Yeo Choong, from Brisbane, Australia is smart. I say this not because he is the mastermind behind Yeo and The Fresh Goods, or because he makes music with mathematical precision.
I say it because he is a 21 year old Masters student in Audiology and because his debut album 'Trouble Being Yourself' sounds like a nerdier version of N.E.R.D. Indeed, the production on his standout track 'Two Sides Of A Door' would make Pharrell proud.
But Yeo isn't just in the mood for making funk rock and singing in a slight falsetto. He jumps and jerks between genres, sometimes in the same song.
The reggae-pop intro of 'Fishin' With Aidan' melds into a salsa infused party jam, all the while mixing the ska-delivery of Sublime and the 'Thank You' message from Dido's long-forgotten hit of the same name.
From his sneaky horns to his hand-claps and Super Mario samples, Yeo recorded, mixed and produced the entire album. It's catchy, cheeky good fun.
It is tough to make an impression in New York, but Google is not afraid to try. To celebrate the official launch (finally!) of its new artist themes for iGoogle, it held a candle-lit media bash at One Little West 12 (a club located at 1 Little W 12th St. in the Meatpacking District) and then let San Francisco’s Obscura Digital loose outside with a three-night illumination gallery.
At the hub of the district, the intersection of Little West 12th, Ninth Avenue and Gansevoort, Obscura projected moving images of the iGoogle artwork onto the facades of buildings for three nights from 10 pm to 2 am. The facades of St. Hotel Gansevoort, Pastis, Theory and Inn LW12 were the canvases for work by Jeff Koons, Michael Graves, Yves Behar and others. At a white tent sporting a Google logo at Gansevoort Square, passers-by could play with the images a battery of computer stations.
At the media bash, a panel of the iGoogle contributors consisting of architect Michael Graves, photographer Anne Geddes, artist Jeff Koons, Marc Ecko, and New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff discussed their views of how the Internet is changing their industry. Other luminaries whose designs are available at iGoogle include Dolce & Cabbana, Diane von Furstenberg, Philippe Starck,Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch and Ivana Helsinki. By Tuija Seipell
Camping out a music festival need no longer be a boggy, muddy affair thanks to this smart-as-a-whip innovation dubbed Myhab. Essentially it's a temporary, waterproof, completely recyclable tent made from durable recycled plastic and and waterproof cardboard. The tent is fixed on a raised platform to stop it from slipping into a muddy bog in the case of rain.
Myhab was created by a student and there are plans to for "myhab" villages at all of the UK's major music festivals. by Lisa Evanns (via Springwise)
With its rich, red interior, Le Rouge restaurant in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan (Old Town) is a delicious fusion of a maharaja’s tent, red-light-district boudoir and aristocratic grandeur. It is not called Moulin Rouge, but it could be. The entire concept is dramatic with lush drapery, ornamental tableware and lighting fixtures oozing with bling and tassels.
Le Rouge is the latest addition to the F12 restaurant empire owned by two chefs, Melker Andersson and Danyel Couet. The chefs interpret classic French and Italian cuisine in Le Rouge using fresh Swedish ingredients. The 125–seat Le Rouge occupies two adjacent buildings, spreads over three-stories and 1,200 square-metres, and includes a dining room, bar, lounge and private rooms. The concept comes from the talented masters of Gothenburg’s Stylt Trampoli AB who were using storytelling as a tool to create and stage-direct restaurants, hotels and resorts long before storytelling became a design cliché. By Tuija Seipell
Berlin’s Magma Architecture
won several awards for its entry in the JETZT | NOW series of temporary
installations at the Berlinische Galerie, Museum for Contemporary Art,
Photography and Architecture. Magma’s installation, 11th in the series,
was called fittingly “head-in | im kopf” and its concept is based on
exploring the properties of materials, form, color and light.
The
main feature of the installation is an alarmingly orange flexible
fabric (polyamide-elastan mix) stretched between the walls, ceiling and
floor. The fabric is the most visible part of the exhibit, yet it is
also the tool with which the viewers can focus on smaller details.
Visitors bend down under the fabric into which openings were cut.
Through these holes, visitors pop their heads up into the orange space
to view drawings, models and photographs suspended from wires. These
items are from Magma’s work and include representations of the
revitalization of the former GDR Radio Centre (Berlin, Nalepastrasse,
2007), a bridge over the Landwehrkanal river in Berlin (competition
entry in 2006), the new Nexus Productions headquarters in London, and
the exhibition Trial & Error in London (2003). Luckily, we have
images to show how it all worked as the full effect of the experience
is quite impossible to describe in mere words.
