Hasta La Ideas

Amidst the nostalgic neon lights and shimmering disco balls that currently populate Central Park’s Wollman Rink, Madonna and music industry legend Nile Rodgers donned roller skates to celebrate Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, the pop star’s brand new greatest hits remix release. The summertime pop-up venue within the rink, named DiscoOasis, is open to the public through mid-September—and features immersive theatrical elements along with skate rentals. It was there that Madge mingled with guests who sipped Belvedere Vodka cocktails until Rodgers (who produced the iconic 1984 album Like a Virgin, among many other hits) asked her to skate around with him. Read more about the venue at the DiscoOasis website and listen to Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones online now.

Image by David Graver

Broei is a Belgian youth organization that offers workshop space and six-month residencies in the Castle of Gerald the Devil, a 13th-century Gothic castle in Ghent.

ConstructLab, an architecture-based creative collective that describes themselves as a “collaborative construction practice,” assisted Broei by “initiating modular pioneering structures that make it possible for youth organisations to develop themselves in this formerly cold, inhospitable medieval environment,” they write.

“The issue of transforming the historical Devil Castle into a temporary work and exhibition place for young organisations first raised a different question for ConstructLab: How to conceive temporary structures that harbor and foster collective actions without losing human or material energy if the program has to be (re)moved?”

“ConstructLab wants to investigate how to eliminate the link between temporary infill and the single-use of wood. To this end, we developed a simple yet effective Connector piece that combines the versatility of scaffolding connections with affordable wood sections.”

Here’s what they came up with, along with a comprehensive user manual:

“The Connector was drawn, cut and then ‘mass-produced’ from stainless steel sheets. We chose SLS wood (the Scandinavian Lumber Standard) which is a widely available construction wood produced from fast-growing sustainable pine. One of those Connectors is capable of connecting three SLS beams in three directions, as well as attaching additional materials to the structure (textiles, ropes, etc).”

The Connectors get the youth participants “Inventing and building something new, adding/modifying a structure built by ConstructLab or [being able to] easily move structures to a new location.”

“The aim is to stimulate the act of building as a liberating tool in the rather harsh landscape of temporary occupations.”

Samsung’s cat is finally out of the bag. That cat has actually been out of the bag for a long while now, thanks to the almost merciless flood of leaks and unofficial information. Needless to say, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, the company’s latest generation of foldable phones, turned out to be exactly what those rumors made them out to be, which is a mixed bag for many Samsung fans. Given the fast-paced dynamics of the smartphone market, it’s not surprising that some already set their expectations low that these two would knock anyone’s socks off. At the same time, however, the two surpass their predecessors in more than just specs but also as an assurance of a more reliable future.

Designer: Samsung

In the smartphone industry, if you’re not putting out a sensational new phone every year or even every six months, you’re seen as stagnating and on the way out. That may have been true for the first decade of smartphones, but keeping up that pace without pause is becoming more of a liability than an asset. Smartphone demand and sales have slowed down, and people are now looking for long-term reliability more than fancy gimmicks and new features. While that doesn’t exactly mean that smartphone makers have to put innovation on hold, it does tell them to take a deep breath and focus on refining what already works to perfection instead, which is what Samsung seems to have done this year.

Galaxy Z Fold 4: Iteration Wins the Day

If taken in isolation, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 looks no different than the Galaxy Z Fold 3 last year. It’s only when you put the two side-by-side will you notice any difference, but even then, those differences are subtle. The hinge is slightly smaller, and the bezels around the displays are narrower. Numbers alone, however, won’t do it justice, and you need to take those changes into context to appreciate the refinements that Samsung has made.

In a nutshell, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is easier to use in so many ways. It is a bit lighter and easier to hold in one’s hand, and the external Cover Screen is wider, so it doesn’t feel that cramped anymore. Parts of the user interface have been revised to make the phone easier to use as a tablet, thanks in part to the Android 12L update. There are no groundbreaking changes in design, just fixes that address some of the biggest pain points of this kind of smartphone.

One can’t ignore the massive changes inside as well, and not just the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. At long last, the cameras have been given an upgrade, with a 50MP main camera leading the fray alongside a 10MP telephoto with a longer 3x zoom reach. As a tool for creativity and for keeping memories, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 steps up to the challenge, even though it might still disappoint serious mobile photographers. The 4MP camera that hides under the display is now less visible, but its ghost is still there. It remains to be seen whether it has significantly improved this year.

