What is luxury? According to the creators of Rough Luxe, it’s not what you might think, especially when it comes to a hotel. To them, luxury is a moment in time rather than just part of an object of consumption. Luxury is an enriching personal experience and not only an ownership of an expensive object. It’s time for reflection, personal encounters with people, nature, architecture and environment as well as food and social and cultural experiences linked to geographic locations. It’s the intellectual solicitation, listening to one’s own feelings as well as comparing objects and time and thinking of their hierarchy. Suffice it to say that the Rough Luxe Hotel experience is about your surroundings, the intrinsic value of objects, art, culture and the people around you, as well as the ‘consumable’’ items that you encounter in the hotel itself. With hotels in London and Cape Town, the Rough Luxe Group aims to create an experience that will no doubt appeal to growing flashpacker market – one that is one part rough and one part luxury. While your room might be small and you might even share a bathroom, the wine will be exquisite, the bed linen luxurious, and the service unparalleled. For the Rough Luxe philosophy is simple: “You are staying with us in our home, so just ask.”
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the rough side of luxury
Via Wired: How do you run the A/C on a spy plane? Where’s the Start button on a nuclear power plant? Don’t try to wing it—read the directions! A portfolio of classic instruction manuals.
“the storm is the time to fish”.
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This Eskimo proverb provides a timely insight into the potential of innovation as a source of economical, social, technical and environmental change. One of the world’s most innovative companies, Ideo, invites discussion on its ‘Big conversations & small talk’ facebook group titled ‘Turning recession on its head: is there an upside to the downturn’? For readers of Street Editors with an inkling for entrepreneurship, a bone for invention and a deep craving to make a difference, this forum will provide some appetizing brain food. And it seems timing is everything. Just yesterday it was brought to my attention that this week celebrates the inaugural Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative launched by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The international program of events encourages youth to think big, turn their ideas into reality, and make their mark. For those in Sydney on Wednesday night, Vibewire is co-presenting an evening with the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Ultimo.
save the whales
If you’ve ever hankered to don a ruffly shirt, knickerbockers and eye patch, now’s your chance. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is hosting a benefit gig on Friday as it readies for its fifth Antarctic whale defence campaign, Operation Musashi, departing Brisbane this month. Get your pirate garb on and get down to The Arena by 8pm to see The Red Paintings, The Paper and the Plane and others sing - and paint - up a storm of support. Entry is free but donations towards Operation Musashi will be sought, by hook or by crook. BYO parrot.
Where skyscrapers and a giant Buddha graze the heavens, the W sign dazzles amid Kowloon’s urban neon. In one of the world’s greatest culinary cities, the W Hotel Kowloon is a recent addition to the skyline of the Hong Kong metropolis. Disappear in the decadent indulgences that await your exploration, immersion, savouring, lingering, mingling and celebrating. Hong Kong offers explorations beyond the glitter and neon. In Aberdeen, you’ll discover sampans, Chinese junks and a huge floating restaurant in this former fishing village that provides a glimpse into Hong Kong’s past. At Stanley Market, enjoy some quiet beach time, a beautiful seaside promenade and stroll the crooked bazaar streets where you’ll find everything under the sun for sale. In my opinion there is no more favourable hotel group than the W chain and its mere presence in any country induces the need to travel.
CS4 keeping it real
That is the Adobe Photoshop interface re-created by hand with, yes, a real paintbucket for the ‘paintbucket’ tool! You can see how agency Bates141 Jakarta created this clever poster at flckr. It’s really fun and cute, but pehaps also a critical and subversive comment on how digital technology has greatly changed areas of design process and primary art skills. If you like this, there is also a Gmail interface made by hand.
louise body wallprint
When it comes to interior design, wallpaper has made a stylish return to the design palette. With a nod to retro inspirations, the use of wallpaper is becoming more commonplace in homes and offices, from feature walls to whole rooms. With the ensuing evolution of chic designer wallpaper, the choice is no longer just between traditional paisley or flocked prints. Louise Body, an English designer specialising in wallpaper, has created a high-end line of eco-friendly wallpapers. All paper is sourced from managed forests and only water-based inks are used in the printing process. In addition, all paper waste from the cutting process is recycled at a local mill. For a 1920s feel, choose the ‘Erotica’ print, which depicts a glamorous menagerie of dames dressed to the nines, including one swinging from the ceiling. For a more whimsical feel, choose the ‘Lacey Birdies’ print, where small birds flutter in an out of leafy branches, against a gentle background of lace-patterned print.