The project team
for head-in | im kopf included Anke Noske, Hendrik Bohle, Dominik Jörg,
Lena Kleinheine, Ksenia Kagler, Yohko Mizushima, Lena Kleinheinz,
Martin Ostermann and Ben Reynolds.
Magma was established in 2003 by Martin Ostermann and Lena Kleinheinz.
The Ohio native Ostermann is a former senior architect at Studio Daniel
Libeskind. The Denmark-born Kleinheinz is an exhibition designer. Magma
is known for its inventive, experimental and experiential approaches to
architectural work. By Tuija Seipell
We do our best to seek out exceptional design from all corners of the globe, and on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands off the north west coast of Africa, we found an extraordinary architectural example in timber, glass and concrete. The House in Tenerife was built into the cliffs 300m above a black sand beach.
The entrance to the house leads to the upper tier of the double-height living room. And descending the concrete staircase, the minimalist interior becomes second nature against the surrounding backdrop – where the blues of the sky and the sea appear vertically in formation. Before long, the sensory experiences from the natural world envelope the built form, and the house’s relevance in its surroundings are revealed.
The layout places living areas of the home on the shorter end of the L-shaped form, while both bedrooms and bathrooms sit along the longer side. Both living and sleeping spaces open out to a wooden deck and pool that spills into nature.
The heaviness of the concrete double-story living room allows glass panels to sit effortlessly on the deck. The room’s only furniture, le Corbuiser’s chaise and Mies’ Barcelona chair face out, away from a small fireplace that meets a wall of two-storey shelving.
The sleeping spaces both open to the deck and pool as well. Each has its own bathroom – and from the master, the owners can sleep and bathe in the same space looking out at the same view, as the sink and the concrete tub sit at the foot of the bed.
The house even contains a basement where a home gym looks through a glass wall into the side of the pool. We couldn’t really think of anything else we would want from a home on a Spanish island – except great wine storage, we’d be doing plenty of entertaining. By Andrew J Wiener
Yummy! Wow! Ooops! The playful, colorful and juicy Taka-Tuka-Land
kindergarten in Berlin evokes a rambunctious reaction. You hear the
kids at play. You see the bright colors. You sense the kids are happy.
So it is no wonder that the students who designed and created this
funhouse call their approach “sensuous architecture.”
Baupiloten is
a group of architecture students who during their studies at Faculty
VI, Institute for Architecture at Berlin Technical University
(Technische Universität Berlin) develop their own projects from concept
to implementation under professional guidance. Architect Susanne
Hoffmann founded Baupiloten (Bau=build, Piloten=pilot) in 2003 and has
headed it since 2004.
The Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten was originally erected as a
temporary solution, but with the fantastic Baupiloten approach to the
refurbishment, it has become a permanent place for children.
The
Taka-Tuka-Land is part of the Pippi Longstocking lore created by the
Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi in Taka-Tuka Country is a movie
based on one of her novels. The children at the kindergarten and their
teachers created collages, models, drawings and ideas based on
Taka-Tuka Land with bridges, huts, merry-go-rounds made of blossoms and
thrones made of seashells. The Baupiloten students then spent several
days with the children observing their daily routines, their schedules
and their ways of communication.
From this extensive groundwork, the design story for the space was
developed. The building itself is Pippi’s old oak tree that contains a
lemonade factory. The lemonade breaks through the bark of the tree and
flows outside creating padded play areas. The story of the building is
a trip through the seven stages of the lemon tree, each facilitating a
different activity: The lemonade tree, Glittering lemonade in the sun,
Lemonade drops, The lemonade island, Waiting for the parents, Lemonade
gallery, The bark breaks open, and Delving into lemonade. Pippi’s most
likely verdict would be “Jätte god!” By Tuija Seipell.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology merges the concepts of lighting and art with this spectacular 3D LED piece, dubbed NOVA. Created for the institute's 150th anniversary, the display is made up of 25000 lightballs.
Incredibly it can display 16 million colours per second. The behemoth, which weighs 3.3 tonnes, is currently displayed at the Zurich train stations main hall, where it will live until September 2009. By Lisa Evans
After three and a half years spreading the latest word on cool, the online portal thecoolhunter.net is excited to announce a new industry arm of the award-winning site.
Brands, marketeers and agencies across the globe now have an opportunity to tap into the vision of the site’s founder Bill Tikos and his hand-picked international team of dynamic thinkers who have turned Cool Hunting into an art.
WHO ARE WE?
We don’t talk marketing-speak. In fact, we loathe it and its superfluous jargon.
None of our team has a background in this area. Hailing instead from the worlds of fashion, book publishing, newspaper journalism, glossy magazines, photography, graphic design, product design and other creative disciplines, The Cool Hunter Platinum team offers a unique view into the world of Cool Culture.
