designboom history ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................





---		 traditional silk making in 6 steps
---
wichai lailawitmongkhol is a professor at chulalongkorn university in bangkok. he is teaching at
the faculty of architecture, in the department of industrial design. in march 2008 wichai took
designboom on a visit of a tiny village of silk producers and weavers in north-east thailand.
see more
---
april 2008


---		 chen zhen: the body as landscape
---
chen zhen, born in shanghai in 1955 and deceased in 2000 in paris, is considered the leading
representativeof the chinese avant-garde. the show is the first anthological exhibition on the artist
held in italy,following his tragic and premature death.
see more
---
march 2008

---		 reinventing the bic pen
---
at the same time as being a icon of democracy - almost anyone can afford to buy one
the ballpoint pen is also one of the first products of the throw-away culture in which we now live.
see more
---
january 2008

---		 ugo mulas: the art scene
---
the ugo mulas's photography, as his brief notes clearly indicate, requires no comments, essays or
introductions, and still less interpretations. it just is. indeed it explains.
see more
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january 2008

---		 choi, byung hoon
---
at the beginning of his career, byung hoon choi was very involved with modernizing the traditions of korean
design. his early work and research explored the relationship between functional objects and art.
as this practice was not common at the time, choi broke new ground with his research and practice.....
see more
---
december 2007

---		 floppy disks
---
whilst the rise of the MP3 might have solidified the cassette tape's place in the retro format charts the
floppy disk sits somewhere on the border at present.for many, the format is dead but others seem to
have found a certain charm in its low-storage capacity and iconic look....
see more
---
november 2007

---		 natural architecture
---
the natural environment still manages to fill us with a sense of awe and amazement. despite the amount of
scientific knowledge mankind has gathered, nature still holds great mysteries that we may never be able
to unravel....
see more
---
october 2007

---		 rocking motion
---
to shift your body backwards and forth is a natural instinct for a number of different situations:
fear, pain, grief, loneliness, anger and stress...
see more
---
september 2007


---		 PET bottles
---
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most commonly used food grade packaging
plastics due to it's chemical inertness and appealing physical properties. ...
see more
---
august 2007


---		 mirrors
---
narcissus, looking into the water, did not understand that he saw his own reflection,
and fell in love with himself ...
see more
---
july 2007


---		 the monobloc plastic chair
---
what's the world's most famous chair? the anonymous, cheap, light-weight, portable,
waterproof, stackable, easy to clean, plastic patio chair...
see more
---
may 2007


---		 kengo kuma: selected work
---
kengo kuma designed the exhibition himself and was at the
opening to give a talk on his work and influences ...
see more
---
april 2007


---		 still life with chair - installations and manipulations of the undemanding object
---
the effectiveness of these transformed objects depends to some extent on our recognizing
the originals within the transformation - knowing that they are, or were,authentic chairs ...
see more
---
march 2007


---		 alvar aalto - through the eyes of shigeru ban
---
the barbican presents the first major restrospective of the finnish architect alvar aalto’s work in the UK.
the pieces are presented through the eyes of the contemporary japanese architect shigeru ban.
see more
---
march 2007


---		 robert brownjohn - design is his way
---
'for some reason (probably clear to a psychiatrist) four design projects in which I have recently been
involved have all had a strong emphasis on sex in the form of the female anatomy.’ ...
see more
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february 2007


---		 gilbert & george: major exhibition
---
... the show ends with their controversial ‘sonofagod pictures’ including 'was jesus heterosexual?'
which drew accusations of blasphemy and their new work 'bomb pictures' especially created for the show ...
see more
---
february 2007


---		 tuttolibri
---
books are used to form the teeth in giagantic dentures and are suspended,
burnt, scrawled upon and formed stone ...
see more
---
january 2007


---		 hergé
---
hergé work never ages. his ‘ligne claire’, or ‘clear line’, style has been tremendously
influential on european and japanese comics artists and american newspaper comics artists ...
see more
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january 2007


