Long known for its nightlife and for being the unequivocal home of the cocktail—or, at the very least, the Manhattan—New York has slowly come up as a hub for the microbrew movement. With renowned leaders like Brooklyn Brewery paving the way for other craft enthusiasts, the city boasts…
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A couple weeks ago, I was curious to read yet another article about the much-heralded 3D printer revolution, “Crystal Ball Gazing: Amazon and 3D Printing.” Only later did I realize that my skepticism from the outset betrayed my own confirmation bias that any remotely bibliocentric 3D printing story is based on the fallacious premise that ABS extruders will someday be as commonplace as inkjet printers. I happen to share TechCrunch columnist Jon Evans’ opinion that additive manufacturing will not reprise the rise of 2D printing:
3D printing is not just 2D printing with another dimension added on. Yes, the names are very similar, but their uses are not even remotely analogous. We may reasonably conclude, therefore, that 1) 3D printing will not recapitulate the history of 2D printing, 2) as soon as you make an argument along those lines you lose all credibility and look like an idiot.
Evans’ rant is a fair assessment to be sure, but it has little to do with the gist of the opinion piece, which postulated that Amazon is uniquely positioned to pioneer an on-demand 3D printing business model. VC Theodore F. di Stefano writes:
I’m not sure if Amazon would venture into manufacturing, but we do have a new industrial revolution on our hands today… Why would Amazon be interested in 3D printing? My guess that Amazon might be interested is because it is currently adding warehouses throughout the United States with a not-so-long-term goal of being able to offer same-day delivery to its customers. With warehouses strategically located throughout the country, it would be able to set up 3D printing facilities within them, thus making three-dimensional products (manufactured products) conveniently available to major population centers.
From the outset, di Stefano clearly states that he admires Amazon not for selling boatloads of books but for extending its business model to include virtually every consumer product imaginable, and for investing in physical infrastructure in kind, citing their network of warehouses as a viable spaces for local fabrication. Jeff Bezos’ billion-dollar idea, after all, has far surpassed its original domain of books, and as a web company that deals in physical inventory, Amazon’s economy of scale marks a unique opportunity for distributing 3D-printed white label products… assuming, of course, it’s profitable. This, of course, is di Stefano’s hypothesis, where Amazon is less a bastion for publishing (2D or three) and more a massive online marketplace.
And to bring the argument full circle, design veteran Kevin Quigley actually made a similar point in an excellent essay contra blind optimism regarding 3D printing for the masses (which I’ve referred to before). Quigley recapitulates a personal history of digital fabrication to arrive at the conclusion that 3D printing will never be efficient (read: inexpensive) enough to come anywhere near the adoption rates of 2D printers. Rather, he speculates that the technology might be best suited for a megaretailer like IKEA… reaffirming di Stefano’s case for Amazon.
Yet Evans’ point stands: “…use cases, adoption rates, economic impact, etc., will be nothing like those of the 2D printers you know and love (or, more likely, hate). Yes, even though the names are so similar… please stop using that ridiculous and thoroughly inaccurate analogy.” In this sense, Amazon’s unmatched scale is precisely why it doesn’t make sense for them to pursue 3D printing, which is far more suited to small batches of niche or otherwise custom production runs. A far-reaching distribution network is not perquisite… rather, accessibility is paramount.
Which leads us back to Phillip Torrone’s suggestion that we ought to “rebuild and retool public libraries and make ‘TechShops,'” per the title of a March 2011 blogpost on Make. “To me, public libraries—the availability of free education for all—represent the collective commitment of a community to their future… a commitment to educating the next generation. [As such,] the role of a public library should also adapt over time, and that time is finally here.” While reality has been slow to catch on—Make subsequently noted that Cleveland listened, as did Reno; we recently reported on Adelaide following suit—it’s worth reading, as Torrone certainly makes a very thorough argument for repurposing the public stronghold of the printed word.
The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education and ForYourArt initiative are working with a series of artists to create pieces for Arts Matter, a campaign to support arts education in the city’s Unified School District. Barbara Kruger’s bus wraps and billboards are the first works to be unveiled…
Kruger’s, piece, School Bus, will be applied to a fleet of city buses with two other outdoor works also appearing in Los Angeles. The citywide public art exhibition and fundraising campaign aim to revitalise arts education in the second largest public school system in the US.
