Nighthawks by Edward Hopper || Great Art Explained

Edward Hopper’s world was New York, and he understood that city more than most people. He understood that, even though you may live in one of the most crowded and busy cities on earth, it is still possible to feel entirely alone.

This painting, was completed on January 21st, 1942, just weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbour and America’s entry into World War two.

That’s not to say the war was a direct influence, but the feeling of dread many Americans had, surely infused the painting.

Afraid of air raid attacks, New York had blackout drills, and lights were dimmed in public spaces. Streets emptied out and Hopper’s city was effectively dark, and silent.

Have a peek below.

 

Days in Morocco || Short Film

Shot in Beautiful Cities in Morocco.

Casablanca, Asilah, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Boumalne Dades, Marrakech, Essaouira.

Check it out below.

Days in Morocco from GABWORKS on Vimeo.

 

tramvai || untitled (Full Album)

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Vans Skateboarding Presents: Brighton Zeuner || Skate || VANS

Vans Skateboarding presents a look inside the world of team rider and Olympic athlete Brighton Zeuner, whose storied skateboarding career has been on an upward trajectory since capturing two Vans Park Series champion titles and becoming one of the youngest X-Games gold medalists all before she was old enough to drive.

Despite the pressures associated with pushing herself further—including competing on the world stage in Tokyo— Brighton puts fun and creative expression at the center of what she does.

From filming clips with Frog Skateboards to partnering with Vans on new product, Brighton is helping shape and influence the next chapter of skateboarding as she continues to serve as an inspiration for all.

Have a peek below.

 

The Toyota FJ40 Is a Rugged Companion || Short Film

"One of my favorite things about this vehicle is the total pure utility of it," says Josh Commons, "…the only creature comforts—apart from a heater—is that the seats are padded."

Built to be rugged, long-lasting, dependable, and easy-to-repair, the Toyota FJ40 has earned a reputation for being one of the world's best vehicles for going off-road, anywhere, any time. Family owned since 1992, Commons had it for 10 years before selling it to his sister, who sold it to their parents. After a time, it was passed back to Josh and hasn't left his possession since.

"I've owned it long enough to go full cycle to where the brakes and the wheel cylinders wore out and needed to be rebuilt," Commons says. "You're turning the same screw you turned 20 years ago…it's kind of special."

8,000 feet up, Commons takes us to the beautiful mining ghost town, Boulder City. Not many vehicles—let alone off-roaders—can survive the journey, but the FJ40 almost makes it look like a piece of cake.

"I don't see these as disposable, I see them as infinitely rebuildable," he says. "It's definitely an heirloom now."

Check it out below.

 

Sweeps || Space Blues (Full Album)

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Nostalgia || Is It Good or Bad for Sneaker Culture?

Nostalgia's role in sneakers has been huge these past decades but that wasn't always the case.

Back in the day, sneaker brands pushed innovation and the "worlds best" sneaker.

While they still do that now, it is no longer the main theme in their marketing.

For brands like Nike and adidas, they leverage nostalgia and sell us retros and silhouettes we grew up with.

It's much more powerful and effective. So is nostalgia good or bad for sneaker culture?

In this short fim NachoAverageFinds breaks all down for you.

 

Bill Blaine || A Walk Around the House

A portrait of an artist.

Have a peek below.

Bill Blaine - A Walk Around the House from Jakub Blank on Vimeo.

 

Kuartz || Koishiteru (Full Album)

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The Case for Impressionism || Short Film

Impressionism is one of the best known and loved movements in Art History, but why?

The Art Assignment presents a case for why Impressionism is interesting and worth your attention and admiration, beyond the famous names behind it of Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissaro, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, et al.

Check it out below.

 

The Ferrari 330 P4 is One Sexy Beast 

|| Short Film

As much as any other car, the Ferrari 330 P4 is the embodiment and culmination of an entire era of racing. With its low-slung stance and voluptuous lines, it is also among the most visually stunning cars ever produced. Combine these factors and the word "icon" slips to the tip of one's tongue.

Still smarting from losing the Constructor's International Sports Prototype Championship to Ford in 1965 and 1966 -- and, in 1966, watching a trio of Ford GT40s finish 1-2-3 at Le Mans -- Enzo Ferrari turned to his chief engineer, Mauro Forghieri, with a simple instruction: win. In world then dominated by Carroll Shelby and Ford's formidable 7-liter engines, this would be no easy undertaking.

What resulted from Forghieri's mandate was the 330 P4, arguably the greatest Ferrari endurance race car of all time. Based on the 330 P3 -- and almost identical cosmetically -- the 330 P4 represented a significant mechanical upgrade from anything Ferrari had run previously and, in 1967, it would return Ferrari to the pinnacle of sports prototype racing.

The highlight of the 1967 season came at the 24 Hours of Daytona, a race that would come to be known as The Revenge of Il Commendatore. Led by Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini in a 330 P4 (and trailed by Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti in another 330 P4), Ferrari finished 1-2-3 at the hallowed Florida circuit. Soon thereafter, a pair of P4s finished 1-2 at Monza, and while Ford again won at Le Mans, P4s finished second and third and Ferrari was once again in possession of the sports prototype title.

Rules changes concerning engine displacement spelled the end of the 330 P4s in European racing, but by that time, the car had cemented its place in the pantheon of endurance racing.

Have a peek below.

 

Irn Mnky || Antoine Roccamora || An MF DOOM Story (Full Album)

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EARTH || Short Film

A journey into the obscure reaches of the North with Dane Gudauskas, Tanner Gudauskas, Heidar Logi, Elli Thor, and filmmaker Ben Weiland.

