Meet Mr. Ed

This is Mr. Ed unfortunately he's in Hamburg, but I hope to bring him to amsterdam too. Just need an a3 printer. 

On Bikes

You may recall me from my earlier posts as "Scared-to-bike-Betty" but my time here has altered my perspective. Bikes are not to be feared. (Cars are to be feared). Bike culture makes people see the world as people. Back at home, people get in their SUVs and barrel down the road as if they are the only ones out there. If they swerve because they're on the phone, it's "YOU SON OF A BITCH. Bob, it's these asshole drivers..."

Bikes mean you see people, not cars. Putting bike lanes next to car lanes show social approval, government support, which makes people comfortable. The ubiquity of bike pumps and repair shops all over town make sure that bike riders can get to and from where ever without having to worry about bike failure. Plus the trams and buses fill in the gaps nicely.

Bikes also make people human. Everyone in this city has fallen off a bike at some point or another. You can't ride a bike without falling off at least once. Picturing someone falling off a bike is the same as trying to picture them in their underwear. It makes people instantly human.

Even old people ride bikes. Grandmas with little bones on rickety wheeled contraptions passing spry looking mothers with babies on their handlebars. How can you not smile?

If you're going to come to Amsterdam, you gotta get a bike. Otherwise, you're just another tourist.

The Light Bulb Project LIVE

We really work!

We didn't start the fire.

Heroes

They say their are no heroes anymore, but they are there. 

Walk down the street and you will find them. The fathers

who work, the mothers and children who strive to overcome. 

They are not bigger than their own lives but their virtues are. 

So if your looking for a hero, look around. 

GW Bush

This is a portait of GW Bush made by the English artist Jonathan Yeo. The rate received a contract from the Bush fanily to make a portrait to the president and he did a work which was rejected, take a closer look of the picture and understand why.

Flight of the Conchords

They don't have kangaroos, but New Zealand has plenty of talent wrapped up into Flight of the Conchords Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, who bill themselves as "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo."

This is a clip from episode 106, a song called "Bret, You've Got it Going on."



They're humor is dry and silly and smart. Nickle-store pop music like 'Hit Me Baby One More Time,' while a wonderful song in its place, probably took a quarter of the effort of these catchy insightful approachable sirens.

So strange...

I am...

If you haven't seen any of the "Slowskys" spots, you should because they are hilarious, so here you go...

DO NOT GET STRESSED

Kit Kat: Break Ultime
Cargado por Razorbuzz


For those who like good animation.
For those who like things well done.
For those who have are too busy.
For those who want to leave this planet, have a break and come back.
For those who have too many things in the head.
For those who want to stay also.

I stay here.

Something I'm Proud Of

buddah buddah buddah

Peggy's french bulldog Buddah is always up for a little pet! Especially if there are sandwiches around.

We've started off at a really great pace this quarter, and have a lot of awards briefs and discovery of self/city on our To Do lists. Yesterday Victor introduced us to the work of Sophie Calle, Nan Goldin and Duane Michaels. I don't know much about specific photographers, but so far I find that the story behind the camera makes me more interested in the work in front of the camera. I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me before. The work of Duane Michaels is much more deliberate feeling, thought out and born of a preconceived notion often dealing with mortality, while the former two, born nearly twenty years after Michaels, is more spur of the moment, an attempt to capture a feeling or a mood at one moment in time. Cool.

This weekend I think the Van Gogh and Rijk Museum are on the list for the weekend. So far time is going very fast.

OHHHHHHH! look at this place...cool. This is the 11 club during the day, it seems to be a quiet placed...but in the night, oh my god!
That could be a good resume of Amsterdam. Things changes if you focus on them. Always for a good way.
So, here I am, keep my mind open and triying to get the real point of wiev. Crazy city.
It´s good to learn again. Learn how to be dutch, how to be a global citizen. God bless the changes!!
By the way, the classes are really cool. It´s like to start a new Miami ad school, inpiration people and place. I really loved the therapy with Peggy on Monday, a good start for the week.
Too many briefs? Too many festivals? Maybe, but a good experience to try myself and do the best.
Good idea start in Amsterdam...

