Click on individual photos for official event page or use the corresponding numbered links below.
This weekend’s picks for Free & Cheap things to do in NYC (2/15 to 2/17) in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture and general fun.
Category Archives: Industrial Design
Alexander Lervik: Lumìere au Chocolat
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Alexander Lervik (previously here) has just come out with a very unique lamp: The Poetry of Light chocolate lamp. Wanting to explore darkness in contrast with light, Lervik set out to play with the idea of melting solid chocolate with a light source to reveal the light. Originally cube-shaped, the designer realized that the way chocolate melts worked better with a pyramid. The lamp begins in complete darkness and as the light source heats the dark chocolate it begins to melt, at first revealing a tiny ray of light and after roughly a 15-minute period the bulb is completely exposed and the melted chocolate ends up in a sectioned tray and can be taken out and consumed like a chocolate bar. Very fun.
Imeüble: Bjørn Jørund Blikstad
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Norwegian designer Bjørn Jørund Blikstad focused on storage solutions for his masters in furniture design. Taking inspiration from the Rubik’s cube, Blikstad created Imeüble, his modular shelving system made up of multiple axiometric wall cubes. At a distance, and in photos, the shelves look flat, but their depth becomes evident as you get closer. Very cool.
via jeroenapers
Aqua Dice: Max Mulhern
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American artist Max Mulhern, living in Paris, has long been fascinated by the role that luck plays in life. For the past two years, Mulhern has been sketching and painting floating dice — after earlier designing many sculptures of unrealistic boats — uniting his interest in art and chance. The culmination of his efforts, along with a French kickstarter-like campaign to raise funds, took the shape of two giant orange and blue dice, Aqua Dice, launched to sea from the port of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands on the appropriately slot-machine-like date of 12/12/12. Mulhern also refers to his Aqua Dice project as “The Greatest Floating Craps Game on Earth”.
The dice were made from bio-composites and are 100% recyclable. They were designed to collapse on impact and, due to their fluorescent orange color, are highly visible to any nearby vessels. Each die has a specially designed GPS unit inside within a “souffle-like” padding that will turn on once a day to enable tracking of their journey. As of January 7th the dice were about 1,100 miles west of the Canary Islands, though one of the dice started heading back east since then, separating from the other.
You can see more photos of the project on Mulhern’s site and follow its progress on the Aqua Dice facebook page. And here’s an interview with the artist on the project.
via the nytimes
From the C3 Archives: Part II
Here are some more of our popular posts from 2012. Superhero Saints; Ana
Soler ’s suspended bouncing balls; the House that Fell from the Sky; the Red People in Russia; Liu Wei’s amazing Cityscapes made from schoolbooks: Liu Bolin’s fun collaboration with JR; So-il’s Kukje Gallery; the amazing Twist Bridge; the Mr. Dictator Heads; Roman Tyc’s replacement traffic lights; J. Mayer H.’s cool number installation Rapport; Kuggen the colorful cog; a typographic bike path; Giant snails take over the roof of a Milan cathedral; and Snarkitecture’s Memorial Bowling.
Click on the photos to be taken to their corresponding post.
From the C3 Archives
We’re taking a few days off to enjoy the holidays. In the meantime here are some of our favorites from the archives. Click on an image above to be taken to its post, or feel free to scroll through by category using the pull-down tab in the right margin, or randomly if you prefer. You can always like us on facebook, follow on twitter, or if email is your thing, you can subscribe at the bottom of the site.
Happy Holidays!
cartonLAB: Typographied Cardboard
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Our friends over at cartonLAB (previously here and here) are working nonstop expanding their offerings with all sorts of fun products and stands made out of cardboard. And lately, much to our delight, they’ve gone a little type crazy. From their personalized Photocall Polaroid-like photo frames for weddings and parties to their impressive range of creative event stands with the type cut out or printed right on, cartonLAB has added another dimension to their work. And if that weren’t enough, they’ve also come up with a smart proposal for recycling large boxes (think Ikea furniture boxes) by printing the patterns to some of their creations on the cardboard for personal execution called Mas que Cajas (More than Boxes). Very clever.
All photos courtesy CartonLab
Festina Lente Bridge: Sarajevo
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The recently completed Festina Lente pedestrian bridge at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo was designed by three industrial design students in response to a competition five years ago. Adnan Alagic, Bojan Kanlic and Amila Hrustic won the competition with their entry. The looping bridge spans 38 meters over the Miljacka River with the central loop serving as a shelter that includes a bench. The name of the bridge, Festina Lente, means “make haste, slowly” in Latin. The bridge acts as a symbolic gate between the secular and spiritual, being that the academy was formerly a church.
