Slow → Search results for ‘lisbon’

Lisbon

We already wrote about the lovely bed and breakfast Casa da Diná in Alentejo’s countryside, close to the beautiful beaches of the southwest Portuguese coast. For 6 days we enjoyed this amazing place, rolling hills covered with colourful flowers and wonderful desolated beaches (note, during the summer the beaches are not so desolated anymore and there are no more flowers on the hills - but it definitely still is an amazing place!)
After 6 days we moved to Lisbon and were welcomed by Maria and her team at the Baixa House. [ Continue reading ]

Lisbon

Lisbon was amazing! We arrived on a friday night and first thing we mentioned was the calm and quiet ambience of this city. The green balconies packed with beautiful plants didn’t suffered from the 4 months without rain. The only sound that seeped through the open windows of our apartment… [ Continue reading ]

Alain Urrutia

‘a fragmented and reconstructed alternative reality’

'MIRROR RIM' by Alain Urrutia is a series of eleven paintings made to flip around, like a mirror, reflecting a fragmented and reconstructed alternative reality. Where he previously made super large paintings, these realistic small format black and white images, reframed and alienated from their historical value, are made to question our interpretations. The MIRROR RIM project was born from the idea of making two exhibitions in two different places that would change when moving from one space to the second one . The works from MIRROR RIM are composed symmetrically on their horizontal axis. The mirrored images we get in this way can be flipped 180 degrees. This is what happens when the exhibition is moved from one gallery to the second one. The paintings have been rotated so this second exhibition at Appleton Square in Lisbon, would work as the reflection of the first exhibition at the DIDAC Foundation in Santiago de Compostela. Hence the title of the exhibition, MIRROR RIM, a palindrome that refers to the edge of the mirror. [ Continue reading ]

Concrete Octopus

A new book featuring work of Japanese master Osamu Kanemura by Pierre von Kleist editions

Lisbon-based publisher Pierre von Kleist is one of the creative platforms that we have had a love affair with from the moment when we first discovered their incredible publications. They say love fades over time, but Pierre von Kleist has consistently published top notch projects during the few years that we've been following them, making it safe to say that we feel no different than years ago. Their latest publication, that has been released last week, is named 'Concrete Octopus' and takes off where renown Japanese photographer Osamu Kanemura´s 2002 acclaimed 'Spider's Strategy' left. For the first time, Pierre von Kleist teamed up with Tokyo-based publisher Osiris to create the beautiful new publication with new moody black and white work done between 2011 and 2013. As Kanemura's familiar dark film noir alike signature runs through every page of the book, it fits perfectly that  film critic Chris Fujiwara was given the chance to write the accompanying text included in the book.

It would be strange and misleading, though obviously not wholly inaccurate, to call these photographs “images of the Japan of the present time.” Though they might perhaps have much to say to the social historian, their documentary function is circumscribed by the interest in exploring a visual universe too disunited and incomplete to be recognizable as a cultural or historical form. In these images, the world presents itself with great purity and without provocation or seduction, as though poised in the interval before the repetition of an already forgotten catastrophe. We can't stop gazing at these new mysterious set of images, which underlines both the immaculate eye of Kanemura and the fact that next to being a publisher, Pierre von Kleist has transformed into a label of utmost quality, with everything they put out being deeply inspiring.  [ Continue reading ]

The Mechanism

We continue to be far from as active here as we would love to be, mostly because of our schedules at ...,staat and New Amsterdam Film Company demanding most of our time, but after some time completely off the grid in (Upstate) New York and California for the both of us in May; we are really picking up the pace again. Starting it up with an incredibly stunning new book by Swedish photographer Mårten Lange published by MACK, that was presented to the world some hours ago at the gallery space of Webber in London. Named 'The Mechanism', the extraordinary publication presents a remarkably melancholic series of monochromatic photographs that form a futuristic narrative about contemporary life. Bringing together anonymous images made in multiple cities, the work deals with themes of technology, economic systems, surveillance and (dystopian?) urban society. Lange attempts to trace the effects of technological developments on human experiences, using architectural tropes to build a narrative loaded with the threats and promises of the future. Cutting back and forth between close-up views and cityscapes, the beautifully designed book offers a filmic sequence of photographs that is at once affective and estranging. We have been familiar with the impeccable work of Lange before, after just discovering 'The Mechanism' we have a new instant favorite. Make sure to order it before this book sells out! [ Continue reading ]

