HOSTEL OF DREAMS

architect and designer felipe hess dreamed up this little dream of a hostel with his long time friend guilherme perez, who he has known for 15 years. 'we' hostel in sao paulo, brazil carries the relaxed traditions of hostels from all over the world, but brings the comfort, refinement and attention to detail of boutique hotels. converted from a mansion of nearly 4000 sq feet from the early 1900s, most of the original architectural features were preserved and played an important part in the design development. hess has used a quirky mix of carefully curated collection of furniture found in flea markets in and around san paulo which were then restored and updated by the designer, adding a vintage character to the contemporary design. 

the design of the hostel has been kept simple with crisp white walls and black accents. the tv room has a chalkboard ceiling where travelers from all over the world leave messages. the bathrooms are colors blocked in fun blue, red, yellow or green and the bedrooms open to patio spaces which give guests a chance to socialize and unwind with drinks and delicious fare. graphics by the artist rodrigo marangoni are featured through the house and include neighborhood maps and mix tapes. there is a gorgeous lounging/reading room that comes fully stocked with books galore and cheerful furniture, inviting the weary traveler to put their feet up and loose themselves in a good book or the beautiful view.

it's definitely on my list for places to stay if we make it to that part of the world in the very near future. i hope saad opens this entry fast and gets the hint because we still have time to make it there for my birthday. meanwhile, you can look, book and enjoy the "we" hostel here.

xo
HM

THE SCIENCE OF ART

for anyone living in seattle, here is a little treat you can go see at the seattle aquarium. the exhibition runs though spring 2014 so there is still a chance to catch it! a perfect marriage of art and science, the exhibit is named "cleared:the art of science". it uses various species of marine life as the subject which are specially treated to make their skeletal tissues show through the flesh and skin in beautiful , saturated tones of blue, green, magenta and teals. it contains 14 large format prints of photographs, all taken by university of washington professor adam summers. all photographs are accompanied by poems written by sierra nelson. the fish you see in the collection were all either by-catch from fishery operations, incidental mortality during scientific collection, or as part of a study on the developmental trajectory of the fish skeleton. the selection of the fish takes into consideration their bone cartilage relationship and data richness which are responsible for the aesthetic appeal  and  composition  created when the subjects are stained and photographed.

picturing science describes the process "the fish depicted here have been specially treated to make the stained skeletal tissues visible through the skin and flesh.  the technique uses two vital dyes – alcian blue to stain cartilaginous elements a deep blue and alizarin red to turn mineralized tissue crimson.The specimen is then lightly bleached with hydrogen peroxide to remove dark pigments, leaving a snow-white fish. flesh is dissolved with trypsin, a digestive enzyme found in your intestine. trypsin attacks most proteins but does not harm collagen, the principle fibrous material that holds the skeleton and skin together. in order to make the skin and remaining connective tissue invisible the entire specimen is immersed in glycerin. the index of refraction of collagen is very similar to that of glycerin, so the flesh seems to disappear.

 if you return the specimen to water the collagen will turn white again and the skeleton will be hidden.this technique is only effective on specimens that are less than about 1cm in thickness, and takes much longer for thick specimens than thin. a small fish might take 3 days to process while a larger animal could take several months. images are made while the fish is in glycerin on a light table with flash fill lighting. the total length of most specimens is around 25mm, though the largest is 170mm across, so a macro lens on a Canon digital slr is used to capture the image. the photograph is printed in archival inks on an aluminum plate in a limited edition of five."

apart from visiting the exhibition you can buy these beautiful, intricate images in several forms. they are available as high quality greeting cards, a calendar or as a limited edition print. picturing science

what do you think? aren't they just dreamy?!
see cleared being displayed in it's full glory at the seattle aquarium this weekend. enjoy ! 

xo
HM