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1:15 pm

THE ICON



The Sydney Opera House | Images by Tom Blachford
The Sydney Opera House is one of the great architectural works of the 20th century, and at the time marked a radically new approach to construction. Designed in 1957 by Danish architect Jørn Utzon; construction started the following year but due to the controversy that surrounded its completion The Opera House didn't formally open for another 15 years.
"Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, far ahead of available technology, and he persevered through extraordinarily malicious publicity and negative criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country." - Frank Gehry
Utzon's design was selected out of 233 submissions from 32 countries, with the actual construction techniques having to be 'worked out' along the way, as the structure was completely unique to anything attempted before. After escalating costs, rebuilds, delays and a change in government, Utzons talent and abilities were being questioned. The final straw for the architect came in 1966, when his request to use a particular supplier for the roof structure was refused. Unable to bear anymore, Utzon resigned from the job and vowed never to return to Australia.


Seven years later in 1973 The Opera House was finally completed, but Utzon was not invited to the ceremony, nor was his name mentioned in any of the speeches. Thankfully he was recognised later when asked back to design updates to the interior and in 2003 was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize

It's hard to imagine Sydney without The Opera House. There is nothing quite like it and it still captures the hearts of both locals and tourist alike. It may have taken 15 years and $102 million dollars (which seems like peanuts now) but it was well worth the wait and in 2007 The Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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11:02 am

THE GIRL | Soo Joo Park





Born in Korea and raised in California, Soo Joo Park is our latest girl crush. After working with CR magazine and booking a Chanel Couture exclusive last year; she can count Carine Roitfeld and Karl Lagerfeld among her biggest supporters. 
Park was a stand out in last years shows and with campaigns for Chanel and Tom Ford already behind her we can't wait to see what the current fashion season brings.
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10:14 am

ART | Back To The Future



'I love old photos. I admit being a nosey photographer. As soon as I step into someone else’s house, I start sniffing for them. Most of us are fascinated by their retro look but to me, it’s imagining how people would feel and look like if they were to reenact them today… four years ago, I decided to actually do this. So, with my camera, I started inviting people to go back to their future' - Irina Werning

Born in Buenos Aires,  Irina Werning embarked on the aptly titled 'Back to the future' in 2010. You would have already seen a few of these images floating around the web; and so with its popularity she has since extended to a 2nd series, with a 3rd on the way.

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12:53 pm

WANDERLUST | The Line

The Line in Los Angeles is a hotel built for people like us. Going to Coachella? Well after emerging from the valley, weary from the weekend of cali sun and music, this is the place you'll be wanting to rest and recharge in the City of Angels.

Only opening its doors on Jan 1st, The Line is brand new but with some established game players behind the set up. If it looks a little familiar you'll be happy to hear that the developers behind old favourites The Ace Hotel in New York & Palm Springs also had their hand in this.

The hotel is heavily built on collaborations with local artists & businesses. The restored mid-century building brings together some of LA's finest entrepreneur's under one roof. Such as Venice Beach design studio Knibb, responsible for the LA homes of Roman Coppola and Mark Ruffalo; who designed the overall look and feel.

Located in the hot downtown district of KoreaTown, home to southern California's highest concentration of restaurants and bars; you are able to hire bikes to explore the neighbourhood that apparently never sleeps.






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11:11 pm

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC | 125 Years Around The World

Celebrating 125 years of amazing photography, National Geographic recently published a limited edition tome with Taschen, enabling readers to journey through the archives of this renowned global cult magazine. Truly a match made in heaven, this is definitely going on our wish list.




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2:27 pm

THE GOLDEN BOY

Jared Leto is having his time in the sun. But, to anyone who was a fan of My So Called Life, did he ever really leave it?

Winning the Golden Globe for Dallas Buyers Club and now nominated for an Oscar, It seems like Jordan Catalano has been living the dream and staying true to himself all these years. All 42 of them, Can you believe it!?  Looks like he's been drinking from the same fountain of youth as this guy.

The man isn't only easy on the eye, he's also got a way with words. W Magazine has a great video channel on their website and if you aren't familiar we suggest you take a look and watch an interview with Jared for their Screen Test series. 

You would be familiar with his acting in cult films such as Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club and American Psycho. But if you are not familiar with his music, below is a pretty cool music video/short film with some face's you are sure to recognise. 


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1:35 pm

WANDERLUST | Villa Extramuros

Wanderlust - the strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.
We are all travellers at heart. In this new series we discover amazing locations from across the globe all with the same underlying theme - Understated Luxury. First stop, Portugal.












Villa Extramuros is located in Arraiolos, a small city in the Portuguese province of Alentejo. This place is magnificent. Simply magnificent. Completely off the beaten track, the villa offers 5 rooms - 3 standard and 2 superior, all with panoramic views from their private patios.

Each area of this chic small hotel is elegantly furnished with the most lust worthy mid century and modern day pieces. Common areas include a living room with fireplace, patio with orange trees, dining room, infinity pool with deck and two terraces for lounging or dining.

You are able to book for large or small groups, either taking just a room or the entire villa. This would be a wonderful place to spend a week with a group of friends, a couple of families or just keep the whole place to yourself. 


