Two Americas

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Biological weapons delivered by cyborg insects and animals sounds like a nightmare scenario straight out of the wilder realms of science fiction, but it could be reality, if a current D.A.R.P.A Pentagon project comes to fruition. Sydney based artist Dean Christ’s new Cyborg Animals art series explores the concept of the militarisation of nature by doing a mash-up of real insects and animals and retrofitting them with munitions platforms. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Architect Jean Nouvel is on a roll. His projects are popping up everywhere, but this may be the grandest. In choosing Nouvel’s design, the competition judges stressed that this ‘is the most important act of architecture since the Eiffel Tower’. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

When my uber-creative and slightly eccentric twin brother announced one day that chainmail would be making a return, it only confirmed that he’d missed out on the fashion genes. But after checking out the fingerless chainmail glove in Toby Jones’ new collection — My hands are tied — it now appears he had a legitimate vision. Working a look straight out of a Mad Max scene, Jones’ designs will have us accessorizing in true post-apocalyptic style, using everyday objects as adornment. But you don’t need to be cruising around town in a black Interceptor to appreciate them. Be your own character with chain swinging padlocks and multi-purpose shoelaces. It’s about time you got your hands into something different.

WE'RE THINKING

Yum, yum, cupcakes are fun. These creations are so clever, so arty, so damn bizarre that it would almost be a shame to eat them. Almost! Read more

WE'RE READING

Interior design website, Apartment Therapy, just posted some amazing pictures of ’70s rock stars in their parents’ homes. My favorite is of David Crosby and his dad [below]. The two look so completely opposite of each other that it’s hard to believe that it’s Crosby’s real dad. They also look like they’re barely concealing the contempt they have for each other. Crosby’s father was an Academy-Award-winning cinematographer who shot Tabu and High Noon, amongst other well-known films. Read more

I don’t get Flight of The Concords. I just don’t find it funny. I also don’t get most comedy these days. It’s so derivative and clichéd. Everyone wants the same laughs. I like comedy that pushes the boundaries in strange ways. Fonejack is one underground unit that have had me rolling around on the floor with their real life skits. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Yat-Kha are a stunning Tuvan band that combines throatsinging and traditional folk music with straight-up rock. Their album ReCovers is an awesome collection of covers of songs by Led Zeppelin, Joy Division, and Motörhead among many others, reflecting their general approach to music on the rest of their impressive catalog. Despite the modern elements, the Moscow-based group still conjures the vast steppes and endless skies of the small Russian republic in southern Siberia.