Mourning Objects by Anna Schwamborn

I've decided another posting is in order today, to commemorate the fact that I can see the green mountains peeking out from the haze :-)

Anna Schwamborn's Mourning Objects managed to stump me. For the first time in aeons, I find myself unable to process what I feel/think about something, which I am pleasantly surprised about. I had been finding it increasingly easy to have opinions on matters, which I equate to being in somewhat of a mental-growth rut. 

I think the idea of incorporating pieces of the body (think teeth, or even skulls) into something wearable has been around for ages. But they are usually restricted to remote tribes or primordial cultures (at least as far as I know, but then again, please be reminded that I've stressed before in this blog of how little I know). Anyway, this is the first imagery I've seen of human remains (her pieces include hair as well as cremated ashes) that borders high fashion. I mean, the jewelry actually look like items fashionistas could covet while flipping through Vogue or the likes.

Anyway, go to Dezeen to read about it and ogle at more images of the jewelry.

Ta for now!

Balloon Breakfast

This blog's been reading like a weather report lately, hasn't it, but I just can't help it. It rained last night, so while the view of the horizon is still obliterated by the cursed haze (can we come up with a more technical name for it already???), it's a lot more survivable today, it's cooler and there's even the occasional breeze. Calls for a celebration, no? Hence a posting today ;-p

The image above made me smile.

via ignant.

Via Buzzfeed, I found this information graphics showing Iran's political system by Nicolas Rapp. I kowtow to graphics that illustrate complexities with such simplicity and clarity. To me, haughty as it may sound, this exemplifies the purpose of good communication design.

Ugh, the murderous heat is making it impossible to be a properly functioning human being. It's 95 F, muggy and on top of that, hazy with pollutants in the air. That's not the whole story as to why there haven't been any updates. Truth is, I hit another bump where I just can't find anything worth the trouble to blog about. Not that there aren't some seriously good shit happening that excites me, it's just that nothing feels worthy when compared to what I have to go through to blog about it. The soap-melting heat (true story!) makes firing up the ol' computer a major-ass chore. First, all fans in the room have to be turned on and trained on the computer, then the electricity to the computer itself has to be turned on and finally a damp cloth for the underside where the battery is capable of getting so hot it causes the wooden table to give off a scent. Nothing seems worthy of this kind of strain, you know what I mean? Yea yea yea, I'm a complainer, I've heard that before :-)

So anyway, we got a bit of relief from the drought today, which makes it tolerable so here I am, explaining my absence with a chokeful of words. Also, got a couple of finds to share, the kind of things that gets me excited. Wordnik (a contemporary word dictionary, I love the idea behind it) and Fotopedia (an encyclopaedia of images). Hope you like 'em as much!

Panos 2013 at Lyon

Digging this collaborative street art - Panos 2013.

Sorry I'm Late

Loving this stop-motion animation! I'm a big big sucker for all kinds of stop-motion. 

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

via changethethought.

Chen House

I'm a firm believer that good architecture and good housing planning can dispense with a lot of modern-day inventions thought up to better survive certain inhospitable climates that we later discover to have a bad impact on our environment. (I'm talking about you, AC!)

The following structure is not a place of residence, it's true. But its ideas of existing within the land it occupies certainly are worth thinking about. Read more about it from designboom.

Fiona Paxton Necklaces

These necklaces are so amazing. Seriously, aren't they fabulous? I love how they would totally jazz up my wardrobe (of tees and boy-beaters exclusively ;-p ) 

Made of silver chains and glass/silver beads by textile-designer, Fiona Paxton, these works of art cost a pretty penny, though. So that rules out buying options for me, unfortch :-( What else is new, sigh.

I'm showing the ones I fancy here, there are some colorful patterned ones in her collection.

Images from Nina & Lola.

Fabulous find via Jessica Stites.

Um, is it wrong to covet axes?

Id: Course not, not when they are these pretty. Come to mama, bad boy #2 aka Jim Dandy!

Happy socks, anyone?

I used to be a colorful sock fiend. I bet you didn't know that about me ;-p I even showed up at work in bright orange socks with attached fluffy cotton balls a couple of times. Alright, that was a bald-faced lie. It was a lot of times.

Anyhoo, I don't wear socks anymore (suck it up with the collective eww, peeps. It's hot here in tropical-country land, ok?) but these colorful ones still managed to turn my head, so to speak. 

By, appropriately enough, Happy Socks. They really are quite cheery, aren't they.

via journal.byhiroshi.com.

Polite Umbrella

What a cute idea by JooYoun Paek.

via ignant.

A Kiss From Tokyo

Via Jean Snow, a book trailer, 007-style. Too cute.

"A Kiss From Tokyo" Theatrical trailer from Stephane coedel on Vimeo.

Aww....

Worms in love.

Azuma Makoto

Is it obvious, this need of mine for some color? ;-) 

From Spoon & Tamago, (a really cool site I stumbled upon recently), I learnt of Distortion x Flowers by Azuma Makoto, a floral-slash-musical installation in Harajuku that hell-o! would give my right arm to go see???

James Roper

Finding inspiration from the colors in James Roper's work. I love how he's unafraid to use bright bold hues in his work. So much more to see, at his site. Would love to be able to see this in person.