AESTHETIC [VOL. XXVIII]

Club Social by Simon Duhamel.

joes[a]fiend

IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO STAY AT THE... YMCA

The very first YMCA basketball court and suspended running track in the United States' has been converted into an 7,000 square-foot, 5-bedroom apartment.

We're not too sure how we feel about this...
The conversion was completed by The Apartment agency.

joes[a]fiend

TAR VERY MUCH: UPDATE

Previously, PFH THOMPSON talked about Tar, a great new biannual male focused publication that addresses mens' style and issues of social and cultural significance.

The last post featured a tiny image of the cover art, which we feel did not do Tar justice. So here it is again; big and bold, in all its glory.

joes[a]fiend

SPOTTED [VOL. VII]

No prizes for guessing where this poster was spotted. It's advertising NetVibes, a service that "lets individuals assemble their favorite widgets, websites, blogs, email accounts, social networks, search engines, instant messengers, photos, videos, podcasts, and everything else they enjoy on the web - all in one place".

The most interesting aspect of this poster is that it contains a Data Matrix barcode which is a two-dimensional matrix barcode consisting of black and white square blocks, which can be read by enabled mobile phones and webcams. A Data Matrix barcode can store up to 2,335 alphanumeric characters. In the case of the poster above, when we decoded it on our iPhone it linked to the NetVibes website.

joes[a]fiend

GERMS FOR THOUGHT

"WHAT DO YOU THINK MY OTHER HAND WAS
DOING WHILST I WAS TALKING TO THE LADY ON THE LEFT?"

At first this ambient campaign for a Vicks antibacterial hand wash by Feisty Tangerine made us laugh, then it made us slightly paranoid.

joes[a]fiend

AESOP ZURICH

Aesop open their latest store in Zürich.

joes[a]fiend

THE BOOK CORNER #1

As part of the centenary celebration of Mills and Boon, Prestel have published a collection of over two hundred Mills and Boon covers, each with their own distinctive jacket artwork.

Chronologically arranged as full-colour plates, the publication offers a remarkable visual record, showing the best and worst that Mills and Boon have produced, my favourite being “Romance Goes Tenting”

'The Art of Romance' is published by Prestel on Monday 22nd September 2008.

Madame Bookery

JOES[A]FIEND X NIKE ID: UPDATE

As we promised here are the images of the joes[a]fiend x Nike iD dunks. We think they are pretty fly...

joes[a]fiend

BIG ACTIVE

Delays

Boy Kill Boy

Basement Jaxx

The Futureheads

The Big Active agency has created some of the most recognisable music artwork we have seen in recent times. Basement Jaxx, Boy Kill Boy and The Future Heads are just a few of the seminal musicians they have created artwork for. Whilst browsing the site we were blown away by the quality of the work. If music artwork gets you excited you should enter site with caution!

We particularly like the work created for Delays an emerging (for the second time) four-piece Indie/Rock band based in Southampton. Their music is infectious and wouldn't be out of place in a Sony Bravia advert.

joes[a]fiend

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES'S

We're big fans of Tobis Jones, his illustrations are dope and we like his typography. Jones has been designing flyers for some of the best club nights in London, including the legendary No Pain In Pop club nights and the forthcoming “Nail The Cross” festival, which will be hitting New Cross (London) on 27th September; the line up includes Benga and Hervé. Should be a treat.

We strongly recommend you check out his website.

joes[a]fiend

AESTHETIC [VOL. XXVII]

Illustrations by Alex Godwin, Godwin is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Nottingham.

joes[a]fiend

TONY GILL

Idea Generation Gallery is showcasing works from the highly acclaimed British artist, Tony Gill. The striking exhibition, made up of a series of immense 8 foot high canvases and works on paper, forms part of the Concrete And Glass festival, taking place at numerous venues across Shoreditch.

The Curator of the exhibition Matthew Donaldson commented, “This latest series of work is quite incredible. When face to face with the vast works, the outburst of colour and expression is all-consuming as the magnetic energy subconciously draws you into the canvas.”

You can find the exhibition at 11 Chance St, London E2 7JB and will be running from 03.10.08 - 22.10.08 and entry is free, so there is no excuse not to check it out.

joes[a]fiend

THE REAL ENCHANTED FOREST

Eve Duhamel created this enchanted forest for the 6th edition of the annual YCN book. We particularly like Duhamel’s use of colour, and ability to make you feel good. The first time we saw the forest it put a smile on our face, which in our books is a great thing!

