Link About It: This Week’s Picks
Istanbul in photos, the Serpentine’s new cloud, Cape Town’s hailstorm and more in our weekly look at the web
1. Tom Ford’s Western
When he’s not changing the face of fashion for brands like Gucci and YSL, the iconic Tom Ford spends roughly a quarter of his year on a 24,000-acre New Mexico ranch. The equestrian compound, just south of Sante Fe, was meticulously designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and features sprawling sandscapes, desert vegetation and moving water. It’s no mirage, a lot of careful crafting went into all that beauty. In fact, before it belonged to Ford, it was the shooting location for many famous Hollywood Westerns.
2. The Enclave
In an interview with Frieze, photographer Richard Mosse speaks about the process and subject matter behind his new film, The Enclave. Known for his magenta-tinted series of stills depicting civil conflict in the Congo, Mosse is now breathing new life into the project by giving the eerily beautiful images even greater context through video. Shot entirely on discontinued 16mm infrared film, all organic
plant matter is rendered in stunning pink, forcing the viewer to deal with the ethical problem of admiring the moving image aesthetically, while understanding the implications of its intense subject matter.
3. A Cloud Pavilion in the Serpentine
Annually, London’s Serpentine Gallery welcomes a guest architect to construct their outdoor summer pavilion. This year, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has built nothing short of a cloud of steel. With no specific sense of inside and out, steel piping creates fluid tiers for climbing or wandering, while polycarbonate discs form a clear, fluttering roof. No two angles appear the same as structural order gives way to delicate chaos. Fujimoto’s cloud will be on display until October 2013.
4. NeuroKnitting
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wear a mapping of your brain activity? Maybe not, but amidst a feat of art-science collaboration, NeuroKnitting has made it possible. These designers use an EEG headset and the tunes of Johann Bach to generate a unique knitted sequence for each individual. Their knitted garments visualize the listener’s cognitive states to design a personalized textile pattern.
5. Inside the Istanbul Riots
Right now in Istanbul, the Turkish government has met some of its fiercest rioting in years. Cool Hunting friend and photo contributor, Ruediger Glatz, was there during the events in Taksim Gezi Parki and has created a slideshow of images depicting the myriad emotions faced during the city’s tumultuous times. From those involved, to the reactions of passers-by and the changing face of the city’s architecture, Glatz has captured a moment of history in all its forms.
6. Danny Brown’s Priorities
The biggest Detroit personality is at it again with his short on Pitchfork.tv. Check out the latest Over / Under to hear Danny Brown’s evaluations of North Korea, bottle service, softcore porn and more. And for all you experienced cat-sitters out there, he’s taking applications.
7. Street Sign 2.0
Featuring a traditional, point-to-the-destination design, this new data-driven street sign is anything but conventional. The sign sources data from a multitude of platforms, including social media and RSS feeds in a truly novel way. As the arrows change direction using GPS technology, the message on their respective screens also changes to convey a news event, Twitter trend or daily special at a restaurant nearby. With endless applications, expect to see these innovative street signs at events, parks and festivals in the coming months.
8. Jun Cha in Paris
LA-based tattoo artist Jun Cha recently spent two weeks in Paris
for a pop-up
tattoo studio, surrounding himself with the classical sources of
his inspiration. Shot in black and white, the short documentary delves
into the history behind Cha’s monochromatic style and his interest in
Renaissance art.
9. Cape Town in White
Despite being home to penguins, Cape Town is not the place for a snowman. A massive hail storm hit the South African city this week, leaving it uncharacteristically blanketed in white and giving it the appearance of a seaside winter wonderland. Photos from the storm, submitted throughout the city, reveal an unfamiliar contrast of palm trees and the brilliant landscape of Table Mountain with slushy streets and white rooftops. Meteorologists predict a cold winter for the Mother City, so keep an eye out for more bizarre photos of white-dusted palm trees.
10. Piccolo
If an image is worth sharing on social media, it’s very likely also worth holding
onto. At least Piccolo, a new photo printing and sharing service, believes so.
The subscription service pulls your most shared images from the past
month, prints them and delivers them to your doorstep—or to your
parents’ or grandparents’—making it easier than ever to remember
special times and share them with friends and family.
11. Worst Job Ever
Think your job is tough? Turns out it’s all relative. This simple infographic lays out the worst jobs in history by a four-condition matrix, from treacherous to tedious and difficult to disgusting. It’s hard to say whether the tedium of mining virtual gold for gamers in China or gathering leaches in 19th century France would make for a better day at the office. Check out these peculiarly tough jobs and be glad you’re not a human toilet in ancient Rome.
12. The Ice Bottle
Coca Cola Colombia has created a very literal solution to the best-served-ice-cold demand. The company has created a trial Coca Cola Ice Bottle for its South American consumers which melts away after consumption. The eco-friendly bottle is made of ice and comes with a red rubber sleeve that serves as a way to hold the bottle and not freeze your fingers while downing the classic soft drink. A brilliant but complicated venture, a successful production run sure would make summer a lot chiller.
