OCULAR by VICTORALEX

Injectable Oxygen.A team at Boston Children’s Hospital have...

Mon, 13 May 2013 03:08:29 -0400

Injectable Oxygen.

A team at Boston Children’s Hospital have invented a micro-particle that can be injected into your bloodstream to oxygenate your blood – without any help being required from your lungs. The particles are able to keep a patient alive for up to 30 minutes after respiratory failure – which is normally enough time to prevent a heart attack or brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

Each particle contains three to four times more oxygen than each of our own red blood cells. The oxygen is stored with a cell membrane made of fat. The membrane can be made of other materials but one issue in the past was that the particles became lodged in the body’s capillaries. These fat membranes however, are much more flexible and prevent this problem from happening.

Dr. John Kheir first began looking at ways to oxygenate the blood without breathing due to a tragic experience with one of his patients, a young girl. She was suffering from pneumonia and at one point her lungs started to fill with blood. It took 25 minutes to remove the blood from her lungs, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough time to prevent a cardiac arrest, leaving the girl in a serious condition which eventually lead to her death.

Potential uses for the new technology include medical, military and private. Military uses could include covert teams being able to stay submerged for 30 minutes at a time without having to come up for air. Private sector could include rescue teams being better protected, or an oil rig crew being able to fix underwater damage without the need for scuba equipment. Via PSFK.

Stefan Bunte ~Work from Proving Things at Galerie Jean...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 05:37:11 -0400

Stefan Bunte ~Work from Proving Things at Galerie Jean Rochdard.

“The work proving things deals with the search for traces as a method. By creating various experimental setups in the form of images and objects, Steffen Bunte addresses the topic of exploring structure and shapes. The work also draws on rearrangement and restructuring of already existing objects and materials. His own photographs are extended by a selection of scientiﬁc artworks and collected things.
These found objects gain a reorganized contextualization by a speciﬁc composition in the exhibition space, which allows visitors a different approach to material and object in the new setting.

An essential part of the work is mainly traveling as a strategy for gaining knowledge. With the investigation of the excavation of the future archaeological museum of Israel, the ‘National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel’ in Jerusalem, Steffen Bunte‘s preoccupation with structure and form is transmitted in particular. The images of stones Site I (A), Site I (B) and Site II remind us of pictures shot by a scanning electron microscope. Here physical properties, such as sense of scale completely dissolve in the large-format photographs of the surfaces.This bizarre but equally technical world of the macrocosm also builds the basis for the black pedestal piece 300 , whose model is a greatly enlarged ice crystal. Here the borders between abstract macro photography and the images and forms that we know of, start to blur. Further this raises the question which aesthetic is inherent in the visualization of perception and knowledge.

There to shall establish the series Mars Science Laboratory, whose images are taken by the Mars rover Curiosity on the same-named mission, launched in 2012 by NASA. The work of the remote-controlled robot on the alien planet is analogous to the idea of curiosity and discovery.

From the context of collecting, archiving and displaying, the trolley Depot I, and the rack Depot II, alongside the small travel souvenirs (nasal spray, mobile phone, water bottle) are disposed of their original value and transferred to new situations. Hereby the resulting reorientation of the relationship between object and surroundings gains relevance. The revaluation and alienation through the marble detaches the trolley from its functionality. The trolley and rack itself symbolically represent depot and archive, whereas in the exhibition they display nothing more than themselves…” – Galerie Jean Rochdard

Joel Compass “Back to Me” by directors Ian &...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:42:43 -0400

Joel Compass “Back to Me” by directors Ian & Cooper.

Great work by upcoming directors Ian & Cooper. Such an creative and breathtaking clip in B/W. Beautiful stills with masked movement. Love the idea.

Work from Kjell Varvin. The work of Kjell Varvin is beautifully...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:01:00 -0400

Work from Kjell Varvin.

The work of Kjell Varvin is beautifully intuitive. Geometric shapes and shades that evoke emotion and triggers its viewer on a conceptual level.
His work is expressionistic and yet abstract.

More from his ouvre.

The Floral Project by Antoni Tudisco.Great work by young...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:10:53 -0400

The Floral Project by Antoni Tudisco.

Great work by young designer Antoni Tudisco. Beatifull colour and details. Amazing design on the female body.

More of his work.

Work by Guim Tió Zarraluki.Great work and style from Spanish...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:53:06 -0400

Work by Guim Tió Zarraluki.

Great work and style from Spanish artist Guim Tió Zarraluki. I love his unsettling portraits and way of combining different mediums. His work takes a deep look at the narcissistic culture of beauty emulation.

