Through someone else's lens

These images have made few rounds by email and most of us must have viewed them. But I thought these are a few frames that gives us an idea how THEY viewed us. If I can use the phrase looking through their lens... I feel we Indians (natives) were quite under nourished 100 years back.

These image bear the copyright of "Underwood & Underwood ". But according to wikipedia "The company ceased business in the 1940s." I could not ask for permission for using the photographs.

I would say these can be described thus .... "Some images to Remember and some to Forget"

You are the King

Last month I had attended “The Hotel Show” at the Dubai International Trade Centre. It was a one of its kind yearly occurrence with exhibitors from around the globe descends here to showcase their products. Everything that you see and you do not see when you walk into a hotel as a guest was on display. It goes without saying that stuff that we do not see surpasses what we do with a great margin but this is not my point of discussion. It was very encouraging to see how the business houses are putting up a brave face in the wake of the economic Tsunami that has struck the entire world. Everyone was being extremely optimistic and kept focusing on to the sunny days ahead and we all know that it is not too far away.
There were amazing and awesome products on display like stabilized natural plants to designer’s furniture. Similarly exciting were the technological concepts focusing into providing a unique and integrated guest experience. There was a design competition for the employee uniform and it was it was a corporate catwalk that showcased those 7 categories of uniforms by designers. Two conferences were being organized simultaneously on the side lines of these displayed products and glitz. My main interest was to attend The 7 star conference and The Middle East spa Summit which roped in the experts and the business leaders from the region.
Now that I have sat through those two, I would like to reveal a secret that I was able to conclude while listening to what the market leaders had to say. I have found out that you and only you are the King at this moment in history and I thought everyone should know this.
Today the all the players (Tour Operators; Retailers; Airlines; Hotels) of the Travel and Tourism industry are working together and working hard to come out of the crisis brought in by the global economic downturn. We need to remember that in good times they are arch rivals vying for each other’s blood or market share. So what does it mean to you when they come together and try to get back the tourists? The answer is simple. They need you. Rather they need your money. They woo you with very attractive offers and great discounts. You are pampered like never before. A few years back you had to be very rich or an influential and powerful somebody in order to be treated royally. But today all that have changed for this moment. Today you can negotiate the best rate with the top hotels and one doesn't have to be embarrassed in doing so. You can select from various packages being provided by airlines. You walk into a boutique or any store for that matter and you are treated like a shahenshah. So enjoy it till it lasts.
Similar trends are visible in Dubai. The top of the range hotels including Atlantis is providing series of attractive packages. The resorts in and around Dubai are also offering a basket of alternative choices for guests and patrons to select.
There has been lot of Dubai Bashing in the past few months in the western media. But the general consensus that came out of the speakers was that business generated here today is still much more than other areas around the world. Someone has very aptly described the situation in Dubai as "the heat is off the cattle right now but not to forget that the cattle were already overheated."
So enjoy being a Royal till it lasts.

This Color Coded World

"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." --Pablo Picasso

On my way to work today I had a very interesting realization. As all creatures in this planet was starting a fresh day I was amazed to find how distinctly color coded is our world. As a kid I remember one of the lessons they taught us that color coding is one of the ways of sending signal to others in the animal kingdom. We were then told about red being associated with danger and subsequently our knowledge was updated with the explanation that red could be viewed from the farthest distance because of its wave length. That is why red is used for traffic signal and all other danger notice. Similarly we see water tankers of different colors eg blue, green, orange, yellow each carrying a different category of payload. If you hit the orange one you know that you have hit the SHIT!
But we seem to have adopted this very well in our everyday life. While every one is free to choose and wear any color at a party, it is not quite the same at work. That is why we came with terms like "blue collar" jobs and "white collar" jobs. We even see differentiation being made in the color of the helmet one wears. It is quite interesting to note how Priests, doctors and politicians have reserved the white color for themselves.
But the significance of color goes much deeper than this. Effective Graphic Design relies on the considered interaction of various elements to convey a message or emotion.Composition, imagery, color and font are just some of the elements that can affect the way that a message is perceived by the viewers. People make very quick assumptions based on visual cues and these cues can be used to reinforce or alter the way that a written message is understood.Color can have a strong emotional effect on a viewer. Nature uses color to transmit a range of different messages and Graphic Designers also select different colors hues to evoke subconscious reactions from their audience.