You’re Living for Nothing Now

We have been great admirers of the Lisbon-based publisher Pierre von Kleist editions for years and the latest release from the hands of its founder, photographer André Príncipe, named 'You´re Living for Nothing Now (I hope you´re keeping some kind of record)' is another instant favorite ours, following his extraordinary 'Tokyo Diaries' from 2014. The new title is Príncipe´s take on the I-novel, it is a personal account about how it felt to be alive between 2009 and 2013, translated to his photography. With its Leonard Cohen line´s title, the book forms Príncipe´s most ambitious work to date, organized in three books designed to be autonomous but together forming the complete narrative. The classical music score format of his earlier books is revisited and this time the images center on his struggle with marriage, living in Lisboa, spending time in China, Turkey, Japan, Paris, London and other places. Influenced by sufi and buddhist ideas. 'You´re living for nothing now' is a compendium of gestures, a modern mandala, an elegy of the ephemeral in the tradition of Ed van der Elsken, Henry Miller, and Jonas Mekas — making the publication another extraordinary addition to the catalogue of the inspirational folks at Pierre von Kleist. [ Continue reading ]

Another Gin & Tonic

After last night's incredible very first edition of the two weekly 5-course 'Forthnight Dinners' by our dear friends of The Village, which we will elaborate on in the near future, we decided tot end this weekend in style. What better day than this first real crispy winterday to take out the vintage casino glasses acquired at the extraordinary vintage market of Lisbon during a visit in 2013 and create our favorite mix around; Gin & Tonics out of one of the finest gins available; Amsterdam's own V2C. Spiced up with some gunpowder, in this case dried bay leaf, cardamom and some dried juniper berries. There is no better way to end this wonderful weekend. [ Continue reading ]

Rosa et Al

Before we travelled to Porto at the beginning of last May it had been 8 years since we visited the beautiful city on the North-West coast of Portugal. Over the last few years we have visited its big brother - and one of our favorite cities period - Lisbon and the beautiful South of the country several times, but a little over two months ago we decided it was time to revisit the city located along the Douro river estuary and name giver to the most famous Portugese export product: port wine. And what a difference it was from earlier experiences. First of all the city appeared to be much cleaner and felt more fresh, we were able to find better places to eat its incredible cuisine, and compared to last time we were able to find more appealing places to stay. The wonderful Rosa Et Al is one of them, in which we truly enjoyed our stay in beautiful Porto. [ Continue reading ]

Rua Stan Getz by André Cepeda

With a short but wonderful stay in beautiful Portugal coming to an end, we present the latest by one of our favorites from the country: Lisbon-based publisher Pierre von Kleist editions. The relatively small publishing house continues to release incredible additions to their highly focussed catalogue, making the company an inspirational example for the practice of publishing in the contemporary climate - releasing only publications of the highest quality, in limited runs. Their latest release is named ‚Rua Stan Getz’ and features the work of Portugese photographer André Cepeda, who released 'Rien' with the same publisher three years prior to this one. In the year 'Rien' was released, Cepeda spent three intense months in São Paulo, exploring and photographing the city, while reevaluating the very nature of his practice - resulting in this incredible warm series created from an open and sensitive perspective, showing the great talent of the photographer. [ Continue reading ]

Tokyo Diaries

The latest by inspirational Lisbon-based publisher Pierre von Kleist editions brings us back to Japan. After releasing the beautiful 'Japan Drug' by António Júlio Duarte in May now follows another tremendous grainy black and white photographic book by the name of 'Tokyo Diaries'. In 2009 André Príncipe, the co-founder of Pierre von Kleist editions, and filmmaker Marco Martins travelled to Tokyo to shoot a film about elliptical narratives and the importance of the diaristic practice in Japanese photography. During one month and in a totally improvised way, the filmmakers shot hours of 16mm footage and thousands of photographs of their daily life as well as their encounters with photographers such as Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Takuma Nakahira, Hiromix, Kohei Yushiyuki and Kajii Syoin. The film which was the result of this trip: 'Traces of a Diary' was subsequently shown in film festivals around the world and received the jury prize at Documenta Madrid. And now the amazing book which was created out of the 100 rolls of Tri-X 400 film which remained unused  brings the essence of the beautiful trip back to printed still images. We love the character which the images transcend, capturing a dynamic energy within a highly inspirational generation of Japanese photographers perfectly. [ Continue reading ]

