I love art. But I also love lasers, robots, holograms, light beings, space and general cybernetics. The Kinetic Art Fair is where all things future, electronic and art collide in one amazingly strange world. It’s only for this weekend and only in London. Make plans and embrace the future!

Kinetica Art Fair
P3
35 Marylebone Road
London NW1 5LS
Febuary 5th through the 7th

If I was in London, I’d absolutely be checking out the Dieter Rams “Less and More” exhibition at the Design Museum. If you don’t know who Dieter is, he was the director at the German electronics company Braun for 30+ years. No question he was a visionary.

“My aim is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential s shown to the possible advantage…”

Adam Neate’s exhibition at Elms Lester Painting Rooms opens to the public today in London– it’s entitled A New Understanding and shows off what looks to be an incredible and moving body of work. The exhibition continues until 21st November, so if you find yourself out there give it visit!

Elms Lester Painting Rooms 1-3-5 Filtcroft Street London WC2H 8DH

Gallery opening hours:
Tuesday – Friday 12.00 – 6.00pm
Saturday 12.00 – 5.00pm
Thursdays ’til 8.00pm

I wish I was in London next week to check out the Frieze Art Fair. If you’re there, pop by Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin’s booth (F11) at Regent’s Park in London. The opening reception is Wednesday 14 October, 2009 15 – 18 October, 11am – 7pm.

Black Rat Press has a Cyclops show in London– looks interesting.

This October 15, Black Rat Press presents ‘Jesus Help Me Find My Proper Place’ – a major London solo show by Lucas Price, also known as the acclaimed street artist Cyclops.

Heralded as a new star in the art world, the artist – whose familiar skeletal, giant toothed street art works with painting partner, Sweet Toof, can be seen in high profile spots all over the capital, and the world – will be exploring the fringes of society in a show which tackles narratives of homelessness, dereliction, madness, drugs and redemption.

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If you know Dot Allison's past, you know her as for dance floor friendly tracks. Just a brief walk through her history, she headed up the band One Dove in the early nineties and became known for igniting the whole acid/pop/electro whatever scene. She went solo and pushed that sound through a few phases which leads us today when she dropped Room 7 1/2 on my lap. Dance beats turn into whispers of poetry and soft strums of a guitar. Sweaty ravers are just memories and old conversations. The record sounds like the weekend she stayed in, woke up early, wrote songs and didn't look back. I love artists who have eras in their body of work. Dot is definitely entering a new one with Room 7 1/2 and I'm totally digging it.

The album is up on itunes (both U.K. and U.S.) today and if you're in London head to Rough Trade Records on Brick Lane tonight for a little record release party. Things kick off about 7.

Great recap over at Hypebeast of the opening of “Low Fidelity” at Lazarides Gallery in London last week for the very sneaky French artist Invader. The show runs through September 17th, check it out if you’re in the UK!

Lazarides Gallery
11 Rathbone Place
London, W1T 1HR
+ 44 (0) 207 636 5443

Collect London just launched a gallery style event put on at Vibe Bar in Brick Lane. Designs are entered by the public around a theme set by Collect (the first theme was ‘endangered’). Then, 100 limited edition shirts of each design are made in a perfect fit where you can choose from 6 styles in 6 sizes (fitted, relaxed, fitted vest, slim, regular, etc). Each shirt is also individually numbered. Check out some of the men’s printed shirts– great looking stuff!  Thanks Sally!

If you had to compile a list of the top body parts that we human beings tend to listen to, the first two slots on that list would undoubtedly belong to our heads and our hearts with our bladders and stomachs rounding out the third and fourth spot. The folks behind the Baileys Irish Cream brand are hoping their new ad campaign will allow “your lips” to ease into one of those top spots. To show off how they might just change the order of organs we so trust, Baileys invited us along to get an exclusive look at the filming of their new spots helmed by Icelandic director Borkur, in London last week.

The “Listen To Your Lips” campaign created in concert with JWT’s London Office is an attempt to change the way the public views the Bailey's brand. According to JWT's Creative Director Hugh Todd, current drinkers have long thought of the tasty liqueur in terms of both Christmas-time or coffee-time, rather than an enjoyable anytime beverage for the of age. While not an attempt to change the culture of their drink altogether, the idea behind their new set of adverts is to encourage flavorful alcohol enthusiasts that it's okay to get an urge for Bailey's even when there's no java or Douglas fir around.

