Designboom - Weblog

presence in absence by colm keller

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0100

this is irish designer colm keller's thesis project at HDK in göteborg, sweden.
the project highlights the issue of increasing long-distance relationships and the drawbacks
of computer mediated communication.

'I wanted to include the reflective, relaxing qualities of crafts as way to build an emotional
bond between users and the object. it also hopes to open a dialogue about how we will value
our digital artifacts in the future our digital heirlooms.'

the kit contains four parts;
- a digital scrapbook finished in birch wood with porcelain caps.
- a carving knife with laminated steel blade and birch and oak handle.
- a hub for both digital scrapbooks finished in porcelain.
- a carrying envelope finished in grey felt, brown aniline leather with birch duffel button
and laser cut details.

'the scrapbook is designed so that it can be cut in half slowly using the carving knife
provided. then each partner can take a half and shape it to their own desire.

the time spent splitting and carving the object should help to build this emotional bond
between user and object.

the more exclusive materials hope to raise the value of our digital objects today.'

enabling the person to wear it on their clothing or as a pendant around the neck
reinforces its primary affordance as a symbol of a relationship. It becomes a subconscious
reminder of the partner and during the time apart it slowly starts to fill up with content
that can be shared upon rejoining.

upon rejoining the couples can contrast and compare the physical appearance with
the contents of each portion. maybe the two will differ drastically, a reflection of
the time invested by the users. the sharing of the media in each scrapbook is a ritual
that the couples will look forward to while apart and enjoy upon re-joining.
listening to music or looking at photographs, movies are not the same if you have no
one to share them with. the porcelain hub reiterates this ritual. by placing the two parts
side-by-side it gives a semantic hint that they belong together.

more information can be found at www.colmkeller.com

sleepless night at the bass museum of art

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:30:00 +0100

bucket sculpture with lighting inside

opening on saturday november 7, 2009 is sleepless night at the bass museum of art, miami.
the event consists of night shift a group of site specific installations and sculptures in
collins park. the artists include jim drain and brooke o harra, robert chambers, christy gast,
julie kahn, nicolas lobo, ernesto oroza and gean moreno, tom scicluna, frances trombly
and viking funeral.

chawan tea bowls exhibition at MAK, vienna

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0100

chawan tea bowls
MAK, vienna
on now until march 28th, 2010

tea bowl (chawan)
black glazed stoneware with white schlickerbemalung (mishima garatsu-ware), old goldlackrestaurierung japan, karatsu
approximately 1600 to 1700 edo period (1603-1868)
7.6 cm x 14.5 cm
inventory: ke 06034
© MAK

the tea bowl, known as 'chawan' in japanese, is the focus of this exhibition in MAK's
permanent collection asia. although being simple items of use, chawan were made into
sculptural works of art whose designs expressed the cultivated relationship people had
with the object. no one bowl matches another, each one unique. they even bear their own name
and the name of the artist, so that is known who has created it over the course of time.
on show are more than one hundred tea bowls crafted between the eighth century to the present.
the selection expresses the various styles and ancient teabowl production techniques along with
the development of the new bowl variants of today.

tea bowl (chawan) with ground mark 'seiki'
painted on the brick-red clay with white frosting (aka raku ware)
japan, kyoto,
edo period (1603-1868), circa 1800
height: 8 cm, diameter: 11.7 cm
inventory: ke 09421
© MAK

tea bowl with goldlackrestaurierung (yobitsugi)
karatsu-yaki, japan, at 1570-1620
6.5 cm x 11.5 cm
private collection
© MAK

tea bowl with schwarzlackrestaurierung
korea, 16 jh
inventory: or 935
© MAK

vertical bed

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:58:00 +0100

designer jamie oshea must have really wanted a nap when he created his vertical bed design. the vertical
allows the user to sleeping standing up right in the middle of the street. not satisfied without testing his
creation, oshea slept for 40 minutes in downtown new york. the bed design can be collapsed into a small
suitcase and is attached to a subway vent when in use. the help the user gets a peaceful rest, the bed comes
with noise canceling headphones, opaque sunglasses and a free-standing umbrella for napping in the rain.
next time you walking down the street and feeling tired, simply set up the vertical bed and take a nap.

http://www.substitutematerials.com

via rebel art

batlle and roig architects: cages for macaws at the barcelona zoo

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:03:00 +0100

batlle and roig architects are the winners of the display category at the world architecture festival
2009 for their cage design for macaws in the palm grove of the barcelona zoo.

