- A hosted website with templates and customization tools;
- Access to the FotoVisura international networking community + its resources, including the public archive, local motion news feed, + the industry index;
- Access to a fle drop box with 100GB of storage;
- Access to submit to the FotoVisura GUILD Grant;
- Full Scholarships to attend the FotoVisura Photo Editing Workshop, if accepted.
Every time I see a new + improved android, I am speechless as to how much closer man + machine will become indistinguishable from one another. So imagine my reaction when I saw Shan-san (or Geminoid F, the ‘F’ being for ‘Female’) above, a high-tech Japanese humanoid that appears to breathe, blink, + talk about what it means to be in love, in this excerpt from ‘Autonomous’, a documentary that explores ‘emotional intelligence’ as much as ‘artificial intelligence’.
Created by Japanese Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, the director of Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, whose work involves teaching robots how to love, in the film you hear him say that ‘having a soul is a subjective phenomenon’ simply because it can not be seen, so how could one negate the validity of this creepy humanoid having the ability to love when her ‘soul’ is also invisible? As author Phillip K. Dick once asked + explained, ‘Do androids dream of electric sheep?,’ in a book of the same name.
‘Humanoids are fascinating + a symbol for where humans + robots meet,’ explain Per Eriksson + Alexander Rynéus, the Swedish-born directors of ‘Autonomous’. Even Professor Ishiguro said how he thinks ‘with robotic + android technology we’ll bridge the physical world + the virtual world,’ but I wonder if the human aspect of these androids will cause a riff in this bridge as I can’t help but wonder how easily these humanoids can be fetishized + become stand-ins for real human beings?
Enjoy!
(via NOWNESS)
Marc Newson Packs Heat With Style
Introducing the 486 Parallelo shotgun, industrial designer Marc Newson‘s reinterpretation of the traditional side-by-side shotgun for Beretta. Featuring a new opening lever design + a receiver with an intricate engraving by Newson, the 486 is simply too beautiful to shoot. Then again, imagine what a shotgun like this could do for your swagger especially if you’re a chick?!
‘The main focus for my design of the 486 was to simplify + rationalise all the surfaces,’ said Newson in a statement. ‘Specifically streamlining the area of the action.’ The tail of the steel receiver surrounding the base of the barrels, separating it from the safety catch, is made out of Walnut wood, which then creates a visual break in the metal parts that are usually displayed as a continuous piece.
Dragon-like pheasants snaking between flowers in a style that references both traditional Asian illustrations of flora + fauna + the use of shotguns for hunting game were engraved into the metal. For Newson, his inspiration came from the idea that pheasants originate + are native to Asia, before being widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird + ‘it was important to somehow pay homage to this + incorporate a subtle Asian influence into the design.’ The metal was wrapped onto the trigger guard, punctuating the seamlessly integration into the receiver, covering the trigger system. The metal engraving reminds me a lot of that found on swords.
Beretta’s site has the following statement regarding their designer collaboration with Newson, ‘While most shotguns screw the guard to the bottom of the receiver, the 486 by Marc Newson inserts the trigger guard into a milled guide. The result is a perfect junction of two surfaces, which creates a higher aesthetic value.’
(via dezeen)
Congratulations Moschino, It’s A Toy!
It’s no surprise that for his first Moschino fragrance, Jeremy Scott fancied himself with creating a perfume bottle out of a teddy bear called ‘Toy’. Scott told WWD the bear is both an homage to the teddy-bear dress that Franco Moschino designed in the late Eighties, + Scott’s own “love affair” with teddy bears in his work. ’I’d never seen a stuffed animal perfume bottle before — + I felt like I was then obliged to do it,’ deadpanned the designer. But really, in finding inspiration in both Spongebob Squarepants + Barbie, this move was only natural for the ‘off the wall’ designer. Even with the packaging below, one could easily envision ‘Toy’ on the shelves of any major toy store.
To push that envelope a bit more, as seen below, you have to remove the teddy bear’s head in order to spray the perfume onto yourself – talk about twisted decadence! Scott believed, his signature sense of fun was missing from the fragrance sphere. ‘All fragrances, you go across the board + it’s basically always sexy, nude, sexy, so I thought there’s definitely humor missing,’ he said. ‘And I like to make objects that are unique + desirable. After the fragrance is used up, there has to be a reason you want to keep it.’
The fragrance will have worldwide preview launch at Harrods in London [this week] through Nov. 23, then on to Italy with an exclusive at La Rinascente in Milan starting Dec. 3. But don’t despair kids, us Americans should have our turn in time for Xmas before hitting shelves in remaining international markets next year + for the first time, the fragrance will be sold in Moschino boutiques worldwide + on the brand’s Web site.
Scott described the fragrance as unisex, being ‘a little bit woodsy, + at the same time there’s something techno about it.’ Top notes include bergamot, mandarin + cardamom, with a heart of lavender, violet petals + hawthorn, + a drydown of sandalwood, vanilla, mountain tree moss + acacia. And with a keepsake bottle sure to become a collectors item, for a mere $122, it wouldn’t shock me one bit if folks bought multiple teddies just to recreate the teddy-bear-trimmed dress Scott designed as a tribute to the Moschino original, in the Steven Meisel ad campaign above featuring Isabeli Fontana.
