De Juepuchas is a Colombian duo created by Diego Maldonado and Andres Silva to explore, with a creative approach, the soundtrack of a generation raised in Colombia in the 80s and 90s.

The voices of beauty queens, TV shows, politicians, retro slogans, and soap operas — all part of the collective memory — are mixed using digital resources, recreating a musical experience full of nostalgia, self-reflection and energy. De Juepuchas will perform this month in the Nem-catacoa Festival, near Bogota. along with Jamiroquai and The Bravery.

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Young Colombian artist and photographer Daniel Santiago Salguero creates images from simple digital photographs to personal diaries which drive a world of imagination, colors and unique perspectives.

Two months ago, a very special and unique place opened in Barcelona: TAKE IT EASY, an anti-stress space. Inspired by The Eagles song, Ramón Regada created a comfortable area in the district of L’Eixample in which people can unplug and take a short nap in hi-tech massage chairs. It is aimed at workers with only short time after lunch to take the famous siesta. And all for just five Euros. Regada asks each customer to write down a phrase or word after taking the nap and each week he selects one as a banner in the front window of the space.

Cosmonaut is a feature film project by Riot Cinema Collective and the first participatory film in Spanish cinema to date. The project uses the Internet collaboratively under free Creative Commons licences and, with the help of viewers, aims to create alternative finance, creation and distribution platforms for independent films. By inviting viewers to be a part of the production process of the film and give them access to all content created, Cosmonaut intends to engage the audience and jointly develop a closer and more transparent relationship.

The dynamic and interesting metropolis of Chicago was the epicenter of a huge phenomena early this month. Heavy storms of rock and roll mixed with indie winds and intense electro sun rays smashed Grant Park. More than 250,000 people were reported wearing wristbands, fashionista hats, sunglasses and shorts. They danced for three days, non-stop. After an overdose of musical heat and good vibes, the only word they would say was Lollapalooza! [Photo via Frumpyali]

Lollapalooza is one of those epic music festivals around the world, just like Coachella or Glastonbury. It was created by Perry Farrell, the former singer of Jane’s Addiction, in the early 90s, and after some bad years, it was back in shape with an incredibly eclectic lineup featuring huge artists like Depeche Mode, Tool, Lou Reed, Snoop Dog, alongside contemporary bands like The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Arctic Monkeys, and DJs like MSTRKRFT, Boys Noize and even the 9 year old guitar prodigy, Yuto Miyasawa.

The location had eight stages and dozens of tents with everything a music festival fan needs, from bottled wine to hammocks. The two main stages were 10-20 minutes away, depending on the human traffic jams and the smaller catchy venues on the way. The most vibrant corner was Perry’s, where the electro beats trapped thousands during the three day party. The most happy corner was Kidzpalloza, a sort of kids garden in the middle of the festival. Awesome.

This year’s Lollapalooza experience started with a gray, muddy and rainy friday. Bon Iver, Crystal Castles, Peter Bjorn and John, and The Decemberists were some of the bands playing in the park under the rain. The closing acts, Kings of Leon and Depeche Mode, blew the clouds away for the rest of the weekend.

A sunny and dry Chicago greeted the crowds for a second day of surprises, like the energetic performance of Miike Snow, Santigold’s cover of The Cure’s Killing an Arab, and the outstanding show given by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who replaced the legendary Beastie Boys, who unfortunately cancelled as this day’s closing act. When you forget the lyrics of one of the most popular songs and the crowd doesn’t care and support, your show must be spectacular. Karen O did it.

Sunday was hot. The stunning skyline was the perfect frame for unforgettable shows by Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, and Kaiser Chiefs. Two very different legends appeared on stage before the closing acts: Lou Reed, not fulfilling the crowd expectations, and the powerful Snoop Dog, with an impressive crowd management act. The finale was reserved for the popular Vegas boys The Killers on one side and the host’s former band reunion on the other: Jane’s Addiction. Both acts stamped the festival in the memory of all the spectators. One unforgettable weekend. One amazing city. One answer to the i question: ‘would you go again to Lolla?’

