I should maybe start a tag for all the JR content I post on my blog.  First it was my first mention of him when I discovered his work and also when I went down to be part of his prolific Inside Out Series when it came to London.  This time around I want to share his new video documenting his time with Artist José Parlá in Havana as they work on their project Wrinkles of the City.  This video gives a nice insight to the history, people and culture of Havana, Cuba and how their reactions to this Art project really defines the character of the place.  Havana is a place with not external advertising, so no huge billboards, bus posters or bus ads so having huge visual pieces erected on the sides local buildings and monuments.  There are some really cute people featured in this film, and if any of my friends who are going over to Cuba later this year are watching this, here is a little taster of where you will be going! :)

All content via http://www.jr-art.net/

I came across this cool Swimwear label called Bantu when one of the people I follow on Instagram tagged them in a post.  Obviously I love their print swimmers like this Three Stripes Bando: Reef, and pretty much everything in their collection.  However, in addition to their actual products I love their Instagram Feed as it features real people (who are gorgeous anyway) wearing their pieces and images representing their influences.  In their about page on their site, they say they are "Afro Punks", I love that cohesion of two previously polar opposite cultures.  If you enjoy the mixing of sub cultures and African led fashion you should really follow all of their media platforms.

Here is a taste of what's in store!
^

Do you guys likeID Magazine?  We get the magazine free at work and I flick through it but I do not ingest it religiously like other magazines.  However, what I have recently discovered is how wonderful their online home is.  The content is diverse and extensive covering all the modern lifestyle fashion and arts sectors; and what I personally love is their video archive of different shorts ranging from interviews, behind the scenes and ID specifically created content like this series: Model Mother Tongue.  The video edit is quirky, humorous and stylish featuring different models teaching phrases from their homelands!  Obvi I love Liu Wen so I have added her's below to get an insight to some Mandarin mouthfuls.  Included in the series is Russian, Danish and even AUSSIE, haha.  Their More than a model series is cool too, you should peek!

All content from ID

Hopefully I will be the Mother of some cute quarter Mexican kiddos someday, and it would be nice for them to feel at home in all the places where their linage lies.  So when I was dream holiday searching on Air BnB I came across their Mexico City Neighbourhood guide, where it outlines all the different sectors and what you can find in each place.  If you haven't looked at this part of their site before you must as it is really useful is choosing where you may want to stay when visiting a new City.  I looked at what the creative, Arts centered areas were and found this place called Roma Norte, and it just looks brilliant!  I asked my friend who lives in DF if it is as cool as it looks, and she said yes. :)  Hopefully in the years to come I can live in many different places, especially in Mexico at some point so I can teach my kids to feel at home as at one point I would have too, and I think I would want to live here!  This guide really provides a nice light in contrast to the usual common media Mexico City has for being rough and dodgy, and will hopefully encourage more Europeans to visit and explore such an amazing place.

Air BnB team up with local photographers to showcase an area and these photos that will follow are by Alicia Vera and Javier Sirvent.

This looks like a cool place to eat!

Rave Rave Rave!

Cute little boutiques.

Cool hip stores.

Fresh produce from the Markets.

Streeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ART!

It is strange where one photo can take you.  While scrolling through a tumblr I spotted one particular photo.  A photo that you could mistakenly think to be taken by a modern hipcat youth, of his hipcat friends in a hipcat club, but what drew me to the small frame to click and maximize was the fact that all the characters in the frame were Asian, Japanese to be precise.  I found the source of the photos and was happily introduced to a series of similar photos taken by Life Photographer Michael Rougier called Japanese Youth in Revolt, taken in 1964.  Michael set off to Japan to document the world of the rebelling teens of Japan.  Even known to this day to be a nation with rigid cultural obedience, Japan now and in the past were not immune to 'Teenage Rebellion' (think about the Harajuku of today).  Michael left with an intimate insight into the Japanese Teenage life, and especially the self destructive drug taking, rock music listening motorcycling sect.  It is interesting to see how similar these are to images likened to Western culture, showing how powerful the spread of Media has been and continues to be.  What is even MORE interesting is that to me these are exactly the same popular photos I am seeing now of present day art kids, or creative leaned youths of America and England.  Why is this, and what does this actually mean?  I actually do not know for sure, but I think this appeal to this lifestyle through the ages is the spirit behind it all.  Do we all yearn for a bit of rebellion, to feel disconnected to the rigidity of routine and to sink into a world music and Art?  I can say I do a little, could you?

On a sartorial note however, I just think all these kids look freaking cool (sans smoking, I ain't about that life).  High waist trousers, sleeveless tee and cute jackets.  Beehived hair and black slicked lined eyes, it is all so beautiful.  Does anyone know of cool modern Asian collectives, photographers or the like that are worth following or peeking?  I would love to see more content like this, so please share if you do.

My sister showed me this video this weekend and it made me feel spooked but also I laughed so hard!  I mean...this is so brutal, just for garms!  Mind you, if I went there and some cheeky moo nabbed things from my pile, then...who knows!  eeeeek.  What do think it??

Oh how quickly a year rolls over.  It feels like only yesterday I was covering my eyes and ears traumatized by the scenes in Korean Film hit The Chaser, sitting front row in a small room in the Korean Cultural center located on The Strand, people sitting on the floor squirming too at what was happening in the film, though gruesome, seriously gripping.  This was just one of the many screenings part of the Korean Film Festival in London.  Korea has been producing some really amazing movies, most of them enjoyed by niche group of film buffs and students abroad but there are the few breakouts that get people excited such like thriller Old Boy.  What is cool about the festival is not only the array of genres they show, and the director Q&As BUT that lot's of the screenings are FREEEEEE!  The big film of the festival this year is The Thieves which boasts one of the largest co productions in Korean Cinema and crosses over to Hong  Kong cinema with a mixed cast.  All my Korean friends here are keen to see this one so if that is not a good recommendation in itself I do not know what it.  Visit The Korean Film Festival website to see the listings and see what might take your fancy. 

Whoopie!!! I have a new phone...a phone that now has Instagram capabilities!!  I used to be a sneeky poster prior to getting this phone, setting up an account on my Momz phone (so sad) and lurked everyone else's posts using Webstagram (which is awesome fyi).  I am very excited about taking fancy pictures of all my meals, which comes to think of it I totally forgot to snap my baked potato, cheese and beans at lunch....would of been cool through a Valencia filter.... :p  In seriousness though, it is a great app and I am looking to capturing some cool moments which you can all see if you follow @mamabamboo.  Feel free to call me out though if I post too many potato pics though.

Midnight in New York the new song and video for Solange Knowles' tune Losing You came out.  It's amazing!!  The song is so pretty, and chilled but with a groove beat and the video is stunning.  Set in South Africa, she has sharp suited men dancing about, she herself is dressed in such amazing clothes and her extras are all freakin good looking and are all having a great time.  Directed by Melina Matsoukas (who I have written about before) this is another video of hers that join her bank of other visual delights.  Enjoy, the video is below!