Cosmic Wonder

Yukinori Maeda, head designer of Osaka-based Cosmic Wonder, has been on an otherworldy trip of sorts lately - white magic, mysticism, psychedelia and japanese folklore all find their place in their originally bizarrely amazingly good collections and Paris based gallery presentations from the last 2 seasons.He also decided to consolidate his prior higher end collection and more accessible denim line into one new idea: Light Source. For Light Source 1, Maeda explores the study of white magic and gives a glimpse of the heavenly realm where its mastery inevitably leads.

In 2007, Cosmic Wonder established a new space designed to become an integral part of Cosmic Wonder’s work. There will be events, films and concerts, the latest collections of Light Source, and new artworks of Cosmic Wonder.

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White Glove Tracking

"There are 10,060 frames of video in Michael Jackson’s 5 min 34 sec nationally televised landmark performance of Billy Jean. The White Glove Tracking project (W.G.T.) is an effort to isolate just the white glove from this moment in pop-culture history. Rather then write unnecessarily complex code to find the glove in every frame of the video I am asking for the assistance of 10,060 individual internet users to simply click and drag a box around the glove in one frame. In the end this data will be shared freely for all to download, visualize, and use as an input into other digital systems." - an open source project initiated by Evan Roth and Ben Engebreth.

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FUEL

Yes, I can't agree more... This and numerous other disciplines of design projects from London-based studioFuel.

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Bloc Me

UNIT & Larry recently collaborated on a self-initiated project together for Subjects.

Everyday in land scarce Singapore, offers scream from thousands of garnish flyers - some smaller than a postcard, others as big as a tabloid - exhortations from earnest property agents for homeowners to sell their homes and make a tidy profit. Everything’s fine until more than a few in an estate want to cash out enmasse. Then even if you’ve lived there your whole life, the rules of ‘en-bloc’ sales could mean the loss of your home. There is almost nothing one can do to combat this ugly facet of Singapore life, but “wouldn't it be nice?”, we though, if at least the flyers weren’t such bloody eyesore?

So, against this wave of ugliness, Daniel & Larry decided to craft a response that would at least alleviate some of the suffering Singaporeans face when they open their mailboxes.

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Burma

Free Burma... Support.

"Films really can make a difference. They shape our perceptions for the future. It can reach audiences that political dialogue can’t. Creative dialogue is just as powerful as political dialogue and this film is a fine example of that."
-Suki Dusanj, Head of Events, Burma Campaign UK

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Blanka on Flickr

Blanka's photostream on Flickr. Blanka is a collection of original, vintage and limited edition posters and prints and that includes art, design, photography, film and music, brought together by collectors and leading creatives. Mark Blamire was also previously responsible for Neue Labs.

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All Back To Mine: Session.23 (Zouk Winebar)

All Back To Mine: Session.23
24 May (Sat) ZOUK Winebar
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'All Back To Mine' is a monthly bar night-out where we dig deeper into the depths of our eclectic music collection; inspired by compilations from 'Back To Mine', 'The Trip', 'DJ-Kicks' & 'Late Night Tales'. Not bowing down into the rigid genrefication of music, there's a lot of playfulness, upfront rhythms, emotion and warmth running through our selection with a delightful nod to the future, past and present. And if you like the sounds of Charles Webster rubbing shoulders with Matthew Dear or even Sébastien Tellier, then this is the night for you.

So roundup your mates, lovers, flings, colleagues, siblings; grab plenty of drinks and make yourself comfortable as I indulgently playout y(our) favourite tunes.
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12 April (Sat) 2008 10.30pm till late.
ZOUK Winebar 17 Jiak Kim Street Singapore 169420

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Commands

Simple and effective typographic posters from Christopher David Ryan, a Brooklyn-based graphic artist and founder of design studio, Atmostheory.

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Lost: the D in D&AD

The D&AD results are out. However, judging (pun not intended) from the Graphic Design category, it has produced just two nominations with no Silvers or Golds. I'm an advocate of graphic design and of course, the BIG idea but I strongly feel both the criteria and processes have been getting 'resistant' on entries year after year.

Creative Review has an article on this with Michael Johnson, and Sean Perkins of North on the discussion table. What went wrong?

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Spectra Visual Newsreader

Browse, play and interact with msnbc.com's spectrum of news.

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Batman vs. The Dark Knight trailer (Split-Screen)

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Dual City Sessions 08: Art With Sound

Fresh off its premiere in 2007, the highly regarded art and design series from Asia - Dual City Sessions, returns with Art With Sound. Art with Sound is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between designers and musicians from Japan and Singapore. The exhibition brings together the complexities of the two disciplines, both innate and compelling to each other.

The exhibition will launch in Berlin, Germany, at the DMY Design Festival from 21st May to 25th May 2008. The series will then travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 2008 for the inaugural KL Design Week and the DesignTide festival in Tokyo, Japan.

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Things To Be Frickled

11 remixes by Apparat and 11 remixes for Apparat on the Shitkatapult! label , a sonic assault to the ears! Plus a fine typographic sleeve to top it all off, nice.

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Alexander McQueen in LA

The new Alexander McQueen flagship shop in Los Angeles designed by William Russell from Pentagram.

