Fashion Rio - by the Fashion Columnist Daniela Lanna

Fashion Rio, one of the biggest events on the Brazilian fashion calendar. It started last Thursday, May 27th showcasing the major Brazilian designers' collections for the Spring/Summer 2011.

The theme for the 17th edition of Fashion Rio is ‘360º City on the Move’. “Rio, like fashion, is in constant motion. We’re in a city that is constantly looking to the world, and in its focus too,” says Paulo Borges, CEO of Luminosidade, the company that organizes both Fashion Rio and São Paulo Fashion Week.

I was there for the opening to check on the hottest happenings!

Brazilian footwear brand Melissa is lauching its collection for next season during both Fashion Rio and São Paulo Fashion Week. The hit of the collection is Melissa partnering with Italian architect Gaetano Pesce, who is in Rio to personally promote the new design.

At first sight, Melissa + Gaetano Pesce is an intriguing ankle boot made of different sized plastic circles. Totally customized, the owner of the Melissa can transform it into the boot she desires by cut out  circles!!!







I was there to check it out and tried some different shapes as you can see below!!!

The Brazilian bikinis brand Salinas joined Cuba and Brazil, more specifically the state of Bahia, to design a line of bathing suits with tropical prints and bright colors.

After the show, I met my ex boss, Amanda Mujica, one of the designers of Salinas.

Salinas's fashion designer, Amanda Mujica - An unique talent!

Better known for its fancy dresses, modern and sophisticated patterns and fabrics, Acquastudio, by Esther Bauman, closed the day showing its collection. Mixing shapes from architecture and origami, Acquastudio's dresses are ambitious fashion masterpieces.

To see other brands:
http://estilo.uol.com.br/moda/desfiles/
http://elle.abril.com.br/desfiles/
http://www.portaisdamoda.com.br/

* This post was written by the Fahion Columnist Daniela Lanna

Photojournalistic pictures of Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

I am sorry to say but Eyjafjallajokull volcano created interesting photojornalistic pictures as the ones below. A sad nature event is able to make us feel in touch with ourselves.

Artists often get in touch with their inner side, mainly their flaws, weakness, traumas, emptyness, insecurities. In these pictures, anyone can get in touch with their incapability and their fragility. Anything is about to get to its end. Anything (concrete or your own beliefs) is destroyable.

You probably live in a safe place with no hairy horses.

But, believe, even not there in Iceland, we are that fragil!

Lightning streaks across the sky as lava flows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokul April 17, 2010. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

The volcano in southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier sends ash into the air just prior to sunset ON Friday, April 16, 2010.

A car is seen driving near Kirkjubaejarklaustur, Iceland

Chunks of ice from a glacial flood triggered by a volcanic eruption lie in front of the still-erupting volcano near Eyjafjallajokul

Farmer Thorarinn Olafsson tries to lure his horse back to the stable as a cloud of black ash looms overhead in Drangshlid at Eyjafjoll on April 17, 2010

* Please, check the pictures references at the title link.

Jeff Dunham - Puppet Show

Today is Sunday and nothing better than a hilarious puppet show. Don't you think? ;)

So, I have here the incredible Jeff Dunham. He is a really funny puppeteer guy. Here is a video with Achmed the dead terrorist and than another one with Achmed and Walter, an old grumpy man. You will love. Those videos have more than 112 million views in youtube (the last one here) and Jeff is an aclamed professional.

It worth watching it!

Sir Ian McKellen on Acting

This is without any doubt the most funny video I have ever seen about "how to be an actor". Sir Ian Mckellen acts and teachs us what is the secret on how to be a true actor.

Rinpa Eshidan

The Rinpa Eshidan core team is made up of Noiz-Davi, Daisuke Yamamoto, D.H.Rosen, Akari Sasai and XOLA . The group's main activities are performing in live-art events and creating videos of art in action.

As per their site, "instead of focusing on the finished project, we believe the process of creation itself is where art comes to life and our videos and live art aim to engage our audience in that process. Many people ask us how we can stand to erase the artwork we have worked so hard to create, but our focus is on the process of making art, not the end result. The good news is that the videos we make become a permanent record of the spontaneous artworks created during the filming."

Check out the videos:

Daniel Kfouri

The Brazilian photographer Daniel Kfouri won third place in the World Press Photo Award in Sports Action singles. Daniel has an interesting variety of photos that goes from homeless + soccer + carnaval + city. His pictures have a photojornalistic view. Check it out:

(Winning Photo)

Her morning elegance

A while ago I came across a really interesting music video and now it has more than 12 million views in Youtube. It was recorded frame by frame and I cant believe how long it took. Enjoy it! This is a good work worth seeing lots of times. Clap Clap Clap!

