The first sari to be worn at the Met Gala and sequins made from discarded X-ray film sourced from hospitals feature in the Offbeat Sari exhibition, which showcases around 60 contemporary saris at London’s Design Museum.
The Offbeat Sari is the first UK exhibition to explore the contemporary sari, according to the Design Museum. The show opens today in a cavernous space within the museum’s subterranean gallery, illuminated by thin neon pendant lights.
Hailing from India and wider South Asia, a sari is traditionally thought of as an unstitched drape wrapped around the body from shoulder to waist.
The Offbeat Sari opens today at London’s Design Museum
In recent years, designers have been reinventing the 5,000-year-old garment to serve young people’s growing interest in the sari, which has led to its revival, according to Design Museum head of curatorial Priya Khanchandani.
“Women in cities who previously associated the sari with dressing up are transforming it into fresh, radical, everyday clothing that empowers them to express who they are, while designers are experimenting with its materiality by drawing on unbounded creativity,” said the curator.
The first sari worn to the Met Gala features in the exhibition
Split into various themes such as identity and resistance, the exhibition presents around 60 contemporary saris created by a range of established and emerging designers.
Among the garments is the first sari to be worn at New York’s Met Gala in response to the annual ball’s 2022 theme, Gilded Glamour.
Embellished with semi-precious stones, the tulle Sabyasachi-designed sari worn by Natasha Poonawalla features a statement train and was paired with a gold Schiaparelli bodice with protruding, orbit-shaped elements.
Fashion brand Abraham & Thakore created sequins from recycled X-ray film
Another navy blue sari by Abraham & Thakore is characterised by delicate sequins that were made using discarded X-ray film salvaged from hospitals – a design that aims to address the issue of sustainability within the fashion industry.
Also on display is a purple georgette silk sari embroidered with shimmering acrylics, sequins and crystals. Founder of the #DeGenderFashion movement, author and comedian Alok previously wore the garment to highlight their belief that saris can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender identity.
Photographs showing different ways of wearing saris are pasted across a blue wall
Contrasting textiles such as distressed denim and woven stainless steel make up other saris in the exhibition, highlighting the garment’s versatile evolution.
Within the show’s “movement” section are a number of saris worn by young people while engaging in sports. These include a garment adorned with cherry blossom motifs that was donned during a cricket match as well as a polyester chiffon sari, which is among the outfits worn by a group of women who have begun to skateboard in saris – a growing trend, according to the museum.
Sari wearers are increasingly wearing the garments to engage in sports, especially skateboarding
There is also an area dedicated to the craftsmanship involved in sari-making that explores how its history has transformed over the 21st century.
“The sari is experiencing what is conceivably its most rapid reinvention in its history. It makes the sari movement one of today’s most important global fashion stories, yet little is known of its true nature beyond South Asia,” explained Khanchandani.
“For me and for so many others, the sari is of personal and cultural significance,” reflected the curator.
“But it is also a rich, dynamic canvas for innovation, encapsulating the vitality and eclecticism of Indian culture.”
There is also an area dedicated to materials and craftsmanship
The Offbeat Sari is on display at London’s Design Museum from 19 May to 17 September 2023.See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Project credits:
Curator: Priya Khanchandani Associate curator: Rashmi Varma 3D design: Studio Mutt 2D design: Stuthi Ramesh
The Dezeen team are reporting from the 18th international architecture biennale in Venice, curated by Lesley Lokko. Read on for all the coverage from the second day (Thursday 18 May)
5:30pm A quiz show-style game that focuses on social, political and economic issues surrounding climate change is on show at the Korean Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale, in another exclusive preview from Dezeen.
Korea‘s exhibition is titled “2086: Together How?” and was curated by artistic directors Soik Jung and Kyong Park. The exhibition questions how people might work together and collaborate to endure current and future environmental crises up until the year 2086.
2086: Together How? at the Korean Pavilion
5:00pm Unveiled exclusively on Dezeen, the “dynamic cohabitation of the wild, domesticated and human” is at the centre of the Croatian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, which focuses on the country’s Lonja wetlands.
