ID students at the Savannah College of Art & Design are currently engaged in a hands-on project with local relevance: Helping a nearby vacation destination, Tybee Island, reduce its water consumption to preserve a local aquifer. Vacationers flocking to Tybee's beaches have already found their beachside showers turned off, as the island undergoes a government-mandated reduction of water usage by 44,000 gallons a day.
To that end, SCAD students are devising systems to meet Tybee's needs using rainwater, bamboo, and even Astroturf:
Casper Krouse, a senior in industrial design, showed off a waterless sand-removal system Thursday. He and his classmates had lashed together a mat of bamboo poles wrapped intermittently with reclaimed artificial grass. "It's a passive way to clean your feet," he said.
...The students have identified methods to collect, filter and store enough rainwater to serve the showers at North Beach. Some of their ideas are tried and true, such as using the roof of the existing bathroom facility to collect rainwater. Others are new, at least to this area, such as a living filtration system that uses large planters filled with sand, gravel, peat moss and live plants to clean up gray water from sinks and showers for re-use in toilets or landscaping.
Students are due to publicly present their designs today, with Tybee City Council reviews slated for the near future. Read all about it here.
Life.com has a new photo gallery up curated by guest editor Mark Frauenfelder, the founder of BoingBoing, offering his insights on ID grandaddy Raymond Loewy. Called "The Man Who Designed America," the gallery features shots of good ol' Ray-Ray designing everything from Studebakers to Skylab, and making the most of his big-pimpin' lifestyle, from dune buggy driving to his macktastic and self-designed Palm Springs crib.
They say the worst thing you can do to a painter is to examine their latest work and say, "Very nice...is it finished?"
It's true that artists and designers, after finally settling on a concept to pursue, can spend forever tweaking it into its arbitrarily finished form. Tel Aviv-based furniture brand Godspeed takes this into account, and goes in the other direction: They only design furniture for one hour. Not one hour at a time, one hour total.
Godspeed developed itself as a statement on contemporary design. An unorthodox mentality and choice of unconventional materials opposed to the high style and form based world of design resulted in a conceptual designing company with a down to earth approach.
Godspeed makes furniture in a one-hour time frame.
Eliminating the sketching phase and producing every piece by themselves, Godspeed became a very unconventional designer's brand.
...The usage of raw, scrap materials and the recognition and awareness of decay, on both materials and products, upgrade the value to the purchasers' lifestyle.
Though less than a year old, Godspeed has already held exhibitions in Taiwan, Sweden, Estonia, and Italy, in addition to its homebase of Israel. Check out their stuff here.
Launched earlier this month at art-store/concept-shop Golden Age, The Incredible Journey that is Consciousness is a limited-run book by Chicagoans Alex Fuller and Gabe Usadel, that "invites each reader to interpret a landscape of symmetries, simplicities and geometric structures."
Squares, circles and triangles are at the core of what makes the industrial world around us. A universal visual language apparent in all things--the tools we use, the fashion we wear, the buildings we live in and the communications we see.
Inspired by Kandinsky, Mondrian, Lissitzky, and Albers, the book explores the compositional potential of three primary forms and colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, circle, square, triangle) through a series of offset color prints, inviting each reader to "interpret a landscape of symmetries, simplicities and geometric structures."
Only 500 prints of this art-zine were made, so order your copy for just $10.00 from Golden Age, who are also selling super-limited edition prints and posters related to the publication.
Casio furthers its shockproof line of products with two new devices: The Exilim G1, an extremely thin digital camera meant to take a beating, and their all-black Gulfman watch model.
The zoom on the former doesn't extend, reducing the chances you'll bust the lens if you drop it, and the buttons and dials are sized and placed for operating with gloves on, for cold conditions.
The latter features rust-proof titanium screws and has a neat, auto-on electroluminescent feature in its face: Tilt the watch towards you, and the backlight kicks in. Also comes in the slick brushed-metal tin pictured above, for fans of the type of packaging design that you hang onto rather than tossing.