Philip Lüschen: Waiting Room Survival
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This made me chuckle. Dutch designer Philip Lüschen created a humorous series of Waiting Room Survival objects: a collection of tools for waiting rooms, to spy on others, wait incognito or to shorten the period of waiting by making others disappear. From a book with eyeholes for spying on your neighbors, to nose masks for those who don’t wish to be recognized; and finally, the “sneak in front” tool consisting of a photo of actual sized empty seats to place in front of those ahead of you.
via Ed Jansen
Balcon Additionnel: Julien Berthier
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French artist Julien Berthier certainly has a sense of humor. His Balcon Additionnel attaches a Haussmannian-style balcony to any façade. How you ask? Via boom-truck that stays attached from below, keeping things construction-free. And funny, of course.
The rest of Berthier’s work is also worth perusing. Love-love (bottom three photos) is a functional and safe boat in the shape of a collapsed one. And there’s much more like that over on his site.
3DEA: 3D-Printing Pop Up at Eventi Hotel
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I stopped by the Eventi Hotel the other day here in NYC to explore the new 3DEA Pop Up Shop. 3DEA is all about the relatively new and amazing 3D-printing technology. The three of us have seen a few demonstrations of these increasingly more affordable machines over the past couple of years, but at 3DEA you get a hands-on experience (there’s a Doodle section that lets you draw an image with your finger on a tablet and then print it out in plastic in less than 10 minutes) admittedly on one of the lower-end models, but still fun and amazing.
The pop up is sponsored by Ultimaker, Shapeways, UP!, Fatboy and Openhouse and features rows of colorful printers to try out or purchase; there’s a 3D photo booth, body scanning and a Shapeways Shop with many 3D-printed products that could make for nice holiday gifts. There’s even a “Sexy Objects” section behind a curtain for those over 18. Also available are classes, seminars and presentations, some free and some not, but I found that all the people working there were eager to help and answer any and all questions.
3DEA will run until December 27th at the Eventi Hotel, 29th and 6th Avenue, every day except Mondays from 11am to 7pm and Sundays until 6pm. If you’re at all interested in 3D printing, it’s worth stopping by and picking the experts’ brains.
Xtool: Combo Colab
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we’re fans of the Combo Colab family. This incredibly likeable creative couple, composed of architects Mateo Pintó and Carolina Cisneros, have created a Kickstarter campaign to help produce their very clever Xtool: a stackable, storage stool inspired by the casual use of the classic milk crate as a seat. By adding a plywood seat and legs, these versatile and playful stools can be used indoors and out. And Xtool is just the beginning of the envisioned larger family of milk crate furniture.
So please join me in backing Combo Colab’s Xtool on their Kickstarter page and, at the very least, check out their adorable video with all its contagious laughter.
NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 11/30
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This weekend’s picks for free and cheap things to do (11/30 to 12/2) in NYC. Cultural events in art, architecture, music, film, dance, theater, design, walking tours, food, and fun!
1. Art – Egon Schiele’s Women. Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 and through 12/28. 11am to 5pm. FREE
Also in Art – Lee Friedlander: Mannequin at Pace/MacGill Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 through 12/22. FREE
2. Design/Learn/Shop – 3DEA is a Pop-Up with 3D printing classes, demonstrations, and shop. Make it or buy it, either way sounds like fun. All weekend and through 12/27. 11am to 6pm. FREE
3. Art – Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde at MoMA through 2/25. Fridays 4 to 8pm are FREE.
4. Art/Shop — Art in Boxes 2012: a large group exhibition which shows/sells one of a kind artwork – an idea for unique holiday gifts at affordable prices. All weekend and through 1/27/13 at AG Gallery. Noon to 9ish. FREE
5. Dance – Lucy Guerin’s Untrained: Four dancers (two trained, two untrained), a square taped to the floor, and instructions on stage for them to follow as best they can. Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 at 7:30pm. Post-show artist talk on Friday. $20.
6. Film – ADC Butter: Night of Pop Culture and Popcorn – This month they’re screening two short films that have graced quite a few international audiences. Plus, a surprise or two. Fri 11/30 at 7pm. $10 advance, $15 at door
7. Film – Drivers Wanted a documentary about taxi drivers directed by Joshua Weinstein. All weekend. Friday’s screening followed by panel discussion with director. $10. Showtimes and tickets here.
8. Music – Men without Hats. SSSS…AAAA…You can Dance! Fri 11/30, doors at 6pm; show 8pm. $10.
9. Dance – Portraits in Time: Amy Kail & Lesya Popil dance highly original movements with humor and pathos. Fri 11/30 at 7:30pm. $15
10. Music – The Sweetback Sisters/Hadley: part country, part B52s. Fri 11/30 at 9pm. $10.
11. Peformance/Art/Theater – Aki Sasamoto – Centripetal Run the sculptural arrangement is a theatrical cosmology, and the performer unfolds, negotiates, and psychologically challenges its matter of factness. Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 at 8pm. $15.
