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NEW YORK CITY'S

HIGH LINE
SXSW FESTIVAL
WHO SHOWED UP

FASHION'S COOLEST GEEKS

RODARTE SISTERS
LAPLANDS ICE HOTEL

FREEZE FRAME
REALLY?

DRIVERLESS CARS

Art

by

Appointment

for a private viewing! 076 512 746 , 088 446 3188


info@thinkdesignmagazine.com

Call us

If you are searching for the best local and international art in Phuket, we can help you by organizing a private showing of a cross section of great art. Well priced and very diverse, this is your chance to collect, decorate your local villa or take something beautiful home with you. We represent a wide cross section of artists and can help you find exactly what you are looking for. We will arrange a time for you to come, sit and enjoy a bit of everything.

ART DINNER SERIES

Next Art Dinner at: BLISS BEACH CLUB


BANGTAO, MAY 25, 2012

Live every Sunday at Sunset

The OBJECTIVE of these ART DINNERS is to encourage artistic cross-pollination of art through different mediums. What we do each month is select an artist from Phuket who needs exposure to the community and we match them with some of the best Chefs on the Island. The Chefs prepare six dishes created specifically to match six pieces of art. Before each course, a painting is briefly presented, then the Chef, a remarkable artist in his own right, explains one of the six dinner items inspired by the paintings. Hopefully it will be a great opportunity to try some creative cuisine and have some food for thought about art. As we have wandered the streets of Phuket, especially in Phuket Town, we have come across an incredile amount of quality artists. They deserve exposure and here is their chance to be seen and our chance to see the work, and enjoy some amazing food.

MAKING PH For more information ple

UKET

DESTINAT designmagazine.com L A R U T A CUL t: info@think


ase contac

ION

Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation


For some of us its a dream come true to have a home in Phuket. But many disadvantaged children are forced to leave their homes and migrate to the city to look for unskilled and often low paid work. Unless that is, they can learn a language that will help give them a secure future. As capable, confident English speakers, their chances of finding well paid employment and a brighter future increase dramatically. Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation provides English training to over 850 children in local government schools; eager students who otherwise wouldnt have the opportunity to learn from fluent English teachers. The organisation relies on volunteers as well as generous donations from both businesses and individuals and we are asking for your contribution to help support our work and give these children a brighter future. If Phuket has helped enrich your life, nows the chance to help enrich theirs.
Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation 80/14 Moo 3 T. Kamala A. Kathu Phuket, Thailand 83150 Land: +66 (0) 76 278 146 Email: info@phukethasbeengoodtous.org www.phukethasbeengoodtous.org http://www.facebook.com/phukethasbeengoodtous
Registered Kingdom of Thailand Charity Organization 3-0321-0444-9

Pjae Stanley Band


Funky Blues and Jazz SALAs North Coast crab and seafood bake.

Issue 27
Graphic design courtesy of Apinya Kongsong Background image Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh Fashion Designs Rodarte Sisters - Spring 2012 (Article on page 62)
EDITOR

Jongjit Petchpeng Michael Earle mearle@thinkdesignmagazine.com Trisha Miller trisha@thinkdesignmagazine.com Contact Michael Earle at info@thinkdesignmagazine.com or Tel: 088 446 3188 Chanokwan Samee (Khun Poo) Channipha Longkhao (Khun Cha)

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Apinya Kongsong, Panyapol Phuenpha Stephen Hadden Dr. Ilse Gibson

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

WEBMASTER & ONLINE EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS THINK DESIGN MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY AVANT GARDE MEDIA

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CREATIVE & ART DIRECTOR

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ACCOUNTING

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Please keep your provocative comments coming and enjoy the MAY issue of Think Design Magazine!

ADMINISTRATION

THINK DESIGN MAGAZINE 2012

www.thinkdesignmagazine.com

Selected Distribution Points in Phuket & Bangkok


Think Design Magazine is all about
our readers. Without you, our publication would not exist, replaced by another corporate brochure. We have taken great pride in our distribution, by making it a reactive exercise, constantly adapting to where the needs from the community are, where the readers need more, where our clients require better design inspiration and information. Recently, we have received several requests for information about our distribution points. Here is a sample of the several hundred distribution points in Phuket & Bangkok where we deliver weekly, including in-room distribution in Phukets top luxury resorts. Let us know if you would like to add a location or business to the list.
Sala Phuket Resort Thanyapura Anantara Phuket Oriental Living Le Meridien Phuket Evason Six Senses Resort The Wine Connection Woodys Sandwich Shoppe Home Pro Chalong The 9th Floor Restaurant Brush Restaurant Indigo Pearl Resort Baan Rim Pa Restaurant Sri Panwa Resort Joes Downstairs Restaurant Taste Restaurant The Surin Bake (Laguna) Kata Beach Resort Mom Tris Villa Royale Centara Grand Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante Absolutely Fabulous Skyline Furniture Silk Restaurant Surin Plaza Manathai Resort Villa Market Deli De Luca Lady Pie Bakery Andara Resort Lotus Restaurant Rockfish Restaurant Andaman White Beach Resort Cudos Restaurant & Bar Sushi Box (Junceylon) Starbucks (90 distribution points in Bangkok) Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok Conrad Hilton Bangkok

What does a hotel made of ice have to do with William Burroughs and his literature? Well, to be fair, absolutely nothing. We feel that interesting stories about the art, design and other creative enterprises dont need to have connections. Great design and inspiration look incredible whether made of ice, wood or paper. This month we bring you a diverse group of stories that present superb design and art from a variety of distinct mediums. The Ice Hotel has just reached its twenthieth iteration and each year the designs of the different rooms get better and more interesting. A hotel made of ice is also something that people from Phuket probably have a tough time coming to grips with. From ice, we move to Vincent Van Gogh who is presented in all his glory in a new exhibition taking place in Philadelphia, USA. His work continues to inspire art lovers of all ages. In architecture this month, we bring you the story of the

High Line, an abandoned, elevated railroad that has been turned into a park in the sky in New York City. This project is proof that in design, imagination trumps money every time. The cost of dismantling the railroad would have been more than was spent to make it one of New Yorks favorite new attractions for residents and tourists alike. Finally, something that is never far from our minds also gets some interesting coverage, FOOD! We at Think Design Magazine consider the great chefs around the world to be artists, just as talented as someone who works with a brush, a camera or other means of expression. The restaurants we cover are impossible to get into and we explain why. We hope you like it. With our monthly reviews of local and international restaurants we hope to keep you always eating fantastic cuisine. We appreciate your support and encouragement for being able to produce a publication that can cover such a diverse range of subjects. Thank you!

T hink Design Magazine

Javanese-Balinese Furniture
Hotels, Villas, Resorts and Spas
furniture, accessories, materials
LIO COLLECTION Customer Satisfaction Is Always Number One www.liocollection.com liothailand@gmail.com +66 (0) 76 325 585

Ask the ARCHITECT

Forum to answer those pesky questions regarding design and build


Each month, as we receive questions from Phuket and beyond, there are a fair percentage that deal with construction issues. For construction questions, occasionally we will consult with Michael Hannah from Silver Fern Siam, who provides project and construction management services here in Phuket. As we have mentioned before, he is the perfect person to ask, combining the expertise of construction, local experience and Thai language knowledge with the understanding of what ex-pats in Phuket are looking for in terms of quality and service. The correct way to begin a villa project or something larger is to meet with him or someone like him to have that level of experience at your side. He can be reached at 081 929 2272 or at mike@silverfernsiam.com

Q: I am looking at opening a new

European style restaurant in Phuket. Can you give me some design tips? Thanks, Luigi.

A: I often comment about the lack

A: Well, to begin with, deal with three


big issues that sink many restaurant designs. 1. Get the light right. Nothing is worse than intimate setting with fluorescent lighting above completely ruining the feel of the space. 2. Sound. Too many restaurants are too loud and nothing has been done to dampen the sound that is emitted by chairs moving, people working, etc. Get this right to have a successful space. And last but not least 3. Look around you. What color are your restaurant walls? What color is the ceiling? White? There are millions of colors in the world, please, I beg you, choose a color that has some pep and adds some life to your restaurant. Good luck with the business.

of design culture here but I also dont want to overdo it. Some cultures, Bali comes to mind, are very focused on decorating and making their streetscape and every design element of the architecture, as fantastic as possible. Thailand currently does not have that aesthetic but hopefully it is changing. I see improvements every day. Keep noticing things and commenting. If we are all paying attention, things will improve sooner.

obviously does not burn like wood and does not create these cavities that can make these fires worse.

Q: I saw your story on pools in

the April issue and wondered if you could follow up with some suggestions for a successful pool? I want to have one built in the backyard but I am unsure about sizes and shapes. - Thanks, Gerry in Phuket.

Q: I write to you from London.

A: I think the best thing to do is

Why is the risk of fire so much more common here and in places like USA than in other places of the world? I lived in Italy for years and there never seemed to be fires there, as a matter of fact our town did not even have a fire brigade. - George in London.

A: Hope you are staying warm. Clever

Q: Properties in Phuket seem to lack

that great design element. I have been fortunate to travel around the world and while Phuket is one of the most beautiful islands in the world, undoubtedly, there is something missing in the built environment. Can you comment? - Sven in Chalong.

of you to notice and yes, the risk is higher for sure. Most homes in the UK and in the US are built of wood. Their structures are known as balloon and platform frames and they are composed of wooden elements with big spaces in between. During fires, these spaces act as chimneys drawing more air to the fire and fanning the flames. By contrast, in many other parts of the world, including Italy, structures are made of concrete which

contact a pool company professional like Water Works Warehouse in Phuket to have a discussion with a professional about pool design. A few comments from me would include some obvious things. A pool that complements the villa or apartment design is preferable, so have some of the design features and style of the structure carry over to the pool. Think about the pool usage as you would think about anything you are designing (how will it be used?). So for example if you will mainly have children splashing around in there, the design would be very different than if you had two adults planning to swim thirty minutes of exercise laps a day.
THANKS FOR THE QUESTIONS!

If you have any questions that youd like answered just email us at info@thinkdesignmagazine.com

14

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

WWW.SOULOFASIA.COM

INVESTING IN GREAT DECORATION IS INVESTING IN YOUR ENJOYMENT AND ENJOYING YOUR INVESTMENT

Thai Bronze Statue Man Reading on Chinese Chair

Salvador Dali Surrealist Piano Bronze Sculpture

X T R E M E GA P

www. x tremegapyear.co.uk
Our programmes are open to all age groups and nationalities, but not everyone is suitable. You need the X factor, a love of adventure travel and serious excitement.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS ABROAD, SHARK DIVING AND CONSERVATION, SKYDIVING, FREEDIVING, DIVEMASTER, AFRICAN ROAD TRIPS, KITE SURFING AND SURFING, EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK, MOUNTAINEERING, WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

E: info@xtreme-gap.com | T: 0044 (0)203 286 7065 | Skype: XTREME-GAP

Yue Min Jun Kung Fu Signed Lithograph

NA

ADR

T h e W o r l d s X per t s in X t r e me S por t s

The Plaza Surin, 2nd Floor, M1-3 5/50 Moo 3, Cherngtalay, Thalang District, Phuket 83110. Tel: 076 271629, 076 270055 Email: info@soulofasia.com

Chinese Cabinet 19th Century Shanxi, China

TR
AV
EL

a world of adr ena lin e t r av el

Din Quan Admiring the Lotus Lacquer on Board

L INE

X T R E M E GA P

Antique Silver

ContentsMAY
14. 20.
ASK THE ARCHITECT NEWS ALERTS

2012

OUR SHOPPING SELECTION

78.

MOTORS
A DRIVERLESS WORLD; Is It Possible?

36. 54. 28. 48.



