![[CARTOON] Earth Hour Conundrum. cartoon, EnviroNazi, environment, cars, pollution](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4cJwVGIQW12k2JZ6Ss3ofPSZ8jHrL5_QTjJLyPymW31lop5ZpHZ5eHDXVu1OD7u4SqFn0CKFvHs4TGtT8pMYKR2ummMogleudXX2cof8h3s3lMh21ugTbxQ7N_IZHQIRlh1mLuwXUGG-/s1600/toon1089+earth+hour.jpg "[CARTOON] Earth Hour Conundrum. cartoon, EnviroNazi, environment, cars, pollution")
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
[CARTOON] Earth Hour Conundrum
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Maria Sharapova heading to the semi-finals at Sony Ericsson Open 2011
Maria Sharapova hitting hard to return the ball. (Getty)
Victoria Azarenka jumping on the spot after winning former World No. 1 and Current World No. 2 Kim Clijsters. (Getty)
Maria Sharapova the former World No. 1 is finally heading back into the top 10. Despite committing back serves and faults, she managed to win the spot at the semi-finals after a long game of over three overs with Alexandra Dulgheru. It was a matter of who can keep the mind strong at the game after so many hours and Maria Sharapova showed that she could. It was an act of a champion.
The other semi-finalist Victoria Azarenka won Kim Clijsters, another former World No.1, a comeback champion who has recently won major tournaments open and rise to World No. 1 for a while and back to World No. 2. Victoria Azarenka herself is a champion before especially for Sony Ericsson Open where she won at 2009.
As the game becomes even more intense, all players are geared up to play to their best. Especially for Maria Sharapova, it is a good shot for her to come back to the top spot again.
New Nyssa Collection From Villa Nova
Since Spring has officially arrived I am enjoying looking at all things pretty and reminiscent of this lovely season. Therefore I wanted to share with you the new Nyssa collection from Villa Nova. Pretty Scandinavian design prints on simple cotton have a great retro vibe to them. They are so sweet, relaxing and have such fresh colours, perfect for adding some Spring zest in to your homes :) The collection is out in April so here are some pretty images to gaze at in the mean time.
Cubism DIY With Ikea Prant
As mentioned before I am loving Ikea's new blog Livet Hemma, where they style their products in interesting ways to make us see that Ikea products can be really cool. Well the latest images of the the PRÄNT box shelving systems, are bang on trend as you can play around to build an irregular shelving system. I love how they painted the insides with soft pastel colours, so easy to do and so effective. DIY Ikea here I come ;)
Images Livet Hemma
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Poise From Superfresco Easy
I am loving the the new Poise Collection wallpapers from Superfresco Easy, they are bang on trend with their bold, fun coloured patterns. Created by Graham & Brown’s in-house design team, you couldn't expect any less from them. I love their vast variety of patterns from cool retro prints to organic styles. What's great is they come in many different colourways, so there is something for everyone ;)
So which one is your favourite? I do really like them all but if I had to choose I would probably pick the first one on the left (Nottingham). It could also be the styling shot that wins me over, that floating chair is divine.
Eileen Gray Screen sells for €1.3m
PARAVENT 'BRIQUES', c. 1923-1925
I have long championed the Irish Designer Eileen Gray who greatly influenced 20th Century Design and Architecture at the creative nexus of the Modern Movement. Her iconic seaside villa E-1027 at Roquebrune Cap Martin obsessed the architect Le Corbusier who died of a heart attack swimming in the sea within sight of it. The furniture and fittings she designed for E-1027, an apartment on the Rue Lota in Paris and her own apartment on Rue Bonaparte are classics of 20th Century Design. Her contribution was largely unsung before her death in 1976 but now art connoisseurs are paying huge sums for original examples of her work. Last year a small armchair designed by her achieved the highest prices ever for a piece of 20th Century furniture and yesterday at Christie’s in Paris other pieces achieved truly remarkable prices.