Whether you subscribe to a particular religion or not, there is one ‘Golden Rule’ that transcends the structure of organised religion and comes down to a basic, but invaluable, aspect of humanity: Treat others the way you wish to be treated. The Charter for Compassion, the fruit of Karen Armstrong’s TED Wish, is a collaborative effort to build a peaceful and harmonious global community based on the very premise of that ‘Golden Rule’. Take a few minutes out of your day and watch this inspiring video on the Charter for Compassion, which tells great stories of human compassion and inherent kindness.
bond. james bond.
James Bond fans are holding their collective breath until the newest film in the series, Quantum of Solace, is released next week. Daniel Craig and Judy Dench return to the big screen for the follow-on from 2006’s Casino Royale. In the great tradition of Bond films, the release will be accompanied by a new theme song. Following on from signature Bond theme songs performed by the likes of Madonna, Chris Cornell, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra and Tina Turner, Alicia Keys and Jack White (of the White Stripes) have joined together to create, Another Way to Die, which marks the first ever duet in the history of Bond tunes. Continue reading ‘bond. james bond.’
art on the wharf
One of the most wonderful things about travelling places like Europe prior to Christmas is the Christmas markets that line village squares and perch beside ice rinks, offering unique, handmade trinkets, hot food and friendly pre-Christmas buzz. Drawing on the wonderful tradition that is the Christmas market, Portside Wharf is hosting an artistic twist on the original concept. Art On The Wharf is being held on Dec 6-7, and promises a weekend of fine art, free creative workshops and stalls, as well as a site-specific light installation created by digital design collective, Rinzen. Local artists who will be showing and selling their work over the weekend include: Benjamin Werner, Wayne Radford, Jan Van Dijk, Pia Robinson, Jonathon Oxlade and Neils van Amsterdam.
mama shelter
Architect, interior and industrial designer Philippe Starck’s latest hotel project was recently unveiled in France. Created in collaboration with the Trigano family (founders of Club Med) and enveloped by the heart of cultural Paris, Mama Shelter is an eclectic and atmospheric hotel that balances a fine line between bohemian and bourgeois. The unique spatial and lighting designs have created a dimly lit Parisian escape, where modestly sized rooms boast five-star bedding and internet-ready iMacs. The diverse interior switches from sleek designer surfaces and minimalist, monochromatic palettes to busy, word-filled walls, ceilings and floors, and elaborate lighting features. Tucked between artists’ studios in the Saint Blaise quartier, Mama Shelter beckons artisans and creative types who want to experience the hidden inner sanctum of Paris’ music, art and creative scene.
monet and the impressionists
While Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art has enjoyed some major international exhibitions, such as Andy Warhol and Picasso’s Collection, the Art Gallery of New South Wales has also lined up a major exhibition. Titled Monet and The Impressionists, the exhibition encompasses the works of the Impressionist masters and includes paintings by Renoir, Pissarro, Cézanne, Degas, Manet and Monet. With a full program that includes a Water Glimpses film program and range of talks by radio presenters, curators and authors – from Margaret Throsby to Bob Brown, Sarah Turnbull and The Sandman and Flacco, The Art Gallery of New South Wales has compiled an impressive exhibition that may rival GoMA’s previous efforts. The exhibition opened on October 11, 2008, and runs until January 26, 2009.
Did you parents ever tell you that if you ate watermelon seeds they would grow inside of you? Watermelon Love opens with an attractive girl standing in a red room waiting and stroking her hair and saying to the unknown subject that ‘It’s okay’ and then a watermelon is passed to her and she touches its smooth round surface. She then escapes into her dressing room and slides down into a fantasy world filled with watermelon juice and seeds. Taking out her hair she reveals a straw, which she then uses to suck up watermelon seeds that leave her in an elated state. Continue reading ‘watermelon love’
ode to the mix tape
“To me, making a tape is like writing a letter - there’s a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You’ve got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention ….and then you’ve got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can’t have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can’t have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you’ve done the whole thing in pairs and…oh, there are loads of rules.”
In High Fidelity, John Cusack’s character Rob expresses much of his feelings through collating Top Five lists and mix tapes. Labouring over each song and its placement, Continue reading ‘ode to the mix tape’
If you strip away accolades, credits and plain old appreciation, Bosnian musician Edin Karamazov is simply a man who loves to play with music. He is internationally celebrated as a musical genius – one of the greatest lutenists of our time – yet he tries to insist, “I have no career as a musician. I am a beginner.” Naturally, this statement is hard to swallow. He’s been holding lutes, classical guitars and other plucked instruments close to his heart for nearly 30 years, ever since he left home at age 14 to study music in conservatories around the world. He remembers crying on the train the first time he slid away from his family and chugged closer towards his childhood dream: to travel the world and to grow the music simmering within him. He’s still living the dream, currently accompanying Sting on a world tour (he arrives in Australia in December), although now he’s come full circle and yearns for his home in a seaside village in Croatia where his heart belongs with his wife and, soon, their newborn child.
