Dubai's Own Little World... Literally.

The World, A series of man-made Private islands in Dubai representing the world map, created and developed by Nakheel was just finished last month.



Nakheel, one of the world's largest property developers, laid the final stone on the breakwater for The World on January 10, 2008. The last rock was one of 34 million tonnes of rock that were used to construct the 27 km breakwater which surrounds the 300 man-made islands that make up The World. The World team was on hand as the last rock was placed at 8:00am that morning by Director Hamza Mustafa.


Above: An actual aerial shot of the completed islands

This historic moment marked the completion of the first phase of one of Dubai's most talked about landmarks, which included land reclamation requiring 320 million cubic meters of sand dredged from the sea and the creation of the breakwater that surrounds the 9km wide and 7kms long island destination. The next phase involves handing over islands to developers for construction and building of infrastructure.

The Master plan:


from their own press release:

Last week the final stone on the breakwater for The World was placed and reclamation work was completed – exactly to schedule. With reclamation completed on time, Nakheel will be moving onto phase 2 of the development of The World. Islands are being handed over to individual developers who will shortly begin construction work on the individual islands. These islands are sold by invitation every year to carefully picked developers who will bring creative experiences to the island destination.

The World will become one of the most exclusive tourist destinations on the planet. From 2010 more than 40 luxury resorts will start to open. Different world class brands and names will offer fine dining, spas and luxury boutiques, idyllic vacation homes, spectacular marina, yacht and beach clubs and scuba diving, snorkeling and dive centres.

How big are these islands?
The islands will range from 150,000 square feet to 450,000 square feet in size, with the average island measuring approximately 300,000 square feet. The average distance between islands is 50-100 metres, with an average depth of water surrounding each island at 8-16 metres.

How much to buy an island?
Prices of islands on The World range between $10 million to $45 million approximately

Below are images of the dredging and creating of the islands:





Photos upon completion:

FACT SHEET

* The World involves the creation of over 300 man made islands that are designed to represent the world map
* The vision for The World project was provided by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister and was officially released on September 21, 2003
* The islands will be built in the shape of the world map and consist of four protective breakwaters on the outer perimeters to provide shelter from long and cross-shore waves. The inner breakwaters will be a submerged reef and the outer breakwaters will be above water
* Located just off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, The World is located 4km off shore from a point halfway between Port Rashid and The Palm, Jumeirah
* Construction of The World commenced in September 2003, after many years of research. The project is scheduled to be completely raised from the sea in 2008.
* Investors will have the freedom to create their own personal vision on the islands for private or commercial use, whether it is for leisure, residential or tourist developments. The 300 islands will be offered for sale on a freehold basis to selected investors only
* Nakheel will hand over the islands to the investors once the land has been reclaimed in 2008.
* The World will measure approximately 9km in length and 7km in width. It will cover over 9,340,000 square metres, and will add 232 kilometres of beachfront to Dubai’s coastline.
* All of the islands will range from 150,000 sq feet to 450,000 sq feet in size, with the average island measuring approximately 300,000 square feet
* 326 million cubic metres of sand will be used to form the islands
* 32 million tons of rock will be used to construct the breakwater
* The islands prices range from US$ 10 million - 45 million
* The average distance between islands is 50-100 metres, with an average depth of water in the navigation channels of at least 5 metres
* The World will be a sophisticated network of islands - Nakheel will integrate a series of waterways, canals and lakes to enhance the overall design
* All 300 islands will only be accessible by marine or air transport, with world-class marinas to berth boats, yachts and cruise liners. 2 mainland marinas will service The World. 4 hub islands in The World will service the islands.
* Construction on The World is round-the-clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
* The main Contractors for The World are Van Oord ACZ Marine Contractors Gulf FZE - Dubai who are responsible for land reclamation, dredging works and the breakwaters. This is the largest project Van Oord has undertaken in the region
* The jumbo trailers being used to build The World can handle 20-25 thousand cubic metres of sand at any one time and require a water depth of at least 12 metres to operate.

So what will life be like on these islands?
Here's a peek at one development underway, Coral island (accompanying description courtesy of Nakheel):



A hideaway of sea, sand and sky, Nakheel proudly brings you its first private island development within The World. Introducing Coral Island, an exclusive residential and resort sanctuary that elevates escape to an art.



Coral Island promises a one of a kind setting that creates the ideal hideaway for indulgent island living. Located in the North American quadrant of The World, the island is close to major transportation hubs and is only a 15-minute boat ride to and from Dubai’s mainland. Coral Island is a unique combination of absolute privacy and proximity to everything The World offers. Be part of an island community that is perfecting paradise. Overlook a pristine beach, enjoy five star amenities and visit a vibrant marina area providing indulgent comforts and conveniences. Exquisitely designed homes will be available for those seeking an island escape with private beachfronts in a secluded cove setting.



