Forest Swords: The Weight of Gold

Benjamin Millepied Fills a Bright Dead Sea Landscape with the Experimental Artist’s Brooding Music.

“I first saw Billy Barry perform at Juilliard four years ago,” says the acclaimed French choreographer, filmmaker and photographer Benjamin Millepied. “I thought, ‘Who is this creature?’ Billy’s quality as a dancer is so otherworldly, I immediately knew I wanted to create a portrait of him. The sense of solitude depicted in the film reflects just how different he is as an artist.” The chance to direct today’s music video for British artist Forest Swords’ haunting track “The Weight of Gold” presented an intriguing opportunity for Millepied, who was seduced after being inspired by Israel’s Dead Sea area’s landscape, including the Judean desert and Nebi Musa site that is dedicated to Moses. “We arrived at a beautiful location and I just let the music and the desert move me instead of forcing it,” says Barry, the young flaxen-haired dancer who earned a spot at Tel Aviv’s prestigious Batsheva Ensemble straight out of school. “I listened to the music a lot before the shoot and on the day we just went with what happened naturally.” Below Forest Swords, AKA Matthew Barnes, explores the musical side of this creative collaboration. 

I grew up listening to a lot of mainstream pop music, and I was fascinated with the production and structure of it. Then I gradually got into punk, hip-hop and electronic music. All that filters into the type of sounds, melodies and textures I’m attracted to now, though it’s difficult to be objective about that kind of thing when you’re making it.

The track “The Weight of Gold” came together fairly slowly. I pieced it together over a few weeks, adding and subtracting until it felt right and I mixed it outdoors like the rest of the record.

The locations Benjamin picked for this video really resonate with the track. I’ve always associated the songs from my album Engravingswith a British landscape—woodland and sandstone, because that’s the environment I live and produced the record in. Taking the music out of that context and placing it in Israel definitely shifts the track in a direction I did not expect.

Living wallet

El  Monedero Vivir  parece una cartera normal - a excepción de las ruedas pequeñas a los lados. Según su sitio web oficial, los pares de la cartera con una aplicación de contabilidad llamado Zaim, que funciona en el iPhone, Android, iPad y en la web. 

Zaim tiene dos modos, 'Save Mode' y 'Modo de Consumo', dependiendo de su equilibrio y que hace su parte para ver que a ahorrar dinero. Si vas a gastar demasiado, el "Monedero Vivir" se alejará de usted para desalentar el exceso de gasto y por lo tanto ayuda a ahorrar dinero.

Star Wars Wedding Rings

These are 2 of several ring designs by J.A.P., a Japanese design firm. Others show Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Ackbar, Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt and more.

Hooded Backpack

This Korean canvas and leather backpack comes with a detachable hood to keep you doubly warm all winter long.

A watch for blind people

The Bradley Timepiece, a watch designed for blind people, which allows blind people to tell the time by feeling a metal ball in a circular groove. There are no numbers. Around a groove in the centre a ball-bearing rotates to mark the minutes. Around the edge of the watch, another ball bearing rotates to tell the hours(second pic). Designed by Hyungsoo Kim. The watch named the Bradley, here was an appeal on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding website, in July last year - 3,681 people from 65 different countries backed the project, donating a total of $594,602. It will be available for sale from May in the US, with the UK and Europe likely to follow later.

Pintofeed, Feed Your Pets From Your Smartphone

Pintofeed es aa dispositivo que suministra alimentos a su mascota a través de su smartphone. El Pintofeed es un alimentador del animal doméstico inteligente, conectado con Wi-Fi que se marcó para los teléfonos inteligentes y las redes sociales. Se sirve comida en incrementos de las porciones de media taza y es controlada por los dispositivos Android o iOS. Pintofeed también le permite programar los horarios de alimentación automáticos y la creación de un programa de alimentación personalizado para usted y su amigo peludo. Una vez que su mascota ha sido alimentado, puede elegir ser notificado a través de SMS, Twitter o Facebook. Pre-pedido en IndieGoGo campaña. Cuando se libera, se espera que sea un precio de alrededor de $ 99.

Dragon,dinosaur,monster Fingerless Gloves

HotScones

M.Rostropovich - Shostakovich Concerto No.1 - 3rd movement (cadenza) and 4th movement

The Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Opus 107, was composed in 1959 by Dmitri Shostakovich. It is perhaps the most popular 20th Century cello concerto. Shostakovich wrote the work for his friend Mstislav Rostropovich, who committed it to memory in four days and gave the premiere on October 4, 1959, with Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in the Large Hall of the Leningrad Conservatory. The first recording was made in two days following the premiere by Rostropovich and the Moscow Philharmonic, under the baton of Alexander Gauk.

3D printed XYZ shoes

The XYZ shoes by Earl Stewart uses 3D scanning technique, to ensure customers a personalized pair of shoes.

Vein-shaped wine container

This vein-shaped wine container is an example of "bio-tableware" design by sculptor Etienne Meneau. The container can even hold a full bottle of wine.

What the human body looks like at 100 years old

Photographer Anastasia Pottinger has a powerful photo series called Centenarians that reveals what the human body looks like at 100 years old. Pottinger writes: 

When I later reviewed the images on my computer, I knew I was looking at something very special. It was when I began exhibiting the work that the idea to continue the series was born. The response to the images has been remarkable. Viewers are visibly moved by what they are looking at. Whether it's wondering, "is this what I'm going to look like?" or remembering a loved one – the response seems to be universally emotional on some level.

More images after more.

Cards

Monument Valley

Leica T Camera

The new Leica T Camera ($3600+) has a huge 3.7-inch touchscreen, which sports a 16 megapixel APS-C sensor and a brand new "T" mount for lenses. It has Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity. It shoots 1920 x 1080 video at 30 fps.

Bottle

SaddleBaby

The SaddleBaby($90) is a Child Shoulder Carrier that enables parents to carry their children directly on their shoulders hands-free. Yet, you need your hands always available, to hold bags, dog leashes, cell-phones, cameras...

"SaddleBaby replaces the traditional method of needing to hold your child's ankles with a much safer and practical system that uses high quality commercial grade Velcro and adjustable buckles to secure your child ankles comfortably and directly to your shoulders. The SaddleBaby shoulder carrier allows you for the first time to safely free your hands to do more and focus on spending quality time with your child. This shoulder carrier gives you the flexibility to go places that you couldn't navigate with a stroller."