Eileen Gray 1879 - 1976
Eileen Gray is regarded as one of the most important furniture designers and architects of the early 20th century and the most influential woman in those fields. Her work inspired both modernism and Art Deco. Her design style was as distinctive as her way of working, and Gray developed an opulent, luxuriant take on the geometric forms and industrially produced materials used by the International Style designers, such as Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand and Mies Van Der Rohe, who shared many of her ideals. Her voluptuous leather and tubular steel Bibendum Chair, and clinically chic E-1027 glass and tubular steel table are now as familiar as icons of the International Style as Le Corbusier and Perriands classic Grand Confort club chairs, yet for most of her career she was relegated to obscurity by the same proud singularity that makes her work so prized today. From her early lacquer work to design classics like the Bibendum chair and her architectural masterpiece, E-1027, Eileen Gray's work was as individual as it was exciting.
FAUTEUIL 'TRANSAT', c. 1926-1930
Eileen Gray was an extraordinary character, single-minded and individualistic, who managed to capture and express in her own way the prevailing spirit of the age in design through the first decades of the 20th century. She was celebrated in February 2009 during the auction of the Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Bergé collections at the Grand Palais when her remarkable ‘Serpents’ chair, circa 1917-1919, originally from the collections of fashionable milliner Suzanne Talbot and the quintessence of her work in lacquer, achieved the record sum of €21 million.
Fauteuil aux Serpents
Table d'appoint pour E-1027
Eileen Gray arrived in Paris in 1902, studying at the Académie Colorassi and the Académie Julian before exploring the medium of lacquer after her curiosity was sparked by a visit to a small atelier in Soho. She met Japanese artist Seizo Sugarawa with whom she would work for a number of years. An enigmatic personality, as private as she was determined, she chose in the early 1920s to move away from the highly refined lacquer work of her early days, in order to focus on more functionalist designs in metal, glass and painted wood, inspired at first by the Modernist ideas of the Dutch De Stjil movement.
Eileen Gray in her rue de Bonaparte apartment with the Brick Screen in 1970
Her creativity and vision found expression in new forms, such as the ‘Brick’ screen – developed from the panels she used in the hallway of the apartment of Suzanne Talbot on Rue de Lota, circa 1922. The black-lacquered screen presented here was part of her personal furnishing and featured in her apartment on Rue Bonaparte. Other examples of her work include the floor light, the black and yellow base of which resembles a piece of Constructivist architecture, again made for her own use, or the ‘Transat’ armchair, circa 1925, in black lacquer with seat made from coated canvas, formerly the property of her friend and collaborator architect Jean Badovici, founder of the avant-garde magazine L’Architecture Vivante, 1923.
‘Aéroplane’ ceiling light
Her unique inspiration can be seen in her ‘Aéroplane’ ceiling light, circa 1925-28, constructed like an abstract sculpture from metal elements and two sheets of glass, one white, one blue. This specific example had belonged to Miss Gray. Another was commissioned by the eminent connoisseur and patron of Modernism, the Maharaja of Indore.
The Gourdon Collection of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and modernist design is being sold by Christie’s International at the Palais de Tokyo on March 29-31, 2011. The 500 works are owned by French collector Laurent Negro, who has been buying 20th-century design since the 1990s. Her 1920s black lacquer “Brick” screen sold at auction last night. The black lacquered screen panel, part of the late Co Wexford designer's personal furniture at her Paris apartment, was one of the first pieces to go under the hammer last night and sold for €1.3m at Christie's in Paris. The 1923-1925 'Brick' screen was among 15 Gray pieces that are expected to fetch up to €6m by the end of the auction tomorrow. An Bibendum Armchair - with a tubular chrome base and puffy seats - that is seen as a classic example of her radical foray into modernism - sold for €709,000, while a circa 1926-1929 standing table fetched €241,000.