It comprises a physical installation in the Arsenale as well as a series of workshops, talks and texts that will be produced and held at various locations in Croatia, Slovenia and Italy during the biennale.
The Croatia pavilion focuses on the country’s Lonja wetlands and features a large sculptural piece made from woven ash wood – a material that is native to the wetlands
4:30pm Paola Antonelli, architect and senior curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), speaking with Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson, who is also in Venice for the biennale vernissage, said that she loves the central exhibition in the Arsenale curated by Lesley Lokko.
“It really is a laboratory of the future. It’s building, not buildings, and I love that,” Antonelli said.
A view of the exhibition inside the Arsenale. Image: Lizzie Crook
Addressing the decision by Italian authorities to deny visas to three members of her Ghana-based team Lokko said “this is not a new story. It’s an old and familiar tale, if not to many in this audience then to the global majority who are not here.”
Lesley Lokko gives the curator’s tour of the Arsenale exhibition “The Laboratory of the Future”. Image: Lizzie Crook
3:00pm The ribbon has just been cut at the British pavilion. The exhibition, called “Dancing Before the Moon”, celebrates how global diasporic communities design space.
British Pavilion curators cut the ribbon on their exhibition. Image: Rupert Bickersteth
The British Pavilion has been curated by founding director of architecture studio JA Projects Jayden Ali, V&A curator Meneesha Kellay, Sound Advice co-founder Joseph Henry and Crafts Council head of public programmes Sumitra Upham (pictured above, on the steps of the pavilion).
2:00pm The Canadian pavilion is notable for not hosting an exhibition this year, but a headquarters for Architects Against Housing Alienation (AAHA)’s “Not For Sale!” campaign.
Commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts, AAHA is a curatorial collective of architects, activists and indigenous leaders who have transformed the Canadian Pavilion into their live campaign hub.
The think tank will run for six months working to present solutions for equitable housing in Canada that reject the concept of property and the financialized form of architecture that it implies.
Inside the Canadian pavilion. Image: Rupert Bickersteth
The AAHA have issued a list of 10 demands, gathered from across the dozens of organisations they are working with, that they feel will help create a future where housing is equitable for all.
Speaking to Dezeen digital editor Rupert Bickersteth at the pavilion, Canada Council for the Arts director and CEO Simon Brault said “the architect is perceived as the one who will provide the technical solution when the political will is there, but here architects and activists are working together ahead of political decision-making”.
He continued “one of the most important roles of architects is to deconstruct received ideas and reframe the conversation on the human experience”.
Architects bring an expertise in systems-thinking
AAHA member and architectural historian, Tijana Vujosevic, who also spoke to Dezeen, when questioned about architects being best equipped, or self-appointed, to tackle housing crises said “we’re not saving the world, bringing enlightenment and justice to everybody. That’s not what architects do.”
“We’re working with housing advocates and activists to help visualise, curate and present what they might have otherwise conceived of as exclusively financial, legal and political problems,” they continued.
The Canadian pavilion in the Giardini. Image: Rupert Bickersteth
Speaking to Dezeen inside the Canadian pavilion, AAHA member and architect David Fortin said “architects bring an expertise in systems-thinking, regarding the process that results in a house, and the question is how do you re-wire the system in a way that allows for more people to get access to it?”
“We have worked on a lot about material flows and ecological systems. Housing is such an important part of an urban ecological system. When you rewire and redesign that system, it does lead to political impacts.”
12:30pm The Swiss pavilion has been exclusively unveiled on Dezeen. A wall and several gates facing the adjacent Venezuelan pavilion have been removed for its “Neighbours” project.
Curators Karin Sander and Philipp Ursprung aimed to make the architecture of the buildings the focus of their installation by removing the boundary between the two pavilions.
Swiss pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, in dialogue with its Venezuelan pavilion
Unlike any of the other national pavilions in the Giardini, the pavilions of Switzerland and Venezuela share a wall.
12:00pm Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft, is reporting from inside the opening press conference of the biennale in the Arsenale, where curator Lesley Lokko has called the past 15 months as an “extraordinary journey”.
