A new photo book offers a glimpse into the forgotten history of Chernobyl

Formerly part of the USSR, the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl will forever be known as the site of the one of the world’s worst man-made disasters, after an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 resulted in mass evacuations and long-term health consequences for thousands of people.

Today, thanks in part to the huge popularity of HBO’s recent drama series recreating the disaster, thousands of visitors congregate to a handful of curated tourist hotspots in the abandoned city every year.

A tame fox poses in front of the sign pointing the way to Pripyat from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. All images: © Darmon Richter/Fuel Publishing
Pripyat Café

Beyond these, however, lie an untouched landmass of forests, historic village settlements and Soviet-era architectural mega-structures that equate to the size of a small country.

Having travelled everywhere from Eastern Europe to North Korea, British writer and photographer Darmon Richter has always been fascinated by the visual contradictions inherent in communist-era buildings – utopian designs that have subsequently been left ruined and forgotten.

The back of the hammer-and-sickle emblem from the tower block roof, central Pripyat
Post Office, Pripyat

He has spent much of his career documenting places that aren’t mentioned in your average travel guide, from China’s ‘Ghost Cities’ to an unfinished Soviet nuclear power plant in Cuba.

In his latest book, Richter is turning attention to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where he has been given unprecedented access to document its forgotten towns and monuments while working as a local tour guide.

Polissya Hotel, Pripyat
Control Room 3, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

The book combines photographs of discoveries made during Richter’s numerous visits to the exclusion zone, accompanied by the voices of the engineers, scientists and members of the public who were there to witness the disaster itself.

Images included range from snapshots of the most secure areas of the power plant itself to photos of the stray dogs which call Chernobyl home, the descendents of pets left by evacuees who are kept fed by its continual stream of disaster tourists.

Chernobyl: A Stalker’s Guide is published by Fuel; darmonrichter.com

The post A new photo book offers a glimpse into the forgotten history of Chernobyl appeared first on Creative Review.

CR’s pick of Festival of Marketing 2020 highlights

While we were all hoping life would have returned to some kind of normality by this time in the year, like so many events in 2020, the Festival of Marketing has had to pivot to an online format. But there are many advantages to this – whereas the usual festival format, taking place over two days in London, would only have been available to those who could make the live event, now more of you lovely people from all over the world can tune in.

The virtual version of FoM will take place next week from October 5-9, and sees an array of content on offer to view on demand or watch live. If you work in marketing in some form or other, whether it be client side or as an advertising creative, there will be plenty of food for thought. Here’s Creative Review’s picks of the panels and talks not to be missed:

For those of you looking for some insights into the client-agency relationship, Creative Review is hosting a day’s worth of content at FoM this year for the first time, with the overall theme of Creative Effectiveness. As part of this you can see talks from Nils Leonard at Uncommon and Rufus Reynolds at ITV (shown top) on how they work together to create campaigns including Britain Get Talking; a panel on how to measure creative effectiveness; and a discussion on how to build an effective in-house creative team.

Plus frank opinions will fly in a panel which aims to raise some home truths about the challenges of creating great work today, with panellists including Mother’s Hermeti Balarin, Havas London’s Vicki Maguire, Eve Sleep’s Cheryl Calverley, and Coty’s Sam Southey.

Elsewhere, there are insights on how marketing and brands can respond to climate change in a panel featuring writer and director Richard Curtis, Fabrice Beaulieu from RB, and Tanya Steele from WWF; plus Marketing Week editor Russell Parsons will be interviewing Patagonia’s marketing director Europe, Alex Weller, on the brand’s commitment to responsible values.

For those of you who like a starry name, there’s also plenty of those on the schedule, as the BBC’s June Sarpong discusses diversity and inclusion, Elizabeth Day talks failure, Gina Miller gives insights on leading through adversity, and Nile Rodgers discusses five decades in creativity. Finally, if you like strong opinions, Marketing Week’s Mark Ritson look back at ten years as a columnist for the magazine is not to be missed.

For more info on the agenda and speakers, or to buy a pass for the Festival of Marketing 2020, visit festivalofmarketing.com

The post CR’s pick of Festival of Marketing 2020 highlights appeared first on Creative Review.

