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Undercover

Rizzoli presents the first comprehensive book on the work of Japanese designer Jun Takahashi of UNDERCOVER

Next month, on the 12th of July, American publisher Rizzoli will add another fashion orientated publication to its excellent catalogue with the release of the very first comprehensive book on the work of Japanese avant-garde punk designer Jun Takahashi of UNDERCOVER — which we discovered through our good friend Samuel de Goede (make sure to subscribe to his weekly newsletter for more tips like this!). Takahashi —together with two Japanese designers who were also granted Rizzoli publications on their work: NIGO of A Bathing Ape and Hiroshi Fujiwara of Fragment Design and the recent (temporary) cutting-edge retail concepts The Pool Aoyama (now closed) and THE PARK - ING (opened since April)— is an icon of Harajuku streetwear and the presumptive heir to the heavy mantle of Japanese deconstruction (officially crowned by Rei Kawakubo herself). Although all three have (and still do) played an integral rol in this second wave of worldwide influential Japanese fashion design succeeding the designers of the Eighties, it is arguable that Takahashi has left the biggest or most resonating mark on 'the culture', especially from the moment some years ago when he started his still ongoing collaboration with Nike for the GYAKUSOU line, which stayed very close to his creative vision, but introduced his designs to a much larger audience than his own labels.

From the very beginning of his rise, the fashion of Takahashi is not born out of an excessively intellectualized agenda. While not quite populist, his generative influences are instead romantic —sometimes even gothic. A fixture of the Paris collections for more than ten years—plus seventeen uninterrupted seasons in Tokyo prior to that—Takahashi’s life’s work confirms a maturation from self-conscious artifice and rebel pastiche to a steely, withering elegance all his own. Hailing from Gunma Prefecture like his friend NIGO, Takahashi’s long association with the undisputed king of Ura-Harajuku in the early 1990s is now the stuff of local fashion lore. But Takahashi would blaze an entirely different path to legend and notoriety. The violent rending and hasty reassembly that characterized his early work, its calculated imperfections and sutured seams, have given way to collections that he himself now calls "sexy and feminine."

Seeing the deeply emotional vision of the designer, stretching over 27 years, collected in the elegantly designed book, makes one realize how profound and influential the vision of Takahashi was and still is, which makes this book by Rizzoli a must have. Make sure to get it (pre-0rdered) soon, as it will sell out in no time once its released.. [ Continue reading ]

Surfing. 1778 — 2015.

Last month this remarkable book was released by German publisher Taschen. Initiated, researched and written by Jim Heiman, executive editor of TASCHEN America, the hefty book is the most comprehensive visual history of surfing to date, marking a major cultural event as much as a publication. Following three and a half years of meticulous research, it brings together more than 900 images to chart the evolution of surfing as a sport, a lifestyle, and a philosophy. The book is arranged into five chronological chapters, tracing surfing culture from the first recorded European contact in 1778 by Captain James Cook to the global and multi-platform phenomenon of today. Utilizing institutions, collections, and photographic archives from around the world, and with accompanying essays by the world’s top surf journalists, it celebrates the sport on and off the water, as a community of 20 million practitioners and countless more devotees, and as a leading influence on fashion, film, art, and music. Such an incredible, well designed insightful gem! [ Continue reading ]

OVERGROWTH

We recently became familiar with an interesting new project which combines a love for both photography and flowers remarkably. Given the name OVERGROWTH, Portland-based photographer Parker Fitzgerald and floral designer Riley Messina present a new limited edition art publication conceived and produced from their hometown in the United States. Created over the course of two years, the book is comprised of nearly 120 original images that elegantly blur the lines between humans and nature. Photographed primarily in Portland between March 2013 and February 2015, the book features a large cast of friends posed with Messina's striking floral arrangements. Shot entirely on Kodak film by Fitzgerald, and styled by Messina, the images have a soft, painting-like quality that gives the project a timeless aesthetic. In the elegantly composed still lifes and real-life collages (reminding of the extraordinary work of Rocío Montoya), the two artists juxtapose and merge the lines of the flowers with the human body remarkably in different contexts, always succeeding to engage us as the spectator.  [ Continue reading ]