“Arts education is critical for helping students develop creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving abilities,” says LA Fund chair, Megan Chernin. “In a district with nearly 80% of our student population living in poverty, in the heart of the world’s creative capital, it is our imperative to ensure our public school students have the resources they need to prepare them for college and their careers.”
Photograph by Waltarrrrr
“The artist’s project for Arts Matter, rendered in Kruger’s signature style, addresses directly and urgently the importance of education, especially in the arts,” say the FYA.
“Kruger’s statement, ‘Art is as heavy as sorrow, as light as a breeze, as bright as an idea…’ emphasises the fluid nature of art. At the same time, [she] stresses that art remains a crucial, indispensible part of a successful educational system. School Bus also references an earlier bus wrap Kruger created for New York City’s Public Art Fund in 1997.”
Photograph by Waltarrrrr
Photograph by Waltarrrrr
Twelve city buses and nearly 85 artwork billboards, bus shelters, wallpostings, mall media, and bulletins will provide Arts Matter with exhibition space. The public art project will continue in the months of January, March, and July 2013.
More on Art Matters at lafund.org/#artsmatter.
Creative Producer: Bettina Korek. Producer: Karen Constine. Production, Artwork: Chip Leavitt / Lumiere Graphic Design. Campaign: Julia Luke. Thanks: Zenithmedia, Stacy Bach, CBS Outdoor, Emi Fontana, Alex Israel, Patricia Kennedy, Alex Miller, Claire de Dobay Rifelj, Sarah Williams and METRO
Coup de coeur pour le talent du jeune photographe Lukas Kozmus originaire de Berlin. Il a réalisé plusieurs longs voyages en Inde, au Népal ou encore en Indonésie. Ce dernier en a profité pour réaliser des séries et des clichés magnifiques à découvrir dans la suite de l’article et dans la galerie.
The post News: Zaha Hadid to design
Japan National Stadium appeared first on Dezeen.
Taking its distinctive look from the timeless topcoat, the double-breasted Caisson jacket from Salence offers a unique look for hitting the slopes. The fully lined wool and polyester blend coat is both breathable and waterproof, with quilted insulation to keep you warm on even the coldest days. While it…
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Danish architecture studio CEBRA has revealed a proposal for a snowflake-shaped ski dome that would be the biggest in the world, with three kilometres of slopes arching over a river in the Danish city of Randers.
Designed by CEBRA for the ski travel agency Danski, Skidome Denmark would have six indoor and two outdoor slopes on its three centrally connected arches, which resemble a six-armed snowflake.
If constructed, each arch would stretch 700 metres across the river Gudenåen, with the highest arch rising 110 metres above the ground. The biggest ski dome in the world at present is in Dubai – but at 22,500 square metres, Ski Dubai would be easily eclipsed by the 70,000 square metre Skidome Denmark if it goes ahead.
Unlike most indoor ski slopes, which tend to be built with few or no windows, the Skidome would have a perforated facade to give skiers a view over the surrounding river and meadows.
The topography of the six slopes is based on the most popular pistes of the Alpe d’Huez ski resort in France, but the architects say the slopes could be altered over time to give skiers a different experience on each visit.
The Skidome is also intended to be a useful addition to the city’s wider infrastructure. ”We have placed and designed the ski dome over the river to connect the different neighborhoods in the town of Randers,” said Danksi representative Simon Oscar Andersen. “Actually, we give a whole lot to the city – the world’s biggest ski dome, and a whole new connection across the river, which solves a lot of infrastructural problems for the city.”
The Skidome would also offer facilities for skateboarding and BMXing, as well as a landscaped park on the roof.
Earlier this year we reported on CEBRA’s proposal for a science and technology centre full of curving green ramps inside a former mineral water bottling plant in Copenhagen.
Images are from CEBRA.
See all our stories about winter sports »
See all our stories from Denmark »
Here’s some more information from the architects:
Danish architecture practice CEBRA has designed Skidome Denmark – a vision for the world’s biggest ski dome in the city of Randers for ski travelling agency Danski. The proposal offers over 3 km of indoor and outdoor slopes, freestyle park, hotel, restaurant and shops, covering a total area of 100.000 m2.
CEBRA’s ambitious proposal consists of three centrally connected arches, which resemble the basic shape of a six-armed snowflake. The arches each span 700 m across the river Gudenåen and the top arch’s highest point rises 110 m over ground, creating a distinctive landmark for the entire region, bringing a piece of the Alps to Denmark.