Coral Island offers visitors and residents a diverse range of pampering experiences and amenities designed to make the island a luxury escape.
Stroll the boardwalk and indulge at the island’s restaurants, beach club or many shops. Unwind on the private beach or with a delightful spa treatment.



Retreat to your incomparable beach home; enjoy the views, sounds and comforts of home. An island hideaway that invites you to escape to the good life.

Coral Island will take approximately three years to complete with a target date for residents to move in of 2010.



Nakheel is one of the world’s largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for living, business, and tourism.

Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai across a range of sectors - residential, commercial, retail, and leisure. Nakheel’s developments spread across more than two billion sq ft of land, and its projects are projected to be worth US$60 billion. Upon completion Nakheel’s waterfront projects will have added more than 1000km of shoreline to Dubai’s coastline.

Nakheel’s portfolio currently includes The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali, The Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City, Dragon Mart Complex, Dubai Promenade, and Dubai Design Centre.

Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world’s largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across five continents and more than 100 countries.
Further information can be found at www.nakheel.com.

Below are 2 videos about the World project from you tube. Both are older promotional videos.


For more information on pricing, size, design, construction, etc, read here.

China Edges Out France As The 3rd Largest Art Auction Market

China occupies 3rd place in the global market

In the international rankings by sale proceeds, France, which is usually up in third place behind the United States and the United Kingdom, was deposed this year by China, thanks to the dynamism of a number of international auction houses.

It should be said that this year no less than 75 sales in excess of the million dollar mark were achieved there, with a top price of HKD 66 million (USD 8.5 million) for a work by Cai Guoqiang, an all-time record for a contemporary Chinese work, followed by two modern artists Beihong Xu (HKD 64 million) and Chen Chengbo (HKD 45 million). With rapidly-growing national demand and artists achieving explosive price levels, China can now compete with New York and London when it comes to orchestrating Fine Art sales with million dollar proceeds. This time, the most prestigious sales are not the prerogative of Sotheby’s and Christie’s.


Above: Cai Guo-Qiang, A Certain Lunar Eclipse (Project for Humankind No.2) 1991
sold for a record $568,880 at Christie's Hong Kong on May 29, 2005. His more recent work below was part of a series of 14 paintings that sold for 8.5 million USD just last November!


Above: a series of 14 of his gunpowder paintings sold for $8.5 million USD (66 million HKD) November 25, 2007 at Christie's, Hong Kong.


Above: Chen Chengbo's Danshui which recently sold for a record price of $4,478,149 HKD

The rise of China is also reflected in the number of auction houses and the volumes sold. Thus, with sale proceeds up by +78% between 2006 and 2007, competition is hotting up between the British and American auction houses and their local counterparts. At the end of the year, Christie’s still dominated its direct competitors, Poly International Auction, Sotheby’s and China Guardian with Fine Art sale proceeds of USD 197 million. But many fast-growing smaller-scale auction houses held their own with annual sale proceeds in excess of one million dollars, as was the case for Beijing ChengXuan Auctions, Shanghai Hosane Auction, Hua Chen Auctions and Beijing Council International Auction. In total, a hundred or so auction houses now organise prestigious catalogued Fine Art sales in China.

This market is also very attractive for the western market leaders such as Bonhams, which held a debut sale in Hong Kong on 26 November 2007, or Artcurial which inaugurated Artcurial China (Shanghai) with a first auction in January 2008.*

Furthermore, the arrival of China on the international art scene is all the more noticeable in the particularly buoyant and competitive contemporary art market. In 2007, there were no fewer than 36 Chinese artists in the Artprice ranking of the 100 leading contemporary artists by sale proceeds, with the unbelievably meteoric Zhang Xiogang in second place ahead of Jeff Koons!

Even the high profile American stars can’t withstand the appetite amongst collectors for young Chinese artists. Just 5 years ago, only Cai Guoqiang made the Top 100. With the arrival of these highly speculative artists on the international centre stage, the whole face of contemporary art at auction was radically changed in the space of a few months. Of the 35 contemporary artists having achieved million-ticket sales, 15 were Chinese. Suffice to say that, with such price levels, these artists are particularly newsworthy and they only need to appear in an auction catalogue to guarantee a successful sale. Speculation is also rife, the price levels of contemporary Chinese artists having increased by +780% since 2001! Some of them have seen their prices multiplied by ten in a few years.


Above:"Tiananmen Square," by Zhang Xiaogang, recently sold for just over $2.3 million USD (16 Million HKD)

One of the emblematic figures of this extraordinary growth is Zhang Xiaogang. Introduced at auction for the first time in 1998 with Blood Lines Series No.54 & No.55, a diptych sold for GBP 5,000 (EUR 7,117) at Christie’s, his market reached another dimension with a first series of million-ticket sales in October 2006 at Christie’s London for Big Family Series. One month later, he reached HKD 16 million (USD 2 million) with Tiananmen Square, a large-scale 1993 canvas, presented at Christie’s Hong Kong.