Ex-formation

There are very few people who have inspired us more than Japanese master Kenya Hara. After his never-ending source for inspiration 'Designing Design' and 'White', the visionary force behind MUJI has returned with another insightful gem named 'Ex-formation', which was released today - brought to our attention in the latest Currently of our good friend Samuel de Goede. The concept of exformation, to which a chapter was already devoted in 'Designing Design', continues to preoccupy the Japanese designer. In contrast to 'information,' 'exformation' describes how little we really know and thus becomes the starting point for any type of design. Based on a range of projects stemming from Kenya Hara’s teaching at the Musashino Art University, the book describes what 'exformation' can look like in design practice and how this concept alters our classic understanding of information design. Following the path embarked on with his first two books, 'Ex-formation' continues to explore the void, absence, and indeterminacy in contemporary design through the vision of one of the undisputed icons of modern design. [ Continue reading ]

The Art of Impossible

We have been following English photographer Alastair Philip Wiper for several years in which he consistently has portrayed some of the most beautiful industrial environments in the most beautiful manner. His eye always finds fascinating beauty in the at first glance practical machinery, whether it are weaving machines, the nuclear research centre CERN or a sonic weapon. Alastair's latest book is another remarkable collection of images, taking us into the world of Danish innovators Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, who founded Bang & Olufsen in 1925. Named 'The Art of Impossible' it features 240 pages - for which Wiper both shot the images and has written the texts - taking the reader behind the company's iconic logo. Delving into the stories behind each of the breakthrough, historic Bang & Olufsen designs, as well as profiles on the designers behind each innovative creation - the remarkable book forms a both insightful as incredibly eye pleasing book on the cutting edge design house. [ Continue reading ]

Selections From A Survey – Khrystyna’s World

Although we weren't overwhelmed by what was on display at the last Unseen, there were still works which impressed us in the best possible way. We loved finally seeing the 'Tokyo Parrots' in printed form, as discovering the larger-than-life 'Facades' images by Markus Brunetti, but most impressive was probably seeing the work of celebrated American photographer Todd Hido in person. For the first time in the Netherlands a solo exhibition of his work opened on the 12th of September at Alex Daniëls Reflex Amsterdam, who in turn showed a new group of works unique from the show named 'Selections From A Survey - Khrystyna's World' at Unseen.  [ Continue reading ]

The Lonely Ones

Motivated by our visit to Unseen last weekend, we are ready to share a new truly extraordinary photography book (not seen at Unseen) which will be released officially at the end of next October. Inspired by the late-great cartoonist William Steig and his classic children's book; 'The Lonely Ones' - consisting of ligne claire drawings with smart captions by the author - photographer Gus Powell created his own 'The Lonely Ones' published by J&L Books: a series of remarkably beautiful color photographs of interiors and landscapes, inhabited by people, animals and inanimate characters. Every photograph is paired with a suggestive text by Powell - each of the 40 color photographs in the book hidden by a gate fold, on which is printed the single phrase. Every photograph is revealed individually behind its gate fold, resulting in one of the most elegant and living photography books which will be released in this year. [ Continue reading ]

Brand Guide: Singapore Edition

This week we were introduced to a beautiful new printed project from Singapore conceived by think-tank and studio Foreign Policy Design Group. The super diverse 'Brand Guide: Singapore Edition' rounds up the iconic homegrown brands that attest to the current golden age of design in Singapore. It goes in-depth, featuring the brains behind some of Singapore’s most well-known and well-loved brands, such as Unlisted Collection:, The Lo & Behold Group, Papa Palheta, Ong Shunmugam, GOODSTUPH, DrGL, Supermama, BooksActually, Plain Vanilla and a favorite of ours: Wanderlust Hotel. Doubling as an alternative travel guide for the modern design traveller, 'Brand Guide: Singapore Edition' hopes to share their appreciation for local brands and to inspire that in their readers. The elegant designed work balances visuals and storytelling, making the publication a rich experience giving wonderful insight into the creative culture of Singapore. [ Continue reading ]

California Surfing and Climbing in the Fifties

Although we have taken many beautiful things (and memories) with us from San Francisco when we visited two weeks ago, one of our favorite things we discovered is the extraordinary book 'California Surfing and Climbing in the Fifties'. Combining both color and black and white imagery gathered from a variety of photographers and private collections, the publication by the expert when it comes to the subject; T. Adler, paints a undeniably appealing picture of an exciting era full of experiment and evolution. Aside from the wide selection of archival photographs, the book features short passages written by Yvon Chouinard, Steve Pezman and Steve Roper, which give personal accounts of what was happening at the time and help to bring the images to life. Each photo is also extensively captioned, noting the individuals involved and their influence on these sports throughout the Fifties and beyond. This information adds an interesting layer of depth and personality to the publication, which ultimately serves as an evocative look back at a golden age, and the growth of two archetypical Californian countercultures. We love this elegant and insightful gem! [ Continue reading ]

