Inflatable flamingo buoys floating on turquoise water with the text "Flamingosis".

Flamingosis music

FLAMINGOSIS, a hymn to eternal summer

Listen to this and let yourself be carried away by the reading

Art can have negative connotations and can exacerbate your dark thoughts. But this is not the case with the artist featured here, who is the opposite of pessimistic.

Close your eyes and breathe in the gentle Miami air. Let the sun warm your skin. You lie on a sun lounger while a model with bulging muscles blows air at you with a gigantic palm leaf. Somewhere, far away from your vast garden with its perfectly cut lawn and large bushes carved in the shape of African animals, the waves lap gently against your yacht. You take another bite of...sandwich and dive headfirst into the pool of imported Italian mineral water. The water is good. Good, indeed. You surface to catch your breath. Juan Carlos is standing by the pool, waiting for you with a fruit cocktail. You climb the ladder and give him a gentle squeeze on his bottom. He smiles and winks at you, the rascal. You take a sip. The nectar sends shivers down your spine. Sex, diamonds, exotic cats and unpronounceable car names. The warm limestone tickles your feet. You stroll through the house before sprawling out on your Herman Miller sofa, your gaze lingering on the naked figure of the Picasso in your living room. She returns your gaze with envy! You're about to take a little nap when suddenly your boss taps you on the shoulder and asks how you're getting on with the quarterly report. You wake up in your cubicle in front of an Excel spreadsheet...

Tribute to @moosalini the poet

When you listen to Flamingosis you feel a wave of positivity and optimism. As if the future will be better and the summer sun will never stop shining. The world of Flamingosis is like a parallel universe where the cultural codes of the 60s and 70s have survived to the present day.

This unique artist uses remixing and sampling to create a bridge across time, bringing older songs up to date and bringing out their groove. And it works, as the tracks on his albums follow one another, with different styles ranging from disco to hip-hop and jazz, but always in a graceful ensemble that is the artist's signature.

The man behind the name Flamingosis, an American called Aaron Velasquez calls himself "a sensitive man with a groovy plan". The musician began his career in 2014 and has released a new album every summer since.

The name 'Flamingosis', which sounds a lot like the English name for Pink Flamingo, is actually the name of a Frisbee move invented by his father, a former champion of the sport. A tribute to his father, to whom he owes many of his musical influences.

Whether you're already a connoisseur of this kind of music or you need a gateway to get started in the instrumental music style, don't hesitate to visit Flamingosis on Bandcamp or on his Youtube channel. His level of creativity is off the charts, and quite frankly, a benchmark for those who love good music.

So, did you enjoy the trip?

Portrait of Italian sculptor Jago in black and white, looking straight into the lens.

JAGO, artist

JAGO, The stone sculptor

THE POPE IS NAKED!

Jago is a thirty-one year old Italian artist, passionate about the art of sculpture. One of his mentors is Michelangelo (1475-1564), nothing to do with the new pizzeria that opened down the street from you or with the Ninja Turtles! Mich-mich (for those close to me) is known for having painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1505-1512) does this remind you of your history books? Basically the Sistine Chapel is the Pope's house in the Vatican. And this Michelangelo painted this famous fresco called “The Last Judgment”. You know, that big painting with the two guys reaching out to touch their fingertips? Well, it’s him!

Jago wonders what Michelangelo would have done today if he had had access to social networks. Imagine being able to follow the evolution of this painting in time lapse on Facebook! Jago doesn't want to miss this and then films all his creations. I grant you, Italian modesty is there, but that's how we like them, and perhaps also with their mini red swimsuits in summer on the beach. The idea conveyed is that it is perhaps more interesting to see how the work is made rather than the final work itself.

“The Pope is naked” is one of the sculptures for which this time lapse idea is interesting. While this sculpture of the Pope was on display, Jago received a message from his father telling him “Mich-mich, the Pope resigns himself and takes off this religious dress”. Jago takes the sculpture home and literally begins to undress it with his tools. Version 2 of the sculpture was born and… the Pope is naked! Grazie Jago.

By the same artist

Jago is full of interesting resources and concepts. Above is a small example with the “Mineral Muscle”, the “Train” and “Escalibur”. Did you know that the plastic AK-47 is the most popular children's toy in the world? The real one is easily found in Congo at the same price as an Xbox®.

An Air-Ink marker containing ink made from pollution, placed on a black-stained surface.

Eco-responsible ink

For even more eco-responsible designs, we have the solution.

What'zhat being a design agency based in Vietnam, this subject affects us doubly. Indeed, issues concerning ink and air pollution are part of our daily lives. This is why today we present to you the story of Air Ink.

THE BEGINNINGS AIR INK

When Anirudh Sharma was just a student at the time, he travelled to India. He took this rather artistic photo of his native country, which sparked off a brilliant idea: black ink made from the pollution in our car exhausts.

More details on this anecdote in this TED TALK video.

He then embarked on several homemade experiments to find out if his project was really feasible. It is a success. With his team Nikhil, Nisheetj and Nitesh they then transformed their living rooms into assembly lines for their innovative pens. That was in 2012, since then production has continued to grow and Ink Air is now used by artists around the world.

HOW DOES PM2.5 BECOME A WORK OF ART?

Air Ink is first of all Kaalink, the small machine that can be attached to any exhaust pipe to extract PM2.5. This complicated scientific name actually simply corresponds to the pollution dust created by our cars, motorcycles, factories, etc.

One pen then corresponds to 40 – 50 minutes of pollution from a Diesel engine. However, you must be wondering if this ink is then completely healthy and of good quality. Well that’s the case. In fact, what is dangerous in pollution dust are the microparticles, so fine that they pass into our lungs and our blood! By compacting these particles in the ink they then become harmless.

Especially since on November 1, 2018, the WHO announced in Geneva that pollution kills 7 million of us per year, Air Ink is therefore timely!

PROJECTS MADE WITH AIR INK

In July 2016, the team collaborated with Tiger Beer and made a promotional video.

The video was a smash hit and was picked up by news organizations around the world. So artists started flocking in and wanting to get their hands on one of these markers.

Here are two of them:

Kristopher Ho, Muralist from Hong Kong, his Instagram account.

The artist Caratoes designs a wall with Air Ink. Image c/o CNN

OTHER PROJECTS ON THE KICKSTATER PLATFORM

Kickstarter, which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, is a platform that connects entrepreneurs with creative ideas and contributors ready to invest in these projects. It is on this platform that Air Ink was able to obtain the budget necessary for its development.

They classify projects by category:

  • Art,
  • Comics and illustration,
  • Design and technology,
  • Cinema,
  • Gastronomy and creation,
  • Games,
  • Music and publishing.

Some of our favorite projects at What'zhat:

♻️ Iris – The drawing tool that inspires creativity

♻️ Via – Waterproof sneakers made from recycled ocean plastic

♻️ Other promising projects that give us confidence in the future!

To follow the Air Ink adventures, don’t forget to subscribe to their Instagram page.

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