New Ink in 3D

New Ink is going 3D! None of that 90s 3D cereal box giveaway nonsense though. In fact, we are working on some fresh ropa (clothes) straight outta Oslo. This Summer, New Ink will unveil three fresh t-shirt designs and the Uraki pattern tote bag (check out Uraki Riddim myspace for the design). Uraki pattern was inspired by the discovery that the first ever city in the world was from Iraq, Uruk. Uraki represents the terminology for a citizen of this first city. The other designs will be inspired by the contents of the blog - architecture, beats, illustration, landscapes and abstraction. Check out some of the early sketches and be sure to get in touch if you are interested in picking up one of these hot cakes pre-release.

Illustrations by Alexander Horne (me) 2010.

DO IT! oslo 12.03

Our second DO IT! session in Oslo welcomes some of the biggest droppers of mektig (heavy) beats this side of the Viking peninsula, the Bitch Boys, spinning hot tracks next to an exciting live solo project from promising Bergen band, Leif and The Future. All this mixed in with our intercontinental Oslo residents and Cupofill, one of the freshest crews to hit Oslo, since they first imported Colgate, will be throwing the laws of illustration out the window and getting down to a serious live ink'n'sketch session throughout the evenings proceedings. MIR is a bric brac artsy hide away bar shrowded in internationally famed graffiti artist' pieces in a building which contains a lo fi music studio used by local punk bands and uber hip illustrators and graphic designers Yokoland. Turn up and represent if in the Oslo area and for those in Aberdeen make sure to catch some of the artsy goings on throughout Saturday evening 13.03 and culminating with a DO IT! night at Tunnels.

Poster: by Alexander Horne (me!) 2010.

Scando Robot Funk

Wading through the splutter of very ordinary Indie acts at Norway's by:larm festival last week, I came across my first direct experience of Skwee music courtesy of a night dedicated to it at underground Oslo club The Villa. Skwee has been bubbling under the radar for a while since one of the genre's first international introductions via Sonar 2008. It generally sounds like future funk made by machines from the era when they looked like cyborg robots and has roots mostly from Scandinavia, particularly Sweden and Finland. I had a chance to meet one of the scenes driving figures, Mesak, during by:larm and got so excited by the sounds I heard at The Villa and on his new album The School of Mesak - I've written a review about both that night and the album. There is something for beats heads, disco, house and even grime DJs in this album - be sure to get on this Scando-wagon and pick it up!

Skwee/Mesak street tag

Design Think-ing

'Intrinsic Incision' article featuring Ronen Kadushin is now published in issue 3 of US based, sustainable design magazine Think. I will be contributing design editor for the same magazine's forthcoming special 'Earth Day' issue which will be online around the end of April, to coincide with other Earth Day events around the globe. Earth Day originated around 1970 as a day of educational talks and debate to raise awareness about environmental concerns. You can find out about some of the various events going on throughout the globe on the Earth Day network site.

Think magazine issue 3

À bon chat, bon rat

Suffering from post-cheap flight travel trauma and subsequent illness from the multiple chicken marching arrangements (extensive bus journeys, caged into tight squadrons of ill travelers before embarking and vice versa) put paid to any previous words about my recent Paris jaunt. Here are some nibbles from the French metropole of amour and tardy waiting staff; Staying around the Château Rouge area of Paris was grimey warm - like onion soup - charming, colorful and full of slapdash market stalls. The daily contraband operation at nearby Barbès metro was a theatrical masterpiece; sellers moving back and forth to the changing of traffic lights or loitering like seasoned flâners. One of the lures of Paris on this occasion was a return to the Rex Club for a set by legendary mixer Francois K. You can check out my review of this event on Resident Advisor. Ultimately, the best cultural olives in this swing-by-trip were the burgeoning design and culture scene in Bastille and the vibrant and youthful burst of bars in Oberkampf.

'ticket collage' by Alexander Horne, 2010

Breaking the ice

Street culture, urban expressionism, creative jams - these exist to a minor extent in Oslo but, it's just there does not seem to be any visible showcase or cross field collaboration going on with them. If a tiny paint shop at the back of a night club and one store dedicated to street-affiliated threds and pleasures, Hunting Lodge, is pretty much all there is to show - it cannot be a healthy thing! Or is it going to change.....just recently Oslo based trio Ole, Lars and Martin brought some life and well needed urbaine vigour to the cities artscape with their 'All Bottled Up' exhibition, held in the cavernous confines of a student bar with free beers (near impossible in Norway!) and a live show by synthy new wave Bergen talent Leif. It was a welcome addition to whats (not) going on here and thankfully like the kind of event you would find in cities such as Barcelona or San Francisco. Check out some pics from the exhibition below or read the write up they got on Superfuture.

'All Bottled Up' photos by Alexander Horne, 2010

Oi Oi Osloposters

Last Saturday we held our first DO IT! event in Oslo at a tiny artsy hide out called Sound of Mu in the Grünerløkka district. The turnout was average but, the music on offer from our guests Proviant Audio and DJ Woo was of the highest eclectic quality. We initially had some sound problems what with fitting a full brass ensemble, conga drums, bass player, beat maker and djs into such a small space but hit the high notes for originality regards the billing and uncovering of a new Nordic talent, Proviant Audio. Norway based or visiting people can catch them live as part of the music festival By:Larm next month, which this year is run by head honcho of the seminal Norwegian imprint Smalltown Supersound - Joakim Haugland. Anyway, it might not have moved too many people but, my latest DO IT! poster got published on Osloposters - a great resource and community for the art of poster design in Oslo by designer Stig Andersen. It gives me great pleasure to be recognized alongside some of the eye catching posters around here and I only hope other people start up similar sites around the world in the hope of resurrecting the dying 'art of the poster'. Thanks to Jan for photos on the night!

'Nordic Eye' poster design by Alexander Horne, 2010

Our Ability to Sustain Sustainability

''To be taught to write or speak – but what is the use of speaking if you have nothing to say? To be taught to think – nay, what is the use of being able to think, if you have nothing to think of? But to be taught to see is to gain word and thought at once, and both are true.'' John Ruskin / Selected Writings (Oxford World's Classics)

An article for Architonic magazine questioning the tangibility of the terminology 'sustainability'; it's common misconception, examples of use and how we could use such terms in an eco-effective and holistic manner. The article, entitled 'Sustaining Sustainability', features references to the excellent Architecture for Humanity group and an introduction to recently developed 'sustainable' programs such as Cradle to Cradle design and Miljøfyrtårn. As discovered through the harsh reality of economic downturn - the Western world has been overproducing and consuming. Many design services are sprouting through the rust of those who have bolted themselves to the sinking ships of dated production mechanisms. But, who is governing these design services? What gives these companies the power to certificate producing designers? These are issues that need to be addressed as design molds into something that can bare more visible relevance to all in society. Read the full article HERE. Godt Nytt År (Happy New Year) as they say here!

'Sustainable Pie' illustration by Alexander Horne, 2009