The basic idea of Skidome Denmark is to share and pass on the joy of skiing to the Danes by creating spectacular indoor facilities that bring skiers as close as possible to the experience of hurtling down a mountain side in the Alps. In order to meet this ambition, the architects have been inspired reversely, so to speak. Most ski domes around the world are designed from the inside with no or very few windows. However, an essential part of the skiing experience consists in being able to enjoy the surrounding scenery. The proposal’s high-rise composition of three arches combined with a filigree façade structure allows for spectacular views over Randers and the river-meadow area.
Skidome Denmark brings, quite literally, a piece of the Alps to Denmark: The slopes are developed in association with Alpe d’Huez ski resort in France, and the gradients are copied directly from the most popular pistes. The arches contain a total of six slopes with real snow and varying degrees of difficulty, so that skiers of all ages will be able to find challenges according to skills and experience. Every piste has its own chair lift and the three arches are conjoint by an elevator for transporting skiers between the different levels. In order to ensure variation in the landscape over time, it is possible to transform the pistes’ topography, providing visitors with a different experience each time they visit the ski dome.
Besides its primary function as a ski park, the vision for Skidome Denmark is designed to form an addition to Randers’ infrastructure, connecting the city across the natural barrier formed by the river Gudenåen. It is the aim of the concept that the dome can be used and enjoyed by everyone – any time of the day, any time of the year. Thus, the arches’ exterior roof surfaces are an integrated part of the design equal to the interior ski slopes. The top arch’s roof offers two black pistes, allowing outdoor skiing even during the summer. The middle arch is shaped like an urban playground with street sport facilities for skateboarding, BMX etc., while the bottom arch has a green landscape roof, which like a raised city park invites to a wide range of leisure activities.
Name: Skidome Denmark
Commission: Private
Client:  Danski
Type: Conceptual proposal
Location: Randers, DK
Area:  100,000 m2
Max. capacity: 3000 guests
Facilities: 6 indoor and 2 outdoor ski slopes (total length of 3020 m), 1 freestyle park
Hotel, restaurant, bar, shops
Public street sports park and green park
The post Skidome Denmark
by CEBRA appeared first on Dezeen.
Google have created an interactive 3D star map that beautifully visualises the location of 100,000 stars in our galaxy.
In another Chrome experiment, Google have taken star data from various sources including the European Space Agency, the Department of Astronomy at Yale, and Astronomy Nexus to create an interactive visualisation of the stars of our galaxy. The map shows 100,000 stars in total, with detailed information on 87 different identified stars, such as Aldebaran and Gamma Leonis, shown below.
The 3D map includes the option to pan, zoom and scroll through the different stars, as well as an automated tour that guides you through the galaxy, with some important space faces along the way. The map is mind-bogglingly detailed, using real life star renderings and images of the sun courtesy of NASA.
Google, however, emphasise that accuracy is not guaranteed, and warn that their map shouldn’t be used for “interstellar navigation”.
Google recently released another Google Experiment in the form of Jam with Chrome, which allows friends to play music together online using an array of instruments including various guitars, drums, and even a techno drum machine.
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In our November issue we look at ad agency Wieden + Kennedy in a major feature as it celebrates its 30th anniversary; examine the practice of and a new monograph on M/M (Paris); investigate GOV.UK, the first major project from the Government Digital Service; explore why Kraftwerk appeals so much to designers; and ponder the future of Instagram. Rick Poynor reviews the Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design; Jeremy Leslie takes in a new exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery dedicated to experimental magazine, Aspen; Mark Sinclair explores Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery show of work by the late graphic designer, Tony Arefin; while Daniel Benneworth-Gray writes about going freelance; and Michael Evamy looks at new telecommunications brand EE’s identity. Plus, subscribers also receive Monograph in which Tim Sumner of tohave-and-tohold.co.uk dips into Preston Polytechnic’s ephemera archive to pick out a selection of printed paper retail bags from the 70s and 80s.
The issue also doubles up as the Photography Annual 2012 – our showcase of the best images in commercial photography produced over the last year. The work selected is as strong as ever, with photographs by the likes of Tim Flach (whose image of a hairless chimp adorns the front cover of the issue, above); Nadav Kander (whose shot of actor Mark Rylance is our Photography Annual cover); Martin Usborne; Peter Lippmann; Giles Revell and more.
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