Archeologists Of Shadows, Volume 1: The Resistance, is a graphic novel that has been in development for more than five years. Writer Lara Fuentes and artist Patricio Clarey, based out of Spain, have collaborated with Septagon Studios to publish A.O.S., with editing and adaptation by Preston Park Cooper. It contains more than 100 pages of immersive story and art that combine drawing, sculpture, photography, photo manipulation and digital painting.

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One giant leap for mankind! This eco version of bullfighting is called bull-leaping, a sport where the man, and not the bull, risks their life. In this competition, the armless ‘recortador’ invites the bull to charge, only to avoid his fury at the last second. The athletic leaps and summersaults reminds me of a brave dance of courtship between man and animal.

Ginger Muntz is a Spanish girl who studied graphic design and later fashion design. She loves music, playing washboard, and especially drawing vintage stuff.

‘Indecent sinners, you are!’ screamed a Spanish granny, waving her cane at a gaggle of naked cyclists. Across the street, a passerby dropped his shopping bags, stripped to his tennies, and sprinted off to join the pack. This is Madrid’s annual Ciclonudista, a bike event in which hundreds of brazen activists gather in the nude for a rollicking ride to raise awareness for bicycle culture in the Spanish capital.

In conjunction with Critical Mass and the World Naked Bike Ride day, Ciclonudista calls for a safer, greener, and more bike-friendly city, beginning with the creation of bike lanes in Madrid. Complete with a police escort, traffic came to a complete standstill as the mass careened down boulevards and plazas in a whirlwind of breasts, butts and spokes. Riders were armed with wigs, masks, blow horns and boom boxes strapped to their baskets. They used squirt guns to ward off the myriad of bystanders, who whipped out cameras at the sight of a white rump. That this year’s ride fell on a cold and rainy Saturday merely hindered activists from reveling in the fountains outside the Royal Palace as they had in past years.

Located in the glorious Balearic Islands, just off the coast of Spain, this equally magnificent, 8,500 square foot Casa Son Vida villa was designed by the Dutch founder of Mooi, Marcel Wanders, in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based tecARCHITECTURE.

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The story of this electro-pop duo begins with a pair of high school sweethearts and arrives now at their debut release, Goodbye Friend, Welcome Lover, which reached number two on the Canadian campus radio charts. We got the inside word from them on the music that inspires them. They started with the Delorean song, Grow [listen below]: ‘We first heard of Delorean while on tour in Spain. They were all over the Spanish music press. Then we finally heard them on the indie radio station playing in the van. Mucho bueno’. [Read the rest of Hexes and Ohs' Secret Playlist]

This Shoulder Brooch is part of the Be Free As A Bird Collection from Spanish label, Itunube. A black leather brooch inspired on birds and designed to be wear on your shoulder while wearing a t-shirt, a pullover, a dress designed to give a cool and unique touch to your clothes. It’s made out of black, high quality leather.

Spanish artist Pepa Prieto weaves intricate and elusive narratives with her innocently psychedelic style — smiling creatures tangle into each other and matrixes of magical machines and bear-skin-clad people explore faraway lands, all playing their role in perpetuating the bustling civilization Prieto depicts in her pastel-colored paintings, installations, and murals.

Situated between the hip El Born and Barceloneta neighborhoods in always stylish Barcelona, Spain is an unassuming narrow boutique where shelves are lined with all things olive. Here at aptly named OLIVE, Delicatessen del Mediterraneo, an awe-inspiring collection of olive oils sit beside a plethora of olive-oil based cosmetics, soaps, creams, gels, and any other olive-related product one can dream up. Sourced mainly from Spain, in addition to France and Italy, this olive smorgasbord is headed up by a charming Frenchman who also pushes organic cosmetics and chic kitchen design goods. So next time you’re keen on taking up a Mediterranean diet, make a b-line to Barcelona to stock up at OLIVE’s.

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Butter is so 1979. These days, it’s all about olive oil. But not just any olive oil; organic, Slow Food, artisanal, extra-virgin olive oil, of course. Still, that’s not always enough. To this, add one a world renowned designer and you’ve got one of the most in vogue kitchen-must haves: LA Organic. A hundred years ago Spanish nuns near Andalusia were producing olive oil from century old trees. Today, those same stellar groves provide LA Organic with their sumptuous olive oil. Using old-school methods, the artisans behind LA Organic create top-notch oil, continuing in the region’s traditions and in celebration of the land.

And while their techniques may be dated, their designs are certainly not. Acclaimed contemporary designer Philippe Starck, blended minimalist labels and tones against a quirky structure in his unique, stand-out series of cans, bottles, and containers for the full LA Organic collection. So even if you can’t afford a Starck-designed kitchen, table, or even chair, you can certainly indulge in these quirky — and tasty — bottles to put in the kitchen.

I love this surreal series of illustrations by Spanish artist Jericho Santander.

