Ji Lee’s Duchamp Reloaded

WE'RE SUPPORTING

I really like Austin-based artist Forrest Elliot’s mysterious, abstracted paintings. Juxtaposing thick and layered brushwork with wispy, washed-out sections, his pieces are as much about textures as they are about their subjects. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Of all the weird places the world has to offer, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia has to be one of the coolest. Literally. At 3,700m above sea level, it’s the biggest and highest salt flat in the world, where after dark, temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees celsius. The best way to explore the salt flat is to hire a 4WD and driver from the Uyuni township. En route, you can even stay at a Salt Hotel, where everything is, quite literally, made from salt: the chairs, beds, tables and even the walls. There’s no heating and the beds aren’t exactly ‘plush’, but it’s worth every salty second. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

The eagerly anticipated collaboration between Spanish footwear label Camper and Bernhard Willhelm debuted on the catwalk for the designer’s Spring 09 collection. Camper Together fuses the references and inspirations from Willhelm latest collection with Campers’ quality production techniques. Most popular is sure to be Willhelms’ take on the gladiator, with sandals constructed of ribbons and piping.

WE'RE THINKING

The work of Jennybird Alcantara is a trip, to say the least. This stuff is about as surreal is surreal gets. Think dolls, and animals, and plants, and insects, then mix it all up every which way and you’ve got the beautifully twisted paintings of Jennybird Alcantara.

WE'RE READING

Philly indie rock group Dr Dog recently compiled a crackling Secret Playlist for us which included props for songs by Cass McCombs, Thunderclap Newman, and the new time rag star, A.A Bundy, about whose track, Vice Rag, keyboardist Zach Miller wrote: ‘Good enough to be a classic old timey melody, except with more contemporary lyrical vices added. Great guitar playing’. And so it is [yup, the proof's in the audio below]. You can read more about Dr Dog’s favourite songs via the My Secret Playlist website.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a reminder of why the medium of film is so special. It features first rate visuals, performances, direction and acting, all of which fits together into one of the most insightful, powerful and touching pieces of cinema ever. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

The Kevin Ayers record Joy of a Toy from 1969 was released by Harvest Records and sits somewhere between Nick Drake and The Byrds. A record slightly ahead of its time, it was filled with enough interesting and clever arrangements and instrumentation to never bore. Girl on a Swing is my favorite tune for the tremolo guitar.