She went on to describe the exhibitions and pavilions of this, the 18th architecture biennale in Venice, as having “already become our collective outpouring of pride and joy”.
The past 15 months have been an extraordinary journey
She thanked the biennale team, sponsors and her team of assistant curators and also touched upon difficulties with visa issues. More to come on this story, shortly.
In the meantime, read Dezeen architecture editor Lizzie Crook’s interview with Lesley Lokko that we published yesterday.
Lesley Lokko opens the 18th architecture biennale in the Arsenale, Venice. Image: Tom Ravenscroft
10:30am Last night Qatar Creates opened a documentary exhibition “Building a Creative Nation”, which is the first presentation outside the country of Qatar‘s forthcoming cultural institutions designed by starchitects.
The exhibition at the Palazzo Franchetti will be on view until 26 November 2023. It focuses on five new cultural venues being developed by Qatar Museums in Qatar with architectural practices Elemental, Herzog & de Meuron, OMA, Philippe Starck, and UNStudio.
Aperitivo at the Palazzo Franchetti for “Building a Creative Nation” and “KengoKuma: Onomatopoeia Architecture” exhibitions. Image: Rupert Bickersteth
Also at the Palazzo Franchetti is a special exhibition of the work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, where a large-scale metal pavilion designed by Kuma occupies a central space in the walled garden of the palazzo (above).
Kengo Kuma: Onomatopoeia Architecture at the Palazzo Franchetti. Image: Rupert Bickersteth
The exhibition “KengoKuma: Onomatopoeia Architecture” presents projects, and models, across the full range of Kuma’s work in Japan and around the world – including the V&A Dundee.
Model of the V&A Dundee by Kengo Kuma from the exhibition at Palazzo Franchetti. Image: Rupert Bickersteth
10:00am Today is the start of the “vernissage”, or pre-opening, of the biennale.
Yesterday Dezeen exclusively revealed national pavilions and, ahead of the opening press conference in the Arsenale at 11:00am, we continue to do so today. Stay tuned for the Swiss and Korean pavilions.
Curators Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Taveres hope to communicate how Brazil’s land has shaped understandings of heritage and identity, choosing to focus on earth and naming the exhibition at the Brazilian pavilion Terra.
Tropical modernism film at the Applied Arts Pavilion
This year’s exhibition, called Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Power in West Africa, is curated by Christopher Turner of the V&A and Nana Biamah-Ofosu and Bushra Mohamed of the Architectural Association (AA).
The pavilion explores the origins and development of the tropical modernist style of architecture. A 36-metre-long brise soleil has been covered with screens showing the colonial history of tropical modernism.
The Venice Architecture Biennale takes place from 20 May to 26 November 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa and Danish studio Norm Architects have unveiled their design for the Bellustar Tokyo hotel, which aims to evoke a sense of nature in the middle of Tokyo‘s urban Shinjuku district.
The two studios worked together to design interiors for five penthouse suites as well as hospitality spaces for the top floors of the Bellustar Tokyo, 200 metres above the ground in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho tower.
Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design had to take the city views from the building into account when designing the hotel rooms, which are spread over three levels from the 45th to the 47th floor.
The Tsuki (moon) penthouse suite has calm grey walls
“I would say that it is the tallest hotel I have worked on,” Ashizawa told Dezeen, describing it as “a quiet hotel in the sky of Shinjuku”.
“Since there are no nearby buildings at this elevation, there was no need to be concerned about privacy, and it feels surreal that the views from all the windows are almost always spectacular,” he added.
“That is why the relationship between views from the windows and the space is indeed very simple.”
Floor-to-ceiling windows let light into the Tori (bird) suite
Both studios were involved in the spatial organisation of the five penthouse suites as well as the placement of the hotel’s three restaurants, its top-floor spa and a penthouse lounge designed for guests to enjoy the setting sun.
Ashizawa and Norm Architects drew on their signature use of natural materials and muted palettes to create the interiors for the five guestrooms.