That there is the Brussels-based collective LAb[au]'s new project/installation, the unwieldily-named "f5x5x5." The quartet of creatives behind LAb[au], Manuel Abendroth, Jerome Decock, Alexandre Plennevaux and Els Vernang, examine "the transformation of architecture and spatio-temporal structures in accordance to the technological progress within a practice entitled 'MetaDeSIGN.' Metadesign [meta = information about information] displayes the theme of space-constructs relative to information processes - architecture as code."
Okay. Ready for the project description?
The f5x5x5 sculpture is a kinetic and luminous framework conceived and realised by LAb[au]. In software development, a framework is a methodological tool based on re-usable chunks of code, code libraries or other software pieces to assist, to develop and to glue together the different components of a software project. In regards to the f5x5x... installation the term 'framework' refers to the installation's constituting elements, a raster of fix and kinetic aluminum frames.
The installation title indicates the resolution instructing the numbers of modules used such f5x5x1 equal one module up to f5x5x5 equal 5 modules.
Further 'framework' refers to the multiple operating modes of the installation, from a low resolution display to a generative and interactive sculpture. Consequently the term 'framework' can be understood as a way to manage conceptually and technically the sculpture's sequential operating modes and the rules by which they switch from one mode to another.
I have to admit that after reading the abstract I'm none the wiser...but ooh, lookitit!
The 1963 Split-Window Coupe is one of the more rare Corvettes you'll have trouble finding and has a design feature that didn't last, primarily because it neatly blocked the sightline of the rearview mirror. In a sense the design was ahead of its time, meaning if it could be combined with today's rearview cameras, rather than mirrors, then the split window wouldn't be a problem.
GM's latest back-to-the-future Corvette concept is toying with bringing back the split window. In the following World of Car Fans video, it's nice to see GM design veep Ed Welburn introducing the car, as the man is clearly in love with the design:
Incidentally, for a look at a cool usage of rearview cameras, check out Popular Mechanics' description of the three they rigged up (two replacing the side mirrors) for their "Eco-Muscle" project, where they attempt to turn a beastly Dodge Challenger into a green machine while maintaining the muscle.
Each little camera is only 1-in. in diameter, but delivers a 120-degree wide angle image. We mounted one in the center of the rear spoiler pointing straight back and one at the leading edge of each side window, angled to give a clear view of traffic. The three cameras all feed to a 7-in. rectangular screen that shows the scene from all three simultaneously....
Fellina Sok-Cham's killer bamboo serving tray with inset bamboo saucers and little Modernist spoons that nest in the cups is a great way to serve espresso, tea, or desserts. The dishwasher-safe set is also a surprisingly affordable 45 bucks at the MoMA store (or $36 for those of you who've shelled out to be members).
David J. Irwin, a product and furniture designer based in Newcastle Upon Tyne (and who we featured here prior to London Design Week 2007), just sent us his latest project: The Aluminum Stacker. The three-legged aluminum chair provides a stable ground on uneven surfaces. To stack, the back leg simply slots through the perforated seat pan. Here, Irwin describes how it was made:
The main components of the chair (the back rest and seat ring) have been produced through the process of sand casting and are bonded to extruded flat sided oval tube, creating an extremely strong joint without the need for welding. The chair has been nylon coated in order to combat the wear on the back leg when stacking, as the process provides a much more durable and abrasion resistant finish than standard powder coatings. The nylon is a renewable resource, based on castor oil rather than petroleum and when applied provides a finish which is warm to the touch.
Though not as new, we love his equally as ingenious Timber Stackers, which rely on a bent and laminated form for its stacking power.
As you can gather from the photos, what you see here is no ordinary bicycle: Argentinian designer Pablo Lopez's "Pardo" concept (short for guepardo, or cheetah in Spanish) is designed to place the rider in a posture resembling that of its namesake animal.
Power is delivered to the single rear wheel via pedals, but not of the rotating variety; the rider is meant to hunch and straighten his body, pressing down on both pedals during extension, and a mechanism transfers that motion into rotating force, transferred to the wheel via chain.
