Click to enlargeBerlin-based, Taiwanese artist Jennis Li Cheng Tien’s online personal project Have a Nice Day is a work in progress where she takes lost images from the internet and reprocesses them with digital filters distorting them to create somewhat eerie and ethereal images. A very interesting effect, I think.
You can see more of the Have a Nice Day series here, and more of Li Cheng Tien’s other artwork here.
Sentinels made from found junk or garbage are the essence behind Junky Projects, a street art crusade around the streets of Melbourne, Australia. A reminder to the public that creating excess waste will come back to haunt them in the future.
Truthfully, they are more cute than menacing. It was hard to pick which ones to post because I liked them all.
I love this collection of table accessories and lamps from d.lab, a workshop created by the Design Incubation Centre in Singapore for material exploration. The collection is titled the Objects Around the Tablescape and combines Corian, maple and balau wood as well as copper and Delrin in some of the pieces. Simple and beautiful.
Check out the rest here.
via Abitare
Calling all type lovers! I had the priviledge of hearing Doug Wilson, the director and producer of the upcoming documentary Linotype, speak at the BrandPerfect conference I attended a few days ago. He gave us a little history on the, now almost extinct, Linotype machine, as well as showed us the trailer and additional clips. Doug likes to put it this way: “The Linotype machine was basically the Twitter of the 1880s.”
Below is the trailer and you can follow screening locations and all other news on the film’s site, as well as help support the project by buying things in the shop. The film is slated for release by the end of 2011. Looks like a good one.
Germany-based Turkish artist Ayse Erkmen has been creating interesting installations for years. She is currently exhibiting a piece called Plan B in the Turkish Pavillion at the Venice Biennale. Earlier this year she had a show, On Its Own, at Rampa in Istanbul that at its center featured the above, quite dramatic, orange seat belt installation, Easy Jet.
Erkmen is impressively prolific and all her work is worth a look, but above is a sampling.
You can see more of Ayse Erkmen’s work on her site as well as additional work at Rampa’s site.
via ArtAsiaPacific
Click on images to enlargeI’m a big fan of Rockaway. I’ve been going to the beaches there, off and on, for the past 20 years plus. I always felt that it was one of those New York City secrets that you only share with the closest of friends for fear that its greatness would be discovered by everyone and that would be the end of it. That said, it’s not the Hamptons or Montauk, and a few friends couldn’t get past the unpleasantness of the subway station or the environs on the 3- or 4-block walk to the beach. Oh, but the beach! White sand, clean water, nice waves and a boardwalk to boot, all within a 1-hour subway ride from Manhattan. I always knew that it was just a matter of time before the masses would see its value and appeal, and sure enough, first the surfers started coming several years back to the beach at 96th Street, and now the hipsters (I mean this in the best possible way) and their Brooklyn eateries have infiltrated the boardwalk and beyond. It seems that all it took was this video about Andrew Field and his Rockaway Taco venture that floated around the internet last winter, and one or two New York Times articles. So, just to be clear, I am happy to join in the Rockaway celebration, but I will also be honest and say (shown above) that it’s a funny place. Beautiful beach, but new and old architecture that leaves a lot to be desired, as well as a much needed (and currently underway) facelift for the subway stops. And, though all amenities from head to toe are at your fingertips – from the Keyfood to the Neurologist/Podiatrist office – it was definitely a nice surprise to show up last weekend at the 105th Street boardwalk burger stand and discover that it has been taken over by Caracas and Blue Bottle Coffee.
Click on images to enlarge.What was most suprising was to see the incredibly long line, wrapping around the corner at Rockaway Taco on 96th Street. The tacos are tasty but, personally, I’d rather spend that extra hour or two on the beach rather than on line. For relatively decent fare and definitely equally excellent drinks I suggest going to the less hip waterside restaurants on 92nd Street right on the bay side. If you can get past the exterior decor or the McDonald’s next door, both the new Thai Rock restaurant (previously the Lobster House) and the Bungalow Bar next door, have decks with seating right on the water and boats anchoring up the side. Definitely not a wait (for now, anyway) and there you get to eat waterside a hop, skip and a jump from the 90th Street subway stop. Shhh…let’s keep it between us.
Lastly, though I’m not sure how long a walk it would be over the Marine Pkwy Bridge, another nice option, is the Bay House in Rosedale. That might be best by bike or car.
One of the things I like most about NYC is that it is always changing and evolving, so I’m excited to see what the Rockaway of 5 years from now will be like, even if it means sharing the sand with more bodies.
Searching for specific things on Google images, time and time again I’m drawn to (and distracted from my search by) images that link back to baubauhaus.com, a website put together by two guys from Romania – Stefan Lucut and Andrei Don. Great name for a site and great content. These are just four posters from the Black and White section, but there’s so much more to see. It’s graphic designer heaven.
See it all here.
Continuing with time pieces, the On-Time wall clock – designed by Fabrica and manufactured by Diamantini & Domeniconi – fast forwards 3 minutes so you’re sure to get there, well, on time.
Available here.
via bblinks
Click to enlargeWhen it comes to design, Carlotta de Bevilacqua, along with the rest of her studio, apparently does it all: architecture; industrial; graphic; and lighting. Granted, it all stems back to the lighting, which, I might add, is quite spectacular: from the lamps and the illumination of interiors, to shops, exhibitions and beyond.