---		 top 10 tools for artists and designers
---
top 10 tools for artists and designers - patents of charming,
curious and useful tools for creative people ...
see more
---
january 2007


---		 caspar david friedrich inventing romanticism
---
the artist's work was rediscovered in the early 20th century and today
he is regarded as the most prominent painter of german romanticism ...
see more
---
january 2007


---		 east german design
---
during the initial phase of the GDR, product design was dominated by an official stalinist aesthetic,
but the ideology of stalinism proved terribly unsuited for the postwar world ...
see more
---
december 2006


---		 harry g. traver and the ‘terrifying triplets’
---
the american harry g. traver designed some of the scariest
and questionably safe roller coasters in history ...
see more
---
november 2006


---		 message from the darkroom
---
'message from the darkroom' is the most important contribution from the
first half of the twentieth century to the acceptance of photography among the higher arts ...
see more
---
november 2006


---		 jannis kounellis
---
he has adopted the idea that art should be replaced by life itself ...
see more
---
october 2006


---		 carlo mollino - arabeschi
---
the exhibition shows works from american and european private collections, including the most
complete collection in existence, that of the swiss gallerist bruno bischofberge ...
see more
---
october 2006


---		 jean-michel basquiat
---
‘I don't think about art when I'm working.
I try to think about life’ ...
see more
---
september 2006


---		 the upside down
---
iversion illusions. the word ‘inversion’ comes from the latin verb ‘invertere’,
which means ’to reverse’ or ‘to flip over’ ...
see more
---
august 2006


---		 rome CCCX
---
once a favorite form of public entertainment in the 19th century, the panorama lost its
popularity with the emergence of movie theaters ...
see more
---
july 2006


---		 ‘the opulent prints of florence broadhurst'
---
florence broadhurst was a world-renowned wallpaper and textile designer.
she combined hints of the orient with europe’s 1930s-style modernism ...
see more
---
june 2006


---		 clothes peg iconography
---
a daily, mundane, banal object, which we all seem to posses,
though we rarely look at. the ‘silent servants’, an object so basic yet so useful ...
see more
---
june 2006


---		 cigarette pack graphics
---
traditionally, the primary function of a package
was to simply contain and protect the product ...
see more
---
february 2006


---		 the keith haring show
---
‘I really prefer if the work speaks for itself: I try to make
images that are universally ’readable’ and self-explanatory...’ keith haring said ...
see more
---
january 2006


---		 carlo mollino fragments
---
after carlo mollino died, his executors found more than
2,000 polaroid photographs, made beginning in the 1960s ...
see more
---
january 2006


---		 charlotte perriand
---
nine topics including the ten years at the workshop
of le corbusier, work in japan, the university pavilions ...
see more
---
january 2006


---		 wearing propaganda
---
textiles on the home front, 1931–1945
see more
---
november 2005

---		 joe colombo - inventing the future
---
one of italy's most influential product designer
see more
---
october 2005

---		 the nipper saga
---
the dog and trumpet logo, ‘his masters voice’, HMV,
die stimme des herrn, la voce del padrone
see more
---
august 2005

---		 the history of shopping cart
---
between the 1930 - 40’s cars and large electric refrigerators have increased the size of food shopping trips.
but they couldn't've done it alone without a third invention - without the shopping cart!
see more
---
july 2005

---		 kengo kuma
---
the first travelling monographic exhibition in italy
dedicated to the work of kengo kuma -
see more
---
july 2005

---		 luigi colani : rotor house
---
luigi colani thinks radically towards the future.
maximum living area with minimum outer dimensions
see more
---
may 2005

---		 gio ponti - auction
---
a private collection on sale at sotheby’s ...
see more
---
april 2005

---		 the face proclaims the mind: giambattista della porta
---
if you look like a swine ...
de humana physiognomonia by giambattista della port
see more
---
march 2005

