BEHINDTHESCENE - "GOD SAVE THE DREAM"

This is what happens in Photoshop CS (the old one) when you try to alter an image of a bank note.... my 10 year old scanner wouldn't even allow me to scan the note on its own.
I had to put a a magazine on top of the note and scan the whole page....£££magazine on top of the note and scan the whole

As I said before I'm building a bike - thinking about '£20' as the theme (colours, decals, textures etc)

For those of you who haven't seen The Fantastic Mr Fox yet - go and see it....
Based on the book by British author Roald Dahl and acted out by puppets with american accents, you will be surprised to see the South African helicopter pilot near the end of the film.

pretty fantastic i guess....... God save the Dream

Behold - If any of you have watched the new keynote address with Steve Jobs launching his new baby i ask you this; Is it unreasonable to assume that Satan has actually taken hold of his body and is now controlling him from the inside? Have a look and you will see what i mean... never have I seen such enthusiasm for a calender app......

How about an app that rescues people from earthquakes - God Save The Dream

Went for a job interview this morning at this little agency called HarrimanSteel down in Hoxton square... Unfortunately it wasn't quite right but none the less a cool company....have a look at some of their work if you get a sec - or not.

As you can see from the pic above i am currently building a single speed bike - hopefully when its done it looks, and rides, as well as the ones above...for more amazing fixie bikes go here

OK - This is by far the hottest box of cereal I've ever seen - how they slipped this little gem past the Kelloggs clients i have no idea......but much respect..

God save the dream...

saw Jay-z on Wednesday night at Alexandera palace - and to be honest it was all pretty average..... had a good time anyway though and got some fun snaps...
word

Been working on some practical ways to save some cash during Winter. The average electricity bill here is around £200 a month during the cold months so i figure this bad boy would be the perfect investment.

If you're in London next week be sure to check out 'Clouded Apollo', Chloe Early's new solo show at Stolenspace. It opens on Friday, November 6th 2009 (from wooster)

‘Clouded Apollo’ By Chloe Early
06.11.09 - 29.11.09
STOLENSPACE GALLERY
Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL
United Kingdom

At a first glance this looks like any regular pic of a £ondon market. This is Chapel Market, it runs six days a week in my street. My point is that this picture was taken yesterday at 16:40pm - yes - thats correct...pitch black skies before 17:00pm.

The London Underground map has a veeery long history. check out its progression from the late nineteenth century up until now here

The letter above was sent by Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones to Andy Warhol... For those of you who don't know Andy's answer to this brief was the famous lips and tongue graphic which he designed in The Factory, probably one of the most iconic images still around today - see what happens when your client isn't an absolute cxnt?

God save the dream

Every Underground station in London has its own unique design theme. Here's a tiled mosaic design above one of the platform benches at Pimlico station. (Down South)

Spike Jonze has just released his latest short film featuring Kanye West as the lead role - 'We were once a Fairytale' tells the story of a young successful superstar and the truth behind the fame and glory.
Just watch it here - don't be that guy.......

For those of you who know me will remember that I loooooooooove to see a little flop... so, to all the card players out there - who have been slacking over the past 7 months since I left SA, may this hand serve as a gentle reminder to what you have been missing out on - God saved the Queens

(nice one cannelloniPizza)

Made in SA? I don't think so.... I wonder what else is gonna be popping up in first world countries post 2010? Bring on the Pick n Pay Nike chickens................GSTD

There's a vintage Furrier and Costumier across my road with the most amazing window displays you can imagine - a combination of taxidermied animals and old clothes - the other night they left the roler doors open and I managed to snap a few shots - madness......

SURFING SOWETO - I've heard about this documentary before but only discovered it on Youtube yesterday - and what a discovery it was. Click here to watch my new heroes, Bitch Nigga and Bin Laden, surf their boredom away....

God save the dream....

Spotted another great Council funded project near London bridge...This billboard runs about 60m in length and is made up of different coloured paint stripes - and - no logo at the end (although it does have a subtle Ben Sherman thing going on)
.....God Save The Dream

I'm not big into games and consoles and things but this does look mad - DJ Hero - well at least the teazer is well impressive. check it here

Promoters Live Nation are claiming that tickets for the November 4 show in North London went within record-breaking time at 9am this morning. Anyone trying to buy tickets at 16 seconds past nine had no chance of getting them. Those who bought the tickets we assume entered their credit card details in the lightning speed time of sub-15 seconds, which, by my reckoning, is a world record in itself! The news officially makes Jay-Z the Usain Bolt of tickets sales. Will anybody beat him?