Her works were included in the prestigious Gourdon Collection which went under the hammer at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris yesterday. The collection is regarded as one of the most important private collections of early 20th Century modern art. Eileen Gray was born in Brownswood, near Enniscorthy, Co Wexford in 1879, and died in Paris aged 99. The furniture from her Paris apartment now forms the centrepiece of the Eileen Gray exhibition at the National Museum, Collins Barracks in Dublin. It is good that this most famous Irish designer’s great talent is recognised in her own country and in the extraordinary prices her works achieve in the salerooms.
Maison en bord de mer E.1027 - Roquebrune Cap Martin
For more on E-1027, the iconic Moderne house designed by Eileen Gray at Roquebrune Cap Martin see;
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/e-1027-roquebrune-cap-martin.html
For the story of Eileen Gray’s armchair, Fauteuil aux Serpents, which achieved the highest price ever for a piece of 20th Century furniture see;
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/02/eileen-grays-armchair.html
FAUTEUIL 'BIBENDUM', c. 1926-1929
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Happy Birthday Dear Albert!
Happy Birthday Dear Albert! Today 140 years ago in 1871 on the 29th March the Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen Victoria, with the intention of hosting arts-and-sciences exhibitions, and its beautiful architecture has since led to it receiving the honour of being a Grade I listed building, a fitting tribute to one of London’s most iconic landmarks. It was so named after Victoria’s beloved ex-husband, Prince Albert.
A golden Prince Albert sitting in his memorial looking at the Royal Albert Hall
Located on the border between the City of Westminster and Kensington, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the world’s most illustrious concert venues, making the RAH one of the essential London attractions with music fans of all genres. The Royal Albert Hall is probably most famous for hosting The Proms each summer (which culminates in the famous televised ‘Last Night’) but also hosts a wide variety of other events, ranging from rock concerts by 1960s counter-culture legends likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash through to The Masters Tennis.
For Londoner’s and visitors it has since become a well loved venue nor more so than at the annual “Proms” or Promenade Concerts to give them the full title. Designed to make classical music accessible to all so called because they are a series of Classical Music Concerts where Promenaders, people who walk in, can get unreserved tickets on the night. The other unique feature of The Proms is the promenaders stand in the floor of the hall and their enthusiasm and eccentricity lends a very definite flavour to the proceedings.
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/proms-in-park-2007.html
But back to Albert’s Birthday, in the spirit of Victorian exhibitionism engendered by the Great Exhibition the story of its birth is told for all to see on the outside of the building. Surmounting the exterior walls and above the ballustraded smoking gallery, runs a continuous 800 foot long terracotta frieze composed of allegorical groups of figures engaged in a range of artistic endeavours, crafts, scientific and other cultural pursuits. Above the frieze in one foot high terracotta runs the following text which neatly encompasses the evangelical fervour of Victorian England:
“This Hall was erected for the advancement of the Arts and Sciences and works of industry of all nations in fulfilment of the intention of Albert Prince Consort. The site was purchased with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition of the year MDCCCLI. The first stone of the Hall was laid by Her Majesty Queen Victoria on the 20th day of May MDCCCLXVII and was opened by Her Majesty the 29th day of March in the year MDCCCLXXI. Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine. The wise and their works are in the hand of God. Glory be to God on high and on earth peace.”
The Frieze
A great Central Hall, dedicated to the promotion of Art and Science, was a key part of Prince Albert’s vision for the South Kensington estate, which was to be developed on land purchased with the profits of the Great Exhibition of 1851. From the outset the Hall was intended to be a versatile building used not only concerts but for exhibitions of art and of manufactured goods, and for scientific conferences and demonstrations. Its purpose was to enable the population at large to engage with the work of the surrounding museums and educational institutions.
