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We Upcycle

Can Tealights by Patrick

We Upcycle, a blog by Lisa Schultz and Magdalena Akantisz, hosts a wide variety of ideas for creating new and useful objects out of old ones you might have thrown away. The project started when the two students, based in Vienna, decided to post 30 objects they repurposed and reused in creative ways over 30 days. They launched the site and stated that as long as people keep sending them “upcycled” objects from around the world, they would extend the life of the blog by one day for each object and post about it.

It’s a simple concept, but at over 500 days and going strong, clearly there is a strong desire by many to find creative ways to reuse our “trash.” The site is well worth exploring for ideas, even if you do have to do some sifting to find something to your taste. The project does an admirable job of making sure the next time you think about throwing something away, you’ll also think about how you could turn it into something useful.

Tire Table by Jeanine

Mar 05, 2013 | Categories: Sustainability | Comments Off on We Upcycle

Bella Vita: A Surf Film

I’m very excited for this upcoming film starring Chris Del Moro. It touches on two of my favorite things: surfing and Italy.  From the website:

… THE WAVES OF THE ITALIAN COAST HAVE CARRIED MERCHANTS, FISHERMEN, TRAVELERS AND KINGS. PRESERVED LIKE A ROMAN RUIN, THE SURF OF THE ITALIAN COAST NOW CARRIES SURFER, ARTIST, AND ENVIRONMENTALIST CHRIS DEL MORO ON A PILGRIMAGE BACK TO HIS ANCESTRAL HOMELAND TO EXPLORE A CULTURE WHERE OLD-WORLD-CONVENTION AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP HAVE MATURED INTO A MODERN SURF LIFESTYLE AND DESTINATION.

FILMMAKER JASON BAFFA CHRONICLES CHRIS AND HIS FRIENDS DAVE RASTOVICH, LAUREN LYNDSEY HILL, CONNER & PARKER COFFIN AND ITALIAN STAND-OUTS ALESSANDRO PONZANELLI AND LEONARDO FIORAVANTI AS THEY EXPLORE THE BURGEONING NEW SURF CULTURE BLOSSOMING AMONG THE MEDITERRANEAN’S OLDEST AND CHERISHED TRADITIONS.

A VISUAL EPIC CAPTURED IN STUNNING 35MM, BELLA VITA IS AN INTIMATE AND POWERFUL JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY, SEEPED IN CULTURE, TRADITION, AND PASSION- WHERE FAMILY COMES FIRST.

Can’t wait!

Mar 04, 2013 | Categories: Surfing | Comments Off on Bella Vita: A Surf Film

Basquiat at Gagosian

Very few art openings could inspire what the Wall Street Journal referred to as a mob scene on a cold February evening in Chelesea, New York. And yet, three weeks later, people cannot stop talking about the Jean-Michel Basquiat retrospective at Gagosian Gallery.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Basquiat showed a prococious talent for drawing at a very age. Encouraged by his parents to pursue his craft, he was recognized as a graffiti poet and musician as a mere teenager. In 1981, by the age of twenty, Basquiat began painting seriously and selling his work to Soho galleries.

Featuring more than fifty of his paintings from 1980 to his tragic death in 1988, the Gagosian show leads viewers through the rise of a young artist, one who had the unique balance of talent and poise to inspire a new African-influenced modernism while attracting serious collectors. It is a rare joy to catch a show like his.

February 7- April 6th
Gagosian Gallery
555 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011

Mar 01, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture, New York City | Comments Off on Basquiat at Gagosian

Michael Gaillard (Harmony Artist-In-Residence)

Below are some more of the images taken during my residency at the Harmony, once again, all of these images were taken with my 8×10 film camera.

Feb 28, 2013 | Categories: Costa Rica, Harmony Hotel, Random, Travel | Comments Off on Michael Gaillard (Harmony Artist-In-Residence)

The New Cinema – Creating Your Own Environments

Over at The Creators Project, and in association with Eyebeam and Framestore, New Cinema is conceptualizing new ways of merging visual arts and moving images with the more experiential concepts long associated with video games. In a recent post on The Creators Project blog, a team member at the recent hackathon shares the experience of generating an environment from the organic input of a user, who is connected to a headset with a microphone. The user’s own breathing, an involuntary but constant action, is recognized by the microphone, and pushes an island away from the main character as they attempt to cross the bridge toward it.

