I DON’T REALLY MISS YOU

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Lindsay Bottos embroidered these little pieces of art after a painful break up, sowing her thoughts and mementos on the clothes she wore during the summer of this romance.  The result is beautiful and haunting and something all of us can recognize.  Take a look at her other work as well, I think it’s worth it.

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

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Beautiful series of illustrations called ‘Plants’ by Rachel Levit.  (source)things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

The purpose of reading books: demonstrated by Radiohead. (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

Les Bains, a nightclub in Paris, couldn’t be saved, so the owner Jean-Pierre Marois and gallery owner Magda Danysz invited several artists and turned it into a temporary secret street art gallery.  By now, the renovations already started and all the work is destroyed.  (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

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Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal, or so does Ryan McHenry make you believe.  More here.

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

Tree Drawings is an installation by Tim Knowles, attaching drawing tools to the tips of tree branches and recording the effect of the wind on the tree.  (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

Kolle Rebbe designed this wonderful Tea Calendar for Hälssen & Lyon.  Tear of a day, put it directly in your teacup and there you go, a daily dose of tea.  How wonderful. (source)

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

David Suhami designed this animal pocket knife as part of his studio course at shenkar college of engineering and design in tel aviv, israel.  It’s meant as toy for adults who still enjoy playing with small objects.  So cool!

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

 

You can llamafy which ever words you want here.  Yes please.  More llamas.

things that make me smile via au pays des merveilles

This flower shaped Throw & Grow confetti contains seeds of wildflowers and is completely bio-degradable.  Designed by Niko Niko.  (source)

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HATCHING

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One thing I didn’t show you in yesterday’s post about this year’s Existenz week, is this installation called ‘Hatching’ by architects Gijs Van Vaerenbergh.  Together with the students from Existenz, they designed and executed this installation at one of the floors of the old Stella Artois bottling plant.  For more information, a really cool video of the construction and more photos (by me!), you can take a look here.

hatching by gijs van vaerenbergh via au pays des merveilles

hatching by gijs van vaerenbergh via au pays des merveilles

hatching by gijs van vaerenbergh via au pays des merveilles

hatching by gijs van vaerenbergh via au pays des merveilles

hatching by gijs van vaerenbergh via au pays des merveillesall photos by me

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EXISTENZ MAXIMUM 2013

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know my love for Existenz, the organization of first master students of architecture in Leuven, who make it their goal for the year to turn an abandoned building into a playground for everyone who loves art and architecture (and an occasional drink and dance), and this for only one week.  As every year, this year’s edition was a blast.  The location, the old bottling plant of Stella Artois, was breath-takingly beautiful (that light!) and I think the photos show it well, which explains the photo overload after the jump. (In case you can’t tell: I got myself a new camera (canon eos 650d) and I’m thrilled with its results!)  Continue reading

PRETTY THINGS: go green

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Since the Belgian weather isn’t really co-operating on giving us some spring, we have to do it ourselves, by bringing some green into our homes for instance.

  1. I love this ‘living wall’ created by urban landscaper Kari Elwell Katzander of Mingo Design.  Gives you some green, some light and some privacy.  Perfect.  More photos of this house here.
  2. These concrete planters seem like an easy DIY, but if you’re a bit lazy: you can also buy them at Joanna Wojtkowiak’s etsy.
  3. Jeremie Egry and Aurelien Arbet did a series called Underground, consisting of plants growing in the most unlikely places, such as these books, a cap and a jean jacket.
  4. You can use this mobile prism as is, but it is also the perfect size to hold air plants.  I’m kind of confused about what exactly air plants might be (or more exactly, what they live from), but it looks really pretty.  You can buy this ‘Himmeli’ (referring to the finish tradition of celebrating the winter solstice and serving as a means of good fortune for the future, Himmeli is swedish for sky, or heaven) here.
  5. Textile designer Isabel Wilson lives in a gorgeous home filled with plants, and -as they always do- freunde von freunden captured it beautifully.  More here.
  6. Beautiful hanging vases by textile and fashion designer Jurgen Lehl.
  7. These hanging copper and brass vases by The Workshop Gallery are handcrafted.  So beautiful.
  8. Here you can find these wonderful concrete and steel vases that do a pretty good job keeping your single flower straight.

More ideas can be found in this and this old post, or in my pinterest.

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IMPRESSIONS OF HOME

via au pays des merveillescover of a magazine to celebrate the anniversaries of the Sint-Lukas schools of fine art, flyer for Doclisboa (documentary film festival in Lisbon) and a flyer for an exhibition by Kristof Luyckx and Tim Enthoven at the Alley gallery in Hasselt

After spending 5 months in Lisbon, I came back to the same room in Leuven.  Almost every wall in this room used to be covered with photo frames, postcards, posters and everything else that reminded me of beautiful memories.  Since I’m only living here for a few more months, I didn’t feel like spending hours putting everything back up (and taking all of it back down afterwards…), but the empty version of what had been my home for the past years, only reminded me of how much I missed Lisbon.  So I moved some furniture around and put up some different stuff, making it feel like I was living in a new place.  And it worked!

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scratch world map I got for my birthday from friends (available at Urban Outfitters)  and a deer head from Tiger bought in Lisbon
photos of the ocean and the Tejo above my bed (I promise I will do a post about those later!)

via au pays des merveillespineapple postcard for the exhibition New York is an Island by Lucas Knipscher

via au pays des merveillesorigami bird I got from a guitar playing stranger I met at miradouro da Santa Catarina in Lisbon (a viewpoint seen before here and here)

via au pays des merveillesthrifted saucer, pretty rock from Morocco found by a friend, cd’s from bonobo, portico quartet, james blake, balthazar and the black keys (all new since I got back, oops, but I recommend all of them), graphic novel ‘Binnenskamers’ by Tim Enthoven (birthday gift from my sister), ‘It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be‘ by Paul Arden (recommended!)

via au pays des merveillesDIY lamp, reminding me of our amazing Existenz week

photos by me

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ITHAKA

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Last year I was very impressed by Ithaka (a yearly exhibition of visual arts organized by students), so this year I had to check it out again.  Unfortunately I was a little bit disappointed, (maybe because of the location that wasn’t nearly as impressive as the one from last year?) but these balloons filled with colored pigment by Laurens Mariën kind of made up for it.

ithaka via au pays des merveilles

ithaka via au pays des merveillesphotos by me

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