Norihiko Dan (http://www.dan-n.co.jp/projects/munemune/m-hall-E.html) born in 1956 in the Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan is the designer of the beautiful Munetsugu Hall (http://www.munetsuguhall.com/), completed in 2007 in Naka Ward, Nagoya, Japan. It is a privately-funded concert hall that continues the age-old but almost-dead tradition of wealthy arts patrons initiating and financing the creation of art spaces. Fluid, white wall shapes are the distinctive feature of Munetsugu Halls main performance space. The walls bring to mind artistic sweep marks left by a gigantic builder who in his boredom doodled in his mortar tray with a massive trowel and then let the shapes solidify.Norihiko Dan has won several architecture awards in Japan and Taiwan including the Distinguished Architect Award of the Japanese Institute of Architecture and the ARCADIA Award (http://www.aca-13.com/) Gold Medal in 2007. His work has been part of exhibitions in Japan, Taiwan, USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy and the UK. In addition to being a respected architect and educator, Norihiko Dan is also an architecture historian and writes novels and screenplays.Munetsugu Halls generous benefactor is Tokuji Munetsugu who with his wife Naomi made a fortune in the restaurants business. Their company Ichibanya Co. Ltd. (based in Aichi, Japan) operates more than 1,000 curry and pasta restaurants under the names Curry House CoCo Ichibanya and Pasta de Coco. Munetsugu spent two billion yen to build the 310-seat concert hall. He has also set up a nonprofit organization to support welfare, sports and arts activities. - Tuija Seipell

If all the world is a stage, then Naomi Campbell is the actress, director and producer. Not one to shy away from limelight, this iconic supermodel has (despite some misbehaviour) proved she has stood the test of time with this inspired shoot (http://www.fashion-ation.net) by Mario Sorrenti for V Magazine.

Progressive design cutting-edge art political undertones socially significant statements on the state of humanity not exactly what comes to mind in a city like Beijing, but about 45 minutes from the center of town (ie Tiananmen Square), the Bauhaus-inspired Soviet-funded former electronics factory complex is transforming into the 798 / Dashanzi Art District. And it is no wonder Nike recently chose the 798 District to open its own gallery: Nike 100 a retrospective of sorts showcasing 100 Nike innovations from the past fifty years. A billboard-sized shuffling wall rotates athletic silhouette images across the fade of the building. Upon entry, 100 Apple iTouches welcomes visitors, while iconic swooshes and familiar colors pierce through from the gallery space. The dynamic fade feature shuffles across the ceiling of the gallery, and iconic orange shoebox forms are highly stacked along the length before opening up to a massive demonstration space. Pulling out from the orange boxes as well as in small alcoves along the sides, Nike has chosen 100 artifacts from the Battle Against Drag items inspired by Nikes co-founder and legendary track and field coach Bill Bowermans desire to accomplish more with less. Case-in-point Number 006: sample pieces of 1967 track surfaces with the consistency of gravel evolving to Number 008: the surface of Bowermans waffle iron that inspire changing the surface of the sole of running shoes to provide traction on new urethane track surfaces; resulting in Number 009: Tiger track shoe with Waffle Outsole, which helped produce 44 All Americans, 19 Olympians and 12 US record holders under Bowermans watch as a coach. And where would Nike be without its world-class athletes? Various artifacts pay homage to basketball player, Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan shoes. Each component of sprinter Michael Johnsons Gold Shoe 1 has been dissected and analyzed, and footage of Johnson in motion blaze across display walls. Anyone planning on being in Beijing this August, or ever, dont leave without spending at least a half a day wandering around 798 and once there, learn a little more about Nike and how its earned its place in our world at the Nike 100 Gallery. Just do it. - Andrew J Wiener

