More Space Invaders Watches With A Price Tag That Is Outta This World from Romain Jerome.

The watchmaker Romain Jerome is best known for his luxury watches that incorporate the DNA of legendary things and landmarks. Inspired and paying tribute to historical events of the last century, each watch integrates the DNA of a legend such as the Titanic (made with rusted steel from the wreckage), The Moon (made with actual moondust), The Statue of Liberty (a bronze bezel which recalls the Statue of Liberty's crown) and EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL (made with Volcanic ash and black lava rock). Each timepiece comes with a certificate of authenticity issued by a third party. As one would expect, these are very highly priced.

Now, he has collaborated with legendary video game maker, TAITO, to release his second round of limited edition SPACE INVADERS watches. Last year he introduced a white and multi-colored version (shown below).


above: Romain Jerome's first Space Invaders watches were available in multi-colored and an all white version coated with Superluminova so it glows in the dark


Now, the new SPACE INVADERS WATCHES come in four colors with a special blue one for Paris store Colette. The price is over $15,000 for the watch. Why? Read on.

Having inherited the highly distinctive case of the Moon Invader collection (a round shape inside a cambered 46 mm square), the SPACE INVADERS watches have kept the same steel coalesced with fragments of Apollo 11. The four functional ball-and-socket joints on the corners of the case are shaped like the legs of the lunar landing modules of the American lunar missions. These extremely sophisticated components mounted on axles anchored in the case hold the lugs of the rubber straps and enable the watch to adjust to all kinds of wrist sizes.



Embodying another tangible token of the space age symbolised by the SPACE INVADERS collection, a dedicated plate made of Moon Silver RJ – a silver alloy with an extremely low oxidation rate incorporating moon rocks – appears on the stellar-patterned back of the watch and reproduces the lunar surface.




The dial is very complex and consists of three layers: the first two are beadblasted and the "straight graining" gives a pixelated aspect to the third layer. Measuring around 3.5 mm each, the SPACE INVADERS are meticulously machined one by one, applied by hand and lacquered in various colours. These pixel invaders are a playful nod that transforms watches into inspired "talking pieces" capable of creating a distinct sense of affinity with those who wear them, and who revel in the chance to thumb their noses at classic watchmaking conventions.

The first release of the new collection is especially made for Colette, the über hip store and gallery in Paris.




The pixelated figures (aliens) are the emblematic blue color of the store for a limited edition of eight pieces, only available in the trendy boutique. Buy it here

The SPACE INVADERS are available in four other colours (red, green, purple and yellow) and have started their incursion in all RJ-Romain Jerome points of sale worldwide. Limited editions of eight pieces per color, five new colorful legends have made their entrance at RJ-Romain Jerome.






Check out the two-part video of the watch being made:



The price? $15,368.43 (£11,753.12) (€14,900)
Maison Romain Jerome

An Up-Close Look At Damien Hirst's Spin Flag For The Olympic Closing Ceremonies.

Artist Damien Hirst’s giant interpretation of the union jack flag filled the entire floor of the Olympic Stadium as part of the magnificent celebration of the arts in Britain.



In recognition of his central role to British art, a specially commissioned work by Hirst was included as part of the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. The colossal 130 meter wide red, white and blue spin painting covered the entirety of the Stadium floor and was filled with the celebrating Olympic athletes as they entered the arena. It is the largest reproduction of a Hirst piece ever produced.




The work, entitled ‘Beautiful Union Jack Celebratory Patriotic Olympic Explosion in an Electric Storm Painting’ (2012), was described by the Olympic committee as epitomising, “the dynamic, anarchic energy of British Pop Art.” It forms part of Hirst’s iconic series of spin paintings dating from the early 90s. Originally inspired by spin stalls at school fêtes, Hirst describes the paintings as a, “massive explosion of energy, full of life, colour and optimism”.



A selection of key spin paintings, including a collection which rotate mechanically in eternal replication of their fabrication process, can currently be seen at Tate Modern’s major ‘Damien Hirst’ exhibition, on display for the Olympic period until September 9th.



Under Artistic Director Kim Gavin, the Closing Ceremony – entitled ‘A Symphony of British Music’ – was a celebration both of the achievements of athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the significance of Britain’s contribution to the international art and music scene over the last 50 years. Since Hirst first came to public attention in 1988, when he conceived and curated ‘Freeze’, an exhibition in a disused London warehouse of his own work and that of his contemporaries, he has become widely recognised as one of the most influential and renowned artists of his generation. Hirst's contribution is acknowledged by Tate Modern's staging of the largest survey of his work to date in the UK as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympics.


images © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2012

The final result:





above images courtesy of AP and Reuters

CONSTRVCT Interactive Fashion Collection Reaches Its Funding Goal. Time to Design!

above: a dress and t-shirt made by designing digitally online and then printed and sewn for you by CONSTRVCT.

Having successfully reached their funding goal on kickstarter ($11,250 were pledged of their $10,000 goal), you're bound to hear more about this unique idea by Mary Huang & Jenna Fizel.



CONSTRVCT is an interactive fashion collection. You can design your own wearables that are then printed and manufactured for you. Custom designed art and images are uploaded to your choice from various classic garment silhouettes, digitally printed on jersey fabric and then sewn in your size and packaged by CONSTRVCT.



