Earlier this year, Parsons The New School for Design and storied Italian furniture manufacturer Poltrona Frau presented Wasteless, a competition where students were asked to repurpose leather scraps from the production floor into new and exciting products. This competition culminated with a visit to Poltrona Frau’s factory, museum, and research and development center in Tolentino, Italy, by the three student winners: Yuna Kim, Benjamin Billick and myself. For one week in July, we were immersed in the brand, its history, and its manufacturing and production processes, as we experienced a unique opportunity to further develop and refine our winning designs. Our time in Tolentino was marked by a rich and open exchange with everyone at Frau, from the brand director to the marketing and communications team, the designers, leather technicians and the master artisans.
We began our week at the Poltrona Frau Museum to sharpen our understanding of the company’s century-long history and identity. This was an essential step in further refining our design into the language of Poltrona Frau. We then were introduced to the Poltrona Frau factory and research lab, which was certainly one of the highlights of our trip (well, come to think of it, everything we did while there blew our minds). We were amazed to observe the artisans at work on a range of projects, from iconic furniture models to the interiors of the latest Ferraris and Maseratis. It’s one thing to read about a technique from a book and trying to master it—but utterly fail every time—and another to witness the artisans perform their magic.
Focus sur le travail du photographe américain Howard Shatz. Déjà connu pour ses séries comme Model and Mothers Series ou Underwater, il a été récompensé par de nombreux prix et publié par des magazines comme Vogue, GQ ou le New York Times. À découvrir en images dans la suite de l’article.
Central Saint Martins graduates have produced a series of illustrations highlighting facts about human decision-making to promote economist Noreena Hertz’s new book, Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Decisions in a Confusing World.
Hertz’s book, published by HarperCollins, is described as a guide to making informed choices when bombarded with data. Using findings from scientific studies, Hertz warns against becoming over-reliant on expert opinions, massaged figures and marketing speak – in a study of 82,000 predictions by 284 experts over a sixteen-year period, she says, experts got no more right than a monkey randomly sticking a pin on a board.
It also offers practical advice on how to make “smarter” decisions, encouraging readers to eat before making tough financial choices and meditate to improve their rational thought.
The finished collection will be used in press coverage of the book, on the Eyes Wide Open website and on social media. The project was led by Tanya Brennand-Roper, a content producer at HarperCollins and a lecturer and former student at Saint Martins.
“As Hertz’s book is full of facts and statistics – something that might be considered quite dry, visually speaking – we wanted to create a visual language for online communications,” she explains. “We hope they get the message across and offer something different to a traditional pie chart or graph. It’s a little lighter, and more engaging for a younger audience who can like or share the images with their friends,” she adds.
It’s one of a series of projects HarperCollins has worked on with Saint Martins – students recently designed a cover for the late novelist William Wharton’s book, Birdy – and Brennand-Roper says the recent graduates offered a fresh take on design.
“Sometimes, working with more experienced designers can produce a more corporate finish. People fresh out of art school have a different way of looking at things, as they’re still experimenting and developing their visual style and everything they’ve learned is fresh in their mind. And for the students and graduates, it’s a chance to gain experience of working with different clients on live, high-profile briefs,” she says.
It’s a witty set of designs from a promising group of illustrators, and an interesting alternative to traditional data visualisation. “It kind of adds an extra layer to the book and the way we as book publishers as choosing to market our content,” says Brennand-Roper.
Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Decisions in a Confusing World is published by HarperCollins (£14.99, ebook £7.49). To listen to an interview with Hertz about the book, click here.
The Tory faithful attending this week’s Conservative Party conference will be able to purchase a range of Margaret Thatcher merchandise designed by Spring
Available at maggieshop.com as well as at the event, the Maggie Collection includes an ‘Our Maggie’ tote bag featuring the late Baroness’s trademark Launer handbag as well as key rings, fridge magnets and T-shirts.
According to Erika Clegg, co-founder of Spring, “Our goal was to honour this important brief and Margaret Thatcher’s future position in the public psyche by stripping away some of the charactures that surround her….We wanted to create a range by which we felt Margaret Thatcher would be amused and gently flattered. She was never stuffy, and so this witty appreciation of her approach to life feels right for her.”
Strangely, this is the second time the late Baroness Thatcher has come to our attention here at CR in the last few days: Roger Law was accompanied on stage at the AGI Open conference last Thursday by the life-size Thatcher puppet he created for Spitting Image. According to Law, three versions of Thatcher’s head were made for the show: angry, happy and condescending.
Of course all political parties now sell merchandise – anyone watching coverage of the Lib Dems conference earlier this month may have spotted the Lib Dem Image stall in the background of some shots. Here could be purchased such delights as a set of badges featuring ‘wacky’ MP Bob Russell modelling his special conference waistcoats
While UKIP offers this lovely T-shirt (good for wearing while cleaning behind the fridge, ladies)
Labour merch has had its fair share of naffness too but CR readers may be interested in a few items currently on offer via its website – reproductions of vintage campaigning and election posters such as these from 1945
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Product news: Japanese studio Nendo has made this range of drinking vessels and wine bottle holders in the same way as pails and barrels (+ slideshow).
