This may be the most important building of the 20th century.  Louis Kahn was an American architect who immigrated from Russia.  Most of his works were influenced by monumental antiquities and the relationships of materials, light and the sites where he was to build.  Kahn’s most iconic project is arguably Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban, the National Assembly of Bangladesh, located in the capital of Dhaka.  JSB was completed in 1982, twenty one years after construction began.  Beyond it’s awe inspiring scale and beauty, Kahn was able to design a lot of light and volume into this structure by leveraging his understanding of spatial relationships and ability to harness indirect nautral light.  The fortress-like building with a strong geometrical facade meets a man-made lake on three sides.  It’s a reminder that this low lying country has struggled with flooding and fights an uncertain future of rising sea levels.

Louis Kahn is one of America’s greatest architects of all time and remains one of the most mysterious.  In true fashion of the estranged artist genius he had three families with three different women.  Kahn died of a heart attack in a men’s restroom in Pennsylvania Station in New York just after returning from Bangladesh in 1974.  He was never able to see the completion of his most iconic building.

We are enamored by the vibrant colors and imagination in this series for Elle Magazine by Indian photographer, Tarun Vishwa.

We came across Robyn ‘s work a few years ago and became fans immediately. Not only does she seem to constantly surround herself with amazing settings; British Columbia Wilderness, Hawaiian Islands, Desert Landscapes, but she also has a consistant cast of absolutely astounding people to photograph all of the time. There is a love hate relationship that takes place when looking at her images, love for the moments she captures, her relationship with her subjects, the way seems she to catch a time and place intimate and special or ferocious and powerful. There is a hate as well, or maybe to use a less strong word, envy, for the way her photography makes us long to be at the beaches, jungles, rain forests, or the Playa of Burning Man. The bottom line, Robyn Penn is a Genius, watch for her. We can’t wait to see where she goes next, who she will photograph, and what moment she’ll capture.

Without further delay we present Burning Man, through the lens of Robyn Penn.

 For the full experience click on the photos to make them larger, it’s definitely worth it.

Where you from and where do you live now?
born in New Zealand, grew up in Victoria BC, live in Maui. started taking serious photos or taking my photography seriously when i moved to maui and couldn’t work legally.
being an illegal alien turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it kind of gave me permission to take something ‘less serious’ seriously.

What got you into taking photos?

i studied biology in university… a ‘steady for sure thing’ with a promising future… and photography was just something i did on weekends. it took almost a decade, and a move to maui to admit that i was in love… passionately in love. a fleeting romance had progressed to the point where i had to make a commitment and focus (neither of which come naturally to me) and it was time to bring it home to meet my mom.

Who inspires you?
my family and friends. i am blessed with incredible parents.. they have always provided me and my siblings with the perfect balance of supportive roots and a rich environment and space to cultivate our craziest ideas/dreams.
i am surrounded by inspiring people and there is such a contagious quality to being around other people who are inspired in their own lives.

what inspires you?
sensuality… human chemistry… the way people interact with each other or their environment.

If you were going to direct a film what would it be about?
sensuality and human chemistry

Where is your special place? why?
underwater. i find it very comforting… probably because that’s where we all began. i think that its the closest my inner reality comes to matching my physical reality… i very much exist inside my mind;)

whats a typical day in the life of Robyn Penn?
that depends where i am… my typical day on maui is simplistically (or maddeningly) simple.. consists of getting up, making coffee, editing for a couple hours, getting in the ocean, surf/run/sup/bodysurf/sail/swim/snorkle.. something active… i photograph most days.. surf, wedding, portrait, or whatever creative project i am in the depths of… watch a lot of sunsets, drink a lot of wine, host a lot of canadians.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive!” – Henry Miller or “A book should be sought after even if it has only one great page in it. We must search for fragments, splinters, toenails. Anything that has ore in it. Anything that is capable of resurrecting the body mind or soul.” – Henry Rollins

Who is the person you most want to photograph in this world?
i would love to continue photographing new people.
my desire to photograph a person stems from falling in love… discovering an aspect of a personality or person that i identify with inspires me to photograph them… hope that i keep meeting people that i fall a little bit in love with.