Casas na Areia

What started as the creation of a weekend house of architect Manuel Aires Mateus ended as one of the most beautiful retreats we have seen in a long time, named Casas na Areia, located one hour south of Lisbon, in Comporta, Portugal. The beautiful region is known for the magnificent white sandy beaches, the wine, fresh fish, the rice paddies and the pine trees. It's integrated on the natural reserve of river Sado, home to a great variety of wild life such as flamingos, storks and dolphins, but also one of the best places in Portugal for bird watching, with 100 different species to be seen in just 1 day. Next to this, the design of Casas Na Areia is simply mind-blowing, making it the perfect place to forget about everything and find peace of mind. [ Continue reading ]

Analogue Stories by Rita Braz

Rita Braz is a photographer and art director, born and raised in Lisbon, but living and working in Berlin since 2010. She has a self-proclaimed obsession with analogue cameras and black and white films, which she translated into the ongoing online outlet for her work aptly named Analogue Stories. We particularly like her travel stories which take the spectator all over Europe. In the selection Rita made for us we see images from her Balkan tour, a road trip from Berlin to Sarajevo where she would capture the Film Festival. It also features some images from her homeland Portugal which she left, but always carries with her in her heart and finally images from her elaborate trips all over her new home, Germany, exploring the country all the way from the Dutch border to the Polish exit. [ Continue reading ]

Palácio Ramalhete

We truly love the city of Lisbon and during our previous stays, without a doubt, we have found our trusted home away from home, but recently another beautiful option was brought to our attention. Located in one of Lisbon’s most charming neighborhoods; Janelas Verdes, the hotel named Palácio Ramalhete is an amazing example of 18th century Portuguese architecture, where all original features have been preserved to maintain its timeless romantic charm. Because of the caring and thorough renovation, the eye pleasing hotel offers tradition combined with the comfort and modern luxuries to make ones stay as pleasant as possible. [ Continue reading ]

Serrote Sky Chart

We like everything the lovely Portuguese company Serrote produces, from their special notebooks to the crate with a selection of blue and white products they released last year, and with their latest addition to their catalogue they have created yet again another elegant and beautiful product which we love. Last month Nuno Neves and Susana Viela of Serrote presented the truly beautiful Sky Chart. It is an interpretive map of the night sky, where you can find the constellations and major stars visible from the Northern Hemisphere, throughout the year. The star Polaris, in the constellation Ursa Minor, is in the center of the chart. As this star is aligned with the axis of rotation of the earth passing through the poles, it remains motionless in the sky during the night, while the other stars appear to rotate around it. [ Continue reading ]

Japan Drug

We really like the latest by the Lisbon-based publisher Pierre von Kleist editions. The book named 'Japan Drug' by António Júlio Duarte features moody, grainy black and white photographs portraying urban Japan in a very anonymous and isolated fashion. The images were taken 17 years ago when the Portuguese photographer visited Japan all by himself. It was a time, with the insecurities evoked by the new millennium ahead becoming apparent, but above all a period in time in which both economical and technological perspectives seemed endless. Looking back a lot has changed over the years that have past, with sentiments all over the globe becoming more and more sombre. A sombreness which already speaks through the imagery of António Júlio Duarte as if the photographer then already felt that times wouldn't stay the same, and therefore the right time to share his images was right now. [ Continue reading ]

2013 — 2014

2013 was an amazing year! A year with great heights, far travels, and inspiring connections. Trips to Tokyo, New York, Basel and more. Always dipping into the unknown, meeting inspiring people and discovering great stories. Business-wise it was a preparatory year. We’ve worked on the new Dutch stamps which will be launched on the second of January 2014. We’re working on our own watch brand. We’re working on a new bicycle brand, a travel concept, a new shop experience and much, much more that will see daylight in 2014. We’ve strengthened our team with Chris, our premium researcher and chief editor of the blog, and we’ve worked together with the so many amazing people. We hardly can’t wait for the new year and really looking forward to keep it all going. Thank you all for the support and have a great start of the new year!

