urban taster

A perfect abstraction of time telling, resulting in simple graphic lines. Tell the time? That’s so last century!

The latest New Yorker cover is drawn, or finerpainted,on an iPhone by Artist Jorge Colombo. How impressive and how full of symbolism! See the entire video here.

Stunning work inspired by living in Hong Kong.

Sim Chan’s work.

An abandoned fortress of a city made solely on concrete and built on the wealth of coal.

Photographer Saiga Yuji took a series of pictures before and after its demise.

From wikipedia:

“Hashima Island (端島; meaning “Border Island”), commonly called Gunkanjima (軍艦島; meaning “Battleship Island“) is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island’s most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It has been administered as part of Nagasaki, Nagasaki since 2005; it had previously been administered by the former town of Takashima.

“Battleship Island” is an English translation of the Japanese nickname for Hashima Island, Gunkanjima (gunkan meaning “battleship”, jima being the rendaku form of shima). The island’s nickname came from its apparent resemblance to the Japanese battleship Tosa due to its high seawalls. It also is known as the Ghost Island. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan’s first largeconcrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers (many of whom were forcibly recruited labourers from other parts of Asia), and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare (83,500 people/km²) for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare (139,100 people/km²) for the residential district, the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima’s mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it’s called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima was re-opened on April 22, 2009 after more than 20 years of closure.”

I love it!

“The unique natural beauty of woodland appeals to all our senses and forms the basis for our Waldilla solid wood flooring designs. Every plank retains the original curvature of the tree from which it stems. This is achieved through a specially developed manufacturing technique; modern computer technology gives each wooden floor it’s own organic form. The grain and knots of the wood are retained as a characteristic part of this whole and treated with crystal clear resin. red dot design award 2009.”

Via Design Spotter.

Be your own architect of your own chinese dreams! Get a set here.

Beautiful rethinking of lamps. See more here.

For their 100th Anniversary, Fred Perry teamed up with Vespa to produce this gorgeous little number. There really should be more collaborations like this!

OMG! Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO sets!

“With models developed in collaboration with architects, LEGO Architecture works to inspire future architects, engineers and designers as well as architecture fans around the world with the LEGO brick as a medium. Builders of all ages can now collect and construct their favorite worldwide architectural sites through these artistic replicas.”

Read more on LEGO Architecture Building Sets.

Rock of Ages.

Las Papas art installation by Ginou Choueiri.

“I chose the potato to portray human faces because of the many striking parallels.  Not only is their skin porous like ours, but their skin texture and color is very similar, and like us, they come in different sizes, shapes and forms.  Potatoes grow, live, and then decay, mirroring the ephemeral existence and fragility of our own human nature.”

Painted storm drains that brighten up the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. A 6emeia project by Anderson Augusto and Leonardo Delafuente.

A project by Evelin Kasikov. How so very nice!

“Printed Matter is a project about craft within the context of graphic design. It brings together digital and hand made, aiming to challenge the idea what a printed page can be.”

72 amazingly designed face masks by artist Yoriko Yoshida.

“And we all know who gave it to him…”

Genius. Behance.net

“Two brilliant French artists, Ivan Duval and Jean Sebastien Ides, show us how to have fun with one dollar bill.”

This one cracks me up!

See more here.

COLOURlovers + Moo = pretty business cards!

In the hands of Shawn Knol, the simple act of pouring oil into water becomes an excellent video!

beautiful experimental typography

A vintage video interview with Walter Landor from 1977. I really loved the accompanying soundtrack!

Via Logoblink.com

If I were a cat, this will be my bed.

Peeled oranges anyone?

Amadana has been making beautiful electronics for ages. I am just aching for one of their calculators in a leather jacket! Shop them here!

Markus George recreates 8 iconic images and prints them on postcards.

Dreams do sometimes come true. Weta workshop recieved a wish from amputee, Vessey and turns it into a stunning reality.

Read more here.