The penthouse lounge was designed for guests to view the sunset
These were informed by the “beauty of the four seasons in Japan” and have names such as Hana (wind) and Tsuki (moon).
The rooms have been furnished with pieces by the studios’ Karimoku Case Study series for wood furniture company Karimoku and feature a mix of natural materials.
“The use of organic forms and natural materials like wood and stone can be seen as an antidote to the city that serves as artworks through the grand windows,” the studios said.
The Hana (flower) penthouse suite features furniture in dark wood
Among the tactile details in the guest rooms are stone-topped bedside tables and wood-panelled headboards.
“The idea is to create a balance of hardness and softness against the large area of the room that will be covered with textiles,” Ashizawa said.
A bench creates distance from the view in the Sora (sky) penthouse suite
As the guestrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, the bedrooms and living rooms feature benches and curtains that were added “to create a little distance from the view to make the space feel more comfortable,” Ashizawa explained.
A colour palette of mainly white, ivory and gray was used throughout the Bellustar Tokyo, which is a Pan Pacific hotel, with darker colours creating contrast in some of the spaces.
“The color palette is what we and Norm Architects consider to be the colors of nature, and we hope to create a sense of richness by evoking nature in Shinjuku, the most Tokyo-like place in the city,” Ashizawa said.
“As an antidote to the city, we have tried to listen to nature’s story of artistry, optimism, imperfection, and impermanence, and bring these poignant qualities into the work,” Norm Architects added.
The Bellustar restaurants have views over Tokyo
Ashizawa also used tiles and handcrafted details to create more tactile walls in some areas of the hotel, including in the main restaurant, which has custom-made tiles from Japan.
The Bellustar Tokyo features three restaurants: the main restaurant and bar, which was designed solely by Ashizawa, as well as a sushi restaurant and a teppanyaki restaurant.
Here, the studios worked with material palettes that include wood and brick.
The restaurant’s sushi restaurant has an intimate design
“The sushi and teppanyaki restaurants are designed to feel like small hidden and intimate traditional city restaurants but transformed into contemporary places on the top of Tokyo,” Norm Architects said.
“Both restaurants have their own unique character and material palette where the sushi restaurant is bright and works with hinoki [cypress wood], the teppanyaki place is dark and dominated by dark bricks in creative patterns.”
The Kaze (wind) penthouse suite has tactile material details
The studios hope that by using natural materials and muted colours, the Bellustar Tokyo will function as a refuge from the busy city.
“We hope that the guests of the hotel will first experience the vibrant atmosphere of the Shinjuku Kabukicho district of Tokyo, and then enjoy the serenity of the penthouse interior – as if the lively Tokyo scenery were like a Zen temple’s karesansui (dry landscape garden),” Ashizawa said.
Light falls in through the large windows of the penthouse lounge
Imagine playing PlayStation games on a smartphone, watching Netflix on your Nintendo Switch, browsing your laptop on a Raspberry Pi, or using your iPad as a viewfinder for your DSLR. No fancy rigs, long cables, or expensive equipment/apps. All you need is the AURGA Viewer, an all-in-one plug-and-play dongle that creates a seamless wireless bridge between two devices.
Although the AURGA Viewer looks like a mere HDMI dongle, it’s capable of much more than that. Most dongles only broadcast video (and audio IF you’re lucky). Plug the AURGA into a device and it lets you broadcast low-latency, high-resolution video and 48kHz stereo audio to a secondary display, and even works as an input controller. So, not only can you use your phone or tablet as a secondary screen for your laptop, but you now even tap, swipe, pinch on the touchscreen of your secondary device to control your primary one.
For Designers – Turn your tablet into a pen display for Windows 10.
For Professionals – More screen space by seamlessly extending your desktop.
The fact that this simple dongle creates a two-way bridge between any set of devices unlocks an entire list of possibilities. You could turn your iPad into a secondary display for your laptop, pinching, swiping, and tapping away at elements, or even using the Apple Pencil to sketch the way you would with a Wacom Cyntiq. Your smartphone could even turn into a viewfinder for your DLSR, giving you a better view of what you’re trying to capture (even more so if you’re trying to capture images/videos for social media).
