We can always count on reality TV Stars to put on a good show!
Bombay Sapphire has partnered with Eater to bring the Locally Spirited dinner series around the United States featuring bespoke cocktails and sustainably-sourced menus.
During the last week of July, the Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem shared their passion for dance with the public through a free series of 20-minute performances.
On July 25th, 2023, Gotham, New York City’s first legalized cannabis and cultural concept store, collaborated with Bright Moments Digital Art Gallery, hosting an interactive event of digital art and experiencing the culture celebrated at Gotham. Gotham is located in a prime trendy area of the city, right between Soho and the iconic St. Marys Street. Gotham has two floors; the bottom is its cannabis and retail area, and the top is where the art gallery resides. I had quite the experience, so I am excited to share my journey with you all.
When I first heard of digital art and NFTs, it left a big question mark in my head: What exactly is it? NFTs have been trending and created for the past year and have been thriving ever since. NFTs are an outlet where artists, based on the faith of probability based on an algorithm, that technology will create beautiful digital pieces, easily shared on your phone and through the digital atmosphere. Now you may ask, “How does that work? How can technology create art?” Well, you’re in for a treat, because I have the answers. The artist Jimena Buena Vida’s collection is particularly intriguing because of the digital platform media she uses to create these vibrant pieces of artwork. Jimena Buena Vida is a Latino abstract artist who merges from computer science with modern art. Vida’s goal is to push the limits of traditional art and add a twist. She uses technology to allow the NFT’s algorithm to randomly choose based on probability, to create its unique piece. Each piece of art that appears on the digital screen or is sent to your coin-based digital wallet isn’t the same. They are all one-of-a-kind unique pieces. Jimena Buena Vida calls this collection “Epiphanies”. Vida’s collection aims to celebrate the unknown; these creations unlock different dimensions of possibility, chance, and the aspect of existence. Vida’s inspiration for this occurred in the post-pandemic world. Everything that we once knew has changed. How we adapt to the constantly advancing technology is our choice. I think it’s beautiful and very interesting to test the limits of modern art and technology. It’s quite a controversial conversation and topic, but the more research and experience I have myself with, these open my eyes to a whole new world.
Below are some sample pieces of Jimena Buena Vida’s pieces, they can be found on the Bright Moments Art Gallery on their website bright moments.io for more information. As stated above, Bright Moments is a digital art gallery that started in California, in Venice Beach, and is now in NYC inside of Gotham NYC. Gotham NYC offers a wide variety of cannabis items, such as THC and CBD, gummies, pre-rolls, and more. Gotham also offers fashion and lifestyle brands and is a great space to chill out and interact with the staff and crew and leave feeling “high on life” and relaxed. They offer so many varieties of self-soothing substances with top quality and natural ingredients. I am looking forward to indulging myself. The staff was so friendly and offered me so many things to try. I’m looking forward to coming back.
I had the chance to create my own NFT piece of art through this technology Vida uses. It happened within a minute, a blink of my eye, and I have my own NFT digital art on my phone. It can be transferred and sold through cryptocurrency, or I can cherish it on my phone for special eyes to view. NFT and the Art world are still going to have a bunch of controversy of “what is it” “how does it work” and if it’s trying to replace “organic” art, but I believe it’s a more accessible and transformative type of artwork. It doesn’t take away “organic” artwork but offers a more instant and expansive creativity. Congratulations to Jimena Buena Vida and her amazing collections, I learned so much about both these brands and the NFT Art world.
For more information about Bright Moments, artists and to view Jimena’s expansive artwork:
Go to www.brightmovement.io for more.
On Thursday July 20th, 2023 I made my way to the iconic St. Marks street, to where all the trendy grunge and classic NYC street style originated. Private Policy has been a brand to watch for quite some time, and they’re finally having their moment to shine. Grunge is an aesthetic you can run from or embrace, as it pushed the limits of fashion. Grunge incorporates a lot of distressed details, heavy jewelry, mesh, and the ability to create what you want out of statement pieces you may have. Private Policy as brand stands for inclusivity, bold personality and full fierce expressiveness of their consumers who wear their clothing. That is why, with this new release, it expands even more of their chic and spunky collection.
Co founder and designer Siying Qu
I had the pleasure of speaking with Siying Qu, Co founder and designer of Private Policy. She informed me that their newest collaboration is with Fun City Tattoo. They are the oldest tattoo shop in New York City, they have seen all the NYC icons and legends walk through their door and created a strong community and culture, which is what Private Policy also stands for, which is what makes this collaboration so special. It is a collaboration of two edgy and authentic brands coming together to bring the culture back mainstream in NYC. “We wanted to do something classic, black and white, and feature the designs by the artists, Diego, and have a Y2K but classic New York grunge moment. Our clothes incorporates a lot of utilitarian style, hardware, harnesses, and both of our vibes align perfectly” Siying Qu says. “The photo shoot we had was NYC themed, we brought it back old school New York with the basketball jerseys and that authentic downtown vibe in the park with the dresses and give it a real chill feel to it.”
Fun City had an amazing time with this collaboration because it incorporated a tribute to the original owner of Fun City Jonathan Shaw who is known for pushing the limits of fashion and ever further. Above is the collection and collaboration with tattoo artist and designer Diego on Private Policy’s clothing. The collection is up and available for sale, along side Private Policies previous runway collections and sample sale items. The pop up was such a fun event, the moment you walked in, you were greeted with a complimentary White Claw with mouth watering flavors, a carnival game where you can win a prize, and the stunning collection in the back. The collection was so soft grunge, edgy and unique. I wanted the whole collection to be my walk in closet.
Here are more pictures from the event:
Congratulations to Private Policy and Fun City for a beautiful pop up and evening, I am looking forward to what more they both have in store.
For this year’s single ingredient campaign, the French luxury champagne house Krug has chosen something as tart as it is versatile: the lemon.
Rock and roll is known to be many things: inspiring, provocative, and above all else entertaining.
You may recognize Bellamy Brewster’s work from the cover of Usher’s newest single GLU, or from the pages of Vogue, Nylon, and Paper Magazine.
The Tribeca FIlm Festival is in full-swing with big time actors and actresses taking over New York City for exclusive screenings, but let’s be serious here, we’re all here for the after parties! Casamigos has been at the center for several exclusive parties, famously associated celebrity founder George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman.
The modern Mexican eatery and tropical beach club make for a perfect excuse to escape the Manhattan madness.