the design of the cages was developed under the instruction of the zoo's technicians.
each unit measures 21.5sqm in surface, from which 14.40sqm can be seen by the general public.
the remainder of the space is divided into 5.20sqm of sleeping area and 4.90sqm of
maintenance corridor. the main structure of the unit is made-up of several leaning metal tubes
that bend and close on the top, like a metal wheat shaft.

drawing on traditional birdcages, this village of cages are arranged in a random way along
a pedestrian path, offering visitors different perspectives of the structure and the birds,
along with hiding the cages within the nature of the zoo, to increase the exoticism of the location.

drawings of the cage formations

3xn and nord architects win masterplan project in aarhus, denmark

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:42:00 +0100

masterplan for northern goods railway in aarhus, denmark
image courtesy nord architects/ MIR

nord architects and 3xn have won the competition to design a masterplan in denmark.
a new cultural hub for scenography, visual arts and literature will soon be constructed
within a historical framework in denmarks second largest city, aarhus. the new cultural
center is meant to be an inspiring setting that stimulates production of the arts
and facilitates the interaction amongst the various artistic metiers, business and education

the masterplan has a layout with a number of triangulating construction sites which
will set the agenda for an interesting architecture with open and transparent ground
floors, terraced houses and roof gardens.

image courtesy nord architects/ MIR

image courtesy nord architects/ MIR

the cultural production center by 3xn
image courtesy 3xn

3xn's proposal adds elements of nature, with green spaces injecting a natural raw quality
which plays up to the historic nature of the existing halls which were used for rail freight
in the past.

the building is expected to be a flexible space with optimal usage of more than 9,000 m2.
the project is comprised of the renovation of the existing freight halls along with a new
building with rooms and large scale auditoria. the roof of the building will appear as
an extension of the green space and indeed will take the form of a green carpet over
the new building. there are a number of other green initiatives that will be brought to
the project primarily with a view to reducing the buildings electricity needs for ventilation,
pumps and lighting.

the cultural production center is expected to be completed in 2012 and is a collaboration
between the municipality of aarhus, denmark and the realdania foundation.

the cultural production center by 3xn
image courtesy 3xn

the winning team is comprised of 3xn architects, hans ulrik jensen a/s, exners studio,
nord architects and søren jensen engineers.

various architects: mobile performance venue

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:18:00 +0100

mobile performance venue can be brought to urban locations such as in a city park

the mobile performance venue (MPV) by various architects office has been awarded
future projects experimental winner at this year's world architecture festival.

the client brief was to design a lightweight and easily transportable venue that meets their
technical requirements for projection screens and surround sound system, while creating an
iconic structure on the exterior. the oval form is 90m x 60m and ranges from 10m to 17m tall,
with 3900m2 of covered space. it can be configured to include optional stadium seating
and the conversion of the central screen transforms into a stage for live performances.
MPV is divided into 20 structural segments which allow for various arrangements which range
from 2000 to 3900 m2 total area depending on event use.

there is a public plaza constructed by an arcade of open hexagons indicating the entrance,
whereas the skin on the back of the house has a more complex and closed pattern.
this exterior shell is made from a self-supporting PVC skin of hexagonal inflated tubes
and cushions, is fire resistant and 100% recyclable.

a bicycle wheel truss provides lateral stability for the project. it is supported by standard aluminum
staging components, is lightweight and recyclable. optional mesh or solid PVC covers provide shade
in hot dry climates or rain protection in wet ones. water tank foundations remove the need to
transport heavy weights. the entire unit can be transported in 30 standard 40' containers.
MPV requires two weeks for assembly and one week for dismantling.

or in more remote locations...

detail of hexagonal arcade at the entrance

five projection screens are included in the venue's construction

structural model

structural model

structural model

profile drawing

status: schematic design
client: arts alliance productions
site: worldwide
size: 3900 m2
team: aleksandra danielak, camilla eduardsen, jim dodson, ibrahim elhayawan
partners: ramboll whitby-bird - engineers

fars studio: chao phraya river landmark, thailand

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:12:00 +0100

chao phraya river landmark by fars studio
all images courtesy fars studio

young thai architectural firm fars studio won first prize in the competition to design
chao phraya river landmark in thailand.