Above: Zhang Xiaogan, A Big Family, 1995, Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery,
More of his series of family portraits can be seen here.
And here.

In November 2007, his Family Portrait (1994) achieved USD 4.4 million in New York. His total 2007 sale proceeds amounted to USD 57 million, including 15 lots auctioned for more than a million US dollars. Amongst the artists performing most strongly we could also highlight Yue Minjun, ranked 4th by sale proceeds, with an auction record of GBP 2.6 million (USD 5.3 million) for Execution at Sotheby’s London. He is followed by Zeng Fanzhi, with a record of GBP 2.45 million (USD 5 million) at Phillips de Pury & Company in London.


Above: A work from Zeng Fanzhi's Mask series. Jasmine Fine Arts collection, Singapore Art Museum

In May 2007, Chen Yifei set a new record for an avant-garde Chinese work with Eulogy of the Yellow River: CNY 36 million (USD 4.7 million) under the hammer at China Guardian. He has since been seriously outclassed by Cai Guoqiang with a series of 14 drawings (one of which is shown above) which was snapped up for HKD 66 million (USD 8.5 million) at Christie’s Hong Kong Asian Contemporary Art sale on 25 November 2007.

With their media profiles now very high, these new stars not only headline the specialist Asian sales in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, but also the contemporary art sales in New York and London at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, alongside Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Richard Prince.
(source: Art Price, Feb. 08)

*The French auction house Artcurial, which in September formed a joint-venture with the Chinese group Sun Media, held its first sale in Shanghai on Sunday. Estimated at 40-54 million RMB (3,8 and 4,7 million Euros), the sale of modern and contemporary Chinese art went beyond expectations with a total of 60 million RMB (5,6 million Euros). The lots were mainly bought by Chinese clients, proof of a vigorous Asian market. Indeed, of the 72 pieces presented, only one was left unsold: Night Lifes n°2 by Li Xiaojing.

Here are some links to contemporary chinese art sites:
The Chinese Contemporary
The Goedhuis Contemporary
88-mocca.

Product Pick Of The Week: think/thing's Nestt Child Car Seat

Let me start off by saying I have spelled the name of this product correctly. Sadly, in some other articles and press, the product has been misspelled as "nesst".

Apparently the Nestt by think/thing is presently in production and has been approved by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It must be expensive because it's falling into the 'luxury' category as stated by both the designers and other reviews.

In addition to its organic modern egg design, the Nestt uses a steel safety cage in its skeleton with memory foam cushions that clearly provides enormous side-impact protection for young children.

For the "I'm-so-hip-I'm-bordering-on-space-age" baby!





Learn more about it here.

2013 UPDATE: Sadly this never came to fruition and Think Thing seems to have disappeared.

Four Fabulously Fun Finds For The Home

The Archangle Floor lamp in Bilbao pattern ( traditional gothic stained window) or Rio (colorful modern abstract pattern). Screenprinted polyester fits over a standing floor lamp with a white matte metal base. From Sipure Design.



The Inside Outside Cabinet. A wall mounted composite medicine cabinet from Authentics. In bright yellow, it has line art of bottles and items you find in a bathroom or medicine cabinet, only printed on the outside. Available here.


Salt and Pepper in One by Munire Kirmaci, 2006
Sharing the same housing this holds both your salt and your pepper in one simple modern object. Tilt one end to dispense salt and the other for pepper. Made of stainless steel and rubber plugs.



Available in the male for or female form, these classical busts called ART relic's are coated in a chalkboard finish so you can graffiti them as you like! Made by Seletti, they come in a limited number and arrive in a crate, just like a real relic. I LOVE them!
Buy the Art relic busts here.

At 395$ A Bottle, You Won't Be Beer-Bonging This Brew.

Above: Bottles of Vintage Nr. 1 sell for $395 USD and have 4 different labels designed by Frans Kannik.

Danish brewery, Jacobsen Brewhouse (owned by Carlsberg), has produced the most expensive beer in the world. The crown jewel has been named Vintage Nr. 1, and comes corked and wax-sealed in a slender, misty green bottle, just like a bottle of vintage champagne.



The unique brew, named Vintage Nr. 1, possesses a complex mix of flavors; with hints of prunes and port, the beer also has a distinct smoky caramel and vanilla aroma.


Above: The beautiful packaging


Only 600 bottles have been brewed and in a very short time the expensive brew has become a hot topic among international beer connoisseurs and journalists alike.

