Prepare To Be Amazed. And Hungry. Over 50 Sushi Rolls Too Cool To Eat.

Here are over 50 incredibly impressive pieces of sushi. Rolled with dyed rice and vegetables and wrapped in seaweed, they are then sliced to reveal images ranging from fine art reproductions such as Boticelli's Birth of Venus to anime characters to piles of corn-speckled feces complete with flies. The sushi art rolls are both created and taught in classes by Tokyo artist Tama-chan.



On her website 'Sushi smile of Tama-chan', the artist describes her mission to 'encourage food education and enjoyment and get people to communicate' through her fun food. 'When you see that roll of rice, the thrill and excitement of not knowing what that picture will look like until you cut it is unbearable!' she promises.


above: students learning to make artful sushi in Tama-chan's Tokyo class.

Tama-chan has set up workshops offering Tokyo residents the chance to watch her make her sushi artworks and have a go under her tutelage. The images shown in this post are creations from both from teacher and students.
















































The sushi designer also offers courses in English to give foreigners the chance to prove their credentials as the next rice Rembrandt.

sources: Daily Mail, and the artist

Hilfiger Fashions Become Model Kit Pieces In This Window Display by Fabio Novembre

Italian designer Fabio Novembre has created a unique window installation in Rome's La Rinascente for designer Tommy Hilfiger's Fall Winter 2013 collection.




Titled “I Have a Lifestyle” the installation is Novembre’s creative interpretation of a man’s wardrobe in the form of those model kits whose pieces are connected prior to assembling, incorporating pieces from the Tommy Hilfiger Men's 2013 Winter Collection. Each piece is coated with navy blue nitro and acrylic paint and affixed to metal tubing.




“There are no assembly instructions for our personality. We build our model kit day by day, listening to good advices and following sweet dreams” said Fabio Novembre.

The window display went up mid-September and will come down on October 14th.

images courtesy of Fabio Novembre and photographed by  © Pasquale Formisano

Made From Cool. Christopher Walken Turns Tailor In This New TV and Print Campaign for Fashion Brand Jack & Jones.

British GQ reports that "Premium by Jack & Jones - the denim brand's preppy, tailoring-based offshoot - has unveiled none other than Christopher Walken as the face of its new autumn/winter campaign. Dubbed "Made From Cool" the brand produced a series of five short films directed by Martin Werner with the Oscar-winning actor playing a super-powered tailor, cutting patterns and shearing sheep with his bare hands, while providing the voice-over in that unmistakable drawl."



Unfortunately, the youtube films are not legally allowed to play in the US, but I was able to find all five uploaded from various countries on youtube, which may be removed by the time you read this (but I hope not). Here they are:







The fabulous music on the last film shown above is a collaboration between music stylist Jesper Gadeberg and Soundtree featuring Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds off their latest album, Push the Sky Away. The track is called We Real Cool. “Who took your measurements from your toes to the top of your head?” Cave croons as the 70-year-old actor, playing the role of a super-tailor, cuts fabric, shapes suits, and attaches buttons with his bare fingers in a dark New York City loft space.

In another one of the ads, this one showing off the brand’s premium sweaters, Walken knits at lightning speed while staring off the camera with inimitable resolve, before cutting the final thread with a scissor-like snap of his fingers.

Reportedly, Christopher Walken made an exception to his no-campaigns rule, because he liked the role and how it was especially made for him. “Christopher Walken is our favourite style icon and a great source of inspiration. The campaign is custom-made for him. He represents style rather than fashion, and his acting performances are first class craft – just as our brand”, Winnie Andersen, the head designer of PREMIUM, says in a press release.



Besides the five films, whose primary target is the online media, the “Made From Cool” ad campaign also includes print ads (shown below) beautifully shot by Danish photographer Søren Solkær Starbird who is known for his photos of musicians and artists.






Film credits:
Director: Martin Werner
Production company: Bacon
Agency: &Co, Copenhagen

Mordaunte's Coffin Shaped Gemstones & Jewelry Are A Spooky Way To Sparkle.

Mordaunte's Coffin-Shaped Gems and Jewelry specializes in semi-precious faceted gemstones, cut into a perfect 6-sided coffin shape by exclusive contract with an international gemstone company. Gemstones include colors such as Blood, Death, Shroud, Moss, Flesh, Scalded, and Pentacle. In stock sizes range from 3 to 10 carats.



"So far, I am the only one in the world that does this", states Mordaunte - owner, designer and creator (shown below).



In addition to the gemstones, she designs and creates finished jewelry in both men's and women's fashions. These include rings, earrings, pendants, and tie tacks, done in sterling silver as well as 14k gold. In keeping with the coffin-shaped design, purchases are even shipped in a cardboard coffin-shaped box. Mordaunte's clients buy her jewelry for costume decoration, funerary wear, immortalizing a departed loved one, wedding sets, and everyday wear with a "kick". "Most people don't realize it's a coffin shape until you tell them - they just comment that it's a beautiful stone", says Mordaunte, "When I mention that it's a coffin shape, they gasp - "That's awesome!". Many customers refer to her business as "The Morbid Tiffany's".




Mordaunte started her custom coffin-shaped gemstone "business" from her desk in her basement in the spring of 2000. She offered 3 different stone materials in two sizes. She then set up a internet service-provider website and went into business. Slowly, but surely, the business grew both in the USA and Internationally. More and more interest was revolving around her unusual gemstones, especially the idea of offering them in pre-made jewelry. Being in the IT field, she had never set a piece of jewelry in my life. However, after much research and "trial and error" she started setting her gemstones in oval and marquise pre-made settings.