at the confluence of four tributaries - the ping, wang,yom and naan river - the chao phraya
river begins and forms itself as the largest and bloodline river in thailand. nakorn sawan
municipality and the association of siamese architects under royal patronage (ASA) held
the landmark competition to commemorate and to highlight the symbol of this river
at the particular spot where it begins. this site has an extraordinary context: during the flood
season, up to 9 meters differentiate between the low and high tide. the river on the northern
side of the island has a green color while the southern side is red. after the confluence
of both tributaries, the green and red colors still keep tracking along the chao phraya river
to create a resonance stripe.

the landmark by fars studio is designed to be situated on the tip of the island where
the confluence takes place, in order to revitalize the area while attracting both local
people and tourists from elsewhere.

inside the yom island the architecture complements nature. in one axis, parallel to
the rivers resonance stripe, we optimize numerous locations, elevation at appropriate
angles on the site for people to perceive all the sceneries of the rivers. in one route,
the architecture leads the people to each interesting spot of key locations, such as:
the point where people see two rivers all together; the point where people can see
the whole city around the area; and the point where people enjoy the scenery
confluence.

from the outer side of the island, the architecture becomes a symbol the river, in
the form of weaving stripes. the bridge-like architecture accentuates a visual connection
between both sides of the river, while actually creating physical connection between
them - allowing people to sail through, thereby making the visual connection
alive during the high tide period.

project: 2008-20XX
location: nakorn-sawan, thailand
status: 1st prize winner
landmark for chao phraya river head
by nakorn-sawan province municipality
and the association of siamese architects
under royal patronage
brief: memorial/ landmark
site area: 6400 square meters.
cost: 200 million baht (6,000,000USD)

studio harry and camilla: dr. bubbles goes on the rocks chair

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:08:00 +0100

dr. bubbles on the rocks

studio harry&camilla have designed dr. bubbles goes on the rocks chair which is currently
being exhibited as part of the tenerife design festival at the tenerife espacio de las artes by
herzog & de meuron. the sculptural seat made from metal, draws on masses of bubble forms
which look as if they are taking over the chair.

detail

dr. bubbles on the rocks, brown mussel

cansu akarsu: end to end pencil case for felissimo and social designer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0100

during 100% design tokyo, felissimo who designed the 500 colored pencil set for social designer
presented the winning design from their recent case competition. 'end to end' by cansu akarsu,
is a case holder that connects pencils together from end to end in one long line making it easy to fold,
use or arrange in various designs. the design evolved from akarsu's fascination with irregular shapes
created when scribbling on paper.

jakub berdych: jested, RIP and macocha glass bowls

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:15:00 +0100

jetěd

czech designer jakub berdych of qubus studio has presented a new collection of glass bowls
which have been blown into dry wooden moulds.

the pieces are named jetěd, říp and macocha, and evolved from berdych's fascination in the moment
at which a glassmaker places glass into a wooden mould. by using a dry mould, the glass particles
inflame to the mould, transforming itself accordingly. the mould actually then becomes
a part of the finished bowl itself, retaining its final form. the contrast between the natural wood
bed with the glass give the pieces a kind of tension between material and form.

jetěd
image © designboom

jetěd
image © designboom

jetěd
image © designboom

říp

říp
image © designboom

říp and jetěd
image © designboom

macocha

macocha
image © designboom

macocha
image © designboom

jetěd and macocha
image © designboom

the collection
image © designboom

peter rich architects: mapungubwe interpretation center, south africa

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:20:00 +0100

mapungubwe interpretation center, south africa by peter rich architects
all images courtesy WAF

south african firm peter rich architects have been named winner for the category
of culture (completed buildings) at the 2009 world architecture festival.

mapungubwe interpretation centre is situated at the confluence of the limpopo
and shashe rivers. the mapungubwe national park celebrates the site of an ancient
civilization linked to the great zimbabwe trading culture in the context of a natural setting
that re-establishes the indigenous fauna and flora of this region. the interpretation centre
is set on the side of a mesa, formed from the dramatic geological events that resulted in
the limpopo river changing its course from flowing into the atlantic ocean to discharging
into the indian ocean. the ceremonial centre of this civilization is located on a sister mesa,
one kilometre away from the site, is the visual climax of the architectural experience
orchestrated in the design of the centre. this is a poverty relief project using ecological methods
and materials.