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9:45 am

WORK WITH US



We currently have two internships open for application

Please follow the link above for full job description and details on how to apply.
Both positions are part time, one day a week, and will be based at our studio in Surry Hills, Sydney. 
  • 3 month position
  • 1 day a week
  • Either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday
  • 10am-5.30pm

Applications should be no longer than 1 page
Only applicants that fulfil all application criteria will be contacted for further review
Applications close Friday 31st Jan
Position commences Mid Feb 2014
Please do not apply if you can not work either Wed/Thurs/Fri
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6:25 pm

ART | Charles Wilkin


Since Never | Collage on paper 2013


Midnight Oasis | Collage on paper 2013

We do love collage. It's the 'craftiness' we are drawn too, the cut and paste mentality.
The way seemingly opposite elements can be brought together to create something very different to their singular meaning. Layer upon layer, leaving the viewer to decide what they want to take from it.

We discovered Charles Wilkin a while ago, and there is something that just keeps us going back time and time again. Always something to rediscover in his chopped up world. He's been quite prolific of late, you only need to check his tumblr to see the vast works from 2013. We hope to add one to our collection very soon, but at the rate he is going, deciding which one is going to be very hard. 


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10:22 am

READ | Holy Bible

This work deserves your attention. The Holy Bible; but not as you know it. 

- Adi Ophir
It looks the same, it feels the same. Well, from the outside at least. But Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin's, Holy Bibleis definitely not what you'd expect. Without giving to much away, this is a book that needs to be viewed not on a screen but in your hands. Fingers turning its thin, crisp pages; each uncovering a different meaning to the utterly divine.

Released in April 2013 it's already onto its 2nd printing, luckily we managed to secure the very last copy from Kinokuniya. This incredible and at times confronting project, will challenge your views and make you see the bible in a whole new light.
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12:38 pm

THE AESTHETICS OF READING


The way we communicate has changed dramatically over the last 5-10 years. Who really writes anymore? Do you? 

The act of handwriting is becoming a dying art. We wonder if it will continue to be taught in school or will the current generation be one of the last to learn it as a subject. Will it be eventually phased out much like how our parents were taught Latin?

Whilst we have switch our pens and pencils for keyboards, our writing for typing;  the way we read these words has stayed the same for decades - with our eyes.

Dr Kevin Larson is a psychologist that has spent much of his career researching typefaces. Along with Dr Rosalind W.Picard,  Larson recently conducted a landmark study on how font and layout affects our emotions, specifically examining the benefits of good typography. The results are interesting and confirm what every graphic designer has always known - Good typography makes people happy.

"It has been previously demonstrated that when people are in a positive mood that they will perform better on cognitive tasks that involve creativity (Isen, 1987). It is fairly easy to manipulate mood, the presentation of a small gift or watching five minutes of a humorous video is enough to generate measurable differences on certain cognitive tasks. When participants were asked to read text with either good or bad typography in two different studies, the participants who received the good typography afterwards performed better on Isen’s cognitive tasks as well as on subjective duration assessment."

Larson and Picard found that people felt bad while reading poorly designed layout. Sometimes, this feeling would be expressed physically with a frown or sign. This bad feeling then went on to negatively affect  their creative thinking and problem solving.

Now you know why comic sans  puts you in a bad mood. Read more about it here.



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10:41 am

LET'S TALK


The Talks is a weekly updated online interview magazine founded in 2011 by Sven Schumann and Johannes Bonke.
Every week The Talks publishes an interview and portrait with a leading creative voice of our times. Simple, often short and to the point; each interview gives a personal insight into the world of the interviewee. 
The roll call is impressive. Broken down into the fields of art, film, fashion, music, and sports; think Meryl Streep, Vincent Cassel, Andre Saraiva and Nick Cave, to name but a few. 


 


It never feels like they are plugging a specific project/film/album. More like you are catching a snippet of a general 'life' conversation going on between friends. We especially love the audio samples.

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9:24 am

ART | Crowd

David Taylor describes himself as a 'Craftsman Extraordinaire'. A title that is both fitting and a slight understatement in our eyes. The stockholm-based Scotsman is a contemporary artisan who incorporates elements of design, art and metal craft in his work. By cleverly combining post-industrial waste with precious metal, DIY components and other metals; Taylor is able to create unique and extraordinary objects. 

His most recent body of work titled 'Crowd' is a series of candlesticks build to embody human characteristics with each bearing it's own name. The assemlbly of approximately 30 pieces works as an organic community that changes over time when some are bought and others are made to replace them. Much like when old friends leave on an overseas adventure and new ones spring up to fill the space they have left behind. And while each piece stands alone, collectively they share a sense of cohesion when in the company of their 'friends'.







The idea of useable objects as art is one that appeals. We love Taylor's unique ability of melding contrasting materials, such as concrete, brass, bakelite and leather together to build something so utterly tactile and beautiful.  


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3:04 pm

BAREFOOT LUXURY | Villa Lena



Villa Lena is a collaboration between 3 friends who wanted to bring together their expertis and experiences in entertainment, music, art and film in order to create a new kind of holiday retreat.

Lionel, a successful entrepreneur, is the founder of the hip Parisian nightclub Le Baron. Jerome is a musician with his own band Outlines, and Lena is a contemporary art consultant. Together they wanted to create a unique place in its atmosphere, content and possibilities.

Once an old, crumbling but charming estate in the heart of Tuscany, this nineteenth-century villa has been renovated to embody the very essence of barefoot luxury. 

We want to go. Immediately.





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1:33 pm

A NEW YEAR

Image by Ali Mitton

'People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel'.


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