The Pardo was designed as part of Innova 2009, an Argentinian government-backed exhibition designed to showcase that country's best creative minds. Since creativity was the priority, Lopez was free to design a vehicle for pure fun, unencumbered by having to worry about the practicalities of, say, a daily commute through car-choked streets.
Which is not to say the Pardo, which Lopez built a track-tested prototype of, doesn't have any practical considerations: Just as a cheetah curls up to go to sleep, the Pardo folds in half, reducing its footprint when not in use.
Who'da thunk the common mug could stand for so much improvement (or at least, variety)?
For the anal-retentive, the Tea-Code mug comes with a button to wind a teabag string around, keeping it out of your mouth when you sip.
The sliding rings on the Drink Selector Mug simplify your coffee order for that troublesome intern who keeps blathering about his degree from M.I.T., rather than focusing on what you're (not) paying him to do--fetch your joe correctly.
The Snap Cups can be affixed together by means of the integrated metal clothing snaps, though I'm not sure how easy these'd be to undo when filled with hot liquid.
The Carabiner Mug is presumably not meant for you to hang from while mountain climbing, but do provide a handy way to hang the mug off the back of your backpack, which will tempt your camping buddies to drop dead bugs into it whenever you're not looking.
These days many of us order products online rather than trek out to a store. Once they arrive and you open the box, the first thing you do is remove what they're packaged with: shredded paper, plastic airbags, foam peanuts, and/or those little packets that say SILICA GEL - DO NOT EAT. (I find that the latter actually go down fine, though sometimes I need to chase them with a bit of coffee.) Then whatever packaging you haven't eaten usually goes in the garbage.
Dell's latest environmental effort is to pack their computers with cushioning made from bamboo, which can then be recycled in the corrugated cardboard waste stream:
Dell is implementing a computer packaging plan that will result in estimated savings of more than $8 million and the elimination of approximately 20 million pounds of packaging material over the next four years.
...Dell says bamboo is preferable to [standard packaging] materials because it grows fast, at up to 24 inches a day, and is strong enough to protect equipment during transit.
The company grows their bamboo in China's Jiangxi province in a forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which sounds like a laborious process; I think it would be easier to harvest by wresting it from the mouths of baby pandas. But whatever, they're a multi-national corporation, I'm sure they know what they're doing.
Now you both can have some peace while you read War & Peace in complete darkness. And if the night-vision-green color starts to get old, there's also a black-and-white option, so you won't feel like you're reading Tolstoy while playing Splinter Cell.
By the bye, the UK-based company that sells these will not ship to the U.S.A. All part of a British plot to foment American marital unrest, if you ask me.
I often joke that my lawyer friend Logan's stories are so boring, hospitals could use him as a powerful anaesthetic and sleep aid. I've never had any problems sleeping at night, but if I did I'd record one of his "amusing anecdotes" and put the iPod on repeat by the end table.
One person who did have trouble sleeping at night was Kate Evans, who suffered from insomnia and designed a solution while studying product design at the UK's University of Central Lancashire. The resultant device, the LightSleeper, is currently in the production process and will be available for sale next year.
What's interesting is how the thing works:
LightSleeper is a very clever device that projects a soothing light on the ceiling. The light moves in a circular motion above the bed. You follow the light with your eyes for a few minutes, and you begin to drift off.
...Why does this work? Following the light has the effect of relaxing the mind, a necessary prerequisite to entering a deep, refreshing sleep.
Learn more about the LightSleeper (or order one) here.
As I mentioned in Solutions to stairs, part 2, I needed to build a staircase to access a legacy storage loft in my place.
I looked at books like Andy Engels' "Building Stairs" before realizing that the conventional route of cutting stair stringers (pictured above) was a no-go for me, because my budget was exactly zero dollars and I couldn't afford the 2x12s or even 2x10s. But I did have a crapload of other lumber, mostly 2x4s and 2x6s of various length, and tons of plywood scraps, in the studio. Some was left behind by set builders, others I picked up off the street.
