If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Modern London Suburban Studio with Sedum Roof and Heated Paddling Pool by Ashton Porter.

North London architecture firm Ashton Porter added this fabulous modern studio with rooftop garden, heated paddling pool, full kitchen and more to a suburban home.

The studio is located in a typical Victorian suburban garden. Its main facade which faces the garden floats above a glass panel and forms a screen to separate the work space of the studio from the domestic garden.

The typical green suburban garden is replaced by a folded timber landscape characterized by a pop up landscape of activities including a heated paddling pool, a sand pit and a fire pit.

The materials of the studio make reference to the suburban context; timber cladding echoes domestic fencing, corrugated aluminum refers to inter-war prefabricated garages and a former Anderson shelter.

The studio is super-insulated and benefits from a sedum roof; heating is provided by Apple Macintosh computers with very occasional recourse to underfloor heating.

The main facade is unsupported along its full length and rests on cantilevered side walls. The wall construction is entirely from stressed ply composite panels with no hidden steel supporting frame.

Ground was first broken in September 2005 for footings and to install water, electrical, gas and communications services. The studio was ready for occupation in April 2008. Since then the garden as completed and the main house has been refurbished with a new rear addition and remodelling. This was completed in Spring 2010.

all images courtesy of Ashton Porter and photographed by Riddle Stagg

ashton porter are an architectural practice based in the North London suburbs.

Prouvé RAW. G-Star Reinterprets 17 Classic Pieces by Jean Prouvé for Vitra.

Prouvé RAW presents a collection of Jean Prouvé furniture classics – newly interpreted by denim specialist G-Star and Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra in collaboration with the Prouvé family. The collection of seventeen design classics embrace the essence of Jean Prouvé’s work, while at the same time adding contemporary colours, textiles and details.

100 feet Below Sea level - The Exhibition
One Year after Andreas Franke's visit to the Vandenberg his images of the wreck were filled with charming stories and now they are exhibited on the most relevant place possible, where the project began.

Since August 4th 2011 divers can benefit from a very special experience and find a package of 12 images placed on the hulk of the artificial reef General Hoyt S. Vandenberg located 100 feet below sealevel and approximately seven miles south of Key West.

Andreas Franke's exhibition contains the twelve works below, showing everyday scenes from past times. The stage of those scenes is the very place the pictures are now exhibited, on the Vandenberg.

The 12 Photographs:

The images are encased between sheets of Plexiglas with a stainless steel frame. A silicone seal keeps out the water. The images are attached to the ship by strong magnets which grants a damage free removing after the end of the exhibition.

Andreas says that the images are "Mystified scenes of the past that play in a fictional space. Dreamworlds, where you can get lost or you can identify with. This makes a new and unexpected atmosphere."

Visiting the exhibition with chartered Boats is possible out of Key West.

About The Ship:
The Vandenberg - From Troop Transporter to Art Gallery

The ship later known as General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was launchend in 1943. Initially it was named USSGeneral Harry Tayler and acquired by US Navy as a troop transport ship for WW II.

In 1961 the ship was transferred to US Air Force, converted to a missile range instrumentation ship and renamed to Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg. In this function the Vandenberg served US Air Force and US Navy till its military retirement in 1983.

The Vandenberg Its second career started in 1998, when the ship became the stage for the science-fiction movie "Virus". It substituted the Russian vessel Akademik Vladislav Volkov. Some of the cyrillic lettering is still visible on the hull today.

In 2008 a group of investors auctioned the Vandenberg. The vessel was transferred to Key West to get sunk and convert to an artificial reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. In 2009 all necessary preparations were done and finally the Vandenberg got sunk on 27th May 2009. The 523 feet long ship is the second largest artificial reef in the world. More information at www.bigshipwrecks.com

In 2010 was Andreas Frankes first visit to the Vandenberg. He did several dives and shot loads of pictures which should give new food to his thoughts. This was the beginning of "Life Below The Surface" and Vandenbergs last conversion so far, the conversion to an underwater art gallery.

About The Photographer:

Andreas Franke is in business for more than 20 years and nowadays one of worlds most respected advertising photographers. For Luerzer's Archive he is listed several times in "200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide" and his work is honoured with the most important awards in business. Andreas Franke in Key WestClienst like Ben&Jerry's, Coca Cola, Ford, Heineken, Visa or Nike are just a few of global brands which trust on his abilities.