Amplify your Mini PC – Connect your iPad for greater computing power.
For Photographers & Videographers – A larger monitor screen to make sure your videos are perfect everytime.
Outside work, the AURGA Viewer lets you even play console or desktop games on your smartphone or iPad, thanks to the dongle’s incredible low-latency connection. You can use the AURGA Viewer to turn smart devices into monitors for your all-in-one machines like connecting your iPad Air to your Mac Mini for powerful touchscreen computing, or even to something like a Raspberry Pi device.
For Developers – Seamless coding experience with extra screen real estate.
For Gamers – Turn your mobile device into a portable gaming console.
The AURGA Viewer is deceivingly small, mimicking the form of a regular USB stick, yet it’s a powerhouse that creates a bridge of compatibility across devices that would otherwise never be compatible. It comes with an HDMI port for data transfer, and has a small USB-C cable too to draw power (sort of like Amazon’s Fire Stick). The AURGA Viewer works seamlessly with iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows devices, and uses a combination of Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 5G to make its operation buttery smooth.
Use it to revive a dormant device in your house, giving your old smartphone a new purpose, or to multitask by using your laptop/desktop on your iPad. The AURGA Viewer is a remarkably handy dongle to have, whether you’re a designer, developer, photographer, tinkerer, gamer, or just someone who likes the idea of a cross-platform world where devices can connect and communicate with each other without needing tonnes of cables, apps, or expensive gear… All you really need is this small $72 dongle.
Designed by architect Rodolfo Cañas, this massive house in Chile was inspired by the tale of Jonah and the Whale. Cañas shaped the home around two gardens and is located in the rural town of Pomaire, less than an hour southwest of Santiago. The single-family home is designed to protect and shelter its residents from the elements, weather, and surroundings.
“In some ways, the Paire House can be comparable to the whale that protected Jonah during the storm,” said the architect. “In a rural, dry, rugged environment and also close to a highway with a heavy traffic flow, this house works as a container; a protective body, which separates its inhabitants from the hostile environment and makes them look towards a more sheltered interior.”
The shielding and protective quality of the home is similar to the whale that swallowed the prophet, Jonah. From above, the house looks like an abstract human body with four limbs angled in different directions. This interesting layout is determined by two parallel circulation routes, one private, and one public, as well as an intention to orient the room toward certain views. You can enter the house through a garden to the north, that is sheltered by a canopy. The garden is landscaped to move visitors toward one gate, and residents to another. “This forms the cut between the rugged exterior and the sheltered interior of the house,” said Cañas. “It is a covered garden and considers a more controlled natural lighting in order to generate the cut coming from the outside.”
The house includes a row of four bedrooms which all face an enclosed garden. The rooms have been equipped with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, and guests pass through the garden to enter the living space. The residents, on the other hand, can move around via an interior corridor that passes behind the bedrooms. This passageway features a skylight that allows light to stream into it. The southwest end of the home holds an open-plan kitchen, dining, and lounge area. These spaces overlook the central garden. The primary suite is positioned in the southeast wing.
Although a Nike x IKEA mashup would probably be unlikely to us humans, it’s well within the realm of possibility for artificial intelligence! These unusual, quirky products were created by an AI, thanks to some pretty great prompting from AI-artist ‘Str4ngeThing’. The collaboration features your everyday IKEA home decor, but with a sporty, Nike-inspired twist. You’ve got kitchen equipment, lamps, and planters galore. If there’s one thing worth noticing, the products don’t have a flat-pack-friendly design that’s common to a lot of IKEA’s products, but then again, an AI can only do so much, right?!
The Nike X IKEA Casserole Pot looks like it’s taken right out of a sports company’s playbook. You’ve got rounded forms reminiscent of a kettlebell, although that beige-ish color makes the casserole pot look much more worthy of being in a kitchen. The AI does a pretty good job of making the casserole pot look like it’s made from enamel-coated iron, although the form feels MUCH more Nike than it does a Le Creuset. You’ll also notice that the AI messed up the handle on the left – a pretty common problem with diffusion-based text-to-image models.