Present day Significance of colors:
Red is the color of love. It is the most emotionally intense color. It is a very stimulating color that can invoke feelings of excitement and confidence amongst the viewers. Being the color of blood, it is sometimes culturally regarded as the color of life and is seen as a lucky color in China.Traditionally red symbolized courage and bravery and the color is often paired with black for a very strong result that has instant visual impact. Eveready and Coca Cola is probably the best known proponent of the use of red in their branding while YouTube is a new entrant to take advantage of Red.
Orange is often used in the business world to symbolise good value for money. Graphic Designers prefer to use this color while producing designs for value products. Probably this is the reason why Google's free Blogger service uses a strong orange colored logo.

Yellow enhances concentration and speeds up metabolism. But it is believed that people lose their tempers more often in yellow color rooms and it is the most difficult color for the eye to take in.

Green is considered as the color for healing. This color usually relaxes patients. Hence hospitals and clinics often use this color in their uniforms and furnishing. It is a refreshing and soothing color and is believed to improve vision and it is advised to look out towards greenery to relax our eyes in between work.

Blue is believed to relax the body, so it is often used in bed rooms. It symbolizes loyalty, hence wearing blue is recommended by experts for interviews. Studies show that weight-lifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms. This is because people are more productive in blue rooms. Blue in a range of tones nowadays is widely seen as the corporate color as it convey stability and is generally consider to be without any cultural bias. Examples are AT & T, IBM (nicknamed 'Big Blue'), Microsoft and Pepsico.
Black is the color of authority. It implies submission and probably the reason why priests wear black to signify submission to God. Black dress makes people appear thinner for which it became popular color in fashion and is widely worn by film personalities. Black is also used to symbolize death and destruction.
White color symbolizes peace. Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity and it is also considered as good luck to be married in white clothes. Doctors and nurses wear white to symbolize sterility. The nuns wear this to symbolize purity.
Pink is a very feminine color. The female of our species have a great affinity to pink. A quick tour of the blog spaces will provide enough proof of this. Mattel's Barbie doll's branding could not have got any more pink.
Purple embodies the balance of red simulation and blue calm. This dichotomy can cause unrest or uneasiness unless the undertone is clearly defined at which point the purple takes on the characteristics of its undertone. A sense of mysticism and possess royal qualities like; Uplifting, Calming to mind and nerves, Offers a sense of spirituality. Purple is a color often well liked by very creative or eccentric types of people. It is generally the favorite color of adolescent girls.

Architecture You Can Sit On

One of the most common pieces of furniture that we use in our everyday life is a Chair. How many times so we try and find out how this chair came into existence. Some of the most sought after chair design has been designed by famous architects. Usually we associate architect with building design and we always try and distinguish the interiors designed by architects with that designed by Interior designers. Some tend to argue that Architects are very rigid and lack imagination when it comes to designing interior space. On the other hand architects themselves consider interior design as mere of decoration. Following are a few of the chairs designed by some of the greatest architects of our times.

Frank Lloyd Wright once said that "Every chair must be designed for the building it will be in."
This "Barrel Chair" made of natural cheery wood with an upholstered leather seat was designed in 1937 for Herbert Johnson's house and apparently was a rework on a design he created in 1904. Wright saw the chair as an architectural challenge and used tall straight chairs as screens around tables. Unlike many of his contemporary stalwarts, Wright believed that machines could actually enhance the designs.

The Taliesin armchair 1949 by Frank Lloyd Wright

The Barrel Chair by Frank Lloyd Wright

The Hill House Chair was designed in 1902-1903 by the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh for the publisher W.W. Blackie. Originally painted white, this high, narrow Hill House chair was meant to be decorative - not to be actually sat on. The original still resides in the bedroom of the Hill House in Helensburgh.

The Hill House Chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Modernists believed that the shape of furniture should be determined by its function and by the materials used. They stripped furniture down to its basic elements, using a minimum of parts and eschewing ornamentation of any kind. Even color is avoided. Made of metal and other high tech materials, Modernist furniture is black, white, and gray.

The Barcelona chair by was designed by Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 World Exposition in Barcelona. Leather straps were used to suspend leather-covered cushions from chrome plated steel frame. The Barcelona chair was a custom design created for the King and Queen of Spain. This was used as an artistic statement to illustrate how negative space could be used to transform a functional item to a sculptural object. "A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous." --Mies van der Rohe quoted in Time magazine, February 18, 1957.

The Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe 1919

Eileen Gray (1878-1976) was a popular Modernist during 1920s and 1930s. Trained as an architect, Gray opened a design workshop in Paris, where she created carpets, wall hangings, screens, and enormously popular lacquer work. She also exhibited several architectural projects at Le Corbusier's "Pavillion des Temps Nouveaux" in 1937. The Nonconformist Chair by Eileen Gray has only one armrest. It is designed to accommodate the owner's favorite resting position. Today, she is recognized as one of the finest designers and architects of her day and pieces like the Eileen Gray Table have become icons of modern design. Also displayed is the Bibendum armchair (1927).

