Nr°43_IMAGE OF THE DAY

(The) Jane is dressing herself.

Visiting the website of the soon-to-be-open_long-expected Antwerp restaurant of star chef Sergio Herman and Nick Bril, you are entertained by a strange moving swirl, or shall I say by fairy dust sparklings on the home page.
The Jane (that will be the name of Sergio's restaurant) is been constructed at this very moment in a magnificent chapel, shown on a black & white picture, the background of the fairy dust animation.

This animation is an art project called "Reversed Striptease" by Rahi Rezvani. When the website just launched in November 2013, I took this screenshot, intrigued by the full frontal naked 'Jane' surrounded by builders scaffolding. At that moment you don't realize Jane was going to be transformed. 
Off course she does.

So today, checking out the waiting list for reservations (the Jane opens March 25 th and is already fully booked for the next 3 months), there she was again: Jane, now wearing underwear, and after some extra sparklings, a small part of her dress or skirt appears.
A very fun and surprising evolution, and I love it. Jane and The Jane are dressing themselves, to be ready for the 25 th. Simple, strong and attitude. As I like it.
That's why Jane made it to my 'Image of the day' post.

As Nick Bril,Sergio Herman’s right-hand man at Oud Sluis and responsible for the kitchen at The Jane mentions in the press release: "‘We felt from the start that the restaurant should have a woman’s name, but it took us a while to decide which woman’s name. Jane is the name of a fictional woman with the same qualities as our restaurant. The Jane will be sensual, exciting and chic. It will have an attractive international air, but also a hint of darkness. It will be tasteful and sophisticated, but also rock-’n’-roll. Like our perfect woman.’

About The Jane
The Jane restaurant opens at the 25th of March 2014 in the chapel of a former military hospital in Antwerp. The restaurant is an initiative by Sergio Herman, his right-hand man Nick Bril and designer Piet Boon. ‘We want to create a cosmopolitan atmosphere at The Jane,’ explained
Nick Bril. ‘Guests will be welcome throughout the evening. Whether you are looking for a cocktail and a snack – which we will be continuously preparing and serving in The Upper Room Bar – or a comprehensive tasting menu, we’ll be open for everything and everyone. Our plan is to develop The Jane into an Antwerp classic.’

About the Upper Room Bar
The food and cocktail bar associated with the restaurant will be called The Upper Room Bar. When choosing the name, Sergio Herman was inspired by his favourite places in London and New York. The Upper Room Bar will serve cocktails and quick snacks, prepared behind the bar. Like The Jane, it will be open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

About Rahi Rezvani

Rahi Rezvani (1978) was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, where he studied graphic design. At the age of 19, after making a reportage perceived insubordinate, he was forced to leave his family. Rahi ended up in the Netherlands and started a second study at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.

Don't look for The 'naked' Jane. She's gone. That's the nice part of this artwork. Everyday the reversed striptease goes on, and Jane, she doesn't look back, or restarts her dressing up. That was for the lucky early birds.

http://www.thejaneantwerp.com

http://www.sergioherman.com

http://rahirezvani.com

©ALL photos by Rahi Rezvani for The Jane

Nr°42_IMAGE OF THE DAY

Check out this music video for singer-songwriter Boggie revealing real-time digital retouching, in reaction to the the ever-present standard norm to digital manipulation of models, actresses and other entertainers for television and magazine covers.

Music directors Nagy and Lőrincz show in this music video, in real-time, Boggie's computerized cosmetic transformation. See her make-up free, natural face transform/mutate into her ‘public face’, the visualization of an aesthetically acceptable and pleasing person in showbizz nowadays. Beauty with a lot of irony!

boggieofficial.com
facebook.com/BoggieOfficial

Tom Tom Records 2013
tomtom.hu

Director: Nándor Lőrincz, Bálint Nagy 
Director of photography: Bálint Nagy, Dániel Szőke

Production manager: Zoltán Pálmai
Focus puller: Attila Kovács "Cica"
Smink/make-up artist: Ricsi Fazekas
Make-up assistant: Eszter Galambos
Hairdresser: Bálint Almássy

Post production: Studiolamb studiolamb.hu

Chief VFX artist: Balázs Sánta
VFX artists: András Bodor, Ákos Kiss, Marcell Andristyák, Kálmán Dulity
Supervisor: Zoltán Várfoki "Zoulu"

Nr°40_Image of the day

photo by will ragozzino

Ah! The lovely (because a little bit mad)Yayoi Kusama exhibits brain manipulating infinity rooms and twenty-seven new large-scale dotted paintings at her monumental 2013 solo exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery in NY. Once you saw or even better heard her in one of her video's, you'll never forget her. Her high but almost whispering monotone voice, sounds like she's in another dimension, as she probably is. Her work is, without any exception live even more hypnotizing than on picture. 