Nike X IKEA Night Light
If there’s one thing I really respect Str4ngeThing for, it’s their ability to get text right within the image. AI tools like Midjourney often do a horrendous job with generating text within images, so seeing an accurate ‘Nike’ and the swoosh icon on the product really impresses me. You’ve got yourself a Gantri-style tabletop lamp here, with a similar warm, beige-ish colorway. A switch on the wire lets you toggle the lamp’s inner LED lighting, which fills your room with a warm, ambient glow. That debossed logo on the lampshade hits pretty hard too, making it a great collectible for any Nike lover!
Nike X IKEA Eco Plant Pot
The Eco Plant Pot is a pretty adorable cross between a Nike poster and a wall-hanging planter. Whether it’s made from concrete or plastic isn’t immediately clear, but it does look pretty cool, although it isn’t really for everyone. A Nike x IKEA collab is far more likely to have a niche audience than a broad one. What’s great about this planter, however, is the fact that it gives the plant a sporty personality, positioning it right above the Nike swoosh!
Nike X IKEA Clock Coffee Mug
You’re running late for work. You quickly grab a cup of hot coffee, and as you sip it, you tilt your hand over to look at the time. As a result, the coffee pours right onto you, and you’re now a burning mess. Nope. Not efficient at all. This quirky coffee mug comes with its own built-in clock that lets you time your breakfast or your coffee break. It isn’t the most ingenious product ever made, but in the interest of exploring something fun, the Nike x IKEA Clock Coffee Mug definitely ticks all the boxes! Although I imagine having a battery anywhere close to your coffee isn’t a particularly good idea.
Nike X IKEA Stoneware Plate
Here’s a perfect example of a product for a niche audience. This stoneware plate isn’t particularly designed for relishing a plate of pasta, but it makes for a great aesthetic addition to your table spread. The paleo-inspired plate comes with what looks like caveman carvings and a Nike swoosh on it. The textures on the plate are pretty strong, which makes it rather difficult to clean… but then again, I wouldn’t want to put any gravy or oil-based item on this plate. It’s more suited for nachos or some lavash bread that you can dip into queso, guac, or hummus.
Nike X IKEA Eco Plant Lamp
The Eco Plant Lamp is arguably my favorite product just for how quirky and attractive it is. Designed to look like an Air Jordan, this ceiling-hung piece of decor holds a plant inside its hollow form… but wait! That’s not all! The outsole of the planter also comes with a lamp built in, which shines light onto a wall or the floor, making for an INCREDIBLY eclectic piece of lighting that I really hope someone builds and sells on Etsy! I’d pay good money for this!
Nike X IKEA Hoover
Call this one Air Max because it sucks air with maximum power! This Nike x IKEA hoover sports a rather sneaker-inspired design, especially with the use of fabric-like materials on the clad, and what feels like a body and outsole-ish structure. I’m not really sure whether IKEA even sells hoovers (or vacuum cleaners if you live outside the US), but this particular concept has a certain appeal that makes me want to believe that IKEA absolutely could if it wanted!
Nike X IKEA Bluetooth Plant Speaker
This concept has my heart too, for its ability to combine two of my favorite things in the world – plants and music! This inventive Bluetooth speaker also houses a planter within it, in the interest of enriching you as well as your green buddy with some wonderful tunes. IKEA usually tends to collaborate with other companies over audio products (Sonos and Teenage Engineering), and this would probably be their third. The product has a pretty Bose-ish appeal to it, barring the fact that there’s a massive Nike swoosh running along the front. The AI didn’t imagine any controls, although Str4ngeThing did add a Bluetooth icon to the top of the speaker. Above it lies the planter, which allows your speaker to function less as an appliance and more as haute home decor!