We would strongly recommend you take a peek at Duhamel’s website, ‘Friendly Targets’ is one of our other favourites. Tell us what you think…

joes[a]fiend

APOCALYPTIC FEELING

When we spotted the work of Welsh based artist Laura Evans it grabbed our attention like a smack in the face [in a good way]. Evans describes her work as “concerned about the issues of space, colour and abstraction. I use the urban environment as a vehicle to explore this. In regards to townscapes”

Whilst viewing the work you are left with a feeling of unease and confusion. Take a peek at Evans’s MySpace profile for more information and further examples of her fantastic work.

We’ll be putting in an offer for some of her work.

joes[a]fiend

WEEKEND WARM-UP #6

Rex The Dog – The Rex The Dog Show Album Mini Mix

Four years in the making, Rex The Dog [Jake Williams] has released his debut album and it was worth every second of the wait. It’s really refreshing to be listening to Electro that sounds so effortless again, and we’re loving it!

Album mini mix track list:
1 Man Dog Machine [not on Album]
2 Gecko
3 Bubblicious
4 Heartsong
5 Italian Skyline
6 The Knife: Heartbeats [Rex The Dog remix]
7 Prototype
8 The Sounds: Tony The Beat [Rex The Dog remix]
9 Circulate
10 Frequency

We’ve also included for your aural pleasure a track that’s not on the album; the B-side
track from his 2007 release on Kitsuné Maison, ‘Circulate’.

Rex The Dog – Italian Blond

You can buy The Rex The Dog Show from all good record stores or iTunes.

[Get Hype]

H:DOCK

TAP’D [THAT]

Bottled water is been all over the press, for good reason. Mainly due to the point below:

“Bottled water has been calculated to have a carbon footprint more than several hundred times bigger than tap water for some brands. Many bottles are transported thousands of miles to get to Britain from countries including the United States and Fiji”. The Times Onlnie.

We like Tap’d because there is no pretence, it’s exactly what is says on the bottle. It’s not claiming to make your hair grow thicker or make you more attractive to the opposite sex. Tap’d is New York tap water in a bottle. The tag line for the water is good fun, "No glaciers were harmed making this water".

As they put it themselves, “We don't travel the world from Fiji to France seeking water or offer the usual bottled water gimmicks” Tap’d.

Other brands should take note: keep it real, keep it honest.

joes[a]fiend

THE BLACK GHOSTS - SOME WAY THROUGH THIS

The Black Ghosts are our new favourite band; this was reinforced whilst watching the amazing video for 'Some Way Through This'. The four minute six second masterpiece deserves your full attention. Not to mention that we’re big fans of Lego.

A track from the self-titled album we recommend is 'Any Way You Choose’ - visit their MySpace page to listen to the track.

We hope you enjoy this audio/visual feast.

joes[a]fiend

TAR VERY MUCH

Following on from Monday’s post joes[a]fiend felt compelled to find out more on Tar magazine. According to Men.Style.com it is fronted by Evanly Schindler and Maurizio Marchiori [previously of BlackBook and Diesel’s ad dept respectively] whose ‘eclectic editorial sensibility, including art and prose’ should find favour amongst the cognoscenti who devour the men’s luxury titles on the newsstand.

It’ll be interesting to see what they can offer compared to joes[a]fiend favourites Fantastic Man and Man About Town... At least the front cover gives us hope of something a little different..

Tar launches this October check out www.tar-art.com for more information.

PFH THOMPSON

MENS’ + FASHION + SPECIAL =

These three words always get our attention – it is a signal that the industry still has a long way to come in terms of their coverage for the boys but let’s face it – it is precisely the ‘lack’ of an in-your-face, buy-it-now element that means our interest [and sanity] is retained...

Anyway, one of joes[a]fiend’s favourite magazine sites, The New York Times Style Magazine [T], has a rather splendid ‘Men’s Fashion Fall 2008’ issue on show in all its glory. Our personal favourites are Armand Limnander’s piece on the paninaros (a real micro-subculture involving Moncler jackets in early 80s Milan), Stephen Bayley on ‘troppo sexy’ architect Carlo Mollino and Holly Brubach on masculinity in modern America [which lends the whole thing a slightly academic slant to round off nicely.]

Well worth a look, if only the UK newspapers could match this level of insight eh?

PS.

