Steven Wiltshire (born in 1974) is an accomplished architectural artist who has been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Wiltshire’s work has been the subject of many television documentaries; neurologist Oliver Sacks praised his artistic work in the chapter “Prodigies” in his book “An Anthropologist on Mars.” Stephen Wiltshire’s many published art books include “Cities” (1989), “Floating Cities” (1991) and “Stephen Wiltshire’s American Dream” (1993).
Wiltshire is presently working to complete his last drawing in a series of city panoramas, this time of his spiritual home, New York City. Wiltshire’s collection of already completed works depicting some of the world’s most iconic cities already includes London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Rome, Madrid, Frankfurt, Dubai and Jerusalem. A 20-minute fly-over Manhattan this past weekend provided the memory for a 20-foot panorama of the city that he’s drawing throughout this week at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. Viewers can watch his progress on a live web cam or by visiting the Institute while he works from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 30, 2009.
This piece includes a number photographs, a slide show of Stephen Wiltshire's work, a video of Wiltshire's current work drawing the panorama of New York City and a live web cam of him at work on the panorama.Steven Wiltshire (born in 1974) is an accomplished architectural artist who has been... more
As China’s economic recovery has gathered force this autumn, wealthy Chinese are pouring fortunes into Hong Kong real estate, producing a powerful surge in prices for luxury real estate. Hong Kong pegs its currency to the U.S. dollar and links its interest rates to American rates; with a flood of money pouring into local banks, adjustable-rate mortgages are available in Hong Kong for an initial rate as low as 2.05 percent, fueling real estate speculation.
Donald Tsang, the city’s chief executive, cautioned in his annual policy address Wednesday that the boom might not last.
“The relatively small number of residential units completed and the record prices attained in certain transactions this year have caused concern about the supply of flats, difficulty in purchasing a home and the possibility of a property bubble,” Mr. Tsang said.As China’s economic recovery has gathered force this autumn, wealthy Chinese are... more
“Drift Away” is a beautiful, but sadly melancholy 4-minute short film directed by Jean-Julien Pous and produced by Sophia Shek. During the course of the film, a gracious and ethereal young woman slowly and silently glides all alone through the busily teeming streets of Hong Kong. During the earliest part of the film, it’s somewhat difficult to discern exactly what’s going on, or even what the movie’s theme might be, except possibly a visual rendering of the emotional deadness of anomie and anhedonia in contemporary urban life. The attractive young woman’s eyes acutely capture everything around her, but only the movie’s camera can catch her own eyes.
Sadly, it’s probably true that only when you’re really able to lose yourself in something or someone else, only then will you finally become capable of an emotional investment in yourself, another person and/or the world around you. Lacking that, the despairing message for people left with a desolately barren life in the midst of the intensely seething modern world is something like: “Pour your misery down, pour your misery down on me.”
This piece includes a number of color photographs from the film, as well as the beautiful short film, “Drift Away.”“Drift Away” is a beautiful, but sadly melancholy 4-minute short film directed by... more
CLSA Investors Forum, is a well-known conference with global investment managers, will have former Vice Presidential candidate speak at the conference in Hong Kong. Previous speakers were Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Alan Greenspan.CLSA Investors Forum, is a well-known conference with global investment managers, will... more
With the "Astro Boy" movie on every anime fan's lists of 'things-to-look-forward-to-this-year', toy manufacturer Hot Toys, have timed their showcasing of the latest Astro Boy figurine, very well.
The Hong Kong Ani-Com 2009 exhibition displayed the toy robot-boy, who is yet to be pinned with a price tag, but like all franchise products, the toy is bound to hit the shelves closer to the release date of the CGI adaptation.
Do you think the toy does Astro Boy any justice?With the "Astro Boy" movie on every anime fan's lists of... more
“Tancho” is a stunning 3-min. animated short film that attempts to illustrate with surreal visuals the world of the unconscious and its random behaviors. The film takes place on an imaginary island, a small world which shows the struggles between desire and decency. The symbolic rivalry between basic drives of the appetite and the conscience is portrayed through the interactions of a Tancho Crane, a Tancho Koi and the Tree Island with its desirable insects. Both the Tancho Crane and the Tancho Koi are considered to be sacred in Japan, with their blood red spots (Tancho). The Tancho Crane, which is caught in a struggle between its “true self” and its desires, chooses to follow the path of its conscience (the Tancho Koi) at the end of the film.