Video with the artist, produced on the occasion of the 2011-2012 traveling retrospective organized by Tate Modern, London.

Exhibit Yayoi Kusama,'I who have arrived in heaven'

at David Zwirner, NY

Hurry up: exhibition doesn't last long! November 8th – December 21st, 2013. Enjoy!

Roa love_a life inspiration story

It started with this drawing, on a wall just opposite our hotel The Hoxton in London.

As we are huge fans of Roa's work (see previous posts), we immediately recognized his hand. After posting this image on Instagram, the conversation manager of The Hoxton texted us that this was only one of many Roa murals in the neighbourhood.

Great.

Off we went, to look for all Roa work.

We had no plan, no tips, we just followed our instinct.

Just walking around was one option. Asking for tips in a nearby gallery was another one.

We stepped in at The Pure Evil Gallery, a street art specialized gallery with a most kind owner, who told us funny enough that he was Roa's first gallerist, and he had some work in his cellar. 

What a coincidence...

Check out what we found in the cellar, under the stairs…

... This big ROA piece, sprayed on some old cupboards and in excellent shape. A left-over from a previous exhibition. We found number 2! And Charlie draw us a map with some other Roa murals in the surrounding streets. Off we went! Thanks Charlie!

Charlie, owner of the Pure Evil Gallery and street artist himself, happy to help out and give some tips about Roa. We'll be back mate!

Two streets further, lost again, we entered a small agency, to ask for the road again. It seemed to be a PR agency, and you won't believe it: also they were early believers of Roa's art work. A beautifull 3D piece was installed in their client meeting room. Ah, if we could have bought this one, right here, right now.... Thank gou guys, for letting us in!

A real Roa piece in the meeting room....

We continued our Roa walk. On this huge parking lot, we think we spotted another one, behind some left-behind-cars. But, we couldn't enter the venue. A movie crew was working there. SHIT.

I'm sure it was one. Have a look.

And so, we walked and walked. And discovered one Roa after another. each time, a revelation. Admiring the boldness, the technique (scratching his cans very closely on the wall) and always one hell of an animal, placed so perfectly on the available spot. Taking over, without harming the others present. Just walking by.

Man, I love it.

This one, we had to look very carefully. This small piglet, hidden underneath a window of a small store. Fell a sleep, I guess.

And yes, we found the big bird. Magnificent. Strong. Looking over the neighbourhood.

Again, the bird next to other work, in perfect harmony, each for it's own audience, an inspiration for each other.

This 'little fella' was the last one we found that day.... Enormous, and at first we just walked by without noticing him. very weird. Looking and not seeing... And then there is that moment, when you look up, and this huge one is revealed to you. You don't understand why you missed him, and you know, you'll never will.

Fabulous.

Yeah, we know. We're huge fans. I don't mind admitting.

If one of my readers knows Roa in person, please pass this 'ode' to him.

I know, in my home town Ghent, there are also Roa murals, hidden in some deserted spots. We'll walk and find them too.

And please let Roa know, we live in an old factory building, and we have loads of room to host one of his (sleeping or awake) animals. I'm not kiddin'. Give us a call.

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman and Ivan Missinne_THE SQUID STORIES

Diane Pernet with ASVOFF in Antwerp_a life inspiration story

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman & Ivan Missinne_THE SQUID STORIES 

Last Tuesday October 15^th the “creme-de-la-crème” of the Belgian_International fashion scene was present for the 6th edition of ASVOFF.(For the first time in Belgium) 

Tim Van Steenbergen. Check. Walter and Dirk. Check. Filip of A.F. Vandevorst, top duo Ronalds Stoops and Inge Grognard. Yep. Geert and Eddy (Coccodrillo, Louis,…), Paul Boudens, all front row.

What was this all about? Asvoff_'A Shaded View On Fashion Film'_ launched in 2008 by the eccentric Diane Pernet, a NY based designer turned taste-maker who became the godmother of the world's emerging fashion talented, was in Antwerp. In person. 

Pernet's fashion blog with almost the same name (A Shaded View on Fashion) became a obligatory bookmark for all stylish and fashionable. Pernet pioneered online fashion writing and is now advancing the genre of fashion films. Her prominent and returning question is if fashion is well, creative and strong enough presented in the worlds of art and film.

So Pernet's traveling fashion festival ASVOFF, Invited by the Antwerp Fashion Museum and the city of Antwerp landed in the Augustine Chapel in the Kammenstraat.  

