Burberry's holographic show

British designer-label Burberry has celebrated the opening of their Beijing flagship store in a grand and psychedelic way:  by holding a fashion show that featured  sensational virtual and holographic technologies. For this show real as well as digital models were used. Computer graphics interacted with the models’ movements, making the  physical and virtual hard to distinguish. The show featured models walking through one another, bursting into a zillion snowflakes and multiplying along the catwalk.

This is, however not the first time that holographics were used in a fashion show: in 2006 Kate Moss already made a holographic appearance in the Alexander McQueen F/W show.

On the Edge

"Living on the edge" is an expression which is often  heard. But walking on the roof of Toronto's CN Tower restaurant, 356 meters in the air, might be different than what you had in mind. Long time known as the tallest building in the world with it's 553 meters, the CN Tower reinvents itself. For the modest sum of 175$ thrill seekers can enjoy stunning views of Toronto and Lake Ontario, whch lies beneath them, walking in groups of six while strapped to an elaborated harness system.

Old sneakers. Like, really old...

Before we had Converse... In Armenia a team of archeologists have found 5000 year old leather sneakers which are the oldest of its kind in the world. The shoe, which is a women's size 7, is made out of tanned cowhide and is held together by a crisscrossed cord. To put things into perspective, this "vintage" shoes were created 1000 years before the Great Pyramid of Giza.

photo: Boris Gasparian/ Reuters

Side-walk psychiatry

In New York, public installation artist and urban planner Candy Chang is helping the locals by offering them a bit of sidewalk-psychiatry. With her project, she wants to encourage self-evaluation by posing critical questions.

source: http://www.candychang.com/

Time is money!

This new alarm clock gives new meaning to the expression ‘time is money’:  if you don’t get out of bed when the alarm sounds, it will shred your paper.

But be careful: according to Mashable, willfully destroying U.S. currency is considered a federal crime and is punishable by law: “Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association [...] shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”

The tail-less mermaid of Hamburg

A giant sculpture of a mermaid which has risen in  Hamburg’s Alster Lake, is attracting numerous tourists. The mermaid is made of Styrofoam and steel and will be on display for 10 days.  The work was designed by German artist and head of the advertising academy “Miami Ad School”, Oliver Voss.

Interestingly, the sculpture was sponsored by Marcia Kilgore: owner of cosmetics company Soap and Glory.

Unable to decide whether it looks scary or not, the only thing we’re left wondering about, was  what the hell happened to her tail?

A new breed of trailer trash

Now, if you would happen to have $2,5 million to spare you could be the new and proud owner  of the world’s most expensive luxury coach: the Featherlite RV Vantare Platinum Plus.

This thing is much more than your ordinary RV;  it truly is a mansion on wheels. The interior boasts rare marble steps, a customized sculptured ceiling and onyx shower walls. The gas tank will cost you some  $1000 to fill up, but thank God your sportscar can be stored underneath.

Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus



Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus- interior



Sleeping in trees

So when was the last time you spent the night in a treehouse? The swedish so called Treehotel was designed and built by a group of designers and architects whose primary goal was to allow visitors to live in harmony with nature. The hotel is located in the village of Harads, 60 km south of the Arctic Circle.

Its rooms are located in the middle of the forest and are all designed differently.

The presumably most impressive room is the “Mirror Cube”: a lightweight aluminium structure which is hung around a tree trunk. The box is clad in mirrored glass so it reflects the surrounding forest and the sky.



The Mirror Cube

                            

The “Bird’s Nest”, which is yet another room, was built to resemble a bird’s nest and is covered with branches from the outside. The inside, however boasts a high-end room in modern design.



The Bird's Nest

photo sources: http://www.treehotel.se/

      

  

Solar-powered cooking

If you're heading for Finland this summer, be sure not to miss Helsinki between the 4th and 14th of August, where Chef Antto Melasniemi will be installing his Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen Restaurant. The project, on which he colaborates with spanish designer Martí Guixén was launched in April at the Milan Design Week. The concept of preparing food using only solar energy proved to be a great success with its combination of first-class cooking, renewable energy and design minimalism. The only thing that could get in the way of Melasniemis project could be the absence of sunshine, but with the prolongued sunlight at this time of year in Finland, there is everery chance for you to enjoy a solar-cooked meal at any hour.

www.lapinkultasolarkitchenrestaurant.com

synagogue in soho

We continue our series of converted places of worship with the "soho synagogue" in New York. Architect Dror Benshetrit has braught new life to this former fashion boutique. The rather business-looking elegant street window contrastes with the industrial looking prayer hall. The modern elements are inpired by traditional synagogue architecture which include a Menorah made out of bricks with painted arms.

Acido Dorado

The "Acido Dorado" -spanish for 'golden acid'-  is Robert Stone's second rental house built in the middle of the southern Californian desert. The project was designed and built as a 1350 square feet golden shimmering minimalist house, by Los Angeles based architect Robert Stone who conceived the building as a reflection on architecture itself.


copyright: Brad Lansil: robertstonedesign.com




copyright: Brad Lansil: robertstonedesign.com

copyright: Brad Lansil: robertstonedesign.com

 Hundreds of feet away, the Acido Dorado finds its counterpart in the so called "Rosa Muerta", which is a similar construction in darker colours that also functions as a rental house.

copyright: Brad Lansil: robertstonedesign.com

Melvin Sokolsky Retrospective

The new Le Royal Monceau - Raffles hotel in Paris, known since its reopening in October 2010 for its active role in the parisian artistic scene, is hosting an exhibition of the Bubble and Fly series, which photographer Melvin Sokolsky made in the the mid-1960s. These represent the innovative vocabulary of 1960s photos, which still inspires present-day photographers. A spectacular blend of fashion and photography, the Melvin Sokolsky "Retrospective" is open until September 3rd.

Over New York 1963

                                                             

Le dragon 1963

Du taxi 1963

Fly Dior 1965