A few of years ago, as part of the Queensland Art Gallery’s Asia Pacific Triennial, an artwork caught my eye and has stayed with me ever since. Japanese artist, Masato Nakamura, replicated the shining neon McDonald’s sign inside the Queensland Art Gallery. The massive logos dominated the room, throwing a harsh yellow glow on gallery patrons. But the thing that has stuck in my mind was the simple list beside the artwork – a simple numbered list that stated the 111 countries that had McDonald’s restaurants. As I perused the list, I was surprised by the number of countries included and by the sheer reach of the company’s arm. Nations such as Nicaragua, Tahiti and Qatar all made the list. Continue reading ‘Consumed’
Whether you’re a gambler or not, the Melbourne Cup has become a stalwart of Australian culture. On a momentous day when we look to the Reserve Bank for its announcement on interest rates, and to the United States for a vote that could change the course of history, we’ll also look to the muddy tracks of Flemington for the race that stops the nation. And while many will claim to be well-acquainted with the best technique for picking a favourite, or for judging the on-field fashions, few would know the fascinating intricacies behind the cup. For example, did you know that there’s a different cup made every year by Hardy Brothers (rather than the same one being passed on)?. Or that the cup has been made the same way since 1919, with 34 hand-made, 18 carat yellow gold segments, pieced together with pins and rivets using the traditional way of craftmanship instead of modern solder? Or that the cup that will be awarded this afternoon will is currently valued at more than $125,000? While it might not make a difference to the steed that you place your bets on, it’s nice to know a little history behind a great Australian tradition. Where will you be watching the cup?
Australia has a proud history of top-notch musicians and bands, from Regurgitator to Powderfinger, The Hoodoo Gurus and Sarah Blasko. In tribute, November marks Ausmusic Month at Triple J, where listeners can get an earful of the best home-grown musical talent, all month long. In celebration of our proud musical heritage, Triple J will be broadcasting live from the Brisbane Powerhouse this Friday. The broadcast starts at 5:00 am local time to account for daylight savings in the southern states. However, the early risers will be awarded with guest appearances (and hopefully performances by) a myriad of special guests, including Josh Pyke, The Grates and the John Steel Singers. Attendance is free. Those Australian music fans who can’t quite manage the early start may want to check out The Panics, Continue reading ‘celebrate australian music’
the evil of the thriller
As the excitement of Halloween fills the air on this All Hallow’s Eve, if there’s one thing that embodies that ghoulish spirit, it’s the Thriller Dance. For anyone who hasn’t seen one of GoMA’s newest acquisitions, Candice Breitz’s King (a portrait of Michael Jackson), it’s well worth the 15 minutes you’ll spend laughing. The work is a multiple-screen video installation in which 16 of Jackson’s most ardent fans each present their interpretation of his 1982 chart-topping album, Thriller. Here in the map office, we’re also ardent fans of Michael Jackson’s iconic dance (even though a few of us weren’t alive when it first made its debut), and we’ll admit to partaking in the routine in the office on more than one occasion (it’s a great stress reliever). So when we heard that the registered world-record for the most people doing the Thriller Dance in unison was recently broken, our competitive spirits pricked up. At 73 people, we figure it’s a record we could break … anybody for a spot of Thriller?
Born in 1946, Yann Arthus-Bertrand has been interested in the wilderness and animal world throughout his lifetime. Using a camera, he started to create a record of his observations and eventually discover his gift: testifying through images. In 1991 Arthus-Bertrand became a photojournalist and founded Altitude, the leading aerial photography agency in the world. Inspired by the link between humankind, wildlife and nature, he partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to focus his vocation on a long-term documentary photography series: The Earth From Above, Wild Animals, Horses, and 365 Days. Earth From Above will be on show at the World Financial Centre Plaza in NYC from May 1 – June 28, 2009 (for those who are over there - Yen?). An inspiring visual record for future generations, Earth From Above is an outdoor public art exhibition and experiential event presenting awe-inspiring portraits of our planet, and a new perspective on the need for sustainable living.
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