From Volkswagen Beetle to the Black Panther, these bikes have the most intriguing origin stories!

Every superhero/ supervillain has an origin story, so do these bikes! Origin stories are the emotional bonding that ground us and while we make tons of memories with our bike over the years, it always helps to have that one more factor to help you connect with each design better. Be it your favorite vintage automobile or even the design brand you always look up to, the bike designs here are guaranteed to awe you!

Brent Walter, who describes himself as the “maker and builder of a variety of things”, created the VW Mini Bike, or what he fondly calls the ‘Volkspod’. Much like its name, the automotive is a little pod-shaped two-wheeler. The Volkswagen Beetle Type 1 or the ‘Bug’ has gained iconic status since it’s release. Its adorable bulbous structure had won almost everyone’s heart in the mid to late ’90s, with production lasting until 2003. Paying homage to the Bug, Walter used the fenders from each corner of the car to build the mini motorbike. The four vintage fenders merge together to form the head and tail-light system of the Volkspod. Power-packed with a 79cc engine, the Volkspod promises to be as or even more dynamic than the Beetle Type 1.

If it were up to King T’Challa, the MIMIC e-bike would be fitted with vibranium tech, but we’re going to stick to an electric power-train for now. This crouching-jungle-cat of a bike is a concept designed by Roman Dolzhenko. Outfitted with what looks less like a body and more like armor, the MIMIC e-bike comes with a rounded, Tron Light Cycle-inspired form with rounded elements and just an overall absence of straight lines or sharp edges. The e-bike has a dual-lamp headlight fitted on the front, looking almost like a menacing pair of eyes, and a dashboard that lays flush against the e-bike’s curved panther-esque body. Wakanda Forever!

It’s been almost 10 years since James Dyson’s consumer electronics company first introduced its bladeless fan! Known as the Dyson Air Multiplier, it shook up the tech world with its unusual characteristic: it did not have any visible blades. The impact felt by this innovation is being felt even today, as seen in Saharudin Busri’s Dyson Inspired Concept Motorcycle. Though it is still a concept, it did incite a tangible excitement when we first got a glimpse of the design! Mimicking Dyson’s bladeless fan, Busri decided to remove the spokes of the wheel from his bike, leaving the center of the wheel completely hollow. An added homage to Dyson would be the fact that the engine is also inspired by the aesthetics of the motor we see in most of their vacuum cleaners such as the latest V11 model.

Switch Motorcycles is a new electric bike company and they have just unveiled the eScrambler which is their very first product and we have to say, it’s quite impressive! To share some context, we expect nothing short of this from custom motorcycle veteran Matthew Waddick who teamed up with designer Michel Riis (former Yamaha Japan Advanced Labs Industrial Designer and past Danish Flat Track champion!) The first thing you’ll notice is that it has a sturdy, angular build, almost like the flat trackers and classic bikes of the ’70s or even the Tesla Cybertruck, making it stand apart from the usual slimmer electric bikes. To complete its big-guy aesthetic, it has 18-inch wheels wrapped in chunky tires, KTM forks, and a central mono-shock. Being a vehicle in 2020, it has all the tech you’d want in a bike – a digital display, cruise control, a battery level indicator, integrated GPS tracking, three power modes, and in-built Wi-Fi which truly sets it apart. However, we don’t encourage being on the ‘gram or making Tik Toks while you ride!

A combination of aerodynamics and futurism, with an overwhelming amount of chrome-finishing, the EVE LUX by Bandit9 is a bike that’s better enjoyed as a spectator than as a rider. Probably one of the most visually memorable bikes of the decade, especially when viewed from the side, the EVE LUX was designed exclusively for Hong Kong-based luxury house, Lane Crawford. Channeling futuristic, feminine energy with its elegant sideways-teardrop design that seamlessly goes from tank to tail, the bike comes with a 125cc 4-speed semi-automatic engine with a top speed of 68mph (110km/h).

Can’t get enough of more inspirational bike designs? Check out more curated designs here!

This nostalgic Walkman inspired Bluetooth speaker uses your smartphone as the cassette!