The Crystal Palace, home of the Great Exhibition in 1851 held in Hyde Park in front of the site of the Albert Hall and Albert Memorial
This area was dubbed by the Victorian press as Albertropolis' a name coined in the 1850s and resurrected in recent years for the 87-acre site south of Hyde Park, purchased by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 with profits from the Great Exhibition. Exhibition Road - whose route the subway from South Kensington Underground Station follows - forms the spine of “Albertropolis”. The nickname satirised the vision of Prince Albert, the Commission's President, of the area as a centre for education, science and art - an ambition largely realised within a few decades of the Prince's death. There was a great deal of historical revisionism for the truth is Prince Albert was not actually popular during his lifetime. Government and The Court saw him as arrogant, self serving and pushy and the public saw him as German. He was also something of a conspious consumer, building (and largely designing) extravagant homes at Osborne, Isle of Wight and Balmoral, Scotland whilst ensuring the Royal Family enjoyed tax free status. The Cult of Great Albert came about due to a combination of national guilt after his death and Disraeli’s efforts to flatter Victoria and coax the “Widow of Windsor” back to her duties. Few of us today could take a 25 year paid leave of absence to cope with bereavement!
Albert Hall - acoustic "mushrooms" on the ceiling
Plans for the Hall fell into abeyance with Albert’s premature death (1861) and the construction of what was to called the Royal Albert Hall in his memory was due to the determination of Henry Cole, one of Albert’s collaborators in the Great Exhibition and who was later to serve as the first director of the South Kensington museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). The design and robust structure of the Hall were inspired by Coles’ visits to the ruined Roman Amphitheatres in the South of France and to his determination that the building should be placed in the hands of Royal Engineers as he distrusted architects. Detailed design of the building was started by Captain Francis Fowke and completed, following Fowke’s death, by another engineer Lieutenant Colonel (subsequently General) Henry Darracott Scott.
The original intention that the Hall should accommodate 30,000 was, for financial and practical reasons, reduced to approximately 7,000. Modern Today’s fire regulations have reduced that figure to around 5,500. Much of the money originally intended for the construction was diverted to the building of the Albert Memorial and work on the Great Hall was further delayed while Cole raised the necessary money by selling “permanent” seats in the Hall for £100 each.
The opening 29th March 1871
Today visitors can complete the Royal Albert Hall tour, giving them a behind-the-scenes view of this famous venue. Whilst waiting for the RAH to open visitor can enjoy the many delights of neighbouring Kensington Gardens (including its imperious Albert Memorial) or one of the three free glorious nearby museums: The Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
For more about Albertropolis and Kensington see;
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/01/great-circle-line-journey.html
The first Proms concert took place on 10 August 1895 and was the brainchild of the impresario Robert Newman, manager of the newly built Queen's Hall in London so this year is the 112th year of these highly democratic and entertaining concerts, over 100 in total in a two month season attracting some 275,000 in the audience and many more with television and radio broadcasts by the BBC of all the concerts. While Newman had previously organised symphony orchestra concerts at the hall, his aim was to reach a wider audience by offering more popular programmes, adopting a less formal promenade arrangement, and keeping ticket prices low.
To lead the event he approached a conductor whose name has become synonymous with the Proms, Henry Wood. Born in 1869, Henry Wood had undergone a thorough musical training and, from his teens, began to make a name for himself as an organist, accompanist, vocal coach and conductor of choirs, orchestras and amateur opera companies. It is Henry Wood’s inspiration which has defined the informality and eccentricity of the proceedings and lest we forget it his wooden bust decorated with a garland of honour presides over every Proms Concert in the Royal Albert Hall.