---		 the 'RAF exhibition
---
a controversial exhibition. the show presents together RAF documents, the media echo of the RAF and
artistic positions directly or indirectly addressing the history of the RAF ...
see more
---
february 2005

---		 robert mapplethorpe
---
robert mapplethorpe is remembered by many for his erotic images,
the controlled balance between light and shadow,balance and symmetry...
see more
---
january 2005

---		 history of tattoos
---
the word tattoo is said to has two major derivations- from the polynesian word ‘ta’
which means striking something and the tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something' ...
see more
---
december 2004

---		 aldo rossi’s happy and unhappy teatro del mondo
---
reconstructed in actual size,and this time on dry ground in piazza caricamento,
facing the old port of genova, it became the emblem of the retrospective....
see more
---
december 2004

---		 bernd + hilla becher
---
blast furnaces, cooling towers, gasometers...
their black-and-white images are all taken in the same clinical manner.
see more
---
november 2004

---		 christoph dresser’s toast rack’s
---
a contemporary of william morris, he is widely known as
britain's first independent, industrial designer ...
see more
---
november 2004

---		 richard avedon
---
richard avedon, one of the ten greatest photographers in the world,
died october 1st, 2004 ...
see more
---
october 2004

---		 extreme ironing
---
many modern fabrics (developed in or after the mid-twentieth century)
are advertised as needing little or no ironing ...
see more
---
august 2004

---		 the cross symbol
---
because of the intersection of its two lines, the cross is ‘nothing else’ than a coordinate,
used to represent the location of the point in the plane or space ...
see more
---
july 2004

---		 - illustrated designboom history : pendant lights-
---
163 pics
lamps could be carried, hung from the ceiling singly or in clusters.
first examples of pendant lamps are the hanging clay fat lamps ...
see more
---
july 2004

---		 death head symbol
---
dangerous and horrific, this image certainly doesn’t
seem like an obvious icon for fashionable living ...
see more
---
july 2004

---		 peace symbols
---
the origins and the ideas behind the symbols ...
see more
---
june 2004

---		 condensed ceramic tile history
---
the latin word ‘tegula’ and its french derivative ‘tuile’
mean quite precisely a roof tile of baked clay ...
see more
---
june 2004

---		 - illustrated designboom history : writing lamp -
---
177 pics
writing lamps history (for writing and studying activities, task lamps, desk lamps, ...)
see more
---
may 2004

---		 wire coat hangers origin
---
the invention of the wire coat hanger is attributed to
albert j parkhouse in 1903 ...
see more
---
april 2004

---		 ladislav sutnar: design in action
---
ladislav sutnar was a graphic designer and design theorist ...
see more
---
march 2004

---		 maddalena sisto : the world of mad
---
maddalena sisto is the only italian fashion illustrator
who is internationally known ...
see more
---
february 2004

---		 salvatore ferragamo
---
salvatore ferragamo, the shoemaker to the stars,
will soon be a favorite of yours too. see his ideas, models, inventions ...
see more
---
february 2004

---		 remembering helmut newton
---
helmut newton. he has fundamentally changed
the terms of the fashion image ...
see more
---
january 2004

---		 - illustrated designboom history : easy chairs -
---
134 pics
(a large, comfortable, well-upholstered armchair for ease and sumptuous seating ...
see more
---
january 2004

---		 alberto meda's carbon fiber chairs
---
'lightnes makes us dream, its secret cannot be revealed.
lightness leads to unpredictable solutions...'
see more
---
january 2004

---		 tensegrity and geodesic domes
---
a tensegrity dome structure is a complex form in which the tensile
and compressive members do not touch each other...
see more
---
dicember 2003

---		 aldo rossi's early drawings + sketches
---
the deutsches architektur museum (DAM) holds one of
the most important collections of this architect’s oeuvre...
see more
---
november 2003

---		 shigeru ban talk
---
ban first began experimenting with alternative materials in 1986,
when he used paper, instead of wood, to build his alvar aalto exhibition display...
see more
---
november 2003