Nendo worked with traditional Japanese barrel maker Nakagawa Mokkougei, using wooden bucket-making techniques to create smaller versions for the Oke collection.
The range includes a tumbler, drinking cup, shot glass, sake cup and sake pitcher.
Nendo altered the silhouette of the buckets, which normally have straight edges. “We added a slight curve at the base to create a soft feel both visually and in the hand,” the studio said.
The lighter-coloured pieces are crafted from Japanese cypress and darker items are made out of Jindai cedar, a rare wood removed from the ground after being buried for 2000 years.
Both woods are treated with urethane to prevent warping caused by sunlight, dirt and moisture.
One metal hoop rather than the usual two is used to bind the wooden slats. The hoop is sandblasted for a matte finish.
The slats forming the larger Uneven-Oke Bucket are different heights so a bottle neck can rest against them. It has two hoops instead of one so it looks distinctly barrel-like.
All designs will be available from Seibu department stores in Japan from 22 October.
Nakagawa Mokkougei is a traditional Japanese cooper whose pails, buckets and other wooden items have long been beloved of exclusive Kyoto inns and restaurants. We designed a collection of drinking items – a tumbler, guinomi drinking cup, shot glass, sake cup and sake pitcher – that utilise the same barrel-making skills and techniques. Somewhat unconventionally, we decided to bind the wooden slats with one hoop, rather than the usual two. We made the walls thicker than usual and created nearly imperceptible spaces between the slats, a new construction that disperses the stress around the structure.
Using only one hoop makes for a clean look, and the thicker wood has a strong, comforting feel against the lips when lifted to the mouth. We also played with the cups’ silhouette. The walls of Japanese wooden buckets ordinarily lie straight. We added a slight curve at the base to create a soft feel both visually and in the hand.
To soften the hoop’s metallic gleam, we sandblasted it to a matte texture then coloured it with a powdered paint, developing another new technique. The pieces are made from a combination of Japanese cypress (hinoki), the traditional material for buckets, and Jindai Cedar, a rare, darker wood uncovered from having been buried in the earth for more than 2000 years.
We treated both woods with urethane to keep warping from ultraviolet rays, dirt and moisture to a minimum. A collection that combines old and new techniques to bring out the best in its materials. All the items will be sold at Seibu department stores in Japan exclusively from 22 October.
Minnesota architect Josh Lewandowski has started a blog where he’ll post one meaningless architectural diagram every day for a year (+ slideshow).
Since 7 September, Lewandowski has been publishing a single drawing to his Pointless Diagrams blog every day, and intends to continue for a whole year.
“I started the blog because for as long as I can remember I’ve always drawn and doodled 3D sketches that have an unapologetic dearth of meaning,” Lewandowski told Dezeen. “I’m doing it because of my sincere belief that setting aside time to doodle useless stuff is extremely useful.”
The drawings depict imaginary structures and architectural scenarios, and some of the diagrams also feature directional arrows. “I like that people I’ve shown them to see different things based on their own experiences,” he said.
“I draw my inspiration from architecture, furniture, engineering, geometry, cereal boxes, Lego instructions and Etch A Sketch memories,” explained the designer. “I always use pen and ink because an early art teacher told me erasing is for wimps.”
The original drawings are made in pen and ink on buff acid-free paper and are available for purchase from Lewandowski.
I started the blog because for as long as I can remember I’ve always drawn and doodled 3d sketches that have an unapologetic dearth of meaning.
Whether it was in a 6th grade English class, during a Peter Eisenman lecture in grad school, or when I should have been CADing while employed at Robert A M Stern Architects; I was drawing.
The sketches are usually meaningless and aesthetically could be described as equal parts Draw Squad and James Stirling.
I draw my inspiration from architecture, furniture, engineering, geometry, cereal boxes, lego instructions, and Etch A Sketch memories. I always use pen and ink because an early art teacher told me erasing is for wimps.
This blog chronicles my attempt at a year-long endeavor to draw one diagram a day, because of my sincere belief that setting aside time to doodle useless pictures is extremely useful.
They appear meaningful without actually being helpful. Some might seem to reference real things or show some sort of relationship between things, but that is merely coincidental. Enjoy.
Nouveau symbole de Lima, la capitale du Pérou, ce projet « Unbalanced Hotel » proposera près de 125 chambres perchées sur le flanc d’une falaise. Un projet impressionnant proposé par les architectes madrilènes de OOIIO qui est à découvrir en détails et en images dans la suite de l’article.
Given 3D printing’s meteoric rise over the past year, it’s no surprise that crowds were swarming around the iMakr booth at 100% Design. Inside the skeletal frame of a 100 square meter “house,” the UK-based online retailer (and owner of the world’s largest 3D printing store) brought its “Factory at Home” concept to the show floor, displaying various 3D printing models and 3D printed objects ranging from lighting, furniture and architectural models to cutlery, jewelry and sculptures.
iMakr staff gave live demonstrations using some of the industry’s best desktop 3D printers from companies like MakerBot, Ultimaker and FlashForge.
