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Here’s the latest from our London-based editor Justine
Naturalists and art lovers are in for a treat with the stunning exhibition Ghosts of Gone Birds. Ghosts is the brainchild of filmmaker Ceri Levy and Chris Aldhouse of Goodpilot and an exhibition which captures and celebrates extinct bird species and raises awareness and funds for conservation. The show includes over 300 pieces created by an army of 120 artists, writers and musicians (see the full list here and all proceeds from the show will aid conservation through Bird Life International.
Those who can’t catch the show in London can still purchase some of the gorgeous prints through the online shop, but I would strongly recommend heading down to see this amazing show in person if you can. The exhibition runs until November 23rd at the Rochelle School in Shoreditch, full details here. In the meantime, take a look at the show through our eyes with our photo gallery of personal highlights and Ghost’s facebook page.
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This post is part of NOTCOT Having Fun In The Dark series sponsored by Canon Powershot’s Your Second Shot! While taking pictures in the dark means standing super still, you may still end up with more graininess than usual …armed with Canon’s low-light HS SYSTEM, you can trust the tech to help you capture the perfect shot the first time! 
While exploring Las Vegas for SEMA, I love to escape into the least vegas feeling Vdara in City Center. Of course this means being surrounded by the stunning mix of modern architecture and large scale modern sculptures galore. One can’t help but stare at Nancy Rubins’ Big Edge in the center of the huge roundabout ~ with boats somehow forming a huge tree light structure… with more than 200 aluminum boats — canoes, rowboats and flat-bottomed boats strung together with steel wire into a colorful cluster held together with cantilevers, they manage to look nearly in motion, as if exploding apart! Nancy Rubins has been making these large boat structures for some time now and Big Edge is a larger version of her “Big Pleasure Point” in the Lincoln Center in New York, with similar pieces around the country. Perhaps one of the best parts of being placed in the center of City Center in Las Vegas is the ability for everyone to enjoy it in so many different lighting situations, so Shawn Sims had a little late night photoshoot last night wandering up close to it to share some of its amazing looks at night! Take a peek at all of the pics on the next page!
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There’s something fun about when art and function come together. Take a look at these DEMONBELLS i found on Uncrate! Will these sculptural alternatives to your standard (pretty ugly) kettlebells make your work out better? Probably not. Will it make me more likely to be amused while working out? Possibly. But it will definitely make it less of something that begs to be hidden, and instead will become an intriguing conversation piece… even as a doorstop. Created by former Navy SEAL, Ryan Williams, these DemonBells were commissioned art pieces brought to life by a local San Diego Master Sculptor. They are made in China from 100% recycled steel, not iron, and injection molded for a smooth finish which is then black powder coated. From their site, “Each piece in the DemonBell line started individually with an ornamental design inspired from various global and cultural influences. Through extensive testing and evaluation of working prototypes, we have finally produced the fully functional works of art you see here. Each directional weight carries its own unique modifications, from anatomically designed handle grips and specific weight distribution for balance, to specially angled backs to match forearm angles during snatch movements. We designed each DemonBell while paying as much attention to function as we did form.” Take a peek at the whole collection of 4 on the next page!
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Spy novels + fun cars + limited edition books = gorgeous book design from 007 and Bentley for the latest James Bond book, Carte Blache. There is a die-cut bullet hole that pierces each book - inside each copy you find a single polished bullet with a distinct number. (I wonder if any other secret information is hidden in or on the bullet!)
As for the design - “The Special Edition is designed by Brett Boydell. In his ten years at Bentley, Brett has been involved in the interior design of the Bentley Azure, Brooklands and, most recently, the Continental Supersports. He also manages the Bentley Branded Goods studio, where all Bentley-associated products are created.” Additionally, the book is in a metal box shaped into outline of the new Continental GT. The look of this sleek abstracted sculpture reminds me a lot of the Infiniti Essence and Mercedes Rising Car sculptures. Take a peek at the sketches and renders of the 007 and Bentley Carte Blanche Special Edition on the next page.
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Laser cut stacks of uncut money… into skull motifs… that is one QUICK way to grab my attention, and almost want to miss a flight to paris. Almost… thank goodness Linhchi was able to go check out the inaugural exhibition of the OH WOW Gallery, SCOTT CAMPBELL NOBLESSE OBLIGE. Scott Campbell has been much loved on NOTCOT over the years, from tattoo artist, to laser artist, to beautiful collaborations with laser cut leather for Louis Vuitton… and to my favorite, his work with laser cut stacks of uncut sheets of US currency. And this time there is even tattoo inspired art inside ostrich egg shells and burning images into stacks of money…Take a peek into the show and the lush green gallery on the next page!
