Animal-human hybrid stickers invading Parisian streets

While marketing and mainstream communications campaigns have derived branding inspiration in the comic-like cartoon style of street art, and the values attached to its culture—freedom, community, transgression—the paradox still exists to see it framed and sold through traditional art channels.

We caught up with street artist Rafael Suriani at his recent show, "Collages Urbains", at Cabinet d'amateur gallery in Paris, where he told us more about street art and his relationship with the medium.

Suriani's mark features animals, surviving and thriving in the streets for its powerful and highly recognizable aesthetic. In his half-human-half-animal figures, the animal faces act as liberating masks, allowing the artist to express social criticism in an elegant way. The vibrant, seemingly playful creatures refrain from getting too serious and maintain a suggestive tone that avoids the obvious.

 

The stickers are the result of a double-binding process that first assembles man and animal, then adheres the resulting figure to the wall. In the past, Suriani has drawn from his Latin-American heritage, playing with shamanic mythology figures such as toucan or jaguar. In his recent series, on the other hand, he is more interested in urban domestic animals such as cats and dogs—according to the artist, the convention that they tend to resemble their owners offers a metaphoric way to talk about us people. Recently Suriani made a series of French "Bulldogs" as a special dedication on London walls, using this breed to cartoon and make fun of some French characteristics. Each dog expresses a different state of mind—humor, spirituality, criticism or beauty.

 

Suriani uses the rare technique of hand-painting every poster he sticks on the streets. Making each sticker is the result of a process involving selecting photos from the Internet, cutting them in Photoshop, then screening and painting before cutting the final product. Such repetition lies at the heart of street art practice, which is often based on plastering as many spots as possible, invasion-style.

When considering the ephemeral fate of the piece of work destined for degradation of the elements, police destruction or theft from passers-by, the time and effort for such little reward seems remarkable. Suriani explains, however, that the fleeting nature of his work is freeing and allows him to be audacious with both subject and technique. To him, because there is no pressure or constraint, that achievement is rarely a failure.

In the end, the piece of art is not the only sticker by itself, it is the sticker in its context, seen as a whole on the wall with the daylight shining on it, the motorbikes parked against it or the branch of a tree creeping across. Rarely is the work's time spent on the wall its only life, after all, with the rise of dedicated photographers immortalizing the scenes for the Internet.

Suriani claims his intention to step into the city's landscape by bringing much-needed beauty comes with a positive message. Rather than being aggressive or controversial, Suriani takes pleasure in having people on the street enjoy his figures. His work is bound to the city—physically, geographically and socially—compelling the public to refresh their view of their surroundings and drawing their eyes to the places that typically go unnoticed. As an architect, Suriani has found a way to unveil the city and change people's perception of the scenes they see everyday without truly seeing them. The choice of venue is very important, based on aesthetic consideration with attention to the context and surroundings like the location.

EURO 2012 POSTERS BY DAVID WATSON

Euro 2012 recently began and, for those of you who don’t know, it’s the European football championship. European football is what we Americans call soccer, and it has slowly gained steam over the years, although still not as popular as American football…  Whether you’re into the championship or not (or even sports in general), you’ll probably love these simple, modern posters David Watson ofTrebleseven designed for it.

 

Each poster represents a particular country that’s playing, and the colors of their flag are incorporated into one of the various circular designs. I love the typographic twist these posters have and how they don’t have blatant sports references in them.

AWARE2 gigapixel camera

'AWARE2' gigapixel camera by duke university
above: 3 increasing zoom levels of footage taken by the camera

 
engineers at duke university have developed a camera able to take photos with up to one billion pixels of resolution. 
the 'AWARE2' gigapixel camera uses 98 sensors each at 14 megapixels, capable of detecting detail from as far as 1 kilometer away.
the current model weighs in at approximately 100 pounds, and only shoots in black and white.

explore more of the super high-resolution photos on duke's site with these zoomable examples of a lake scene, building atrium and riverside town.

 

original image shot at .96 gigapixels; explore the full zoomable image here



the 'AWARE2' camera


camera processor render



making of 'AWARE2' gigapixel camera 

George Washington's copy of US constitution sells for $9.8m

Portrait of George Washington, whose personal copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights fetched $9.8m at auction. Photograph: Stock Montage/Getty Images

George Washington's personal copy of the US constitution and bill of rights sold for $9.8m (£6.3m) at auction on Friday, setting a record for any American book or historic document.

Bidders at Christie's New York salesroom and others on the telephone competed for the first US president's signed, gold-embossed volume dating to 1789, which had a pre-sale estimate of up to $3m.