Visit her website here.

Visit her blog here.

A Danish duo creating simplistic photo magic in the 1970′s. Find out more about them here.

An excerpt from Assaf Shaham’s American Dream series.

Photos by Peter Troy + Words by Jennifer Smith

Eleanor Whitcomb is not yet a household name, however her creativity and bold style suggests that she is well on her way to doing big things. As the creative genius behind her flirty and often colorful designs, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly lucky to have seen her create firsthand and get to know where her inspiration comes from on the regular. Her creative concept is always changing and every day she wakes up and is inspired by something new. (As we were talking, she was busy fiddling with leather scraps and gold studs) Doing what you love to do because it makes you happy is extremely important to her. By doing so, she feels she is making the world a more beautiful place. Mixing bright colors and different textures, she’s created a concept of a new age victorian with a dash of bohemian inspired by her Great Grandmother Grace, who taught her that its exciting to add a dose of fantasy into their everyday lives. As she says this, I think about a few weeks prior when she asked me for my Harley boot right off of my foot as I was watching her work on her new line- she proceeded to attach a handmade leather fringe tassel with a turquoise bead. Continuously proving she just loves to do it all, and I am thoroughly enjoying this.

photo by Jennifer Smith

Combining recycled pieces of leather, exotic beads, and feathers. Nellie hand makes a variety of earrings, necklaces, cuffs and accessories to die for. She has a progressive style and drive that allows her to create a new collection every 4-6 weeks. “Never a plan, just sit down and create beauty”, as she so eloquently puts it. What her current line is featuring now: She likes to call them “The Winter Feather” using texture and angles of the leather fringe. I couldn’t help but agree that this was a fantastic idea and made complete sense. She has also begun incorporating skulls, which are incredibly fresh.

Founded in 2010, Eleanor began making her unique jewelry after her sewing machine hit the hay shortly after graduation. She began her transition from creating clothing to creating new and fun jewelry collection and it seems the rest is history. Another reason we love these- everything is hand cut making each piece unique in its own way, and made with love in Burlington, Vermont. Trying to reduce the impact on the world, it is very important to collect as many materials local as she can. Leather scraps that may have been thrown away for instance, she will buy a big bag of and make some of her most signature pieces. Her vision and goals for the future will be to have a self-sustainable design company and brand that delves into several different categories. Eventually she hopes to go back to her roots and be able to incorporate her own clothing line as well. Similar to a “lifestyle stylist- but a more responsible lifestyle” as she puts it.

Currently her line is carried by several local boutiques on the famous Church Street in downtown Burlington Vermont including ECCO, Maven and Downtown Threads, and potentially a few more shops and local fashion events are in the process of supporting the creative genius. (Rightfully so). All I can say is this stuff is fresh, hot and I have a feeling we will be seeing great things to come, as this is just the beginning.

You can find Nellie’s designs on her Etsy Page and on Facebook. In fact, she is even cool enough to offer a few pairs out to a few randomly chosen people (see details below). As someone that has been rocking her jewelry personally during my travels through LA to San Diego, Brooklyn through Manhattan to name a few. Let me be, NOT the first to say, I have never had so many people wondering where the heck they could get a pair. Lucky you.

 To enter to win a pair of earrings:

Like Nellie’s page on Facebook here:  Nellie’s Facebook Page

Like Witness This’s Facebook page here: Witness This Facebook Page

A few lucky new fans will win! If you already are a fan of each page, make a comment on our walls telling us what you like about her work!