ARCHITECTURE
ABOVE IT ALL; New York Citys High Line A CHILLING EXPERIENCE; Swedens Ice Hotel 2012

48

74.

MUSIC
SXSW FESTIVAL; Criss-crossing Through Music, Film and Art

ART DESIGN
VINCENT VAN GOGH; UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

30. 46. 82. 88. 93.

PEOPLE & PLACES


AGENDA; Events in Thailand, Asia & Around the World WILLIAM BURROUGHS; Writing to His Own Beat

THE LATEST MUST-HAVE GADGETRY

82

TECHNOLOGY
THE LATEST MUST-HAVE GADGETRY THINK DESIGNS RECOMMENDED ART GALLERIES; Phukets Creatives BLUEPRINT UNIQUE PROPERTIES; Think Designs Exclusive Property Section

OUR SHOPPING SELECTION

62. 69. 72.

FASHION
THE RODARTE SISTERS; Intellectual Chic

GASTRONOMY
THINK DESIGNS RESTAURANT CRITIQUE; Sushi Box HAVING RESERVATIONS?; Four Impossible Restaurants To Get Into
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NEWS
DUBAI OPERA HOUSE BACK ON TRACK
In 2008, Dubai announced plans to build a series of cultural projects, such as libraries, theaters and museums and an opera house as part of their efforts to make the Emirate a more cultural place. Unfortunately with the ensuing financial crisis, the projects were canceled. Recently Dubai has moved forward with the Opera House and the Modern Art Museum, according to a government spokesperson. The press release stated that, The Dubai Modern Art Museum and Opera House District aims to further strengthen UAEs emerging role as the cultural hub of the region. The complex will be built near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world and in an area of the city that has become the new center of town, replacing the Deira area along the creek. Developing the project will be Dubai-based real estate giant Emaar Properties which was behind major property developments in the city, including Burj Khalifa and neighbouring Dubai Mall which has recently become the most visited shopping and tourism destination in the world with record visitor numbers of fifty-four million people in 2011. Think Design covered the project from the beginning and we are excited that this project, designed by Zaha Hadid is back on track. For more info on the project see the May 2011 issue of Think Design.

FRENCH SPIDERMAN CONQUERS BAKRIE TOWER


French skyscraper climber Alain Robert returned to Jakarta to scale the 215 meter Bakrie Tower in Epicentrum, Kuningan, South Jakarta, recently. He is know as Spiderman, and he started his climb at 10:25am and finished at around 12pm, tempo.com reported. Robert previously caused a furor when he climbed the 120 meter City Tower in Central Jakarta in 2008 without using safety equipment. He has conquered more than ninety other buildings worldwide.

PASSION FOR CHOCOLATE


We are learning afresh what the Aztecs always knew, chocolate is good for you! For most of us, chocolate is just sheer pleasure to consume, in a hundred different forms. At Pavilions Resort in Phuket, they have taken the love of chocolate to a new level. Their own blend of crushed raw cocoa beans and almond oil is used for an initial exfoliation of your skin all over your body. The properties of the cocoa plant reduce degeneration of skin cells and restore the flexibility of skin. Then a nourishing chocolate body masque is applied. At the end they shower off the chocolate body masque and return to the table for a cocoa massage using soft to strong relaxing and sensual strokes. What more can a chocolate lover ask for?

20

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

DAMIEN HIRST WEBSITE LAUNCHED


Damiel Hirst is everywhere these days, even in Phuket once in awhile. It was recently disclosed that he plans to open his own gallery. Hirst has continued his media blitz with the unveiling of his own website. The site showcases over two hundred and fifty works that spans the last thirty-one years of his artistic blossoming. Head over to Damienhirst.com to see a live-feed of the artist at work as well as the ability to peruse various works. Hirst is certainly finding new and interesting ways to explore and present art.

GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL. WHAT A REVELATION!


A distributed computing project to model the earths atmosphere has ended, yielding a prediction that the temperature of the atmosphere will rise between 1.4C and 3C by 2050. The study included an individual climate simulation (supplied by the UK Met Office) run on almost 10,000 home computers, under the auspices of the BBCs Climate Change Experiment at climateprediction.net. Like the infamous butterfly flapping its wings and causing a hurricane, tiny inaccuracies in the measurement of the initial conditions can magnify into vast changes as a simulation progresses. However, by running multiple climate forecasts, each with slightly different initial conditions, its possible to work out which broad trends are likely to persist and which just arise from hiccups in the imprecise data fed in.

GHOST TOWNS BECOME ECO TOWNS


There is a fantasy of discovering a ghost town and settling in it, rebuilding it to your ideals. In Spain, there are three thousand or so abandoned villages and some people have taken this dream and made it into their reality. In the very north, one such ghost town was discovered in 1980. The new settlers were all urbanites with no knowledge of country life so no one expected them to stay long. At first, the homes werent habitable so they lived up to fourteen in a large room. Slowly they began to rebuild the homes and the gardens. When they first began to rebuild, there was no road up to the town so horses were used to carry construction materials up the mountain. There was no electricity either so they lived with candles and oil lamps. In the early years, they generated income by selling some of their harvest and working odd jobs like using their newly found construction experience to rebuild roofs outside town. Later they rebuilt the village bakery and sold bread to the outside world.

Kalim Bay, Phuket, Thailand. T. +66(0)76 340 348 E. nico@brushphuket.com www.brushphuket.com Monday - Saturday 4pm - Midnight

Their organic sourdough breads now sell so well that today they can get by without looking for work outside the town, but it helps that they keep their costs at a minimum as a way of life. They are creating a non-consumption culture. The residents try to live with what there is. Sometimes these stories put it all in perspective.
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 23

NEWS
CAMERON GOES DEEP SEA DIVING
Filmmaker James Cameron has become the first solo diver to explore the Earths deepest point, at the bottom of the ten kilometer-deep Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. On March 25, the Avatar director boarded the Deep-Sea Challenger, a lime-green, seven-meter-tall vertical torpedo designed specifically for the dive, and descended into the ocean. It took seventy minutes to descend the 10.91 kilometers to the sea floor. That enormous distance makes the trench deeper than Mount Everest is tall. The Challenger is made from a material called syntactic foam, which is comprised of hollow micro balloons that, when the steel weights were jettisoned, allowed Cameron to float back up to the surface. The Directors tiny cabin was made from thick steel. Thats to withstand the enormous pressure of the ocean depths, as the trenchs water column exerts a staggering pressure of 110 MPa (more than a thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level). The green submarine is kitted out with lights, cameras and a robotic arm that Cameron was able to manipulate. Hell be releasing his footage in an upcoming documentary. He spent three hours on the seafloor, and even sent out a tweet. Just arrived at the oceans deepest pt. Hitting bottom never felt so good. Cant wait to share what Im seeing w/you, he wrote. This is the second manned expedition to the oceans deepest point. US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard made the dive in 1960 in the Bathyscaphe Trieste. They only spent twenty minutes on the ocean bottom, and their view was mostly obscured by dust, kicked up by their submersible. Walsh joined Cameron and his engineers at sea for the dive.

THE MODERN FRIDGE. ITS ABOUT TIME.


Most fridges are horribly inefficient, leaking loads of cold air every time you open them, particularly old refrigerator-and-freezer combinations with a single unified door. Not only is this design concept wasteful, but it maintains the classic all-in-onespace approach without sacrificing the ideal temperature of anything it contains. This new modern fridge concept provides surface tension which holds each piece of meat or produce suspended in place, but lets you access the products through a selfparting, non-sticking smart surface that folds away as needed (all the while deflecting UV and other food-harming rays). The design draws heat energy from the surrounding air, and converts it to cool which is contained within. Since the gel expands as it is filled, the fridge takes up relatively little space when not packed full and shrinks against the wall instead. Nanotechnology is at the heart of how the design works, with microscopic robots identifying the necessary temperatures for each item being stored and adjusting local heat and cold accordingly. Sound far-fetched? Try going back in time and telling people with old-fashioned ice boxes about refrigerators!
24 THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 25

NEWS
NEW UNDERSEA CABLES
You wouldnt want to miss it.
Two new undersea cables are being planned for the Arctic. According to New Scientist, a pair of lengthy fiber optic wires will be laid through the Northwest Passage above North America, connecting Japan to the United Kingdom. Moreover, a third cable is planned along the Russian coastline, with the longest of these links to purportedly become the worlds longest single stretch of optical fiber. A number of outfits are on the list to help out, and when complete, the latency between Tokyo and London should be reduced between 168ms and 230ms. The cost for such luxury? An estimated $600 million to $1.5 billion for each line. In other words, cheap.

STRANGE BREWS: THE WORLDS MOST BIZARRE BEERS


Some of us will try any beer that we are offered. If a bartender says, Hey, wanna try the new thing just to see how it is?, who are we to refuse! But that having been said, some of the following seem kind of ridiculous. Still, I will have to try some. Wells Banana Bread Beer Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale Cave Creek Chili Beer OFallon Cherry Chocolate Beer Shorts Brew Smore Stout 21st Amendment Brewery Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer Southern Tier Crme Brle Mamma Mia Pizza Beer Wostyntje Torhouts Mustard Bier Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout

Where good seaside ambience meets mouth watering local seafood and fresh meats cooked to perfection, while enjoying the tropical breeze and famous sunsets of Kata Bay.

NO MORE DRY VEGGIE BURGERS


Each day we get closer to test tube meat that will be somehow tasty, good for us and also not damage the planet the way our meat sources do today. The majority of people on earth like meat; we like the way it feels when we chew it, maybe something primordial. Two big problems are the increase in green house gases and the vast reduction in arable land from the feeding of lifestock and the growing of food to feed the livestock. This new product Like-Meat comes from broken down proteins that taste better and make us feel carnivorousI dont know, the jury is out on these products.

@Beach Bar & Restaurant Kata Beach Resort & Spa, 1 Pakbang Road, Karon, Phuket 83100 Tel: (66) 076 330 530 Email: ktbfbms@katagroup.com

www.k a tagro up.c o m/katabe ac h

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

27

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028

ART.THE.MASTER.UP.CLOSE

01 04

Visits Philadelphia
For fans of Vincent Van Gogh, and there are many among our readers and around the world, there is a new exhibition happening right now in Philadelphia, USA, which focuses on his surroundings as he created his now famous masterpieces. Titled, Van Gogh Up Close at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the show continues through May 2012 (then at the National Gallery of Canada from May 25, 2012 - September 3, 2012) and is one of the few exhibitions that does not focus on his life, so fraught with instability. Instead, this show focuses on the way he painted his surroundings and reinterpreted the familiar of the countryside in his own style and vision. Where he was became fundamental to his work and though his career was short, only ten years in its totality, this exhibition brings new light and detail to his amazing body of work. It is not to be missed by serious Van Gogh fans.
Most people today know something about Van Gogh, the post impressionist painter whose work in some ways is more known in a modern sense than any other, with the exception of Picasso. His work is notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty, and bold color and at this show all these traits are on display. His work had a demonstrable and far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. When he died at 37, his work was unknown. Today, what is most known about Van Gogh is his mental health issues, not the depth of his work and there is even a tendency to romanticize the mental anguish aspect of his life. Instead, the focus should be on his incredible body of work. The art critic Robert

Van Gogh

get rid of extra baggage and discard that, exhibition curator Joe Rishel is quoted as saying in the Philadelphia Museum website. A new look at anything truly inspiring is welcome for all of us. In the end, the life of Van Gogh was cut short and the works he completed, that we admire so much leave us wondering what would have come next, and how he could have defied his demons. A new biography of Van Gogh just published last year, Van Gogh: The Life, written by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White claims that Van Gogh did not commit suicide as commonly believed but instead that he was shot by accident by two boys from the village, based on accounts from villagers in the years after the incident. Whatever the truth is, the art world is lucky to have these newly focused exhibitions of Van Goghs work. Some of our readers who have already visited the show are full of praise and all of us at Think Design are also inspired by these new opportunities to delve deeper into the great work of Vincent Van Gogh. x

> 04. Starry Night. 1889. > 05. A Pair of Shoes. 1887. > 06. Sunflowers. 1887. > 07. Van Gogh Up Close Exhibition at Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia.