The beauty of his style lies in its minimalistic use of shapes and colour tones that create a softness which is hypnotics and yet mesmerizing. His way of combining illustration and photography with subtle highlighted accents makes his work intriguing and surrealistic.

More of his ouvre.

Work by Talia Chetrit. Great work by photgrapher Talia Chetrit....

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:36:36 -0400

Work by Talia Chetrit.

Great work by photgrapher Talia Chetrit. Her work graps the attention by its crips and clean way of photgraphy. Al of her work seems to displays a high contrast and use of negative space. Her work looks vibrant and is well conceived.

“Talia Chetrit’s second solo show at Renwick Gallery could be described as a satisfying instance of something simple done well. After all, what could be more straightforward than a group of elegantly composed, black and white, still-life studies of pattern, form, texture and light? Chetrit’s exhibition featured images of thick, bevelled glass vases placed against hard curved planes of tightly wound wire (Vase/Machine), geometric white grids casting shadows against someone’s back (Nude/Grid), and simple forms such as cylinders and flat pieces of wood making neat triangular shadows (Triangle/Tube, all 2011), all sumptuously printed in high-contrast rich blacks and crisp whites.

Work from her oeuvre.

Sea Urchins - Planktonic Origins. Super Great project!...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:42:52 -0400

Sea Urchins - Planktonic Origins.

Super Great project! Barely visible to the naked eye, sea urchin larvae grow and transform into bottom-dwelling urchins. Plankton Chronicles Project by Christian Sardet, CNRS / Noe Sardet and Sharif Mirshak, Parafilms

See Plankton Chronicles interactive site: Plankton Chronicles

Daphne Guinness: Undressed. Documentary filmmaker Brennan...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:36:00 -0500

Daphne Guinness: Undressed.

Documentary filmmaker Brennan Stasiewicz infiltrates the cosseted world of Daphne Guinness in Daphne’s Window. Featuring intimate footage of the icon at her Fifth Avenue apartment, the short follows the eccentric fashion patron and socialite as she prepares for her recent installation in the windows of Barneys New York. The storefront showcased her collection of pieces by designer Lee Alexander McQueen and a selection from the archive of fashion editor Isabella Blow, which Guinness purchased in its entirety last year. The display culminated in a performance art piece in which Guinness dressed for the Met ball in one of the flagship’s windows, modeling a lilac feathered gown designed by McQueen’s Sarah Burton. “She appears to me as someone always in a window,” says Stasiewicz. “Someone you can approach and see, but you remain on the other side.”

This year brings a multitude of projects for the heiress: her sculptural armored glove collaboration with jeweler Shaun Leane (pictured in today’s film) will be exhibited by Jay Jopling in a private viewing in London later this month; and in September a retrospective at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology will pay homage to her style. “Daphne is someone to take pleasure in, and in many ways, someone who incites moments of wonder,” says Stasiewicz.

Takesada Matsutani ~ Work from his oeuvre. “Born in Osaka in...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:15:58 -0500

Takesada Matsutani ~ Work from his oeuvre.

“Born in Osaka in 1937, Matsutani began his artistic exploration in 1956 with Nihonga, a traditional Japanese painting genre. His paintings soon veered away from this time honored style, as his subject matter became more abstract. Matsutani began experimenting with vinyl wood glue, which allowed the introduction of the third dimension into his paintings. In 1960, Matsutani participated in his first exhibition with the Gutai group in the Pinacotheca Gutai. He had become a member and was exhibited regularly until the dissolution of the group in 1972. He received a grant to study in France and settled down there since 1966.

His work is now characterized by the use of two materials: glue and graphite. Museums and private collectors in Japan own the majority of the first Gutai generation’s art. However, Matsutani’s productivity and longevity have lead him to be widely represented on the market today. While most Gutai artists are no longer living, Matsutani continues to testify his commitment to the aesthetic and conceptual statements of the movement.

The Gutai Art Association was founded in the summer of 1954 by Jiro Yoshihara and seventeen other young Osaka-area artists… The Gutai Art Manifesto declared, “Gutai Art does not change the material but brings it to life.” – Galerie Richard

Gutai Spirit Forever Part 1 is currently on exhibit through March 16th, 2013 at Galerie Richard, New York.

I Are Droid ~ Winter Ward Part II. Special music video for I...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:29:49 -0500

I Are Droid ~ Winter Ward Part II.

Special music video for I ARE DROID (iaredroid.com)

Directed and edited by: Oskar Wrangö (oskar.wrango.com)
DOP: Simon Rudholm (simonrudholm.com)
Additional sound by: Marcus Wrangö (marcus.wrango.com)
Grading by: Annika Pehrson
Octacopter pilot: Ulf Grünbaum
Dancer/Actor: Iona Kewney
Produced by: Peder Bergstrand & Oskar Wrangö

Behind the scenes photos: oskarwrango.tumblr.com

Lovefest: Puppy Love.Chanteuse du Jour Whinnie Williams Falls...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:27:52 -0500

Lovefest: Puppy Love.
Chanteuse du Jour Whinnie Williams Falls Hard By the Sea.