This piece includes a number of colorful illustrations and the remarkable animated short film, “Tancho.”“Tancho” is a stunning 3-min. animated short film that attempts to illustrate with... more
http://www.triponadeal.com This week we the best, most shocking and most beautiful travel films on TripFilms.com. It's a whirlwind tour through China, Thailand, Vietnam, Ghana and Iceland's Blue Lagoon. Plus much more! You can get a link all the films we feature at triponadeal.com. Sponsored this week by Tubemogul.comhttp://www.triponadeal.com This week we the best, most shocking and most beautiful... more
Authorities in Hong Kong were reviewing surveillance tapes Tuesday to determine who tossed a bottle of acid from the top of a building, injuring 24 pedestrians in a busy shopping districtMonday's incident was the third such attack in the Mong Kok district in the last six months. Police have not ruled out the possibility that they are the work of the same person.
The most recent attack occurred on Nielson Street Monday night when a bottle containing corrosive liquid was thrown from the top of a building, a police spokesman said.
Among the 24 people injured was a 4-year-old child, police said.
On May 16, 30 people were treated for burns after they were hit with two bottles of acid in the same area. Those pedestrians suffered various degrees of burns, none of which were serious, police saidhe May attack occurred on a Saturday around the same time in the same area with bottles containing similar liquids as one in December 2008 that left 46 people injured.
Authorities have set up a 24-hour hotline for information on the incidents and the government installed a new surveillance camera system in the area, worth 1.7 million Hong Kong dollars ($219,000).Authorities in Hong Kong were reviewing surveillance tapes Tuesday to determine who... more
fashion brand louis vuitton has teamed up with artist richard prince to wrap the hong kong museum of art for a special exhibition. ‘louis vuitton: a passion for creation’ is a new show held at the hong kong museum of art in association with the consulate general of france. the special façade is based on prince’s ‘after dark’ series and features enlarged covers from pulp-fiction novels printed on fabric. inside the exhibition covers a wide range of mediums from paintings, photographs and video installations on show until august 9th. the show includes works by frank gehry jean-michel basquiat, gilbert & george, jeff koons and many of louis vuitton’s collaborations with artists such as takashi murakami, stephen sprouse and richard prince. the façade is made especially significant since it is one of the first public art
installations in hong kong.
Check out link for more picsfashion brand louis vuitton has teamed up with artist richard prince to wrap the hong... more
HONG KONG - Two bottles of acid were thrown into a crowd in a popular shopping district in downtown Hong Kong on Saturday, injuring 30 people, police and news reports said.
It was the second such attack in five months in the neighborhood.
Television footage showed firefighters washing off victims' arms and legs before sending them to hospitals for treatment. Some had holes in their clothing.
Hong Kong Cable TV said people in the Mong Kok district had been splashed with acid, though police Superintendent Leung Ka-ming would not confirm what liquid was thrown.
Samples of the liquid will be sent to a laboratory to determine its type, fire services officer So Kam-sang said.
He said 30 people suffered burns but none was seriously injured. Police earlier said an infant was among the injured.
Mong Kok, which means "busy corner" in Chinese, is a shopping hot spot that attracts thousands of local people and tourists on weekends.
On the same street in December, 46 people suffered burns when two plastic bottles filled with acid were thrown at pedestrians. No one has been detained, despite a police reward of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,900) for information leading to an arrest.
Leung said police would combine the two cases for investigation.HONG KONG - Two bottles of acid were thrown into a crowd in a popular shopping... more
HONG KONG (Reuters Life!) - Hong Kong's top financial official will meet Walt Disney Co. management in Los Angeles later this week to discuss the stalled expansion of the struggling Hong Kong theme park.
Disney and the Hong Kong government have been embroiled in protracted discussions over financing for a second phase of the world's smallest Disneyland which could cost a reported HK$3 billion ($387 million).
Opened in 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland has been criticized for being far too small to attract repeat visitors despite its proximity to mainland China. Visitor number projections failed to reach initial bullish predictions, and the Chinese tourist market has since been hit by the economic slump.