From here

The Free Art Fair will take place for the third and final time in London in 2009 at The Barbican. The art fair where all the work is given away at the end will be the biggest best most fun version ever. For once instead of art going to the highest bidder or those who can afford it, someone who really loves an artwork will be able to have it for free. Artists participating will be asked to incorporate the idea of free into their work by making work that they always wanted to make but felt like they couldn’t. more about how it all works here

Phil Ashcroft is one of this years artists at the Free Art Fair - Running at The Barbican Centre this weekend. Checkout more of his work here

Tuesday night was the opening of Nic Taylor's photographic exhibition / book signing at Bungalow 8. Nicholas was a close friend of Jean Michel's and one of the only people to experience Basquiat's painting process first hand. He spent a bunch of time with him in his first New York studio in the early 70's photographing the young artist and observing his unique painting techniques. This evenings show was an exhibition of these images..... (and the free litchi/gin cocktails were not something to joke about either)

Thanks to Kate from Purple for the invites... God Save The Dream

Behind this screen of light is the original wall that is currently being renovated. While restoration takes place, instead of using ugly wooden boards to shield the public from the grim realities of construction the £ondon council have installed an illuminated graphic of the exact wall that it is hiding - graffiti tags included.... veeery chilled.

Headed down to the Barbican yesterday and checked out this show: Super Nature.....really nice more here

Boris Johnson (the mayor) has decided that £ondon needs another skyscraper to impress the Olympic crowds in 2012 so the go ahead has been given to build 'The Shard' - a mighty clump of glass and steel taller than any other building in Europe - yaaaaaaawn

for more pics click here

14th - 29th October the 53rd annual BFI Film Festival hits £ondon - and i am very excited. One of the million films being shown is 'Behind The Rainbow' - A documentary about the ANC's rise to power under JZ (click here for more) click here to see what else you gonna miss....ha hah ah

I spotted these yesterday near Bricklane in Shoreditch - funny play on Jay-Z - Dizzee keeps it fresh.

We have all felt it at the bottom of our hearts for so many years but have been weary of facing the facts....no need. Charlie puts it out there like a man....God save him.
(source from a local newspaper)

Under the earth here in the deathly hallows (£ondon) underground trains whizz by constantly - now each train has a different design theme depending on which line it runs. The Northern Line (black on the map) has light grey floors with dark grey, white and yellow speckles - where as the circle lines floors are black with white, red and blue speckles. You don't really notice it when you ride these trains but once you take these patterns out of context they take on a whole new look - quite contemporary i guess.... anyway, i may make some tshirts or prints of them soon.

Under the earth a whole world exists that very few £ondoners' have ever experienced. A lot of the old tube stations that have been closed down still exist today - empty, desolate. Have a look at this link below and just look how mad some of these spots are. Oh my god....you could house a whole country.

Check them out here

Last nights re-launch of Mash Clothing was a great success, loads of people, good music and the window looked good - can't complain. Will be going to get my free gear early next week...

I found this postcard yesterday wedged between the bustop and a sign board. It refers to a new bagel shop 'endorsed' by Banksy. Not sure if he has anything to do with it or if its just another result of the Banksy wagon.... hop on. God save the dream

Yet another banksy piece (see post: Drawing on Walls - Wednesday 29th July) has been partially removed in the build up to the 2012 olympics and the people of Stoke Newington are not happy..... not at all.
for more click here

Thought this was quite amusing, mail number 36 - from Ryan, revealed this amazing attachment...not sure if its a real ad or something someone through together but either way it makes me laugh a little.....and somehow works.. God Save The Holiday...

I recently designed a fresh window display for a store called MASH in Oxford Street. They stock all the big street brands, Carhartt, G-Star, Upper Playground etc...anyway, here's the flyer for the opening on Wednesday (09/09/09) will post pics of the opening later in the week...

Jay-Z divulged some more details about his upcoming Blueprint 3, telling Reuters that Rihanna, Drake, Mr Hudson and Kid Cudi will be among the artists featuring on his third installment in the Blueprint series. As Rolling Stone reveals in our new issue’s in the studio story on MGMT, the electro-pop duo will also lend their talents to a track off Blueprint 3. Absent from the guestlist is Jigga’s wife Beyoncé, though the rapper didn’t rule out the possibility of it happening. As for Rihanna, her contribution might be her first vocal appearance since the February 8th incident with Chris Brown.

The Blueprint 3 — out September 11th, eight years to the day the original Blueprint was released — will also feature production from Timbaland, No ID and Kanye West, who Jay-Z spoke glowingly about to Reuters. “Kanye is really the father to the next generation — he’s from the school of Q-Tip, and now Drake and Kid Cudi are from the school of ‘Ye,” Jay said. “And, when you look at Kanye, you have to look at Lil Wayne. I think they’re like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.” (Rolling Stone - Source)

Young Hove is opening for Coldplay at Wembley Stadium on 19 September so if you planning a trip to £ondon bring an extra 40 squid....