12. Art – Transmission of Thought | works by Ivan Rickenmann Amazingly realistic paintings of electrical outlets and cables by the Colombian artist. All weekend. FREE
13. Talk/Lecture – Space to Create: Panel discussion on topic of temporary usage models for nontraditional commercial space in arts programming. Sat 12/1 from 2 to 4pm. FREE
14. Theater – We are Proud to Present… a critically acclaimed and unique play. All weekend but some shows sold out. At the time of this post there were still tickets available for Sat 12/1 matinee.
15. Walking Tour – Flatiron Walking Tour Sun 12/2 (and all Sundays) at 11am. 23rd St. and Broadway. FREE
16. Fun/Transportation/History – Vintage Subway Train Rides, Sun 12/2 (and all Sundays) from 10am to 4pm through 12/30. $2.50
17. Music –Francois 5+1: François Houle is a virtuosic and original avant-jazzimproviser and a notable composer as well as one of Canada’s premier clarinetists. Sun 12/2 at 9:30pm. $10 advance; $15 door
18. Art/Installation/Fun – OPENS MIDWEEK – Ann Hamilton: The Event of a Thread – A multisensory installation, that draws together readings, sound, and live events within a field of swings inviting visitors to connect to the action of each other and the work itself. Opens Wed 12/5 through 1/6/13. Tues – Sundays 12-6pm. $12. Next Sat 12/8 will be FREE.
Additional events to keep in mind: Brooklyn Night Bazaar continues every Friday and Saturday until 12/22.
Discovering Columbus ends this weekend, so if you haven’t been, this is your last chance! All weekend.
Be sure to check back for updates and peruse previous COTC posts for some additional ongoing events.
UPDATES:
Art/Performance/Music – Emergency Cheesecake: an evening of performance featuring young, New York City–based artists. Fri 11/30, 6 to 9pm. Pay-what-you-wish.
Art – NYU MFA Student Open Studios. Sat 12/1, 6 to 10pm. FREE
Music/Art – Sunday Sessions to benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts presented by Pitchfork and MoMA PS1. An afternoon of multimedia performances. Sun 12/2 from 4 to 7pm. $12
Gruba: Sustainable Furniture Design
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Argentinean architects Maria Constanza Nuñez and Gabriel Pires Mateus are the duo behind Gruba. Committed to the creation of spaces and objects that provide alternative green solutions, Gruba works with salvaged materials. In their S.O.S. de Barrio Line they repurpose wooden roller blinds which are usually discarded in the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Each chair or table has unique characteristics depending on the reclaimed roller blind.
More recently, they have come out with the Banquito Willy, a stool sustainably designed using engineered wood joined together without glue and an innovative seat created with recycled tennis balls. Clever!
Fernando Orellana: Assembly Line Art
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Visual artist Fernando Orellana based in Schenectady, NY, is fascinated by assembly lines. He loves the precision and efficiency, as well as the program-like quality. His robotic sculptures are created in a one-man assembly line fashion, repeating each step in multiple figures before moving on to the next.
Working in a variety of mediums, Orellana seems to keep with this assembly line theme transmitting concepts that range from generative art to social-political commentary. Whether it be in his robotic toy-like sculptures (Me and You or No Cuts, No Buts, No Coconuts) or his wall hung Play-doh and epoxy compositions (Extruder and Population), with machine-generated car-shaped (or people, or animals) Play-doh pieces in large quantities, ultimately reaching 429,674 automobiles as that is the number estimated to have been produced in 1947 (the year Henry Ford died) by the Ford Motor Company. Each panel of figures is then encased in epoxy for preservation as well as a cool effect.
You can see his extruding machine in action here.
Photos courtesy of the artist and artslant.
via Milavec Hakimi and Bomb
Emanuele Magini: Playful Furniture
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Italian designer Emanuele Magini, based in Milan, creates furniture and objects that are both useful and playful. From soccer-inspired Lazy-Football chairs, Siesta Bench and stadium-like Multilamp to his Latin Lover bed with a score-keeping headboard, Magini certainly seems to have fun designing. Even his sinister ashtrays possess humor, albeit of a much darker kind.
You can see more of Magini’s designs on his website.
Photos courtesy of the designer. Lamp photo by Studio Badini Createam.
Gonçalo Mabunda: Armed Chairs
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Mozambique-born artist Gonçalo Mabunda creates sculptures, furniture and masks using objects with strong political connotations. In his thrones, the artist works with deactivated arms recovered at the end of the 16-year civil war in his country in 1992. AK47s, pistols, rocket launchers and other objects of destruction are combined in his works both in protest to the violence as well as a positive reflection on the transformative power of art and the resilience of African society.
Photos courtesy of Perimeter Art & Design and Jack Bell Gallery.
via Joburg Art Fair
Airpouf: Lorenzo Damiani
Forget if it actually does a good job vacuuming, the Airpouf designed by Lorenzo Damiani is just too cute an object to resist. It’s got the super practical aspect that you’d never have to put it away since the minute you detach the vacuum hose it converts into a fun seat for your home. Available through Campeggi.
CollabCubed 