July 2010
Design Hotels Future Forum 2010
Farmboy sent their art director Evelyn Sum to Berlin a few weeks ago to attend the Design Hotels Future Forum. The focus this year was on "Hybrid Thinking." According to design hotels CEO Claus Sendlinger, hybrid thinking is not so much a trend but a strategy. The notion is that the most compelling ideas, people, places and things in the future will be collaborative, pluralistic and hybrid in origin.
We have seen a few visionary hotels having truly hybrid concepts that go far beyond the original purpose of simply providing a bed. Claus Sendlinger expects that multidimensional hotels focusing on authentic experiences will rise as people look for unique experiences that are memorable, in a good way, combining elements from art galleries, hospitals or film theatres combined with the classic idea of hospitality.
To inspire hoteliers from around the globe in opening their doors to provide new experiences, Design Hotels' agenda was to challenge the senses. Sissel Tolaas, Norway-born scent expert took samples from her personal library of over 6700 odours and exposed the audience to the sweat of a man and the smell of money. Ottmar Pohl served up raw wildflowers and leaves with hints of fragrant oils to create surprising epicurean experiences. There was also Jan Becker, who has Mentalist as his job title, who proved he could read people's minds.
After two days of hybrid-speak, it was ironic that Robert Thiemann, editor in chief of Frame magazine would say, "Hybrid thinking is what we called 'Fusion' in the 70s and 80s." Nothing new perhaps but he went on to dedicate an entire presentation to examples of our current hybrid world –- Design and Fashion = Comme des Garcon and H&M collaborations, Store Design and Art = Installation by artist Nina Saunders in footwear designer Tracey Neuls' shop in London, Carston Holler's 'divided-divided' revolving hotel room as art, fashion designer Maison Martin Margiela's suite at Les Sources de Caudalie hotel and spa just to name a few.
New or not, hybrid thinking must go beyond just cross-pollinating two extremes into one another. A long lasting hotel concept must be a true derivative of what is authentic. Chris Sanderson, creative director from Future Laboratory describes the importance of craft in the hospitality industry. "Hospitality is now about designing and crafting an experience, a moment. This is what theatre does, and how the world of the art gallery works. These are cues the hotel sector needs to learn from."
Featured Medium • BADA BOX
Since its introduction, BADA BOX has become one of Farmboy's most talked about art products. The innovative backlit unit contains its own LED light source, creating a subtle but captivating glow. The panels are thin, lightweight, and easy to install. BADA BOX's distinct luminosity will leave a lasting impression on the most design savvy clients. Visit our Stockyard Collection to start choosing your images today!
To see all of Farmboy's mediums click here.
Limited Edition FBFA Trend Poster Winners!
We asked visitors to our booth at the HD Show in Las Vegas to enter their business cards in a draw to win our four trend posters for this year and gave away ten limited edition sets. Congratulations to all the lucky recipients!
Didn't get lucky this time around? Give us a call or email us and we'll send you the poster of your choice!
Farmboy Props
This month's Farmboy Props go out to Trevor Bundus and his girlfriend Camie Ekbal, spotted in Cambodia at Siem Riep. While we hope they always pose in photos like this, we're pretty sure that wicked Farmboy T-shirt had something to do with it.
Get published! Email us your best Farmboy picture!
Featured Farmboy Artist • David Dean
David Dean was born and raised in Canada but he has not kept his feet planted there. Before attending art college, David embarked on a few travels, including Brazil, Cambodia, Tibet, Nepal, Hawaii and Mexico.
Upon graduating in 2006 from the Alberta College of Art & Design in Calgary, David once again decided to acquire more stamps in his passport by traveling to the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. He has also been sent to various locations for commercial work in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
David has been with Farmboy Fine Arts since 2006.
Farmboy Staff Picks • Meghan O'Connell
We asked Farmhand Meghan O'Connell, one of our Designers and Visual Content Editor here at Farmboy, to choose one of her favourite images from our Stockyard collection and tell us what she likes about it.
Who is the artist?
Frederick H. Evans, GFE.100.00002
Why do you like it?
We've been lucky enough to gain an exclusive license of historical works from the George Eastman House and this platinotype image from Frederick H. Evans is one of my favourite in the group. Because platinotypes capture a huge range of tones in the image it's possible to see how worn the steps in Wells Cathedral are and makes me wonder how many people must have walked on those steps, in desperation, in blind faith, in joy and in sorrow. This image at first seems like an architectural snapshot, but it tells a much bigger story with its absence of people.
Wells Cathedral is in England, and construction was completed in 1250. This image was taken in 1903.
As always, The Stockyard features some of the latest stunning
imagery from Farmboy Fine Arts to help you create custom artwork.
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Farmboy Quote of the Month:
“Nurture your mind with great thoughts;
to believe in the heroic makes heroes."
- Benjamin Disraeli
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