the complex landscape was both the inspiration for the design and the source of most of
the materials for its construction. this resulted in a composition of structures that are authentically
rooted to their location. the equilateral triangle provides the primary ordering, set out from
a line running parallel to the contours. secondary elements are fixed in position by this
geometrical system, significant because of its reference to triangular motifs etched on stones
uncovered on mapungubwe hill. the heart of the interpretation centre is visually contained
by two hollow cairns that evoke the route-markers found in southern african cultures. timbrel
vaulting is used to construct the billowing forms that expose the arched edges of their thin shells,
an analogy of the archaeological revelation of past cultures.

lab[au]: f5x5x5

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:56:00 +0100

image courtesy of lab[au]
credit natalia kolesova

f5x5x5 is a kinetic light sculpture conceived of and realized by the belgian design studio lab[au]. the project
was most recently installed in the basilique de saint denis in paris for nuit blanche 2009. the design consists
of fixed and kinetic aluminum frames that can move randomly or be programmed for use as a low
resolution display. the piece is designed as a framework, taking inspiration from software development
frameworks. in the case of the project, the framework is a five by five module which is repeated five times
to create the final form. one side of the work is white, while the other is black. the 125 pixel screen works
on binary language and can transform captured data from the physical environment into kinetic actions.

http://lab-au.com

image courtesy of lab[au]

image courtesy of lab[au]

image courtesy of lab[au]
credit natalia kolesova

image courtesy of lab[au]
credit natalia kolesova

image courtesy of lab[au]

image courtesy of lab[au]
credit natalia kolesova

automotive x prize

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0100

aptera 2e

the automotive x prize is a car race like no other. the 10 million USD prize is a challenge to produce
a super fuel efficient vehicle that would be a viable option for use in the real world. some of the finalists
in the competition were recently displayed at the SEMA autoshow in las vegas. the competition is now
narrowed down to 43 finalists from 10 different countries. the cars combine unique designs with efficient
engines and other fuel saving elements to try and create the perfect balance of utility and practicality.
here are some images of the finalists.

http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org

EVI wave II

EVI wave II

surge

tango

alias

alias

via autoblog

alex dual screen ereader

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0100

the alex ebook reader is one of the newest entries in the steadily growing e-reader market. the new device
aims to shake things up with its innovative dual screen design that features a large black and white display
for reading and a smaller colour touch screen below. the design utilizes a new chip by marvell called the
armada, which claims faster than 3 frames per second refresh rates. the system uses the android operating
system and comes with wifi and 3G capability. the dual screen design is intended to for reading ebooks
in addition to browsing online and viewing multi media files like video. the combination of the two screens
allows a richer type of book content with more interaction.

http://www.springdesign.com

image via maximum pc

image via maximum pc

image via maximum pc

image via maximum pc

via engadget

mcbride charles ryan: klein bottle house

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:51:00 +0100

the klein bottle house by mcbride charles ryan, have won the award for world's best home
at this year's world architecture festival awards. located in australia's mornington peninsula,
the holiday home features a living room perched on a canopy of trees, and celebrates
the country's traditional beach houses, while still functioning as a practical and useful
21st century home.

murman arkitekter: restaurant tusen in ramundberget, sweden

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0100

swedish ski resort in ramundberget by murman arkitekter
image courtesy murman arkitekter

swedish firm murman arkitekter have been awarded first prize in the holiday category
at the world architecture festival in barcelona, for their design of restaurant tusen
in ramundberget, sweden.

the swedish ski resort is situated in ramundberget on a small hill where the tree line
meets the mountains.

the facade material is given by the surrounding nature, birch logs stands like a huge
protecting screen towards the nordic icy winds. they used the same material for
the restaurant in exterior as well as the interior.

the round shape is natural in the exposed situation and it lets the snow stay on the facade.
it lets the cold winds pass and it offers maximum views, forming a protected outdoor
space where you can sit in the sun towards the white mountains.

image courtesy WAF

image courtesy WAF

image courtesy murman arkitekter

image courtesy murman arkitekter

image courtesy WAF

image courtesy WAF

image courtesy WAF

section view
image courtesy WAF

suppose design office: 'urban airgap'

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0100

'urban airgap' by suppose design office
image courtesy suppose design office

'urban airgap' is a proposal that japanese firm suppose design office for the upto35
competition in greece. the competition focussed on a rundown area of athens city centre
which could be revitalised into student housing.

in their research suppose design office noted that the existing building designs in
the kerameikos-metaxourgeio area did not allow for a window opening into the adjacent
property.

