plonk you from happy to sad to blissful tranquility. It’s a lovely vibrating melancholy that once made me fall head over heels in love with the sound of Amy Winehouse. Her sound also brings back memories of that Summer my playlist mainly consisted out of Eliza Doolittle, Corinne BaileyRae, Selah Sue, Jamie Woon and Hindi Zahra. Although Purple Ferdinand’s sound is completely her own, I do believe her songs will make this Summer as happy as that one.

I read on Pigeons and Planes that her debut album, Dragonfly, will launch July 23.

Don’t forget to check out her Tumblr account and Facebook page or her other YouTube videos! Especially Beautiful Anomaly and Speak True are more than worth a listen (x10) to.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

#DefineBeauty – Nowness takes a look at the definition of beauty

Posted on by under Art, Blogs, Uncategorized

With #Define Beauty Nowness takes a look at the different definitions artists give to beauty and reminds me why this is one of my favourite websites. During 5 weeks, Nowness will release a new film every week on their blog. In this serie of 5 short movies, film makers reflect on beauty and beauty ideals, perfection and imperfection, and what makes it all real to them.

Director Saam Farahmand was granted the honour to kick off the series. He took this chance to take on the body hair debate with his movie: Les Fleurs, in which he lets a naked woman gradually transform from the hairless ideal image society has of a naked body to a more natural state.

 

 

Part 2 of the #DefineBeauty series took on the prejudice that falls upon plastic surgery and other forms of body enhancement. Director Clara Cullen sees plastic surgery as a form of art, which inspired the title of her short movie: Beauty Is A Form Of Genius. She found inspiration for her film in her home town of Buenos Aires. The women in her film all depict the Argentinian beauty prototype. For the story of her film she teamed up with novelist Maxine Swann. They constructed a film based on four stories that combines motives that vary from vanity to insecurity. You can click on the link below to watch the movie in HD.

Nowness – Beauty Is a Form of Genius

 

Don’t forget to check out the next part of the #DefineBeauty series, A Maximum Illusion: Creme Caramel, that will be launched on Nowness.com May 20th.

 

 

Borderland

Posted on by under Blogs, Uncategorized

Let a couple of NPR reporters take you on a roadtrip along the U.S.-Mexico border. A confronting reality check. A fascinating project that takes you into the life stories of the people who experienced The Wall or live by The Fence. Fence or wall, what do you think?

borderland

All Love Is Equal : Portraying Romance

Posted on by under Art, Trips, Uncategorized

Another beautiful example of how Kickstarter makes creative dreams come true. The All Love Is Equal project is a true celebration of romance. Being a firm believer in love and the narrative magic of good photography myself, I can’t but include a post about it on our blog. Make sure to watch the video and get to know the artist behind the pictures.

Braden Summers, the photographer behind the pictures, challenges himself to capture the most beautiful romantic moments all over the world, crossing cultural and stereotypical borders. Because his lens puts focus on the LGBT community, who he finds underrepresented in romantic photography. 

All of my references for idealized romance were completely hetero-normative. It is of a man and a woman, we all know the story, we grew up with it.

So Summers, who is actually a classically trained painter, paints a picture of love with his camera and goes beyond the clichés. He illustrates what he thinks iconic romance should represent.

Now, I know firsthand that there’s a lot of love and romance in the gay community, and what’s lacking is representation of this in these mediums. Now what we do see of the LGBT community is often overtly sexualized and sometimes deviant. I want to show a campaign that illustrates the love and romance in various cultures around the world, that communicates all love is equal.

In his kickstarter video Summers explains what inspired his idea.

Last year I found myself living a dream. I was in love, I was in Paris, and I was inspired by the old world architecture and fascinating people and their classic French style. So, I created a bunch of portraits and I shot couples dancing in the streets of Montmartre and women gazing over the city of Paris from balconies. It was amazing. After creating some images of hyper realistic Parisian couples and glorified portraits, my boyfriend had suggested that I photograph a gay couple, and I asked myself, as a gay man, why was that something that I had not thought of instinctively? In fact, why had I not considered this at all?

But with this beautiful vision comes a budget. Insert Kickstarter. Summers calculated that he would need $20,000 to realize his vision. The money would be financing a team of creatives, models, a producer, and production costs for the iconic shots.

The plan is to travel to global destinations that capture the various cultures and romance the world has to offer. Starting in Paris, going to Mumbai, Beirut, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, New York City and Los Angeles. If we surpass our goal, I will continue to cities such as Mexico City, Bangkok, and Tokyo.

And yes, he succeeded! He gathered a $23,121 budget to fund his dream project.

So follow his website or facebook page to follow his dreamy romantic activities.

All pictures courtesy of Braden Summers. Like it? Check out his website for more!

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Burberry Prorsum RTW Fall 2014

Posted on by under Fashion, Men, Uncategorized, Women

Nothing delights the inner streetspotter in me more than to see a creatively dressed, misunderstood artist wandering down the street or palavering in a colourful bar. Imagine my excitement when the first images of the Burberry Prorsum RTW fall line for men hit my little laptop screen. A catwalk filled with the gorgeous reincarnations of early 20th century British painters.

According to the designer, Christopher Bailey, who is also the brand’s chief creative officer and chief executive-designate, the line was inspired by artists such as Lucian Freud, Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood and Duncan Grant.

“Painters on a journey, romantic painters with a masculine point of view, and the artists’ efforts at self-expression.”

For the full slideshow you can click the link below:

Slideshow Burberry Prorsum Fall 2014 Men

Long patterned scarves, classic coats with a twist, chunky sweaters and silk shirts dominated the intriguing look. But also, attention to detail must be given. Not only is it hard to overlook the big leather and suede bags the models carried around,but also the city street map and floral prints that were used to create the fabric’s patterns are quite interesting and amusing. I am glad to see it come back as a theme in the fall line for women as well.

The Burberry Prorsum fall line for women is also all about texture, but had more of a “Downton Abbey” vibe to it. And again attention to detail was payed. The whole line is a patchwork of all kinds of fabric and unusual patterns in odd, but fascinating combinations:

Horse blanket jacquard coats with contrasting geometric patterns, all woven in Scotland; jackets with needle punch embroidery; chunky ribbed knits fashioned into bombers, and voluminous fox-fur sleeves on shearling jackets.” – wwd.com

Again the quirky designs complete the collection. T-shirts, blouses and coats with local landmarks and citymaps printed on them, keep the look light and fresh. While the creative and playful use of textiles and colours keeps it interesting and gives the whole collection a bit of an edge.

To see the full collection, watch the link to the WWD slideshow below:

Slideshow Burberry Prorsum Fall 2014 Women

 

Source : http://www.wwd.com