Rather aptly dubbed the “Reusable Bag”, this 3D-printed handbag from Malinko Design flips fashion on its head and tries to make one of the most wasteful industries a little more eco-conscious. Unlike conventional handbags made from leather or PU vegan leather, the Reusable Bag makes an odd (but justifiable) choice of being 3D printed from nylon. The reason? Well, Nylon is much more resistant to wear and tear… and if it incurs any damage, it can easily be fixed with a little 3D printing or heat! However, what’s most noteworthy about the bag is its design. It comes with a vibrant blue main body, and an orange chainlink strap that is sure to grab the attention of anyone who even glances in its general direction!
For something made out of plastic, the Reusable Bag sure has an unusual design. It incorporates a variety of styles, including edgy paneling on the base, perforated strips, and a faux feather/scale design on the top. The sides of the bag have two eyelets modeled in, which allow you to attach the orange chain strap to it using the carabiner clips on each end. Relying on 3D printing allowed Malinko Design to explore more industrial details rather than relying on something too ‘fashion template-ish’.
The rigidity of the plastic bag does present one small problem – the bag’s opening. Most fabric or leather bags come with a flap, or with a zipper that lets you open and access the bag’s belongings. Having a bag that’s also flexible helps you rummage through it… something you can’t do with the Reusable Bag. The Reusable Bag, however, does come with a hinged, rigid flap on the top that opens the way a spectacle case would. The insides of the bag don’t expand when you put stuff in, as a flexible bag would, but this also encourages you to travel light and only carry the things you really need.
What’s remarkable about Malinko Design’s rather novel bag is that it pushes the envelope with fashion, experimenting with a new style and a new manufacturing procedure. The bag’s plastic construction is much more durable (and waterproof) than the average leather or fabric bag, and is, for the most part, recyclable. The plastic can be pulverized and converted into a filament and reused to 3D print other products, encouraging a circular economy around the Reusable Bag. Moreover, if the bag ever gets damaged or cracked, it can easily be fixed with a little heat, filament, and sandpaper. The strap can be fixed or replaced too, allowing you to use the bag for years to come.
Each Reusable Bag is made using 3D printing technologies, which generate significantly lesser waste than regular leather and fabric manufacturing. The bags are made to order too, reducing inventory, and take about 2 weeks to produce.
The design arm of creative agency Mother has released a floating sofa with an integrated paddle and emergency flares as part of New York design week, in a tongue-in-cheek critique of climate change complacency.
The Bliss Sofa is a conceptual furniture piece that doubles as a life raft, with cushions upholstered in the same orange fabric that is used to make life jackets.
Mother debuted the Bliss Sofa at NYCxDesign
As the cushions are not attached to the sofa’s recycled-wood base, they quickly turn into floatation devices in the event of a flood. The sofa also comes with a matching ottoman that opens up like a suitcase to store objects such as a cocktail shaker.
The one-of-a-kind furniture piece was designed to raise awareness about the discrepancy in people’s ability to respond to the effects of the climate crisis.
It is fully functional and includes an ottoman with internal storage
“We noticed that, if there’s a catastrophe like flooding due to sea levels rising, if you have the means you are usually fine,” Mother founder Paul Malmstrom told Dezeen.
“So this is for a high-net-worth individual who wants to just sit back, relax and just float away when the water comes.”
It has oars and flares integrated into the design
The Bliss Sofa prototype is fully functional and equipped with a water level gauge, emergency flares in the armrests and a paddle stored in its wooden backrest.
The cushions are covered in water-resistant Sunbrella fabric and wrapped in black utility straps similar to those found on life jackets. The ottoman is also meant to float alongside the sofa.
Bliss comes with a variety of accompanying objects including a manual with satirical instructions for what to do if adrift at sea, encouraging people to “relax” throughout the experience.
“Of course, we don’t want you to relax,” Malstrom said.
Mother plans on selling off the piece and has pledged to donate some of the proceeds to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
The goal was to use satire to raise awareness of climate change complacency
The Bliss Sofa is on show throughout NYCxDesign as part of a show called Harmonious Proportions by Chelsea gallery Tuleste Factory.
Other conceptual design projects in New York include an exhibition by the art collective MSCHF, which featured a vending machine full of “a functional analogue of LSD”.
The imagery is by Charlie Schuck.