03

02

> 01. Self-portrait. 1887. > 02. Van Gogh Up Close poster. > 03. Road Menders at Saint-Remy. 1889.
05 06

07

Hughes is quoted as saying that Van Goghs late works show an artist at the height of his ability, completely in control and longing for concision and grace. When he moved to the south of France he was incredibly moved by the strong sunlight he found there and his work from that period grew brighter in color, and he developed the unique and highly recognizable style that is best known today. In control, and inventing new techniques, that is what should be remembered. At the exhibition in Philadelphia, in the assembled collection of works, we can clearly see how he was instrumental in helping to change the course of modern painting. Created in 1886-1890, these paintings captured his feverish artistic experimentation up until his death. Radically altering and often outright aban-

doning traditional painting techniques, Van Gogh shunned conventional still life and landscape methods and experimented with depth of field and focus. Familiar subjects were brought up close into the extreme foreground or were focused on in unprecedented ways and from strange angles. The perfectly titled show, Van Gogh Up Close highlights his shift in tradition with more than forty masterpieces borrowed from collections around the world. In the exhibition, nature in all its intricacies is on display. Pieces of fruit threaten to roll out of the picture, tree trunks dominate one frame and flowers become enormous and distorted but full of color. The juxtaposition of the variety of works allows for detailed understanding of his direction. The exhibition is designed to invite audiences to look again at paintings that have become so familiar. Looking with a fresh point of view is to
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 29

Agenda&Events
MAY & JUNE 2012
All information correct at the time of going to press.

Art

Architecture

Design

Theatre & Music

Others

ART 43 BASEL
The worlds premier international art show for modern and contemporary works, Art Basel features nearly three hundred leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. More than 2,500 artists, ranging from the great masters of modern art to the latest generation of emerging stars, are represented in the shows multiple sections. The exhibition includes the highest-quality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, video and editioned works.
June 14-17 2012 Halls 1 and 2 of Messe Basel Basel, Switzerland www.artbasel.com

DHARAMSALA FILM FESTIVAL


In May the beautiful Himalayan town of Dharamsala will present a diverse selection of high-quality independent films from around the world. The Festival themes are consciousness and creativity, two widely cherished and intimately related subjects which bear increasing relevance for the mountain spiritual community and the planet at large.
29 May 2012 - 31 May 31 2012 Dharamsala, India info@dharamsalafilmfestival.com www.dharamsalafilmfestival.com

LADY GAGA IN SINGAPORE


Five-time Grammy Award winner Lady Gaga is making her triumphant return to the stage this spring and summer with her brand new tour. Gaga will perform her latest album Born This Way as well as music from both The Fame and The Fame Monster. Gaga was named Forbes Most Powerful Woman in the world 2011 and was included in Times annual The 2010 Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Lady Gaga will head to New Zealand in June after her Singapore concert, followed by a series of stops in Australia.
Singapore Indoor Stadium Singapore May 28, 29 & 31 2012

BALI ARTS FESTIVAL


Balinese culture comes alive each year at the Bali Arts Festival. For a full month the whole of Bali dances, sways and acts the part as this tourist paradise showcases the best of local culture. Theres daily performances of dance and music alongside countless exhibitions. The contemporary and the traditional collide as trances from remote rural areas clamor for attention alongside the latest hip offerings from urban dance schools. The organization of the Festival is a real grassroots affair, with village selected performers to send to regional selection committees who, if successful, then get to perform at the Festival itself.
June 11, 2012 July 9,2012 Denpasar, Indonesia www.baliartsfestival.com
30 THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

Agenda&Events
CINDY SHERMAN
Cindy Sherman is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential artists in contemporary art. Throughout her career, she has presented a sustained, eloquent, and provocative exploration of the construction of contemporary identity and the nature of representation, drawn from the unlimited supply of images from movies, TV, magazines, the internet, and art history. Working as her own model for more than thirty years, Sherman has captured herself in a range of guises and personas which are at turns amusing and disturbing, distasteful and affecting. To create her photographs, she assumes multiple roles of photographer, model, makeup artist, hairdresser, stylist, and wardrobe mistress. With an arsenal of wigs, costumes, makeup, prosthetics, and props, Sherman has deftly altered her physique and surroundings to create a myriad of intriguing tableaus and characters, from screen siren to clown to aging socialite.
The exhibition brings together 171 key photographs from the artists significant series, including the complete Untitled Film Stills (197780), the critically acclaimed Centerfolds (1981), and the celebrated History Portraits (198890), plus examples from all of her most important bodies of work, ranging from her fashion photography of the early 1980s to the breakthrough sex pictures of 1992 to her 200304 clowns and monumental society portraits from 2008. In addition, the exhibition features the American premiere of her 2010 photographic mural. Until June 11 2012 The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery Sixth Floor of the Museum of Modern Art New York City, USA www.moma.org

MOTION OF LIFE BY NALIDSA SUKPRASERT - A2 ART GALLERY - PENANG

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This solo exhibition was created from Nalidsas daily life travels and people shes seen and encountered. She paints them in complex colors and uses the characters to tell their stories about self love, freedom, struggling and suffering from their chosen way and introduces a sense of humor about their lives. Some characters choose to have fun with life by drinking, which raises the question; Is that suffering or freedom? Some characters search for the meaning of life in a spiritual way,...Is that suffering or freedom?

Some chances you only get once in your life ...Take the bull by the horns and enjoy the ride!

For this series the artist prefers making different styles because she wishes to have the viewers walk into the world of uncertainty. The motion of these characters keeps changing. Where are they going in the future? Nalidsa is one of Think Designs favorite local artists. She participated in the Think Design Art Festival this past December where she enjoyed rave reviews.

Do it Now!

Ron Veldhuis B(Eng), PG(Dip), Master Personal Trainer, Athletics Coach, Expedition Leader. Tel. 087 474 7747 www.bodyandsoulrevolution.com

Friday, 27 April 2012 18 May 2012 A2 Art Gallery, 27 Bangkok Lane, Penang, Malaysia +60 19 2724 816 | admin@a2artgallery.com www.a2artgallery.com

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

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Agenda&Events
FACTORY OF DREAMS
SOI DOG SOIREE
One of the most enjoyable charity events on the Island, the Soi Dog Soiree, is a great opportunity to give back AND kick back and have some fun. This years event is a black and white affair and is at the newly opened Xana Beach Club. For those of us who plan to hit the free flow beverages a little hard, (which Im guessing will be the majority) you can stay the night at Angsana for the special rate of 3800 baht net per night which includes breakfast.
12th May @ Xana Beach Club, Laguna 6.30pm till late 2500 Baht including dinner and free flow beverages Contact Cristy for tickets at 084 054 4367 or by email at cristy@soidog-foundation.org Dress code: Black n White

EXCLUSIVE ANCESTRAL SIAMESE DINNER AT SALA


The menu will be designed, prepared and presented by Premchit Prateap Na Thalang, using secret recipes and artisanal methods inherited from her ancestors and ingredients which are always fresh, usually wild, often rare, always seasonal, sourced from sustainable foraging in the tropical rainforests, hand-picked from Chef Premchits organic farm, purchased from small local markets and caught on the sandy beaches and from the blue seas of Phang Nga and Phuket Provinces in southern Thailand. At 7.00pm juice, canaps and an apritif will be served followed by a six set-course Tasting Dinner and finished with tea and digestif. The cost is only B1,900++ per person and the wine pairing, B1,000++ per person, for six delicious premium half-glasses. Were getting hungry already! The evening promises to be an exotic gourmet culinary journey, allowing you to travel back through time, to the cuisine of old southern Siam, to the cuisine of Premchits ancestors.
Sala Phuket SALA Phuket Resort & Spa Mai Khao Beach, Phuket May 17 2012, 7pm Dinner: B1,900 ++ per person Web: www.salaphuket.com Email: fbphuket@salaphuket.com Tel: 076 338 888

ultimate luxury
Private Charter tours by appointment in paradise.
PULILAN CARABAO FESTIVAL
On the first day, farmers pay tribute to San Isidro and of course, what else?... water buffalos (known as carabaos). Water buffalos are very important to farmers because they help to till the land. Farmers brush their carabaos skin until it is sleek and shiny, decorating them with ribbons. In the afternoon, farmers lead the animals to the church square to be part of the procession, and while at the church, the carabaos kneel for their blessings. On the second day, the carabaos dont have to be so religious and compete in a friendly race. According to historical records, San Isidro was hired as a labrador or laborer. He worked in a farm and his landlord was astonished when he was still capable of finishing his tasks despite his coming late to work most of the time. Curious by this strangeness, he investigated and saw that the person plowing the field was an angel. Amazed, he knelt before San Isidro and the image of a kneeling man is often associated with the patron saint.
May 14 May 15 2012 Pulilan, Bulacan, Philippines

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THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

Email: resvn@ntcasiadreams.com Facebook: NTC-Company Tel: 076 209052, 076 209039 www.ntc1958.com www.ntcasiadreams.com

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036

ARCHITECTURE.WALK.THE.LINE

> Background image. Black and white historic photo super-imposed onto a current day image. Historic black and white image; View from West 17th Street, looking north. Photographer unknown. 1934 Current day image; A meandering pathway passes by old and new architecture in West Chelsea, between West 24th and West 25th Streets. Image by Iwan Baan 2009.

GREAT URBAN DESIgN CONSIDERS

WHAT IT CAN ACHIEVE TO BRINg PEORATION IT CAN PROVIDE ITS CITIZENS AND VISITORS AND SO MUCH MORE.

WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

PLE TOgETHER, WHAT KIND OF INSPI-

THE HIgH LINE PROJECT IN NEW YORK CITy IS A SHININg EXAMPLE


MENT.

OF WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH CLEVER DESIgN AND AN INSPIRED gOVERN-

WITH EACH NEW PHASE OF THE PROJECT, THE DESIgN ELEMENTS OF THE HIgH LINE HAVE gROWN BETTER AND BETTER. THIS THIRD PHASE SHOULD BE THE BEST By FAR. RECENTLy, THE DETAILS OF THE FINAL SECTION OF THIS PROJECT WERE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC AT A COMMUNITy MEETINg.

THE

HIGH LINE

SLATED TO OPEN IN 2014, THE ESTIMATED $90 MILLION EXTENSION OF MANHATTANS MADLy POPULAR RAILROAD-TURNED-ELEVATED
PARK INCLUDES EASy ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, BREATHTAKINg VIEWS OF THE

HUDSON RIVER, AND A CLIMBPART OF ITS gENIUS IS THAT


>

INg STRUCTURE DESIgNED EXPLICITLy FOR KIDS.

URBAN RE-DESIGN AND RECYCLING AT ITS BEST

THE DESIgNERS ARE PLANNINg FOR AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT THAT DOESNT EXIST yET.

> Background image. Gansevoort End, Plaza, and Stairs, Gansevoort and Washington Streets. Image by Iwan Baan 2009.

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

37

> 01.

