Human Nature by Federico Uribe

This multimedia art installation titled ‘Human Nature’ by Federico Uribe triumphs in the ‘Giving it a New Spin’ files. By giving a new lease of life to discarded shoes, Uribe has reconstructed a forest environment and animals including rabbits, gorillas, cheetahs, and swans. Created completely from Puma shoes and laces, these ‘animals’ are a spectacle in themselves as well as triggers contemplation of our environment.

Royal Netherlands Embassy

With a site-integrated, passive solar design, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia pays homage to the surrounding nature and cultural diversity with an inherent sensitivity to place. Surpassing functional constraints, the structure’s design quietly supports security while placing emphasis on experience, encounter and efficiency.

Architects Dick van Gameren and Bjarne Mastenbroek used the site’s existing topography to integrate the embassy’s main building into the landscape. Surrounded by a dense eucalyptus grove, the structure rests along sloped terrain on an east-west axis. Combined with highly insulated concrete walls, floors and ceilings, the orientation captures natural solar and thermal processes to heat, cool and ventilate, minimizing dependence on mechanical systems.

Like the country that surrounds it, the embassy building reflects a convergence of cultures. The texture and tones of the walls and roof mimic the red-ochre earth of Ethiopia and regional architecture like the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. On its roof, a garden of shallow pools and raised islands suggest the low-lying landscape of the Netherlands.

As a stunning example of a building concept that responds to its cultural and ecological surroundings, the Royal Netherlands Embassy design has been honored with a 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The award recognizes distinguished architecture that encourages social development, restoration, re-use and environmental responsibility in the Islamic world. Dutch architects Dick van Gameren and Bjarne Mastenbroek share the award with Ethiopian firm ABBA Architects.

Knocked Up

This film is directed by Judd Apatow ( also did “The 40 year Old Virgin” (2005)), and stars Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann and Jonah Hill.

This is a story about Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl), who goes out to a club one night to celebrate and meets an overweight freeloading unemployed Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and they end up having a one night stand. Eight weeks later, life moves on, and Alison finds out she is pregnant with Ben’s child. They are therefore forced into this relationship together, and even though they don’t feel that they must be together they feel they should at least try because it’s both of their child. The movie follows them through the nine months of pregnancy and relationship up and downs.

This movie is hiliarious. Seth Rogen is on point with all the humour you expect and you can once again believe that this is exactly how it would happen if it were two real people going through the same thing. Each character in the film, Ben, Alison, Alison’s sister and her husband and everyone else each all have their own moments and you will love so many of them.

The dialogue and character interaction was incredible and very insightful. It's developed in such a way that anyone who watches it can relate to the characters and really feel their fears, anxieties, desires, understandings, etc. Seth Rogen's character is really likeable, even despite his comments and lifestyle. It is definately a movie worth watching, because it displays some classic differences between men and womens views. But, in the end, despite some obvious differences, the couples work really well together.

Antony Gormley: Blind Light

Taking the body as its point of departure, the exhibition is an invitation to embark on a journey through different kinds of space.

'Architecture is supposed to be the location of security and certainty about where you are. It is supposed to protect you from the weather, from darkness, from uncertainty. blind light undermines all of that. You enter his interior space that is the equivalent of being on top of a mountain or at the bottom of the sea. It is very important for me that inside it you find the outside. Also you become the immersed figure in an endless ground, literally the subject of the work.’ - Antony Gormley

The Hayward presents Blind Light, the first major London showing of the work of British sculptor Antony Gormley. The exhibition features a series of brand new monumental works specially conceived for The Hayward's distinctive spaces, including one of the largest ever urban public art commissions, Event Horizon, which features sculptural casts of the artist's body on rooftops and public walkways across central London, dramatically transforming the city skyline.

Pink Flamingo Swizzl

Pink Flamingo Swizzle Stick, named after a cocktail stirrer, is a girl, a sewing machine, lots and lots of ribbon and fabric leading to a multitude of pretty fabric things.

Pink Flamingo Swizzle Stick started, at great risk to a student house deposit, with some t-shirts and stencils.

It has since developed via a lot of fabric from the shop that sells fabric by weight and a lovely sewing machine, into a business selling iPod nano covers, and hardback books.

Arnold Pouteau

New York pictures by French photographer Arnold Pouteau. In his own words: he was born in Paris in 1973 and reborn again in NY in 2005. In his online portfolio you can also find pictures of Paris and NY by day. The views are amazing in New York. I travelled there a couple of years ago and I think Pouteaus photographs really do NYC justice.

Link: http://www.arnoldpouteau.com/

Grady McFerrin

Illustrator Grady McFerrin produces some great artwork with lots of colour and a unique style. His work is subtle and soft with an old-fashioned look. The illustrations are all freehand with inks and water colours.

Link: http://www.gmillustration.com/