---		 - illustrated designboom history : transformer chairs -
---
151 files
chairs that adapt to reading / writing / studying purposes
see more
---
september 2003

---		 history of useless inventions.
---
inventors have been registering bright ideas with the world's patent office
for over 150 years. how has technology changed the world?...
see more
---
september 2003

---		 all you need to know about robots
---
what's new from japan. snake robots are also known as serpentine robots.
as the name suggests, these robots possess multiple actuated joints...
see more
---
september 2003

---		 in memory of guido crepax
---
valentina is the most known character created by guido crepax.
crepax was thirty two when he created his heroine,
her name, above all, reminds us her haircut...
see more
---
august 2003

---		 - illustrated designboom history : folding chairs -
---
335 files
folding chairs through the ages
see more
---
june 2003

---		 - the world of dupont -
---
440 files
science-based materials, products and technologies to the design community
see more
---
may 2003

---		 shiro kuramata retrospective
---
'nevica sempre quando ti scrivo' / it always snows when I'm writing to you -
(taken from a letter of ettore sottsass to shiro kuramata)...
see more
---
may 2003

---		 al hansen: life is fluxus
---
'at one time, when beck and channing must have been eight and six years old,
I gave each of us a plastic shopping bag and we scoured sunset boulevard
from la brea west almost to fairfax and back again...' al hansen
see more
---
march 2003

---		 - the world of carlo mollino -
---
213 files
carlo mollino was a student of the occult, and guided by the past, in particular,
he was fascinated by the tomb of the egyptian royal architect ’kha’ ...
see more
---
february 2003

---		 - illustrated designboom history : chaise-longues-
---
248 files
day-bed history
see more
---
february 2003

---		 eikoh hosoe
---
eikoh hosoe is undoubtedly among the most important masters
of photography since world war II...
see more
---
january 2003

---		 leisurama
---
the leisurama housing project, design by raimond loewy associates,
is branded as the epitomy of affordable second home summer living...
see more
---
dicember 2002

---		 achille castiglioni
---
achille castiglioni: even today, design should serve ...
see more
---
dicember 2002

---		 hans gugelot
---
hans gugelot opened the door to system-design and contributed to a completely
new image which has decisively influenced our ideas of design...
see more
---
november 2002

---		 steven holl
---
steven holl is an outstanding exponent of contemporary american architecture ...
see more
---
september 2002

---		 history of sea byssus cloth
---
not only were molluscs used to dye cloth, they were also used to manufacture cloth. ancient artisans
used the fine strong bysus threads of the noble pen shell to manufacture the legendary sea silk...
see more
---
august 2002

---		 gio ponti / a world
---
gio ponti was the godfather of italy's post-war design renaissance ...
see more
---
june 2002

---		 duane hanson
---
duane hanson (1925 - 1996)
the largest retrospective is on show in europe since the death of this artist ...
see more
---
may 2002

---		 george nakashima
---
it was woodworker and sculptor george nakashima 's dream to establish
peace altars on each continent of the world ...
see more
---
may 2002

---		 william klein
---
william klein, once considered photography's bad boy,
is one of the formative voices of street photography...
see more
---
april 2002

---		 - illustrated designboom history : rocking chairs -
---
335 files
rocking chairs through the ages
see more
---
march 2002

---		 raymond loewy
---
a french born engineer, best known for his designs for steam locomotives and refrigerators,
he also designed logos for exxon and shell, and the interior of the skylab...
see more
---
march 2002

---		 john water's photograps
---
john waters, artist and film director - the pope of trash -
has produced several classics of kitsch icons...
see more
---
february 2002

---		 the theme park virus
---
the theme park experience is intended to certify a fanciful
idealized vision of ourselves...
see more
---
january 2002