Two unexpected romances blossom in a grey seaside town in emerging songstress Whinnie Williams’ video for “You Don’t Love Me,” a debut single that takes puppy love literally. Shot in collaboration with DATS Entertainment along the Hastings promenade on the south coast of England, director Robert Francis Müller follows Williams’ jelly-shoe clad feet around amusement arcades, junk yards and caravans in pursuit of a handsome French stranger’s lost dog—and his affections. “I wanted to write a song for hopeless romantics,” says London-based Williams, who describes her sound as what it would be like “if Coco Chanel had a music production center.” Obsessed with her Gallic neighbors across the Channel, Williams is set on providing her own, updated twist on 1960s French pop. As for the video’s furry leading poodle, “Brian is part of the band,” she says. “He’s the best thing ever.” Read on for a snapshot of Whinnie’s amatory preferences.

Lovefest: Heart to Mouth.An erotic subversion of the ultimate...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:16:29 -0500

Lovefest: Heart to Mouth.

An erotic subversion of the ultimate amorous icon from creative wunderkind Bart Hess.

Sheath your arrows: the voluptuous red heart, international symbol of love, is reimagined in this a visceral new short by genre-defying Dutch artist Bart Hess. With echoes of high-tech fetish fashion and Jeff Koons’ contemporary pop art classic “Hanging Heart,” Hess’ latest video stages a Sapphic encounter from within crimson latex balloons. “I want to create a tension between the body and material—almost as though they become one,” says the multidisciplinary creative, whose work at the edge of sensation has included collaborations with Nick Knight and Lucy McRae, a neon fantasy for Tod’s and a head-to-toe slime outfit for the artwork to Lady Gaga’s last album Born This Way. Here Hess turns to fringe science, confessing a fascination with the mysterious phenomenon of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). “It’s a physical sensation that most people describe as a tingling in the head or a ‘brain orgasm’ that can be caused by all kinds of sounds,” he explains of the intense experience, which, if you believe its proponents, can be provoked by online uploads of mundane tasks. “One video that definitely triggers something with me is of a woman playing with a balloon. Together with an amazing team I translated the idea into my own short.”

What material are the balloons made from?
Bart Hess: They’re actually just normal balloons, but giant. I wanted to create the feeling that the balloons were made of fluid metal, so we made them really shiny with loads of lube.

Could the models breathe in there?
BH: Yes, of course! We tested with the balloons for weeks to make sure it was safe. You can actually stay in there for about 10 minutes but for the shoot we only did takes of two minutes. We were really lucky with the models—they weren’t scared at all and knew how to pose, even with two-meter balloons on their heads.

Any risqué anecdotes from the set?
BH: We were shooting this amazing shot of the girls’ interaction. After some minutes I felt the models should get some fresh air. With my Dutch accent I said “Girls it is time to breathe now!” Awkwardly, the girls thought I said, “Girls, it is time to breed now!”

Angelica (left) wears rose gold scrapers by H&H, bodycon dress by Victoria Beckham; Alice (right) wears rose gold scrapers by H&H, satin bra by Eres, net bra (worn underneath) from American Apparel, bodycon underskirt by Wolford.

"Great minds have purposes, others have wishes."

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:20:13 -0500

“Great minds have purposes, others have wishes.”

- Washington Irving (1783 ~ 1859) American author, essayist, biographer, historian and diplomat.

"Work smoothly eternal peace"

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:37:31 -0500

“Work smoothly eternal peace”

- Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, 11e eeuw.

Lessons in Sculptural imagery, Chemical photography and the...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:46:00 -0500

Lessons in Sculptural imagery, Chemical photography and the resurrection of Still Life by Cope/Arnold.

Photographer Nicholas Alan Cope and creative director Dustin Edward Arnold have come to be known as a groundbreaking duo within the visual arts world. Both with wide-ranging backgrounds in photography and design, they originally met through a commercial project in 2007 and began their first collaboration in 2009 when they formed the artistic partnership known as Cope/Arnold. They decided to join forces due to a mutual desire to go beyond the commonplace and take photography to places it had never been before. ”We have a classical approach to making work”, they point out, where ”There’s a lot of planning, a lot of preparation”. Their approach to image creation, however classical, still manages to break the confines of conventional photography. Each working beyond their respective discipline, they inventively combine the mediums of painting, chemistry, sculpture, fashion and installation as a part of their image-making process, without being afraid to constantly evolve and experiment with new approaches and techniques that they have never tried before.

