shiro studio.

There's an OCD part of me that really flares up when I see this kind of high-functioning house ware. The part that rear's its head whilst walking through the "home decor" section of Selfridges: part-scoffing, part-salivating. Who needs it, I say. A wooden spoon will do the trick.

But will it?

Arrgg!

So guilty conscience aside it's time to celebrate the those designers who make the superfluous seem like necessity. Shiro Studio is definitely getting it right. They make "dream kitchen" fantasies eject out of my brain like steam from a hot kettle. Plus, apparently, pretty things work better! Turn my friend Don Norman for proof.

Shiro Studio - website here

the submarine channel: the art of pho.

I'm sorry but this is just so cool. You don't even know what you're in for. Follow this link here. 

We featured it on It's Nice That last week after the Submarine Channel sent it through - I'd never heard of them but turns out they're an absolutely brilliant studio based in Amsterdam who are all about producing seriously lovely, seriously "genre-defying" stories (they're words, but not unjustified). Watch a few. But watch this one first. It's just, so good. You will have fun - I promise.

To amp your enthusiasm up just a little bit more I'll quote the press release. If this rampant enthusiasm and shameless over use of food-related phrases doesn't batter you into submission then, well, I guess it's a lost cause.

And I quote:

"We here at Submarine Channel might be an Amsterdam based online platform that are 

all about motion graphics and visual culture but that’s not to say we don’t love all the 

senses. We get how sound and touch can create intrigue and enhance stories.

It's a pity technology has yet to allow us to transcend the scent
and taste barriers over the web, as we’ve concocted something truly
delectable with our latest project… May we introduce you to the “The Art
of Pho”, our brand new interactive motion comic based on the debut graphic
novel by award winning British illustrator Julian Handshaw.

We invite you to take a look at our serial consisting of 8 episodes
lasting 2.5 minutes each of an interactive adventure that is slippery,
sweet, sour and just a little bit spicy.

Subtle, lyrical and earthy, “The Art of Pho” motion graphic will take you
on a quirky, floating journey through Ho Chi Minh City with our main man,
Little Blue, as he masters the art of making Pho, Vietnam’s ubiquitous
hybrid noodle-soup.

Just like the marvelous meaty dish, our motion comic has a huge depth of
flavour, weaving themes like self-discovery, love, travel, identity and
friendship into the story broth.

You can start slurping away on this sumptuous tale at
artofpho.submarinechannel.com"

Yeah so it I think you get the point pretty quickly. It's about soup! Get it? Soup! Great! I lapped it up anyway. You'll see why. 


The Submarine Channel - www.submarinechannel.com

just a thought. [radical jellyfish]

I have no idea where this came from.
I hope it's real. (Though this cynic in me thinks not.) Still radical.

dawn penn.

Dawn Penn is the dark red flesh of my heart - the part that feels both sorrow and rhythm. The part that finds even the sharpest achings a moment of movement, even if I move slowly.

Having a bit of a love affair with her at the minute. Have a listen and let her help you jam.

just a thought. [sana pearl park]

Insignificance

Sana Pearl Park - www.sanapark.com

nancy fouts.

Was exciting to do a little write up on Nancy Fouts today, probably my fave gal showing at last weekend's London Art Fair. Her surreal concoctions, whimsically compiled and discerningly shot, are just the kind of things that float my boat. Hurrah and huzzah! Enjoy. Now excuse me, I'm going to fly off to Slumberland on a little winged galleon...

My It's Nice That blurb here.

Nancy's website here.

just a thought. [scale of the universe]

Click through -

Note the enigmatic soundtrack...

norman parkinson.

Beautiful feature in today's Guardian on the much under-shown Norman Parkinson - who served, as great fashion photographers often do, as both a documentarian and an image-maker of his time.

Stylish much? I'll say.

This latest exhibition, An Eye for Fashion, runs through April at the M Shed gallery in Bristol. 

Nice one Norman. You look like a fun guy. 

just a thought. [arno brignon]

www.arno-brignon.fr

guy laramee.

Guy Laramee makes sculptures out of books. Crazy sculptures. They're executed with simple tools, things you might use to carve a bit of wood, or a bar of soap. Probably a healthy dose of patience, too. Apparently you can even open them, once they're done. I was well impressed with Guy's maniacal enthusiasm for the medium and followed him up, which lead to an interview on behalf of It's Nice That. Turns out Guy is one hell of a guy. Oh dear - person, I mean. No really, he's really great.

Read the full piece here.

just a thought. [dimitri karakostas]

tobehonestiexpectedmore.com

maurizio anzeri.

It's been two years since I first saw Mr. Anzeri's very bizzare, very likable work. Actually perhaps not entirely likeable, did show this to someone the other day who I believe was thoroughly creeped out. Little children, sewn up heads, I get it.

Well for some reason this stuff's still on my radar and each time I come back to it I like it more. Amazing isn't it, the way a few lines can change the whole character of a face - surreal, broody, vengeful, forlorn, obscure.

 In case you are unsure, each of Maurizio's found-photographs are stitched directly onto with thread. Needlepoint certainly isn't the most masculine of crafts, but I find him all the more affable for just that reason. I imagine him in a thimble. Nay, an Italian thimble! Classy.

He's also recently completed a collaborative effort with Dazed and Confused magazine (not too shabby).  Frankly it's just great. Scroll down and enjoy.