Date posted: April 8, 2007

Stuff I Found Online

The travel section of the New York Times of February 17, 2007, contains a fascinating slideshow of the contemporary art scene in Hanoi. It features, among others, this painting by Nguyen Bao Ha which I find pretty stunning. As you read this Charles Saatchi will probably already have acquired them. The article about the Awakening Of Hanoi is interesting as well and made me want to jump on a plane, which I did a few weeks later.

German photographer Volker Steger has won an award for his series of close-up photos of insects crushed on the windscreen of a car. It turns out there is an optimal speed for collecting the material. If he drove too slow the insects would still be alive, if he drove too fast there would be nothing left of them.

I wouldn't say that Raymond Queneau's Exercices de style, or Exercises in Style to use the English title, is one of my favourite books, although I do rate it highly. In it Queneau tells the same story in 99 different styles or genres. It's a bit tiresome to read them all in one go, but as a reference it is fun. I just came across this variation on Queneau by Matt Madden, 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style. Madden has produced 99 versions of the same comic. It is as ingenious as Queneau's original and equally inspiring.

I can't get the song that accompanies the trailer for David Lynch's latest movie, Inland Empire, out of my head. It sounds like Nina Simone or Amy Winehouse, but apparently it is David Lynch himself singing. The song's title is Ghost of Love. If you like David Lynch you will have to head to Paris this Spring, because from March 3 until May 27 the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain organizes an exhibition of David Lynch's paintings, photos, drawings and short films.

Frank Gehry designs Springfield concert hall.... In The Simpsons Season 16 Episode 14 Frank Gehry designs the new Springfield concert hall, proof that contemporary architecture is now part of popular culture.

... And OMA designs a residential tower in Singapore. The Singapore Scotts Tower is another simple, quirky but elegant design by OMA. It has a 50s or 60s futuristic look to it and kind of reminds me of vintage science fiction comics. It is not just some crazy design but a creative response to the restrictions of the site.

The building was designed by OMA partner Ole Scheeren, who currently heads OMA's Asian office. It looks like OMA is becoming the practise of choice for skyscrapers with an edge.

The real stars are the engineering and construction firms who make it all happen though. Let's hope more project developers will have the imagination to go along.

Over at Flickr you can find a few photo series, such as this one of the CCTV Tower in Beijing, which is currently under construction and should be completed before the start of the 2008 Olympics. I must say that I really like this photo on a day with a lot of smog. So much for the view.

I love the intentionally imperfect dolls by Dutch artist/designer Heather Louise, the unique handmade dolls by Italian artists The Boghe and Nivea who are also based in the Netherlands, and the one of a kind dolls by Hanazuki, which is one the funkiest shops in Amsterdam.