Bountiful by Noah Emrich

We are big fans of Chris Black's New York City-based Done to Death Projects, which has been releasing inspirational printed titles over the course of the last few years. Among the publications one finds the work of another one of our favorites; photographer Mikael Kennedy, next to the recent title which we really like by Chris Black himself: 'I Know You Think You Know It All: Advice and Observations For You to Stand Apart in Public and Online' and now Done to Death Projects presents 'Bountiful', a new book from the very talented young photographer Noah Emrich. During the summer of 2013, Emrich embarked on a 12.000 mile trip around the United States, with the goal to capture post-recession America, searching for the remainders of the once glorious American Dream. The result is a haunting series putting the finger on the sore spot of a proud and powerful country reluctantly having to find a new identity to match its current state of being.  [ Continue reading ]

Wim Wenders: Written in the West, Revisited

In 1983, looking for the locations that would bring the desolate landscape of the American West to life in his iconic film 'Paris, Texas', German master filmmaker Wim Wenders took his Makina Planbel camera on the road. Driving through Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, Wenders was captivated by the unique, saturated, colorful light of the wild landscape of the American West - even now, a land associated with cowboys and outlaws, and suffused with the mythology of the frontier. The series he produced, 'Written in the West', was first exhibited in 1986 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and first published in 2000. At the end of July, Wenders will add 15 new images of the sleepy town that gave the movie its name - though no footage was ever actually shot there. Made with a Fuji 6 x 4.5 camera, the new photographs are poetic documents of an abiding fascination and a search for personal memories. Together, they add an new chapter to Wenders' classic 'Written in the West', now Revisited. [ Continue reading ]

Ways of Knowing

The incredible 'Ways of Knowing' by photographer Daniel Stier is the product of a curious outsider's view into the world of science, which has resulted in a series, shot over several years, revealing a strangely fascinating yet highly aesthetic world. The self-initiated project by Stier shows research laboratories across Europe and the United States as well as still lifes of scientific tools taken in photographer's studio. The combination draws parallels between the work of artists and scientists. Both often-times searching to find answers to what move us by examining life - with their own specific tools. The blank expressions of the doctors and students demonstrating the machinery are haunting, almost surrealistic, as they sit seemingly indifferent inside or surrounded by intricate wires and metal constructions. Stier's sharp photographic eye - which reminds us of the work of another lover of heavy machinery; Alastair Philip Wiper - catches the details surrounding these enormous machines perfectly, creating frames which tell rich stories starting in the past and taking the spectator all the way into the future. [ Continue reading ]

The New Bohemians

In 'The New Bohemians', the Los Angeles-based designer Justina Blakeney defines the New Bohemians as creative individuals who are boutique owners and bloggers, entrepreneurs and ex-pats, artists and urban farmers. They embrace free-spirited, no-rules lifestyles and apply that attitude to all areas of their existence, including their homes. With little distinction between work and play, the new boho home often includes an office, art gallery, showroom, photography studio, restaurant, or even a pop-up shop. 'The New Bohemians' explores 20 homes located primarily on the East and West coasts. Exclusive interviews with the owners, 12 DIY projects created by Blakeney and inspired by objects found in the homes, and a "Plant-O-Pedia" offer insight into achieving this aesthetic. In addition, each home is accompanied by an Adopt-an-Idea section that offers general decor, styling, and shopping tips for easy duplication in your own home. [ Continue reading ]

Print Matters

Graphics is not restricted to 2D surface anymore in today’s print. While traditional manual techniques like screen printing and letterpress still captivate designers with its handmade characteristics and color choices, new technology encourages them to deliver more visual impact by being inventive with conventional materials. The result is a spectrum of interactive prints and playful life like depictions, which tickle viewers’ fancy. In an attempt to examine the cutting edge of printmaking, 'Print Matters' by inspirational Hong Kong-based publisher viction:ary brings together an amalgam of print designs that have gone beyond pure digital printing. Through more than 110 samples of recent graphic identities, packaging, communications and book designs, this book offers a professional look into the use of varnish, foil-stamping, die-cut, thermal prints, technical folds, and many more, with design specifications. We love this inspirational overview of cutting edge work. [ Continue reading ]

