28 Apr

Lego’s New Documentary “Beyond the Brick”

They’ve been used to build spaceships, dream homes, sea monsters and robots and have been enjoyed by kids around the world. The one-of-a-kind building blocks, Legos, have been entertaining kids and grown ups alike for decades and now the company is giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of the beloved pastime.

At the Tribeca Film Festival this week, LEGO premiered its first documentary ‘Beyond The Brick: A Lego Brickumentary’ that explores the impact LEGOs have had on pop culture around the world.  It’s not in theaters yet, but you can catch a sneak peek at film below.

28 Mar

Lady Gaga’s G.U.Y. Video Decoded

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out Lady Gaga’s new music video for the track G.U.Y. (Girl Under You) off her most recent album ARTPOP. At first watch, it seems like a bombastic montage of pop culture references, each more bizarre than the last throughout the nearly twelve minute video. However, I was completely blown away after reading a recent Buzzfeed article that decoded the imagery as if it were a dissertation on the subject. Greek mythology, Gandhi, Legos…these seemingly unrelated things actually come together to form a unique narrative, directed by Lady Gaga herself.

Watch the video and then read Buzzfeed’s exceptional breakdown of the video here.

Mind.Blown.

20 Mar

Can’t Make it to Coachella? Try Brokechella

Brokechella-lineup

For those of us that didn’t feel like slapping down $500 for Coachella tickets this year, we are in luck. Brokechella returns to Los Angeles for the fourth year in a row. While you won’t see headliners like OutKast or Arcade Fire, you will get to watch some talented musicians along with the other Coachella-y perks like food and art installations.

The one-day event kicks off in Downtown LA on April 19. For more information about the bands at Brokechella, visit www.Brokechella.com.

 

25 Feb

Calling All Interior Designers…Create Your Dream Hotel in NY

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The online design publication PSFK has teamed up with real-estate crowdsourcing company Prodigy Networks to give budding decorators and technologists the chance to design a dream hotel for the modern business traveler. 

Created to inspire dialogue about building more dynamic and interactive spaces for on-the-go executives, the competition will look for design ideas related to collaborative spaces, private spaces and digital services. The winning design will be implemented at 17John, the very first “Cotel” i.e. “collaborative hotel” located in the Financial District of Manhattan, NY. $50,000 worth of prizes will also be up for the taking.

If you feel like you are up for the challenge, click here. The contest runs until April 21.

 

14 Jan

Scents Swoon Audiences at LA Hammer Museum

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This past weekend the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles re-staged a century-old ‘scent concert,’ designed to take audiences on an olfactory journey.

Titled, “A Trip to Japan in 16 Minutes: Revisited,” the show was organized by The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO), an organization founded in 2012 devoted to creative experimentation with a focus on scent.

According to the Hammer museum’s website, the origins of the show are rooted all the way back to New York in the year 1902:

“In 1902 the German Japanese poet, artist, and critic Sadakichi Hartmann, also known as the ‘king of bohemians,’ led a much-anticipated scent concert at the New York Theatre. Promising to suspend space and time, the concert was designed to offer an olfactory voyage from New York to Japan such that the ‘nose [was] guaranteed arrival in Yokohama.’ After many production delays, the concert was slotted as the penultimate act on a popular Sunday burlesque music and comedy series. The act was doomed to fail in a room filled with tobacco smoke and boisterous crowds. The artist bowed mid-performance amid catcalls and jeers and left the stage, never to revisit the project.”

The IAO picked up where Hartmann left off, hence the “revisited” part of the title. In case you missed the show (as did I, unfortunately), reviews have been positive, including this one from LA Weekly.

I personally would love to have more scents incorporated into concerts – we can all agree that the Red Bull and menthol variety at music festivals can get a little stale. Here’s to more ‘scent concerts’ in 2014.

08 Dec

Pantone Reveals the Color of 2014

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Pantone, the global authority on color has just made it’s annual selection for the color of the year and it is…drum roll please….“Radiant Orchid!

A tone of purple incorporating fuchsia and pink undertones, Pantone describes Radiant Orchid as a color that, “…inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

While the choice is seemingly arbitrary, there is actually quite a bit of work that goes into the selection. According to the company, its team reviews color trends across the globe in the entertainment industry, technological developments, new artists and collections, travel destinations and even sporting events. The annual color selection is significant, as it will be incorporated into a variety of industries including fashion, beauty and interior design – so expect to see it on the runways, HGTV and even your local Target. Read more

13 Oct

Great Design? Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP Album Cover

Lady Gaga, the ever-intriguing pop star, debuted the artwork of her latest album ‘ARTPOP’ this week. While album art can be iconic and collectible – think college dorm rooms with framed vinyl of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ or Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here,’ Gaga puts ‘art’ on display with a major juxtaposition of the classic with the modern. Read more