The chapel was fully loaded, the crowd very serious and professional. 

We saw short movies, clips, art house experiments and some advertising shorties. The fist part before the break was honestly quite boring and not very promising for the rest of the evening. But, the best was yet to come! 

“Les Stars”, a 16 minute documentary slash beauty shoot by Serge Lutens, the very fun ‘behind-the-scenes Sister Act’ of fashion photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, Daphne Guinness performing Julien Landais and Hollywood actress Marisa Tomei in “she said, she said" by Stuart Blumberg (my favorite short movie of the evening: Vote 1)

Memorable was also the appearance of Fashion pope Karl Lagerfeld in a typical hilarious 'me-know-nothing-situation'.

The winner of the public's vote that night (my second best vote written on my ASVOFF beer carton)was “Monster Love” of the French singer Soko. A poetic horror-farce-fairytale of a monster looking (and finding) love in a town full of ordinary people. Very funny and tender at the same time.

The cherry on the fashion cake was a short but very intens gig of the fabulous trio SX. Black Video, Gold and other hits gave the fashion chapel a soundscape every one enjoyed, even if the fashion crowd didn't want to dance at all...

Last small detail but so right: the Famous belgian Vedett bottles_the official drink of the evening_ were printed with Diane's iconic persona on it's labels. She loved it, I'm sure.

Art venue Dortyart part two: Marije Vogelzang_a life inspiration story

I met Marije a year ago when she showed her work at the design fair Salone di Mobile in Milan.

She blew me away with her strong statements on food design, and how she looks at it. 

Marije calls herself a food-artist, she designs food and re-invents it. "Nature food is all ready so perfect that it doesn't need an extra designer." Marije designs all acts that have to do with food and how we eat it. Food is her medium. Marije Vogelzang, that's rituals, habits, traditions, conversations and psychologies around food. Marije explains " When you design with food, you put this design later in your body. That's very emotional and strong".

Graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven, Marije Vogelzang studied the highly specialized area of "eating-design". Gaining a reputation for her art, Eindhoven went on to work as a creative force for several food-related businesses before starting her design studio/restaurant Proef (tasting or testing) in Rotterdam in 2004.

When I heard Marije had two installations at Dortyart, we headed to Dordrecht to check it out ourselves.

First of all there was the 'PASTA SAUNA', an installation Marije brought to Dortyart as her existing piece (See post Dortyart part one)

The idea is that you join in as a visitor. The Pasta Sauna is a space you enter to get a bowl of freshly cooked pasta, while the boiling water steams the surroundings, creating a sauna. Not only will the pasta make you feel lazy and slow, but the sauna as well! 
After you received your bowl with fresh pasta, you can add some basil, parmesan and other herbs to spice up your dish.

The girls making, preparing and serving the pasta are wearing fun jumpsuits with wing-fringes of pasta like tissue. It completes the experience. Ah, yes,and did we mention that the pasta-machines are also music boxes?

After the pasta installation, that she introduced for the first time in NY during Performa 09, Marije created another inspirational project, where again as a visitor you could join in and have a 'few' tastes yourself. So I did!

How does it work than? 

Imagine hundreds of white rope pieces (5 km), attached to 24 glass pipettes filled with 24 unusual, unexpected flavors. The ropes are suspended from three cylinders that reach from the ceiling to (just above) the floor what gives a poetic, phantasy feel. 

The idea is that you join the experience with two. One stands in the middle of the Teardrop, dressed in a cute white protection cape, with golden drips painted on it, and the other participant pulls one of the cords to release a drop of flavour to the participant below. 

"I don't believe you"

"What did I wanted to do next?"

"How many pigeons are there anyway?"

In this absurd Alice In Wonderland-like installation certain ropes were connected (besides with the pipettes) with fine handwritten tags. The tags contained phrases like “a fly just flew into my mouth”, “I will always be there for you” and “I’m so tired of myself" and are meant to offer a cryptic clue about what to expect from the flavour.
I tried tree of them (others were a bit dried out), and I must admit, not 'yummie' tasty, but worth the effort. Participating this experiment is fun, visual and stimulates trust and collaboration.
  

"More than a visually powerful installation, Teardrop is also a tool for human interaction and play", Marije confirms on her website.

Marije's Teardrop and Pasta Sauna were on show at DordtYart, a venue that holds it's winter sleep untill March 2014.

Wanna hear Marije explain how she works? Check out this video.

DordtYart

Maasstraat 11
3313 CR Dordrecht
Telefoonnummer: +31 (0)78 632 1200
E-mail: info@dordtyart.nl

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman & Ivan Missinne_THE SQUID STORIES