As for myself and Londoners the Albert Hall is more than a venue for it is a repository of memories. So much so that they unconsciously refer to “our Albert Hall.” Not too inaccurate either as it is still owned and controlled by the public trust set up with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace. Any performance in the somewhat unique setting of the Albert Hall is imbued with a sense of occasion of this unique and atmospheric building. For me there are the memories of unique Prom concerts, Opera’s “in the round” such as Madame Butterfly where the stage was flooded for the grand finale not to mention some great concerts such as Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. But my favourite evening was a benefit in 1994 for the founder of the Cambridge Folk Festival which featured Tanita Tikaram and Loudon Wainwright among others. The last act was the Irish singer Christy Moore and this was the year Ireland under Jackie Charlton qualified for the World Cup but England didn’t. Christy came out on stage and announced how glad he was not to be in Ireland. He said everybody there was a nervous wreck and all anybody was talking about was football this, football that. England by contrast was far more relaxing, he opined, all he had to listen to were genteel conversations about Tennis at Wimbledon!
That is how most people in London will reference Albert and his Hall - Great nights, great performance, great musicians and great memories. After a discrete series of rolling refurbishments the Old Boy is looking good with facilities and access fit for the next 140 years. So well done Albert, you have seen off so many youthful upstarts in London since but nobody has your sense of place in the affections of the public, your presence and, dare I say it, your sense of majesty. If only the rest of us were looking so good and feeling so loved after 140 years! So all together now, Happy Birthday Dear Albert, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Albert Hall!
Renée Fleming, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek.
David Collins MahaNakhon
For those that know me there is no hiding that I am a huge David Collins fan and so when I saw images of the Sales Apartment in MahaNakhon, Bangkok, I was in heaven. These luxurious interiors are mind blowing with a sensuous colour palette, rich textures, exquisite furniture pieces, stunning light fittings and sublime artwork. It really captures the essence of this iconic building. Every little detail has been thoroughly thought and words cannot express what I feel when I look at these interiors.
They are simply a pure surge of 'minimalist luxury', definitely at it's best. I am literally entranced and can honestly gaze at these pictures all day. Perfect for an inspirational Tuesday morning!
So what do you think? Have they managed to cast a spell on you ;)
Images David Collins, photographer: Richard Powers.
Monday, March 28, 2011
[CARTOON] Chicken Election
![[CARTOON] Chicken Election. cartoon, animals, election, government, politics](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcWRawKmmIdJIgrrej4545YqaQUB1bH3ifpYCbhzx6atVuadR0KR0_nUIC1P3NFxE9A4pSHlzlZtlpUAMGnc1JT2eukrXRqrwV3RLGrSdUZNk2tzlDiJQWF1rF5-G-z_IoxpJW3DTVy6U/s1600/toon1088+chicken+election.jpg "[CARTOON] Chicken Election. cartoon, animals, election, government, politics")
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Maria Sharapova winning top player at Sony Ericsson Open 2011
Maria Sharapova waving to the crowd with her new colour tennis attire. (Getty)
Maria Sharapova looking really satisfied in winning the game.
Every time when I post about Maria Sharapova, it always had to be her glamour on the tennis arena and this time she had wore a very light but subtly attractive greenish blue attire. This probably gives the leisure and relax feel. But the match between the former No. 1 and current No. 4 Samantha Stosur is not at all that relax.
It has been a long time since Maria Sharapova had win a top 5 player. Having missed out the past years at this event even though she was the advertiser's choice for modeling their products, she finally pull of a great game. She won 6-4, 6-1 against Samantha Stosur.
A nice tennis forehand from Maria Sharapova ended the game in style. Great to go Maria Sharapova. It is time to come back besides always being those glamourous outfits but showing excellent tennis skill sets also.
Today I'm Loving....Nordal
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, wasn't the weather great? Sunglasses were back on and I felt it was summer already :) Anyway I thought today I would share with you one of my recent discoveries, a Danish family owned company called Nordal. All I can say is wow, they sell such lovely accessories. Personally I love their styling shots, urban chic always wins me over. They have a vast array of original pieces, as most products are designed by themselves and manufactured in the far East. This provides them with a unique collection that is always on trend. I think they have an exciting sense of style, so do check out their catalogue. There are many shops in the UK and Europe that sell Nordal products so do have a look at their website for further details.
I am so happy to have found this shop. What do you think? Do you like their look?
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