As if the Apple store didn't already have enough people in and around it, on Thursday the Apple Store on Regent Street in London is hosting the Future Shorts film festival — an innovative and eclectic mix of YouTube-esq videos with a dash of film school art flicks. Have a little tease of what to come on their YouTube site and get ready to face the Apple store crowds again. Just like a good Internet meme, the festival is short. Films show from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. GMT on Thursday, July 24.
Hand-knits are just the best. They usually feature soft, luxurious yarns, creative designs, and thanks to the humans cranking them out, each piece is often just slightly different. In 2004, sisters Calliste and Carissa Yeboah turned their passion for knitting, crocheting, and felting into more than just a hobby when they started selling handmade, natural fiber accessories under the moniker Madewithhands at London’s Sunday Upmarket.
Their homespun goods are now available through a range of shops (check the stockist link on their site) so you too can have them without having to trek to the market on a lazy Sunday. Whether you need a new crocheted bowtie, a colorful case for your laptop, or just a simple knitted tiara, we think you’ll find what you’re looking for.
And ... if you’ve got the skills, here’s the pattern for one of their knitted hats: Knit one, purl two is how it goes, right?
Lina Scheynius has the second simplest website I've seen this week (the first being here). But the design’s simplicity puts her beautiful series of photographs front and center. Aside from the technical aspects of using fuzzy images that interlace light and shadow, there is an obvious emotional connection that turns the pictures into memories, documenting some of life’s most intimate moments.
Just a warning, there are some definite NSFW images on her site and flickr. And if her work wasn't accessable enough, there is a book (for €12!!!). Yes, it’s minimalist.
We've had some good debates on this site. Alice Wang was responsible for a good one over her concept audio sticks. Just to be extra clear this time around: Alice is an idea fountain. Her products are concepts that hopefully will one day become reality, but at present, are just concepts. That said, she has invented a couple new projects that deserve some attention.
Perfect Sleep: a reverse alarm clock to be programmed for how long you want to sleep instead of when you want to wake up. Keeping with her ideas on sleeping and waking, Wang has come up with a Tyrant alarm clock, which steals your mobile phone and makes random calls every three minutes until you get up. Really bad news if you keep ex-girlfriend's numbers in you mobile phone. Head over to Alice's site to see some more sleep related and non-sleep related concept inventions.
You probably know Rod Hunt from his image "Change the World 9 to 5" that has floated around the Web and design world for a while now. While never slowing down, Rod has become an active force in the London art world and has a strong international base. Working with clients like FHM, The Observer, Maxim and Vodafone, the world is slowly being colored with Rod's retro-styled illustrations. Make your Monday a little more enjoyable and head over to his website or his blog to enjoy some bright and sunny robots, or a possible space toy come to life.
David Ford’s latest album was actually released a few months ago, but I really want you guys to know about it. Shortly after the dissolution of his band Easyworld, Ford started a series of small solo gigs. He quickly gained fans due to his clear commitment and passion for the songs he performed. His voice has its rounded edges, but still maintains that slight raspiness that seems to be a requisite for all male artists these days. Ford is also known for the loops he employs in his songs, but instead of being annoying they they actually work well in carrying the vocals. I’ve listened to “Songs For The Road” three times over already. Now it’s your turn to check it out.
If the terms “progressive” and “eco-friendly” were in third grade, they’d walk around holding hands and spend their entire recess period together talking about alternative fuel sources. Even though they’re not school aged-children they still go hand-in-hand, as they relate perfectly to Organic Stereo, the new apparel brand from Brighton-based designer Marie Rendina. After spending the last 12 years honing her craft across the English Channel, freelancing for the likes of Mambo, Fat Face, and Criminal, Rendina struck out on her own to create clothing that reflected the quirky yet relaxed lifestyle of her adoptive British backdrop that was also environmentally conscious. Her collection utilizes components such as chemical free dyes, organic cotton and buttons made of recycled paper, to assemble attire that maintains an amicable relationship with mother nature. Organic Stereo also deserves extra ethics points for belonging to 1% for The Planet, an organization that donates a percent of their gross revenue before tax to charitable causes around the world.
London is so awesome this summer you should forget the price of airline tickets and high exchange rate, and just bite the bullet. May we make a recommendation? How about the Hide and Seek Festival (June 27th through the 29th)? We mentioned it a little while ago in connection with Snap-Shot-City, and now it’s here! The Southbank fest features everything from lectures on the future of play to digital/real world mashup, and even a tour guide who pretends London has turned into Tokyo. Brought to you by the Blast Theory Artists group and more, these alternative reality games are touting themselves to be the future of fun. Almost all the events are free, have a look at the list and sign up for something.