---		 the officina profumo farmacia di santa maria novella
---
see this amazing packaging phenomenon: essences, pomades, spirits, balms, waters,liqueurs
and other preparations of the officina profumo-farmaceutica di santa maria novella...
see more
---
dicember 2001

---		 - the world of venini -
---
430 files
venini is the best known manufacturer of fine italian art glass,
founded in 1921 in the italian glass making capital of murano ...
see more
---
october 2001

---		 isamu noguchi: sculptural design
---
strongly influenced both by american modernism and traditional
japanese craftsmanship...
see more
---
october 2001

---		 norman foster
---
norman foster is one of the most innovative architects of our time.
his work demonstrates that the gap between the art and craft of architecture ...
see more
---
september 2001

---		 marc newson
---
his work has infiltrated the ultra-hip world of pop culture,
appearing in madonna's videos, austin powers film and many other movie sets...
see more
---
september 2001

---		 - the world of franco maria ricci -
---
224 files
franco maria ricci is a complex and multiform personality- given his cultivated
and highly original work as a graphic designer, art director and art publisher...
see more
---
september 2001

---		 plastic water bottles recycled to design objects
---
according to the international bottled water association (IBWA),
sales of bottled water have increased by 500 percent over the last decade...
see more
---
august 2001

---		 susan kare
---
susan kare’s designs have become an integral part of the computer culture.
she is a 2001 recipient of the chrysler design award....
see more
---
august 2001

---		 airstream trailers
---
with their sleek metallic exteriors, these travel trailers
are a nostalgic piece of america ...
see more
---
august 2001

---		 memphis remembered
---
sottsass called memphis design the new international style and plunged the sophisticated
and influential milan design world into a labyrinth of visual irony, puns and provocations ...
see more
---
august 2001

---		 - the world of piero fornasetti -
---
256 files
piero fornasetti and gio ponti have introduced decoration
in the 1930s and 1940s rationalist environment...
see more
---
july 2001

---		 frank lloyd wright
---
the frank lloyd wright exhibition at the vitra design museum in berlin ...
see more
---
july 2001

---		 mies van der rohe
---
mies van der rohe. mies's phrase 'less is more'
became the essence of mid-20th-century architecture...
see more
---
june 2001

---		 mathematica: a world of numbers
---
this exhibition won the hearts of several generations of teachers and students
during its 36-year tenure at the science center from 1961 to 1997. ...
see more
---
may 2001

---		 philip kwame apagya
---
fascinating images from the realms of commercial studio portraiture...
see more
---
march 2001

---		 all you need to know about robots part I
---
now the world has found out that the market potential
on domestic and service robots is far bigger than on industrial robots...
see more
---
march 2001

---		 herb ritts
---
herb ritts is considered one of the leading photographers
and commercial directors in the world today...
see more
---
february 2001

---		 souvenir vintage foulards
---
for those who are passionate about and enjoy collecting and wearing vintage
fashion pieces from the 50's, 60'...
see more
---
february 2001

---		 i. m. pei
---
pei had to grapple with 'feng shui' when he designed
the bank of china tower in hong kong in 1982 ...
see more
---
november 2000

---		 beate uhse
---
the european leader of sexware. the exciting world of beate uhse ...
see more
---
october 2000

---		 history of the playboy rabbit head logo
---
designed by art paul, the magazine's first art director, the rabbit head
has appeared on the cover of every issue of the magazine since the second ...
see more
---
october 2000

---		 leni riefenstahl
---
leni riefenstahl is one of the most controversial artists of the 20th century ...
see more
---
october 2000

---		 the history of video games: from pong to pac man
---
in the beginning, there was nothing.
well, actually, there was pinball, some shooting gallery games,
a few nickel peep-show machines...
see more
---
september 2000

---		 the history of denim
---
if you thougt a pair of jeans is as good as another, than think again:
the history of denim, the fabric phenomenon of the last century...
see more
---
may 2000

---		 aldo rossi : last architecture
---
last work of architecture of aldo rossi in verona ...
see more
---
april 2000


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