CITIx60 Los Angeles, Amsterdam & Hong Kong

Last November we wrote about the beautiful Art Print Project, which was presented to celebrate the first CITIx60 travel guides by inspirational Hong Kong-based publisher viction:ary and mentioned more guides coming up. Some months later the first new additions are here, with Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Amsterdam being added to the growing catalogue of guides. We were honored to be one of the people to share a favorite for the Amsterdam guide, next to the fact that Tenue de Nîmes has also been mentioned by 100% Halal filmproducer Gijs Determeijer. The aim viction:ary has with their CITIx60 guides is to present a list of handpicked hotspots that illustrate the spirit of the world’s most interesting design hubs. Built on a unique collaboration with local talents all known for their accomplishments from film making, food, advertising to design, the pocket-sized guides are packed with artistic twists and practical info essential for a satisfying trip - presented in playfully designed and illustrated guides. [ 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 ]

Peter Schlesinger Sculpture

Today Acne Studios has launched another incredible project. After 'Snowdown Blue' in 2012 they now present 'Peter Schlesinger Sculpture', a monograph about the work of renowned artist Peter Schlesinger, accompanied by a capsule collection of silk pyjamas that has evolved directly from the work. Through his numerous collaborations with Acne Paper, a friendship has grown between Schlesinger and Acne Studios Creative Director Jonny Johansson and together they developed the idea of doing a book, with photographs by Eric Boman, Schlesinger’s partner of 40 years. The limited edition book contains a pictorial history of more than 150 of Schlesinger’s work, dating from the late 1980s to present day. It is lavishly produced in Sweden on Japanese paper and bound in rustic cloth. Alongside the book, an exclusive collection of pyjamas, a favorite garment of Schlesinger’s, has been designed by Jonny Johansson based on prints drawn by the artist. The collection is produced in the finest silk printed in colours inspired by his ceramic glazes. [ Continue reading ]

Study of Pose

'Study of Pose' is a super impressive and groundbreaking, in-depth exploration of the movement and flexibility of the human body, featuring 1000 stunning black-and-white photographs that showcase the unique collaboration between international supermodel Coco Rocha, The Queen of Pose, and world-renowned photographer Steven Sebring. Supermodel Coco Rocha’s uncanny ability to strike distinctive, camera-ready poses at an astounding speed has earned her international fame throughout the fashion industry - and made her the muse of celebrated photographer Steven Sebring - who launched a self-developed technology of 360 photography in 2013. The concept behind 'Study of Pose' was conceived by Sebring in the nineties, but the lack of a supermodel versatile enough to be his partner kept him from bringing it to fruition, which changed when Sebring met Rocha. In 'Study of Pose', the two specialists in their own field have documented unique poses - theatrical, vibrant, elegant, dramatic, and unlike anything the fashion or art worlds have seen before. [ Continue reading ]

Shooting Space

In the Summer of last year Phaidon released this highly inspirational handbook of contemporary architecture in photography named 'Shooting Spaces', still an important source for inspiration for us. The elegant book is a visual survey of contemporary artists’ photography of architecture, featuring the work of brother Iwan Baan, next to names like Christoph Morlinghaus, Andreas Gursky, Wolfgang Tillmans, Catherine Opie, Thomas Ruff, Hiroshi Sugimoto, amongst others. Since the invention of photography, architecture has proved a worthy subject for photographers. Shooting Space: Architecture in Contemporary Photography showcases the relationship between the two practices. The book presents a broad spectrum of work from a diverse roster of renowned and emerging artists: Annie Leibovitz captures the construction of Renzo Piano’s New York Times building; James Welling revisits Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House; Walter Niedermayr shifts perspectives on SANAA’s sculptural designs. [ Continue reading ]