Here in £ondon the public likes to be kept up to date with any events that could disrupt their journey whatsoever. Often (at least once a week) you here things over the speakers like "there is a slight delay on the Northern Line due to a passenger stuck under the train at Old Street Station" - I kid you not - They also have these little boards scattered around with silly messages scribbled down to keep you up in the loop as to why your train is 40 seconds late. ya. i know......

After spending $30 million on production District 9 has pulled nearly $110 million in its first two weeks since its release at 3 180 cinemas worldwide on August 14th.

Thats $80 mill profit...in 17 days....not bad for a Saffa innit?

Looks like Neill Blomkamp took a page out of Jay-Z's rhyme book ....

[Jay-Z - Hovi Baby]
Follow the flow, look - They say a midget standin' on the giant's shoulder can see much further than the giant...

God Save The Dream

Two men walk into the most expensive jewellery store in Mayfair, £ondon (where the likes of beckham and madge shop) - disguised with realistic latex masks (created by the same make artist that did Independence Day and a bunch of other high profile Hollywood films) - and in under 2 minutes rob over £44 million in Diamonds.... yes. that's close to half a billion rand...they then hop into a BMW and speed away. This happened two weeks ago and has been the story of all stories since.

Some the necklaces that were stolen contain diamonds of over 200 carats, many of which originate from African countries. (so they kinda stolen already)
I'm not gonna get into all the details but if you wanna know more checkout the story here.... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6010698/Graff-Diamonds-40-million-jewellery-robbery-is-Britains-biggest-gem-heist.html
you can also view the Graff Diamonds website here to see what they got away with..... http://www.graffdiamonds.com/flash.php

This is truly amazing.....
Travelers on the London Underground will soon get a dose of philosophy along with their overcrowding, noise, and proximity to body odor. The Evening Standard has reported that drivers on the Piccadilly line have been issued a book of quotations from famous philosophers to read along with their routine announcements. It's supposed to make the journey go easier. Some of the quotes include, "Nothing is worth more than this day" (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) and "Man is in a strict sense entirely animal" (Blaise Pascal).

Don't ask me how but last night i had a strange dream that led me to an amazing discovery..................you know the Eminem track My First Single?
checkout verse 2

'Erra Erra Eric swallowed some generic sleeping pills
And woke up in bed next to his best friend Derick bare naked
chicka chicka chicka ..
And then just turned 16 and used a fake id
To sneak in V.I.P. to see R. Kelly
Hehehehehe, to be so young and naive
Oh what I wouldn't give to live so Kim and care free
Paris and Nikki's parents must be so tickled to cherish
Every picture with their kids with hickeys all over their necks
Hickory Dickory derr digga
Look at me work wizardry with these words
Am I a jerk or just jerk chicken'...........

I know - who would have thought.....pure genius.

One of the hardest things for me about London is the cigarette trickery. Firstly they're expensive - almost £6 a pack. Secondly, if you get them from a vending machine the pack is cut down to. 18 cigarettes (same packaging just two cigarettes literally taken out) Thirdly, you can't smoke anywhere in public and lastly you can't by Stuyvesant Red (or blue for that matter). So you can imagine my utter joy this morning when i discovered these guys at the local Sainsbury's.

Benson & Hedges

Not only do they stock Stuyvy Reds but they come in Superking 100's. For those of you that aren't familiar with this terminology a superking cigarette or '100' is a smoke that's a little thicker than the normal one as well as 1.5cm longer.

With all the heavy anti-smoking advertising rules and regulations going on you would think that the most simple (and legit) marketing solution for Stuyvesant would be to introduce this slight product variation to South Africa to excite its consumers without actually having to say anything...but what do i know.....

Here's an example of Benson&Hedges Gold and Benson&Hedges Gold 100's.........

Some cats do strange things to make a little extra money on the weekends..but in a tight economy drastic measures are called for. Ladies and gentlemen may I introduce to you the faceless beggar... 'god save the dream'

So this is the Tate Modern - It definitely has a few nice paintings within but overall its a bit boring. The best thing about it is this massively tall phallic symbol made completely from bricks. Sounds a bit wank i know but it really is amazing, especially as a background for your morning coffee in the park below. Oh what wonderful things you can achieve with the power of slaves......

Imagine a beach so shit that these are the lengths that you have to go to trick your mind into believing that its actually having a good time? A far cry from Bakhoven i know. But stashing a pre-rolled in a waterproof bag, swimming out to the rock and spending your Sunday afternoon in a glorious daze surrounded by water is just not an option.

Instead these cats draw funny things in the sand and people toss them money for their efforts - sigh...

At least cyclists over here gave up wearing helmets all together about 10 years ago. 'GSTD'

Nothing wrong with a little pig tat to start your day.... Belgian artist Wim Delvoye has done some pretty out there stuff...checkout his 'website' here
www.wimdelvoye.be