The non-profit Mount Vernon Ladies Association of the Union, which maintains the historic Mount Vernon estate in Virginia that was Washington's home and is now open to the public, was the successful bidder.

"The unique book had been in the Mount Vernon library until 1876, and will soon be returned to that library," said Chris Coover, senior specialist of books and manuscripts at Christie's.

The bound volume was Washington's personal copy of the Acts of Congress and is noteworthy for his bold signature marking it as his own.

The Acts of Congress include the Constitution, whose preamble promises to "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," and the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the constitution, which establish such fundamental liberties as the right to free speech, press, assembly and religion.

Christie's described the book as being in near-pristine condition after 223 years. It was specially printed for Washington in 1789, his first year in office as president.

The margins include Washington's handwritten brackets and notations highlighting key passages concerning the president's responsibilities.

The Acts of Congress volume was sold from Washington's library at Mt Vernon in 1876 and eventually bought at auction by collector Richard Dietrich in the 1960s. It was being sold by the family's estate.

Similar volumes created for Thomas Jefferson, the first secretary of state and third US president, and attorney general John Jay, are in Indiana's Lilly Library and a private collection, respectively.

Rare books and manuscripts have achieved impressive prices in recent years.

An autographed manuscript of Lincoln's 1864 election victory speech sold for $3.4m in February 2009, which set a record for an American manuscript at the time. A 1787 letter written from Washington to his nephew on the subject of the ratification of the Constitution fetched $3.2m in December 2009.

ASTON MARTIN ONE-77

performance@holmesandco-london.com

ASTON MARTIN ONE-77

 

Car No.40 of 77 Made.

 

The Client is seeking 1.2 Million Sterling for the Car.

 

The Cars were originally sold by Aston Martin for 1Million, plus costs.

 

Equivalent cars are available for 2 Million Sterling – 2.7 Million Dollars.

 

We are Offering the Car at 1.4 Million, but it should be considerably more.

 

Our Client wishes for the Sale to be Confidential, and approaching clients will need to provide documents

Monaco prince puts classic cars up for auction

This probably isn't the Beetle owned by the Prince. Vroom vroom.

Image: Jamiecat via Flickr/Creative Commons

PRINCE ALBERT II of Monaco is auctioning off part of the luxury car collection started by his father Prince Rainier III, with vehicles by Bentley, Panhard and Porsche among those up for sale.

Forty vehicles will be available at an auction on 26 July at Prince Albert’s car museum in Monaco. The cars are being sold due to a “comprehensive reorganisation” of the collection, auction house Artcurial Motorcars said in a press release.

The cars have no reserve price. A Mercedes 500 SEC, the personal car of Prince Rainier, is estimated to fetch between €15,000 and €25,000.

Among the oldest cars is a 1913 Panhard X19, valued at between €25,000 and €35,000 euro, while a rare 1925 Citroen cabriolet 5HP is expected to bring in about €15,000.

Besides the flashier offers, other more common vehicles are also included in the sale, such as Fiat 500, Honda Civic and a Volkswagen Beetle, valued at entry prices from €3,000.

Art lover Brad Pitt buys graffiti pics of Amy Winehouse and Prince William

Actor has splashed out on artworks for London and LA homes. The Hollywood star and his fiancée Angelina Jolie are currently living in the UK, where Angelina is shooting her new movie Maleficent. Brad has apparently decided to embrace the British way of life, so is decorating their home in the London area of Richmond with paintings by UK artists such as Bambi. “There is a lot of buzz about Bambi at the moment. As Brad’s here with the family for up to two years, it makes sense to fill the house with art by British artists,” a source told British newspaper The Sun. “He already has a Banksy, which he bought for £1 million at a London auction, but shipped it to LA.” Brad’s pictures of Amy and the prince with his wife the Duchess of Cambridge are by Bambi, who specialises in graffiti art. His style is similar to that of Banksy, who is known for spraying pictures of the walls of buildings around Britain. Brad has also been using his downtime to focus on his hobbies and catch up with pals. He recently picked up some motorcycle clothing in a local store so he can go out on his bike and also travelled to Birmingham to catch up with one of the bodyguards from his 2000 movie Snatch. “Brad’s a lovely guy, one of the most humble men you could meet,” Mohammed Hussain said.

Europeans Who Get Sick On Vacation Get To Take Another Vacation

Brilliant catch by the New York Times' Paul Geitner, who reports that Europe's highest court recently ruled that workers who get sick while on paid vacation...get to take another vacation. In a ruling yesterday, the Court of Justice for the European Union in Luxembourg said:  "A worker who becomes unfit for work during his paid annual leave is entitled at a  later point in time to a period of leave of the same duration as that of his sick leave. That right exists irrespective of the point at which the incapacity for work arose." "The Court points out that, according to settled case-law, entitlement to paid annual leave must be regarded as a particularly important principle of EU social law, a principle expressly enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The right to paid annual leave cannot be interpreted restrictively." It was, believe it or not, a Spanish court that had initially ruled against the claim, made by a local trade union.