Whilst writing this I couldn’t resist another peek at the content and discovered further gems including news on a new ‘Thinking Man’s Magazine’ named Tar and cult store L’Eclaireur. I’m going to have to tear myself away now....

PFH THOMPSON

BUTLER WITH THE MOST STYLE

With possibly one of the most envied jobs within the creative sector, Fred Butler is a prop stylist and accessories designer responsible for so many of the fantastic sets, outlandish accessories and imaginative props we see in shoots today. Working alongside photographers and stylists, her kitsch, playful style, brave use of colour and texture, combined with obvious creative talents and immense imaginative scope for the surreal, humorous and childlike have brought images to life from Amelia’s magazine to Vogue, as well as personal projects such as one-off tour pieces for Patrick Wolf.
Her fantastic blog is a must read, and has been a brilliant cause for distraction whilst writing this entry. It features snippets on exhibitions and documentation of fellow artists work, her causes of inspiration and latest creative or social endeavours. All the entries are laced with a great selection of fun pictures. It’s not often we would recommend another blog as a ‘must read’ but Butler Style is a must read! Log-on and check it out

[C] WOOD

THE CONVENIENCE STORE

‘Hard sculptured edges with an underlying message of social defiance and protection’ describes the A/W 08 collection of designer Andrew Ibi’s new retail concept [above]. Situated in the architectural shadow of Erno Goldfinger's 1960’s Trellik Tower in Notting Hill; brutal minimalism and unrelenting standards for high quality illustrate the design principle behind The Convenience Store. Deliciously robust, with no frills or soft lines in sight, the one-off store houses a ruthlessly edited conceptual showroom, with each of the chosen designer’s collections echoing the minimal, concreted aesthetic of the showroom itself with structured silhouettes, fearless hues and hard lines.
The minimal range resonates with the limited selection and stock of traditional ‘convenience stores’ but in truth speak volumes of the current consumer desire for exclusive, individualist products. Ibi has understood his customer exceptionally well, a fact that is clear through his store direction. Each of the purposely chosen pieces are exclusive and sold on exceptionally limited runs. Furthermore, the store runs an ‘under the counter’ system to reserve particularly sought-after items for the loyal customers that he will undoubtedly win.

The collections range from established designers Ann-Sofie Back, Rick Owens, Veronique Branquinho, AF Vandervorst and Christian Wijnants to new talent such as Hannah Marshall, Gustavo Lins and Clare Tough.

You can find The Convenience Store at:
1a Hazelwood Tower,
Golborne Gardens,
London
W10 5DT

[C] WOOD

WEEKEND WARM-UP #5

Sebastian Tellier – L’amour et la Violence [Boys Noize remix]

Neither of these boys needs an introduction. A seemingly perfect match of electronic sexuality and technicality, enjoy.

Dølle Jølle – Balearic Incarnation [Todd Terje’s extra døll remix]

Introducing… Dølle Jølle is the latest dj/ producer to emerge from the ever-growing Oslo disco scene, and with this his debut release on Permanent Vacation, he’s certainly made a great first impression on joes[a]fiend.

Hailed record of the week by both Manchester’s Piccadilly Records and London’s Phonica.

GET HYPE!

H:DOCK

AESTHETIC [VOL. XXVI]

Illsutration by Samantha Jorritsma.

joes[a]fiend

AESTHETIC [VOL. XXV]

Illustration by Raimonda Balciunaite.

joes[a]fiend

ART-ICULATED LORRIES

Freitag invited designers, illustrators and anyone with a pen to participate in the first Freitag Design-A-Truck Contest. The winner was Chris Gray from Manchester.

joes[a]fiend

AESTHETIC [VOL. XXIV]

Illustration by Andrei Bonilla.

joes[a]fiend

HAPPY TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

Our wallets have been dented by the credit crunch and with a recession looming over us we need all the money saving tips we can get.

Luckily Philippe Kindelis, an industrial designer extraordinaire has stepped in to save us! Kindelis has devised a handy map of ‘free’ bus routes in our sodden capital city. When we say ‘free’, we use it in the loosest sense of the word. The map plots the routes of the infamous ‘bendy’ London buses. Theses buses are notorious for fare dodgers as they have only a driver at the front of the bus and no ticket inspector. Check out ‘Happy Transport For London’ for more info on ‘free’ travel in London.

Click on the here to download a hi-res version of the map, and begin to save.

DOWNLOAD IT, PRINT IT, FOLD IT, USE IT!

joes[a]fiend