First, a little background. The High Line is a 1-mile (1.6 km) linear park built on a section of the former elevated New York Central Railroad which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan. It has been redesigned and planted as an aerial park through the Meatpacking District. Turning the railway into an urban park has spurred real estate development in the neighborhoods which lie along the line and brought so much benefit to these areas. Originally in 1847, the city installed street level railroad tracks down the west side of Manhattan. There were so many accidents that this stretch became known as Death Avenue. In 1929 the High Line was installed for safety and the project eliminated 105 street crossings. It went through the middle of blocks instead of over the street

The High Line at the rail yards wraps around the West Side Rail Yards, an active train yard for Long Island Rail Road. The owner of the West Side Rail Yards, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has leased the property to the Related Companies to develop a platform over the yards. The platform will support the development of more than 12 million square feet of mixed-use real estate. Image from Google Maps. Courtesy of Friends of the High Line.
01

02

03

to avoid making the street dark, smelly and noisy as most elevated roads and rail lines did at that time. It also connected directly to factories, warehouses and municipal buildings like the post office. Produce and goods could be loaded and unloaded without disrupting street traffic. By the 1960s however, interstate trucking spelled the death of lines like the High Line. In the mid-1980s, a group of property owners with land under the line lobbied for the demolition of the entire structure. Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident, activist, and railroad enthusiast, challenged the demolition efforts in court and tried to re-establish rail service on the Line. In the 1990s, the Line lay unused. In 1999, the non-profit > 02. Friends of the High Line was formed by A Railroad Artifact, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, 30th Street, May residents of the neighborhood the 2000. Image by Joel High Line ran through. They advocated Sternfeld 2000. for the Lines preservation and reuse > 03. as public open space, it was slated for The Tenth Avenue demolition under the administration Square, with of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, of amphitheater-like course, with his lack of vision. In the seating and an unusual view up Tenth end design won the day. >
Avenue at 17th Street. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.

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Some design features which are interesting include an elevated lookout point around 11th Avenue for amazing views of the skyline and river, lounge chairs in a 70-foot-tall tunnel, where one of the proposed Hudson Yards Towers passes over the High Line. Lie back, and youll get a dizzying view of the mammoth skyscraper above, the chairs cantilever over the street below. Other design moves were informed, at least in part, by public feedback. People demanded play space for kids. In response, the designers came up with the idea to rip out concrete planks just west of 11th Avenue, then cover the beams underneath in thick rubber, creating a climbing structure that lets kids literally play inside the old railroad. Along the parks narrower tracks, they sacrificed dense plantings for wider paths.

> Background image. Aerial View, from West 21st Street, looking South along 10th Avenue toward the Hudson River. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.

Mayor Bloomberg noted that the High Line Project has helped usher in something of a renaissance in the neighborhood. By 2009, more than thirty projects were planned or under construction nearby. Crime has been extraordinarily low in the park. Park advocates attributed that to the high visibility of the High Line from the surrounding buildings. The idea is that empty parks are more dangerous than busy parks. It seems obvious. Other cities in the US are now investigating the possibility of replicating something like this. One apparent reason is that it costs substantially less to redevelop an abandoned urban rail line into a linear park, rather than to demolish it. Philadelphia and Chicago are two cities which are studying their own high line project. >

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

41

01

23rd Street Lawn, the northern end of the 4,900-square-foot lawn peels up over West 23rd Street, looking West, toward the Hudson River. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.
> 02.

> 01.

> Background image. View looking northeast at the intersection of West 30th Street and 10th Avenue. The High Line extends across the intersection of 10th Avenue and West 30th Street to connect with the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center. Decades ago, this extension, called the 10th Avenue Spur, allowed freight trains to carry mail and packages to and from the upper-floor loading docks of the post office building. Today, the Spur is the widest area on the High Line, and it occupies a strategic position in the neighborhood, where it will serve as a visual access point to Hudson Yards, and offer visitors unique views along the north-south corridor of 10th Avenue and the east-west corridor of West 30th Street. One of the design concepts for the Spur features amphitheater-style seating, creating a unique opportunity for performances or casual gatherings.

02

Falcone Flyover, the pathway rises eight feet above the High Line, winding through a canopy of trees, between West 25th and West 27th Street, looking South. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.
> 03.

Sundeck Water Feature and Preserve, between West 14th Street and West 15th Street, looking South. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.
> 04. 03

Gansevoort Slow Stair, corner of Gansevoort Street and Washington Street, looking North. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.

04

The Parks attractions include naturalized plantings that are inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew on the disused tracks and new, often unexpected views of the city and the Hudson River. Pebble-dash concrete walkways unify the trail, which swells and constricts, swinging from side to side, and divides into concrete tines that meld the hard-scape with the planting embedded in railroad gravel mulch. Stretches of track and ties recall the High Lines former use. Portions of track are adaptively re-used for rolling lounges positioned for river views. Most of the planting, which includes over three hundred varieties, is of rugged meadow plants, but not limited to American natives. In addition to the integrated architecture and plant life, the High Line has cultural attractions as well. As part of a long-term plan for the park to host
42 THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

temporary installations and performances of various kinds, Creative Time, Friends of the High Line, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation commissioned The River That Flows Both Ways by Spencer Finch as the inaugural art installation. The work is integrated into the window bays of the former Nabisco Factory loading dock, as a series of 700 purple and gray colored glass panes. Each color is exactly calibrated to match the center pixel of 700 digital pictures, one taken every minute, of the Hudson River, therefore presenting an extended portrait of the river that gives the work its name. Creative Time worked with the artist to realize the site-specific concept, which emerged when he saw the rusted, disused mullions of the old factory, which metal and glass specialists Jaroff Design helped to prepare and reinstall. Lauren Ross, formerly Director of the alternative art space White Columns, served as the first curator for the High Line. The current Director is Cecilia Alemani. >

The Design Team of James Corner, Field Operations (project lead); Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Planting Designer Piet Oudolf did an amazing job with the project. Some of the major backers have included Philip Falcone and Diane von Furstenberg and her husband Barry Diller (who has been spotted in Phuket from time to time). The great vision of this project will inspire others in a variety of cities to work harder to integrate good design into the cityscape. Especially now that they can prove the scheme to be very profitable. We hope to report on many new and improved urban schemes. x

> Background image. Washington Grasslands, between West 12th Street and West 13th Street, looking South. Image by Iwan Baan 2011. > Image below. The Sundeck, one of the High Lines most popular gathering spots, between 14th and 15th Streets. Image by Iwan Baan 2011.

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THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

01

08

....................

046

PEOPLE.&.PLACES.BEAT.ING.THE.ODDS

WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

William Burroughs is an American author associated with the Beat Generation, from a time and movement that captured the public imagination and sent the world, especially America, into the modern world of the 60s. Burroughs and his close friends were part of a movement that was bigger than just literature as the counterculture they started strongly influenced music as well as art. He and Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso and Herbert Huncke wrote and were social critics, spoken word performers and addicts.
Much of what Burroughs wrote about is autobiographical in nature, drawn from his opiate addiction and the succeeding experiences he had. He distorted his experiences using graphic imagery, experimental writing structures like Kerouac, and he used a strong satirical voice. His work was always controversial, especially early in his writing career. His most famous novel, Naked Lunch, ended up embroiled in the courts for its subject matter and eventually was the subject of a 1966 Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that loosened obscenity laws and allowed many other writers of that time to publish their books with less danger of persecution. In his early years, William Burroughs did some writing growing up in a wealthy family in St. Louis, before heading to
02

thought up the title as a metaphor for a moment of revelation. It is a collage of disturbing, bizarre, and often obscene images. Burroughss stated intention was to create a narrative that defied contemporary literary forms, a novel that the reader could start at any point in the book. The book also included many satirical elements, parodying the contrasts between the American dream, the reality of inner-city crime and drug culture and the interdependency between the two. The novel was published in 1959, and became infamous across Europe and soon very popular within the countercultures of the 60s. Literary critics and some prominent authors like Norman Mailer and JG Ballard called Naked Lunch a work of

> Background image. William Burroughs -London,1988.

genius and some literary scholars compare Naked Lunch to TS Eliots poem The Wasteland for its style and its huge influence on their contemporaries. Burroughs produced a lot of works in the last forty years of his life and he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1983. His work helped change the world during the last sixty years. x

Harvard and then medical school in Vienna. During World War II he was turned down by the OSS for a job and this seemed to send him into a tailspin and into a drug addiction in which he appeared intent on partying his life away. In 1944, Burroughs began living with Joan Vollmer. During this time, he began using morphine and became addicted. He and Vollmer moved to Texas where Vollmer became pregnant with Burroughss child and their son was born in 1947. The family moved briefly to New Orleans in 1948. After other scrapes with the law, he and Vollmer fled to Mexico to escape possible detention. In 1951, Burroughs shot and killed Vollmer in a drunken game of William Tell at a party above an Americanowned bounty bar in Mexico City. He
03 04

spent thirteen days in jail before the case was declared an accident, later there was a conviction in absentia with a suspended sentence. In an introduction to the novel Queer, written shortly after Vollmers death, Burroughs admits that, I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would never have become a writer but for Joans death. Burroughs traveled to Rome and Tangier Morocco, where today he is still hailed as part of the artistic history of the city. Eventually he ended up at the counterculture palace, the Beat Hotel in Paris where he composed a huge pile of manuscripts created under the influence of majoun a derivation of cannabis. Ginsberg and Kerouac helped Burroughs edit these episodes into his magnum opus, Naked Lunch. Kerouac
> Images 01 - 08. 1. William Burroughs. 2. Allen Ginsberg, Fall of 1953. 3. Burroughss The Naked Lunch. 4. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Philip Whalen in Boulder, Colorado. Image courtesy of Rachel Homer. 5. Francis Bacon and William Burroughs in London 1989. Image courtesy of John Minihan. 6. The Beat Generation. A movie. 7. Burroughss Queer. 8. William Burroughs lecturing Allen Ginsberg. Images 01,02, 08 courtesy of The Allen Ginsberg LLC.

- WILLIAM BURROUGHS 1965 PARIS INTERVIEW.

07 06

05

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

47

IN P P O H UR S
NIKO ECONOMIDIS

N O I T C E G SEL

BOOK-WEIGHTED WALL SHELF


In many homes, books sit on the shelves unread for years, gathering dust. They end up in the abandoned section of our bookshelves that never gets looked at and of course, never read. This book shelf tries to change that by the dynamics of physics. The shelf will literally remind you to finish those forgotten novels. As books get removed and finished the balance of the shelf changes. Three wall-mounted metal rods, a belt-like leather strap and a few buckles serve the purpose of this simple design. You read the book to keep the balance of the shelf intact. As most humans are task oriented when staring at the neglected item, as opposed to the one hidden away, this shelf might just do the trick!

CASUAL COMFORT FURNITURE


KENNETH CONONPUE This bed contraption looks comfortable! The new Voyage furniture beds collection comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, to accommodate all people, from big to small, and even in between. They also did not forget about mans best friend. Inspired by reed boats, their shape and material makeup, this collection of beds will take you on a journey to dream land in f loating comfort. First, the fancy Voyage crib will cocoon your little one in style and comfort. This baby bed has a vintage feel with modern appeal, featuring a rounded basket set atop slim legs. Next, based on the same design, the Voyage dog bed has a basket body, cushioned with cozy padding, promising a sweet spot for Fido. For the adults, the Voyage double bed is the perfect piece for slumber in style. The high headboard and curved footboard remind us of a hammock, wrapping your bedding with you in it!

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THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

BUBBLE TANK
PSALT Unless one is drunk, it will appear that each of these hand-blown works of glass are about to topple, but instead they are designed that way to add some interest to the room and the fish tank itself. Fish wont know the difference. PSalt (short for A Pinch of Salt), is a design studio in Sheffield England, aiming for the unusual when it comes to furniture, objects and accessories. The so-called Bubble T ank is one of their first projects, and they insist its instability is only an illusion; it is meant to grab your attention and perhaps make you worry without actually putting your fishy little friends in real-life danger. An eye catcher.