Pick the Right Watermelon by Looking at Its Bottom

Pick the Right Watermelon by Looking at Its Bottom When faced with a bunch of watermelons, all promising delicious juiciness inside, how do you know which one to pick? What About Watermelon, a site dedicated to just this summer fruit, suggests you skip the tapping and instead check the bottom of the watermelon. Tapping a watermelon like a bongo might work for some people, but, the site says, it's too subjective and there's no agreement on whether a watermelon is suposed to sound "solid" or "tight" or make a b-flat sound. Instead, look for watermelons that are symmetrical and aren't dented, are heavy for their size, and have a creamy yellow spot on the bottom: Turn your watermelon over and check out its bottom, which should have a creamy yellow spot (also called "the ground spot"). This is where the watermelon sat on the ground while it soaked up the sun at the farm. If this spot is white or greenish, your watermelon may have been picked too soon and might not be as ripe as it should be.

Qatari group to buy French luxury hotels

US hotel group Starwood Capital is to sell four key French properties, including the famed Martinez in Cannes and the Concorde Lafayette in Paris, to a Qatari investor, a union official said on Friday. Starwood Capital's Groupe du Louvre will hold a meeting on Thursday with the sale of the Martinez, Concorde Lafayette, Hotel du Louvre and the Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice on the agenda, union representative Claude Levy told AFP. Starwood Capital in Paris declined to comment on the sale. "A promise to sell has been signed recently and there will be an announcement on the matter on Thursday June 28. The sale has been imminent for a while," said Levy. A source close to the sale said the buyer was Katara Hospitality, formerly known as Qatar National Hotels Co., which is looking to extend its luxury hotel portfolio. Katara Hospitality notably owns Paris's luxury Peninsula hotel that is to open next year. Industry website Hospitality On says that Katara Hospitality announced in May that it wanted to go from owning 24 hotels to owning 60 by 2030. "We know it's Qataris, but nothing more," Levy said, adding that the four hotels currently employ a total of 1,200 people.

France bank incident: 'Hostages held' in Toulouse

Four people have been taken hostage in a bank in the southern French city of Toulouse by a man claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, police say. The man demanded to speak to the elite police unit that shot Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah. Merah, who claimed al-Qaeda training, killed seven people in Toulouse before he was shot dead by police in March. Officials say the gunman first demanded money. When he was refused, a shot was fired and hostages taken. There are no reports of injuries so far. The area around the bank has been cordoned off and a nearby school has been closed. "We do not know if his claim about al-Qaeda is serious or a fantasy," a police union source told the regional newspaper Ouest-France. The BBC's Christian Fraser, in Paris, says the bank is 100 metres (330ft) from Merah's flat, in an area adjacent to the barracks where the elite Raid police unit was based during the siege of Merah's flat. No Raid officers are at the scene yet, our correspondent says. Mohamed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, killed seven people in three separate attacks. His victims included three children and a teacher at a Jewish school, and three soldiers. Merah filmed his attacks and sent the footage to police. He was shot dead by a police sniper on 22 March after commandos stormed his flat. Merah was suspected to have had an accomplice within the Muslim community, our correspondent says. In the wake of the shootings, the French authorities set up an investigation into whether Merah had accomplices and into possible Islamist indoctrination practices in prisons. They have shown zero tolerance to anyone known to have used Islamist internet sites or to have had links to a fringe al-Qaeda group to which Merah is said to have belonged, our correspondent says. On 7 June, a man armed with a shotgun took hostage a security guard at the French weather service, Meteo France. The hostage-taker fired several shots and was seriously injured when police returned fire. His hostage was uninjured.