Check it out below.

EARTH from Ben Weiland on Vimeo.

 

Insuppressible || Lewis Rossignol

Lewis Rossignol is a South Portland-based visual artist. 

After many years working blue-collar jobs, at 37 years old he decided to go back to art school. 

Propelled by his distinctive style, Lewis has been able to sustain a career selling his original work as well as taking on high-profile commissions for artists like Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers and Tyler the Creator. 

Lewis is open about how creative endeavors like drawing are one of the only remedies he's found for his condition, Tourette's Syndrome.

Have a peek below.

Insuppressible: Lewis Rossignol from ROVE on Vimeo.

 

El Jazzy Chavo || Echoes From Another Cosmogony (Full Album)

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Vogue || History of American Fashion

A look at American fashion in the 20th century, with its evolution from simple, European inspired design to the creative work of new and BIPOC designers in the 21st century.

Check it out below.

Vogue - History of American Fashion from Andrew B. Myers on Vimeo.

 

How Apple and Nike have branded your brain || Your Brain on Money || Big Think

Powerful branding can not only change how you feel about a company, it can actually change how your brain is wired.

"We love to think of ourselves as rational. That's not how it works," says UPenn professor Americus Reed II about our habits (both conscious and subconscious) of paying more for items based primarily on the brand name. Effective marketing causes the consumer to link brands like Apple and Nike with their own identity, and that strong attachment goes deeper than receipts.

Using MRI, professor and neuroscientist Michael Platt and his team were able to see this at play. When reacting to good or bad news about the brand, Samsung users didn't have positive or negative brain responses, yet they did have "reverse empathy" for bad news about Apple. Meanwhile, Apple users showed a "brain empathy response for Apple that was exactly what you'd see in the way you would respond to somebody in your family."

Have a peek below.

 

AK420 || A Matter of Wax #1 (Full Album)

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Svoboda ft. Alex Volokhov || Short Film

Svoboda is a Slavic word tied to an expression of freedom. 

Mountain biker Alex Volokhov conveys that sense of creativity through his own riding and trail-building, with values further ingrained into him from the considerable time he spent with the late Jordie Lunn.

The cumulative months spent completely alone in the pouring rain hauling dirt or digging through difficult roots are completely justified in the pursuit of creation, and giving life to an idea built from the ground up.

Have a peek below.

Svoboda ft. Alex Volokhov from Liam Mullany on Vimeo.

 

Monet's Water Lilies || Great Art Explained

Claude Monet is often criticised for being overexposed, too easy, too obvious, or worse, a chocolate box artist. His last works, the enormous water lily canvasses are among the most popular art works in the world.

Yet there is nothing tame, traditionalist, or cosy about these last paintings. These are his most radical works of all. They turn the world upside down with their strange, disorientating and immersive vision.

Monet’s water lilies have come to be viewed as simply an aesthetic interpretation of the garden that obsessed him. But they are so much more.

These works were created as a direct response to the most savage and apocalyptic period of modern history. They were in fact conceived as a war memorial to the millions of lives tragically lost in the First World War.

Check it out below.

 

Johto x Samwise || Fall. (Full Album)

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"Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?" || Short Documentary

The story of the charming, honest ad campaign DDB created for VW... universally acknowledged to be the greatest and most influential of all time.

Have a peek below.

"Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?" from Dial M Films on Vimeo.

 

The complicated history of surfing || Scott Laderman

Today, surfing is a multi-billion-dollar global industry, with tens of millions of enthusiasts worldwide.

For some it’s a serious sport; for others, just a way to let loose.

But despite its casual association with fun and sun, surfing has a richer and deeper history than many realize.

Scott Laderman shares the hidden history of surfing.

 

johto || solace. (Full Album)

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Alpine Descents || Northern California

Josh Neuman had a blast traveling through Northern California with great friends and skating the best roads the region has to offer.

Have a peek below.

 

IN ICELAND + COPENHAGEN || One Trip. Two Destinations.

In June 2018, Vincent Urban set out on a 2-week journey to Iceland & Copenhagen, enjoying two very different experiences on just one trip.

On the one side, the vastness, emptiness and otherworldly landscape of Iceland with it’s almost 24 hours-daylight in summer, on the other, a modern city full of life, history and exceptional architecture.

This film is a collection of all the contrasting moments & memories he captured.

IN ICELAND + COPENHAGEN - One Trip. Two Destinations. from Vincent Urban on Vimeo.

 

Jaeden Camstra || Time Splitters (Full Album)

Sit back, relax and hit play.

 

What Owning a Sneaker Store in L.A. is Like || Short Film

If you've ever wondered what it's like to own a sneaker store in the bustling city of Los Angeles, then NachoAverageFinds have a treat for you.

Tucked on side street on the corner of Melrose and Fairfax, is the legendary Zero's Sneaker Shop.

The first EVER sneaker resell store on Melrose.

This neighborhood in Los Angeles, is the center of youth culture and NachoAverageFinds wanted to get a closer look at what goes on inside the sneaker stores there.

In this short film, Zero will tell us his story and show us all sides of the sneaker business.

Check it out below.

 

Three Little Birds and AFC Ajax || How Bob Marley's Song Became an Anthem in Amsterdam

This is the story of how AFC Ajax found their song.

Bob Marley's Three Little Birds has become part of the club's traditions, but it began in Jamaica and travelled through Wales and England before it was cemented into Ajax folklore for good when Bob's son Ky-Mani Marley sang it with the fans in the stadium.

Have a peek below.

 

Wizard of Loneliness || Home Office Romance

(Full Album)

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