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The process and creative imagery that is produced along the path to great products are often quite a work of art… It’s so inspiring to see Mercedes-Benz embracing the process by formalizing sculptures in their process of exploration and discovery. There’s something almost magical when seeing the design process itself shared through these sculptural experiments, especially when they share the sketches and organic inspiration that leads them there. Works of art being displayed along side concept cars and current cars fill you with curiosity and open ended inspiration of what the future may hold. Mercedes Aesthetics No. 2 just debuted at Detroit Auto Show.
I love this quote from Mercedes Head of Design, Gorden Wagener, “Inspiration is the pre-condition for the calm, coherent yet passionately emotional design of our cars. In the interior sculpture Aesthetics No. 2 we have allowed creative fantasy to develop freely without constraints.” Regarding sculpture details, “On a scale of 1.5 to 1 the sculpture measures 18.3 x 6 x 8.5 feet. The finely wrought frame painted in alubeam Liquid Metal is light and strong; the white seating landscapes look like ivory.” Take a look at the inspiration behind and the design process that went into it… as well as the very cool final sculpture!
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Leave it to a Louis Vuitton case, a beautifully sleek sculpture… and a retro modern manta ray meets metropolis feeling beauty of a concept i couldn’t stop staring at during the LA Auto Show. Though it debuted in Geneva in 09, there is something so striking about it in person i couldn’t resist. The Infiniti Essence Concept! “Celebrating 20 years as a creator of performance luxury vehicles, Infiniti introduces a vision crafted to embody our core values and inspire future design: the Infiniti Essence. This dramatic styling, technology and performance statement is a 592-hp gasoline/electric hybrid coupe defined by exterior lines sculpted to express fluidity and speed. Destined to influence production models of the future, the Infiniti Essence vividly captures the balance between grace and power, and the unrestrained possibility of Inspired Performance.” What IS new however is this 300 piece, limited-edition, solid resin, Infiniti Essence model which costs $300, and it can be ordered with a Louis Vuitton carrying case, available at Infiniti Lifestyle. For now see more pics of the case, sculpture, and concept car on the next page.
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There are some fascinating design shifts happening at Mercedes-Benz ~ from the design studio in Sindelfingen to Como to Tokyo to Carlsbad, the message was clear - the hunt is on for “Perfect Aesthetics” and in doing so, they are aggressively pushing their designs to be more fresh, young, emotional, and sexy ~ phrases like “enjoyment of innovation” + “inspire our customers” + “sensuality and joy” + “importance of perception” kept recurring in addition to talk of the future and fascination and playfulness. It was most definitely a buzzwordfest, but the excitement and passion of the design teams was impossible to ignore. There was an inescapable giddiness throughout the week around where the future may take us, and a need to think far beyond their more traditional production vehicles. Steffen Kohl’s gung ho push from the design side to gain the freedom to explore the insane ideas are guaranteed to frighten corporate types a bit. It’s inspiring to see his team indulge in the ideas designers dream about as students ~ you know, that awesomely idealistic time when you believe absolutely anything is possible?
A big part of this is the fight to create more artistic explorations through sculpture to push abstract concepts. The idea of art being key to Mercedes-Benz design strategies as well as a beautiful way to tease designs earlier in the year is intriguing. And i love these form studies of Oliver Samson, Thomas Stopka,Yves Renaud, and Sylvain Wehnert from Karim Habib’s team. Exploring lightweight forms to play with strength, perspective, and transparency, the results resemble polygons, honeycombs (all sharing one central perspective point), string art, and woven chaos. See them all on the next page!
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Such a fun way to spend the day before hopping on the LAX-CDG flight ~ TBWA\Chiat\LA 5353 Music Art Fest ~ an evolution of what was once a company wide picnic, this year TBWA\Chiat\Day threw a party in their parking lot celebrating their team, art, and music accompanied by food trucks (Kogi and Greasy Weiner) and an Ice Cream Sandwich Bar! The music was quite the line up with performances by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Fool’s Gold, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Local Natives. Then there was the art ~ nice idea to have an art show featuring non work pieces by TBWA\Chiat\Day employees, many of which don’t necessarily even work in the creative side! The beer was flowing, the dunk tank was splashing, the music was blasting, and everyone seemed to be having a great time as they popped in and out of the building ~ i guess the only downside (or upside?) to having this year’s event in the parking lot versus offsite, you can hang out AND still work at the same time! Huge thanks to the folks at TBWA\Chiat\Day for inviting me in, honored to have made the “friends of…” list! Check out the fun scene from the top of the parking garage, the giant chicken sculpture that farts bubbles, the pixelated bike, the burnt golf balls and more on the next page!