We specialize in developing ideas to help your brand move into the new, niche Cool Age.
ENTER THE COOL-AGE
The official launch of The Cool Hunter Platinum comes after a period of organic growth, which has seen international brands around the world – from New York to Buenos Aries, Moscow to Sydney – seek out The Cool Hunter in myriad ways, including:
* Seminars and trend briefings * Speeches at international launches/events * Photo-research on advertising pitches * Consulting with advertising agencies; generating ideas and concepts * Consultation on hotel interior design/decoration and concepts * The Cool Hunter branded music/cultural events * Consultation and development of TV concepts
And there’s much more to come. But before we reveal additional ways we can collaborate with you, a word on why your brand needs The Cool Hunter Platinum.
The hunt for Cool Culture’s newest buzzword.
Cool is fast becoming the new frontier in a niche-mad world, which has major implications for all culture and consumer industries, from marketing, advertising and media, right through to retail and hospitality. The Cool Age has begun.
Cool has become a concept, denoting a kind of elusive X-factor that makes something exceptional. Individual. Covetable. Inspiring. Independent. Thoughtful. Limited. Pioneering. Exclusive. Innovative. Original.
Cool has become shorthand for anything “interesting,” used by everyone – from Boomers through to Generation Y.
Whatever its manifestation, cool gives a brand, person, product, place or service a supernatural power to rise above the noise. To stand out in an ocean of “stuff” and make people remark to themselves:
“I want that.”
“I love that.”
“I’m going to tell my friends about that.”
Led by the founders of thecoolhunter.net, The Cool Hunter Platinum offers clients, agencies and marketeers an opportunity to de-code the concept of cool, to help successfully usher their product or brand into the Cool Age.
THE COOL HUNTER COLLABORATIVE SERVICES
Custom subject-specific trend reports and presentations From the world’s hottest trends in packaging and retail interior design, through to cutting-edge trends in fashion, pop culture and gadgetry – the cool hunter Platinum creates reports which zone in on your industry.
Event concepts/product launch concepts The Cool Hunter has covered some of the world’s most original concepts in events and launches. Let us help you ensure that yours won’t be forgotten.
Online concepts, online strategy and web design As one of the most successful culture sites in the world, thecoolhunter.net knows a thing or two about creating websites that hit the pulse and pageviews. If you want to increase your brand’s presence on the web and reach a whole new online audience, The Cool Hunter Platinum offers innovative ideas to make it happen.
Advertising/creative agency consultation Are you an agency pitching for a large fashion/lifestyle client? Working with The Cool Hunter can give the essential edge needed to rise above the rest. Our unique view into the Cool World can enrich your own creative team through participating in brainstorming sessions, providing background or “inspiration-presentations” which reveal a snapshot of what innovators around the world are doing. Brand revival and strategic associations Does your brand need an overhaul? Access the cool hunter’s little black book and let us assemble a team of the world’s best creatives who will help transform your image. Do your stores need a redesign? Do you want to enter into strategic collaborations with designers? Let us work our contacts and help facilitate your transformation.
Product development and innovation Through ideas and inspiration, the cool hunter team can help give your new product or service the elusive C-factor – whether it’s a lifestyle product or techno-gadget.
Project consultancy Are you a property developer/hotelier and looking for inspiration on design and decoration? The Cool Hunter team can help refine your vision and hook you up with some of the world’s hottest design and architecture firms.
Media concepts Production companies around the world have already come to The Cool Hunter to help them create new TV/Film ideas. If you’re putting together a series with a lifestyle/design/travel bent, we can help you refine the concept and ensure you’re featuring the “right” people and places.
Most of us know when we see an ‘M’ on the back of the BMW passing us on the freeway, there’s virtually no way we’re going to catch up. The ‘M’ division BMW has recently revealed its latest concept – a tribute to their first mid-engine supercar originally manufactured by collaborative efforts of BMW and Lamborghini thirty years ago – the M1.
In the world of supercars, the M1 certainly looks like it will hold its own – an effortless blend of retro cool with revolutionary elegance. The new Liquid Orange M1 may only be a concept right now, but just know if you see those beady headlights quickly approaching from your rear view mirror, move out of the fast lane – you’re about to be overtaken! By Andrew J Wiener
We don’t care if it’s winter or summer, these European baby
sleeping baggies are just too cute to keep to ourselves. We also don’t
care that we happen to have no babies around, we bought these just to
adore and to play dress-up with our teddy bears.
But for the
rest of you who actually like to buy these for real babies, we have
good news. They are now available to purchase through us.
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