August 31, 2011 by collabcubed - 6 Comments

Casanueva Pharmacy (Farmacia)

Clavel Architects led by Manuel Clavel Rojo, took on the renovation of the Casanueva Pharmacy in Murcia, Spain. (See before and after photos second row from top.) One of the major challenges of the project was that it had to be completed in two months and the store remained open during the first month. Because of this, 95% of the project was prefabricated.

The amazing façade (who wouldn’t want a façade made of type? And one that lights up to boot!) not only spells out the store’s identity but serves as a shading mechanism from the hot afternoon sun. The façade and all the interior furnishings were prefabricated in a workshop, and the slat cladding was also a quick-to-build solution.

I think Duane Reade with all their constant renovations would do well to pick up a pointer or two from Clavel’s cool redesign.

August 30, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Roll & Mix

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Here’s a nice, as well as smart, design from Belgian designer Marcial Ahsayane. It’s a three-in-one piece: each half functions separately, one as a pestle for mixing or grinding, the other as a container for liquids such as oil, that can be mixed in. When screwed together, the whole functions as a rolling pin.

Clever, attractive, and functional!

via Behance

August 26, 2011 by collabcubed - 3 Comments

Graphis Packaging 3 & 4: Typography

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When I was in college, my library of choice on campus was the Fine Arts Library. I would lug my Calculus text books over there with full intention to study for my exam, but the temptation to peruse the newly discovered (for me) Graphis magazines and annuals was too huge to resist. So, you can imagine my excitement when, googling around for some typography-related material, I came across a beautiful flickr set of images from Graphis Packaging 3 and 4. It brought me right back to the Fine Arts Library and my not-so-great Calculus grade. SO much beautiful typography. I love it.

It’s interesting to note that Target introduced a new line of packaging within the last couple of years, Up & Up, that resembles the packaging in the bottom right image above, though not quite as nice.

You can see more images on crabstick’s flickr.

August 25, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

BMW Guggenheim Lab (follow-up)

I finally made it over to the BMW Guggenheim Lab earlier tonight to see a screening of Garbage Dreams, a film about the Zaballeen (garbage people) living in the outskirts of Cairo. The film was very good, but what I was most excited about was the Lab itself.

For a description of what the BMW Guggenheim Lab is, and is setting out to do, you can see our previous post. What the BMW Guggenheim Lab felt like, was an oasis of tranquility off the bustling, hectic thoroughfare that is Houston Street, especially at rush hour. The minimalist structure (designed by Atelier Bow-Wow from Japan) is surprisingly cozy, and remarkably quiet considering its few steps from Houston Street and Second Ave. Only the occasional mufflerless motorcycle disrupted the film and/or speakers. Also surprising was how well the screen projected even in the daylight. And once the sun did go down, the Lab was warmly lit by spotlights.

It’s these sort of things that make NYC such a wonderful place. Free, interesting events in a lovely setting, open to everyone, with something for most everyone. There are lectures on architecture-related topics and sustainability. There are family-oriented events. There are screenings of films as well as guest speakers that range from authors to television directors to inventors and much more. The BMW Guggenheim Lab is open Wednesdays through Sundays until October 16th in NYC before moving on to Berlin. Check their site for the calendar of events. Oh, and there’s a café run by Roberta’s and bathrooms on the premises as well, so there’s really no excuse for not stopping by if you’re in New York.

Top photo: Paul Warchol from the BMW Guggenheim Lab site.

August 24, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

The Kitchen Project

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I would imagine that cooking in the Kitchen Project – an actual kitchen in an apartment on West 67th St. in NYC — is a semi-surreal experience. With changing-color lighting, Cubist-feeling cabinets, and varying sound effects upon opening every door, this is not your mother’s (or father’s) kitchen. A collaborative project by artist Amy Yoes (commissioned by the client to create a kitchen that was a work of art and would give them the sense of living inside her video Rear-View Mirror) with Slade Architecture and Bronze Hill Inc.

The kitchen includes: LED lights that are programmed to cycle through the color spectrum at varying speeds; Stop-motion animations projected within the cabinetry; and cabinet doors and drawers that trigger amplified sounds when opened (see this short video to see it in action.)

Photos: Amy Yoes and Annie Schlechter for The World of Interiors

August 24, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Playtype Concept Store

This is one of the many reasons I think I’d really like Copenhagen. My impression from afar is that everything there is designy. I mean, a whole store dedicated to type? That’s a graphic designer’s dream come true.

