Nathalie Koziuscot-Morizet

 

Paris mayoral candidate Nathalie Koziuscot-Morizet has made quite a stir with her plans to revive old and abandoned Parisian metro stations. Not only would Koziuscot-Morizet be the first female to ever hold the title of mayor in the capital, but she’d also be the first to reclaim Paris’ abandoned stations. Sketches have already been released of what her plans are for the rundown train stations, with a theatre, swimming pool, restaurant, and art gallery among some of the ideas presented to the public. 

The Mimi Foundation

Inspired by a patient’s statement that before cancer, she used to be much more carefree, The Mimi Foundation gave 20 cancer patients makeovers. The only rule was that the patients keep their eyes closed while make-up artists applied gaudy eyeshadow, bright lipstick and lavish wigs. The idea was that the participants’ discovery of how silly they looked “allowed them to forget their disease, if only for a second.” A photographer was positioned behind a one-way mirror during the reveal, to capture their reactions.

Thanks to Tami Bohn for today’s fodder.

Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?

French filmmaker Michel Gondry had the opportunity to record the many conversations he has had with famed linguist, philosopher and political commentator Noam Chomsky. The compiled result is the upcoming film Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?. Gondry uses his own brand of animation to visually convey Chomsky’s dense stream of ideas. The film will be out in select US theaters on Nov 22.

Léo Caillard

French photographer Léo Caillard decided it was time to modernize some classic sculptures, to trade in loin clothes and leaves for skinny jeans and denim shirts. He began the makeover by photographing hip Parisians in trendy garb, then mapping their clothes onto nude Hellenic sculptures taken from the Louvre.

Thanks to Joe Koufman for today’s fodder.

Algae Lamp

French biochemist Pierre Calleja has invented a lighting system that requires no electricity at all. Instead, the lamps rely on algae, which produce light an oxygen as a byproduct of carbon dioxide. Each lamp consists of algae-filled water along with a light and battery system. During the day the algae produce energy from sunlight that is then stored in the batteries–then at night the energy is used to power the light.

Thanks to Dan Pollick for today’s fodder.

Husbands- “Dream”

Typography fans and proponents of the lyric video should be very excited about the Husbands’s latest video. For their single, “Dream,” the French band created an ode to fonts, mixing stark text displays with electronic beats to create visually captivating moments.

Thanks to Jorge Torneria for today’s fodder.

Simon Beck

Artist Simon Beck is not afraid of the cold. Armed with snowshoes and a short sleeve t-shirt the French hiker spends his days plodding across the frozen lakes of Savoie, France. Working for 5-9 hours a day, Beck creates sensational patterns of snow art,  each final piece is typically the size of three soccer fields. The geometric forms range in mathematical patterns and shapes that create stunning, sometimes 3D, designs when viewed from higher levels.

Water Light Graffiti

Ordinarily electronics and water don’t usually go together too well, but that’s not the case for this public artwork Water Light Graffiti by artist Antonin Fourneau and Digitalarti Artlab.

For this project—which was set up in Poitiers, France in July—the artist created a surface embedded with thousands of LEDs which light up when brought into contact with water. You can use any damp surface like a wet paintbrush, your hands, a spray, a bowl, even a bucket. Splash it on there and once the water hits the moisture-sensitive surface the LEDs light up to provide you with your masterpiece.

Thanks to Kelly Keirn for today’s fodder.

Oben

Oben is a remarkable graduation film from France’s EMCA, the School of Film Animation, that features a man battling for life on a hospital bed whilst simultaneously remembering past mountaineering glory.

OBEN from Oben on Vimeo.

Darth Vader Burger

Quick, a French fast food chain, is celebrating the upcoming “Phantom Menace 3D” movie premiere by launching a line of “Star Wars” themed burgers. There are three burgers to choose from, but the sandwich that is causing the most buzz is the Darth Vader burger;  a double beef patty with pepper cheese, light salad topping and a pitch black bun that is dyed using vegetable coloring. Each burger costs $6 and will be available from January 31 to March 5.