Lauren Nassef

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Stephen Doitschinoff, aka Calma (a Lost At E Minor banner artist), recently opened a solo exhibit entitled Novo Mundo at New York’s Jonathan Levine Gallery. The Brazilian street artist’s work is somewhat unusual and exudes an appealing spiritual vibe as he embraces the fantastical and dark imagery of churches painted in female wombs. Calma has developed his own unique language and style through imagery that creatively blends Afro-Brazilian folklore with Baroque religious iconography. ‘I personally see the church as an archaic institution that always aimed to control the masses. I think it is an appropriate symbol for corrupt modern institutions like big corporations, media channels and governments,’ he Calma. Novo Mundo is on show through until December 22.

WE'RE THINKING

If ever there were an apt description of our time, it would be that we are the ‘mobile generation’, in every sense of the word. We are a people of movers, we are offered choice on so many levels. And, in this way, we are far removed — both in ideology and practice — from those generations before us, who were generally more static and certainly less transitory. Read more

WE'RE READING

When I did the Master Cleanse diet a few years ago — the one where you consume nothing but lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for ten days — I sat at work looking at pictures of food as if they were porn. Scanwiches would have gotten me hot and bothered like nothing else.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

I caught Chicago’s Ga’an the other night at the Empty Bottle, and they blew me away. I’d never heard of these guys, but they make driving, gothic prog sounds like satanic Krautrock with guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and the night I saw them, a female vocalist. There is no distinct frontman, but for me, drummer Seth Sher’s intense and precise playing was the highlight of the show.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

The Dutch, the beautiful Dutch, in terms of architecture anyway. Here they have led the way again with this reuse of an old crane dock. A new glass office building, with a climatic façade of double glazing, motorized louvers on the outside and full length windows on the inside, hovers above the old dock. Read more

WE'RE WATCHING

In surf culture circles, the second half of 2009 belonged to Modern Collective. Six of the world’s most innovative surfers taking on world-class breaks suited to aerial surfing. This is no Endless Summer soul-search; it’s a film about the new generation of surfers creating a new style of surfing. Throwing ridiculous airs is hardly a new thing, but the stuff these guys are going for – and landing – has been blowing minds. Surf magazine execs scrambled for early viewings, and as they held clandestine meetings in darkened apartments around director Kai Neville’s MacBook Pro the opinions were unanimous; the game has been changed, for good. This is the biggest surf film release in years, possibly decades. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Do you want to be transported back to your childhood dreams? Check out Nike’s latest Dunk Hi for grrrrr girls. Pink, red, green, yellow, blue, white and, wait for it, a golden metallic orange. Oooohhhh. Be your own Rainbow Bright on a mission to save Rainbow Land. Just in time for the London sun, too.