SHOPPING co ntinued

LOVE CONNECTION
GREENFURNITURE The Love Connection is an armchair and sofa or whatever you want it to be! Its originally inspired by the classic love seat but is much more f lexible. Especially when you add a straight section, the possibilities becomes endless. This product with all its combinations is perfect for that interior decorator in you dying to come out.

RECYCLED TEAK WOOD FURNITURE


KARPENTER-ROADIE We love the Roadie collection of recycled teak wood furniture by Karpenter. This design is about innovation, while considering the environment and respecting what is classic, or so they say. Roadie furniture is rustic, industrial and modern, which makes for really special pieces that feel vintage. The collection is characterized by providing unique storage solutions, like chests and shelf units, and theyre all on wheels so you can easily move them around as you please. There is a good aesthetic to these pieces.

ntinued SHOPPING co
50

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DISHWASHER


SIEMENS An innovative drying system in a dishwasher has won an award for climate protection. This Siemens dishwasher speedMatic is around twenty percent more efficient than appliances in the highest energy-efficiency category; its minimal water consumption is 10 (instead of 14) liters per cycle also sets a new record. Engineers at BSH (Bosch and Siemens Household) Appliances are the first to take this completely new technology to the mass-production stage as well. Although it is only featured in top-of-the-range models at present, there are already plans to introduce it successively in mid-range models. Inside the dishwasher are special minerals that generate supplementary heat. As a result, the speedMatic is also the fastest dishwasher around. Hopefully, environmentally friendly appliances will keep improving dramatically in the coming years. In the past, these products have been some of the most inefficient and wasteful equipment around so it is good to see this finally changing.
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 51

GORENJE

ICHEF WITH OVEN TOUCH CONTROL

This oven with its large color display allows functions to be selected by sliding your finger across the screen the way we have become so used to. Apparently according to the product literature it also has the most powerful computer control system of any oven ever created. We didnt even know that any ovens had computer technology inside!
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

WINO RACK
DANIELA CRUZ

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SHOPPING co ntinued
EUMAR

This design by Daniela Cruz puts old bottles and new bottles to use, repurposing them as hooks that you can hang your jacket or coat on. The coat rack comes in separate pieces for easy transport and can be easily self-assembled by the user, BEFORE hitting the wine that the rack will support. A pretty clever idea although the wine would not last long being so connected to returning home, hanging your coat and grabbing a bottle.

STAINLESS STEEL GARDEN CHAIRS


KIEV-NEST Nest garden chairs are very captivating and unique and create the perfect spot for a little retreat without cutting off your surroundings. The ergonomic design and the fabric insert allow cozy comfort for one or two. Hand-made from electro-polished stainless steel, the chairs are hard wearing and easy to maintain so its perfect for the outdoors.

BATHROOM WATERFALL WALL


If you want to impress your friends with a unique sink, here is the best model for you (never mind why you want to impress friends with sinks). Glacial White lets the swooping shape speak for you. Instead of capturing liquid in a basin it simply sends water down to a f loor drain and accents its path along the way, like a toboggan run. This design from Eumar was inspired by Swedish waterfalls. The designers intentionally eschew standards of conventional plumbing like drain pipes or additive handles. Why such a sculptural approach? Aside from adding interest to an ordinary bathroom, it also accentuates water usage, encouraging people to hopefully use less. Pretty nice design.

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

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054

PEOPLE.&.PLACES.A.YEARLY.MELTDOWN

The

2012

Ice Hotel

Located 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, the hotel is located in an area with a larger population of sled dogs than humans. The Ice Hotel is rebuilt every year, and is dependent upon constant sub-freezing temperatures during construction and operation. The walls, fixtures, fittings, furniture, basically anything that can be made of ice or compacted snow is made of just that, ice and snow. First, a little history. In 1989, a group of Japanese ice artists visited the area and created an exhibition of ice art. The following spring of 1990, the well known French artist Jannot Derid had an exhibition in a cylinder shaped igloo in the area, an exhibition which drew a larger than expected crowd. This of course led to there being absolutely no rooms available anywhere in the town or surrounding areas, it is the Arctic Circle after all. Some of the visitors were finally invited to stay in the space where the exhibition had taken place, sleeping in sleeping bags and on top of reindeer skins. This was the start of something that would capture the worldwide publics imagination. As we all know, where there is interest in something and a need, someone will fill that need and make some money in the process. The process for the construction actually begins the previous March. The construction team of the Ice Hotel harvests tons and tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it for the following winter. Apparently the process of storing it and harvesting it well in advance improves its translucent quality. The big advantage they have is that the Torne River is so clean and unpolluted that the blocks they cut out of it are perfectly clear and not mixed with pollutants. This helps create a very special light when it passes through the ice. This special light allows the artists to create unique pieces of art from ice that spectacularly glow. The real construction begins sometime in mid-November when the temperature drops and the snow guns start humming on the Torne River shore. You can find great videos of the construction online. With equipment similar to the ones used to make man-made snow at ski resorts, snow is sprayed in huge cascading gushes onto huge forms that are shaped like elongated arches. These shaped steel forms hold the compacted and sprayed snow while it has a chance to freeze to a rock-like consistency. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. Additional elements are held together with something they call snice as in a mix between snow and ice. The process is basically using partially > melted snow that when applied to blocks, acts like mortar as it freezes into place. While it sounds very simple, the processes have been developed over many years. In the corridors, dividing

is the best one yet.

For those of us living in warm climates like Phuket, the idea of purposely traveling up north to stay inside a glorified igloo probably seems like a really dumb idea. Yet people from all over the world are drawn to the Ice Hotel in Sweden to live the adventure of spending a few days sleeping in a room made of ice. This year the Ice Hotel celebrated its twentieth year of building a new and improved hotel each winter, only to see it melt and disappear each spring.

> Images Left to Right. Top image. Ice Hotel guest suite. Image far left. Entrance to the Ice Hotel 2012. Middle image. Ice Church. Adjacent image. Ice Bar.
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 55

> Images clockwise. Top image. Ice blocks harvested from the Torne River. Middle right image. Ice Hotel Reception. Below right image. The Northern Lights.

freezes into place. While it sounds very simple, the processes have been developed over many years. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. The previously harvested ice blocks are then transported into the hotel, where selected artists start creating the art and design of the perishable material. The Ice Hotel opens in phases. The first phase opens in the beginning of December. For each week, another section of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January. At this time, the entire construction is completed. When completed, the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area, plus rooms and suites for over one hundred guests. The furniture is sculpted blocks of ice in the form of chairs and beds. There is also warm accommodation available next to the hotel, although this seems like cheating to me. Spanning over some 6,000 square meters, each suite is unique and the design of the hotel is changed each year. With each new winter season, a new group of artists submit their ideas for suites, and a jury selects about fifty artists to create the church, bar, reception, main hall and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Ice Hotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden, whatever that is. The hotel is both an exhibit hall for artists and an endurance test for the adventurous who dont mind spending a night in 23F (-5 C). As you enter, a series of snow-packed arches and ice block hallways lead visitors to the hotels rooms. There are three room choices: snow rooms, ice rooms and the most expensive > and dazzling option, the art suites. Every year artists from
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 57

> Images counterclockwise. Top image. Ice Hotel artist suite. Middle image. A man on the Torne River. Bottom image. Ice Hotel corridor.

AUTOMATIC SANITISERS

Fresh Water
around the globe are selected to design and construct the Ice Hotel suites and experience with ice is not a requirement. Artists from all disciplines and from all parts of the world are invited to apply, as long as they dont mind the cold. The project in the past has hosted sculptors, painters, designers, architects, multimedia artists, textile artists, set designers just to mention a few. All in all it takes one hundred people, including a selection of artists who apply to design the art suites, help create the structure and installations every year. Bathroom facilities are located in a heated facility nearby, so its best not to drink too much before going to bed, although trying to resist one more round to keep you warm in the Ice Bar is not so easy. The hotel features an Ice Church, which hosts about two hundred weddings and twenty baptisms every year. It sure would be something different although flying all your guests to the Arctic Circle cannot be cheap. Besides just visiting the Hotel, there are many sights to keep the visitor busy. At night, when the temperatures plunge to -13F, the hearty stay outside for a breathtaking show of the Northern Lights, which are green and red ribbons dancing through the sky. A snowmobile tour to the darkest points on frozen lakes is ideal. Those in the know will tell you to make sure you read up on how to capture photographs of the Northern Lights because guides often wont linger long. Considering its extremely remote location, the number of visitors is mind blowing. The specially designed, ice sculpted suites form the gallery of the hotel, visited by 30,000 people every winter season and slept in by 15,000 international guests. Those are pretty big numbers and we would love to hear from our readers on their experiences to this frozen wonder, although I dont think any of us are going anytime soon, we prefer the warmer weather of Phuket. x

(Commercial 10,000,000 Litre) Eco Friendly User Friendly No Dangerous Chemical Required

Salt Water

Domestic Up to 150,000 Litre Commercial 10,000,000 Litre

58

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

SALES DEPT.: marketing@waterworkswarehouse.net Tel.: +66 (0) 8 1895 1411 (TH), +66 (0) 8 1979 0917 (EN)

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062

FASHION.NERDS

THE CRAZY RODARTE SISTERS


WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

FALL 2012 FALL 2012

So how do two sisters new to fashion, having designed all of ten pieces in their parents home, at the kitchen table, get a meeting with Anna Wintour, the style making editor of Vogue and a cover of Womens Wear? Sheer talent, luck or very good contacts?We have no idea but it sure got their career started.

Since starting their label in 2005, they have drawn a lot of attention by creating collections that continued to defy the laws of cultural gravity, they have remained fresh and interesting. Natalie Portman an early fan and current friend of the sisters, feels that wearing their clothes is like wearing art.
Laura and Kate Mulleavy, aged 26 and 28 respectively, have had unfathomable success since appearing on the fashion scene in 2005 with their label Rodarte (their mothers maiden name). Days before their debut in New York during the spring 2006 shows they landed the cover of Womens Wear Daily, an event almost unheard of for new designers in the run-up to Fashion Week. But editors fell in love with the look-book the girls sent, lovingly crafted hand-made paper dolls in Rodartes collection of seven dresses and three coats.
Rodates Black Swan Costume Sketches

Kate and Laura Mulleavy are young and ambitious sisters from central California, near Santa Cruz who attended UC Berkeley. One sister studied literature and the other art history and somehow their clothes seem to reflect this juxtaposition. When they returned home, no clue what to do with themselves, they spent a year reading art books and coming to terms with themselves. They are descended from an interesting mix of an artist mother of Mexican-Italian descent and a botanist father of Irish descent. Quite a flammable combination. The name Rodarte comes from their mothers maiden name as a way of preserving it and preserved it is. Their parents started out as California hippies living in a cabin in the woods, with no heat or electricity. Living in the town of Aptos provided them with a window into the world of surfers, Punks, skateboarders, hippies and Hare Krishnas among many other native species of strange humanity, all in ample supply in their town and in nearby Santa Cruz. From our neck of the woods in South East Asia, we look for references that are closer to home in things like fashion and artistic

influences. The sisters have just come out with their Fall 2012 collection and it takes its main inspiration from the Australian outback. Referring to the Fall 2012 Collection, Robin Givhan from the Daily Beast, reported, Wool lace blouses with dolman sleeves topped slim matching skirts in shades of pea green and mauve. Urban shearing coats were worn with silk dresses printed with patterns inspired by aboriginal art. Slim cargo pants were matched with cropped fishermans sweaters that were thick and almost masculine in cut. Cocktail dresses were suspended from a jeweled strap. Evening gowns were constructed from tiers of ruffles and called to mind carved totem poles. Patterns referenced aboriginal art; hand prints were inspired by ancient cave paintings. And instead of putting models in daunting and fragile stilettos, the designers had them wear chunky shoes with heels that looked like cantilevered, mechanical sculptures, and boots that were embroidered with beads in the manner of an Indian medallion. The inspiration came out of nowhere, explained Laura Mulleavy in the crush of well-wishers after the show. Wed done so much research and looked at photo books of different eras. But they kept coming back to the idea of Australia, along with the Victorian era, which inspired the hairstyles and some of the simple and reserved silhouettes. Her sister Kate added, The show was based on the rugged outback. >

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The Mulleavy sisters are still somehow considered to be and happy about being fashions outsider nerds. They both have an inner intensity but are also content not to be particularly noticeable. They have taken their education and knowledge of historical context into new arenas including painting, books, opera and film. It seemed to have started with the movie Black Swan where their designs brought a fresh aspect to the movie and their work was widely praised. Soon thereafter the MOCA museum picked up the costumes and created an exhibit for them, which also received rave reviews. Then they introduced their first book project titled Rodarte, Catherine Opie, Alec Soth. The book features Rodarte pieces and the subject matter that has inspired their work.

