Category: Travel

  • Cascabel’s London

    Cascabel’s London

    Cascabel is a multidisciplinary creative studio, founded in Buenos Aires by Estefi Panizza and Diego Jalfen, and based in London. Cascabel specialises in unique bespoke experiences, working with global lifestyle clients across a wide range of industries – from art and gastronomy to design and technology.

    Estefi and Diego are also the founders of Radio Cascabel, a project we’ve talked about before and that they describe as “an online platform for the musicians and artists who are creating the sounds of tomorrow.” Radio Cascabel works with NTS Radio, the British Council, Resonance FM/Extra and hosts a monthly column on Monocle 24, as part of their art and culture review program. Radio Cascabel’s latest event, Greetings from Space, will take place at the new EXP Cantina by the canal in Hackney Wick on August 10th and will bring together the best of Argentinian and British music, food and culture – you can find more information about the event on Resident Advisor.

    We asked Estefi and Diego to share with us some of their favourite places in London.

     

    Institute of International Visual Arts

    This place is a visual arts organisation based in East London that collaborates with contemporary artists, curators and writers. We discovered them through this music exhibition inspired in London’s first magazines for improvisers, sonic artists and musicians during the 70’s and 80’s.

    1 Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA

    Second Home

    This amazing co-working space is where we choose to work every day, have meetings and attend to workshops. We produced an event for their cultural programme based on silence walks around East London to contemplate the sounds that surround us, WALK AND LISTEN PROJECT, with their support and with Argentinian sonic artist Ulises Conti. Second Home describes itself as ‘a new type of workspace and creative hub‘.

    68-80 Hanbury St, E1 5JL

    Rough Trade

    As you might know, London is a very musical city. This is our favourite record shop and where we go to see lots of live music shows, such us Factory Floor, Mac Demarco and Angel Olsen Music among others.

    The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Ln,  E1 6QL

    Rochelle Canteen

    This is the place where we love to have lunch. It looks out onto the grassy playground and the trees of Arnold Circus. Whenever it’s warm enough the tables are set outside for a peaceful meal in the sun. The food is provided by Arnold & Henderson, who established the Rochelle Canteen in 2004 and since then, it has rapidly become one of London’s destination restaurants.We handpicked this spot for one of our Seasonal Banquets, a marketing activation we developed for a winery group in the UK.

    London Centre for Book Arts

    This is an artist-run, open-access studio dedicated to book arts and artist-led publishing. We love this place because you can see the work process and how things get done.  It is a hidden gem, located in Hackney Wick and one block away from Exp Cantina, the new venue where we will host our ‘Greetings from Space’ event.

    Dace Road, E3 2NQ

  • The Jaunt, art and travel

    The Jaunt, art and travel

    The Jaunt is a project by Jeroen Smeets sending artists all over the world to find inspiration and create a new artwork which is printed in a limited edition. Before the trip, you can purchase the print sight unseen only knowing about the artist and their destination – a place they’ve never visited before. During the trip, you can follow the artist whilst they get immersed in the destination and get inspired to produce their artwork.

    In this short interview, Jeroen tells us about how the idea behind The Jaunt started, how people have reacted to this innovative project and the last trip with artist Kristin Texeira.

    www.thejaunt.net

    Photos by The Jaunt

    Jaunt #021 – Scott Albrecht – Masaya

    Can you introduce yourself and tell us about how The Jaunt started?

    My name is Jeroen Smeets. I’m from the Netherlands originally, but living in Copenhagen these days with my family. I’ve been working with artists for a while now through different jobs and projects. Ranging from editor-in-chief, creative director, art agency, gallery manager, publisher, journalist and everything in between.

    The Jaunt started about five years ago when I first started talking about this project with friends and artists, trying to shape this idea I had of sending artists on trips all over the world to find inspiration. After a year of conversations we organised our first trip in April 2013, and have been running ever since up to trip number 35.

    Jaunt #030 – Jean Jullien – Marfa

    The Jaunt is an innovative take on the traditional artist residency. Can you explain briefly how it works?

    We send artists on trips all over the world with the sole purpose of finding inspiration. There is no agenda and no briefing. The artists make their own trip and their own adventure. Once the artist returns from their trip, they create an artwork which we then produce as a limited edition silk screen print. We sell this print before the trip takes place. Meaning you have no clue about the outcome of the artwork until the artist has returned and you receive your print at home.

    This way when you buy a print you become part of the experience and make it possible for the artist to go on their trip.

    The Jaunt #007 – Jordy van den Nieuwendijk at work on location in Los Angeles

    We love the surprise element of buying the print before the artist travels to their destination, without knowing what they’re going to create. How did your first customers react to this? Can you share some of the feedback or comments you’ve received since you started The Jaunt?

    We work with a variety of established and upcoming artists, and this way we get to introduce artist whose work we admire to a new audience. One of the things I personally enjoy hearing the most is when people order a print from an artist they did not know before, but are very pleased with in the end and the artwork ends up hanging on the walls in their house.

    The screenprint studio of Joris Diks where the artworks are printed

    Your last trip has been with artist Kristin Texeira, whom we’ve interviewed before. Why did you choose Kristin and her destination, Newfoundland?

    I actually just stumbled upon her work by clicking through different hashtags on Instagram, and it immediately captured my eye. Her work is to me a great example of an artist putting her own feelings and experiences into the artworks. Meanwhile she is able to tell a vivid story with her quite abstract work. So I got in touch with her and two weeks later her tickets were booked.

