Doom and Gloom

It's been raining nonstop in the past few days here in Wales since my arrival. 

Flash flood and a teenage girl died as the result. 

Not particularly good news. But, oh well. Just hope things will get better. More reports to follow.

Magazine Series: Elle Decoration (1990s)

I was rearranging my room the other day - putting some order in the organised mess that was my stacks of magazines - when I stumbled upon some old mid-90s Elle Decoration magazines. If someone were to ask me what magazines defined my teenagehood, it would be these rags I rescued from my father, who then ran a small hand-made sofa store. As a kid, the house was never short of these UK-edition Elle Decoration. It was through these pages that kick-started my interest in design and good living.

Here are pictures of artist-filmmaker Julian Schnabel's loft - way back when he was still thin-ish and not into wearing pajamas to public events (February 1996 edition). 

Now I need to find an old warehouse for my old magazines.

If only

As a (financial) journalist I could only opine: If only all press conferences are this informative. 

NYC: Inner City Waterfalls

Recently, together with New York's Public Art Fund, Olafur Eliasson has installed eight man-made waterfalls around New York. I think this is awesome.

It looks out of place like a big pipe leak and rather surreal - the sheer enormity of the work.

Holy Ghost/Spirit Explosion (Remix)

Thanks to Iain Tait for introducing me to one of the best video remixes in decades.

First I thought this is some kind of Dadaist/Situationist art work. But below is the original clip. Go figure.

Now for a bottle of vodka to fill my body with the real spirit.

Funny Print Ad from DDB.

I make it a point to avoid blogging about ad - there are better and far more interesting and insightful ad bloggers out there. But this is an one and only exception. 

Given the cynicism of the age, it's hard for the cleverness of an ad to make someone smile/giggle/laugh. Let alone a print ad like this one. I believe this one won a Cannes Lion, whatever the colour-material - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Wood, Plastic... I have no idea. It doesn't matter really. But I haven't seen a good, long-copy ad for a while. Funny, while not trying too hard. It also keeps the VW spirit too, in a way paying homage to the old "Lemon" ad.

Work in Progress

Counting down to the shooting day and I'm changing story lines like a chameleon changing the colours of its skin. But we're getting there.