Galaxy Z Flip 4: Smartphones are Lifestyle Choices

Samsung’s more affordable foldable clamshell also has its share of incremental improvements. Some of the changes are more pronounced, the light flatter edges and hazed back glass cover. The outer Cover Screen is also now larger, which means you can do more with it or at least see more information from it. With this more stylish phone, however, Samsung has given the Galaxy Z Flip 4 a different flavor, making it a vehicle of self-expression that smartphones have become in the past few years.

Clamshell phones, though now archaic, were once considered to be stylish and posh. The crisp clicking sound they make when you open or close them really calls attention, and the way you can do that with a single hand sends a message of sophistication and class. While the latter might not be easily doable with these foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 still has that air luxury carried over from the old days. Fortunately, Samsung knows well to play up that image.

In addition to the design and hardware improvements that it made, Samsung is spinning the Galaxy Z Flip 4 as something made to be personalized and personal, from the available color choices to the customization options in terms of themes. New camera features are also geared towards people who love to show off and express themselves on social media, no matter their age. More than just a refinement in design, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a refinement in purpose, sending a clear message that it isn’t just for people who want the latest and greatest smartphone technologies but also for those who view phones as a part of their personality.

Galaxy Watch5 Pro and Galaxy Buds2 Pro: Pint-sized Improvements

Samsung also announced devices other than foldable phones at its unpacked event, and they might ironically be more interesting as far as significant upgrades go. The Galaxy Watch 5, for example, introduces a new “Pro” model for people who like to live life to the extreme. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, on the other hand, introduces a slightly different design as well as new features. Neither, however, changes the formula completely in ways so different from their predecessors.

The Galaxy Watch 5 admittedly deviates a bit from previous Samsung smartwatches by ditching the rotating bezel that was once a staple of this line. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro takes the game to a new level with a protruding bezel that is almost nonexistent among most smartwatches, even the sportier ones. At the end of the day, however, these are just variations of the existing Galaxy Watch design language, providing a product that is new yet also familiar, inspiring confidence that most things are still the same.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro also changes the design a bit, embracing a smaller form that is promised to actually provide a more secure fit. Its headlining features, however, include support for Hi-Fi 24-bit audio and high-quality music. It doesn’t stray too far from the first Galaxy Buds Pro’s form, though, which is a bit of a surprise since Samsung has changed its design for almost every new earbuds. It finally seems that it has found a winning design formula and is sticking to it, at least for now.

Moving Forward

Stability almost has a negative connotation in the smartphone industry, at least when it comes to design and appearances. If you’re not showing off something entirely new and head-turning, you’re as good as dead. That’s no longer the case these days, though, as more and more smartphone manufacturers stick to a design for another generation or two. Rather than seeing it as a sign of stagnation, however, it should be taken as evidence of maturity.

Living things tend to slow down their rapid growth rate once they hit an age of maturity, and products also start to change less once people stumble upon the perfect combination. While the doors are still wide open for innovation in smartphones, they no longer need to happen every six months. People are now looking for products and designs that they can rely on, not one that changes drastically every year. Smartphones still need to improve, but they don’t need to make leaps with every new model.

This doesn’t mean that Samsung’s job is done. Far from it, the Galaxy Z Fold, in particular, still has a long way to go toward perfection. It still needs to be able to fold flat, its crease needs to be less visible, the S Pen needs a silo inside, and the cameras have yet to reach the same level as Samsung’s own Galaxy S flagship line. It could have brought all of that this year, presuming it already had the pieces ready, but it chose to create a calmer and more sensible atmosphere with the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s and Galaxy Z Flip 4’s launch. Armed with incremental refinements and a clearer direction, Samsung is trying to send a message that its foldable phones aren’t just a passing fad and that it’s here for the long haul.

The post How the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 Design is Better first appeared on Yanko Design.

Exhibitions by Christopher Knowles and Robert Nava support a chic occasion that was themed “Stand”

As with so many other art institutions and residencies, The Watermill Center is working its way back to full capacity after 2020 and 2021 led to a reduction of residents and guests at events. This summer, the property hosted a chic benefit that more than doubled the invitations they sent last year. The occasion, one of the most talked about on Long Island’s East End, was held on 30 July and celebrated their 30th anniversary with two resident exhibitions and a performance that saw an artist popping out of a large egg.

