Silk scarves are tricky. They can be worn at any time of year, but many still avoid them for fear of appearing “matronly” or too formal. With her new brand Manner Market, Audria Brumberg hopes to…
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Four years ago, arts patron Sabine de Gunzburg was working as an interior designer for friends. “We couldn’t find a good rug at a good size, good colors, whatever—so I decided to go to India to see if it was possible to make…
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When entering the Araks studio, you’re first greeted by their color library; a rainbow of fabric swatches and thread samples packed into an assortment of overflowing jars. It’s a display reminiscent of a technicolor candy store,…
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News: architect David Adjaye has unveiled his design for a facility to house master silk weavers in Varanasi, India.
The building will provide a hub for training artisans in silk weaving, as well as offering classes in business development. Facilities will include clean water, green energy and communal areas to help improve the quality of life for residents of the world’s oldest living city.
The project was commissioned by luxury clothing and accessories brand Maiyet, who asked David Adjaye “to respect the integrity of the location and partnership” in his design.
“This project is an amazing combination of context, place and tradition. It represents the reinvigoration of an extraordinary craft that is knitted to the heritage of Varanasi: its diverse culture, religion and architecture,” said Adjaye, adding on his website: “The building aims to engage with this legacy – while offering a new contemporary typology for an artisanal workshop that will provide a much needed space for a wider community.”
We spoke to David Adjaye earlier this year during our Dezeen and MINI World Tour visit to Design Indaba in South Africa, where he told us about the opportunities available to architects in Africa.
Adjaye has also designed an exhibition of work by Indian architect Charles Correa that is currently on show at the RIBA in London – see all architecture by David Adjaye.
Here’s a statement released by Maiyet:
Maiyet announces Varanasi project
Maiyet launches a limited edition capsule collection with Barneys New York, featuring the exclusive collaboration between Maiyet, Nest and master silk weavers from Varanasi, India
May 9th, 2013- Maiyet is deeply committed to forging partnerships with artisans to promote sustainable business growth in challenging global economies. The brand who pioneers new luxury by celebrating rare skills from unexpected places found in Varanasi, India, the perfect place to launch a strategic partnership with Nest – an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to training and developing artisan businesses. “During our first trip to India, we recognized the amazing potential of the hand woven silks of Varanasi as true artisanal luxury, with the help of Nest, we are now capable of partnering with an inspiring group of artisans to consistently create unique, modern and beautiful materials.” said Kristy Caylor Creative Director and President of Maiyet.
Varanasi, India is the oldest living city on earth with the incredible historic tradition of ancient hand-woven silk. In order to keep this rare skill alive Maiyet and Nest have worked together with the Varanasi weavers to rethink, redesign and redefine their craft production in a way that is revolutionary. As part of the strategic partnership program, Maiyet and Nest develop training programs, business and leadership development. The implementation of a weaving facility in Varanasi will create the first hub to centralize the program.
Paul van Zyl, Co-founder and CEO of Maiyet believes “this silk weaving facility will help preserve a cultural treasure and allow a community to earn sufficient resources to lead a life of dignity.” The facility will improve the capacity and the ability of the weavers as well as be a place to train the next generation of artisans. The facility will also be a community center providing clean water, green energy, training and communal spaces for meetings and events. This is a full circle moment for the young luxury brand and the group of weavers who have been working together since Maiyet’s first debut collection in October 2011.
Maiyet has commissioned renowned architect David Adjaye to design the facility – challenging him to respect the integrity of the location and partnership. “This project is an amazing combination of context, place and tradition. It represents the reinvigoration of an extraordinary craft that is knitted to the heritage of Varanasi: its diverse culture, religion and architecture,” said Adjaye. Adjaye has won a number of prestigious commissions; he was recently selected in a competition to design the $500 million national Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Some of his past work includes the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo and the private home of Alexander McQueen.
Maiyet’s limited edition capsule collection of ready-to-wear pieces and accessories are available exclusively at Barneys New York.