I didn’t think there were many cooler buildings in the world than the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain -until I stumbled on another of Frank Gehry’s architectural masterpieces in the unassuming village of Elciego. Deep in the heart of the Rioja wine region, the Marques de Riscal is a luxury hotel, and its contemporary style is certainly at odds with the historic, green surrounds. However, if you’re not prepared to fork out for a meal at the restaurant, or upwards of 600 euro a night to stay there, you can forget getting any closer. Unpaying guests aren’t allowed through the gates, and you’ll feel like a nosey neighbour trying to peer over the towering fence for a glimpse. Even still, it’s definitely worth a try.

Okay, so these days we have global warming, rising sea levels and terrorism to deal with. But you’ve really got to feel sorry for the hapless souls who lived in the seventeenth century, especially if they happened to live in the Basque village of Zuggaramurdi. In this picturesque and seemingly tranquil village, the infamous witch hunts of the Spanish Inquisition reached fever pitch — and it was in the town’s caves that hundreds of alleged “witches” were burnt in front of cheering crowds. Today, you can take a tour of the creepy caves, and in June every year, the locals hold a night-long party in the caves to celebrate the summer solstice. If you dare, you can even stay in a witch-themed auberge for the evening. Spooky stuff!

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Dinner at La Terraza del Casino in Madrid is, without a doubt, a once-in-a-lifetime gastronomic experience. Commanding views of Madrid at night are overtaken only by the even more breathtaking, sometimes absurd, always surprising, cuisine. Executive Chef Paco Roncero, protégée to the infamous Ferrán Adrià of Barcelona’s El Bulli fame, is the master behind this untouchably creative, gastronomic achievement. Here, there is no menu.

And as the food arrives, it is clear that nothing is as it seems. Sublime olive oil butter is offered up in what looks like a miniature tube of toothpaste, then a walnut and truffle sponge is followed by ‘Chocolate – grass’ and ‘SpherifiCAted Olives’. The latter is served, jiggling, on a porcelain spoon, to be downed in one bite that instantaneously bursts and oozes on the tongue. A dozen-plus small dishes later, dessert arrives: ‘Coulant – Nitro with hazelnut dust’, prepared tableside, liquid nitrogen steaming out of its container and all. The whole experience – from dessert to tapas and everything in between – is an awe-inspiring molecular gastronomy masterpiece, saturated with transcendent flavors and dazzling creations.

Officially, Avec is first and foremost a wine bar. Yet, a few minutes in this vibrant, energetic Chicago-based space and it’s quickly evident that it’s so much more. Set in a long, narrow honey-colored room wrapped in cedar and hickory, with five communal tables and red oak seating, the atmosphere is loud and boisterous, filled with lively conversation and music to match. Within this James Beard Award Winning designed room, rustic cuisine, charcuterie, and cheese from the Mediterranean regions of Southern France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain are served as small and large plates.

The wood-oven, roasted flavors that dominant the menu are rich and representative of local foods, like Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates and prosciutto with peaches, ricotta, and mint. And of course as a wine bar, Avec’s list is abundant with over 130 affordable bottles from the region and 30-plus wines available by the glass to encourage tastings and experimentation. The long lines around Avec speak to the success of their formula (and their no-reservation policy), but if you’re not in the mood to wait for hours, check out their equally intriguing, more formal – and expensive – sister-restaurant, Blackbird, just next door.

I am one of those typical New Yorkers who only wears black in winter. But this winter is different. With the economic crisis, and all the rest of the bad news, I have to fight the darkness in the world by wearing colors, and lots of them. Spanish designer Sybilla is known for her original designs and unique color schemes, but she is virtually unknown outside of her mother country and Japan, where she is super popular. Her younger brand Jocomomola is perfect for this gloomy winter.

Freelance designer Alex Trochut uses typography, illustration and a solid idea to create works that communicate to each brief. He states that he doesn’t want to choose a particular style but instead enjoys ‘expressing himself and communicating though the needs of every project’. And his formula has worked: his clients include The Guardian G2, Nike Football, and my pencil-case favourite, Faber and Faber.

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On my recent visit to Barcelona, my love for Animal Farm led me to the Plaça de Geroge Orwell. There I discovered Oviso. The tiny café features hand painted walls and low wooden benches, where inhabitants enjoy great coffee for €1 and discuss music, beer, photography and the hordes of tourists that bustle just beyond the quiet square.

Photographer and web designer Jan Sochor was born in the Czech Republic but moves between South America and Europe often. Over the past five years he has lived and worked in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, the Czech Republic. His photographic work ‘focuses on showing and documenting the Latin American continent, the everyday life, social and cultural issues’.

This is the new solar thermal power plant outside Seville in southern Spain. The tower is surrounded by a field of 600 solar reflectors that focuses the light into a receiver at the top of the tower and converts the concentrated solar energy into steam. The steam is stored and then used to drive turbines that produce enough electricity for 6000 homes. One can only wonder what aliens would make of this tower bathed in what could only be perceived as a celestial light.