Why do we love Crane.tv so much?
Talking heads are fun. Smart video portraits of inspirational players like Zandra Rhodes, Bar Strelka in Moscow, Terence Conran, Martha Freud, The End of Moustache Season, Boiler Room or Huffington Post make us smile. Apart from being a purely video editorial proposition, what really sets them apart is the personal approach they take.

What is Crane.tv?
Crane.tv is the online video-magazine for contemporary culture. They feature a balanced mix of the established and the emerging, giving an in-depth and thoughtful look into the world’s leading thinkers and creatives.

Figures.
Over 500,000 monthly video views and 200,000 monthly uniques and 250,000 downloads on their Nokia app.

What do we get to see?
A selection of 5 video interviews showing the unique mix of art, design, fashion, lifestyle and travel.

Crane.tv meets up with artist Corinne Felgate to chat about the inspiration behind Über-achiever, her work for Phase II of the arts installation at Town Hall Hotel curated by Artsadmin, which consists of exactly 100,000 classroom reward gold stars. This year Felgate will be exhibiting a mass sculptural invention at the Tate Modern as part of Parallel Interventions, and lets us know here why art can be ludicrous.

Where did the idea for Crane TV come from?
CB: The idea came in 2008, very much from a personal desire. I was always frustrated with paper magazines, because they are never really up-to-date. I travel a lot and wanted to get off the plane in New York, just take my iPhone and watch some really current and contemporary videos. Ideally, they’re recommended for me to be relevant to my interests. I wanted them to give a unique experience. For me it’s a step further towards democratising culture.

As a key member of the Young British Artists (YBAs) alongside contemporaries Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk is no stranger to controversy. Beginning his career by famously failing his MA at the Royal College of Art, here he talks to us about Alighiero Boetti’s influence on his work, which is revealed in his series of new art dominated by tapestry pieces for a major exhibition in London, which will coincide with the Boetti exhibition at Tate Modern. Crane.tv got an exclusive studio visit and talked to Turk about identity, ownership and why his artwork could have been “made by anyone.” 

What is unique about Crane.tv?
TA: Apart from being a purely video editorial proposition, what really sets us apart is the personal approach we take. We try to look in depth at the process behind someone’s work and not just the finished outcome, and give viewers exclusive access like seeing the inside of an artist’s studio or seeing the home and writing room of an author, places viewers wouldn’t have been able to see or experience otherwise.

Dating back to the early 1950s and the first fashion shows staged in the Sala Bianca in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti, Pitti Immagine is dedicated to creating innovative fashion events. Crane.tv and PORT magazine travelled to Firenze this month to witness the sites and sounds of this year’s festival. We caught up with Matteo Cibic and Daria Dazzan of fashion brand 10A Suspender Trousers Company to hear about and witness their show, in collaboration with Marcoliani, ‘A Therapeutical Fashion Act’ which interlaces fashion, music and performance. 

Plans for the future?
CB: We have just opened an office in New York while our next focus is to move into the Brazilian and Asian markets. We will also be concentrating on expanding our distribution platform and creating more innovate collaborations with brands that we love.

Distinguishing feature?
CB: My height is probably the first thing that people notice.

Former architect-turned-knitwear designer Alice Lemoîne is a name to familiarise yourself with in the fashion world. Since studying under Rick Owens at his studio she has ventured out on her own, creating cardigans and loose knits with architectural, yet undone qualities to them. Crane.tv visit Lemoîne at her Parisian studio to find out why designing desirable knitwear for women is such a challenge. 

What is missing on Crane.tv?
TA: On the editorial side of things, one of our plans is to add a text section to the site to supplement our videos and add even more context to the stories we’re trying to tell. Overall, we’re trying to re-develop the site to make it more user-friendly and add an e-commerce element.

What are the 5 ultimate tools (think gadgets) for the modern editor?
TA: iPad - iPhone - Uniform Wares wristwatch – A reliable hard drive - Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Shop for unusual and exquisite jewellery at New York’s concept jewellery store and body artisan-owned shop, Love Adorned, which also features quirky homeware and a tattoo parlour. We chat to founder Lori Leven to find out why Love Adorned should be on everyone’s NY to-do list.

How do you think internet-tv will change the business?
CB: The trends clearly point in the digital direction. We’ll see a consolidation of the print market – I think print needs to re-think its value proposition, and what exactly it is offering and how it’s different and innovative. Delivering news is not where they’re strong anymore. The news now come from the Internet: Twitter, for example, delivers it fast and direct in bite-size chunks. Quality video is the future of storytelling albeit with more personalisation and localisation but regardless of the medium – a screen is a screen is a screen.

Hailed by the Independent as the chef leading Russia’s culinary revolution, Anatoly Komm serves up Russian food with a twist at his lavish restaurant Varvary in Moscow. The first Russian establishment to make it to the prestigious World’s 50 Best list, Varvary sits in the same league as Fat Duck and Noma, offering experimental “molecular” cuisine but firmly rooted in Russian tradition. Here, the outspoken super chef tells it like it is and explains why you must forget about money to make culinary art. 

Your 3 favorite restaurants in your city?
CB: Mandarin Kitchen, Scalini and finally Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

How Do You Like You Coffee?
CB: I only drink coffee four times a year, which I make myself and then it’s an espresso macchiato with lots of milk and sugar to disguise the taste.