Playtype is an online type foundry established by the Danish design firm e-Types. The Playtype concept store was launched in unison with the redesign of their site back in December. The store is a physical manifestation of the online shop and includes type-themed products such as t-shirts, posters, laptop covers, mugs and, of course, fonts which are loaded onto specially designed USB flash drives that resemble a credit card. The store features oversized type on the window and walls (love that!) as well as a neon sign with Playtype in large lit letters.

If you’re planning a visit to Copenhagen, it definitely looks worth checking out. But hurry because the store is scheduled to close at the end of 2011.

via Typojungle

August 23, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Chaz Maviyane-Davies

I don’t know how it’s possible, but this is the first I’ve heard of Chaz Maviyane-Davies. Thanks to an article I came across on AIGA’s website, I am no longer in the dark.

Originally from Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), Chaz Maviyane-Davies knows what it’s like to grow up as a second-class citizen in a racist state. As soon as he was able, he left his country for Switzerland to study art and design. Going back and forth to Africa at different times in his life, Maviyane-Davies studied and worked in several countries including Japan, Malaysia and London. It was London in the 70s that he cites as responsible for “opening his eyes creatively.” “That’s when I started to identify graphic design as a nonpartisan discipline that could help to bring about change. It doesn’t only belong to capitalism or anybody. But you’ve got to be astute how you connect culturally with your audience.”

There are designers who have a gift for type and then there are those that have the gift of story-telling or message-relaying in one powerful image. In a very different style, James Victore comes to mind. Though Chaz Maviyane-Davies is clearly talented at both, he is a superstar at the latter. His are smart, sometimes disturbing, in-your-face and to-the-point images that deal with everything from social, environmental and health awareness, to politics and human rights. The type is almost superfluous.

See more here.

via AIGA

August 22, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Wendy Stevens: Stainless Steel Handbags

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Wendy Stevens has been designing handbags since the 80s but I had never seen bags like hers before last week at the NYIGF. It may be hard to appreciate in these photos, but you’ll have to take my word for it, these bags are very cool. A little out of my price range, but they are clearly top quality. Made of stainless steel (in most cases perforated or engraved with interesting and attractive patterns) with leather components, these bags have a contemporary urban feel to them. They are hand fabricated and apparently very durable. There are clutches, satchels, totes and more. I’m a fan!

Available on Wendy Stevens’ website.

August 19, 2011 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Lang/Baumann: Inflatables

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Sabina Lang (originally from Berne, Germany) and Daniel Baumann (originally from San Francisco) have been living and collaborating in Burgdorf, Switzerland since 1990.

Known for many different, usually, large-scale works that include Op-art wall and floor murals and mid-air hanging staircases, here we are focusing on a few of their latest inflatable sculptures/installations from the past couple of years.

From top to bottom:
Comfort #4 (Motiers); Comfor t#4 Paris, part of Nuit Blanche; Comfort #8, Warsaw; Comfort #3, Barcelona.

You can see much more of their work on their website.

August 19, 2011 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

Marc Moser: Sea Pink

When I stumbled across this sculpture by Swiss artist Marc Moser for this summer’s Sculpture on the Sea exhibit in Aarhus, Denmark, it made me smile. Clever from its concept through to its punny name: Sea Pink. It’s pop art at its best; huge, oversized sunglasses at the beach with pink tinted lenses that allow the viewer to see, well, “sea pink.”

Here’s a short video to see it from all angles:

UPDATE: Here is a link to Marc Moser’s website.

Photos by Darren Staples, Anders Hede and Kroptimal

August 18, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Ronit Judelman: Games People Play

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Of Polish Jewish origin, born in Paris, and currently residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ronit Judelman (a clinical psychologist and second-generation Holocaust survivor in addition to being an artist) focuses on the paradoxical nature of society and specifically as it pertains to the horrors of war. In her series Weapons of Mass Destruction: Games People Play, Judelman juxtaposes toys with weapons “to highlight the paradox of using war to achieve peace [she] combined children’s toys, which stand for safety, innocence and fun, with adult weapons, which symbolize aggression, deviance and cruelty.” As a result, the works are a bit unsettling and quite powerful.

