UFO Sighting

Few things compare to the sweet sensations of warp speed, weightlessness and endless Blade Runner references. Leave it to Citroën to bring our intergalactic imaginations to life with their recently unveiled spaceship for the Milan furniture fair. Designed by Ora-Ïto, this fantastic piece of space machinery takes a page from the the Citroën DS, giving space travel a whole new level of sex appeal and providing a welcome reprieve from our critically-amassed vintage Americana. (It also provides the perfect excuse to play the Tron soundtrack while scrolling over the images). Not exactly sure where this would go in the house or loft, but my god, if there was ever an excuse to move that Star Trek bean bag, this, my friends, is it.

[via Today & Tomorrow]

In Focus: Oliver Spencer

Spoiler alert: I'm a huge fan of Oliver Spencer. And what better way to start the all-American weekend then with a little made-in-England flare? If you're in London or New York over the weekend, I highly recommend you pay his shops a visit and witness the magic for yourself. Forward designs, subtle flare, and a finely crafted brogue firmly planted in the past. And if that's not "memorial" enough for you, I don't know what is.

HBTV Oliver Spencer: One Foot in the Past, The Rest in the Future from HBTV on Vimeo.

The Rock and the Rococo

Just when I think the now infamous Take-Away shows can't get any better, Battles comes along to prove me wrong. Leave it to the futuristic trio to warp the idea of a "proper" venue, splashing their post-modern electronics throughout the renaissanced corridors of the Bertrand Salon with a sound that could easily peel the gold off the walls. I liken it to the soft purrs and squeeks of a mathematical dinosaur waiting to pounce (with wine, of course), eventually culminating in a deeply angular experience of both history and hysterics. As I always say, if it ain't baroque, fix it.

[via La Blogotheque]

Get On Your Bikes...And Ride

Being as it is National Bike to Work Day (and being Friday doesn't hurt either), I see it only fitting to roll into the weekend with a few images from Ride A Bike (which it is your destiny to visit right now). The icons, their bikes and all their impossibly cool glory right in our faces, further igniting (and reminding) of the beautiful chaos that ensues when you ditch the spandex and roll out in tweed, tartan and the occasional feathers. And besides, what better way to witness this weekend's apparent armageddon than from the friendly confines of your trusty steed? As our dear friend Freddy Mercury once lavishly stated: "Get on your bikes, and ride!"

Objet d'art: Olivetti

Let's face the fact that somedays we all wish we were more Italian. We'd drink more negroni's, eat more pasta, wear less socks and maybe, just maybe, realize that a "proper" espresso doesn't have to come from a barista with tattoos and suspenders. We'd also probably know a little more about a relatively unknown Italian typewriter company who brought high design to a rather boring piece of machinery that mainly held court at the fingertips of scandalous secretaries and the occasionally obsessive (and drug-induced) writer. The ads from Olivetti were part of a unique generation of legendary designers like Bonfante and Pintori who created work that surpassed the office and made this industrial-age device an object of both star and sex appeal. They are pieces of art that equal, if not surpass, the worth of the advertised product. They are prized possession of both museum and designer, sparking new ideas on concepts, approach, inspiration and, of course, begging the all important metaphysical question: what would Twiggy do?

[via flor / design observer / sfmoma]

Monday Musique: Arctic Monkeys

What better way to start the week off than with the a little ponce and circumstance from the Arctic Monkeys latest single "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" (Domino). Gone is the slick and panache of their previous efforts. Enter grimy guitars, swirly 60s psychedelia and all that youthful swagger we love so much. The album, awkwardly titled Suck It and See, will drop in June.

The Snow and the Shore

There are certain inter-web secrets that I like to keep to myself. But every once in a while, I'll get the urge to let one slip in order to share some well-curated wealth. Today, it's the photography of Michael Kenna, whose ghostly images of Japan are nothing short of breathtaking. What makes this series so striking is that you can almost feel the crunch of snow under your boots and the foggy mist on your skin as you get lost in each photograph. Ditch your compass, clear your afternoon and check out his entirely amazing collection here.

[via ISO50]

The Fizz

For the past 125 years, Coca Cola has baffled us all with fizzy nostalgia, mysterious secret recipes (the inventor was a morphine junkie!) and some of the most unforgettable advertising campaigns in recent history. Warhol popped it. Mean Joe Green got soft. Henry Miller couldn't live without it. And, thankfully, the Mexican stuff is still the best on earth. It's bottled pop-culture that never goes out of style. Get the new book here and enjoy a cold one for yourself this afternoon. I know I will be (maybe with a little rum).

[images via T Magazine and Just Be]

Skulls and Superheroes

I recently stumbled across these illustrations from Liverpool-based Boneface, and they simply must be shared. Bloody, gristly, dark, cool and comical, these are pieces worth repeated visits (and maybe a studio mural). One part Stan Lee, one part Lichtenstein, a splash of British punk, and a couple dashes of Ruscha...this is the darker side of pop culture that we all love. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like to see that sappy Dick Grayson get knocked around a bit? Check out all of Boneface's work here.

[via Fox is Black]