The benefit’s title, Stand, represented more than just a gala theme. The elegant event was divided into two acts inspired by an H.G. Well’s quote stating, “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” For where we are in America now, there might not be a better or more apropos title. Act I featured various performers and installations taking place on the property. For Act II, those present were invited to participate in lifting a wooden sculpture entitled “Manhattan Go” (2022) by Japanese artist Tsubasa Kato. Utilizing a pulley system designed by the artist, the intention of the work was to go from a horizontal position to a vertical one. This was followed by an audio work by American composer and pianist Matthew Shipp.

As for the exhibitions featured during Stand, one was from Christopher Knowles (a long-time friend and mentee of Bob Wilson) and extends to the end of the year, while the other was from Robert Nava (who is represented by Pace Gallery) and closes Labor Day. Knowles and Nava were given space on the property to work and both proved to be very productive. Nava, the Inga Maren Otto Fellow, approached his time at The Watermill Center with an open mind, removing pressure to create and filling the studio with works on paper.

“I didn’t really know about the Watermill Residency but I found out about it through [Watermill Curator] Noah Khoshbin,” the artist tells COOL HUNTING during a visit to his studio. “They didn’t expect me to do anything at all. I thought maybe I would make one drawing and one large work on paper and that’s it, that’s the work. But I can’t help it [gesturing toward studio walls lined with large-scale paintings that extend onto a nearby table and even the floor]. I love painting and I just like making things wherever I am.”

Nava worked in his Watermill studio with the full wall of doors and windows open (even in the blazing heat). “In my old Bushwick studio, I would spray paint on the roof, where the blowing wind would bring an unexpected element to the process,” he continues. “I love the sky and working outside allowed me to be in control and out of control at the same time. I try to ride that…without falling off.”

In his new work, the balance between space, objects/subjects (in this case hybrid animals) and surface markings allow one to recognize the movement of his body through the gesture. “Inside,” he continues, “I have control and use spray paint with the lowest pressure caps and like what the line does. All that said, imagination might be the most important.”

Not dissimilar regarding production and making work, Knowles, a prolific, self-taught artist with autism, extracted artworks from his archive and Wilson’s extensive personal collection for this show. Ranging from 1974 to present, Knowles worked up until the summer benefit, with in-process Lego sculptures in the dining room on the ground floor and large lego frames in the second floor gallery. Unlike Nava who works mostly two-dimensionally using crayons, acrylic, Montana Gold spray paint and oil stick—Knowles makes paintings, but is most known for his typewriter drawings, found alarm-clocks that unexpectedly ring, Lego sculptures and color-coded paper layouts.

There is something to be said of the entire Stand experience, and the most important takeaway might be just the opposite: movement. After what has felt like two years of standing still, we are once again being invited to move—and without proposed rules or expectations. For even if the dance (or painting) doesn’t follow predetermined steps, it still might be the most beautiful action ever performed.

Hero image courtesy of The Watermill Center

Every year, the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD invites students and up-and-coming designers to envision a ‘Brighter Future’ for the people and the planet. Free to participate in, the award’s unique format and mentorship program allow designers to grow and flourish under leading industrial mentors, with Lexus providing grants to help bring the game-changing design entries to life.

Earlier this month, Lexus announced the 11th edition of the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD. Through the award, Lexus hopes to seek innovative ideas that contribute to a thriving and better future for all through the power of design and technology. The theme for the award echoes the Lexus brand’s three key principles – “Anticipate, Innovate and Captivate, while seamlessly enhancing the happiness of all”. Creating the perfect environment for a design to grow, Lexus helps engineer ideas into real, impactful solutions. The brand’s strong association with design and innovation helps it accelerate ideas to achieve their full potential, and the brand even offers winners a grant of up to 3 million Japanese Yen or $25,000 USD to help prototype their ideas.