'urban airgap' aimed to create as many openings - airgaps - on each site. this was achieved
by building central core towers, containing a stairwell, to which the residential units
are cantilevered from the cores and which form a sandwich that encloses the main social
communal zone.

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

ICE: taipei pop music center proposal

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:47:00 +0100

outdoor stage
all images courtesy of ICE

ideas for contemporary environments (ICE) believes that pop culture is the culture of change,
so pop architecture is the space of change. for their proposal of the taipei pop music centre,
rather than design a building, they wanted to develop a platform for spontaneous activities:
a street, a park, a network of pedestrian circulation, all embedded within an architectural framework.
their strategy was to define the space through 3 different elements:

the first being the event space concentrating on music activities, connecting the indoor and outdoor
auditorium through the stage area. second is an urban street park, the promenade of the project which
extends from the main xinsheng road into the building. the space is for sudden and unplanned activities
such as street music and jam sessions. the park is the third element which connects the entire site
as a leisure zone. it is the spill over area during events as well as a leisure zone for residents.

the taipei park music centre provides an urban street park connecting the ground to the upper floor,
through a landscaped ground. during major events, the street transforms into a parade ground for music.
the music center complex lies in the center of the facility and consists of an indoor auditorium
and an outdoor arena. connected to the stage area, it has the potential to create a super-stage for
very large events. the outdoor arena is embedded into a 3-dimensional park/mountain, which acts
as the green heart of the district.

from the street

exhibition and performance spaces will be accessed by the urban street park. they are located
above and below, and extend onto the landscape of the building. this allows the program to
spill out onto the public space, in order to address a larger audience. the urban street park
is the extended public space of all events, connecting the city and the music center.
as a horizonal landscape of the structure is meant to be an urban center for the neighbourhood
and the city.

approach from the west

the lobby

network of pedestrian walkways

aerial view

elevation

section

building strategy

site plan

site plan strategy

plan of the center

office and exhibition floor plan

urban street

lachaert & d'hanis: 'still' exhibition

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:13:00 +0100

by caroline slotte

opening on november 15th is 'still', an exhibition organised by lachaert & d'hanis
and curated by marjolijn van duyn. the show the fourth in the table series features
works from international artists; giampaolo babetto, aldo bakker, rudolf bott,
paul bourgeois, jos evriendt, thalia georgoulis, ruth gurvich, claudia hoppe, david huycke,
jean lemmens, astrid keller, beate leonards, michael rowe, caroline slotte, tarja tuupanen,
keith tyssen and lachaert & d'hanis.

the exhibition will be on view at two locations until january 10, 2010:

galerie sofie lachaert
luc dhanis & sofie lachaert
st. jozefstraat 30 B-9140 tielrode- temse , belgium

and

huis de uil
marc massa & roger liekens
fonteinstraat 9 B-9140 temse, belgium

by ruth gurvich

by thalia georgoulis

by astrid keller

by aldo bakker

by rudolf bott

by paul bourgeois

the cuban revolution: 40 years of cuban photography at galerie maurer, munich

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:17:00 +0100

the cuban revolution: 40 years of cuban photography
galerie maurer, munich
november 5th to december 28th, 2009

che guevara becoming president of the national bank, in conference with waldo medina and felipe pasos
on november 26, 1959
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by tirso martinez

presented to the public for the first time, this collection of approximately 350 vintage photographs
taken between 1940 and 1980 capture the revolution of cuba - its beginnings, the realization
and the life after - mainly picturing intiatiors of the revolution such as che guevara, fidel castro,
camillo cienfuegos...

the history of the revolution is not supposed to be described completely. the photographs show
the routine life of cuba at the time juxtaposed against the extreme circumstances and cruelties of war,
and the unbroken will of the people. today, the imagery is being evaluated differently from the time
at which they were produced. they are not only considered a document of that period, but are also
being seen as creative works of the photographer, bringing them into the rank of art.

the photo collection contains works of following photographers:
alberto korda, tirso martinez, osvaldo salas, raul corrales, jorge oller, severo, delio valdes, alborta trigo,
sara kamay, osvaldo ozon, jose agraz solans, fernando lezcano, hernandez toledo, enrique llanos,
mario collodo, aristide reyes, marino bueno, arias, coya, panchito cano, miguel lavilla, jose lorenzo,
garbalaza, meneses, alejandro herera, gallardo, armando morales, naranjo etc.