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The Spirit

Based on the newspaper strip The Spirit created by Will Eisner and directed by Frank Miller. The Spirit will use the same digital background technology that was used for Sin City and 300. The film would also copy specific shots from the comic, similar to Sin City.

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Street Fighter, 10 years later...

A look into the lives of the Street Fighter combatants, 10 years later. And err... another Street Fighter movie is in the making with Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan and gasp... Edmund Chen. More comic relief (pun not intended).

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Who watches The Watchmen?

Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre. Directed by Zack Snyder (of Dawn Of The Dead & 300 fame), read the production blog here.

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Work Hard & Be Nice To People

I try, I always try to.
(Poster image courtesy of Anthony Burrill). Also reappearing on the upcoming issue of Wallpaper*.

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New on Muxtape

A new selection for a hectic week ahead... well, to me anyway.

Tracklist:
Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint (Nonesuch)
Spoon - Don't You Evah (Matthew Dear Mix) (Merge)
Joakim - Lonely Hearts (Loving Hand Remix by Tim Goldsworthy) (!K7/Versatile)
Soundhack - Rodeo (MMM/Soundhack)
Minilogue - Cow, Crickets And Clay (Cocoon Recordings)
The Mole - Still In My Corner (Wagon Repair)
The Vegetable Orchestra - Secret Garden (Sian Mix) (Karmarouge)
Loco Dice- How Do I Know?! (Desolat)
Marek Bois -Memento Moments (Rrygular)
Dubfire - I Feel Speed (Audion Remix) (SCI+TEC Digital Audio)
Shocking Pinks - Dressed To Please (Nathan Fake Remix) (DFA/EMI)
Hot Chip - One Pure Thought (Supermayer Remix) (EMI)

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Lucy & Bart

Lucy & Bart is a collaboration between Lucy McRae and Bart Hess described as an instinctual stalking of fashion, architecture, performance and the body. They share a fascination with genetic manipulation and beauty expression. Working in a primitive and limitless way creating future human shapes, blindly discovering low – tech prosthetic ways for human enhancement.

Lucy is also a consultant at Philips Design with the Probes team, doing far future design research. Trained as a classical ballerina and architect her work inherently fascinates with the human body.

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The Wizard Of Ass

The first in a series of fake porn trailers Honest directed to promote Chuck Palahniuk's new book, Snuff. Snuff is, apparently, “about Cassie Wright, porn priestess, who intends to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication. On camera. With six hundred men. SNUFF unfolds from the perspectives of Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 600, who await their turn on camera in a very crowded green room”.

More sexy videos here and at Chuck's site. (via Newstoday)

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Pentagram: Decipher

Each year Pentagram issues a small holiday book as a greeting to its friends and colleagues. The partners take turns researching and designing these books, which usually contain some kind of game or activity. The most recent edition is Decipher, designed by Harry Pearce, who chose as its subject cryptography, the science of writing, or encrypting and breaking, or decrypting secret codes.

This book features 14 cryptograms of varying methodologies and difficulty that conceal short phrases; through symbols, numbers, patterns and simple letterspacing, the cyptograms challenge the reader to decipher their meaning. “It’s astonishing how much you can hide in type,” says Pearce.

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Kemistry Gallery

Kemistry Gallery is a small independent gallery located in Shoreditch, London dedicated to exhibiting the work of outstanding designers both past and present. Works include United Visuals Artists, Geoff McFetridge, Zak Kyes, Experimental Jetset.

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DixonBaxi

DixonBaxi, a London based design firm by the award winning team of Simon Dixon and Aporva Baxi (previously from The Attik). They also have a photostream documenting various interesting and quirky moments on and off work.

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Words and Thoughts in RGB

A mini-documentary about color from Eduardo Morais. Narrated by Joana Vieira da Costa. Distributed by Andarfilmes. (Thanks Melvyn.)

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This is NOT art

Does it look like art to you?

But that is not all, the 'prestigious' Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the Biennial of 2008. The Animal Legal Defense Fund suggests: "At this point, we feel the most effective method of protest is to write local animal protection agencies demanding they put a stop to this exhibit." Stop the beast himself, sign the petition.

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Ghostly International

Michigan's Ghostly International was created in 1999 by Sam Valenti IV in his dorm room at the University of Michigan. While in college, the concept of a "complete" music/art brand seemed like a necessity, inspired in no small part by the Art History degree he was working towards. This attention to detail spilled into the label design and all related materials, from LPs to event flyers to clothing. Since then, the label has become one of America's premier channels for forward-thinking music, from abstract electronics to avant-pop. Home to artists such as Matthew Dear, Lusine, Osborne, Daniel Wang, Midwest Product, The Chap, Ghostly celebrates a diversity of styles that run the electronic gamut.

This followed up with sister-label Spectral Sound, with its focus on the dancefloor. Artists combine elements of techno, house and other classic dance styles with a modern touch.

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Ellen Allien

The DJ, the record label owner, the fashion designer... Can we go on a blind date please, Miss Allien?

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Wordclock

Word Clock is a typographic screensaver for Mac OS X. It displays a fixed list of all numbers and words sufficient to express any possible date and time as a sentence. Created by Simon Heys, Creative Director at Tonic. (Thanks Tym.)

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