ART: Todd McLellan

Canadian photographer Todd McLellan`s latest series of images have been resonanting in my head for the months that have passed since he first unveiled them to the public. 'Dissasembly' is a collections of photographs capturing old relics from our past in fully dismantled form. Each piece is careful placed in such a way that the intricacies and craft of these mechanical objects is exentuated and emphasised - leaving a strong nostalgic analogue stamp on each product. The series includes images of objects such as a rotary phone, lawn mower and a typewriter.

Images © todd mclellan

Mondayjazz ‘It Came From Uruk’ mix by Uraki Riddim

New mix and artwork I just completed for the Mondayjazz website. I remember listening to their early podcasts and looking in awe at the bookings they made for their events in Vilnius so a nice way to round up the DO IT! concept getting a mix on their site. Included in the mix are tracks from some of our favorites past DO IT! guests such as Mweslee, Onra and Dorian Concept. Click on the link here to listen to or download the mix. Tracklist is available on this link here.

'It Came From Uruk' artwork by Alexander Horne/Uraki Riddim, 2011

Road Trip to Innovation

Road Trip to Innovation is adventurous trend guru Delia Dumitrescu's first proper book publication and looks set to be a 'must have' for budding creatives and those curious of trends and innovations. Published by the trend agency TrendONE, Road Trip to Innovation explores the writers initial understanding of future thinking, innovation and trends. There are interviews with experts, theory and methodology behind the fields and the origins of this burgeoning sector of creative work. The book is officially released on Amazon from November 10, place a pre-order via the link here.

Image of Road Trip to Innovation from Trend One, 2011

THINK magazine: issue 11 'Remix'

Think no.11 is now online and available to read at thinkmag.net. The latest issue follows a 'Remix' theme, examining recycling and re-use culture through articles focusing on design, architecture and fashion. For my contribution as design editor I decided to write about the inspiring 'trash-to-treasure' artwork of Brazilian artist Vik Muniz and the evolving works of designer Ron Arad. The latter designed one of the most iconic 'remixed' objects in recent history, the Rover chair, however his latest works have varied from architectural sculptures to temporary spaces - contrasting sharply to the stylized thrift designs from his early career.

Image from Vik Muniz 'Wastelands', 2011

NIKE 1948 CONCEPT STORE

Nike 1948, a pop up concept store from the sneaker brand giant, is back in London. In 2008 the pop up store, which plays on the year London last hosted the Olympics, was first unveiled in an abandoned railway arch in East London. Keeping it East, the site is in Shoreditch, but revamping the space radically for the run up to the Olympics - Nike 1948 promises to be a creative hub for locals and visitors through a series of installations, screenings and events. The opening event a few months ago served up a champagne delivery of music,  Radio 1 DJ Benji B and Warp records Glaswegian DJ/producer Hudson Mohawke amongst the acts playing at the event. The launch also coincided with the release of their own Ipad app, which includes bite size chunks of content such as interviews and fresh artwork. Great to see a global brand putting more into local communities and using creativity from exterior down to the core of the concept.

Images from Nike 1948 concept store, 2011

DESIGN: EXPOLOGY AT ECSITE 2011

Since early 2011 I have exhumed most of my daylight hours working with an Oslo based agency focusing on exhibition and interaction design. Since 1993 Expology has been working in related fields until finding focus with the design of exhibition spaces, interaction and communication solutions. One of my first jobs with the studio was to create the identity for an Expology showcase at the Ecsite Annual Conference 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. Instead of the usual corporate filled pamphlet we decided to create notebooks printed in FSC certified Munken paper which encouraged the user to think and invent their own page filling solutions. Inside the 'Ideas book' are intentional spelling mistakes for recipients to stay alert and look out for, the mistakes are a play on the Charles Rennie Mackintosh quote 'There is hope in honest error, none in the icy perfection of the mere stylist'.

Expology identity designs for Ecsite 2011

CITY: CALGARY

Calgary seems to get a raw deal when it comes to judgements on the cultural merits of the Canadian city. After hearing that it was an 'oil' or 'cowboy' city I was surprised by the amount of cafes, boutiques, arts and music events on offer during my first visit. My second visit earlier this year was even more rewarding as I was invited to DJ at the Northern Lights party at HiFi club and spend some time checking out more of Calgary with one of the organizers, MrGeography. The experience gave me a closer introduction to the supportive and cross collaborative nature of the creative community in the city, something other aspiring cultural hubs could look to for inspiration. Look out for an interview with Mr Geography's RinseOut crew on the DO IT! blog soon, meantime keep up to date with mixes, events and tips from the guys via their site here.
Calgary snaps by Alexander Horne and Julie Arrive.

ART: WLD/WLVS Presents Stu + Stu = Stwo

Art in Aberdeen has been a contentious subject of recent what with the furore surrounding the Union Terrace Gardens project and the will they/won't they scenario regarding the possibility of a new arts center being included in the project. Thankfully under the bureaucratic mist of this saga Aberdeen's young artists and creative do-ers have been busying themselves with projects that most certainly deserve at least an appreciative wink from afar. None more so than the team behind WLD/WLVS who have added an attractive and regularly updated online presence to communicate, motivate and inspire the creative activities of those residing in or from the area. Stu and Stu are part of the team behind this initiative and even manage to find the time to create illustrative drawings and paintings that perfectly mix the raw granite cityscape of Aberdeen with the green natural beauty that surrounds it, each in their own respective style. Don't be a welly and miss their anticipated joint exhibition at Kilau if you are in Aberdeen from the last weeks of August through to October, with free alcohol on hand from Brew Dog on the opening night also it would be naive not to be there if in the AB10 area.
Event Poster for Stu + Stu = Stwo at Kilau, Aberdeen from 14/8/11 until 8/10/11