Vincent Van Gogh inspired collection

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Now comes the really fun part, they have been commissioned to create the costumes for the new production by the LA Philharmonic of Don Giovanni which will take place at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the marvelous, curvy and swooping iconic opera hall designed by Frank Gehry. And the same Pritzker Prize winning architect who designed the building is also involved in the production. He will be designing the sets and installations for the production. When the producers, Gehry and everyone began thinking about the costumes, they asked Anna Wintour, and why not? Her suggestion to get the Rodarte sisters involved has been a stroke of genius and they and Gehry instantly found an artistic bond. When asked about the designs of the sisters, Kate and Lauras work reminds me of my early days, says Gehry. It is free and fearless and not precious. Don Giovanni will be conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, the young Venezuelan conductor who is bringing classical music to new audiences. >

Natalie Portman, Dakota Fanning and Rodarte sisters during Rodarte Fall 2012 fashion show. Natalie Portman being fitted into her black swan costume by Laura Mulleavy, photographed by Autumn de Wilde.
> 03. > 02.

> 01.

Dakota Fanning in Rodarte Spring 2012 worn to the Rodarte Fall 2012 runway show during New York Fashion Week.
> 04.

Elle Fanning wore Rodarte Spring 2012. She wears the dress, and makes it her own.
> 05.

Fanning at a dinner in celebration of Rodarte held at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood.

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

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He has a belief that it is fundamental for symphonies to perform opera and he suggested bringing Gehry onboard the team. Once Gehry was fully operational within the team, he went to Wintour. She is quoted as saying, They were my natural selection for the L.A. Philharmonic when Frank approached me, recalling the conversation. Theyve shown that they can create fashion magic on the runway and the movie screen, and their unique blend of quirky individuality, together with their hands-on couture approach and sense of craftsmanship, suggest that they are also the perfect choice to design for the opera.

Laura has more energy than Kate, although Kate talks more, but neither sister as we mentioned commands attention. Their work sure does. Some of the names that have worn the label include Cate Blanchet, Natalie Portman (of course), Keira Knightley, Kirsten Dunst, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez, Chloe Sevigny, Tilda Swindon and the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. This impressive list is just a small sample of the loyal customer bases that the Rodarte label has built up in a short amount of time, and is a testament to their talent and the bright future the two sisters have ahead of them. x

Vincent Van Gogh inspired Spring 2012 Collection designed by the Rodarte Sisters.

> Above images.

SPRING 2012
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 67

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GASTRONOMY.SUSHI.BOX

069

THINK DESIGNS FOOD REVIEW


WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

SUSHI BOX > Jungceylon, Patong, Phuket


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THIS MONTH, WE HEADED DOWN TO THE CENTER OF PATONG TO GIVE SUSHI BOX A TRY. AS YOU KNOW, THE HOPE IS THAT YOU, THE READER, WILL FIND SOME COMMON GROUND WITH OUR OPINIONS WHICH WILL HELP YOU FIND SOME VALUE IN THESE REVIEWS. THE WAY WE APPROACH OUR REVIEWS IS TO TRY A VARIED MENU, MORE THAN ONCE, AND LET OUR VARIED CULINARY EXPERIENCE GUIDE US. OUR GROUP IS FORMED BY DISTINCT FOOD EATING TYPES. A PROFESSIONAL (THE FOOD CRITIC) WHO WORKS FULL TIME IN THE GASTRONOMY PROFESSION, A WRITER, MYSELF (THE EXPERIMENTAL EATER) WHO ENJOYS EVERYTHING AND LIKES TO TRY AS COMPLICATED AND UNUSUAL FOOD AS POSSIBLE AND (THE PICKY EATER) WHO IS CAREFUL NOT TO VENTURE TOO FAR AND REJECTS A FAIR VARIETY OF OFFERINGS. IN THIS WAY, WE TRY TO COVER THE GAMUT OF FOOD TASTES AND GIVE AN HONEST AND DIVERSE ASSESSMENT OF THE RESTAURANTS THAT WE REVIEW. THIS MONTH WE ADDED SEVERAL LOCAL THAIS TO THE MIX TO GIVE SUSHI A TOUGH TEST.
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We began with a distinct mission that had been suggested by several readers. As residents of Phuket know, it is hard to find food that keeps Thais and Farang here happy all at once. Most of the so called European food options do not seem to satisfy the Thais. Many times I have been at a dinner with a group of Thais who sit quietly but do not engage with the food. On the other hand, most of the expats we know dont really appreciate local food beyond the few curry and Pad Thai standards. Bringing these groups together with food is difficult and we have been searching for options that could tick all the boxes. With that mission, we fell on the idea of sushi as a food type that might do the job of pleasing both groups. To try to prove our thesis, we took our Thai staff and our regular reviewers down to Jung Ceylon to try a variety of sushi and gauge the reaction of both groups. Many people think of sushi as only raw fish but it is much more. Raw fish only is a distinct type of sushi called sashimi. Most sushi represents foods that use rice seasoned with rice vinegar. Of course, raw fish is the most popular ingredient in sushi, but the main element of sushi is rice and of course there are many types of sushi, which dont include raw fish and you can find dozens of these at Sushi Box. Vegetables, cooked seafood, meat and various other ingredients are also combined in sushi. Some options are even deep fried for the less adventurous. >

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> 01, The Jung Ceylon restaurant. > 02, A tuna and mango combination roll. > 03, Sushi Box also uses beef in a variety of sushi items including the beef sashimi. > 04, A colorful combination roll. > 05, An attractive sashimi presentation.

01 > 01, Squid ring with rice and sauce. They serve tempura too. > 02, A deep fried combination roll, ready to be eaten. > 03, Mussels on the half shell with a spicy sauce. 02

We sat down in the main square in Jung Ceylon mall and began our review. The location is perfect for those who like people watching and terrible for people who like to dine intimately. The noise in the square is brutal, mainly from music piped around the shopping mall at ridiculous volume. Sitting there, we all decided that the bonus of people watching overcame the negative of the noise. The mall is so crowded in the evening that there were hundreds of people going by all the time. As we watched the waves of humanity from all over the world, we enjoyed a mojito which is the specialty cocktail of Sushi Box. It was delicious and even the Thais enjoyed the cocktail which nicely kicked off the always enjoyable food discussion (ok, maybe argument is a better word). So as we drank and watched people, many of them dangerously sunburned, we discussed the options we wanted to choose, a tough task with so many options on the menu. The waitress came over and we pointed at various items from the menu, pecking here and there. Some of the things we experimented with included the following. California Roll. The standard, non raw fish food roll. A medium roll containing imitation crab meat, pieces of crunchy cucumbers, and soft avocado, sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds for flavor. Very good. Spicy Roll. Medium roll containing choices of seafood items, tuna and salmon plus crunchy cucumbers and a special spicy sauce, sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds for flavor. This was very nice as well. Dragon Roll. A medium roll containing pieces of tender eel, crunchy cucumbers and a spe70 THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

cial southern eel sauce. Each piece was topped with slices of avocado for added texture and flavor. These were some of our favorites. Rainbow Roll. A medium roll that contained imitation crab meat, pieces of crunchy cucumbers and soft avocado, topped with a piece of fish. The options ranged from tuna, salmon, octopus, squid, shrimp, and yellowtail. Another winner. Nigiri. With our nigiri options, we took the ones topped with the following items: salmon, tuna, snapper, yellowtail and octopus. Sashimi. We selected sashimi in tuna and salmon. This is nothing but raw fish and a good test of the restaurants quality. Maki Rolls. We took a variety of these small rolls containing one each of tuna, salmon and yellow tail. This is a pretty standard item and hard to differentiate from place to place. For those of you who like sushi, and that group certainly includes us, the food is very good and the variety is plentiful. No limited

menu here. Our Thai staff seemed to really be happy and it was the common food bond we were looking for, at least with the less adventurous items. With the sashimi, some in our group said no, but there are plenty of other things to share with everyone. Prices for the various sushi options are good as well. There is also takeout available and the fish and produce they use is clearly very fresh based on our extensive research. The problem with the venue will be for those of you who like to sit, have a good meal and be well served. This is the only negative to Sushi Box. We found the service lacking and if you go, bring your patience, the food is fantastic but the service will not make you happy. We happily recommend the food and we will surely be ordering there soon, takeout of course. x
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Chef Aaron of Joes Downstairs (see opposite page) also loves Puras organic products.

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072

GASTRONOMY.FOUR.TUNATE.TICKET

WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

restaurants

you cannot get into...

RESTAURANT CULTURE HAS REACHED A POINT WHERE CERTAIN ESTABLISHMENTS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE BECOME MUST HAVE RESERVATIONS AND HAVE REACHED THE STRATOSPHERE PREVIOUSLY RESERVED FOR CERTAIN CONCERT, THEATER AND SPORTING EVENTS. AS WE REPORTED IN OUR MARCH ISSUE THIS YEAR, DANISH CHEF, RENE REDZEPIS RESTAURANT NOMA APPARENTLY RECEIVES 20,000 RESERVATION REQUESTS A DAY FOR FORTY DINING SPACES. TALK ABOUT DIFFICULT. NOMA HAS TAKEN OVER THE MANTLE OF EL BULLI, THE FERRAN ADRIA ESTABLISHMENT THAT FOR YEARS HAD THAT KIND OF FOLLOWING UNTIL THEY CLOSED LAST YEAR. HERE ARE FOUR MORE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO GET INTO AND WHY

Sukiyabashi Jiro, Tokyo, Japan This 3 Michelin star restaurant of Chef Jiro Ono is FULL. The Ginza location of Sukiyabashi Jiro is likely the worlds most hallowed sushi temple, a ten seat bar where Chef Ono who is now eighty-seven presides over the short but expertly orchestrated affair. With very, very limited space, its no mystery that its tough to get in. What makes it nearly impossible to pull off, as though the space issue is not enough, is that no one on staff speaks English. They apparently tend to not welcome foreigners without a Japanese host. Chef Ono has been recognized by the Japanese government as a living national treasure for his contributions to Japanese cuisine. There has even been a documentary film made about him. What they are saying, (from alifewortheating.com), I always thought two parents were more than enough. But after visiting Sukiyabashi Jiro in Ginza, Tokyo, I will be returning with adoption papers. Everything I ate here was unbelievable.

