A team of science researchers and designers has developed a prototype for a plant-based container to replace the much-maligned plastic water bottle. Led by designer Francois Azambourg and Harvard University’s Donald Ingber, whose work focuses on biologically inspired engineering, the initiative to completely rethink the transport of water has resulted in this newly unveiled model after two years of experimentation. The project was recently displayed at the research and exhibition space Le Laboratoire in Paris, including documentation of the entire design process, both the breakthroughs and the stumbling points as the team sought the proper materials and composition.

The pouch-like invention finally arrived upon represents a clear departure in design from the common bottle. Made from brown algae, this new creation functions as a more sustainable container than the plastic sort made from petroleum. It’s also closer to nature in its form and function, echoing the membrane of the biological cell. In the quest to preserve the natural world then, the message appears simple: borrow from it.
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Jesse Hazelip is an artist firmly rooted in the now. Equal parts street and fine artist, the Oakland-based Hazelip has crafted an iconographic language based on global headlines, warfare, and the political monotony of repeated mistakes. His upcoming solo show, Belle of the Brawl, centers on the recent discovery of lithium in Afghanistan and our ongoing occupation of the country. It also demonstrates Hazelip’s ability to infuse the Middle East conflict with a contemporary angle — rare amongst artists of his generation. His work is a provocative, yet painterly call for intellect and revolution, created out of a deep inner need for resolution. Mingling his telltale herons and buffalo with Islamic geometry and scientific renderings, Hazelip’s new paintings reveal a primal relevance rooted in history, politics, and the latent desire to be better human beings. With this show, it’s clear that he’s moving beyond the substrata of modern-day street art, revealing a heightened focus and sharpened point of view that repeatedly begs the question: how are we going to change these patterns? Jesse Hazelip spoke candidly with PLANET about some possible answers to that very question.
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Seseña Nuevo is a deserted mini-city built some 40km from Madrid, in the middle of a barren landscape. Also known as “Francisco Hernando Residential” after its constructor, this phantasmagorical site hosts 13,508 flats. The site was built without any regard for urban planning or basic amenities, such as water and public transportation. Seseña Nuevo began rising from the ground in the year 2000, during the construction boom that took place in Spain. Perhaps it was Francisco’s hope that the angry voices of the buyers of his flats would be enough to force the authorities to accept the new landscape and bring all the basic public services to this new city. However, this was not the case: it turns out that in 2009 only 3,000 houses had been sold to some unlucky speculators. Approximately 2,000 of the apartments have been transferred to the property of banks as credit payment. The lack of legal guarantors and the fierce reaction of local authorities have frustrated Francisco’s intentions and made Seseña Nuevo the symbol of speculation in Spain. For those driving down highway A4, towards Toledo, this useless mass of concrete will loom in the horizon for years to come.
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There is a British rock star living inside Masayuki Nakano and Michiyuki Kawashima of Boom Boom Satellites. The Japanese duo — who are superstars in their home country — let this alter ego take full effect on their best-of album Over And Over. Boom Boom Satellites combine crunching electronics with melodic rock riffs to put a spin on the traditional four-piece ensemble with their powerhouse of two. Most of the material on Over And Over has not previously been released stateside, including explosive album opener, “Kick It Out” from the full-length, ON. Oasis is channeled on “Let It All Come Down” where vocalist Kawashima lets forth the full strength of Liam Gallagher’s nasal twang in his delivery. On “Moment I Count”, The Prodigy is emulated without apology, complete with snarling lyrics and static-laden sound-clashes. Alternatively, “On The Painted Desert” is a moody orchestral piece that draws heavily on the psychedelic aspects of Primal Scream’s Screamadelica. Much of what is heard on Over And Over has found its way onto an anime screen — and that is the most appropriate space for these manga characters come to life.