So I've started building a staircase out of the leftover lumber by building three touching two-by frames of increasing height, basically like giant stairs, and stacking smaller plywood-template stair units on top. It's made with simple butt joints and pocket screws in the plywood for added strength.
While building these, I realized one problem was space. I figured a width of two feet was the minimum I could still safely use to carry things up the stairs without looking at my feet, but that's two less feet of room I'd then have in the room. Plus the staircase would be displacing a wall of Ikea bookcases. If the stairs were going to take up that much space, they were going to have to earn their keep as cabinets.
but for books it's an impractical design, due to orientation: I don't have any books that are two feet deep, so if I arranged them with the spines level with the side of the staircase, there would be much wasted space behind; if I pushed them all the way back against the wall underneath the stairs, anything stored in front of the books would obscure them from view.
Luckily I had some full-extension drawer slides lying around, and I settled on using them and building drawer boxes to hold the books. Having the books tucked away on a slide has the added benefit of keeping the dust off of them--nothing is more unpleasant than cracking open a favorite tome in bed, and spending the next 30 seconds having a sneezing fit--and I can still see the titles when I need to by pulling them out.
As you can see it's a work in progress, still in very rough shape, but perhaps I'll post more photos as it becomes finished.
My place's previous tenant built and left a storage loft, which I have been accessing with a ladder for the past year (another reason why I was looking at this fascinating telescoping ladder). But it's difficult carrying heavy boxes up a ladder, and as the loft sat mostly unused while stuff piled up underneath it, I realized I was going to have to build a staircase.
The problem is that stairs take up a lot of space, and I had a hard time justifying giving up that space for something I'd only use occasionally; the loft is only big enough to store boxes, not serve as a room in its own right, so I'd be using the stairs perhaps twice a month.
What would be ideal is if the stairs somehow neatly disappeared when they weren't being used. I remembered seeing these neat fold-away stairs on all of the movie trailers that invade Manhattan every few weeks, and did some research into them.
Called scissor steps or camper steps and initially designed for RV's, they use simple scissoring mechanics to fold and unfold. They're manufactured by two companies seem to dominate the market, Oregon-based Step-Up Products and Canada's Victoria Industries Limited, which makes the ominously-named Hijacker line of foldaways.
The components are made from aluminum for the sake of weight--everything on an RV is designed to be as light as possible, to save on fuel--and some have a "double bar" design (pictured below, sorry about the crappy image), where the horizontals are comprised of two parallel bars for ridigity, which starts to become an issue when you go beyond two or three steps. The grip on the horizontal surfaces is provided by diamond-plate or the standard non-slip tread you see on skateboards.
These designs max out at 6 steps at a height of 48 inches, which meant I would unfortunately not be able to use them; my loft is about 7.5 feet tall. Stay tuned for Part 3 to see what I came up with instead.
I was never a Doctor Who fan, but I remember one of my friends going on a tirade against the prop designers responsible for the Dalek, the show's all-powerful alien race--all of whom looked like low-budget garbage cans with wheels. "It's ridiculous," said my friend. "They're supposed to be the most powerful race in the universe, and they can't even go up stairs."
After repeatedly schlepping some back-breakingly heavy equipment up the stairs to my studio, I did some research to see how technology had advanced since the advent of the Dalek. Surely by now someone must have developed a machine that carries heavy things up the stairs and doesn't require you to install an expensive track.
As you can see it's not quite an autonomous robot (which my robophobic self appreciates), it's more of a handtruck with an automated hydraulic piston system. The thing will haul up to 140kg, about 308 pounds, and only requires one operator. It also costs around US $4,000, not counting the training sessions required to learn how to operate the thing safely, which means I won't be getting one for my studio. I, like the prop designers of the Dalek, am sadly beholden to budget constraints.