    Originally I was looking into the Caribbean islands for her trip, but Kristin expressed a bigger interest in less tropical climates, enjoying the different elements of the weather and nature. Newfoundland, Canada seemed like a perfect fit for her.

    Jaunt #012 – Cleon Peterson – Athens

    You have published a book about your first 10 artists and their trips. Are you planning a second volume or other ways to expand the project outside of prints?

    It’s in the works. The first book was self-published which is a big challenge, especially on the distribution end of things. So ideally I would like to collaborate with a publisher on the second book and make sure it gets the proper international distribution.

     

  • The Best Ways To Indulge On Vacation Without Spending A Fortune

    When you’re in need of a little bit of indulgence and find yourself with enough time off work to warrant a holiday, often the only thing from stopping you from jetting off shrouded by luxury is your budget. Being able to afford all of the fancy destinations and activities you see the latest and greatest famous faces doing on social media may be completely out of the question, but this doesn’t mean you can’t have a similar experience without the hefty price tag! You can visit vacations made easy online to improve you vacation experience. Also, there are many ways to spoil yourself in a whole new location whilst keeping your bank account intact, so keep on reading to discover some of the best ideas and start to organise your next amazing holiday and pamper.

    Image Source

    Go On A Cruise

    For possibly one of the best ways to get an all around feeling of being spoilt rotten whilst on your holiday, you may want to consider hopping on a cruise ship. They commonly have spas and other high class relaxation centers onboard to provide you with the highest levels of comfort and calm. With a little bit of extra research, you can discover the best luxury cruise deals with whichever destinations and entertainment you prefer for the cheapest price possible. It’s a very smart idea to upgrade your trip to all inclusive, as it’s often just a small increase in the price that means you can have unlimited food and beverages throughout your trip. This will be able to save you so much money in the long run, and being able to have whatever you like when you like really adds to the feeling of indulgence too. If you’re feeling lucky and enjoy spontaneity, one of the best ways to get an amazing deal on a cruise is by checking the tickets a couple of days before the ship is due to depart. They will not want to set sail without filling all of the cabins or having the maximum number of passengers on board, so any vacant rooms and unsold tickets will be sold for just a fraction of their original price. You can register your interest and sign up to emails on most companies’ websites, and they will send you various special offers right to your account.

    Book Off Season

    If you’re stuck on one destination or idea, one of the easiest ways to make the whole trip less expensive is by simply waiting a few more weeks to book. Every country and city has a busy season, during which many tourists and visitors flock to the location and all hotels, apartments and flights are fully booked or drastically overpriced. If you’re able to avoid the very hectic periods, which generally tends to be the months of July and August, you might be able to save yourself a pretty penny. As there will be less interest and demand for those wanting to visit, the likelihood of deals and vouchers being available will increase as sales targets will still need to be met and businesses still have to make some money. Select the ‘whole month’ option when searching for flights, as comparison sites will often show you which dates are the cheapest to help you make the most economically sensible decision.

    Stay Somewhere Different

    The typical choice for accommodation when travelling is usually a hotel of some kind, often booked based on the brand name rather than its actual qualities and functions. However, a great way to save a bit of extra crash whilst still getting a perfectly unique and special experience is by staying at a ‘home away from home’ or some other kind of rented property or abode. With the drastic increase in people putting their own houses on the market for a much cheaper price than that of just a single room inside a chain hotel, it’s becoming so easy to discover an entire property with all of the essentials and more for less. Be sure to read other customers reviews before committing to book anywhere to stay, and visit several different sites to see what options are on the market for you to choose between.

    Hopefully these hints and tips can help you plan and execute the most serene and indulgent vacation for a price you can be proud of. Visiting the cities at the top of every bucket list doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, just be creative and innovative when it comes to organizing your trip and be smart when making any purchases.

  • Utrecht Instants

    Utrecht Instants

    We’re just back from Utrecht, where we’ve spent 3 amazing days working on a new City Guide thanks to Visit Holland and Utrecht Marketing. Before we publish our full City Guide on our website, here’s a little preview of some of the places we visited and shared on our Instagram profile during our stay.


    The rooms at Eye Hotel, a boutique hotel located in a former eye hospital.


    Some of the beautiful buildings by the Oudegracht, the “old canal”.


    Daen’s, a coffee shop, hotel and clothing store in the heart of the city.


    Miffy, a creation by the late Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna and a symbol of the city.


    The impressive Rietveld Schröder House, built in 1924.


    Koffie Leute Brauhaus, a coffee shop in the southern part of the city centre.

  • London Cyclist with Expedia

    London Cyclist with Expedia

    We recently collaborated with Expedia on a cycling route around East and North London for their London Cyclist guide. We often travel to London for work and the route we suggested, from Borough Market to Camden Town, is one of our favourites when we are visiting and have some free time.

    You can find more about this route and all our recommended shopping and eating stops on the following link:

    www.city-cycling.expedia.co.uk/london/heading-north-past-markets-and-waterways

    Future-Positive-Cycling-Expedia-4-low
    Gulliver’s Wharf in Wapping

    Future-Positive-Cycling-Expedia-3-low
    Regent’s Canal

    Future-Positive-Cycling-Expedia-1-low
    Donlon Books in Broadway Market

    Future-Positive-Cycling-Expedia-2-low
    Present & Correct in Islington

     

     

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