Forbidden City

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

If like me you have always wondered what it would be like to visit the North Korean capital Pyongyang, world traveler Jacob Laukaitis’ video below offers a glimpse of life in the secretive city.

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Walk On Water

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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I was disappointed that I missed the artist Christo’s installation on Lago Iseo this summer. Fortunately, filmmaker Dorian Iribarren made this neat hyperlapse video of The Floating Piers project. Shot from a participant’s perspective, the video consists of 8,900 individual images.

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London Is Open

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a new series of commissioned artwork by British and international artists for the #LondonIsOpen campaign. Works by ten diverse artists will be displayed throughout the Tube system. The mayor’s initiative hopes to show that London is still welcoming to all despite the Brexit debacle.

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Go Ahead And Judge These Books By Their Covers

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Helsinki-based artist Aino-Maija Metsola, who is best known for her exciting textile design work for Marimekko, has created six captivating covers for upcoming Virginia Woolf re-issues. The new Vintage paperbacks are scheduled for Fall publication.

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Riffing on each novel’s title, Metsola has incorporated abstract painting, graphic design, and illustration for her book covers. The vibtrant covers reflect Finland’s strong polychromatic design tradition.

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I am not extrawunsch

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Welcome to The Last Bookstore

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles is on every traveling bibliophile’s must visit list. The 12-minute documentary below, directed by Chad Howitt, explores the history of Southern California’s largest indie bookshop and the inspiring story of it’s owner Josh Spenser.

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Key West to Canada by bike

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Thanks to the East Coast Greenway Alliance, in the near future it will be possible to ride your bike along a dedicated bike path 3,000 miles from Key West, Florida to Calais, Maine at the Canadian border. Thus far more than 850 miles of connected trail is in place. Funded by state and local groups, much of the East Coast Greenway takes advantage of former railway lines, park trails, and riverside walkways.

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Here in the Philadelphia area we already have a 25 mile stretch along the scenic Schuylkill River Trail, which connects to local tourist sites such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Boathouse Row.

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Every Town Needs A Story Pod

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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By night the Story Pod is a glowing 8×8 light box in an Ontario riverside park. During the day it opens like the covers of a book to reveal a cozy, inviting reading space for all. Situated in the town of Newmarket, outside of Toronto, the Story Pod is a “take a book, leave a book” little free library and open-air reading room.

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First Flight

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

This sweet little film was shot to mark the 70th anniversary of Heathrow Airport. Titled “First Flight”, it explores the airport through the eyes of a child taking their first flight. The David Bowie sound track is icing on the cake.

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We All Come From Somewhere Else

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Brian D. Butler

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Earlier this year, I shared a story on street artist JR’s documentary on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Last week, the peripatetic French artist created this enormous installation on Franklin Street in Tribeca NYC. The piece, titled “Unframed, Ellis Island”, is 95-feet tall and is based on a blow-up of an image of immigrants entering the U.S. in 1908. The time-lapse video below shows how it was done.

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