This is what we do in Canada for creativity…

Love Shines, the BBC Four/HBO feature film about Canadian singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith, directed by our own in-house video director Douglas Arrowsmith, has received 3 Canadian Screen Award nominations, including for ‘Best Arts Film’ and ‘Best Direction’!

The film is an atmospheric quest-journey about the Canadian balladeer, following him through the making of his last record “Long Player, Late Bloomer” with legendary producer Bob Rock. It’s currently broadcasting on HBO Canada (feat. Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Kiefer Sutherland, and Feist). The Gala takes place in Toronto on March 3rd.

Along with the videos for ”Total Control” and “Illusions” (feat. Bryan Ferry), Doug will also be directing Nicky’s upcoming video for the track “Real Live Girl” which will be shot in London very shortly, and will feature some very special cameos! The album “Midnight Matinee” and the video will be released online in March 2013.

Nicky floats into the office to tell me that our clever contractor has discovered someone who makes ‘interior clouds’!!!!!! I pick myself up off the floor as I begin to imagine all the scope of possibilities this presents for our work…and jump onto GOOGLE.

I type in ‘indoor clouds’ simultaneously wondering how it is I haven’t thought to google this before…..

Immediately all sorts come up, and sure enough its Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde.

AND his exhibition, THE UNCANNY, is on right now in London until February 16th.

Now please can someone invent permanent clouds….and we really will be on to something. (not surprisingly Nicky’s whipping up some tissue paper ones for his flat as we speak)

And the best thing about it, is one has the TIME, for a little B&E. By that of course I mean ‘break and entry’. Whipping around with Nicky and my new BFF Joel Barkley (architect to the stars) and yapping about the joy of ruin….but we high brow it a bit and decide we are only interested in ‘ruin moderne‘. Partly because Joel lives in one…..and partly just because I happen to know one near to where we are staying.

No Entry signs being what Nicky would call ‘a step in the right direction!‘.

Its a terribly chic, (well it was probably pretty awful lets face it), abandoned hotel with an olympic size swimming pool just WAITING for Steven Meissel and a wallop of top models. At least it’s pink!

The old kitchen looking abso ready for the Saatchi gallery lets be honest……could be a Pablo Lehman installation.

How about lace concrete…..burnt out with sea salt. Can you top that??

And as we drove back, a bit giddy, I waffle on about one of my favorite architects Ricardo Bofill and the awe of visiting his cement factory years ago….which may well be THE most beautiful modern ruin but I certainly invite you to advise me otherwise. I’m saying how I must dig out my old photo albums and look at my 35mm shots of it……only to return home and discover its JUST been photographed by Richard Powers and is featured in this months Elle Decor!! So you can see for yourself…and I highly recommend that you do.

Photograph from Ricardo Bofill’s website