From top to bottom:
Crayons; Bim Bum Bombs (cast from a mold of a WWII British four-inch mortar bomb); Baby Doll; Ring a Ring a Rosey; Guns

August 17, 2011 by collabcubed - 6 Comments

Richard Sweeney: Pleated Paper Coolness

English artist Richard Sweeney concentrated on the hands-on manipulation of paper to create design models in his studies which ultimately developed into sculptural pieces. He now combines hand-craft with computer aided design and CNC manufacturing techniques, maintaining an experimental approach to discovering unique sculptural forms. Pretty amazing.

You can see more here.

August 16, 2011 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Patricia Piccinini: Vespa Art

When we were in Istanbul a couple of weeks ago, we happened upon the Arter gallery showing an exhibit of Patricia Piccinini’s work. Patricia Piccinini – in addition to having a great name (I think it’s the extra “ni” that makes it especially delightful) – is an Australian artist who works in several styles and mediums. One of these is a Vespa-inspired series of sculptures.

These wide-eyed and appealing deer-like creatures are molded by an automotive modeler using ABS plastic, automotive paint, stainless steel, leather, and rubber tires, of course. They represent Piccinini’s thoughts on machines behaving as animals; taking on a personality. We as humans are sometimes scared by their autonomy and our lack of control over them.

From top to bottom and left to right:
Thicker than Water; The Stags (x2); Thicker than Water; The Lovers; The Nest (x3).

August 15, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks

I’m figuring that this has been around for a bit, being that I just heard it nominated on NPR for best song of the summer, but it’s new to me. Foster the People is an LA band and, at least in this song (Pumped Up Kicks), they sound, to me, like a blend of MGMT and Peter, Bjorn & John down to the whistling segment. Very catchy. Very boppy. But if you listen to the lyrics, it’s not quite as lighthearted as it sounds.

August 15, 2011 by collabcubed - 3 Comments

Porcelain Cleaning Bottle Vases

Ever wish that your Joy dishwashing detergent bottle, or your Lysol disinfectant bottle could be used as a vase? No, me neither. But I have to admit that when I saw Middle Kingdom Porcelain’s new line of colorful porcelain cleaning product bottles at the NYIGF this weekend, I loved them. They have a matte finish that I like but may give some, more sensitive people, chills to the touch. They’re fun and funny and instantly made me think of Claudio Bravo’s still lifes.

They’re not on Middle Kingdom’s website just yet, but I’m sure they’ll have info on them soon.

August 15, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Ark Nova: Kapoor & Isozaki

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This looks quite spectacular! World renowned artist and architect Anish Kapoor and Arata Isozaki, respectively, have teamed up to create Ark Nova, a mobile concert hall. An initiative of the Lucerne Festival and Kajimoto Music, the idea behind the unit is to bring hope through music to those who are living with the after effects of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan this year.

The concert hall can be easily transported, making it possible to visit many locations within the devastated area. The structure, designed by Kapoor, will be inflatable and made of elastic material. The concert hall will bring many kinds of music and dance performances associated with the Lucerne Festival and will be supported by sponsors making it free for all.

via designboom

August 15, 2011 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

We Make Carpets

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The Dutch design trio that form the collective We Make Carpets are Marcia Nolte, Stijn van der Vleuten and Bob Waardenburg. Together, they have made a series of contemporary interpretations of the centuries-old medium. Their most recent carpets are presently hanging at the Graphic Design Museum in Breda, the Netherlands, made up of over 30,000 clothespins (see top four photos.) Previously, We Make Carpets have used everyday objects such as paperclips, pasta, bandaids, plastic forks, toy soldiers, and bricks, just to name a few, to make carpets of mostly large-scale dimensions.

If you’re in the Netherlands, the exhibit in Breda will be up through August 28th. If, like me, you’re nowhere near there, there’s always their site.

August 12, 2011 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Regine Schumann: Art that Glows

German artist Regine Schumann lives and works in Cologne. Her most recently exhibited installation was Dreamteam last month at Art Santa Fe 2011. In this collaboration with Alberto Frei, Schumann combined fluorescent acrylic spheres with a grid of compelling black & white photographic portraits in a black box environment (top four photos.)

In all of her installations and works, Regine Schumann plays with color, transparency and light. Most of her work — from translucent acrylic or glass pieces to flexible plastic woven works — is typically displayed under black light creating an aura or glow around each piece and onto the nearby surfaces. In some cases where fluorescent works are involved, they emit enough of a radiant quality that allows them to be displayed in normal daylight.

You can see more of Schumann’s work here.