Kids these days will never know the sheer effort it was to rewind and fast-forward through a cassette to get to one’s favorite song… and the rewarding feeling of joy when you finally hear your song play. Cassettes were a BIG part of my music experience as a kid and I sincerely love them, but to be honest, I don’t miss them. We’ve made a great deal of progress ever since we shifted to listening to music in a digital format, and the Pl8ty Bluetooth speaker embraces it, but also looks back at cassette players with fond nostalgia!

Meet the Pl8ty. It looks like a Walkman, but it is, in fact, an external wireless speaker for your smartphone. It looks like any standard cassette player, complete with controls too, but behind its retro-avatar, it’s a powerful Bluetooth5.0 speaker and a 3200mAh power-bank. In short, it’s made to get your through your day, by charging your phone, as well as charging you up with some smooth tunes! Besides, it opens up so you can slip your smartphone in, like a cassette, effectively acting as a detox-box for your phone when you want to cut down on your screen-time.

On the hardware front, there’s a whole lot about the Pl8ty worth loving. For starters, it comes with a chunky, meaty, colorful design that is sure to grab eyeballs. A clip on the back lets you strap the Pl8ty to your waist, and it even comes outfitted with retro-esque controls like actual playback buttons, a volume knob, a headphone jack (for a private listening experience – provided you still use wired headphones), and even an aux-in so you can connect the speaker directly to a synth, your desktop, or even your vinyl player. It sports a USB-C in to charge the internal 3200mAh battery, and a USB-A out to connect the Pl8ty to other devices as an external charger.

The Pl8ty has a uniquely appealing way of being both old-world yet modern. It embraces what’s good about both eras, in a device that you’re sure to love if you’re a retro-fanatic, or anyone who’s a millennial or older. It works like your conventional Bluetooth speaker, but packs more oomph with an 85db power rating and offers stunning clarity thanks to a wide frequency range. The fact that it even functions as a power-bank for your devices is just icing on the cake! Moreover, it also embraces the old-world joy of listening to music in the 80-90s. The overall aesthetic, pocket clip, and the opening cassette lid are absolutely iconic retro-details, and that headphone jack is a feature that celebrates a golden bygone era. Even the fact that you can slip your smartphone into the speaker (as if it was a cassette) for detox purposes, seems like a very clever touch that helps complete the Walkman experience while also reducing your screen time. So go ahead, belt out some Lionel Ritchie or Wham! and reminisce about the good old days, because heaven knows we need it right now!

Designer: Pl8ty

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $196 (45% off). Hurry, less than 12 hours left!

Pl8ty – Radical, Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Design inspired by the iconic cassette players of the 80’s, the Pl8ty is an external Bluetooth 5.0 speaker for your smartphone complete with controls and a 3200mAh power-bank.

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $196 (45% off). Hurry, less than 12 hours left!

Arched living spaces open up Vom House to the outside

Ground floor of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects

Vietnamese studio Sanuki Daisuke Architects has designed a townhouse for a family in Ho Chi Minh City around three cavernous rooms open to the elements.

The white Vom House occupies a small site hemmed in by other residences in the Vietnamese city’s high-density, residential area called Binh Thanh District.

Ground floor of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
The entrance of Vom House. Top image: the ground floor

As there was not enough space for a large garden, Sanuki Daisuke Architects‘ design brings the outside in via three living spaces with openings that allow light, rain and wind to enter.

These spaces are described by the studio as “outdoor rooms” and are characterised by sweeping arched forms, or vòms in Vietnamese, which gives the house its name.

Ground floor of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
A steel mesh separates the house from the outside

“As seen in typical Vietnamese townhouses, this site was so tight that there was almost no garden available, but the clients wanted an open house with a bright, spacious outdoor space,” said the studio.

“The design became about how to create a unique and attractive outdoor space where people can feel closer to nature, by taking light and wind in the house in such a tight area,” it explained.

“Many ‘outdoor rooms’ create an open and rich living space. We proposed a tropical living space where the family can always feel close to nature under these large arch spaces.”

Ground floor of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
The ground floor kitchen and dining room

Vom House rises 15 metres in height and contains three storeys. It is entered via the largest of the three arched “outdoor rooms”, located at the front of the ground floor.

This space is two storeys high and contains the main living area, separated from the outside by only a patterned, steel mesh. According to the studio, it will be used as a coffee shop in the future.