100% Design was also the occasion for iMakr to launch its new Print on Demand service called My Mini Factory, allowing designers to upload their own models or download free 3D printable files from the company’s in-house team of designers.
Combining the latest in 360-degree scanning and 3D printing technologies (along with a healthy dose of narcissism), iMakr gave people the chance to walk away with a full body, full color replica of themselves—a service the company plans to offer in London’s department store, Selfridges, this winter.
Three separate sections built in different cities make up this steel-framed house in Nara, Japan, by Tokyo architects Megumi Matsubara and Hiroi Ariyama (+ slideshow).
Megumi Matsubara worked alongside Hiroi Ariyama of Assistant Studio to design House of 33 Years, which is made from a mixture of exposed raw materials including steel, timber, concrete, steel cables, clear corrugated plastic and glass panels.
Located next door to an ancient Buddhist temple, the house was designed for an elderly couple who decided to move house after 33 years living in their original home together.
Each part of the house was simultaneously built in three separate locations – the cities of Nara, Sendai, and Aomori – before being transported to the site and put together as one unit, which the architects felt would create an architecture that “moves”.
The roof shell was built in Nara, while the main rooms were built in Aomori from local timber. Meanwhile, a section of the first-floor was built at the Sendai School of Design and housed a farm in the school’s courtyard, before being transferred to Nara.
Architect Megumi Matsubara said the house’s location has a special meaning for the couple. “The husband is originally from Nara and had an attachment and melancholic nostalgia with the temple, having spent a considerable amount of his childhood there,” Matsubara said.
A layered arrangement of glass panes and wooden structures through the interior create different visual perspectives depending on where you stand inside the building.
“By framing views across different areas, images are continuously produced by the inhabitants’ movement,” Matsubara said. “Every image is given its own space of possibility, then overlaps as multiple additions to the home to update the family’s memories.”
Accessed by steel staircases and a wooden ladder elevated at different heights, the first-floor bathroom is cantilevered and offers residents a view of the temple’s bamboo forest while bathing.
This floor is the brightest part of the house, while the smaller, darker room on the ground-floor level is used as a bedroom. The combined living, dining and kitchen space is positioned at the back.
Megumi Matsubara & Hiroi Ariyama of the architecture firm Assistant are pleased to announce the completion of House of 33 Years after five years since the project’s inception. The House of 33 Years is a residence located next to the world heritage Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan. The house was designed for an elderly couple who decided to move to a new house thirty three years after living in their first house.
The House of 33 Years is a house for a collector who collects memories, whose memory and future exist simultaneously in the same space. By framing views across different areas, images are continuously produced by the inhabitants’ movement. Every image is given its own space of possibility, then overlaps as multiple additions to the home to update the family’s memories.
In 2012, during the construction process, the fabrication of the house was partly supported by Aomori Contemporary Art Centre and Sendai School of Design. Its design/fabrication process has been an academic research subject of Adaptable Futures, Loughborough University, UK. The house has been awarded SD Review prize in 2010.
The house consists of multiple pavilions and rooms in wood structure that stand under the big steel-frame house. The relationship between the individual elements defines the character of the house as a whole. Its construction process has been pursued in three separate locations simultaneously; Nara, Sendai, and Aomori. In Nara, the exterior steel roof to cover the whole residence has been constructed on-site.
Then, having accepted offers by two public institutions, Sendai School of Design and Aomori Contemporary Art Centre, to participate in their artist-in-residence programs, the duo decided to build an unknown experience by linking the two institutions through a single residential housing project, to eventually constitute the house in Nara.
They broke House of 33 Years, which had been designed as a single house, into parts suitable for making in the two programs, so that the architecture would “move,” so to speak. Each work was also realised as an individual installation piece on which additional features were elaborated, responding to demands from the institution, characteristics of the space, and the chosen method of exhibiting.
In Sendai, Ghost House, a pavilion to sit on the roof, was built with the students of Sendai School of Design. The pavilion is an homage to Ghost House, one of the pavilions scattered on the large premises of the famous house of Philip Johnson and was given the same name. Over the summer it was sitting in the courtyard of a university campus and the students had grown a farm inside.
In Aomori, the main rooms in wood-structure was built and developed together with local carpenters, using materials available in Aomori, as an installation piece Obscure Architecture (House of 33 Years, Study), then to become a part of ‘Kime to Kehai’ exhibition at Aomori Contemporary Art Centre. This work always had a fresh look depending on the movement of the sunlight. Physically, this architectural work remained present in the same position, whereas the natural phenomena created by it kept flowing without stopping. After the exhibition period in each city, those elements were disassembled and loaded on a 4-ton truck, and carried to the destination, Nara, where they were recomposed to form the House of 33 Years.
Project name: House of 33 Years Location: Nara, Japan Architects: Megumi Matsubara and Hiroi Ariyama (Assistant Studio) Client: private Purpose: private residence Structural engineer: Mitsuda Structural Consultants Site area: 189 square metres Building area: 76 square metres Total floor area: 104 square metres Structure: steel frame, wooden Number of storeys: 2 storeys Construction period: March 2011 – June 2013
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