In an earlier post I had mentioned that some of Leo Villareal’s works had a Rothkoesque quality to them. Coming across Bevilacqua’s site, I discovered that she has designed a series of lamps for Artemide with a similar LED effect that are, in fact, titled Rothko and Rothko Terra! How amazing would it be to have one of these in your home?
But truly, everything on Milan-based Studio Carlotta de Bevilacqua’s site is quite beautiful. She has collaborated with Zaha Hadid on her installation Twirl for the Interni Mutant Architecture & Design exhibit (the three photos in the center) this past winter, as well as with architect Jean Nouvel on his proposed design for the New Qatar National Museum.
Bevilacqua has designed a bunch of Artemide and Euroluce showrooms, which are lovely, and several of which include the tracking of light embedded in the floor, walls and ceiling: a wonderful effect (see photos at the bottom).
Visit her site to see more lamps and projects.
Click to enlargeAustralian artist Ralf Kempken hand cuts stencils and screens from paper, acetate, canvas, timber, and sometimes even steel. In some cases he layers multiple stencils and in others he spray paints as well.
You can see more of Ralf Kempken’s incredible X-actoing skills and other work on his site as well as here.
Click to enlargeLiviana Osti, a design student in Trento, Italy, has a humorous approach to product design. This paper airplane cheese grater is a perfect example. It caught my eye and made me smile, but what I enjoyed as much as the fun design was her lovely documentation of the project, from start to finish. I always enjoy the sketches or blueprints of designers or architects and, for example, that’s a big part of the appeal of Christo’s art for me, but you rarely get to see that aspect of a project. Liviana has a nicely designed, flippable pdf of each project and though I’ve placed a few elements in the images above, I highly recommend that you visit her site if you enjoy that sort of thing the way I do.
Another one of her table accessory designs is a double carafe in the shape of the two heart ventricles; one to be filled with red wine, the other with water. Not as cute, but still clever.
via designakitchen
Click on images to enlargeA random collection of street art from las calles of Buenos Aires.
via scorbette37
Click to enlargeWe have secretly been following (and admiring) the work of cartonLAB for a while now. This ongoing workshop, run by the team at Moho Architects in collaboration with Ability Graphic Design, (both in Spain) has apparently grown into a permanent subdivision of Moho’s studio. Creating everything from exhibit displays for trade shows and stores, to furniture, kids’ play objects, club dj stands, lamps and more, all out of cardboard; these guys impress. Each design somehow seems to top the last, both in beauty and complexity. In addition, many of their displays and stands are designed with multiple configuration options.
cartonLAB’s constructions typically pack flat for easy transport, are relatively simple to assemble and, as we know, cardboard is not only economical but recyclable. The result: great, green design that won’t break the bank.
You can see more of cartonLAB’s work here, and more of Moho’s architecture work (including their beautiful entry for a dormitory building) here.
Click to enlargeThe three of us, over the past 6 years, have individually come across (and loved) the Come a Little Bit Closer bench by Droog. Little did we know that eventually we would have one of our very own! Well, actually it’s Em’s, but being that it will be placed in our living room, it feels very all-in-the-family. And we have the wonderful Rence (aka Richard) to thank for this: future architect; expert craftsman; and amazing friend.
Rence made the bench (top photo) based on Droog’s design (second photo) using leftover steel from his architecture classes. Hard to tell them apart, no? Are you as impressed as we are? This heavy and long (8ft!) finished bench was transported down from Ithaca, then carried across town a few days later (with a quick refueling stop midway), where the 60lbs of marbles were finally added and the gliding began. If you’re not familiar with the original design, the three discs act as seats that roll smoothly over the marbles. It’s surprisingly comfortable and definitely lots of fun! Thanks again, Rence, for the generous and beautiful gift. I mean for Em, of course…
Now, if we could only find someone to take the piano off our hands to make room for the bench.
Here’s a quick video of the bench in action.
There’s something about e1000ink’s ability to convert existing street objects, including abstract shapes caused by peeling paint or crumbling cement, into art that really appeals to me. It takes a special eye and sense of humor which he clearly possesses. The bottom three are from a series he calls 3D without Glasses.
Click images to enlargeNope, it’s not the latest Chuck Close painting. Instead, it’s the very cool Portrait Building designed by ARM architects in Melbourne, Australia and scheduled to be completed by 2014.
Part of construction group Grocon’s plan to transform the former Carlton Brewery site at the top end of Swanston Street into Melbourne’s newest urban living precinct, Portrait is a 32-story residential tower paying homage to Victoria’s indigenous heritage and first Australians. The façade features a portrait of indigenous leader, William Barak. The artwork for the Barak image was done by sculptor Peter Schipperheyn. The idea behind this, apart from the general coolness? To unite the city’s modern heritage with its ancient history.
It should be noted that Grocon completed construction on, and has since moved its offices to, yet another unique looking building, the Pixel Building (designed by Melbourne firm Studio 505), part of the same former Carlton Brewery site, and the country’s first carbon neutral office building. (See bottom right photo.) Impressively forward-thinking!
Jim Denevan, a California surfer and artist, makes temporary drawings on sand, earth, and ice that are eventually erased by waves and weather, often in less time than they took to create.
Beautiful and amazing!
via Colossal
Luxe Plates are stainless steel covers that stick onto the back of the iPhone 4 with a special removable adhesive. The art on the plate is etched out with a photochemical process. Pick one of several designs created by featured artists or create your own.
via bblinks
CollabCubed 