So just how did they attempt to get that point across? Well, the miracle of the pop hook plays a big role. The three ads bring us to the three distinct settings of a bar, an apartment, and a rooftop. Each situation is beautifully paired with it's own impossibly infectious tune getting the sing-along treatment from a sufficiently sexy set of smackers. The idea ultimately equates the sudden thought of drinking a Bailey's Irish Cream with the undeniable impulse one gets to sing along with the chorus of their favorite ditty. The idea of drinking a Bailey's on ice or in any form becomes catchy rather than seasonal. The campaign also eschews the traditional sense of narrative to allow the viewer to fill in their own blanks and figure out how the spots relate to them instead of forcing a situation where
they find little to no common ground.

Judging by the action we surveyed on set with close ups on luscious lips karaoke-ing in unison with incredibly addictive tunes, JWT and commercials on their hands. We expect that they'll soon have lips around the world humming their tune and drinking their kool-aid…or Irish Cream. The ads in question are set to start making waves internationally in late July. Hopefully, we’ll be able give you an exclusive sneak peak before that to whet your appetite. If you’re interested check out some more pictures after the jump…

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Many a potential tourist lines up their very first UK visit with visions of Buckingham Palace, Stone Henge, and Big Ben dancing around in their heads, but Britain is much more than that. In addition to the fish and chips, all those limey bastards across the Atlantic have so much more to show you than royalty, a bunch of old rocks and the River Thames. You might not necessarily have seen it in your precious guide books, but that’s okay because the fine folks at Ogilvyone Worldwide Singapore have launched a site to show you “the other Britain,” the Britain of cultural innovation and much, much more. From fashion to music festivals to football, it’s all on glorious display at their alternate tourism URL that champions all things united under the Union Jack for aspiring anglophiles to eat up on their impending holiday. Enjoy, mate.

We really do love urbanism, but this isn’t just about our love of cities, it’s about an art opening. The Dalston Superstore is cutting the red ribbon with a show featuring five artist’s creating in cities around the world. Martin Wolerstam, Julia Corsado, Alex Bartolomei, Alex Nobel and Bigote Rojo (sorry no online presence) have all focused their lasers on art inspired by their urban surroundings. Very fitting for the ultra urban and uber hip Dalston district of London.

Details below:

We Heart Urban
Private View: Tuesday May 5th, 7 till 10 pm (facebook invite)
Dalston Superstore — 117 Kingsland High Street, London, E8 2PB

On May 1st, Selfridges, the high-end UK department store, celebrates its 100th birthday in style. Over the last century, Selfridges has remained on the edge of fashion and culture by collaborating with luminaries like John and Yoko, Salvador Dali and Vivienne Westwood. In October of last year, they opened a designer toy lounge in conjunction with Kidrobot.

For their 100th birthday, Selfridges commissioned exclusive apparel, accessories and products in signature Pantone 109 yellow. The collection, which will be sold in the store throughout May, features pieces by Ralph Lauren, Levi's, Converse, Simon Carter, Fender and Moleskine. In addition, the Big Yellow Festival (including music, fashion, cabaret and gay bingo) kicks off May 1st. If you’re in the old city, be sure to stop by!

One of our favorite London galleries Elms Lesters is featuring Ron English in his first solo show in England. Ron's style has created a lot of buzz for his comical and provocative take on current political and cultural issues. He titled this upcoming show LAZARUS RISING, focusing on the economic times along with a heavy religious reference. His paintings are getting more expensive with each show, but they make amazing prints and books. Rob will be at Elms Lesters gallery on May 7th for a private opening 6 to 9 pm and signing books on May 9th at noon. The exhibition runs from the 8th of May till June 6th. Hope to see you there!

Concrete Hermit is a gallery, shop and publisher based in East London that has been holding regular exhibitions of emerging talent and artists since 2007. They primarily work with graphics artists and illustrators to produce and promote talent through t-shirts, books, prints, exhibitions and related products. They hold regular shows in their own space, but also have a network area of their website where people can create a profile and collaborate on projects and promote their own work.

Pictured above are two of examples of the latest t-shirt designs for sale by artists Jody Barton (right, business name) and Supdermundane (left, owl). In June they’ll be relasing a project with the Tate Modern in London that showcases the work of three artists through exclusive t-shirts and prints– those artists will be Ian Stevenson, Anthony Burrill and Andrew Rae– we look forward to checking those out soon!

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac might have a remarkable name to say (try it) but he also has quite an impressive rap sheet considering this as his first solo show as an artist. Coming from a high profile fashion background, his artwork makes several references to his fashion career (as in labels everywhere). In fact, it isn’t just labels but brands of all kinds that infest themselves over classic art pieces. Thought provoking work to say the least.

The show is at gallery Paradise Row, a small gallery in deep East London. It is totally worth the trek through apartment buildings because once you get inside the space is amazing. Castelbajac’s show is paired with a Mad Max-type installment of wood shops and houses. The show only runs till 2 May, so get over to it quick!