It is a new system of digital bespoke, where the web and computer driven design and production mediate the creation of unique designs. The name "Constrvct" refers to this act of creation. The collective goal is to create a social fashion label that reflects the creativity of the people who wear the clothes.

How it works:
Starting with a few classic silhouettes, everyone is invited to create their own designs by uploading photos or images that are turned into digitally printed clothing on double knit cotton jersey like simple dresses and t-shirts.

The example shown below is using a photo that Jenna took of stained glass in Barcelona:


When a design is ordered, the artwork and the cutting pattern are printed onto fabric with inkjet textile printing (this allows them to create production runs of 1 in a streamlined manner):


Voila! - Mary wears a dress made from Jenna's photo of the stained glass:


For the Jersey dresses, sizes US 0-16 available, in standard, petite, and tall. They can also do custom sizing.

The clothing can be custom sized, and your name printed right into a tagless "label" on the garment. Plus, custom packaging with your fabric swatch and initials:


Their larger vision is to be able to achieve truly crowd-sourced fashion design, where anyone can publish their own fashion collection, with full production and retail ready to go.



The team, shown above, is Mary Huang and Jenna Fizel. Mary in NYC and Jenna in Boston, they have backgrounds in building cutting edge interactive experiences and have a history of creating exciting ideas in experimental fashion design.


CONSTRVCT

The Saietta, A Zero Emissions Electric Urban Motorcycle Perfect For Commuting.

Saietta represents the first meaningful redesign in motorcycling in a generation. Its unparalleled handling and revolutionary styling have set the benchmark for performance and design across the industry. Available in three core colors (red, black and white) or 8 optional colors (including the chrome), the electric motorbike has had glowing reviews and awards. The all-day-long range, unmatched handling and impressive power are all that you could ask of an electric vehicle.



The Saietta, built by Agility Global, Ltd. in London, is the world's first production composite monocoque chassis (like a Formula 1 car) in a motorcycle. The Agility battery envelope is the structure of the motorcycle - minimizing weight, increasing strength and combining to give you, the rider, the most direct and tactile control possible.

The Saietta S



Distinctive and desirable, Saietta S is the next generation of electric urban motorcycle. The light weight provides lithe maneuverability. Fun, fast and sporty, Saietta S is a high profile way to get around town.



The Saietta S acceleration is lightning fast, from 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Its total weight of 135 kg means you can whip the bike around town, faster than any other mode of urban transport. 50 miles range with 46 peak horsepower makes for easy riding, and at 20 pence for 50 miles, you will never notice the cost of riding.



Optimised through intelligent design and ground-breaking engineering to invoke a near-perfect user relationship, Saietta's exceptional maneuverability and instinctive ergonomics expand your riding abilities and heightens the senses.



New Recyclable flax body panels


The Saietta's sustainable design features including body panels made using flax fibres. With additional deflector panels made using a range of bio-composite materials including hemp, kenaf, jute and cellulose.



Given the new type of body panels, Saietta is even more sustainable than ever. With a powerful electric drive train and upwards of 85% recyclable parts, when and if Saietta ever comes to an end of its useful life, the parts can definitely be reused and recycled:


Saietta R
Muscular and aggressive, Saietta R is our flagship, next generation electric urban sport motorcycle. With huge, low-down power and understated cool, getting on is like riding a relentless wave of torque through the city.



The Saietta R acceleration is beyond fast, from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds. With exceptional emphasis on concentrating its masses in the most compact overall package and shortest possible wheelbase, the Saietta R has a cocktail of power and razor sharp handling which intoxicates. 112 miles range including a 12 mile reserve, and 120 Nm of torque, the R model is a fast, aggressive ride, and at 45 pence for 100 miles, you will never notice the cost of riding.



Optimised through intelligent design and ground-breaking engineering to invoke a near-perfect user relationship, Saietta's exceptional manoeuvrability and instinctive ergonomics expand your riding abilities and heightens the senses.

Features:
The Agility battery envelope IS the structure of the motorcycle - minimising weight, increasing strength and combining to give you, the rider, the most direct and tactile control possible.

Next Generation Drive-train: harnessing the efficiency of Agility's "Drive-Torque Geometry Control" integrated transmission and Ultra-High Torque Axial Flux Electric Motor. Seamlessly smooth, extremely powerful, and instantly responsive. Regen capable: able to recover energy during deceleration.


Advanced "Wide-Base Variable-Geometry"™ Unequal Length Front Double-Wishbone suspension for extreme steering and suspension control throughout the performance envelope.


Unique Agility "Instinct Steering Geometry"™ for intuitive feel and superlative handling from walking pace up through to blisteringly fast.


Ground-breaking "Drive-Torque Geometry Control" integrated transmission and suspension system for optimised suspension control during aggressive acceleration, giving maximum corner-exit traction, and greater stability when accelerating and breaking.


For complete technical specs, to book a test drive or purchase a Saietta, visit their site here.

The Loop Runs Circles Around Other Modern Outdoor Showers.

The Loop is a freestanding polyethelene shower system that can be used indoors or outside is available with colored LED lighting for indoor or outdoor use. Oh, and did I mention how crazy cool looking it is?