Disney meanwhile has signed a framework agreement with authorities in Shanghai to build a park there.
The meeting between Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang and Disney on Friday in Los Angeles follows Disney's decision last month to put the expansion on hold.
The involvement of such a senior Hong Kong official underscores the importance the government sets on getting negotiations back on track.
"We hope we can maintain positive engagement with Disney on the matter, but it's hard to predict whether there'll be a breakthrough after the meeting," said a government source cited in a report by the South China Morning Post.
In March, Disney said it would put the expansion plans on ice and fire about 30 staff dubbed "Imagineers" who had helped conceptualize and plan the Hong Kong expansion.
"Disney wants the (Hong Kong) government to put in some of the (financing) loan, but the government can't do it. It's a very sensitive issue," a well-placed source close to officials involved in the talks told Reuters.
"Disney's trying to drive a hard bargain (with Hong Kong) and Shanghai's an ace in the hole."HONG KONG (Reuters Life!) - Hong Kong's top financial official will meet Walt Disney... more
It is important to remember to be charitable, but it is more important to remember your Feng Shui. That's the rule that one of Hong Kong's tallest buildings lives by.
The Cheung Kong Centre were not in favour of having clogs (wooden footwear) hanging from their building, as part of a charity exhibtion, due to the negative Feng Shui the shoes would bring.
The exhibition was initially supposed to promote Dutch culture as well as raise money for Chinese children. However, the tower buildings management were uneasy about it all -- 'the Cantonese word for shoes -- hai -- sounds similar to a sigh of exasperation'.It is important to remember to be charitable, but it is more important to remember... more
Auction house Sotheby's expects to sell artworks for $77 million at its spring Asian sales in Hong Kong, a condensed and competitively priced selection tailored for these financially difficult times.
While the expected sales tally is substantially lower than a year ago, Sotheby's is hoping the Asian art market will show signs of convalescing in the first of its biannual flagship regional sales this year, often seen as a market barometer.Auction house Sotheby's expects to sell artworks for $77 million at its spring Asian... more
Asian stock markets sank Monday, with Japan's benchmark tumbling to a 26-year closing low, amid deepening anxiety that economies in the U.S. and elsewhere will take far longer to emerge from recession.Asian stock markets sank Monday, with Japan's benchmark tumbling to a 26-year closing... more
Asian stock markets rebounded Wednesday as hopes China would expand measures to revive its economy countered growing signs of economic decay in the U.S. and other major countries.Asian stock markets rebounded Wednesday as hopes China would expand measures to revive... more
Sir Richard Branson has also launched a global competition to find the best Richard ‘look-a-like’Sir Richard Branson has also launched a global competition to find the best Richard... more
Sir Richard Branson has launched a global competition to find the best Richard ‘look-a-like’, as part of Virgin Atlantic’s 25th birthday celebrations this year.
The quest to find a carbon copy of Sir Richard began at Madame Tussauds in London on Saturday morning where he came face to face with his own waxwork - and 25 Richard 'wannabes'.
He now embarks on an epic 8 day round-the-world trip with the Virgin Atlantic look-a-like spot squad.
The journey will include the inaugural flight of V Australia – Virgin’s new airline launching on 27th February. The airline will fly between Sydney and LA, and for the first time will allow passengers to fly around the world on the same airline carrier.
If you bear an uncanny resemblance to Sir Richard, visit Virgin Atlantic’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/virginatlantic
and simply upload your picture for a chance to win. The best look-a-like of the competition will win two return flights and VIP tickets to Virgin Atlantic’s exclusive 25th birthday party in New York (terms and conditions apply).Sir Richard Branson has launched a global competition to find the best Richard... more
Police in Hong Kong are investigating a 12-year-old schoolboy who posted naked pictures of himself online and offered himself as a gigolo for women as old as 45.
The boy gave himself the nickname Little Leung and offered sexual services to "females between the ages of 10 and 45" on an adult friendship forum, the Hong Kong Standard reported on Monday.
His bizarre advertisement, which included a photograph of his private parts, described him as a Christian and offered to "make love" to girls and women for 450 Hong Kong dollars (58 US dollars).Police in Hong Kong are investigating a 12-year-old schoolboy who posted naked... more