che guevara shot to death in vallegrande, bolivia on october 9th, 1967
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by f. alborta trio

dos sombreros, a few armed forces, 1959
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by raul corrales

after the victory in habana, a rebel is sitting in the baby carriage of ex-dictator fulgencio batista's youngest daughter.
batista escaped in the early morning on january 1st, 1959 with his family and a few ministers to the dominican republic, 1959
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by unknown author

fidel at pesca hemingway, a fishing competition with hemingway on may 15th, 1960
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by tirso martinez

the armored train, a combination of two locomotives and seventeen freight and passenger cars, containing 373 soldiers
and 4million USD worth of munitions as support for batistas troops was derailed on december 30th, after che guevaras men
removed 30 feet of rails, 1958
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by unkown author

a soldier from the revolution troops is killed by a projectile exactly in the moment when tirso, as official revolution photographer
took a photo of him, 1958
silver gelatin print on paper
photo by tirso martinez

moleskine detour at MoMA store tokyo

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:01:00 +0100

inside the MoMA design store in omotesando, a glass tunnel with 50 moleskine notebooks
showcased the imaginations of architects, designers, writers, directors and artists.

visitors were invited to use a pair of white cotton gloves (which were distributed at the entrance)
for closer inspection, of the painting, drawing and doodling of famous architects and designers,
on the empty white pages of a new notebook.

among the notebooks of japanese protagonists were those of architect kengo kuma,
product designer naoto fukasawa, textile designer junichi arai and reiko sudo,
muji creative kenya hara to architect toyo ito, anime director mamoru oshii and film director
naomi kawase.

launched in 2006 in london, the event has since expanded to notebook exhibitions among
native creatives in cities including new york and paris, with tokyo opening last week and berlin
scheduled to launch next month.

moleskine notebooks are made by the iconic italian stationery company famous for its sleek
black hardback creations, inspired by the role of the notebook among legends ranging from
pablo picasso to ernest hemingway.

visitors were wearing gloves , which enabled them to touch the pages of the notebooks showcased in clear boxes

in the center of the MoMA store was a white mesh and perspex rectangular tunnel designed by zetalab
image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

the structure blends in with the setting while creating an intimate quiet space inside
image © designboom

for raffaella guidobono, the curator of the 'detour' exhibition, the notebook is the starting
point of something surprising and different in every city where she has staged the show.
'the idea is to present a selection of ingenious uses of moleskine notebooks as well as
the antithesis of what visitors may have thought a notebooks could be.'

for more information visit moleskine

suppose design office: taipei pop music center proposal

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:33:00 +0100

image courtesy suppose design office

continuing our coverage of the taipei pop music competition, here is japanese
firm suppose design office's proposal. the design is based on natural landforms.

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

image courtesy suppose design office

vertu constellation ayxta

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0100

luxury mobile phone maker vertu is set to release their first folding phone design named the constellation
ayxta. the new phone is made from stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic and leather. if this combination of
materials wasnt enough, the screen will be covered with sapphire crystal. feature-wise, the phone has
a 3-megapixel camera, support for 3g, GPS and vertus concierge service. the unusual feature allows user
to contact an assistant at the touch of a button, who will assist what ever manner the user requires.
the service also features vertu select, which provides recommendations on everything from bars to shops
and restaurant. but as with all vertu handsets, the rich features come with an appropriate price tag. the virtu
constellation ayxta will run anywhere from 7,000 to 10,500 USD.

http://www.vertu.com

via naokix

daihatsu basket

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0100

the daihatsu basket is a new compact car concept that debuted at the tokyo motor show last month.
despite the compact size of the vehicle it manages to seat up to four passengers and serve double duty
as a truck and convertible. daihatsu calls the basket a slow-life vehicle. the design is rather minimal
and boxy, taking cues from the past. the car is light and driven by a 3 cylinder 660cc engine making it
very efficient. the roof comes in two parts a removable fiberglass section over the front and a canvas top
on the back. inside the interior is kept mostly bare with fabric covered dash and exposed floor panels.
the car also has four wheel drive making it capable of talking some rough terrain.

http://www.daihatsu.com

via diseno-art

boys and their toys exhibition at LOT

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:45:00 +0100

binaural sculpture by shajay bhooshan and daniel widrig
material: acrylic, 2009

boys and their toys explores the close relationship that designers have with technology.
every piece constucted varies in production from digital cameras to laser cutting
and cnc milling machines to subverting software programs. the show is a mixed media
exhibition showing the work of emerging architects and designers from around the world,
curated by nous founder melissa woolford and presented at LOT.