Assange seeks political asylum

On Tuesday night WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange applied for political asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after failing in his bid to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. The 40-year-old Australian is currently inside the building in Knightsbridge, having gone there on Tuesday afternoon to request asylum under the United Nations Human Rights Declaration. The country's foreign minister Ricardo Patino told a press conference in the South American country that it was considering his request. In a short statement last night, Mr Assange said: "I can confirm that today I arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy and sought diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum. This application has been passed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital Quito. I am grateful to the Ecuadorian ambassador and the government of Ecuador for considering my application." The computer expert, who was on £200,000 bail after failing in several attempts to halt extradition, attracted several high-profile supporters including Ken Loach and socialite and charity fundraiser Jemima Khan, who each offered £20,000 as surety. Other supporters included Bianca Jagger and veteran left-winger Tony Benn. The Swedish authorities want him to answer accusations of raping a woman and sexually molesting and coercing another in Stockholm in August 2010 while on a visit to give a lecture. Assange, whose WikiLeaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, says the sex was consensual and the allegations against him are politically motivated. The Supreme Court last month ruled in favour of a High Court ruling that his extradition was legal. Last week the Supreme Court refused an attempt by him to reopen his appeal against extradition, saying it was "without merit". He had until June 28 to ask European judges in Strasbourg to consider his case and postpone extradition on the basis that he has not had a fair hearing from the UK courts. A statement issued on behalf of the Ecuadorian Embassy said Mr Assange would remain at the embassy while his request was considered.

Bank of England meets amid talk of £50bn stimulus

Bank of England policymakers meet today to decide whether to change interest rates or to pump in more money into the ailing economy, with leading economist saying they may opt to inject a further £50bn of stimulus.

Europe is on the verge of financial chaos.

Global capital markets, now the most powerful force on earth, are rapidly losing confidence in the financial coherence of the 17-nation euro zone. A market implosion there, like that triggered by Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, may not be far off. Not only would that dismantle the euro zone, but it could also usher in another global economic slump: in effect, a second leg of the Great Recession, analogous to that of 1937. This risk is evident in the structure of global interest rates. At one level, U.S. Treasury bonds are now carrying the lowest yields in history, as gigantic sums of money seek a safe haven from this crisis. At another level, the weaker euro-zone countries, such as Spain and Italy, are paying stratospheric rates because investors are increasingly questioning their solvency. And there’s Greece, whose even higher rates signify its bankrupt condition. In addition, larger businesses and wealthy individuals are moving all of their cash and securities out of banks in these weakening countries. This undermines their financial systems. 423 Comments Weigh InCorrections? Personal Post The reason markets are battering the euro zone is that its hesitant leaders have not developed the tools for countering such pressures. The U.S. response to the 2008 credit market collapse is instructive. The Federal Reserve and Treasury took a series of huge and swift steps to avert a systemic meltdown. The Fed provided an astonishing $13 trillion of support for the credit system, including special facilities for money market funds, consumer finance, commercial paper and other sectors. Treasury implemented the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program, which infused equity into countless banks to stabilize them. The euro-zone leaders have discussed implementing comparable rescue capabilities. But, as yet, they have not fully designed or structured them. Why they haven’t done this is mystifying. They’d better go on with it right now. Europe has entered this danger zone because monetary union — covering 17 very different nations with a single currency — works only if fiscal union, banking union and economic policy union accompany it. Otherwise, differences among the member-states in competitiveness, budget deficits, national debt and banking soundness can cause severe financial imbalances. This was widely discussed when the monetary treaty was forged in 1992, but such further integration has not occurred. How can Europe pull back from this brink? It needs to immediately install a series of emergency financial tools to prevent an implosion; and put forward a detailed, public plan to achieve full integration within six to 12 months. The required crisis tools are three: ●First, a larger and instantly available sovereign rescue fund that could temporarily finance Spain, Italy or others if those nations lose access to financing markets. Right now, the proposed European Stability Mechanism is too small and not ready for deployment. ●Second, a central mechanism to insure all deposits in euro-zone banks. National governments should provide such insurance to their own depositors first. But backup insurance is necessary to prevent a disastrous bank run, which is a serious risk today. ●Third, a unit like TARP, capable of injecting equity into shaky banks and forcing them to recapitalize. These are the equivalent of bridge financing to buy time for reform. Permanent stability will come only from full union across the board. And markets will support the simple currency structure only if they see a true plan for promptly achieving this. The 17 member-states must jointly put one forward. Both the rescue tools and the full integration plan require Germany, Europe’s strongest country, to put its balance sheet squarely behind the euro zone. That is an unpopular idea in Germany today, which is why Chancellor Angela Merkel has been dragging her feet. But Germany will suffer a severe economic blow if this single-currency experiment fails. A restored German mark would soar in value, like the Swiss franc, and damage German exports and employment. The time for Germany and all euro-zone members to get the emergency measures in place and commit to full integration is now. Global capital markets may not give them another month. The world needs these leaders to step up.

A Facebook crime every 40 minutes

A crime linked to Facebook  is reported to police every  40 minutes. Last year, officers logged 12,300 alleged offences involving the vastly popular social networking site. Facebook was referenced in investigations of murder, rape, child sex offences, assault, kidnap, death threats, witness intimidation and fraud.