Vintage No.1 has, as the only contemporary beer, been matured in J.C. Jacobsen's original crypt-like cellar from 1847, for six months in new Swedish and new French oak barrels. "The project started as a wild idea and a wish to create a new type of beer that had never been seen before. During the aging process in new barrels, lots of chemical processes take place. Not all reactions are known but they taste wonderful", says Jens Eiken, Head Brewer at Jacobsen.

The beer will be sold mainly through three up-scale restaurants in Copenhagen, Denmark.


Above: each label is a hand stilled litho depicting Danish Fables


Each bottle of Jacobsen Vintage No. 1 is labeled with an original hand stilled lithographic print made by the Danish artist Frans Kannik. The prints depict fables of Sif. Sif was married to the Nordic god Thor, who was often used by Carls Jacobsen as a symbol of strength. 


Above: Artist Frans Kannik

Beer Facts (from the brewery):

•The Jacobsen Vintage No. 1 is a barley wine with an ABV on 10.5%

•The grists contain Maris Otter pale ale malt, Maris Otter Imperial malt and caramel malt. Invert sugar is added during the four hours wort boiling as well as bittering hops, in the shape of Challenger and Target, and aroma hops in the shape of Bramling Cross and Fuggles.

•The beer is fermented at 25°C with English ale yeast.

•The beer is matured in new Swedish (the oak is from Hjo in the middle of Sweden and the barrel is bought through Thorslundkagge) and new French barrels (Cote dór barrels) for six month.

•The beer has flavours of vanilla, smoke, caramel and port from maturing on Swedish or French Cote dór oak casks. The bitterness is soft and intriguing.

•During the production and aging of a barley wine, Maillard reactions are continuously caused which adds caramel, nut and yeast aromas to the beer.

•In Jacobsen Vintage, you can taste different personalities in the beer in the form of Maillard, Schiff, Amador and Strecker.
(source: carlsberg group)

Wanna buy a bottle? go here.

Your Toast Will Have To be Worthy: Diamonds In Glass

We've seen them in rings, in ears, in noses, nipples and teeth. And now...in glass.

Friends With You & Santogold Have A Tickle Party!

Film and animation by Friends With You.
Music by Santogold.

Learn more about it here on Zune-Arts.

And don't forget to check out the downloads, lots of fun screensavers wallpaper and icon sets from Friends With You on Zune. Even Valentine's cards to download and print out!

See it all here.

The New Yorker's Eustace Tilley Gets A Makeover

 

Above: Rea Irvin's original Eustace Tilley as he first appeared on the cover 

 Recently, New Yorker Magazine held a contest asking readers to redefine Eustace Tilley, the magazine’s presiding dandy. They received nearly three hundred ideas, from the erotic to the pontifical (their words).

The Adi Dassler Stop Motion Animated Film For Adidas

Adidas has created a wonderful little microsite that includes this charming stop motion animation film about the founder of Adidas by Stink TV's Martin Krejci. The site was built by 180 Amsterdam Digital.

Enjoy.


Don't forget to visit the whole site and poke around...

Not A Shiny Happy Couple? Valentine's Gifts For The Rest Of Us

Think Cupid is Stupid? You're not alone.

Valentine's Day isn't all hearts and candy for everyone. With the single population higher than ever, divorce rates increasing and those whose hearts are on the mend, here are some products for those who'd rather celebrate the St. Valentine's Day Massacre than the holiday.

From "Go Intercourse Yourself" lip balm to the Unwedding Ring, the dejected, dumped, divorced and dysfunctional deserve to get a gift on feb. 14th too.

Just click on the image below and you'll be taken to the place of purchase.

A Case of Unrequited Love:New York Doesn't Heart Gucci.

In a ridiculous turn of events, Gucci's latest campaign to launch their flagship store in Manhattan is under fire from New York City officials for using the I heart NY slogan.



Read on: Gucci "Loves" New York, But City Not Returning Sentiment
By Margaret Brennan

The relationship was renewed only three days ago and yet Gucci's love affair with NY is already hitting a stumbling block. New York City's Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) is challenging Gucci's use of the 'Gucci (loves as symbolized by a heart) New York' slogan on its new limited edition bags.

Why? The ESDC is the economic development arm for the State of New York and it owns the trademark to the marketing campaign "I (love as symbolized by a heart) New York." They did not give Gucci permission to use the slogan. Gucci's CEO already met with the agency and negotiations are continuing this week. Take a look at the Gucci campaign here.

Gucci designed around 600 of the bags to commemorate the opening of its 46,000 square foot NY flagship. The proceeds from all sales will go to the Playground Partners Central Park Improvement Program. In other words, Gucci [owned by PPR which trades in France] doesn't financially benefit from the design itself. They do hope that the NY-store exclusive would help drive traffic to the new flagship.

Kinda makes me Not Heart New York.