The post David Adjaye reveals design for
a silk-weaving facility in India appeared first on Dezeen.
News: researchers at MIT Media Lab’s Mediated Matter group have created a dome from silk fibres woven by a robotic arm, which was then finished by live silkworms (+ movie).
The project is intended to explore how digital and biological fabrication techniques can be combined to produce architectural structures.
The team programmed the robotic arm to imitate the way a silkworm deposits silk to build its cocoon. The arm then deposited a kilometre-long silk fibre across flat polygonal metal frames to create 26 panels. These panels were arranged to form a dome, which was suspended from the ceiling.
6500 live silkworms were then placed on the structure. As the caterpillars crawled over the dome, they deposited silk fibres and completed the structure.
The Silk Pavilion was designed and constructed at the MIT Media Lab as part of a research project to explore ways of overcoming the existing limitations of additive manufacturing at architectural scales.
Mediated Matter group director Neri Oxman believes that by studying natural processes such as the way silkworms build their cocoons, scientists can develop ways of “printing” architectural structures more efficiently than can be achieved by current 3D printing technologies.
“In traditional 3D printing the gantry-size poses an obvious limitation; it is defined by three axes and typically requires the use of support material, both of which are limiting for the designer who wishes to print in larger scales and achieve structural and material complexity,” Oxman told us earlier this year. “Once we place a 3D printing head on a robotic arm, we free up these limitations almost instantly.”
Oxman’s team attached tiny magnets to the heads of silkworms so they could motion-track their movements. They used this data to programme the robotic arm to deposit silk on the metal frames.
“We’ve managed to motion-track the silkworm’s movement as it is building its cocoon,” said Oxman. “Our aim was to translate the motion-capture data into a 3D printer connected to a robotic arm in order to study the biological structure in larger scales.”
Their research also showed that the worms were attracted to darker areas, so fibres were laid more sparsely on the sunnier south and east elevations of the dome.
See our story from March this year about the research behind the Silk Pavilion. Oxman’s digital fabrication work features in an article about 3D printing in architecture from our one-off publication Print Shift.
Other Dezeen stories about silk include this 2007 project by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Elsbeth joy Nielsen, who used silkworms to weave flat silk panels, from which she made a scarf, lampshade and bath bag.
Last year, Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley wove a golden cape from silk extracted from a million wild spiders.
See more pavilion design »
See more design from MIT »
Mediated Matter Group sent us the following information:
Silk Pavilion – Mediated Matter Group at MIT Media Lab
The Silk Pavilion explores the relationship between digital and biological fabrication on product and architectural scales. The primary structure was created of 26 polygonal panels made of silk threads laid down by a CNC (Computer-Numerically Controlled) machine. Inspired by the silkworm’s ability to generate a 3D cocoon out of a single multi-property silk thread (1km in length), the overall geometry of the pavilion was created using an algorithm that assigns a single continuous thread across patches providing various degrees of density.
Overall density variation was informed by the silkworm itself deployed as a biological “printer” in the creation of a secondary structure. A swarm of 6,500 silkworms was positioned at the bottom rim of the scaffold spinning flat nonwoven silk patches as they locally reinforced the gaps across CNC-deposited silk fibers. Following their pupation stage the silkworms were removed. Resulting moths can produce 1.5 million eggs with the potential of constructing up to 250 additional pavilions.
Affected by spatial and environmental conditions including geometrical density as well as variation in natural light and heat, the silkworms were found to migrate to darker and denser areas. Desired light effects informed variations in material organisation across the surface area of the structure. A season-specific sun path diagram mapping solar trajectories in space dictated the location, size and density of apertures within the structure in order to lock-in rays of natural light entering the pavilion from South and East elevations. The central oculus is located against the East elevation and may be used as a sun-clock.
Parallel basic research explored the use of silkworms as entities that can “compute” material organization based on external performance criteria. Specifically, we explored the formation of non-woven fiber structures generated by the silkworms as a computational schema for determining shape and material optimisation of fiber-based surface structures.
