Like a giant awaken from its slumber. The new headquarter complex of China Central Television (CCTV) raise above the busy cityscape of Beijing. Designed by architect Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), the A L-shaped monolith, along a few other structures within the compound, recently received a new “skins” treatment as workers rush to completion for the Summer Olympic. Created by Nike China, the “skins” are actually digital projection slideshow. It highlights the members of the Chinese Olympic team, who are determine to win the most gold medal this Summer. To see their individual story, you can visit the special Nike Gold website for more in-depth video on each athlete.

> Nike China
> Nike Gold
> China Central Television (CCTV)

The mounting human sufferings are almost unimaginable as the tasks of recovering continue after the double natural disasters this month in Myanmar (aka Burma) and China. In support of the ongoing efforts in both regions, we here at EN AVANT and our sister sites, Freshnessmag.com, Sneakernews.com, and Nitrolicious.com, each contributed to the cause and will continue to do so in the coming months. However, the scope of the matter still require more. So, we ask that our friends, fellow colleagues and dear readers, to please take a moment and donate (if financially permitting) to the Myanmar Cyclone & China Earthquake Relief efforts.

If you run a blog, please also link your readers to the American Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and other reputable aid agencies sites.

On May 2nd 2008, tens of thousands of lives were lost and hundreds of thousands of homes damaged when Cyclone Nargis unleashed high winds, heavy rain, and floodwater in southwestern Myanmar.

On Monday, May 12th, 2008, a major earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, jolted southwestern China’s Sichuan Province. Several lower-scale earthquakes and aftershocks followed in the same area. The quake destroyed many buildings in the area, as well as infrastructure like communication towers. According to the latest reports, more than 12,000 people have died and many more have been injured or are missing. Many schools were destroyed, including one that had at least 900 students in it. As authorities reach more remote areas, these numbers are expected to rise.

NOTE: Please be sure to donate to a reputable organizations or aid agencies.

» DONATE: American Red Cross China Earthquake Relief

» DONATE: American Red Cross Myanmar Cyclone Relief

Written: Poe H. (English) | K. J. Tzeng (Chinese)
Photos: Daniel Allen
Produced by: Dan Hwang

Straddled between multitude of ideals on cultural, political, and design, the host of this year Summer Olympics will present to the world a cityscape unlike any other in the world. The scope of this urban renewal is breathtaking, there isn’t one district untouched by teams of engineers, workers, and construction equipments. For visitors, the city is similar to a sculpture garden of sort, with exception of its scale.

Living in Beijing, English writer and photographer Daniel Allen has spent much of the last five years documenting China’s amazing architectural transformation, which looks set to continue and diversify for years to come. In his most recent work, Beijing in Focus, Allen concentrates on three of the Chinese capital’s most iconic structures: the National Center for Performing Arts (aka “the Eggshell”), the Beijing National Stadium (aka “the Bird’s Nest), and the National Aquatic Center (aka “the Water Cube”).

» EN AVANT Feature: Beijing, China - Iconic Structures

Written : Poe H. (English) | K. J. Tzeng (Chinese)
Produced by: Dan Hwang

Links: (Red), Sotheby’s (AUCTION) RED

“Art intimates and needs reaction, Art needs to be the transformative presence, a quality it shares with grace, which itself is on the lookout for the lost. All of the pictures and the sculptures here are grace unbound and a reaction from the greatest artists to AIDS - our generation’s holocaust…” so wrote by the front man of iconic rock band U2, Bono, in the foreword for Auction (RED).

This massive undertaking all started when art dealer Enrico Navarro suggested to Bono an art sale to benefit the (PROJECT) Red initiative, which Bono has tirelessly devoted himself since its inception. Not long after that, British artist Damien Hirst, best known for his works on the subject of death, got involved also. Hirst soon begun a letter writing campaign to his friends and to artists whose works he admired, in request for their contributions to Auction (RED). In total, 69 artists replied and donated some 83 lots of artworks - a compilation that can best some of the collection found in top contemporary art museums.

» EN AVANT Feature: Auction (RED)

- EN AVANT Team

After an overwhelming successful exhibition at Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The retrospective of Japanese pop-artist Takashi Murakami, titled © Murakami, just arrived in New York City. The exhibit will feature some 90+ works in a multitude of mediums from 1992 to 2000. All of which will be on view at the 4th and 5th floors (a total 18,500 square feet of space) of Brooklyn Museum, one of the oldest and largest art museum in the U.S. A 550 square feet mini-boutique, manage by long -time Murakami collaborator Louis Vuitton will showcase several new products, including the new Monogramouflage print, a collaboration between Murakami and designer Marc Jacobs. The exhibition is set to opens this Saturday, April 5th, through Sunday, July 13th.

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway | Map
Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052

Event Date: 04.05.2008 ~ 07.13.2008

» Brooklyn Museum

» Takashi Murakami

» Pritzker Architecture Prize

» Ateliers Jean Nouvel

(more…)

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