Harmonious Proportions at Tuleste Factory is open from 19 May to 20 July 2023. See Dezeen’s dedicated New York design week guide for more events, talks and installations during the annual festival.
Given the events of recent years, it’s really no surprise that air purifiers have become a little bit more popular and in demand. On the one hand, it hints at how bad the air is even inside our homes. On the other hand, increased interest in this kind of product has also opened the doors to rethink air purifiers’ designs. Gone are the conventional boxy or cylindrical appliances, replaced by more stylish forms that blend better with their surroundings, especially when it comes to home decor. Some designs even try to push the envelope further, like this robotic incarnation of the air purifier that not only cleans the air indoors but also creates a more enjoyable and personal atmosphere at home thanks to its disarming cuteness.
Air purifiers are in the same class as air conditioners and electric fans, but unlike the latter two, they can’t help but be placed in more conspicuous positions inside the home. They have to be in a location where they can efficiently draw in dirty air and blow out clean air, which is why most designs simply resort to tall boxes or cylinders that stand in the center of rooms. That doesn’t have to be the case, however, especially if you have an air purifier that can actually move around the house.
PLANI combines the smart technologies present in today’s robot vacuums with an unconventional air purifier design that looks not only more interesting but also a little more human. The robot uses a variety of sensors like LIDAR to move where the air needs cleaning the most while safely avoiding obstacles, such as furniture, pets, and humans. When it comes time for it to do its job, it lifts its side flaps to reveal the air intake mechanism, making the appliance look like a cute mechanical creature.
The adorable life-improving robot has one other trick up its sleeve. In place of a face, it has a sheet of translucent material that is supposed to call to mind the windows of airplanes. Unlike those windows, however, it can change colors, most likely the effect of a ring of LEDs hidden around the glass’s edges that indicate the quality of air in the space. Green is clear and safe; yellow deserves a bit of concern; and red means that the machine needs to get to work.
It might be arguable whether such a design would be as efficient as a stationary air purifier placed strategically at the center of the room, but there’s little doubt it would be more effective in offering a bit more comfort and confidence. It could join the growing roster of smart home appliances that are being given faces or anthropomorphic forms in order to ease their adoption and integration into our lives.
Doctor Octavius, the infamous villain from the Spiderman movie might not be the aspiration of most, but still, he has superhuman powers aided by telescopic tentacles. Capable of moving at lightning-fast speed, the mechanical arms strike with a jackhammer-like force.
If already you’re fanaticized by the prospect of having these superhuman abilities, technology is where we need to look for answers. Indeed, true in the case of this newly developed set of robotic arms that can be attached or detached.
Japanese robotics outfit Jizai Arms wants to bring such superhuman powers to the average human with a contraption comprising six arms. The octopus-like arms are controlled by the person wearing them. The idea for this unique creation is triggered by the past. According to the company, “Half a century since the concept of a cyborg was introduced, Jizai-bodies (digital cyborgs), enabled by the spread of wearable robotics, are the focus of much research in recent times.”
The company is a team of scientists at the University of Tokyo who’ve created a wearable contraption with six sockets that can each be plugged with an individual arm. They can be controlled by the user’s arm and hand movement or remotely by another person. For now, the wearable rig is developed with social interactions in mind, but in the future, it could evolve into a tool for increasing productivity, or if in the wrong hands, it could give an evil mind undue advantage with 6 extra limbs to fire weapons or whatnot.
These arms are aesthetically designed to draw attention with slender hands to replicate any movement. The core idea is to have a smooth interaction of humans with AI and robots – to feel as natural and comfortable as possible for the eventual future. A group of volunteers put on the Jizai Arms for a role-playing experimental session. Here each one of them could exchange arms, receive them as gifts or even control the arms of other volunteers. The findings were encouraging as each volunteer’s body could accurately sense the removal or attachment of arms.
To conclude the study, researchers said that adding customizability to the robotic arms for a sense of social ownership could be the next phase of development. How long before we could see a Boston Dynamics-like robotic fleet of intelligent cyborgs is not known for now. Still, the idea of multiple robotic limbs to enhance one’s capabilities entices me already.
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