Additionally to his commercial work Andreas worked on several personal projects. "Life Below The Surface" is his freshest and most sensational.

Andreas Franke on his work "In my photography I try to construct illusionistic worlds. I like to see things from a different angle and I try to create new kind of views. Thereby taking images of a sunk ship and bringing life back to the ship by filling these images with stories was always very interesting for me. By diving the Vandenberg I finally found the perfect stage and the last obstacle to realise my idea was removed.

My work is always based on a strict concept, which is photographically and technically perfectly implemented. Every little detail is part of a precisely arranged production. There is no space left for fortuity."

images and information courtesy of the artist and KeyNews

Prius Goes Plural and Creates A People Person To Introduce The New Models.

The original Toyota Prius, now in its third generation, is being joined by three new models; the Prius v coming in fall 2011, the Prius Plug-in and the Prius c Concept- both coming in spring 2012.

To introduce viewers to the growing Prius Family from Toyota, Saatchi LA devised an unusual effect for a television commerical, creating one metaphorical person by assembling 18 different human bodies - a unique way to communicate meeting the needs of multiple people.

The metaphor then unravels when the "people person" sees the new Toyota Prius models parked outside. The spot was directed by Mr. Hide (who directed the Prius Harmony spots in which the landscapes were created with people) and was mostly shot with live-action, large-scale props, and some green-screen help to create backgrounds. The spot is airing in both 60 second and 30 second versions.

The set, a suburban neighborhood, was shot using a miniature set. See how they did it in the video below.

It took a lot of people to bring this effect to life. Below is a list of the full credits.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles
Client: Toyota
ECD: Margaret Keene
ECD: Chris Adams
ECD: Mike McKay
Creative Director: Ryan Jacobs
Creative Director: Jeff Church
ACD/Copywriter: Andy Kadin
ACD/Designer: Zach Richter
Copywriter: Kimberley Ragan
Art Director: Rebecca Johnson-Pond
Production Artist: Clint Hudspet
Director of Integrated Production/Multimedia: Tanya LeSieur
Broadcast Senior Producer: Jennifer Pearse
3D Producer: Carl Deo
Prod. Co.: The Sweet Shop
Exec. Producer: Philip Detchmendy
President of Prod. Co.: Paul Prince
President of Prod. Co.: Steve Dickstein
Director: Mr. Hide
Editing Company: Bikini Editorial
Exec. Producer: Gina Pagano
Editor: Avi Oron
Assistant Editor: Sterling Robertson
Finish/Special Effects: Eight VFX
VFX Supervisor: Jean Marc Demmer
Exec. Producer: Baptiste Andrieux
Exec. Producer: Shira Boardman
VFX Producer: Donna Langston
VFX Coordinator: Douglas Scruton
Roto & Paint: Marianne Magne
Roto & Paint: Chris Fregoso
Roto & Paint: Natalia Schkliar
3D Artist: Mathias Jourdes
3D Artist: Shuichi Nakahara
3D Artist: Jerome Platteaux
3D Artist: Kevin Culhane
3D Artist: Oliver Arnold
3D Supervisor: Giancarlo Lari
3D Supervisor: Vania Alba-Zapata
Compositor: Raphael Mosley
Compositor: Andy Davis
Compositor: Mathieu Caulet
Compositor: Yann Mallard
Compositor: Stephane Allender
Compositor: Marcelo Pasqualino
Compositor: Dave Stern
Compositor: Joe Chiao
Compositor: Tony Petitti
Compositor: Colleen Smith
Music/Supervisor: Agoraphone Music/ Beth Urdang
Music/Editor: Go Home Productions/ Mark Vodler
Sound Design/Mix: Lime/ Rohan Young

Rihanna For Emporio Armani's New Fall Underwear and Lingerie Ad Campaign.

Each year fashion brand Emporio Armani chooses a new celeb to be scantily clad in their black and white ad campaign for underwear and lingerie. Shot by Steven Klein, this year's sexy siren is Rihanna, replacing last year's Megan Fox and David and Victoria Beckham.