A Witness sent us Silas’s work recently and we were absolutely blown away. From New Haven, CT, Silas seems to depict a dance between skate culture and historical found objects. The result is a feeling of nastalgia framed by such a familiar shape, that of a skateboard. Silas speaks to his work, “Fragments, pieces, parts, scraps, objects adrift, without connection, undefined. These objects are given new identities and are reconnected to something whole. “ 

We had an opportunity to speak to Silas today about the pieces we chose to feature, “All the boards are stories, if you look close at the type press board, you will notice the clocks are stopped on the ”time of arrival” of the planes that struck the towers,, many words and names are hidden in the type press. The piece with charlie as a boyscout is that of charlie whitman, the texas tower shooter of 1966, the  portraits are his victims and they are pinpointed on a map of the university exactly were they fell. the board is the tower , with the top showing the clock at the moment charlie himself was shot.”

Needless to say we love his work even more now.

Visit Silas’s art here: Silas Finch

Chase signs his emails with Positive Energy Activates Constant Elevation. A call to action is what I think of when I see his work, a positive one. While it’s easy to get cynical and negative, harsh and obscene with one’s art, especially in the state of our planet right now, The Art of Chase has kept it about powerful messaging that makes you happy and inspired. I looked for Chase the entire time I walked through the Art in the Streets exhibit last summer, he would have been such a powerful juxtaposition from a lot of the AMAZING (don’t get me wrong I absolutely loved the show) but negative and “put you bitterly in thought” art  that was shown. I would have loved to see his work sit next to Keith Haring’s car, I truly believe if the two artists met and Keith was with us today, they would create one of the most amazing collaborations of happy inspirational art we have ever seen.

I remember ripping down the long list of blog entries one slow morning at work and I came across a photo from Chase’s work. It was one of a little girl with a balloon, and on the balloon the words “Remember Who You Are” are written on it. This is one of my favorite images of the year.

There is a good chance you’ve seen the Belgium originated LA residents work before, whether it was the Altamont collab we featured this year on WT. Maybe you’ve seen his work around Venice, or LA, or Lisbon, or Tokyo, Prague, Slovakia, or Paris…the list goes on and on. Regardless The Art of Chase will continue to influence the world, in a refreshing, creative, colorful way.

Here is where it get’s exciting. We’ve been talking with Chase, and we’ve just confirmed this morning that The Art of Chase will be showing several of his pieces at GIVE GET. We can’t even express how excited we are for this event as Chase is one of 6 artists we will be featuring on this night. Ticket sales are limited and only purchasable online here: GIVE GET TICKETS 

Get yours now, this WILL sell out. 

and now we bring you back to The Art of Chase. enjoy.

It’s that time of the year when we feel that tingling sensation to Give and we don’t seem to complain when we Get. WT is embracing both sides with our first ever officially hosted event. Taking place at The Focus Studio right on the ocean in Venice Beach, CA, Give Get will be a night not to miss. Live sets by some our favorite bands and dj’s of the year, The New Division, Kith & Kell, and DJ Freshair. It’s not only about the music, we are adding art into the mix, The Art of Chase is one of our featured artists that will be showing work.

The show will be 21 + as drinks will be provided and a $20 ticket purchased online will get you in.  Buy tickets here. Included is a raffle with tons of legit prizes and some serious art and music, all going on in a really amazing space. All proceeds will be donated to Time For A Change Foundation which is a shelter for women where many of these women are struggling with issues relating to substance abuse, incarceration, family violence, and mental illness. We can’t think of a better time to give to those in need and to have an amazing time doing it.

GET YOUR TICKETS ONLINE NOW: GIVE GET TICKETS

Please contact us at here: Witness This Email for any questions you might have.

Visit our facebook event site here.

Sample The New Division, Kith & Kell, and DJ Freshair accompanied by 78 and Sunny below:

Kith & Kell – Wilderness King – EP by Kith & Kell

Fresh & Sunny – Vol. 1 – DR’s Dirty 30 by 78 and Sunny

Collin Erie takes amazing photos. So impressive how the moments he captures feel so raw and personal. We love his group shots as well, the camera feels in-obtrusive and instead you feel, as the viewer, a part of the scene, like you are sitting right there with them. Collins photos drip southern California, and it’s hard not to want to be a part of this scene. We think we see a few cameo’s by Lady Gaga, and Lykke Li, here as well. Head to Collin’s site to see more of his work here.

