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Movies often release later in the UK, so finally I went to see Transformers.
It seems that each summer now the latest action movie effects and stunts raise the bar from the previous one, and the ones which follow later will have to beat this one.
The effects in this film are better than any I remember before, and this helps make the movie a real rollercoaster.

While I was watching, the film made me think about the money and effort involved in creating the military hardware and the scale of it all.
Just as we can see in a film like Apocalypse Now, there is a certain kind of beauty in destruction which can be fascinating.
I don't really follow developments in military technology, so when the Marines or USAAF were involved in the story, I wasn't sure as to which bits were real and do exist or which bits were fictitious.

Days earlier, I had been checking out bionic developments for humans. I had no idea just how advanced they were, and was quite shocked to see how far we have come. I hope I don't ever have to use any, but maybe I can seek solace in knowing that if I do, there will always be people pushing technology forward.

Bionic Arms

Bionic Hand

I met with Gareth today at Slam City Skates in Covent Garden, and saw the new developments and work on the store.

Visitors to the shop will remember that Rough Trade used to be in the basement, but now under new ownership, the skate shop will be expanded to two floors.

When I needed to go by the store in recent years, Gareth was often in the shop, so its nice that he and others are now involved in a different way. Slam City Skates is a kind of London institution, so we talked a little about how important it is to put care into these things.

Many bands played in-store at Rough Trade in the past, leaving their mark on the ceiling.

The renewal should be finished towards the end of August. Good luck to all the team involved!

I went by the White Cube Masons Yard gallery today to see the works by Candice Breitz. I'd been especially recommended the video installation 'Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon)'.
This collection of works deal with the notion of fans and hero-worship.
On the ground floor, Breitz has assembled various ensembles of fans - Marilyn Manson, Iron Maiden and Abba - and had them photographed by Marcus Gaab.
It's very interesting to see what each fan takes from the hero or band. The fans span a number of generations, some pick from a certain point in the performers career and mirror their dress, while others are content to simply wear the t-shirt. No matter how the fan is dressed, certain details from their own personalities stand out - a watch, a haircut, a shoe - which makes the work very human.

Downstairs, 25 John Lennon fans have been filmed separately, and appear on 25 monitors. All the fans are loudly singing the entire LP 'Plastic Ono Band', more-or-less in unison. Just as with the photographs, each fan takes something slightly different from Lennon, they imbue the songs with their own feel. Some replicate the songs faithfully, while others add lots of emotion.
It feels funny and intense to begin with, but after a few songs it becomes quite emotional as each fans personality is revealed little by little.

I mail-ordered some things from J. Press the other week.
Even though the design is very simple, the most exciting items were these basic logo t-shirts. I think this classic American style is hard to find now, so it was especially good that it was printed on a Champion base.

Craig Ford, born Glasgow 1971, says "Bannockburn 1314".
Graphic by Mark Ward.

I headed over to Munich for a couple of days and the weather was very, very hot.

Munich is known for its high-quality of living and low crime-rate. Because of this, and I suppose the architecture, it is often referred to as "Toytown".

There are a lot of beautiful old buildings and public sculpture. At first I was surprised to see just how much remains after World War II, but I read that much was completely rebuilt post-war to the original street plans.

The Frauenkirche.

Asamkirche with incredible interior created by the Asam brothers.

15 years ago, or a little longer, I spent a couple of weeks in a German town near the Swiss border with a school exchange trip.
It was only when I arrived in Munich that I realised that I'd been there once before on a day trip. Of course it seemed that the city had changed a lot since then. This time I wasn't really looking for things like unusual colourways of skate shoes, but I found a few interesting stores.

Run by Burkhard Pflug, Gasoline Alley is billed as a "shop for adventurers". A select goods shop featuring outdoor, workwear, biker and classic American clothes and accessories, Pflug embodies the "Free and Easy" spirit. The store is decorated with bikes, Americana, and various parts of boats or planes. The selection is purist and really great.

Old shoe shop with a big array of old and new Birkenstock.


An edited version of the catalogue business of Manufactum has been available in the UK for years, but I didn't realise the scale of their business and selection.
Manufactum source, or even, produce the "best" products in each field across a number of categories. Whether it is a pencil sharpener (Dux), jeans (Levi's 501xx), padlocks (Squire) or enamel buckets (from Romania), everything is carefully selected.

Just before I went, Paul mentioned that Munich had been voted number one in Monocle magazine for quality of life.

One of Monocle's criterion for assessing a city was the ease of getting a drink past 1am.
I didn't need to try that, but one of the strangest things I found was the lack of availability of bottled water in the city centre. I'm not really sure why that is (perhaps the tap water is fine to drink?), but with the weather so hot this could really be improved on.

In England there was Porridge.
In the US there was OZ.
In the Philippines, the real-life inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center like to dance.

I went to see the latest work-in-progress from London graduate artist Daryl Saunders.
Entitled 'She'll Burn To Death We Told Her So', and standing around 7ft tall, this piece is based on children coin-op rides. When money is put in, the work moves and the girl slowly rotates, burning in agony...
Children's coin-ops are something that everyone is familiar with in the UK - most rides are found at a shopping mall or seaside pier, but the message is quite different.

The production quality of a lot of contemporary art is set very high, so I think it is very ambitious for a new artist to try work like this. I've known Daryl for a very long time, so I'm very excited to see the final result.

This summer I've worn more Converse styles than I have for the last 10 years.
I've liked the plain ones and special ones, but this is the first silver pair I've had. Actually, I'm pretty sure that it is the first pair of silver shoes that I've ever had. Maybe it's something in the air, or water, as I needed to buy a silver tote bag the other day from Marc Jacobs too.
So, I'm about OK for silver things this week, but I'll keep an eye out in case something else comes along.

Daniel Mason came by to talk about print qualities and weights of paper for a mirrored poster project we are working on. It'll look a little like the classic Bill Graham handbills or posters from years gone by.

He also had the proof of his new book, Materials, Process, Print with him which was good to see. This is a book that is intended to be used and carried around, so the cover and format is durable and not something that needs to be kept on the shelf...

I met with James from Carhartt Europe/Work In Progress for lunch and to talk about a new project.
In the UK, Carhartt has a very strong 'streetwear' image, but the heritage of the brand is much more persuasive for me.
I couldn't say if it is true or not for the rest of Europe, but the Americana workwear spirit is not as widely understood in the UK as it is in Japan or of course the US. For many here there is little resonance with real heritage items as it is not a part of our history, so it is quite interesting to see how they work here.

I check in the Bamford & Sons stores from time to time, and there is always something good.
Last time I picked up these thin silver bead bracelets.

Bamford's look is traditional English, and uses high-quality manufacturing which is reflected in their cafe and delicatessen arms too. The clothing stores are relatively new, so I think it's an interesting company to watch.

It is often reported that foxes are a common urban animal in London and other cities in the UK, but I rarely see one.
I just checked some statistics and It is estimated that more than 30,000 foxes now live in urban areas.

Heading home tonight in the dusk, a large fox was sat in the middle of the road.
It was very bold and didn't seem to feel any need to move until a big car came, and then it left.

Foxes are known to carry many diseases, but somehow still seem special. Perhaps it is the face...?