Kinetica E8, wind of change

Kinetica E8 by Telford Homes and architects Waugh Thistleton, is my favorite new building in Hackney at the moment.

It is exciting to see its wind turbines which climb up from the 6th to 13th floor of this 14 floor building, whizz round in the east London breezes (to the left in the photo). The wind of change is really coming to Hackney, as Dalston Junction finally gets connected to the tube (London Underground network) and the 2012 Olympic infrastructure takes shape to its East.

Brown and Green sections of its roof encourage birds and wildlife but it is by no means a perfect building. I like the art deco feel to its ‘Flatiron’ building inspired edges, but the tiled curves should have had custom made tiles for a perfect rather than pixilated effect. Ok tilled pixilation could be exciting if it looks considered and deliberate, but this does not.

Also the building does not shine from every angle but it definitely beats your average neat collection of children’s building blocks chosen as good design by most developers.

Bowled over (Uzbek drip glaze bowls)

I bought some handmade bowls from Uzbekistan at an international fair in London. In their natural environment they are used for tea drinking. I wonder what I’ll use them for, apart from inspiration?

Probably for olives nuts etc, but I just love the drip glaze finish on their rim. I can’t wait to use that on something I design.

Dancing shoes

My own personal museum is becoming cramped and it is difficult to continue to categorise and study the artefacts that are the debris of my life, let alone live a life worthy of recording.

So I am embarking on a preliminary decluttering, loosing much of my ephemera and other items that can no longer justify their storage space.
Along the way I am photographing the few objects that are beautiful, (such as dusty, slowly decaying dried flowers) or still have some space in my heart, if not on my floor or shelfs.

Take a pair of Reebok basket ball shoes, spray them with gold paint, fly around the globe performing in sweaty night clubs for a few years till the soles are worn smooth and slidy and there you have these unique items that I recently consigned to the shoe recycling bin.

Hopefully they are having a second life somewhere in the third world as the prised possessions of some otherwise unshod human being, and not just leaching toxic chemicals in landfill.

Photos of Jon Martin from Press, PR and Modelling

I’ve finally got round to scanning and uploading some of my old press and PR photos from some of my Musical incarnations such as The King of Hackney, Norman Cook's Pizzaman and Boom from Mills and Boom as well as modelling for fashion house Burro.
Check them out here
Photos of Jon Martin (Press, PR, and Modelling)

Tiptree Jam's labels rock

I love the authentic and original simplicity of the design for Tiptree jam’s labels and lids. Tiptree is still an independent company and its jams have good simple ingredients, how refreshing in this age of change and addatives.
I'm not paid to say this, I just dig it and want to spread it on my toast and online See some of my own packaging and graphic design here