Research and Design by the Mediated Matter Group at the MIT Media Lab in collaboration with Prof. Fiorenzo Omenetto (TUFTS University) and Dr. James Weaver (WYSS Institute, Harvard University). Mediated Matter researchers include Markus Kayser, Jared Laucks, Carlos David Gonzalez Uribe, Jorge Duro-Royo and Neri Oxman (Director).
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to weave Silk Pavilion appeared first on Dezeen.
Just because the weather is warming up spring is no time to let your style start slacking. If you’re suiting up this season ditch the proper pocket square and kill two birds with one stone with the…
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by Vivianne Lapointe Proving that collectibles can be properly showcased beyond the wall or a shelf, Bay & Fyfe founder Frith Hucks is dedicated to creating beautifully finished and wearable art. The Sydney-based concept label first caught our eye with its dusty pink, orange and plum silk scarf featuring a…
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Handprinted hosiery that toes the line between subversive and sweet
Originally conceived in “a little-known town situated between the the forest and the ocean,” Strathcona Stockings are at once a reflection of this ethereal Canadian landscape and founder Ryley O’Byrne’s distinct artistic vision. A graduate of Central Saint Martins and Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, O’Byrne has…
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Norwegian designer Kristine Five Melvær has made a series of sheer silk room dividers in pale, graduated colours.
The tops of the Tint screens are strung between pairs of poles, while the rounded bottom corners are left free to waft around.
“The dividers are forming semi-transparent, living veils in space, moving with the wind or people passing,” says Kristine Five Melvær.
“They question the amount of shielding needed in order to create zones, as a fragile and organic counterbalance to rigid room dividers.”
The project was presented at ™51 gallery in Oslo last week for an exhibition of work by Norwegian designers, called Tingenes Tilstand (The State of Things), where Kristine Five Melvær also exhibited a series of lamps that look like drooping flower buds.
Photos are by Erik Five Gunnerud.
See more work by Kristine Five Melvær here.
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by Kristine Five Melvær appeared first on Dezeen.
Seven bright picks channel the coming season
With Spring dawning in half the world—including at CH HQ in NYC—we’ve been inspired to brighten up our warmer weather attire to the match the early blossoms. After searching for Spring-ready neckwear, we have gathered together a selection of ties and bow ties that best convey the renewed energy of the season.
Using Thomas Mason’s coveted fabrics, the “Cameron Bow” ($62) accurately captures the ethos of spring and summer sun. Microcord cotton adds texture and natural striping to this New York-made accessory.
For a something cheerful but still subdued, this pastel striped tie ($58) hits all the right notes. Made by Monitaly, the cotton construction is cut for a slim silhouette and is casual enough to wear without a jacket.
You can’t go wrong with a traditional rep tie. Ernest Alexander’s version ($72) uses micro-stripes to break up the green and blue dominance, and lines the silk exterior with a somewhat sturdier and more laid-back chambray.
Fit for the office and sunday brunch alike, this brightly hued royal twill tie (£95) is screen-printed by hand in England. The luxe brand’s simple polka dot design injects a sense of fun into a look that can still pass as conservative enough.
The “Artist Jacquard” ($98) from Shipley & Halmos balances the dominant pink with a navy that comes through in the furrows. Printed across the silk are renditions of a painter hard at work, for a thoughtful and humanizing little riff on the critter motif.
The bold hues of this knitted silk tie ($190) fall in line with the Italian brand’s trademark mastery of prints, but in a slightly unexpected form. The squared end stands out, and lines of tan anchor the colorful spectrum against a formal ensemble.
Part schoolboy geek, part retro badass, this cotton check tie ($88) is made from vintage 1960s fabric. Plus, the ultra-limited run of 12 ties comes lined with a charming shamrock pattern on the underside.
Pink seersucker serves as the cornerstone to any spring tie collection. Hand-sewn from woven English cotton, the texture of Alexander Olch’s take ($140) softens the shirt-and-tie look with casual preppy spirit.
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