Scenes from Arashiyama, Kyoto

I was strolling home through the beautiful sakura groves in Arashiyama and saw these women dressed as Maiko, out for a day of cherry blossom viewing. The rich colours of their kimono and the soft pinks of the blossoms were so beautiful together.

Structures of Reality

The shapes and patterns which compose our 3D reality are striking to observe. Fractals, Fibonacci spirals and the torus seem to resonate with our brains on an instinctual level, reminding our consciousnesses of a  fundamental truth; that we are all part of a sea of atoms which pulls itself into various shapes depending on the energy flowing through it at that particular moment in space.

These shapes provide us with a sense stability, a real and recognisable way of interpreting our surroundings. There are exciting developments in the application of these patterns in design. The vast potential of bio-mimicry being explored through 3D printing, parametric modelling, and other areas of digital fabrication is inspiring and optimistic. By incorporating these structures into our built environment, we are reminding humans that we are connected to these shapes, in all their manifestations. It follows that we should encourage their presence, whether in built or biological form. As we move past dystopian concrete blocks to create an urban landscape that feels better for us and other species, these shapes should become a defining feature, a reminder to stay connected to the universe, to the biological realm, and to each other.

Wellington Botanic Gardens.

Wellington Botanic Gardens.

Koh Ru Island, Cambodia.

Pot on the fire, Greven, Germany.

The Yeti Crab

This thing just FASCINATES me.

Looks like a puppet.

Lots of Yeti Crabs hanging out.

Pincer fractal.

The Golden Ass Crack

Aren't humans bizarre creatures? Some will scratch and claw through life trying to gain material possessions which tell others "I have arrived!". Branding is a symbol of status, of identity, of achievement. It aligns us with our "tribe", whether that is the tribe of IKEA, Toyota, or Hermes. Some brands really stick out like a sore thumb; they have had so much money pumped into them that their symbolic power has been inflated to extremes, elevated above the peasant brands. One that always springs to mind is the golden ass crack itself, the interlocking double C of CHANEL.

The 80's

I love the idea of the 80's being this raunchy, pink, bubblegum cocaine decade of excess and greed. Yuppies, palm trees and shoulder pads etc...

The cast of Dynasty (my guilty pleasure, viewed from an anthropological perspective of course).

Pink convertibles are the shit.

Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman at the Academy Awards.

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Princess Diana and John Travolta share a dance at the White House.

COLOURCOLOURCOLOUR

A sweet bit of juiciness for the eyes.

Beetles by Christopher Marley

Globen, Stockholm, Sweden.

Verner Panton, Visiona Installation.

Miles Aldridge "Bang"

Alexander McQueen Shipwreck dress, featured in Nylon Magazine, 2003.

Jeff Koons bangle by Lisa Perry

Aqueous II The Sequel

Saint Wenceslas crown, part of the Bohemian crown jewels.

Holi Festival, India

Gemma Ward, by Nick Knight

Christina Aguilera by David Lachapelle

Human forms

Ever since humans first started representing reality, we have been manipulating human form. What is it about our psyche which causes us to morph these versions of ourselves? We have been shattered, stretched, exaggerated and squashed. Even our ideas about beauty, from ringed necks to boob jobs, are all about this manipulation of the body. I suppose by distorting aspects of ourselves, we learn to know ourselves. The absolute potential and variation in every human figure is simply astounding. 

I went to a Ron Mueck exhibition a while ago. He creates hyper real human sculptures. The only way to tell them apart from real life is their scale, as they are always larger or smaller than living humans. This creates an unsettling feeling when observing them, especially the smaller ones; I felt totally invasive when leering my face up close to them, trying to look at the detail of their pores and veins, and half expected them to snap at me and tell me to fuck away. After leaving the gallery every human I passed looked like a sculpture, and the streets turned into a sea of squishy noses and ears, a plastic fleshy mass exhibition of human form. It sure made for great people watching.

Ron Mueck

Alexander McQueen bodysuit.

Kostas Varotsas

Lolo Ferarri

Mirrorman

Antony Gormley

Lucian Freud