"Change me" Campaign ~ from Getty Images

I recently received an email from a good friend Edu. He constantly sends me the most random things.

Here is what the email said:

"I encourage you to engage in the artwork and participate.....

The "Change Me" campaign supports the effort to fight disease in the developing world using Getty's massive photo collection to draw public attention to Friends of the Global Fight. Visitors to a special web site ( www.gettyimages.com/changeme) can pick an image from Getty's library, write a caption about how the image is meaningful to them, and share it with friends. Getty will donate $10 for each caption submitted. The captions will appear online and may be selected for a traveling exhibition and a companion book."

I checked it out, and I thought there were some interesting pictures...it is definitely worth a view.

Oh How I Love Thee ~ Frank Gehry

I like Frank Gehry.
I like Tiffany & Company.
And now Gehry is designing jewlery for Tiffany's.
Umm...
Each collection has great pieces.
They have classified them in six different motifs: Torque, Fish, Orchid, Fold, Equus and Axis

I love the cuff links from the Axis collection.
But it is so hard to pick from them all.
They all seem to incorporate his usual free form sculpture like concepts of his architecture.

I just want to play with them all.

Spanish Rocks

Architecture by its very nature is grounded by its foundation in sediment of immobile terrains. You want to see architecture up close to get its complete monumental effect, you have to travel to it. Sure you can find pictures on the internet and sometimes some sites even have those cool nifty web tours, but it is really not the same. These voyeuristic mechanisms only help you make decisions on whether you should visit one place over another.

Architectural models and renderings on the other hand can travel. I am constantly amazed by the precision and craft behind models. Renderings are cool, but it’s more about computer projects than actual old-fashioned skills.

A few months ago there was an exhibit at the MOMA on Spanish Architecture. Most of the projects on display were either in the design stages or in the early stages of construction. Only a few were actually completed. But all I could think of as I took in each structure was how much I wanted to visit Spain and tour the country once all of these projects were completed. The draw was not just that the architects were very innovative with their designs, but the patrons and architectural functions also seemed to be of a need breed.

I'm already starting to plan a trip for 2009 to Spain. Maybe if I plan accordingly I will also hit up Dubai (most of its tallest structures should be completed by then as well)

Johnny Goes West, or Not

It use to be that one traveled to the fashion Mecca’s of the world (Milan, Paris, New York, London) but now with the wings of transportation, commercialization and globalization have become a widespread reality and fashion travels to its new markets.

Granted there is still a purpose to travel for the sake of fashion (purchases). Certain locations get certain items first, and there is even highly coveted "exclusive" pieces that can only be purchased in particular parts of the world. But convenience or rather accessibility is the new mantra.

Perfect example: When I was in Miami I went to Tiffany's at Bal Harbour and they did not have the new Frank Gehry Collection (yet), the sales associate informed me that I could find what I was looking for in New York City and expect to see in their location by the Summer of 2006.

Major fashion houses are not just seeking out their piece of real estate on fashion strips around the world, they are also catering to consumers in a new way: they are traveling to them with an entourage. New wealth and talent in cities such as São Paolo, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Tokyo and others have been attracting attention and have started playing hosts to fashion weeks and catwalks.

So now fashion travels to its customers as well, but it travels because it knows that people will spend; there are markets to be conquered.

Is this just another form of manifest destiny?

It's Flowing...Like the Nile