Our favourites of 2013 > [ Continue reading ]

Crate Serrote

We love the latest additions to the beautiful collection of Lisbon-based Serrote. Expanding their horizon beyond just notebooks, the company introduces Crate Serrote: a wooden crate filled with ten blue and white products  by Portuguese manufactures, especially made for this box. Included in the box, but also available separately, Serrote also introduces a new notebook and a new notepad. The Starry Notebook is a notebook for those who like to watch the movement of the stars and draw lines in the sky. And the Celestial Notepad is a notepad with 144 pages of four different tones, interleaved with each other, which reproduces the colors of the sky. [ Continue reading ]

Two Years of O Editorial

Celebrating two years of existence, O Editorial presents a beautiful new website and a collection of special edition products, in collaboration with some exciting portuguese brands. Pairing timeless design and traditional production techniques, O Editorial products stand out for the quality of materials, attention to detail and functionality. The products in celebration of the two years of existence are a notebook in collaboration with Grafolita, a bag with Ideal & Co and a beautiful stool by Boa Safra. [ Continue reading ]

Another Summer Playlist

After our last mix tape, a Pre-Summer Playlist featuring the sounds of James Blake, David August, The Knife, Grasscut and many more, we've made a new one with some of our favourite releases over the past months.
A Spotify playlist capturing the mood of the season, holding memories of travels to Tokyo, Basel, Bilbao, Lisbon, Antwerp and Amsterdam. It is starting slowly with Lower Dens and Lulu Rouge but quickly getting more electric with Moderat, Jon Hopkins, Jai Paul and Chrome Sparks. To end in a warm and balmy summer evening with Valentin Stip, Low and Baths. Listen and see the full track list after the click. [ Continue reading ]

Under Black Carpets

Under Black Carpets is an incredible project by Ilona Gaynor, a designer with a critical attitude towards society. Gaynor's work is centred around design as plot and with Under Black Carpets she has taken the role of the masterful architect of a major heist. Raising funds through Kickstarter for the final stage of the project, Under Black Carpets already received a lot of media attention and has gone through an initial two years of research in various stages. The first year was supported and funded by the Ridley Scott Associates Residency award. In it's final stage the project takes the fascinating form of a collection of evidence created around a fictional meticulously calculated bank heist of five banks surrounding the One Wilshire skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles. [ Continue reading ]

Tenue de Nîmes in Japan

Last month was a crazy one. We traveled form Amsterdam to Tokyo, to Basel, to Lisbon for both business and pleasure. In the coming days we'll share some of our experiences here. To start with Japan. Together with Menno and Rene - Tenue de Nîmes - we went to Japan to get some serious indigo and retail inspiration. Besides our amazing visit to Takeo Paper, we were invited to visit this indigo paradise of the legendary Bryan Whitehead. [ Continue reading ]

Serrote Soap Notebook

Lisbon-based couple Nuno Neves and Susana Viela of Serrote make limited-edition notebooks for connoisseurs and collectors of typographical gems. Printed on vintage Heidelberg presses, their graphic design is inspired by items from popular Portuguese culture such as tablecloths found at traditional luncheonettes and the shape of traditional biscuits. They also make special editions of notebooks experimenting with designs and materials, using their craft to the fullest.  [ Continue reading ]

Mini Details

For me, traveling means collecting stories, sounds, fragrances and images. Not in the big statements--the overwhelming music or megalomanic architecture--but in details. I'm attracted to the details: the small stories behind one image, the sound of a city awakening, that tiny shop around the corner and the subtle smell of flowers along the way. It is those details that make my travels so inspiring and addicting.  [ Continue reading ]

Curated

The first Curated gift I made was send out this week. A first gift, dedicated to my love to travel. The love for the unknown, of putting everything together you can't mis and hit the road. Whether it's from Utrecht to Amsterdam or Amsterdam to London, Los Angeles or Lisbon.
The only thing with traveling is that it doesn't go really well with my need for structure. In a bag, or a suitcase, things move around, because you have to open up your luggage at the customs, or need that one particular item at the bottom of your suitcase and everything will move upside-down. I needed something to solve this problem. Something special. [ Continue reading ]