Mentorship remains core to the award, while also being its distinct differentiator. It isn’t too often that you see award programs that are invested in helping designers grow while giving them industry expertise to perfect their game-changing ideas. The award’s format is unique in that regard too. Entries go through one round of selection before an elite panel of judges selects 4 winners. The winners then go through a 3-month long course with internationally-recognized mentors who take the conceptual entries and help refine them for the real world. Each winner will also be allocated a research and development budget of up to 3 million Japanese yen as a design grant to cover not only prototype construction but also other relevant expenses involved in refining their concept and design and supporting the individual’s creative development. In the spring of 2023, the four winners will reveal their progress to judges and mentors by presenting their finished work for review.

“Over the past decade, environmental and other issues have ballooned along with the need for solutions. With the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD we have welcomed and recognized emerging creators of foresight and creative brilliance who apply the power of design to the challenges of building a better tomorrow for all. I eagerly await the fresh talent and impactful ideas that debut at LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2023”, said Simon
Humphries, Head of Toyota & Lexus Global Design.

The LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2023 is now open for entries. Click here to participate for free!

Lexus Design Award Past Winners

Rewind Motion-tracking Device by Poh Yun Ru (2022 Grand Prix Winner)

The idea for Rewind came to Poh Yun Ru after seeing her grandmother struggle with remembering how to perform basic day-to-day tasks as a result of dementia and failing memory. Designed to evoke memories, Rewind uses motion-tracking to guide seniors with dementia in re-enacting familiar gestures. Based loosely on the phrase that ‘practice makes perfect’, Rewind allows its user to engage in activities that would otherwise come intuitively. By creating a platform that allows them to constantly practice these activities (and even receive haptic feedback as a result), Rewind helps rebuild the neural pathways that get weak with age.

Portable Solar Distiller by Henry Glogau (2021 Grand Prix Winner)

The Portable Solar Distiller provides clean drinking water by filtering polluted water or overly saline seawater using sunlight. Merging local resource production with community architecture, this low-tech solution also serves as a shaded gathering place. Its large canopy serves a dual purpose – harvesting sunlight to help purify water through evaporation and acting as a community center for people to gather under during the day or even at night. The Portable Solar Distiller’s open-source schematic can easily be tweaked and implemented by anyone, allowing the design solution to have a wider reach and impact. The Portable Solar Distiller is designed in a way that can be carried, opened out, and assembled anywhere. Almost like a beach umbrella, it provides shade for groups of people, while having the added benefit of being able to purify water.

Open Source Communities by BellTower (2020 Grand Prix Winner)

A vast number of Kenyans suffer from a combination of problems like water shortage, diseases caused by consumption of unfiltered/unfit water, having to walk miles to get water on a daily basis, or alternatively having to pay high rates for local water distribution. “In Nairobi, high-tech coexists with urban poverty”, say the team at BellTower, who designed the Open Source Communities project which creates a new format of community-building that relies on efficient allocation of resources that help the lower-income communities get access to basic necessities like water. The project creates a centralized water-reservoir – a structure that sits between hundreds of homes, providing water to every single one of them. The structure’s innovative format allows it to harvest and conserve rainwater, while actively filtering it of dirt, microorganisms, and other impurities. During the monsoons, surplus water helps generate money for the communities too, allowing them to get an extra source of income while bridging the vast resource gap. However, the best part about the Open Source Communities is that it exists as a public-utility template. Its open-source nature gives it unlimited flexibility, allowing it to be modified to fit in practically any scenario.

Algorithmic Lace by Lisa Marks (2019 Grand Prix Winner)

Bringing Algorithms and Attire together in a beautifully crafted garment with a noble purpose, Algorithmic Lace uses advanced three-dimensional modeling to handcraft bespoke bras for breast cancer survivors who have undergone mastectomy surgery. Algorithms have a long-standing love-affair with the textile industry, as one of the first machines to use algorithms was the Jacquard Loom back in the 1800s. The loom was controlled by a series of punched cards, which contained information that the loom read. Different cards had different algorithms and by switching the cards in the loom, you could tell it to alternate between complex textile weaves like brocade, damask and matelassé. Algorithmic Lace builds on that rich history, by using lines of code to create bras that are custom-built for their wearers. These garments are made specifically to functionally suit women who’ve undergone surgery, and the algorithmic pattern helps create a well-fitted, comfortable brassiere that’s also incredibly aesthetic to look at, empowering the wearer with confidence, along with their new lease of life.

The LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2023 is now open for entries. Click here to participate for free!

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