At the end of their careers, Musicians usually get a best-of record; artists get some wall space in a museum. Well Blaize Simon isn't going out like that– he has organized an entire section of street in London to display his works, which span the last ten years. Calvert Avenue, near Old Street station is where it’s all going on– Blaize will be displaying his artwork in the storefronts of shops along the road. Any and all passersby will be treated to an open-air gallery of his work. The exhibit is kicking off with a private viewing (i.e. party) this Wednesday, June 18th (from 5-10 p.m.) that’s expected to transform into a proper street party. Head over to haiti73 for an RSVP, but like any good street party, surely they won't turn people away on the day-of, will they? For those who can’t make the opening party, you can have a ‘walk by’ between June 19th and July 18th.
Have a look at London based designer Dan Mumford’s portfolio. He's produced some really fluid prints and appeal showcasing his career as a freelance illustrator, designer and screen printer. We especially love the shark series he did for music group the Gallows. I didn't know who the Gallows were until I looked them up on iTunes. I can't vouch for the music, but Dan's design work for the group and others is definitely worth a look. We can chalk this one up as another example that you can't judge a book by its cover, but that doesn't mean you can't take the cover off and admire it in its own right.
We recently had the pleasure of dining and drinking at Vanilla, a new London restaurant blending high-end design with upscale food. For those of you in the know of London restaurants, Vanilla was created from the ashes of Firevault— also known for its decor as much as its food.
Vanilla works on a color scheme of whiter than white. It takes you back the second you walk in the door. The bar feels like an eloquent bath– an eloquent bath of champagne. Which is fitting because the first thing you will see on the menu are vanilla champagne cocktails. The neat thing about a design scheme relying on white is the lighting possibilities. Vanilla runs the entire lighting system on LEDs, so the mood can be changed at the rotation of a dial letting different reds, blues, and greens bounce from the white.
Manager Matthieu Destandau has put his heart and soul into creating the restaurant from every detail of the placement of the LEDs, to the gorgeous food on the menu. If you get a chance to check it out, tell them we sent you– they’ll take good care of you. Can't make it to London anytime soon? Have a look at a few more photos after the jump.
Our friends at the edtn. magazine are releasing the third issue of their all inspiring two-color print. For those of you who don't geek out to various printing techniques and aren't sure what a two-color print is, let us help. A two-color print does just what it says, uses two colors to create an image. Most mainstream publications relay on a four-color print. Edtn.'s images have a distinct look to them because of their method. Bottom line is they make awesome images that you need to pay attention to.
If issue three isn't enough to get excited about, they are hosting an exhibition to display the lucky artist who have graced their pages. Check out their show "Golden Brown" at the Bodhi Gallery on Brick Lane in London. If you can't make it to the exhibition, then do everything you can do to get your hands on one of their issues, they sell out fast and only cost next to nothing. No excuses!
Tea is serious business here in England. Even young hip kids that you would think would be over the whole stereotype of a culture, still swear by a good cup of tea. So it should come as no surprise that tea parties have gone Web 2.0 in England. The Website makethetea.com is out to help organize teatime by ending the fuss over whose turn it is to brew the tea. The site takes into account your different tea drinking groups as well as each person's taste, then selects the brewer at random. Thus giving a system to this age old tradition. What will the Internet do next?
So far artists have relied on two senses to display their work: sight and hearing. The current exhibition "If There Ever Was" at Reg Vardy Gallery is expanding art's influence on the senses by clearing out their paintings and sculptures for 14 empty rooms examining the art of the scent. The idea comes from the curator Robert Blackson, who got the idea of creating scents from the section of Fast Food Nation that discusses how flavors and smells could be recreated using chemicals. He gathered a team of 11 perfume and fragrance designers to set about the task of recreating unreachable smells, ranging from extinct plants, to the sun, and even a strand of Cleopatra's hair.
If you happen to be in Northeast England, pop over to Sunderland to see the exhibition before it closes on June 6th. For the rest of us in London and beyond, we support art transcending all the senses. Hopefully the next exhibition of this kind can focus on taste and give us an amazing five-course meal.
Today, at lunch, the topic of road trips and music came up and it got me thinking about what sort of music would be able to sustain me while driving long distances. I think /Passenger’s (yes with the slash) U.S. debut album “Wicked Man’s Rest” fits the bill. The music arrangements are complex but traditional, using few (if any) of the cliche digital or artificial effects that I am starting to find annoying. Vocalist Mike Rosenberg’s voice has a slight English inflection, and while his pitch bothered me at first, I soon found myself appreciating how it varied throughout his range. They will be performing at Hotel Cafe in L.A. on June 9th, and two days later at the Mercury Lounge in NYC. If you’re a fan of David Gray or Nick Drake, you will want to check out their EP Night Vision Binoculars which will be digitally released on June 24th. Their album comes out this summer.
You probably know Rod Hunt from his image "
David Ford
At the end of their careers, Musicians usually get a best-of record; artists get some wall space in a museum. Well 
Our friends at the 
So far artists have relied on two senses to display their work: sight and hearing. The current exhibition "If There Ever Was" at 
Today, at lunch, the topic of road trips and music came up and it got me thinking about what sort of music would be able to sustain me while driving long distances. I think 