      

Top 10 Most Powerful Luxury Brands by Fashion Columnist Daniela Lanna

While mass fashion labels began to feel the effects of the recession couple years ago, brands that focused on heritage and history instead of high fashion did better. “They’ve been very quick to respond and recenter their brand positioning” explained Pierre Dupreelle, director of Millward Brown and responsible for brand analysis.


According to Millward Brown annual research, those are the top 10 most powerful luxury brands in the world:

1 – Louis Vuitton: US$ 19.8 billions
2 – Hermés: US$ 8.45 billions
3 – Gucci: US$ 7.58 billions
4 – Channel: US$ 5.54 billions
5 – Hennesy: US$ 5.36 billions
6 – Rolex
7 – Moët & Chandon
8 – Cartier
9 – Fendi
10 – Tiffany & Co.

LipDub videos in Youtube - Just for fun!

Ok, I don´t know if you consider this art or not. LipDub videos are becoming really popular in youtube and they are really fun (and funny). Here are two videos from Canada (Montreal and Quebec). Check it out!

Ice Age Director produces a movie about Rio de Janeiro

        
                         Rio (trailer) from Animatieblog on Vimeo.

This is the first trailer for Rio, a new animated feature film from Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Robots, Horton Hears a Who!). The movie is directed by Carlos Saldanha and will be released in April, 2011 (USA).

Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another - and that she’s a she - he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated and flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life’s many wonders. ‘Rio’ brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance.
 
The movie RIO will be released on 8th of April 2011 in Brazil and (I have no idea why) on 7th of April in Russia and Argentina!

Brazilian Painter Beatriz Milhazes

             
Beatriz was born in 1960 in Rio de Janeiro where she currently lives and works. She studied art at Parque Lage, a famous art reference in Rio de Janeiro (just for fun, Parque Lage was the place where Snoopy Dog´s music video clip "Beautiful" was recorded).

She is one of the few Brazilian artists that has popped the bubble and entered the inernational art market scene. Some of her great art projects have been showcased at: Passo Imperial, Rio de Janeiro - Tate Liverpool, Liverpool - Projects, Museum of Modern Art, New York - Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid - Keemper Museum of Art, Kansas City - Contemporary Arts Museum and Houston - Inverleith House, for example.

The painting "Magic of OZ" (2001) - above - was sold to a Spanish art collector for $15,000.00. In 2008, it was auctioned in the famous Sotheby´s in New York. Its original bid was $350,000.00 and, luckly, it was sold for $1,049,000.00, which means an increase of 6.000% in seven years. This was the highest bid ever conquered by a live Brazilian artist.

Some other Brazilian painters that also star in the international scene are: Ernesto Neto, Vik Muniz, Adriana Varejão, Sergio Camargo, Cildo Meireles, Tunga, Waltercio Caldas, José Resende and Rivane Neuenschwander.

Beatriz Milhazes works in the pure aesthetic style of the Pattern and Decoration movement. Influenced by her native land of Brazil, her vibrant and bold use of color and patterns creates work that is as much playful, free and psychedelic, as it is geometric, organized and rhythmic.

                            Check out the video with the artist (in English)!

Smelly Cat - Animation Site

             
There is a nice blog called Smelly Cat - What are they feeding you? with animation references. This is a Brazilian blog, so it is in Portuguese (not Spanish), but there are towsands of videos, ilustrations, designs that everyone can understand and enjoy.

                    Oscar 2010: Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

By the way, I love Phoebe Buffay!!! And I have just found out that the character's complete name is Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan.

Hundertwasser

Our reader and follower Flavia Martins suggested a really nice topic: the Dutch artist, Hundertwasser. Wich is the subject of this same post.
                           

Hundertwasser's original and unruly artistic vision expressed itself in pictorial art, environmentalism, philosophy, architecture and design of facades, postage stamps, flags, and clothing (among other areas). For Hundertwasser, art is not to be limited by any framework. An artist’s work should have an effect on all areas of life, be it on clothing or, through articles for everyday use, on daily life. In accordance with his philosophy “Beauty is a Panacea – Schönheit ist ein Allheilmittel”, Hundertwasser wanted to restore beauty and romanticism to their place in everyday life.

He endeavoured to help the hidden human longing for variety and beauty in harmony with nature come into its own. In some way, he understood art as a religion. A particular and personal religion.

Hundertwasser Achitecture

Hot springs, Bad Blumau (Austria)

Grüne Zitadelle in Magdeburg, Germany

Quixote Winery in Napa Valley

Kunsthaus in Vienna

Thermal power plant in Vienna

Thank you for the tip, Flavia!