As the business continued to grow it took on a life of it's own. Mordaunte began supplying jewelry to celebrities and rock bands that had found her online site. She was invited by the people at OzzFest to be a vendor on their tour. Radio stations and TV shows asked her for interviews. Haunted Houses, Horror Conventions and Gothic Nightclubs contacted her to be a guest and a vendor at their events. In 2005 Mordaunte re-designed the coffin gemstone shape to the perfect 6-sided coffin you see today and has added several colors to her line since then.



The coffin-shaped gems have made many a wicked woman happy and have been used as engagement rings, such as in the examples shown below.

A white topaz coffin gem surrounded by real diamonds makes for an unusual engagement ring:


above black glove image (cropped) © All rights reserved by Countessa Di Fangxious

Other jewelers use her stones as a source for their own creations, such as Lyndsay Brown of Idle Hands Designs on etsy who makes them into pendants, rings and cufflinks set in sterling silver:



shop for the above jewelry at Idle Hands

Coffin Gems and Jewelry Facts:
•All Coffin Gems are cut from genuine semi-precious stones such as sapphire and garnet
•The perfect 6-sided "toe pincher" coffin shape is exclusive to Mordaunte's Coffin Gems
•Each Coffin Gem is expertly faceted, polished and inspected by a professional gemologist
•Sizes are exact - weights are approximate (different gemstone materials weigh differently)
•Visit the Birthstones page for traditional and modern birthstone color charts
•Visit the Gemstones page for color choices and size comparison
•Each piece of jewelry is custom designed in Sterling Silver to hold the Coffin Gems, but is available in other settings upon request



Mordaunte's Coffin-Shaped Gems and Jewelry can be viewed and purchased at her online store - www.coffingems.com

"The Developer", A Beautiful Samsung Gear Spot Celebrates A Real Project by The Messi Foundation.

More and more, traditional :30 and :60 second spots from large marketers are paling in comparison to their branded content that they are calling "short films" - if you can call a two minute digital video a short film. The latest is this beautifully produced musically-inspired spot for Samsung (who also recently released "Dreams," a 2:57 minute digital short for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, that was cut down to a minute long tv commercial for air, and is shown at the end of this post).



Told from a child's perspective, "The Developer" is a musical short film by Samsung featuring world-renowned footballer and Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, Lionel (Leo) Messi, and the hit single "Royals" by hot New Zealand Pop Star Lorde.


above photo of Lorde by Simeon Patience.

The beautiful 2 minute branded content was created by Leo Burnett, Chicago and is a dramatic retelling of an actual project completed by the Leo Messi Foundation. Directed by Adam Hashemi the film has wardrobe designed by Paco Delgado, who was the costume designer for the film version of Les Misérables.



In case you didn't understand what's happening in the spot (and I'm not trying to be pedantic here), a mysterious stranger arrives in a low income neighborhood and captures the imaginations of the children who live there. He is "The Developer" and the children view him with a deep suspicion.

Together with his Samsung GALAXY Note 3 and GALAXY Gear, The Developer effortlessly masterminds a secret construction project. Using the latest in Samsung technology including Action Memo, Pen Window, Scrapbook and hands-free call capability on the Gear, The Developer orchestrates and executes his mysterious mission.

The children watch in awe. They reflect on their current situation by singing New Zealand Pop star Lorde's breakout hit "Royals," a song about overcoming her own humble beginnings.

The spot concludes with a beautiful new pitch that has been constructed in the toughest part of town. The Developer is revealed to be the world's reigning football star, Lionel Messi, fulfilling his personal mission* to help under privileged children.



The events in this story are a dramatic retelling of actual projects completed by the Leo Messi Foundation.

* The Leo Messi Foundation

CREDITS
Client: Samsung
Spot: "The Developer"
Agency: Leo Burnett, Chicago
Executive Vice President, Creative Director: Shannon McGlothin
Senior Vice Presidents, Creative Directors: Brandon Rochon, Adam Kennedy
Creative Directors: Guy Seese, Brian Murphy
Senior Vice President, Account Director: Radim Svoboda
Account Director: Benjamin Haynes
Account Executive: Cameron Zick
Senior Vice President, Executive Producer: Jen Dennis
Producer: Keith Jamerson
Vice President, Music Director: Gabe McDonough
Senior Music Producer: Chris Clark
Senior Vice President, Global Strategy Director: Huw Gildon
Senior Vice President, Strategy Director: Steven Yuan
Senior Strategist: Marton Harsanyi
Production Company: Furlined
Director: Adam Hashemi
Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Editing: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Mikkel EG
Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver
Music Supervisor: George Drakoulias
Sound Designer: Gus Koven, Stimmung
Mixer: Loren Silber, Lime Studios
Music Production Support: Amber Music
Postproduction: The Mill


"DREAMS"
In case you haven't yet seen the complete cut of Dreams, here it is:


Credits for Dreams:
Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, L.A. / Chicago, USA
Global Chief Creative Officer: Mark Tutssel
Creative Directors: Shannon McGlothin, Brandon Rochon, Adam Kennedy
Designer: Luis Farfan
Creative: Sarah Kraus
Account Director: Radim Svoboda
Account Director: Benjamin Haynes
Account Executive: Cameron Zick
Executive Producer: Jennifer Dennis
Producer: Sean Pinney
Production Company: Prettybird
Director: Roc
Editorial: Peepshow London
Editor: Andrea MacCarthur

For more information about the GALAXY Note 3 and Gear, click here.