See What's Possible Call for Entries

by Ami Kealoha

Adobe Photoshop, the perennial staple for graphics editing, has teamed up once again with our friends at Cut & Paste to present "See What's Possible." The challenge invites designers, photographers, animators and graphics aficionados of all stripe to submit an animation or motion graphic video no more than 15-seconds in length and based around the idea "Photoshop: See What's Possible." A panel of "prestigious judges" will pick the best five, who will all receive a licensed copy of the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection. Of those five, one will be voted the Grand Prize Winner, receiving $20,000 and exposure in numerous Adobe corporate marketing materials and programs.

Submissions will be accepted through 15 March 2008, and the winner will be announced on 4 April 2008. See some current entries on the competition website, where you'll also find complete rules and registration information.

Ma Ke: Wu Yong collection

by Leonora Oppenheim

Finding some CH subjects recently nominated for the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year award in London was exciting, but several of the other 100 projects were equally inspiring. There were many new discoveries and we thought you'd enjoy seeing some of our favorites. First up is the extraordinary Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke who is nominated for her "Wu Yong" collection, which launched in Paris last year. The voluminous, sculptural garments that make up "Wu Yong" celebrate form over function and beauty before practicality (the title "Wu Yong" translates to "Useless"). Some have described Ma Ke's work as "anti-fashion," but we see her following in a long tradition of highly creative fashion that is often more esoteric and conceptual than wearable.

Ma Ke says she is more interested in creating, "things which are the bearers of values for the future." On this basis she rejects fast fashion trends and only works with artisans using hand looms. The recent edition of Selvedge magazine tells us, "For Ma Ke the decision to work this way is part of the spirit of Wu Yong. She aims to foster in buyers a desire for objects with innate value until choosing the well-made and the beautiful becomes a natural selection."

"Wu Yong" is not just expressed in the clothes, but also in the multimedia works surrounding the collection, such as the documentary film by Jia Zhangke, which follows the progress of creating "Wu Yong" for the Paris shows in 2007 and contrasts it with footage from garment factories in Guandong. There are also the extraordinary photographs (pictured) taken by Zhou Mi, where the sculptural clothes and the people wearing them appear as if they are integral structures in the landscape. Ma Ke also produces collections under the labels Exception and Mixmind. See a couple more pictures from "Wu Yong" after the jump.

BRM Gold Manufacture Birotor BRT-3

by Watchismo

Automotive-themed, with a case, lugs and clasp made of rose gold and featuring BRM's in-house movement, the new Manufacture Birotor BRT-3 is quite the stunner. As Horomundi explains, it's "very much in the spirit of the modern watch world—a boldly designed piece that expresses from the inside out the renewed fascination of man for machinery and for the ability of watches to both be, and act as, representations of the beauty and power of machinery."

Details like ergonomic adjustable lugs, a side view see-through case and more merit the €50,000 starting price tag.

Chocolate-Pencils

by Doug Black

Chocolate-Pencils is the product of a collaboration pairing Japanese architect and designer Oki Sato with patissier (and Iron Chef champion) Tsujiguchi Hironobu, the man behind Tokyo's boutique dessert shops Mont St. Claire and Le Chocolat de H. Subtle tableware effectively displays the gourmet chocolate and includes a special "pencil sharpener" for grating over a dessert. The pencils operate under the concept that shavings, which are generally regarded as a waste product, are now the main focus.

This inconsistency of value is common with Sato, who works under the moniker nendo and states his unitary goal as providing everyday viewers with "a small '!' moment." He achieves this goal through a wide spectrum of creative products and structures since 2002 and he's also behind 2006's "one percent products," a collection of single-run products produced in limited batches of 100, thus ensuring that your item is 1% of the entire collection.

Chocolate-Pencils come in a number of different blends with varying levels of cocoa. Originally created for a Japanese confectionery magazine, look for them in one of Tsujiguchi's Tokyo shops.

Le Chocolat de H
6-12-4 roppongi - minato-ku
Tokyo 106-0032 map
Japan
tel. +81 3 57720075

New York Photo Awards Call for Entries

by Seth Brau

A new international, annual competition to launch in conjunction with the first ever New York Photo Festival, the New York Photo Awards, will honor talented photographers from all over the world whose exceptional work "breaks new grounds visually, intellectually and aesthetically." The awards will give those visual artists the opportunity to reach key decision-makers in the photographic community and the editorial, fine art and fashion worlds via inclusion in the Cool Hunting-sponsored event. Submissions will be accepted through 14 April 2008. The Awards will be announced in May during the inaugural edition of the festival. For more info head here.

Big Dreamers

by Lost At E Minor

Big Dreamers is a funny and intelligently constructed documentary that examines the efforts of a country town to stamp itself on Australia's tourist map with a big gumboot, after falling sugar prices have decimated the local farming industry. Directed by Camille Hardman and written by John Fink, it's obvious that a lot of time has been well spent putting this gripping story together. Accounts from the local identities, farmers, artists, rotary members and the resident UFO nut, as well as the main players, are combined effectively to form a coherent narrative.

The scenery, farming images and weather are all used superbly to convey the country town feeling and the struggle to get the boot built. Segments which interview the guardians of other "big" Australian eyesores provide some of the funniest moments.

The film has successfully toured festivals around the world and it is disappointing it never received a commercial release. Films like "Kenny" have proven there is an audience for this type of material.