the show will be on view until november 8, 2009.

binaural sculpture by shajay bhooshan and daniel widrig
material: acrylic, 2009

binaural is an attempt to visualize and physically manifest, aural information.
the intent was also to draw attention to opportunities that may lie within a domain
of digital design.

the music file used: reflection by jan hiddink
a custom-coded audio node enables playback of audio and extraction of audio information
including frequency spectrum, amplitudes, beats etc. aural information being sharply
punctuated needs some amount of smoothing to be applicable to geometric operation.
this smoothing of frequency spectrum is achieved and visualised by storing information
as colour and standard colour-interpolation methods. this smoothed data is then used to
generate / deform geometry.

binaural sculpture by shajay bhooshan and daniel widrig
material: acrylic, 2009

aloe module by tronic studio
material: epoxy and PU, 2009

aloe module is delicate in its form, like the lilium, its shape is derived from nature,
and captures a familiar contour in its outline. it uses a language of repetition.

aloe module by tronic studio
material: epoxy and PU, 2009

modular screen type 01 by dylan baker rice of affect_t studio produced by LOT

modular screen type 01: the screen was conceived as an update to the classic 1950s
modernist room divider epitomized in the designs of erwin hauer and charles and ray eames.
it is a study in part-to-whole relationships. it looks at how the single piece can vary to create
an impression or experience of the whole. as a panel system, the pieces fit together like
a jig-saw puzzle.

modular screen type 01 by dylan baker rice of affect_t studio produced by LOT

the beatles releasing music on USB

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0100

the beatles USB

despite the rise of digital music, the beatles have yet to release their music in a digital format, until now.
following the release of the beatles digitally re-mastered catalogue on CD, apple corps ltd. and EMI music
are now preparing a limited edition USB apple. limited to a production of 30,000 copies, the apple will be
released in december. the green apple is inscribed with the beatles logo and the USB is removed by the
stem. loaded on the 16 GB drive is 14 re-mastered stereo titles along with 13 mini-documentary films,
album art, photos and expanded liner notes. the music is provided in both flac and 320 KBS encoded
MP3. the USB apple also follows the release of the beatles rock band video game.

http://www.thebeatles.com

the beatles rock band

the beatles from 1967 (image via the beatles)

fred lebain: a spring in new york

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0100

fred lebain is not scared of the mundane or clichés.
instead, he plays with them, superimposing their images on one another. last spring lebain
took images of various areas in new york city, each one of them an occasion of a 'first visit'
to the location, in which he photographed and then printed in large poster format. later,
he returned to the same spots for a second visit, capturing a larger framed shot in which
he aligned the poster documenting his first visit to the current scene.

these postcard images show lebain's preference for particular areas of the city,
telescoping his views - a time parallax representing the days which separate the two shots -
and superimposing his vision of new york. hands, feet or a pair of jeans can be seen...
like surrealistic winks, indicating that the photographer is not alone in his mission.

shao yung yeh: qashqai and the giant dandelion - think outside the parking box competition shortlisted revealed

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0100

'qashqai and the giant dandelion' by shao yung yeh from taiwan, is one of the
66 shortlisted entries from our recent designboom competition 'think outside the parking box'
in collaboration with nissan.

the robotic giant dandelion is a new form of parking construction, which is composed of
three levels of parking plates built from kinetic arms that are connected to a central rotating base.
the parking plates are lifted and lowered to and from the ground, providing elevated parking spaces.
they also change color from red to green indicating when a space is available and vice versa.
in order to let drivers see the parking spaces clearly and to add a bit of visual interest to the urban scene,
they also glow in the dark.

see the video clip here

il-gu cha: R1 radio

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:17:00 +0100

tuning is done by moving the radio from left to right and volume is controlled by rolling the radio forward and backward

R1 radio by il-gu cha is an analog radio which requires one to tune the radio by physically
rolling it on a surface. studying how people manipulate rather than bury their interactions
with a product, the radio brings about a new kind of behavior between itself and the user.

by using a bevel gear system wheel structure, one can control the radio through
physical movement. the R1 allows users to turn the gadget on or off, and control volume
and tuning simply by physically rolling the radio forward, backward and sideways.

you can view a video of how the R1 functions here.

the wheel structure and speaker on the underside of the radio