The History of the Colette Gallery

Two days ago the first collaborative effort between Christian M. Andersen's Creative Future and the iconic Parisian concept store colette was launched for pre-order. Compiled as a close collaboration between de two parties involved, the elegant book which was created examines not only colette’s affiliation with art and design, but also the artistic processes, approaches and ideas of the many artists that have worked and exhibited with colette since 1997. The project took more than one-and-a-half years to develop and features a long list of notable artists including KAWS, André Saraiva, José Parlá, Kevin Lyons, Erik Parker, Curtis Kulig, Michael Dupouy, Pedro Winter and Julia Chiang. In addition, the cover artwork of the book is created by the Brooklyn-based artists, KAWS. [ Continue reading ]

Strange Plants II

Last year we were very impressed by the beautiful debut publication of independent publishing house Zioxla named 'Strange Plants', which will have a just as impressive follow up at the beginning of next month. The new book features the work of 30 artists, 5 more then than the first edition, and explores what these artists think about plants and how they portray them in their work. The very talented editor of the book, Zio Baritaux, brought together a new selection of artists, including names like Allison Schulnik, Misha Hollenbach, Francesca DiMattio, Zin Taylor, Katarina Janeckova, Stills & Strokes and Ren Hang. Schulnik, for example, used her own garden as a character in one of her short films; Stills & Strokes projected colors and geometric shapes onto the leaves of plants in botanical gardens; and DiMattio filled the sculptures in her exhibition with dramatic and unruly flowers. Each artist’s work is accompanied by an insightful article or interview that delves deeper into the relationships between plants and people, resulting in another inspirational book. [ Continue reading ]

Dutch Design Talents 14

Yesterday marked a highly significant milestone in the 9 year history of our close friends online magazine Fontanel, after the release party on Friday evening at Mendo they officially released their very first printed publication: the definitive showcase of the best design talents who graduated in the Netherlands named 'Dutch Design Talents 14'. The 208-page hardcover book features 19 talents, agency visits, sharp columns and an inspirational dialogue with leading creatives on "the gap" between education and work. This first introduction to an international audience was elegantly designed by Rob van den Nieuwenhuizen (drawswords) and mainly resolves around the 19 talents graduated from renowned Dutch art schools like Eindhoven’s Design Academy, Amsterdam’s Rietveld and The Hague’s Royal Academy of the Arts, after which subsequently a narrative on the overal climate of the current dutch creative culture was formed. Each of the talents is remarkably distinct, one of them is for instance Bob Schiller, who created the EPO Bicycle which we wrote about last year. But despite all the differences in what they created and why, they all share something special in the eyes of Fontanel Chief-editor Willem van Roosmalen: "the combination of a promising attitude and unspoilt creative thinking." [ Continue reading ]

Grand & Johnson Store

Last September the design studio of Jeroom Jansen and Bertel Grote; Grand & Johnson, celebrated the opening of their beautiful studio and a brand new accompanying store in the Amsterdam West-based new creative area named De Hallen. The area, a former tram depot, has been transformed into what is in the process of becoming the creative centre of that area of Amsterdam, housing a mix of cultural, culinary and creative initiatives like Filmhallen, Hallenstudio, House Of Denim and Foodcourt. Next to a great selection of Mendo books, the store offers Grand & Johnson's own designs, next to custom-made baths, cupboards and dressers. A beautiful selection of special and unique items which were hardly available in The Netherlands before, selected from around the world from places like Japan, Canada and Denmark. [ Continue reading ]

Down the long driveway, you’ll see it

And we are back in the new year, in which we will start a lot of new exciting projects and share more beautiful stories both under the Another Something & Co. flag as within Our Current Obsessions: stay with us to be a part of another amazing year. Today we go back to 2014 one last time, and shine light on the incredible book 'Down the long driveway, you'll see it,' which was released at the end of last year by writer Matthew Arnold and photographer Mary Gaudin. In the book a tremendous collection of photographs is gracefully presented, showcasing some of the most beautiful modernist homes in New Zealand, ranging from being built in 1950 until 1974. The somewhat ambiguous title of the book derives from a phrase in an email from one of the owners of the houses, Bruce Martin, giving directions to his home at the rural Māori settlement and surrounding area in Hawke's Bay, named Bridge Pā. When Matthew and Mary arrived at the lovely house, they found a lifetime’s of pottery in it, made by both Bruce and his wife Estelle, together with gifts from potter friends. As this exquisite mix of craftsmanship and design turned out to be reminiscent for all the one-of-a-kind homes shown in the book, the quote became a symbol for this extraordinary project. [ Continue reading ]