Vincent Moon (real name Mathieu Saura, (Paris, August 25, 1979) is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones,R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries. Below are some selects from his series NEON. His study of light contrasted by the night and his interest in grainy development makes each photo something very special.

If you are in NYC in the next month go to this show. Trustocorp raises the bar in economically, political, and sociologically charged print art and sculpture. Whether you are angered or fired up  about it, it’s relevant to our time and well worth a visit.

head over to mashkulture to see photos from the exhibit.

Shane Tolbert’s gestural pigment dispersions.

Navigating through Marianna Rothen’s work is like uncovering a box of old photographs from a time long since past. You feel a nostalgic pang as you ask yourself where the subjects of the photos might be now. But then you start to realize that these photos aren’t as old as you might have thought, and upon researching more into these images, it seems that the people she shoots aren’t from a different time at all. Not only does Marianna have an eye for the narrative and capturing cinematic moments on emotionally charged sets, but her post processing and the technicality of her trade is breathtaking to witness. We strongly encourage you to dive deeper into her work and visit her site here, and follow her on tumblr here.

3 Branding Objectives, 1 mission: To make clean clear design. Scouring Cargo, we stumbled happily upon Greg Scott, Cavalier Essentials, and Greg Durrell. These designers/brands are hard not to notice, and we want to let their work do the talking, take a look and if you like their work, support them by visiting their sites, and sharing this post with everyone.

Greg Scott//

Cavalier Essentials//

Greg Durrell//

Images by Aernout Overbeeke

While up in the Silverlake area of LA. We came across a small eco-friendly shop specializing in post consumer recycled products. Upon seeing a Bison Head, an element of the logo of Witness This we had to buy it, and now it sits proudly on the wall. Cardboard Safari is the creator of these post consumer recycled cardboard masterpieces that are easy to put together and you don’t even have to kill any animals to feel like a real man, or woman. Here are some of the animals you can see on the Cardboard Safari.

and a cardboard surfboard, not an animal but still awesome

and a cardboard room by Zimoun in collabortation with Architect Hannes Zweifel 2011.

Witness This had the pleasure of heading down to Aloha Sunday in North Park, San Diego this Friday for Hassle The Harvest featuring art from Kid Creature and Music by Tomorrows Tulips. We had been down to Aloha Sunday once before to buy some gear, but to see the shop lit up with vibrant faces in evening style, and great music, made for a great new vibe to a still relatively new shop. Unfortunately we didn’t bring down a good camera, but were able to snap off some iphone pics regardless. It was great to see Calvin and family repping Kid Creature to the fullest all night, we are huge fans of this collaboration with Sunday and couldn’t be happier with the merchandising and selection already saturating the shop. Billy and Kahana did all of the interior decorating themselves, everything from wall trim, to the product displays. We can’t wait for them to hopefully start selling their extremely functional/stylish tents they had set up in the back of the store as well. You’ve been Witnessed, Kid Creature, Aloha Sunday, and Tomorrows Tulips.

Gina Sinotte has more than just a knack for photography, she’s studied the hell out of it. A graduate from Brooks Institute, where she studied art and photography, Gina is technically on point. That isn’t all, her understanding of her models and the way she works with them, comes across vividly as her photos scream confidence, sexiness, and beauty that is the opposite of exploitation of her models. We caught wind of a shoot she had done recently with the beautiful Kat Carter, Alexandra Rideout, and Katie Jones. Shot in Encinitas, CA, we love the surf perspective with a twist, a definitive nod in high fashion’s direction draws this shoot apart from redundant surf photography, and leaves Witness This amped to see more from these girls.