Buy this at iTunes. After the jump, check out the video for “Kick It Out”.
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Artist, curator, entrepreneur, and observer of Japanese society, Takashi Murakami is, without hesitation, one of the most respected contemporary artists today. His solo show will be on display at Gagosian Gallery in Rome from until January 15, 2011. The exhibit consists two epic paintings: ”Dragon in Clouds – Red Mutation” and “Dragon in Clouds – Indigo Blue.” The paintings are each comprised nine panels and measure an awe inspiring eighteen meters long. These enormous red and blue monochromatic paintings are a step in a new direction from Murakami’s usual techno inspired, color saturated work. Rendered in the artist’s distinct style “Superflat,” Murakami employs classical Japanese painting techniques to depict anime and pop culture. For the purpose of this exhibition, Murakami’s draws inspiration from inventive 18th century Japanese artist, Soga Shōhaku. Shōhaku‘s cloud and dragon paintings, called “Unryūzu” were hung in Japanese Buddhist temples, embedding a sense of strength in the culture of the Japanese people. Murakami’s giant re imaginings of these rich iconic images of dragons underscore the same sense of strength only this time in mammoth proportions.
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There’s an old Chinese proverb that says “an accidental meeting is more pleasant than a planned one.” In fashion-speak, this paradox in logic simply means that sometimes the last thing you intended to happen can turn out to be quite a welcome surprise. Such is the revelation being made by emerging niche clothing label, InAisce (pronounced “en ah-skuh”; in Gaelic, it means “in vain”), which has been growing an impressive army of female devotees –– despite the fact the line was conceived for men. I recently caught up with Jona, the enigmatic designer behind InAisce, at his busy Brooklyn studio to find out what, exactly, all the fuss was about –– and to try some of it on for size.
      I arrive to find Jona cutting muslin pattern samples by hand. Soft-spoken, but direct, he’s layered in pieces from his own collection, including black twisted-seam pants which are molded to his legs, and dark military-ish boots that play with the illusion of being dusted in snow. That’s the first thing you notice. The second, are the rows of quietly subversive garments hanging along old overhead ropes –– the sartorial equivalent of being caught in a beautiful, dark storm. Having just helped a flustered intern re-thread an uncooperative serging machine, a game of musical chairs begins as he whips around the room. The continual left-right-left hopping from industrial sewing machine to monstrous pattern-cutting table is not unlike watching a tennis match –– albeit played with scissors instead of racquets.
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Elod Beregszaszi is a London based artist who specializes in paper art and engineering. His creative enterprise, “Popupology”, has brought him internet popularity, and his work has been seen in store windows, galleries, and hotels in the London area. Beregszaszi’s work with this delicate medium has lead to some spectacular creations of folded and cut designs. ”I guess I am trying to look for a language of folding; so with this series I want to cover as many cut & fold variations as i can to maybe find out some of the underlying visual (3D) and pattern (2D) principles.”
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Keb Darge and Little Edith’s Legendary Rockin’ R&B is like the best jukebox ever. Not because it has your favorite songs in it, but because no matter which combination of buttons you push, something great is going to play. This should not come as a surprise as compiler Keb Darge (with the assistance of Little Edith) — one of the original purveyors of Northern Soul in the UK — is highly knowledgeable about music from the middle of the last century. Scratchy, lo-fidelity, and grounded, Rockin’ R&B is obviously what the Beatles were listening to and trying to emulate, at least originally. Teddy (Mr. Bear) McRae & His Orchestra rollick away on “Hi’ Fi’ Baby” while Marie Knight with Teacho Wiltshire Orchestra sasses her way through the saucy “I Thought I Told You Not To Tell Them” and the Mariners turn playful on “Zindy Lou”. Lonesome Lee closes out this collection with the creeping tones of “Lonely Travelin’”. By selecting these 20 tracks, Keb Darge and Little Edith have done all the crate digging for you, and narrowed down the best.

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Buy this at iTunes.

Alejandro González Iñárritu, the Mexican film director working in Hollywood, is a man whose search for meaning is relentless. In all of his films, from the first hit, “Amores Perros”, to the latest, “Biutiful”, the protagonists search for meaning in an often meaningless and cruel world. But unlike directors like Darren Aronofsky, Lars von Trier, or Gaspar Noe, whose films sometimes veer toward grizzly hopelessness, Iñárritu always provides redemption in his otherwise quite heavy films. There is always an element of hope in them that feels neither indie film heavy-handed nor Hollywood-cheesy.
      In Iñárritu’s new film, which opens in limited release tomorrow, Javier Bardem plays Uxbal, a hustler on the streets of Barcelona. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he spends the remainder of his life taking care of his two small children, dealing with his estranged, bi-polar wife, and acting as a liaison between the corrupt police and the African and Chinese illegal immigrants who make a living in the counterfeits business. His tragedy is that of a basically decent man who has to do indecent things in order to survive.
      I recently caught up with Iñárritu on his short visit to New York in order to discuss his work. Sitting in the lobby of the Mercer hotel, his dark eyes gleaming with vigor, he talked about existentialism and his life experiences, which have influenced his work.
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