COOL HUNTING®

Herve This is recognized as the father of molecular gastronomy and has been studying the science of food for over 25 years. Superstar chefs Ferran Adria, Moto, Wylie Dufresne and others who wow diners with their foams, emulsions, frozen gasses and very slowly cooked creations have all been influenced by his work. In this video This invites us into his lab at the College de France in Paris, where he explains his interest in studying food chemistry, performs an experiment with mayonnaise and explores the more romantic side of our relationship to cuisine. He says he is not interested in cooking, taste or in nutrition; he's only interested in the science.

Nau won us over from the beginning with their impeccably designed, eco-conscious outerwear and business concept. This behind-the-scenes video features insights into their design process, retail store design and their guiding philosophy. Designers Mark Galbraith and Peter Kellen show us a few items from their latest collection and Ian Yolles, the VP of Brand Communications, walks us through the process of shopping at one of their "Webfront" boutiques. We've partnered with Nau to give away an item from their collection?any item!?to one CH reader that we'll pick at random. See the last paragraph of the post to get the details.

Northern California-based artist Bruce Shapiro makes the kind of kinetic sculpture that mesmerizes and dazzles visitors at science museums using computers and simple motors, a practice he terms "The Art of Motion Control." In episode 94 we visit Bruce at the Maker Fair and at his home to learn more about works like "Pipedream," effectively a screen that uses bubbles in place of pixels, "Sisyphus, "an intricate zen sand drawing and a kinetic ribbon sculpture modeled on ribbon dancers.

Living and working in Brussels, Belgium, Tom Gallant creates hand-cut floral prints out of archived porno magazines. Using a surgical blade, he cuts into the imagery, layering extremely delicate cut-outs on top of one another to assemble a dramatic visual experience that almost blurs your vision. If you look closely you can see hints of hair, lips, neck and genitalia, but it's the paper's flesh tones and curvature that stand out.

Starting with Philip Johnson's acclaimed IDS Tower in 1972 (which is still, perhaps, one of the best looking skyscrapers in the country) Minneapolis has seen architecture play an increasingly important role in the fabric of the city. Recent buildings by Jean Nouvel, Bruce Dayton, Frank Gehry, Cesar Pelli, Herzog and de Meuron as well as classics by Minoru Yamasaki and Associates, Gunnar Birkerts and Ralph Rapson are making the City of Lakes also the City of Architecture. This video surveys some of the buildings that have transformed the cityscape as a result of the city's considerable investment in its skyline. John Comazzi, a University of Minnesota Architecture professor, guides us around these Minneapolis landmarks, revealing some of the more interesting architectural details, facts and marvels. We start at the Walker Art Center's new addition by Herzog and de Meuron and conclude, fittingly, backstage at the new Guthrie Theatre building designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, who had this to say about the project: At the heart of the city, the Guthrie is a machine for capturing and radiating the enveloping vistas. It condenses the landscape that unfolds around it.

At the recent Maison and Objet in Paris we visited an old favorite, the irreverently clever design duo Atypyk, and met Laurence Brabant, a new favorite who designs exclusively in borosilicate (Pyrex) glass. While the two work in entirely different mediums, they each explain their humorous approach and how they make everyday objects into conceptual forms that still retain their function.

From their recent pyrotechnic adaption of The Odyssey to a class on caboose restoration, Oakland, CA's The Crucible is an art school like no other. This episode is an inside look at the eight-year old institution, hosted by founder and executive director Michael Sturtz, who weighs in on the role of fire metaphorically and literally. We catch auditions for the fire opera, watch students engaged in welding, glass slumping and wood working (just a few of the "industrial" disciplines taught at the facility), check in with some of the teachers and learn about their fire-spitting fire trucks.

As recent guests of Chanel in Paris, we had the opportunity to meet the legendary "nose" of the brand, Jacques Polge. In our exclusive interview at the Chanel labs, he shares his ideas with us about the poetry of scent and his experience designing the brand's fragrances for the past 28 years. We also tour Coco Chanel's apartment, the haute couture fitting rooms and see the the involved process of sealing a bottle of Coco Mademoiselle.

Formerly a military training ground, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is now part of the famed Walker Art Center and the largest urban sculpture garden in the U.S. In this video, tour guide Gary White focuses on seven pieces of the 40 permanent installations, filling in background details and some of the park's history along the way.

With hundreds of the best b-boys and b-girls representing 16 crews from 14 different countries, R-16, Seoul's second annual international breakdancing championship, is an unparalleled event. Episode 88 packs the two days of competitions into a kinetic experience of skill, energy and a love for the artform. From the slo-mo pop rocking of Japan's Hamutsun Serve to Korea's own Drifterz and Rivers, it's a portrait of the amazing cultural styles that have emerged in today's global b-boy scene.

Shot over the course of five days, in mostly the central, "old town" of Seoul, episode 87 is a tour of the streets and sights of the city. We visit an outdoor market called Nam Dae Mun, watch the changing of the guards ritual at Deoyksung Palace and see an outdoor pop concert. We also get a preview of next week's video on R-16, an international B-Boy tournament that took place in Seoul earlier this year.

Episode 86 follows grunge-pop superstar Y.A.C.H.T. (aka Jona Bechtolt) to a show on an actual yacht, around his Portland, OR apartment and on tour. He shows off his spastic cheerleader-meets-Ian Curtis dance moves, shares his approach to making electronic music and introduces his cat and best friend Whiskers. It's only a glimpse, but this young, rising talent is one to watch.

In this episode we go to Coney Island to dig a hole with the four Austrian-based artists known as Gelitin. Part of a series organized by Creative Time, the week-long project involved digging a hole in the sand and filling it back in each day. The piece was a relatively tame one for the group whose other performances have included hand-built working roller coasters, a giant knitted rabbit installed in the hills of Italy for 20 years and many other projects involving various states of nudity. But the laid-back mood of the performance (titled "The Dig Cunt") allowed us to spend some time with quartet on their last day on the beach to talk about their experiences and their general approach to art-making.

Episode 84 visits Argentine songstress Juana Molina at her ranch outside of Buenos Aires and at a live performance in NYC. In this exclusive interview, she shares her songwriting technique, her approach to incorporating electronic music and her experience as an actress on a hit TV show.

In this video we travel to Minneapolis to witness the 37th annual Kemps Milk Carton Boat Races. Started as a publicity stunt by a local dairy, every year teams build and race boats made almost entirely out of empty milk cartons as part of Minneapolis' annual summer Aquatennial. With pirate galleons, floating tea parties and cow-themed entries all barely afloat on Lake Calhoun, the event is the epitome of Midwestern summer fun.