Photo Assistant: Kristin Russ
Stylist: Alycia Blake
Make-Up: Chelsea Walstrom
Hair: Jessi Lynn

more of Gina’s work can be found here.

“Experience”, “self-exploration”, “transition”, “freedom”, “art”, “the greatest party in the world”. These are just some of the words I’ve heard to describe the event in the desert oasis known as Burning Man. Since my arrival to California 10 years ago, this week-long festival has eluded me. However I swore on my 30th year of life, the Burning Man would be crossed off my bucket list.

Just a quick overview, Burning Man is organized as such: The event is located in the Black Rock Desert, a couple hundred miles outside of Reno(and another form of civilization) where the music video “California Love” by 2pac was filmed. There, a horse shoe shaped civilization about 4 miles wide is made up of camps and about 55,000 attendees. The camp encircles the playa with The Burning Man at its center and Temple at top.

After driving for 12 hours from San Diego what’s another 3 hour line to get in?

Upon entry I managed to locate my camp at the sweet location of 9:20 and J, known as “Rights of Package.” Made up of some of the most amazing people from all parts of the globe. I was lucky to call Rights of Package home for the next 5 days.

The days are filled with exploration and adventure. Who knows what the fuck they’ll find themselves doing at any givin time at Burning Man? From dancing on mutant vehicles riding around the venue, checking out art, to building your own bike for transportation and fisting safety workshops at some camp on the far side of town, it’s all fair game. Yes, I said fisting safety workshops.

I met this young brotha in the middle of his work shift at the post office. He’s 12 years old attending his 8th Burning Man.

Lots of youngins running around, with no supervision in sight.

Overall the days were amazing. A great balance of energy and space. Then the sun sets in the west, and as it’s said “the freaks come out at night!” The evenings were filled with a high-energy pace and loooots of people. Fun sightseeing with music and lights.

The biggest evenings were definitely Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the ceremonial burns. On Friday eve all the art cars surrounded the Trojan Horse blaaaazing music in eager anticipation for the scorching.

Saturday was the Burning of the Man. Cue massive party. In similar fashion to the horse. But bigger.

Each day leading up to the burn of the Man his posture is changed.

Then they light that shit up!

Great video my homie Abram captured of the explosion. Flames reaching about 10 stories high. By far the largest fire I’ve ever seen.

And the final night is saved for the burning of the Temple. One of the most intense moments of the entire event as the Temple is an extremely sacred place. The entire sturcture is used as a message board throughout the week to write something special to a person who passed away.

I went to the Temple a few times throughout the week. Here I found some of the most intense emotion and energy I have ever felt. And people expressed theirs in their own ways.

Then it is burned on Sunday night, in absolute silence. I’ve been told the the Temple burn is so emotionally intense that people have been known to try to run in and throw themselves in the flames.

Here is a great video about the Temple burn put together by a fellow Right of Package’r. Check out the full article here on the matadornetwork.com travel site. Exsquisite work Ian!

Dear Temple of Transition [Burning Man 2011] from Ian MacKenzie on Vimeo.

And what Burning Man experience goes down without some sort of offering??? If you ever plan on attending the festival put some serious thought into this because it’s what it’s all about. This offering comes from The Maestro of the Rights of Package camp who was all together responsible for putting together such an amazing home for us. Wouldn’t have been the great experience that it was without this kid and his phenomenal music that fueled our night and eves. Here is delicious prefixed menu of trax brought to you by a fellow witness…

Burning Man 2011 Mix by 78 and Sunny

Tracklist:

What a week! One that will never be forgotten. In the end I learned that there is no one description that defines Burning Man. But it’s whatever you want it to be. A fellow burner at the event told me “it’s like a mirror, you get out of it whatever you put in.” Luckily I was able to put in with amazing people and got more out of it than I ever thought I would. Please treat yourself to this event at least once in your life as it will open your world and help you find your own passage.

 Photo cred to all the fellow Right of Packagers out there you know who you are!