Beautiful photography in horrible circumstances. I’ve been admiring the work of photographer Fazal Sheikh. Most often his work has been with displaced people driven out of their homelands by civil wars, drought and famine, struggling to survive for years in refugee camps where the traditional balance of their lives has been entirely destroyed. He has worked in camps in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania, where people fleeing conflicts in Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique and Rwanda were gathered.

It’s easy to become desensitized to the images of refugee camps that you’re presented with via the news media, but the images in Fazal Sheikh’s photographic series’ such as A Camel for The Son are hauntingly beautiful considering their tragic subject matter.

See more work by Fazal Sheikh.

How much is that grizzly in the window? Oh my god! This dude has got a bear. I want one too! That is all.

Seriously. Check out the slideshow. The dude is drinking beer. In a hot tub. With a Bear.

‘Obsessions Make My Life Worse & My Work Better.’ In 2001 Sagmeister embarked on an ongoing project based on sentences from his diaries. For the typography he used a great variety of materials and sites, writing three-dimensionally on objects and surfaces. His latest piece is ‘Obsessions make my Life Worse and my Work Better’, an elaborate design that consists of 300.000 Euro cent coins on a large square.

See the latest piece via this Flickr set, then find out more at http://sagmeister.com/urbanplay/

Graffiti: A Whodunnit Story. Last summer, whilst wandering around Italy, I took this photo. Some people take holiday snaps of the tourist attractions; I take photos of the cities’ graffiti.

I often wonder about the anonymous artists behind the work I photograph, so it was quite amusing to see the photo accompanying an article on Wooster Collective about the jerm IX tattoo project, which led me to this Flickr photo, which in turn led me to the artist, Microbo.

There’s no real point to this post. I was just amused by how the internet can help you make connections that you might never make without it. Ain’t the internet grand?

Art of the New Depression. I’ve always loved Todd Hido’s sublime and atmospheric photography (especially his ‘Homes at Night’ series), and he doesn’t disappoint with his timely ‘Foreclosed Homes’ series. The images of the creepily silent and empty interiors of recently foreclosed homes, give off a disturbingly sinister vibe. The ‘Forclosed Homes’ series can be found under ‘Interiors’ on his website.

See more work by Todd Hido.

Diesel enters the interior furnishings market. Not content with making a decent pair of jeans, Diesel have reportedly moved into the world of home furnishings. According to Wallpaper*, this latest project is in collaboration with establish interior brands such as Foscarini, Moroso and Zucchi.

Check out a slideshow of Diesel’s new products at Wallpaper*.

Update: There’s a promotional video up on YouTube with a preview of the Diesel furniture, lighting & textiles collection to be launched during the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile Milano, 2009.

Paris Vs. Paris! You’ve got to love Paris — Physical by Tim Schwartz. The piece is attached via a network cable to the internet where it monitors news and search results for “paris hilton” and “paris france” and displays an average result in real-time.

See more work by Tim Schwartz.

Sleep under a cardboard box so a homeless young person doesn’t have to. At first glance, you see uninviting cardboard boxes, but on closer inspection you’ll see a high quality duvet cover.

The Le Clochard quilt cover is part of a project to draw attention to, and raise money for, homeless young people in the Netherlands. A large proportion of the proceeds from the Le Clochard duvet cover go to SZN, the foundation for homeless youngsters in the Netherlands. The income is used to fund housing projects which prioritise supporting young people in finding work or continuing their education.

Find out more at Le Clochard.

Explosions & Skateboards. Unkle. Spike Jonze. Lakai Skate Team. Explosions. Is there anything more to say?

Check out the video for the track ‘Heaven’ by Unkle.

Hot, new artist (to me, at least.) I’ve only just learned of the Rallito X, but I’m an instant fan even though he does seems to have an unhealthy obsession with drawing penises as an extra facial feature.

Check out the Rallito X’s work on the website, or onFlickr.