Words are important says a copywriter

Spoken word. Always wanted to be able to write like this. The process continues in Amsterdam.

For all those who missed it.

The light at the end of a long and dark warped tunnel.

Capital

Found this music video from a Russian band a while back. The art direction is amazing.
Come and ask me if you want a high res. version.

Warhol

Warhol instinctively captured and magnified the essence of his subjects highlighting the attributes. Attractive and appealing, It felt a bit creepy at times. I walked through the exhibit and began to feel his affection for pop culture. Familiar to its existence yet raw in its form.

I couldn't help but to stare aggressively at the simple polaroid portraits of people I knew nothing about. Sucked in, like the TV broadcasting test signals during its program interruption, with no sense of reason or time. The insights of pop culture.

Andy...

Last night a few of us ventured out to the temporary Stedelijk Museum to see the Andy Warhol Exhibit: Other Voices, Other Rooms; full of the his film, photography, and a few prints and paintings. The exhibition had some of his famous iconographic print work from Marilyn Monroe to Campbell Soup Cans along with fantastic film and information about his life. A great collection of his films staring superstars Edie Sedgwick, Nico, and the Velvet Underground (Lou Reed); that had both intended conceptual films such as 'Blow job' as well as unintended film moments. In one film a police raid through the factory interrupts a Velvet Underground shoot due to a noise complaint. The film offers a rare glimpse into the factory as Warhol talks to the policemen and stars mull around. The exhibit offers some of Warhol's more conceptual art as well: a room filled with floating helium filed silver balloons that you can walk through and play with, and another piece with microphone that is set up with a projector so that you can picture yourself as a 'star,' the installation is based off of Warhol's prediction that in the future we will all have our 15 minutes of fame (though the future seems to arrived thanks to reality tv and you tube). After the exhibit closed we may have head up stairs to Club 11 a restaurant that has a beautiful view from the 11th floor.

Warhol on film...

Here are some clips that were featured at the Warhol exhibit that just ended at the Het Stedelijk Museum which a bunch of us visited last night. enjoy... 

Amsterdam XXX

Upon my first walk about the city of Amsterdam and on subsequent walks there after, I could not help but notice the "XXX" marked all over the place.  Everything from buildings to boats, flags to the bollards that line the streets are emblazoned with this curious mark.  Being a novice to the city, I fought the urge to associate it with the red light district.  After consulting some Dutch friends (who were of no help) a quick Google search and a few Wikipedia pages later I am now a bit wiser and can relay the symbols true meaning.  The triple "X's" have nothing to do with porn, but are in fact three St. Andrew crosses thought to represent Amsterdam's three historic enemies: flood, fire and pestilence, but after the Second World War were changed by Queen Wilhelmina to represent the three virtues of the Dutch people: valiant, determined and compassionate.

CLUB 11, Friday Night

MY BIKE… MY HOME…, BOAT…

A city from other world.
I had that feeling since the first moment I arrived.
Different. Difference in people, difference in houses, difference in language.
But same streets.
So many streets to get lost.
So many times walking through the same corner (without wanting to).
Walk, ride, walk, ride and walk more.
My map flying out the bag every ten minutes.
And my finger doing circles in the air as our well known favourite alien called E.T.

OUCH

Ahh, drinking tonight

Photo Goodness

Riding off into the blue skies of Amsterdam.... with a little help from my good friend Photoshop. Victor's photo assignment took me and Meg to the MTV building on NDSH Island. The building was guarded quite well and we were not allowed access, but it was a good journey on the ferry and to see another part of Amsterdam that is not in city center, but is only a 5 minute ferry ride away.