This work comes from the IDEA course Experimental Connections, taught by Barak Asher. The class focused on "the many potential technologies and materials that can be reassembled to create new meanings" and then asked students to develop their own connections through a process of physical exploration.
Pictured above are "Pinch" by Emi Schenkelback (researching the effect of metal pins on a soft textile), "Squashed and Broken" by Yuri Movshovich (embedding a polymer joint into wood) and "Slope" by Yuval Star (a balloon exploration of blowing glass into molds).
A lot more pics, projects and descriptions after the jump.
Chris Reilly and Taylor Hokanson, two Chicago-based artists who teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, have just completed the DIYLILCNC, an open-source set of plans to make a fully functional CNC mill for around $700.
This lil' guy is perfect for doing highly detailed three dimensional work on smaller scale objects like mechanical parts, circuitboards, and small sculptures. The machine can even make ink drawings, like this self portrait in ball point pen:
It's clear that Hokanson and Reilly's real interests go far beyond the build-out: their documentation is an open source gem, written so that others can replicate and understand what they've done. Their 65 page manual outlines everything from assembly to optimization.
As Reilly puts it, "building a DIYLILCNC is a great way to learn about the burgeoning field of digital fabrication; owning a DIYLILCNC is a great way to have personal access to the precision of a CNC device." He's right, of course, and it's all drawn up for us now.
Visit diylilcnc.org for more info or hit the jump for some milling samples.
We want you to write the description for this position. For lack of a better term, we'll call this a reverse job description. Your description should be perfectly tailored to you. This is your opportunity to inspire us. Paint a vivid picture of the kinds of skills and outputs that you, as a UX Designer would bring to our Minneapolis studio. (We do have to inject a bit of realism here. If you're unsure whether or not you qualify as a UX Designer, a quick Google search should provide some clarity).
Jurjen van Hulzen from Wurk, the Netherland design firm behind the It Hûske office furniture, brings us a new series of work-related furniture based on the classic pupil's desk.
The "recession-friendly" Wurkchair, pictured above, "adds a new function to already existing products, just by adjusting them or putting them in another context." The concept was born when the designers reversed their chair and sat down while trying to take down some notes.
Antilope, below, is a continuation of this gesture, but instead of making existing objects into "recession friendly" workspaces, it seeks to transform an existing icon of work furniture into a toy.
These don't seem to be online yet, but watch for them here.
This short film, sponsored by Chevrolet back in 1958, was made "In appreciation of the stylists of America, who work in lines, forms and textures and colors to give to us beauty, charm and elegance in the conveniences, comforts and necessities of our daily living." Called "American Look," it highlights the best automotive, industrial, interior and architectural design that 1958 had to offer.
Part 1 is about eight minutes long; it's a Friday, so you can probably squeeze this in if the boss isn't right behind you. Enjoy!
(If the boss takes a long lunch, here's Part II and Part III.)
The act of loading film into an SLR, or even just changing the lens, makes you more intimate with the object; by popping it open you see all this delicate stuff inside that looks like you shouldn't spill coffee on it. But nowadays the cameras most of us interact with are just sleek little bricks, and the best interior peek you'll have is a glimpse of the grim little slot for the SD card, about as revealing as a North Korean military PR spokesperson.
Columbia University's Computer Vision Labaratory is testing out a product called the BigShot, a digital camera intended to be taken apart and assembled by children, in order to remind them that yeah, someone actually designed and built this thing.
They say kids are getting smarter each generation, and I hope that's true; after looking at the online assembly instructions, I'm not even sure I could put one of these together. Am digging the concept though.
The BigShot was developed by Shree K. Nayar, Columbia's Comp-Sci Chair, leading a team of undergrad and grad students.
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK 2009
PRAGUE DESIGN DAYS 2009
LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2009
GIZMODO GALLERY 2009
EUROBIKE 2009
MAKER FAIRE AFRICA
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL GIFT FAIR
ISTANBUL DESIGN WEEKEND 2009
BAUHAUS SUMMER SCHOOL 2009