Hercules And Love Affair (www.myspace.com/herculesandloveaffair), the musical odyssey of DJ Andy Butler and the likes of Antony Hegarty from Antony The Johnsons, are the current stars of the dance scene. Their sound is so sleek and shiny that it makes you want to don your rollerskates and glide right back to the 70s.Only, this is disco for the modern era. More underground than the pointless retro homages that clog up club playlists every weekend, there is something irresistibly dark and alluring hidden between the synths, trumpets and smooth vocals. Music critics are fawning over the album and the fashionistas are becoming wise to their ways too (Chanel used You Belong in a Fall/Winter fashion show).Tracks like Blind and Hercules Theme are so fresh they leave you aching to strut your stuff. Only in a really cool John Travolta disco way. So, as Hercules And Love Affair finally starts to get the recognition it deserves, The Cool Hunter pays tribute to the label/production house DFA Records www.dfarecords.com/ behind what could be the album of 2008 by looking back over their best musical creations.The Rapture House of Jealous Lovers (http://www.myspace.com/therapture) Although its little more than Talking Heads fighting Television over a synthesizer, this soundtracked a million teenage parties and had drunken scenesters admiring New Yorkers who had a penchant for jerky riffs and cowbells, rather than skinny jeans and Converse.LCD Soundsystem Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (http://www.myspace.com/lcdsoundsystem) James Murphy has a vocal style so unique it needs to be heard to be fully understood. Imagine a bear with a cold singing in the shower and youre halfway there. Here, he simultaneously scares off the neighbours while inviting in for an impromptu rave.The Juan Maclean Happy House (www.myspace.com/thejuanmaclean) This dirty track is so sleazy it has 4am at some grotty indie disco, staring at some god awful concoction of a drink youve ordered and wondering whether that person with the angel wings and eyeliner is actually a man written all over it.Hot Chip Over and Over (http://www.myspace.com/hotchip) Not big but certainly clever, this is the sound of pre Nu Rave dance, when crisp yet clunky beats belonged to the streets rather than the High Street. By Rob Facey

We are on a hunt for supremely cool houses, from beach homes, country homes and city pads to holiday houses and ski retreats, we want to know where the coolest houses are for our upcoming book (books/Worlds-Coolest-Houses---Architects/Photographers-submit-your-designs/). We are looking for the most unique houses from Sao Paulo to Sydney. Slightly cool, standard-issue luxury wont do it. The houses we want must think like Zaha Hadid who said I like architecture to have someraw, vital, earthy quality. So, if you are an architect of such a house, please submit your project for consideration or if you a photographer who has photographed such a house, please get in touch - (http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%20%3C%21--%20var%20prefix%20=%20%27ma%27%20+%20%27il%27%20+%20%27to%27;%20var%20path%20=%20%27hr%27%20+%20%27ef%27%20+%20%27=%27;%20var%20addy32279%20=%20%27bill%27%20+%20%27@%27;%20addy32279%20=%20addy32279%20+%20%27thecoolhunter%27%20+%20%27.%27%20+%20%27net%27;%20document.write%28%20%27%3Ca%20%27%20+%20path%20+%20%27%5C%27%27%20+%20prefix%20+%20%27:%27%20+%20addy32279%20+%20%27%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%20document.write%28%20addy32279%20%29;%20document.write%28%20%27%3C%5C/a%3E%27%20%29;%20/--%3E%5Cn%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%20%3C%21--%20document.write%28%20%27%3Cspan%20style=%5C%27display:%20none;%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%20/--%3E%20%3C/script%3EThis%20e-mail%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20spam%20bots,%20you%20need%20JavaScript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%20%3C%21--%20document.write%28%20%27%3C/%27%20%29;%20document.write%28%20%27span%3E%27%20%29;%20/--%3E%20%3C/script%3E) bill@thecoolhunter.net (mailto:bill@thecoolhunter.net)This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Karl Largerfeld never puts a pedicured foot wrong and his presentation for Chanel at this weeks Couture shows proves that he is still one of the most innovative and creative minds on the planet. Largerfeld unveiled his collection amid an extraordinary 50-foot set made up of steel-grey tubes inspired by organ pipes. Lagerfeld worked the tubes theme into the collection, showing tubular shapes in several different manifestations. Lagerfeld is one of the masters of catwalk theatrics, dreaming up incredible larger-than life sets that seem to get more elaborate each season. For some of the best of recent shows check out Runaway Runway Success (events/Villa-Eugenie---Runaway-Runway-Success/). By Lisa Evans via Fashionation (http://www.fashion-ation.net/)

Welcome to Fashionation, an alternative fashion universe where fashionistas, photographers and creatives can get their weekly fix of the best fashion editorial from around world. Never before has the world's best fashion editorials/photography converged in one great central hub. Each day we scan the globe's top fashion magazines - from every international edition of influential glossy bibles Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, right through to obscure and cutting edge fashion and pop culture tomes such as Pop, Marmalade, ID and Dutch to unearth the most creative and inspiring work happening in the world right now. From Moscow to the Netherlands, Bejing to Melbourne, New York to London and Milan, Fashionation is searching the globe to deliver inspiration direct to your desktop.In addition to bringing you the hottest fashion editorial, Fashionation will also cover the coolest offerings from fashion week events around the world. We've also brought the best of the web's street style blogs together into one place, providing a truly global view of street style, city by city.Subscribe now (http://www.fashion-ation.net/subscribe.aspx) to the weekly newsletter. Fashionation - the only fashion destination online.