The Bibendum armchair (1927) by Eileen Gray

The Nonconformist Chair by Eileen Gray

ARNE JACOBSEN (1902-1971) was one of Denmark's most influential 20th century architects and designers. Both his buildings and products, like his Swan and Egg Chairs, combine modernist ideals with a Nordic love of naturalism.

Swan Chair Arne Jacobsen

Egg Chair Arne Jacobsen

The Modernists rebelled against the concept of furniture that was merely decorative and created sleek, impersonal furniture that was designed to fit in many situations. Technology was a key for these followers of the Bauhaus School and saw the machine as an extension of the hand. His furnitures were designed to support industrial production. Here is the "Tulip Chair" designed in 1956 by the Finnish-born architect, Eero Saarinen. Made of fiberglass-reinforced resin, the seat of the Tulip Chair rests on a single leg. Also displayed is the Womb Chair.

The Tulip Chair by Eero Saarinen

The most important Finnish architect of the 20th century, ALVAR AALTO (1898-1976) was a central figure in international modernism. His greatest buildings, like the 1927 Viipuri Library and 1928 Paimio Sanatorium, fused the naturalism of Finnish romanticism with modernist ideals: as did his influential furniture and glassware.

Alvar Alto Paimio 1933

Combining playful forms and experiments with advanced technologies, RON ARAD (1951-) has emerged as one of the most influential designers of our time. Born in Tel Aviv, he moved to London in 1973 to study architecture and made his name in the early 1980s as a self-taught designer-maker of sculptural furniture. He now works across both design and architecture.Consistently inventive and challenging, Ron Arad has studiously avoided categorization by curators and critics throughout his career.

Rover Chair - Ron Arad

Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria, under Art Nouveau architect Otto Wagner, whose theories of functional, modern architecture profoundly influenced his works, and in 1896 he joined his office. Kubus Arm Chair of 1910 is one of the prize collections for its proud owners.

Kubus Arm Chair by Josef Hoffmann 1910

In the Red Blue Chair, Gerrit Rietveld manipulated rectilinear volumes and examined the interaction of vertical and horizontal planes, much as he did in his architecture. Although the chair was originally designed in 1918, its color scheme of primary colors (red, yellow, blue) plus black—so closely associated with the de Stijl group and its most famous theorist and practitioner Piet Mondrian—was applied to it around 1923. Hoping that much of his furniture would eventually be mass-produced rather than handcrafted, Rietveld aimed for simplicity in construction. The pieces of wood that comprise the Red Blue Chair are in the standard lumber sizes readily available at the time.

The Red Blue Chair by Gerrit Rietveld 1918

Le Corbusier was born in 1887 in the Swiss town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds, located within a few kilometers of the French border. He attended school in his home town where he studied the visual arts and architecture. In 1910, he landed a job working in Germany in the office of Peter Behrens where he may have met Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Unlike his problematic theories for urban planning, Le Corbusier's designer furniture is still very much admired by collectors of modern and Bauhaus seating.

Seating designs by Le Corbusier

Following are a few more which I could not stop myself from mentioning.

Wassily lounge chair (1925) by Marcel Breuer

Peter Eisenman Chair

zaha hadid cirrus seat2

The coconut chair 1956 by George Nelson

Laurinda Spear Trelleaf bench

Search for a picture Postcard

Time Freezes... The Sun is setting ... A plane about to land.. while a boat lazing around

They say Industrial revolution has brought in the concept of mass education where large number of pupils were taught in the classrooms as opposed to one is to one teacher student relationship. The result have been amazing and the world started to mass produce all the produce all categories of professionals. A large number of individuals who could do the same work with same level of expertise and one could replace the other so very easily. I think one of the few profession which was relatively untouched by this sweeping wave has been the photography. Primarily because of the high initial cost and operation expense.

Today we live in a world where everyone is a photographer and a digital camera is one of the most common possession of a person on the street. The first question you will face when some one spots a new camera is "how many mega pixels is your camera?" the notion is that the higher the value the superior the camera. He does not care to know about the lens and other good stuffs.

Birds.... remember the movie by that name!

I am not a professional photographer either, though deep inside I aspire to be one someday. Here is my quest for a picture postcard but failed single out any one in particular...

Everyday and the same magic is recreated but one can never get bored of it

Too lazy to get off the car

The Most expensive Hotel, Burj Al Arab as a backdrop

Madinat Jumeirah

Amphitheatre on occassion but a restaurant otherwise

Calmness