» Pritzker Architecture Prize

» Ateliers Jean Nouvel

The “pay as you please” value scheme, by Radiohead last December, forever altered distribution channel within the music industry. This month, the pioneering rock band initiated another great experiment - viewer generated music video. The contest is simple, the rules are straight forward. Just upload your creation (must based on songs from Radiohead’s newest record, In Rainbows), either in basic storyboard or a simple animated clip to AniBoom, an online animation community. Then, members of the AniBoom community will rate each entry for a duration of 3 weeks. 10 semi-finalists will be chosen. Another round of selection will narrow the field to 5, of which members of Radiohead will pick the winning concept. A $10,000 award will be given to the winners to assist them in creating a full-length music video based on their concept. AniBoom will then distribute and market the finished product on their behalf. Submission of entries started on March 17th and will continue until April 28th.

» Radiohead

» AniBoom

» via: Freshness Mag
» Obey
» Barack Obama for America

After its successful release of a new scent based on Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, the legendary art space in mid-town Manhattan. The fragrance boutique Bond No. 9 will be introducing a brand new scent based on the iconic New York artist once again. The perfumery took inspirations from 2 studios right by the Union Square area, in which Warhol experimented with not only painting but film making, music, and other artistic mediums, from the year 1968 to 1984. Though it is a superb residential area and shopping district now. Union Square and the surrounding areas were in the state of shambles, like much of the city park system. Overall, crimes were rampant and the city was in decline, yet Warhol persisted on staying in New York, the city where he thrived.

As Warhol once stated “My favorite smell is the first smell of spring in New York”, the new Andy Warhol Union Square fragrance is essentially a bottled version of the season Spring. The core scent of lily of the valley, blue freesia, golden amber, with a hint of animal musk to bring it warmth. The uniquely shaped bottle of Bond No. 9 will be imprinted with silk-screened color flowers in psychedelic colorways, inspired by Warhols’ Flower Series. Bond No. 9 will be introducing 3 different sizes of the fragrance” a 100ml retails for US$ 195, a 50ml unit for US$ 135, and for the serious collector, a ten 100ml bottle set, each with different floral patterns, for US$ 1500. The perfumery will introduce a special Mother’s Day pack next month - a 100ml vessel wrapped with a limited edition Robert Lee Morris‘ Warhol - inspired floral necklace in sterling silver.

» Bond No. 9

» Andy Warhol Foundation

As the politics of presidential election heat up and candidates jockeyed for votes to be the nominee representing their political parties here in the U.S. Members of the creative community have joined the fray too. Shepard Fairey and his company, Obey, created a series of poster in support of Senator Barack Obama during the Super Tuesday primary in January. The graphics were so popular that subsequently they were made into t-shirts and now available for purchase at Upper Playground online store. Another is the special t-shirt, created by fashion designer Marc Jacobs, for Senator Hillary Clinton. Featured a black/white portrait of Clinton printed on “100% Cotton Union Made T-Shirt”, with an emphasis on “Union Made” in support of the American work force. The t-shirt retails for US$ 35, a great bargain compared to other Marc Jacobs merchandises. The Hillary Clinton t-shirt will only be available at Marc Jacobs retail locations.

» via: Freshness Mag
» Hillary Clinton for President
» Marc Jacobs

©Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Since the establishment of her own label in 1981, Yeohlee Teng briskly gained reputation as the designer for “urban nomad” lifestyle. Similar to her minimalist peers in the fashion world, her collections are often in single colorway or two, with streamlined forms. What set her apart from her contemporaries, however, is that her designs are not abstract artworks to admire from a distance with no true functionality. Instead, Teng seamlessly blend functions, ease of maintenance, with aestheticism into her creations.

For her Fall/Winter 2008 collection, Teng decided on a smaller fare at the Sky Room on the very top of the newly opened New Museum. The space was quite limited but it was crucial for Teng to showcased her collection there - the SANAA designed structure was her inspiration for the new collection. At the start, Teng immediately reinforced the notion of “urban nomad”. Hooded ponchos, over-sized wraps, long cloaks…clothes you can throw on without much thought. Each still retained the Yeohlee signature. The ponchos are insulated and quilted, unlike the flimsy nylon ones found in the sporting goods store. The cloaks/wraps are shaped, into more coat-like than just simple drapery. Soon, a sort of pattern appeared with all the articles on display - the silhouettes . As Teng explained after the show, she didn’t believe in the traditional “hour-glass” format. So she created silhouettes that were more geometrically proportion. Because of the sensibility and thoughts she put into her design, Teng has attracted a legion of loyal fans, such as actress Meryl Streep and Ali McGraw.

» Yeohlee

» New Museum of Contemporary Art

The prolific New York-based designer, Karim Rashid, just designed a series of unique bottles for Bombay Sapphire. in conjunction with 2 luxury icons - jeweler Garrad and crystal brand Baccarat, Rashid designed 5 bottles, made of crystals and embellished with sapphires and diamonds. Part of the collection titled Revelation, the bottles are priced at US$ 200,000 each. Crafted by hand at Baccarat’s work shop in France, the bottle is cut into a large gemstone shape with 10 facets. The 10 facets represent the 10 herbal ingredients that go into Bombay Sapphire, creating a signature aroma and flavor. Each bottle is then detailed by the oldest jewelry house, Garrard, with an unique stopper decorated in sapphires and diamonds. The bejeweled creation will be on public display, first at the inaugural event on March 27th to celebrate the grand opening of Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport. Subsequently, 1 bottle will be exhibit at airports in New York, Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney. The coordinating world wide exhibition will end a few months later with the bottles going to the new owners. The profit from the sale of each Revelation bottle will benefit charity The Smile Train, which provides cleft lip surgeries to children within poverty stricken nations.

» Karim Rashid

» Bombay Sapphire