This weekend I spent in Rotterdam, as you could’ve read in one of last week’s post. I’m back in London now and doing my usual stroll through my favourite blogs. And to my amazement I found this Belgian artist’s work involving a live/work tower on the street I stayed at!

Benjamin Verdonck built a bird’s nest against it and stayed there for six weeks! I must’ve just missed the man as I can’t recall anything of such nature, though I could’ve easily missed it in the state I was in.

It’s a funny little piece that i would have loved to see, but there’s a great description in Dutch and English on his website here. Go and have a look!

I know I’m a bit late as it’s already featured on many blogs, but just in case you’ve missed it, Colophon has started preparing for their 2009 edition. Stereo as a physical publication won’t be represented as we’re not producing a mag anoymore, but still, if you have a chance to go to Luxembourg’s magazine fest Colophon then go! Undoubtedly there will be many new fantastic magazines around and many worthwhile individuals you should get to know.

This is what blog (or blahgs) were made for. A simple idea that lets you post silly graphics from forgotten pasts and ignored presents to the world. More specific, it’s heavy metal band logos that David Cotner’s focusing on. Check out his site

Yesterday we went to the wonderfulness they call Deptford High Street in London’s borough of Lewisham. I couldn’t immediately find what I was there for when I got out of the bus, so I pretty much walked the high street up and down for about three quarters of an hour, stopping for a pint of happy hour Red Stripe amongst the locals. And what locals they were.

When I met my accompaniment I was sitting on the anchor that is the landmark of Deptford High Street, where a man viciously eating chicken, chips and mayonnaise, asked me which country I am from. ‘Holland,’ I replied, whereupon he started talking in Polish, assuming I would understand. I found that quite funny.

But anyway, after inhaling the fragrances of half-rotting fish and meat we wandered down the street once more, eventually finding the bloody gallery. Notice Gallery had closed white wooden panels on the inside, ensuring Joe Watling’s video projection had an excellent environment. Little note to the side here, Deptford is the place of the ancient road from London to Dover, which was then called Watling Street (I bet you didn’t know that, Joe.)

A little sculpture was placed in a glass box, a video and a projector were playing shapes that looked like close ups from sculptures. I noticed that in Notice Gallery’s backyard stood a big concrete, broken and incomplete version of the sculpture we’d already seen indoors. It all looked very monumental and museumish. Going back through the hallway, Joe had hung a small rendering of the same sculpture  on eye level. I think that one was my favourite.

Anyway, Notice is open normal gallery times and I definitely recommend having a look, even if it was only because you would otherwise never go to this part of the world.

With the release of Apple’s new Macbook Air came all the talk about lightweight technology and thin notebooks. Pros and cons aside, i think i’ve just ffffound the lightest laptop yet.

Found on FFFFOUND

Since I finally got my drivers licence last summer, I suddenly find myself checking out car shows on tv, and looking at cars in the streets… where before it really didn’t interest me at all. It’s not like I have a little red Ferrari model in my bedroom, but still.

Anyway I found this site combines cars with a slighly older and deeper interest of mine; type. You know, the little plates with the name of the car on the back. Sometimes in elegant script font, sometimes the ole’ attempt to be futuristic. Well, a lot of it can be found at cartype.com, sometimes the brochure of a car is shown too which gives a nice indication of the graphic design styles through the years…

As for cardesign, I think I’ll go for the Zundapp Janus…

For a brief two years I was in a band called Saunawest. We played a poppy kind of garagerock cum housepunk that locals dubbed ‘rammelpop’, which is roughly translatable as rattle pop. Two fantastic years full of excitement, frustration, ridiculousness and general mayhem. After I left for London three years ago the remaining members kept it rockin - until last month that is, when they called it quits. Shame really, but perhaps wise as many of the band members have other projects that demand time.

Anyway, as a gesture to the way too loyal fans, Saunawest is playing one last time at Rotterdam’s Exit bar next Friday. And if I may spoil the surprise, I will be attending too.  Hope you can all make it there & be sure to be there early because there’s a limited supply of FREE DVDs to give away!!!!!

Recently I’ve stumbled upon Finnish Designer Antti Uotila via blogs and such. For some reason I keep on going back to his site just to look at his stuff, like it’s drawing me in. Maybe it’s because the weather here in London doesn’t quite resemble summer yet - we had a fantastic week a while ago, but it’s all turned a bit miserable now.
I love the dark and moody atmospheres, while he maintains a very graphic and sharp-edged language that just generally does it for me. Check out his stuff here.