Yes.

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Like-minded people from more than sixty cities around the world gather the third Friday of each month to share ideas and enjoy coffee (or tea, check the recent trends) to network in a human way. Face to face. Likemind meetings don’t have structure: they are free, organic, and without agenda. Participants exchange ideas, projects, tips and contacts, while also discussing what’s happening in their cities, the net, art, business and culture. The initiative came from trend consultant, Piers Fawke from PSFK, and Noah Brier, head of strategic planning at the Barbarian Group in New York. They have been gathering creative minds for over two years under the simple but powerful concept of Likemind meetings.

Federico Ruiz, aka Astronauta Perdido (The Lost Astronaut), is a passionate photographer from the vibrant city of Medellín, Colombia. Faces, signs, parties, and movements are condensed into powerful photographs which have been featured  in local newspapers and magazines such as JPG. His work is a demonstration of this adventurous spirit. Last year Federico’s photos were part of Colombia Connect, a display of young Colombian talent in Taiwan, and this year he was a part of the London expo, Colombia y su Riqueza, held at the London School of Economics.

Miru Kim is known as the ‘naked urban photographer’, a fearless artist who walks around naked in abandoned spots in cities such as New York, Paris and Berlin. She has photographed various familiar urban settings, such as abandoned subway stations, tunnels, aqueducts, factories, hospitals, and shipyards. Her series, Naked City Spleen, is a dissection of places built and forgotten and somehow exposed by the naked body of the artist. She also founded Naked City Arts, a not-for-profit art concern in downtown Manhattan, helping young artists to further establish their careers.

The team that created Polapremium, where you can still buy vintage polaroid cameras and film, have just launched The Impossible Project, looking out for the future of instant integral film, which feeds polaroid cameras. The objective is to restart production of analog integral film in 2010, so they have acquired from Polaroid old equipment and a factory in the Netherlands. Now they have a year in which to re-invent instant film. They’re looking for ideas and support through their website, with the mission being to innovate not just to rebuild.

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Rock al Parque is the largest open-air free music festival in Latin America, held at the el Parque Simon Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia. This year the main guest, as usual, was the heavy rain. However, more than 300,000 people enjoyed the powerful and eclectic tunes of 45 bands from England, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, America, France and, of course, Colombia, since the aim of the festival is to showcase upcoming local bands. The Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogota is in charge of this unique open party, which has been gathering youngsters from all the corners of this ten million city, and beyond, for fourteen years.
During three days of rain, mud and rock’n'roll, the enthusiastic audience enjoyed a metal loaded Saturday, with bands like Carcass (England), Ratos de Porao (Brazil), and Paradise Lost (England), along with local bands, Koyi K Utho and Masacre.

A wet and vibrant Saturday saw the Cumbia-ska of Panteon Rococo (Mexico), reggae from Chile from Gondwana, local ‘funny punk’ performed by Odio a Botero, alternative rock by the avant-garde Babasonicos (Argentina), and a great closing act by the awesome Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

And a cold, emotional and unforgettable Monday took in Sergent Garcia’s ‘fusion-vibes’ from France, experimental rock from Mexico by Austin TV, and the incredible Bloc Party, with the remarkable voice of Kele Okereke who made this edition of Rock al Parque memorable.

After three days of the worst weather and the best music in my hometown, now battling with a fierce cold, I can say this festival is the must amazing scenario of tolerance around the music spirit in the world.

Have you heard about Scour yet? If not you will. It is quickly emerging as the most serious competitor to the Google search engine, with an approach based on votes and comments from users focusing on relevance. It delivers search results from Google, Yahoo and MSN, and the best feature is that each time you search, vote or comment, you receive points which can be exchaged for VISA gift cards. Sour gives you one point for each search, two points for each vote and three points for each comment. With around 6,500 points, you will receive a $25 VISA gift card. Not bad for doing something you’re doing now anyway for free.