Tickets, Barcelona, Spain You cant have a tough-to-get-into list without Ferran Adria, right? This tapas restaurant from Adria opened after El Bulli closed and although it has ninety seats and a much more rapid turnover because of its tapas format, it is still impossible to get into. In case you think that this place does not live up to the Adria name, there are hundreds of articles already professing love online. Apparently a large number of disciples of Adria still dont somehow know about this place so the pressure is only going to build on availability as time goes by. The restaurant, 41 Degrees, is just next door, try there. What they are saying (from sabrinaspassions.com), Wow, what an experience. Im not even sure how on earth I will manage to put it into words! Th e Fr e n c h L a u n d r y, Yountville, California Chef Thomas Keller has managed his 3 Michelin starred restaurant long enough to have a long list of chefs who worked for

him before opening their own hard-to-get-into restaurants including the aforementioned, chef of Noma, Rene Redzepi. Keller created the idea of high cuisine foraged food that is all the rage today (see Think Design Magazine, March 2012) and his so-called new American cooking simply remains one of the premiere restaurant pilgrimages in the world. People coming from everywhere account for the difficulty of entry. You and everyone else want a table! The culinary philosophy at The French Laundry involves making a meal an emotional experience. Their aim is to take the guest on a journey where new sensations are discovered and others reawakened. What they are saying (from maholo.com), All details, from ambiance to service to cuisine, are equally important. No single ingredient is repeated during a meal. Thomas Keller has stated that engaging a palate, without completely satiating it, allow flavors to remain affecting. Next, Chicago, Illinois Next Restaurant in Chicago had an epiphany when attempting to control the enormous traffic; imagine having someone have to say, No, we are fully booked. 20,000 times a day! The idea here was to forgo the

standard reservation system for a theater ticket system. So, you pay in advance and if you dont show, well, you paid already. Grant Achatz the chef and proprietor must really like hard work, based on the way his menu works. He refines a menu for a year before introducing it, say French cooking only from the 1950s. He then introduces his breakthroughs for three months only, then starts all over again. He has explored Thai food from the last century recently as well. Then after the three months, the restaurant changes into a completely new place and time. Next Restaurant will then again morph into an entirely different restaurant, and again three months after that. Getting one of those tickets is almost impossible. To give you an idea, when Next announced the on-sale date for their three-month menu cycle, Tour of Thailand, their website crashed from the amount of traffic. They do have one ticket auctioned off for charity each night. What they are saying(from about. com), The awards are in. Chef Grant Achatzs Chicago restaurant Next has been named the National Restaurant of the Year. This really shouldnt be a surprise. x

THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

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FE m ST ar u IV t sic s A a L nd

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074

MUSIC.SOUTH.BY.SOUTHWEST

SXSW 2012 took place between March 9th and the 18th and began with Cabin in the Woods a film by Joss Whedon, at the Paramount Theater in Austin. This was followed by music, music and more music. All in all there were about two thousand bands and DJs filling Austin, Texas with mayhem. They performed in bars, theaters and wherever they could, transforming the city into one big musical party for the duration. The event contrasts are always huge at SXSW in terms of event size, as some venues are relatively empty, maybe showcasing an unknown band playing to a sparse crowd or the other extreme might be Bruce Springsteen playing to a packed house, in this case, a show that lasted about three and a half hours. Venues are great at this festival as well, where else would you get White Stripes legend Jack White crushing a long set in a small bar? Many unique gatherings happen around town during the Festival, like the Jack White after-party in Lance Armstrongs bike shop with Bob Mould DJing. How is that for eclectic? Damn, sorry to have missed that one.

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> 01. Fiona Apple performs at the NPR showcase during the SXSW. Photo courtesy of Jack Plunkett.

Let us start with a little festival history. In July 1986, the organizers of the New York City Festival contacted Roland Swenson, a staffer at the Austin Chronicle about organizing an extension of that festival into Austin. The plans did not materialize, so Swenson decided to instead co-organize a local music festival, with the help of two other people at the Chronicle, editor and co-founder Louis Black, and publisher Nick Barbaro. Louis Meyers, an agent and musician, was also brought on board and Black came up with the name, as a play on the name of the Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest. The event was first held in March 1987. The organizers considered it a regional event and expected around one hundred and fifty music fans to show up, but over seven hundred came, and according to Black it went national almost immediately. Meyers left Austin and the Festival in the early 1990s, but Black, Barbaro and Swenson remained the Festivals key organizers which continues today. In 1992, singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked was the keynote speaker and she caused controversy by delivering a speech, written by her then-husband Bart Bull, criticizing white musicians for stealing music from black artists. In 1993, SXSW moved into the Austin Convention Center as their main venue where it is still held and in 1994 the Festival added a component for film and other media, named the SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference. In 2006 a secret concert at the SXSW Festival by the band The Flaming Lips was called one of the Top 10 Music Festival Moments of all time by Time magazine in 2010. The Festival is famed for discovering new talent but the 2012 edition reserved its biggest buzz for returning heroes. On the new side, 2012 brought avant-pop star Grimas, Scottish art-school rockers Django, Australian rockabilly Lanie Lane and rappers Big KRIT, 2 Chainz and MC A$ap Rocky. SXSW 2012 was about return engagements by the long-gone likes of Fiona Apple, Santigold and, to a slightly lesser extent, Miike Snow (yes with two is). Apple kicked the Festival off with a powerful, moving return >

WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

THE 2012 VERSION OF THE SXSW FESTIVAL JUST ENDED AND WAS AS GROUNDBREAKING AND MEMORABLE AS EVER. THIS EVENT ACTS AS BOTH THE FUTURE OF MUSIC AND A CONFERENCE FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IN BOTH THEORY AND PRACTICE.
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 75

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to form after nearly five years without a show outside LA, blowing away crowds at both her official Stubbs showcase and Pitchforks church show. Miike Snow, meanwhile, proved to be the prototypical SXSW buzz band. After establishing themselves as serious, festival favorites at SXSW 2009, the Swedish-American band backed the street cred up by crushing three sets on three different nights, each one at midnight. SXSW is a festival that includes new innovations in music distribution and business as well. A few of the music business innovations that the crowd was buzzing about included the Nike fuel band which we covered in the magazine last month. Nike had a major music venue set up in the street and got a lot of buzz going for their new product with various A-list performers. Also, Isis, the mobile payment system got its first public viewing at SXSW, with consumers able to see the near-field communication wallet in action. The demonstration at Isis lounge and booth sets the stage for Isis rollout this summer in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake. Finally, our favorite has to be Tweet-ABeer, which by synchronizing your PayPal and twitter accounts can allow you to tweet a beer to your friends instantly and around the world. How cool is that? For all my friends out there what are you waiting for? On the new music breakthrough side, what we can take from this year are the following; according to a variety of more and less informed sources, this could be the year of Norwegian ska. Razika, a Norwegian ska-pop girl-group, performed a fantastic set at Beerland, clearly a bar-music venue that we all need to visit. It was reportedly an enchanting show so we will be hearing more from them. Also, some music insiders claim annually that SXSW is a gauge for the health of British music, and if this is so, things are getting folksy in the UK. A plethora of singer-songwriter-folk music types, many of whom are associated with the Communion label, were doing the rounds, with Marcus Mumford apparently booking a studio and rounding them all up to have a jam. And finally, one of the many sponsored stages at the Festival appeared in the shape of a giant snack dispenser. The privileged insiders at this private party got to see Snoop Dogg performing underneath giant packets of Doritos; passers-by could only hear him, and see the crisps. We will keep watching and report back next year. What do you say everyone, a Think Design Magazine trip to SXSW 2013, anyone...anyone?? x

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> 01. SXSW party. > 02. SXSW fashion show. Image courtesy of Kimberly Walker. > 03. The Boss. Bruce Springsteen. > 04. A Conversation with Joss Whedon Greenroom Panel. Image courtesy of Michael Buckner.

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THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

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078

MOTORS.THE.ULTIMATE.CHAUFFEUR

WORDS: MICHAEL EARLE

01

When Cars Drive


T HE DRIVERLESS CAR IS COMINg . SOUNDS CRAZy BUT IT IS. WHAT THAT
IT IS COMINg.

Themselves

This technology is not as far away as you think. According to Volvo PR, the company is developing so-called road trains, which the Volvo Chief Safety Engineer, Thomas Broberg claims will arrive on European roads by the end of the decade. In a road train, multiple cars are connected by wireless technology to drive in packs on highways. One lead vehicle (with a professional human driver) sets the trains speed, and other vehicles can link to the lead vehicle. On-board systems in the following vehicles would autonomously steer, accelerate, and apply the brakes as necessary. In theory, this would reduce the number of accidents caused by driver error on highways, and could allow drivers to nap or watch movies while behind the wheel. Road trains allow a driver to use their time better, drive safer, reduce congestion and improve the environment, Broberg stated. Youre always following another car, so why not let the driving be done by someone else? Google, the technology giant, took a step into that exact future recently with the announcement of the work they have been doing on the development of the driverless car. They have made progress and one of their test cars has thus far driven 140,000 miles around the San Francisco Bay area, in heavy inner city traffic and across the Golden Gate Bridge, and all the way around Lake Tahoe, among other destinations. Because of existing laws and during the testing, Google has one of its employees in the car at all times ready to take over if anything goes wrong, but it hopes to eventually get to a point where the cars can drive themselves remotely.

REALLy MEANS IS NOT CLEAR yET BUT

THERE

IS AN AMAZINg

VIDEO THAT HAS gONE VIRAL ON THE INTERNET OF AN INTERSECTION IN INDIA. IN THE VIDEO, CARS, TUK TUKS,

TRUCKS AND MOTORBIKES SEAMLESSLy MERgE THROUgH EACH OTHER IN A WAy THAT LOOKS COMPLETELy CHAOTIC BUT IS THIS IDEA THAT IF A CENTRAL COMMAKES SURE THAT THE WHOLE CHOREOgRAPHy IS CONTROLLED. CALLy, WHO WOULD NOT WANT SAFER SEEMS TO WORK. WHAT THIS OFFERS US PUTER KNOWS WHAT EACH PART IS AND
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REALISTI-

ROADS AND INFINITELy LESS TRAFFIC PROBLEMS? IMAgINE gETTINg INTO yOUR CAR, PROgRAMMINg THE DESIRED LOCACOMPUTER DOES THE REST. TION AND READINg A BOOK WHILE THE ROADS, yOU WOULD STILL OPERATE AS NORMAL. WHAT IS NOT TO LIKE, RIgHT?

ON

SIDE

An animation of the computerized autonomous intersection. Autonomus BMW 5-series.


> 02. > 03.

> 01.

> Background image.

Hands-free driving.

Monitor showing car sensors.

Can humans accept the car being centrally controlled? The same was said about a new innovation that hit us about seventy-five years ago. Road intersections used to be controlled by humans with a traffic cop at each intersection in white gloves and a whistle. We would never have the confidence in machines to trust those little colored lights that go from green to yellow and on to red. Since then, sensing actuators, such as >
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 79

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microphones, pressure sensors, electromagnets and video cameras has further evolved our dependence on machines in controlling traffic. People might be wary of such technology in the U.S or Europe. But what about in China, where driver norms arent quite set yet, and traffic fatalities are ridiculously high or in Japan, where the trust in robotic automation is an article of cultural faith? Of course cars arent independent entities. They are part of a larger infrastructure of transportation. As the technology of driving changes, its a good time to think about the design of the rest of the system. Computer scientist Peter Stone argues that better sensors and software will allow for more efficient use of intersections. Gone will be the days of people stuck at lights, waiting for a red even though the opposite way is clear. So what are the benefits of driverless cars? A car that can sense its environment and navigate on its own allowing the human to choose a destination, but not be required to perform any mechanical operation of the vehicle has its advantages. First, of course, there is safety, something in short supply here in Asia. Fewer crashes, due to the autonomous systems increased reliability compared to human drivers. Increased roadway capacity due to reduced need of safety gaps and the ability to manage and reduce traffic backups. The exciting result that I thought of immediately when I began imagining the self driven car was the relief of actually having to drive, allowing us to read a book, get some work done or maybe watch a movie. It also removes constraints on occupants state; it would 05 not matter if the occupants were too young, too old or if their frame of mind were not suitable to drive a traditional car, or for example if they are drunk. One great result is that disabilities would no longer matter. Also elimination of redundant passengers, humans are not required to take the car anywhere, as the robotic car can drive empty to wherever it is required. Alleviation of parking scarcity as cars could drop off passengers, park far away where space is not scarce, and return as needed to pick up passengers. Indirect advantages are anticipated as well. Adoption of robotic cars could reduce the number of vehicles worldwide, reduce the amount of space required for vehicle parking, and reduce the need for traffic police and vehicle insurance. Advanced control systems interpret the information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage. Autonomous vehicles typically update their maps based on sensory input, such that they can navigate through uncharted environments. It is a wondrous new world and it will be fun to watch these advances come into everyday use. x

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Jurvetson Google driverless car. Traffic jam in India. We cant forget Herbie The Love Bug who seemed to have a mind of his own.

