man

An exhibition of Man Ray's works titled Unconcerned But Not Indifferent is being held at The National Art Centre in Tokyo. I managed to see it yesterday. Although I am aware of the man, I have never really seen any of his stuff at a gallery, so it was definitely insightful.

Before the exhibition, Man Ray to me was someone that had pioneered photography and was known for his portraits of famous writers and artists. I've also seen his numerous fashion shots of women in books, but what I didn't know was that he was more of an artist than a photographer. The exhibition reveals that during his time in Paris, he was informally associated with the Dada and Surreal art movements that was happening at the time and his art clearly reflects this. His Revolving Doors (La Rencontre) series is my favourite of the entire exhibition.

Besides art and photography, he also experimented with film and sculpture. I found his art to be more interesting and inspiring than his photography. Some of his stuff is too Bauhaus for my liking and I will leave it at that.

If you are interested in modernist art and experimental photography than I suggest you go check this exhibition out >>>

finally developed

This roll has been stuck in my Diana F+ camera for over 6 months and I finally shot the last frame this week. The Diana F+ is a fun camera to have in your bag because it's so light compared to my other cameras, which meant I carried it around whenever I felt like shooting. As a result, the photos on here are without a theme or purpose and taken simply because I saw something that required capturing.

I shot these using a 24 x 48mm frame (panoramic) and the guy that scanned them was an idiot because he scanned my negatives at 24 x 36mm, therefore my photos were either missing or cropped half way through the photo.

The colours that the colour negative 100 films produce are surprisingly vivid and have an a nostalgic feel to them especially when shooting at sunset. Here are some of the frames I did manage to put back together. Enjoy.

design ethos of Dieter Rams

One of the most influential Designers of the 20th century. Dieter Rams made Braun a household name in the 50's producing electronic gadgets remarkable both for their austere aesthetics and user-friendliness.
Here is a video interview with the German designer.

graffiti

Still one of my favourite artists.

Kudos to Fred

Yesterday one of my friends from back home wrote to me about giving her some of dad's recipes. My dad, as many of my friends may already know, is an awesome chef. He's worked in a famous hotel restaurant in Hong Kong, had his own restaurant after that, before moving our entire family to New Zealand to set up another one. Only recently did he retire.
Anyways, ever since I could remember my dad has always been cooking, and I have many fond memories growing up around food. I definitely have my dad to thank for my cooking skills and my love for food (and also putting me through university).
We served many dishes in our restaurant but none of it was authentic Chinese food as I knew it. I like the homely cooked meals that we ate as a family after we shut shop. After my recent visit to China and seeing dad cook for our extended family, it is easy to see what Chinese food really is. Ingredients are freshly bought each day at the local markets right down to the live fishes and chicken (yes, the poor chickens had to slaughtered). The dishes are prepared with passion and precision rather than the fast-food style Chinese food that we sold to the public.
One of my favourite dishes that dad makes is a steamed chicken dish. When I ask him for the recipe it is so hard to get exact measurements, because he cooks from experience and never really measures the ingredients. As a result, I had to look up the recipe online and found this. I hope everyone enjoys making this as much as me and my brothers do. Cheers dad, for all that you've taught me.

Lillian Bassman

some inspirational vintage fashion photography. I especially like the rawness and over exposed look of her photos.

celebrities in suits >> why not?

Stylist-turned-designer Adrien Sauvage puts a fresh spin on men's suiting by casting and personally photographing some of art and music's finest as models for his debut collection. The black-and-white project, called "This is Not a Suit," sets the stage for his first collection of suits that mix modern styles with Saville Row-level cuts. As an experienced tailor, the young upstart's transformation from styling made a natural progression to designing, with the impeccably-conceived collection speaking for itself. The photographs are amazing and so are the suits.

Norman Collins

A new documentary based on the life of one of the most influential American tattoo artists. This biopic looks at the rebellious life the tattoo artist led and his influence on the next generation of artists like Mike Malone, Don Ed Hardy and Philadelphia Eddy. His exploration in colour gave classic American tattoos a new look and helped bridge a gap between Eastern and Western tattoo traditions. Check out the official page here.

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry from IndiePix on Vimeo.

New Kayne

let me know what you think about it >>>

Eggs Benedict

If you're living in a city where getting one of these bad boys is as rare as finding good Chinese food then make it yourself. Seriously one of the best hangover cures ever. Must be accompanied with a proper expresso.

Semi Permanent, NZ

Already in its seventh year, the annual design conference brings together speakers from a broad range of creative disciplines including graphic design, fashion, animation, illustration, motion graphics, typography, sound design, interactive and experiential marketing, fine art, music, product design and more.

On the list of speakers this year is Storm Thorgerson, whoose graphic design studio specialises in creative photography involved in mainly the music industry. His studio has done covers for many bands including Muse and Mars Volta.

A two event, August 20-21 at the THE EDGE, Aotea Centre, Auckland. Go check it out!

progress >>>

second and third canvas.