Mozzarella is the new sushi in New York since the opening of Obikà (pronounced Oh-bee-KA), Manhattan’s first mozzarella bar, at 590 Madison Avenue. It’s like a sushi bar that uses buffalo mozzarella instead of fish, and has been a hit in Rome since 2004. Obikà, from the word obiccà, means ‘Here it is’, in Neapolitan. Its innovative concept focuses its offerings on the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, a premium cheese, along with recipes and artisanal products from Italy. The minimalist and modern style of the Obikà kiosks also throughout Rome, Milano, London, Turin, and very soon, in Kuwait City.

Inspired by surf and skate culture, Brazilian illustrator Apo Fousek brings some fresh brushes to the Latin American artspace. With emotionally loaded characters and lines, his drawings reflect a very particular vision of human beings and their environment. They are innocent and mature, causing deep reflections in the viewers mind.

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Picture this: a crowded bullfight ring in downtown Bogota, under the moonlight of the brightest full moon of the year, surrounded by gigantic, colorful buildings. Suddenly, the lights turn off. From the top of Colombia’s tallest building — the Torre Colpatria (almost 200 metres high) — a white angel descends, dropping feathers on his way down to the arena. Sounds like fun? This scene is the introduction to Tombés du Ciel, or Fallen from the Sky, directed by Pierrot Bidon from Les Studios de Cirque de Marseille. They were the main attraction of the XI Iberoamerican Theatre Festival, which was held in Bogota in March.

La Silueta is a design studio and editorial house from Bogota, Colombia, with a select portfolio of new artists’ books (Nicolas Paris, Doble Faz, and others), local street art and the publication, Chino Magazin. They work with museums and cultural organizations on design-based projects, taking a disruptive approach to their creative process.

Something ‘stinks’ on Latin American walls, and we like it. This vivid, powerful graffiti from Stinkfish, a proud member of the Excusado Printsystem collective, recently featured in Japan’s PINGMAG. He is one of the most visible street artists of the region. It’s impossible to ignore his gigantic and aggressive traces and brushes all over Bogota streets.

Chalk cliffs, a cold blue sea, and undisturbed beech woods are some of the amazing landscapes you can enjoy in Rügen, Germany’s largest island, located in the Baltic Sea. The island’s main city is Binz, which is full of seaside resorts and exclusive spas. Kap Arkona is another interesting spot. This beautiful little village has two lighthouses, the smaller one constructed by famous architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1827. [photo via GFX Master]

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Postdesigner — aka Gabby Nathan — is a young graphic artist from Tel Aviv, Israel. She was born in Bulgaria, lived in Angola as a child, and landed in Israel, where she studied Graphic Design at the Holon Institute of Technology. Her passion: character design and illustration. Gabby’s eye-catching work can be enjoyed in paintings, street art, tv commercials, animated series’ and toy design. Her handmade plush toys are unique characters with sweet personalitites, like Igor Bolshoy the dentist or Sheldon Rosen, the cute skeleton. [see also the plush toys of Eyebone]

1,660 square kilometers of volcanic landscapes, beaches and extremely comfortable weather emerges in the Atlantic Ocean, just a few miles off the coast of Africa. Welcome to Fuerteventura, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The island is a martian paradise, where you can experience yellow, purple, and red sunsets, gorgeous wide, shallow beaches — which are perfect for kite surfing — and desert dunes sculpted by fierce winds from the Sahara. The so called Island of Eternal Springs is just three hours from continental Europe.

Hailing from Mexico City, Zoe create sophisticated melodies — as reflected in their song, Love. The group has been nominated for Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album in the upcoming Grammy Awards and just as a fine tequila with lemon and salt explodes in your throat with all passion the flavors can summon, so too does the energetic live set of this rock group ignite emotions across their homeland. Their music is in line with that of other interesting Mexican bands such as Kinky and Plastilina Mosh.