Street

Every place I go I get some flyers, tickets, cards, everything. I don´t no why I collect this kind of stuff but I always think: this could be used for something or just keep it because it's cool.
Look and try to understand what the people want to say to you or just want to express yourself or left a message it´s very nice, all kinds of message together. However, I can't take all this things with me. So either I keep it on my mind (quite impossible to remember because there are plenty of this kind of stuff in Amsterdam) or take a photo like this ones.

Bar Cat

Get it while its HOT!

Yes I know you cant believe what you see its the long awaited iMac Bandana and Cap set!!!!!!

Bring your street cred of the streets into your cubical, spacious corporate office or even strip club!

It can be worn in many many different styles,

Just read what customers have to say about it.
Jacky McCrack, New Jersey
"Well until i had bought my iMac bandana set i was getting all kinds of mad shit from my boss, but the day he saw that bandana he knew i was fo'reel, and i aint gonna mees round no more".

Now you can gangbang at the ease of not even having to leave your desk!
Its just bandanastic!!!!!!!

Oh the pain, the pain.

After 20 minutes of walking Veronica and me ended up here. Herengracht 30! Our new home?! or so we though. The trials of life never stop as we realised that there was no Pindakaas around. A phone call and yell of "oh shit" and it was off to Herengracht 320! First day of school! WEEEE.....

Two Wheels, Many Concerns

As it turns out, there are more bikes than clogs in the fair city of Amsterdam. Which is really too bad because, in my opinion, a good pair of clogs is worth its weight in golden bikes. But I'm a little biased. Bikes and I have been in a fight due do a dreadful spill during the winter of '05. I've been able to avoid this particular mode of transportation for years... UNTIL NOW!

The city and I are getting along great, except of course, that the best way to get around in Amsterdam is via bicycle. The saying "it's just like riding a bike," is a comparison for something easy. But from what I know, I don't buy it. More like, "Oh, getting your phD? It's just like riding a bike!"

I just have to think to myself, everyone rides bikes. I can ride a bike. Everyone rides bikes. I can ride a bike. It's flawless, simple logic. So next week, after I've learned a few basic directions, maybe I'll buy a nice stolen bike from a crack head in the red light district and give 'er a whirl. And maybe I'll fall in love with biking. Maybe I'll win the next Tour de France and make a rubber bracelet with something inspirational on it.

Maybe a bike is just what I need.

Hello All,
Having been in the city just a few days, and fully caught up in the explorative spirit of being in a new city we headed out of our comfort zone and into Het Muziek Theater. With a local friend, we took in a Ballet called Amjad by the dance ensemble ‘La la la Human Steps’ that was a combination of modern dance, classic ballet, and a touch of visual art. Though dance is not our particular area of expertise I couldn’t help but be impressed with the dancers skill and physicality as well as with the show‘s music and art direction. I would recommend the show to anyone who has a chance to see it including anyone who might not be into ballet or dance.
Cheers,
Tim & Perez
You can find the schedule on lalalahumansteps.com
Here is a taste of the show

30 hours of Amsterdam

It's now 21:10 monday night and sofar Amsterdam has been hitting me every second with new impressions and the unknown. Every step I take and every thing I see no matter how small, big or unimportant, may it be even a crumbling wall awakes interest.

This morning I had a very early breakfast in my hostel, sitting next to the water I was able to see the sunrise behind the old town-houses and see the city wake up. Mothers bringing there children to school, bags of rubbish being swept away from a gust of wind, people on there bikes half asleep on there way to work. There was something very calming about the whole seen together with the flowing water reflecting the yellow light of the street lanterns.

I went for multiple walks through town last night ( got lost about 6 times ) and found some very cool and small art dumps in some side streets, its my advice if your somewhere new just go get lost.

Welkom

Welcome to our Miami Ad School Amsterdam Blog. We will try and keep you updated to all the interesting and creative things we find and experience here in the Netherlands.
-The Team

Kaleidoscope

The view from within a ship, excited I inhaled profoundly and paused in day dream wondering what my next few months in Amsterdam will come to be.

Wide-eyed and on my tippy toes I smiled loudly, wondered, wondered, wondered what impact will this crispy air leave on me?