> 01.

> 02. > 03.

Google lets a blind man drive its autonomous car. Real-time 3D image of the people all around.
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

> 04.

> 05.

81

LATEST
.......must have gadgetry

SPEAKER DOCK
INVOXIA
Phone and sound technology is getting better and better. Invoxia introduced its latest product called AudiOffice which is a speaker dock for most of your devices. It sounds pretty good to us to be able to have crystal clear conversation with a speaker-microphone system based on great technology. It comes with the four wide-bandwidth speakers and two digital microphones, so you will get truly enhanced call quality. In addition, there is a traditional phone handset if you want to keep your conversations private or if you simply dont want to use speakerphone for some other reason. This dock is designed for iOS devices, and it will work great with iPhones and iPads, but you can connect other devices as well, thanks to the USB dock with Bluetooth support. www.invoxia.com

TETRIS LAMP
TETROMINO
For those of you among our readers who are Tetris fans, this is surely the lamp for you, the Tetris desk lamp. It is the officially licensed lamp of the game and is made up of Tetris blocks. Additionally, tetromino, whatever that is, lights up when stacked on top of one that is already lit. Apparently, you can arrange the pattern any way you like and at a $50 US, you really are not spending a fortune. If you use this in the office everyone will be gathering at your desk to play with it, so realistically you wont be getting much work done. available in stores September 2012

ULTRASONIC HUMIDIFIER
STADLER FORM
Here is a compact ultrasonic humidifier that can cover up to one thousand square feet, and features an on/off time, a sleep mode, a turntable mist diffuser, an Ionic Silver Cube to ward off bacteria, an integrated hygrostat, and a maximum output of three and a half gallons per day. That is a lot of humidity that can be captured in the air. Living in humid places like Phuket, this product should come in handy. www.stadlerform.ch

KEVLAR UNDERPANTS
US ARMY
In our unending search to bring you everything bulletproof (not really,.. however we did publish stories on bulletproof fashion and bulletproof wallpaper in previous issues), now comes the ultimate in body part protection. Recently developed by the U.S. Army, the Pelvic Protection System, or Kevlar Boxers, were made for dismounted soldiers patrolling Afghanistan roads. The undergarment is made with two layers of protection, an under-garment, or PUG, and an outer-garment, or POG. The Kevlar boxers were created to protect parts of the thigh and the femoral artery. In addition, theres woven Kevlar for groin protection. I am sure this has plenty of uses beyond the military ones, invent your own story here... www.blastboxers.com
82 THINK DESIGN MAY 2012

LATEST
FINGER PIANO PENTAX CAMERA
MARC NEWSON
We are not sure why, but Australian designer Marc Newson has come out with his own camera for Pentax. Having some very interesting features, the K01 boasts the thinnest interchangeable lens in the world and is compatible with all two-hundred and fourteen types of lens in the Pentax range. It has a three-inch digital screen, ridged rubber body and comes in black and yellow, black and silver or black and black. I dont recall seeing that many cameras on the market that have been designed by professional designers, says Newson. Most of them are designed by engineers. We shall see if the public agrees that the world is in need of a camera designed by famous designers. www.pentaximaging.com

AVAILABLE AT THINK GEEK

This contraption looks weird but it beats lugging a piano around with you. For those of you out there who love playing the piano and want to hone your skills wherever you are, there are a lot of smartphone apps. But what you see above is a new Japanese Wrist-Mounted Finger Piano which will give you an experience far better than playing on your phones touchscreen. The gadget easily slips onto your wrist and you have to insert your fingers into the respective clips. Then you simply start playing. When you press a finger down on a hard surface, a note will sound on the gadgets built-in speaker. The Finger Piano comes with one full octave of notes. And you will also get to play with three volume levels and three sound banks. The Japanese Wrist-Mounted Finger Piano comes with a price tag of $39.99 US. www.thinkgeek.com

ELECTRIC FREE IPHONE CHARGER


JOAO PAULO LAMMOGLIA
If and when we get tired of constantly having to plug your phone in and use electricity and harm the environment, this product might be for you. So you want to go green and charge your phone, simply strap this head mask on, and your breathing, over the following hours, will turn tiny turbines that will re-charge your phone. We have to say though it does look a bit uncomfortable. AIRE Mask can be used at any time of the day, so long as you dont mind being seen wearing a mask over your head like a gas attack is about to take place. While sleeping might be the best bet to don the mask.

www.joaolammoglia.net

MULTICANALE REMOTE

TELCOMA HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

With all the remotes that work on multi-channels available on the market, most are bulky and pretty ugly. This version is simple and attractive; a good choice to unify all your remotes. The two Emo designs, Multicanale and Edge, are the winner of an iF Product Design Award 2012. According to the product literature, The two transmitters communicate innovation, quality and durability thanks to the choice of materials and attention to functionality and ergonomics. These products demonstrate not only a rebranding but also a pleasing design that fits seamlessly into everyday life.

www.emo-design.it
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 85

LEAF SOLAR LIGHT


MOHZY
Everyone loves some light at night illuminating the garden and the lovely tropical plants that grow everywhere, but many of us dont like the idea of the wasted energy. Here is another solution, the Petal solar lights from Mohzy. With a green petal and a green plastic stem, these lamps have been designed to resemble a plant during the day so they are unobtrusive and can easily blend with the other plants in your garden to add an extra charm. The lamps are completely eco friendly and depend on the sun for their energy. This, however, does not mean they wont function during bad weather, but realistically might only provide light for part of the night. The solar panels of Petal solar lights come with a rechargeable battery which stores the suns energy during the day and uses it at night to provide light. Petal solar lights function automatically and light up as it gets dark, so you do not have to worry about switching them on at dusk. They also switch off on their own at dawn. The petal of the lamp acts as a reflector and gently increases the brightness of the lamps light. www.mohzy.com

LATEST

BRAILLE LIKE TEXTING APP


GEORGIA TECH RESEARCHERS
I have always wondered how they were going to solve the iPhone-iPad culture for the sight impaired. Now Georgia Tech researchers have introduced a free open-source iPhone app called BrailleTouch. BrailleTouch incorporates the Braille writing system used by the visually impaired. Using six fingers, it lets you type at up to thirty-two words per minute with ninety-two percent accuracy, at least six times faster than other research prototypes for eyes-free texting. When I first heard about this, I immediately thought about people texting notes under the table during a meeting or during class without anyone knowing it. BrailleTouch could be a universal eyes-free mobile texting app that replaces soft QWERTY keyboards and other texting technologies. For the blind, it replaces expensive proprietary braille keyboard devices, which typically cost thousands of dollars. Good idea. Not yet available at iTunes

WRAP AROUND BLACKBERRY


BLACKBERRY CONCEPT DESIGN
A few years ago came the design for a flexible screen. Now the designers at RIM have brought this to a BlackBerry concept design. Due to the flexible screen technology, the phone is light and has the ability to differentiate between an intentional command and a hand thats just holding the phone. The additional screen real estate enables separate workspaces to be set up on the front and back of the phone which could spur all kinds of new applications. The designers have conceived a landscape keyboard which is completely new to the Blackberry. This is the kind of thing that Blackberry needs to get back into the game of, continually evolving smart phone technology. concept by John Anastasiadis
THINK DESIGN MAY 2012 87

THINK DESIGNSART RECOMMENDED


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THE KASHMIR EMPORIUM


We are the ultimate in Hand made Embroidery and accessories and bring out the finest the human hands can ever produce. In House: Shawls: All types of Shawls and Stoles including Digital Screen Printing Shawls and Pashmina Shawls. Silk and Woollen Carpets and Glims. Wall Hangings. Bed Covers and Cushion Covers. Ready made kurties and dresses. Hand made accessories and jewelry.

GALLERIES

PHUKETS CREATIVES

THE MAPLE COLLECTION

CASHMERE SHAWLS THAI SILK JEWELRY CARPETS

Privately held since 1995, The Maple Collection is a well-established firm dealing in hand-made carpets and shawls produced in Kashmir India.

The Maple Collection can provide you with the most exquisite quality of oriental carpets, and they will maintain their market value for hundreds of years.

56 Laguna Rd., Cherng Talay, Thalang. Phuket 83140 M: +66 (0) 81 308 9498 sftapa@gmail.com 390/40 Moo 1 Canal Village, Srisoonthorn Rd., Thalang, Phuket Thailand 83150 F: +66 (0) 76 296 070 M: +66 (0) 89 652 2784 themaplecollection@hotmail.com www.themaplecollection.com

SIRI ART STUDIO

ORIGINAL PAINTINGS

THE GALLERY
Contemporary and antique Chinese furniture in timeless, chic styling is well built in a stunning array of vibrant hues. New replicas and stylish pieces are stocked or made to order. Accent with distinctive modern paintings, carpets and dcor accessories.

Parn is an artist who paints in oil paints on canvas with bright vibrant colors depicting mainly Phuket landscapes, sunsets and sunrises. A unique style to paint is Abstract geometric shapes and brush strokes with his imagination and inspiration of black and white combination.

Artist Parn with his vibrant abstract and cubism paintings.

249/17 Moo8, Thepkrasattri Rd., Thalang, Phuket 83110 T: +66 (0) 76 512 585 M: +66 (0) 89 866 2346 info@nwe-thegallery.com www.nwe-thegallery.com

40/2 Moo 8 Thambon Vichit, Muang, Phuket Town, Phuket 83000 M: +66 (0) 87 887 9475 parn_siriart@hotmail.com

copyright ownership

REILLYS TATTOO AND ART GALLERY International Award Winning Artist

MAGIC CARPET & CURTAIN

Magic Carpet & Curtain deals with all kinds of hand knotted and custom design carpets and kilims. We also make curtains and all style of blinds, and provide wallpaper and awnings.

Magic Carpet Company Limited 123/3 Moo 4. Tumbon Srisoonthon, Thalang Phuket. Thailand 83110 T: +66 (0) 76 271 110 M: +66 (0) 81 956 3061 suhail_carpet@yahoo.com www.megic-carpet.com

Specializing in WASHING AND REPAIRING CARPETS & UPHOLSTERY free pick-up and delivery

MAP
N a
Patong

CUSTOM WORK SPECIALIST FRIENDLY PROFESSIONAL STAFF FULL STERILIZATION PROCEDURES ART GALLERY WWW.REILLYTATTOO.COM.AU LOCATION MAP

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135/18 Moo4 Patak Villa, Rawai Rd., Muang, Phuket 83000 M: +66 (0) 83 173 4654 reillytattoo@hotmail.com facebook.com/reillytattoo

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