This ‘Toy’ is #mustcop on my holiday list!
(via WWD)
Usually, strong women are perceived as being unattractive due to their muscular appearance, which many still consider to look to masculine. Yet, in Desert Sound Colony’s music video for ‘I Get Fixed’ featuring 20 year veteran Colette Nelson, director Callie Barlow shows the analogy between the the world of bodybuilding with that of the fashion industry. By showing Nelson’s day-to-day activities from what she eats, to tanning her perfectly taut feminine physique, complete with painted toes nails + bikini, practicing her poses + straightening her hair, you get to see for yourself how close these two worlds are to one another with their strict regimen of being perfect.
As I was watching this, I couldn’t help but think of Nelson as if she were a superhero however, as a woman, she would only be believable as such by only if she had the outrageous body proportions of a barbie doll, as female superheroes are often degraded to hypersexualized versions of a woman. Yet, had it been a male superhero, he would be applauded for being so big if not, encouraged to be bigger. For whatever reason, society still wants to feed us that if a woman’s strength is visible, she is no longer feminine + therefore, no longer attractive. But for Callie, as she tells NOWNESS, ‘There’s definitely a beauty component to the bodybuilding industry’, as Colette uses this laser machine on her face every night that’s featured in the video to keep her skin young + tight.
Nelson who moonlights as a makeup artist + spray-tanner for gym-obsessed ingénues, is said to find comfort in her routine, getting up at five every morning, + she often sleeping in her exercise clothes so that it’s easier to get up + go. But Callie goes on to explain how ‘the parallels between modeling + bodybuilding are to obvious when you have someone pushing their body in a certain way, + they are aware of their body all the time. There are definitely health risks, + some women take it too seriously. Colette is a good role model because she pushes a more healthy, well rounded lifestyle. But it’s all about beauty, it’s all about the image.’
Enjoy!
(via NOWNESS)
A Fall Collection Inspired By Internet Motifs
As if hashtags never existed in so many patterns before, for its Fall collection, House of Cards exploited that symbol + more by exploring + finding inspiration in internet motifs. Of the many patterns present, including some patterns made up of graphic black lines on white backgrounds, which look to be pinched, the subtlety of such a common theme, is handled with great care + style. By enlarging their size, easily turns them into very graphic symbols with new meaning.
(via WE ARE SELECTERS)
The World Seen Through The Lens Of Ann Menke Is Definitely Beautiful
Ann Menke’s approach to travel + fashion photography has always been with a careful eye for location, location, location. Sought after by industry heavies including Condé Nast Traveler + GQ to find exotic locations for fashion shoots, came naturally as an expert global explorer + anthropologist of sorts. Able to create narratives through her lens, in ‘See The World Beautiful’ by Ann Menke, published by Glitterati Incorporated, through Menke’s photography, you get to dive in, head first, into a world of faraway places punctuated by it’s people + surroundings, always with the feeling of being part of it all. Colleague Julia Chaplin, a New York based journalist + editor who covers contemporary art, fashion, design, lifestyle, + travel, refers to Anne’s work as, ’Nobody wants to be a tourist. It’s way better to be a spontaneous houseguest. And this is how Anne’s images made me feel.’
Diana Vreeland was infamous for going way over budget with her elaborate fashion shoots in exotic places, but her overall concept always made sense. The ability to pair a location that would perfectly highlight a product or evoke a certain feel doesn’t come as easy to some but Menke never had a problem, as you flip through the book full of luscious imagery. A for instance is this pic with African women wearing White looks with Yves Klein blue patterns photographed in front of almost reddish earth, making the subjects pop.
Noting photography greats like Henri Cartier-Bresson as her inspiration, ‘See The World Beautiful’ perfectly documents ten years of Menke’s going up those mountains + down those dirt roads to capture the location at it’s realest. Like in the pic below, it doesn’t get as real as this with miles + miles of fields + mountains in the horizon, easily setting the stage for some ikat print looks or even more graphic patterns in simple black + white.
‘Her lens brings us past the photo itself + discovers a deeper beauty that exists in every moment. Experiencing the different cultures in their natural environs has inspired her to see the world beautifully, + to share it with us one image at a time,’ says Tommy Hilfiger in the book’s foreword, which just reinforces how much of a keepsake this book really is.
For you to experience the world through the lens of Menke, a copy of ‘See The World Beautiful’ by Ann Menke, published by Glitterati Incorporated is available for purchase at Glitterati Incorporated.
A Bag That Embraces Your Curves
Finding a bag that doesn’t rub my hips, is usually a pretty tall order to fulfill. No matter what the shape, other than one above my waist or a clutch, even a cross-body bag causes too much friction. But, ‘The Night Out Moon Bag’ by OBOYI, embraces your curves, with its ergonomic form + soft curves, combined with complementary panels of green + black leathers. With every use, the bag’s leather continues to weather, creating its unique imperfections allowing the soft ergonomic form to emerge. As for functionality, the bag has inner + outer pockets. Don’t you just love the top knotted handle?
For a ‘Night Out Moon Bag’ of your own, purchase it now at Wowcracy.