First floor of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
A view from the first-floor study

The living room leads into the second arched space positioned at the rear of the ground floor, which contains the kitchen and dining area, while the third is on the first floor and used as a study.

Vom House is complete with a library, bathrooms and a maid’s bedroom, which are positioned around the edges of the house, and two family bedrooms on the second floor.

Staircase of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
A terrazzo staircase that connects all three floors

The floors of the house are connected by a large, white terrazzo staircase on the east edge, while the second-floor bedrooms are connected via a bridge that overhangs the first floor.

This staircase ends at a roof terrace that runs the length of the house, which is punctured by a void that brings light through the heart of the house.

First floor of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
The arched study on the first floor

Each of Vom House’s arches is structural and built from concrete that was cast in-situ using woven-bamboo formwork, which produced a rough-textured finish.

This concrete is left exposed and is intended to give the “outdoor rooms” a cavernous aesthetic so the residents feel as though they are outside.

“If the arched concrete ceiling was painted white and abstracted, it would create a monotonous, clean, gallery-like space, which goes against the concept of living outdoors,” the studio’s founder, Sanuki Daisuke, told Dezeen.

“So we chose a raw concrete finish with woven bamboo sheets as the framework, preserving the raw materiality of the concrete to create a rough, cavernous outside space.”

Interiors of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
The exposed concrete contrasts with the white walls

To enhance the cave-like feeling of the arches, Sanuki Daisuke Architects lined the floors with stone and terrazzo and contrasted them with white-painted walls and warm wood detailing and furniture.

There are also full-height trees embedded into both the ground and first floors that help maximise the family’s connection to nature.

Exterior of Vom House in Vietnam by Sanuki Daisuke Architects
The white exterior of Vom House

Sanuki Daisuke Architects was founded by Daisuke in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011. Vom House is one of several private homes it has completed in Ho Chi Minh City on small urban plots.

This includes NGA House, a dwelling with double-height glazed walls that draw in light, and the Hem House that features patterned grills over its windows.

Photography is by Hiroyuki Oki.


Project credits:

Architect: Sanuki Daisuke Architects
Team: Sanuki Daisuke and Tieu Dong Phuong
ME Engineer: Technical Hung Viet Company

The post Arched living spaces open up Vom House to the outside appeared first on Dezeen.

Apple pop-socket with an optical sensor turns your iPhone into a Magic Mouse!

It’s a pretty great idea in theory, and ties well into Apple‘s ecosystem of creating products that support each other and add to the collective experience. It’s also something fresh that would set Apple apart in the hardware space. Meet the Magic Mouse Mini, a concept created by Yongbin Kim who gave the smartphone pop-socket the ultimate upgrade by also fitting an optical sensor into it!

The Magic Mouse Mini looks and feels like your regular pop-socket. It attaches to the back of your phone, giving you a pop-out grip that you can firmly hold onto between your index and middle finger as you use your phone or click selfies. Given how large and slippery smartphones are nowadays (further factoring in the iPhone’s curved edges). However, a switch on the side turns the pop-out grip into something vastly more functional. Switch the device on, and the optical sensor above the Apple logo powers on, turning your iPhone into a magic mouse!

The iPhone and the socket at the back work in tandem to replicate the Magic Mouse experience. The optical sensor on the socket helps with cursor-tracking, while the iPhone’s touchscreen shoulders the responsibility of providing the control surface, allowing you to left-click, right-click, pinch, zoom, scroll, and do a variety of other gestures, just like you would on a Magic Mouse.

I’d surmise the Magic Mouse Mini concept would work remarkably well with iMacs and MacBooks, but would even probably do a pretty good job with iPads too! It’s a small, clever addon that helps your phone (by allowing you to grip it better), and helps your MacOS devices too, by giving you a Magic Mouse experience without having to shell out a hundred bucks for a new Magic Mouse. And yes, the presence of a socket on the back of your phone could give it an uneven surface, causing the mouse to potentially rock back and forth while you’re using it… but think of this less as a practicality and usability issue, and more as a clever way of turning an existing piece of hardware (your iPhone) into something absolutely new! After all, it’s just a concept, no?

Designer: Yongbin Kim