The result is a meditation on the philosophy of existence and space. Not exactly standard themes for a video game, but that is exactly the point of what the group is trying to accomplish. They want to explore new ways in which existing media and technology can be used to create personal experiences that go beyond the traditional narrative or informational drives we typically use them for. Instead of accomplishing a task (the user will never reach the island at the end because the breathing will keep it away and the water beneath is infinite), we are asked to think logically about the situation, and what it might mean for each one of us personally.

The post goes further in depth on all things technological and philosophical, and is well worth a read. See a short documentary on the project below.

 

Feb 26, 2013 | Categories: Random | Comments Off on The New Cinema – Creating Your Own Environments

New York Screening: Nathan Oldenfield’s The Heart and The Sea

 

If you’re going to be in the New York area on March 16th, stop by this screening of Nathan Oldenfield’s The Heart and the Sea. For those of you who haven’t seen his last film, Seaworthy, take the time to.  It not only features some great surfing, but it’s one of the most heartfelt surf films I’ve ever seen.  More on the event, which benefits the victims of Sandy, are below.  See you there!

 

SMASH PRESENTS THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF THE HEART & THE SEA AT ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

SMASH Productions presents the New York Premiere of “The Heart & The Sea” on Saturday March 16th, 2013 at Anthology Film Archives. This is the third release from independent Australian filmmaker Nathan Oldfield, the creator of the highly regarded left of centre surf films “Lines From a Poem” and “Seaworthy”. Over three years in the making, “The Heart & The Sea” explores the joy that lies at the very centre of a surfing life: family, friends and a shared intimacy with the sea. Filmed in stunning locations in Australia, New Zealand, France and Spain, this is a gently refreshing & quietly enchanting contribution to the surf film genre.

“The Heart & The Sea” features Dave Rastovich, Lauren Lindsey Hill, Alex Knost, Tom Wegener, Sage Joske, Brett Caller, Johnny Abegg, Kassia Meador, Clovis Donizetti, Belinda Baggs, Paul Joske, Ryan Burch, Chris Del Moro, Matt Chojnacki, Jared Mell, Dane Peterson, Joel Tudor, Harrison Roach & many others.

Following “The Heart & The Sea” Premiere,  an after party fundraiser for Waves for Water will be held at The Rogan Store, 330 Bowery, where drinks, music and good times will be had, whil raiding funds for Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding and Relief. Tickets for the after party will be sold seperately.

Free snacks and beverages will be provided by  Kind Healthy Snacks and VitaCoco.

March 16th, 7 PM at Anthology Film Archives: 32 Second Avenue New York, NY 10003 On the corner of East 2nd Street & 2nd Ave.

Supported by Patagonia, KIND Healthy Snacks, and VitaCoco.

Purchase Tickets Here: www.Theheartandtheseanyc.eventbrite.com

Feb 25, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture, New York City, Surfing | Comments Off on New York Screening: Nathan Oldenfield’s The Heart and The Sea

David Lynch and Transcendental Meditation

From the NYT: "The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace may focus on teaching meditation techniques to at-risk children and soldiers suffering from PTSD. But Lynch has had a significant impact in his own industry. Some of the foundation's recent initiates are shown above."

A thoroughly enjoyable piece by Claire Hoffman about what David Lynch has been up to recently:

Lynch, 67, has the plain-spoken demeanor of an old cowboy actor, a posture that masks a lifelong fear of public speaking. When his quietness got uncomfortable, Kaplan announced the start of a short meditation. For 10 minutes, the soundproofed room was dead silent. When it was over, Lynch stood up, refreshed. “So, do you guys have any questions?” he asked.

 

 

Feb 25, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture | Comments Off on David Lynch and Transcendental Meditation

Issue 2, WAX Magazine

Given the cold and windy weeks we’ve already had this year, it’s easy to associate serious surfing with the west coast. How excited were we to come across WAX, a magazine devoted to the “intersection of art, culture and surfing in and around New York City?”

One of Harmony’s bloggers, Aerial is a WAX cofounder and we’ve kept up with it since its launch last Spring with a first issue organized around the theme of Dialogs in Spring 2012. In a world where even established magazines are folding, WAX has proven that New York is ready and excited to support its surfing community. Just a year later, having already received a shout out in a New York Times Fashion and Style post, WAX is a welcomed new independent zine that’s sure to blow up.

Check out WAX’s Vimeo trailer Issue 2, themed STRUCTURES:

Look for WAX in New York at:

McNally Jackson
Spoonbill & Sugartown
PS1 bookstore
Project No. 8
Marlow & Sons
Love, Adorned
SALT Surf

Feb 22, 2013 | Categories: Creative Culture, New York City, Surfing | Comments Off on Issue 2, WAX Magazine