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On fun unexpected inspiration ~ RUGenius sent over some pics of London department store, Harvey Nichols’, latest elaborate window display, ‘Everyday Things’, which certainly does not disappoint. The window series consists of everyday objects (pencils, clothespins, nails, cassette tapes and plastic toys) to create more elaborate sculptural pieces. Piano’s made of cassettes of all shapes and sizes, dresses of clothespins, cars of toys, men made of books, bikes made of tools, and more! Stunning! See the close ups on the next page!
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Some toys just stop you in your tracks. Like this brand new VP-T Celsius Toy Reactor-88 made for the upcoming Rotobox Ganmettal Celsius Custom Show coming up at the Toy Art Gallery in LA on July 10th, 2010! When i saw the sneek peek over at Vinyl Pulse, couldn’t resist begging for more pictures of this adorable little guy ~ so, if you’re ready, take a look at more details, even a look at his jetpack (ok, it might just be a backpack or the contraption that holds his wings on, though a guy with wings might still be able to use an extra boost) and more on the next page!
p.s.
Love seeing the native american art influences in Reactor-88’s work ~ such a fun combination with custom toys!
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We could all use some "Mental Togetherness" ~ lovely sculpture by Truls Melin outside of Swedish art space Magasin 3 (A philanthropic activity by Swedish investors, Proventus - also investors of Brio, Artek, o2, Tom Dixon). Whether this sculpture is about chasing the pipe dream or creating that continuous flow between us or visualizing the paths we take... i leave that to your interpretation... all i know is that as tempting as it seems, you can not climb on it... but it is fascinating to wander into... see more pics of it on the next page!
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The internet definitely works in cycles, if you miss something the first time around, don't worry, the awesome stuff always loops back. So please forgive me for not having jumped on Yu Jinyoung's A Family In Disguise at the Union Gallery one back in Dec 08, but Josh Spear seems to have resurfaced the work of Yu Jinyoung that showed at Art Basel Miami 08, and try as i may, i can't get them out of my head, so need to save them somewhere to look back on later! First thing i thought was, Audrey Kawasaki! The dark thoughtful floating faces disappearing into their surroundings... but in sculptural PVC lifesize form! Then i kicked myself when i saw on Boing Boing that Pescovitz actually found it from Audrey who loved it too in March 09... best find? Awesome interview over at Arrested Motion with a peek into how these are made! So see more pics on the next page and join my fascination with this eerie and amazing body of work... i can only imagine how breath taking they must be in person. (They are LIFE SIZED! Mind blowing.)
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Yesterday Toyota (for the first time) opened up it's Calty Design Research doors to a tiny group of journalists (Core77, KCRW/NPR, Architect Magazine, Dwell, Inhabitat, DesignMom, Zaproot, and i was honored to be included in the group)... and as we all know, security and secrecy in the car industry is nearly impenetrable, with design secrets that manage to be kept under wraps for years before the public even gets wind of the concepts, it was an honor (and SO much fun) to get an inside look at Toyota's studios and their work flow... AND to be able to share it with you!
So first off, my favorite part ~ really it brought out the kindergartner in all of us, get handed a tool, and a HUGE (yes, life size car sized) piece of clay, and are told to go to it. And then sat down at a bench with mini's to carve away at your own car? Ok so perhaps that only slightly over simplifying it, but i'm sure you can imagine the delight of poking at clay... while assisted by some of the most talented car designer and modelers... who with a quick flip of their wrist and a few slashes with a pairing knife, off fly a few pieces of clay and you're staring at the dream sportscar you never knew you wanted. Then you see what my unplanned mohawked/finned masterpiece turns out like after more effort and less finesse. Let's just say we fully understand and were quickly humbled by how skilled these modelers and designer are...
So take a look inside the Toyota Calty Design Research modeling space on the next page, and our experience hands on with the clay!
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"Wow." That's pretty much the best i can come up with initially to describe Stephanie Metz's incredible use of wool for her felted sculptures exambining the anatomy of of the fetal development of teddy bears, and their skulls... and that before you even see her large breasted cow, leggless lap chihuahua, adorable bull dog and rabbits... See more images below, as well as an excerpt on her process to develop these intriguing creatures! I saw these over at DesignBoom, which led me to sweetest blog i can't believe its taken me this long to discover, Street Anatomy... anyhow, see after the jump for more pics of Metz's felted creatures!
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Fascinated by this since i saw it on 
You just have to appreciate the effort of master craftsmen when you look at the new 
Unbelievably awesome. When my favorite crayon carver, 
