5 of the best art and design blogs online by Lovedesignetc

Often the best inspirations come from wasting time surfing the net. And there’s a lot of good stuff out there. And as is traditional this time of year, the media is salivating and busying itself compiling countdowns, reviews and best ofs. Every now and then on this blog I try to showcase modern creativity in the African continent and diaspora countries. So here’s the pick of the best design and art blogs out there by African and Diaspora artists. Enjoy.

Art Comes First 
http://artcomesfirst.tumblr.com/ 



ACF is the brainchild of Shaka Maidoh and Sam Lambert. 33-year-old Maidoh is a British artist based in London well-known for being impossibly stylish. He was nominated by Esquire as Best Dressed Man in Britain and also recently featured in GQ. Sam Lambert is head designer at Savile row house Spencer hart. But we digress; ACF is essentially an inspiration board. A pick of the best images, tailoring, sayings and occasionally a nod to the great icons who have scribbled their names on history’s walls. From old African Jazz n’ Jive cover artworks to brightly coloured Drum magazines contrasted with sharp black and white images of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. Marvel at the wealth of inspiration.


Cookies and MyGrains
http://cookiesandmygrains.tumblr.com/




Cookies and Mygrains is like a visual journey on day-to-day occurrences in Cape Town as experienced by South African photographer Asanda Kaka. A little random at times but it’s the little details she captures that keeps it interesting. Kaka recently guest posted on Africa’s a Country on her series of images documenting the culture of worship on Cape Town’s commuter trains.

Shakira Society
http://cargocollective.com/ShakaraSociety



This blog spans the globe for the best in design and creativity. The site is run by Namibia-based art and design director Ola Olowu. A Nigerian born creative his posts on architecture and graphic design, though sparse, are particularly motivating.

That Good Good Blog
http://thatgoodgoodblog.blogspot.co.uk/


Started as resource for those who love all that is good about art and fashion, Dami Oyelola’s blog aims to highlight people doing extraordinary things. A student at Penn State University, she also has a pretty good music blog taking you back to the era when everything was oh so very cool, listen to her pick of the best Jazz, hip hop, rock and roll tracks here

Revive the Cool
http://revivethecool.tumblr.com/






Source: Lovedesignetc

Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) underwent videotaped force-feeding to protest treatment of Guantanamo detainees

With Ramadan looming, Yasiin Bey—formerly known as Mos Def—is protesting the force-feeding of Guantanamo prisoners by undergoing the procedure himself. To raise awareness for the more than 40 hunger-strikers who are force-fed at the prison each day, Bey underwent it himself for the video below, filmed for the human rights organization Reprieve. As you might expect, it’s absolutely horrible to watch, and even worse to imagine happening to someone—prisoner or not—day after day. And as the video itself warns, “Some viewers may find these images distressing.”

Source

Weekend Mood board of Inspiration 32

 

See more of the inspirations on ACF 

 Tumblr 

 Instagram

MADOOGTV GET TO KNOW LONDON COLLECTIVE ‘ART COMES FIRST’

Appearing in just about every streetstyle report known to man, the folk at Art Comes First are no doubt regulars on your laptop screens. Dressing sharp and carrying it off with ease no mean feat, besides sporting an exceptional series of hats, founders Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh develop their own designs, collaborating with like-minded creative types on some truly unique projects under the ACF banner. Garmsville & Madoogtv’s Jason Jules offers a few words on the film below, shot by Nigel Christian.

“Sam and Shaka from Art Comes First are possibly two of the coolest people I know – they’re good people, have tons of style and are ridiculously creative. I wanted to make a short film about them because although everyone sees photographs of these gentlemen online hardly anyone has ever heard them speak or has much of a handle on what they do. Working with filmmaker Nigel Christian is great because he has such a unique eye, it’s totally fresh and completely different to what tends to be seen online these days. Recently brands have started asking us to make short films for them – which is great since Madoogtv started out as just a way of documenting people we thought were interesting.”

Source: http://www.selectism.com/2013/07/02/madoog-tv-get-to-know-london-collection-art-comes-first/

Front Row at Kenzo : A Country Called Earth (A.C.C.E.)

BRANCHING OUT: Mos Def could be the definition of a Renaissance man. Not content with his music and film careers, he is launching a multi-disciplinary design collective named A Country Called Earth.

“I’m working with Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh from Art Comes First,” he said, pointing to Maidoh, a fellow guest at the Kenzo men’s show, held at the Académie Fratellini circus arts school on the outskirts of Paris on Saturday.

Dressed in a Kenzo blazer and shirt, paired with a djellabah and an Art Comes First fez, Mos Def — who likes to go by the name Yasiin Bey these days – said his collective was working with various brands. “Fashion, of course, but furniture, other consumer goods, household items, audio — a lot of different areas,” he explained.

Bey also has a residency at the Nouveau Casino club, where he is DJing for three nights next week under the header “Bright Moments.”

Guests entered the Kenzo show venue through a wooden building, where fresh fruit was arranged on the floor to form a colorful carpet. Carts festooned with bananas or apples served fresh fruit juice blends.

Between posing for pictures with Japanese DJ Mademoiselle Yulia, South Korean singer Taeyang said his band Big Bang was working on a new album and planning another world tour.

“We’re not sure if it will take in Paris or not, but I hope so,” said the musician, who has a devoted following in France. “When I arrived, there were a lot of fans waiting for me in front of the airport. It was really surprising.”

Source: http://www.wwd.com/runway/mens-spring-collections-2014/fashion-scoops/kenzo

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