This are actually collages of the photos of the parts… discover more of the artist here.

At first I only had the impression of the provocative flamboyance and an almost mocking humour and beauty in the vibrancy of his visuals. He’s demeanor reminds one of Lee McQueen, gentle and deeply introspective.
Today I discover the spirit of a real artist, acutely aware and questioning existential issues, power abuse in religions and politics, and distractions of the modern lifestyle such as consumerism.
What’s more, David was a keen student of life, learning from those that have come before him (eg, Warhol) and from his own journey. Perhaps part of his humility stems from the fickleness of popularity that many artists experience, thus his advise to not be affected by others’ opinions.
Glad I had this photo with him, and this glimpse into the real David Lachapelle. Oh, and we connected briefly when I guessed correctly that Guy Bourdin is one of his inspirations. This is a good day.

interesting lingerie ad

Despite significant advancements like quantum processors & genetic engineering solving major problems like environmental pollutions & human diseases, the breakthroughs are still mainly scientific. Human nature is still responsible for much social ills. Humanity lacks still the wisdom for a real evolution amidst this “advanced” landscape. Asia, dominated by China & India, leads the world economy, and wields considerable influences, including cultural trends.

One particular group, inspired by millennia-old Eastern philosophies, isolated themselves in search of spiritual growth. On a remote island, they created a community living in harmony with its environment. Technology is minimal & hidden, and everyone had been genetically altered white/colourless, thus resulting in no distinctive racial skin tones. A highly social structure was designed, like doubling lifespan & not more, so that more could be experienced; yet not taken for granted, as death/loss still existed.

After numerous generations, realizations dawned that the dynamics between the opposite sexes remained the core deterrent to their goals. Along the line of human evolution, the difference between the sexes must have grown to a point where each has in fact become separate species. The leader thus made the decision that the females are to be expelled from this community to form another world of their own. The expulsion of the leader’s wife was the most dramatic, who chose death instead. Her last moments were marked with the personifications of the seven sins in her aggressors, one of who (Lust) had a last minute change of heart with a futile attempt to protect her. Had he loved her?

In the end, the head/trophy of this traitor/hero symbolized the numerous shades of darkness the human soul was capable of still. Is love the eighth sin? Is this a real beginning, the true renaissance/rebirth, the path to enlightenment?

Art direction & copy by Damian Sim, Photography by Ben Lim. © 2004 Singapore, all rights reserved. E: passionworks@gmail.com

By Irish International BBDO – “Watch out for your lovesick fridge.” Like the part where people ride the fridges with child-like abandonment. Not a creative epiphany, but makes for light entertainment.

The Yellow Ribbon Project’s a worthy cause, but to effectively change people’s negative bias against ex-offenders may prove impossible. Regardless of our public stand on giving second chances to ex-offenders, how many would really be at ease with the idea when their loved ones actually have an ex-offender as a colleague or friend?

The system have imprisoned them socially by mandating a declaration of a criminal record. The difficulty they face in getting a legitimate job and the “dirty look” given them by the rest of society only makes it infinitely more difficult to stay ‘straight.’ This public declaration of a criminal record is probably to add to the deterrence factor, to not break the law in the first place, but it totally undermines the whole rehabilitation concept of prisons.

If the system deems a prison term sufficient to rehabilitate an offender such that he may return to society as a useful member, why not keep the criminal record accessible only to police?

With an effective law enforcement system, why don’t the public leave the job of keeping an eye out for society’s safety to the professionals?

In this way, ex-offenders who have served their time would have a real chance of turning over a new leaf. Rather than the public declaration of a criminal record, the authorities should increase the severity of the prison term as the core deterrence. We must recognise that most of us are negatively biased towards ex-offenders on the unconscious level, whether we consciously are or not.

If almost everyone who knows that you are an ex-offender treats you unfairly, it only shows that society generally do NOT believe in the concept of a true rehabilitation. If the authorities doesn’t change the rules for a need to declare a criminal record, then perhaps they are only perpetuating the failure of the rehabilitation.

The same group also created the global warming campaign where ice sculptures of penguins were ‘positioned’ in a popular park.