Combining traditional art making practices and digital craft into one space, their work is further consolidated by a compelling conceptual framework that goes far beyond what meets the eye. Through their imagery they orchestrate captivating visual storylines based on an omnipresent interest in the abstract which is elusively highlighted by scientific, spiritual and cosmological undertones. The aesthetic of their shoots is made up of a combination of atmospheric lighting, rich textures and attention to detail. Heavenly lights complement and at the same time juxtapose dramatic shadows and exaggerated close-ups, thereby creating a series of mesmerizing imagery that shies away from ordinary editorial and flirts with fine art.

Since joining forces, they have amassed a body of autonomous work that references the past, twists the present and projects well into the future. Read the whole article at Yatzer.com and see more of their astonishing work.

Andreas Ervik ~ Work from his oeuvre.“My medium is the .jpg,...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:30:27 -0500

Andreas Ervik ~ Work from his oeuvre.

“My medium is the .jpg, since all I make is finally compressed into this format, before it is distributed to a wider audience than I will ever physically reach. My artwork incorporates elements of found objects, photography and collage. I like to think of my collage work as digital permutations; rearrangements of objects, textures and shapes I’ve created or found.

My fields of research include the virtual: web surfing, new age capitalism and healthy lifestyle propaganda, as well as natural elements: clouds, bacteria, moss, fungi, water, rocks and crystals. I find inspiration in the mundane: everyday boredom and Donald Duck comics, as well as the mysterious: meditation and the hypnagogic sleep phase.” More work from Andreas Ervik.

Enrico Boccioletti ~ Work from his oeuvre. “In the act of making...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:27:55 -0500

Enrico Boccioletti ~ Work from his oeuvre.

“In the act of making something, all other options die–unborn. The ones you did choose not to make. The constant opportunity of what might have been reverberates–eternally–in what actually becomes factual.

Based in Milan, Enrico Boccioletti is an artist and musician active in the fields of post-conceptual, new vernacular, performance and sound, interested into incompleteness and circularity, duplication and accumulation, waste, layering, forgery, faux-real.

In his work he plays with the paradoxes of a material world bathing at the source of digital intangibility: relationships and value in networked communities; perception of the self and expectation, performance anxiety in condition of overexposure to information; space and time in over-excited lifestyles into an accelerated culture; reality as mediated through the screen; arrangement and re-interpretation of pairs of opposites such as “presence/absence”, “real/virtual”, “actual/possible”, in form of intertwined concepts; language in the age of digital image; hearing and sound, relations between harmony and noise in Western civilization; strata of hybridization between substance and data; abrupt of the immaterial into a tangible environment; the quasi-post-human condition split among the contradiction of immaterial labour vs. physical needs, everyday demands vs. the universal texture, sexual desire vs. pristine dematerialization.” By O Fluxo. More from his oeuvre.

Danny Bowien: Mission Chinese.Sporting his trademark long...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:25:07 -0500

Danny Bowien: Mission Chinese.

Sporting his trademark long bleached hair, maverick foodie and Sonic Youth aficionado Danny Bowien shares the kitchen antics at his celebrated Mission Chinese Food restaurant and feasts at his favorite local joint, where he finds inspiration in peppercorn- and beer-braised chicken and pork pancakes, in this new film by Jordan Bahat.

The Korean-born, Oklahoma-raised chef has been drawing visitors to his small Chinatown outpost in staggering numbers since it opened in Manhattan last May, placating lines of hungry guests with a keg of free beer. It’s worth the wait: hybrid dishes like Kung Pao pastrami, catfish à la Sichuan seasoned with Old Bay and barbequed pig tails marinated in Coca-Cola have earned him a place at the top of The New York Times critic Pete Wells’ 2012 “Restaurant Triumphs” list. Bowien first gained cred for his signature brand of Chinese-American dishes with a pop-up venture in San Francisco’s Mission District. He picked up his culinary spark working odd restaurant jobs—not in formal training—and happily credits neighborhood haunts like Spicy Village as keys to his success. “Danny really let us in on his process,” said Bahat, who has shot music videos for indie acts including Josh Osho and Grouplove, and chose the sounds of Ducky to accompany this new short. “Danny goes somewhere, orders everything on the menu and then goes home and tries to recreate it. He’s the Mayor of Chinatown.”

"I haven’t got time to wait for people to catch up to me, I need to keep it moving."

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:17:00 -0500

“I haven’t got time to wait for people to catch up to me, I need to keep it moving.”

- Dizzee Rascal. Rapper and producer 1984 ~ Present.