Hasta La Ideas

Classic sports cars appear to be frozen as they explode in this series of images by Swiss artist Fabien Oefner (+ slideshow).

Oefner deconstructed scale models of 1950s and 1960s sports cars and photographed the parts individually. He then digitally arranged them to create an image that makes it look as if a life-sized car is exploding.

“What you see in these images, is a moment that never existed in real life,” said Oefner. “What looks like a car falling apart is in fact a moment in time that has been created artificially by blending hundreds of individual images together.”

The artist sketched where the individual parts would be placed before each model, containing over a thousand components, was taken apart piece by piece. Titled Disintegration, the series includes a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, a 1961 Jaguar E-Type and a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

To set up the shots, Oefner arranged the pieces with fine needles and string to create the right angle. He photographed each of the components then combined the pictures to form a single image using Adobe Photoshop.

“These are possibly the slowest high-speed images ever captured,” he said. “It took almost two months to create an image that looks as if it was captured in a fraction of a second. The whole disassembly in itself took more than a day for each car due to the complexity of the models. But that’s a bit of a boy thing. There’s an enjoyment in the analysis, discovering something by taking it apart, like peeling an onion.”

The photographs are currently on display at the M.A.D Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland, along with another series by Oefner called Hatch. This set features images in which a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 appears to have just broken out of a shell like an egg hatching.

These images of “the birth of a car” were created by filling a latex mould of the model Ferrari with a layer of gypsum to produce a series of shells. The shells were thrown at the model or dropped on top of it, with the aim of capturing the smashing so the car looks like it is breaking out from it. A microphone was connected to the camera to trigger the shutter to close at the exact moment of the shell breaking.

“I have always been fascinated by the clean, crisp looks of 3D renderings,” said the artist. “So I tried to use that certain type of aesthetic and combine it with the strength of real photography. These images are also about capturing time: either in stopping it as in the Hatch series or inventing it as in the Disintegrating series.”

The exhibition continues until May 2014. Here is some more information from the artist:

Mind-blowing images by Fabian Oefner at the MB&F M.A.D. Gallery The MB&F M.A.D. Gallery is delighted to present a series of prints by Swiss artist Fabian Oefner. Fabian has carved out his reputation by fusing the fields of art and science, creating images appealing to heart and mind. He is constantly on the lookout for capturing life moments that are invisible to the human eye: phenomena like sound waves, centripetal forces, iridescence, fire and even magnetic ferrofluids, among others. The artworks on display at the M.A.D. Gallery from Fabian’s series are mind-boggling. The three images of the Disintegrating series are exploded views of classic sports cars that Fabian has painstakingly created by deconstructing vintage roadster scale-models, photographing each component, piece by piece in a very specific position, to create the illusion of an exploding automobile.

The three other images on exhibition form his Hatch series, which explores the theme ‘the birth of a car’. Inspired by a picture of a hatching chick, Fabian decided to show a manufactured object being born just like a living organism – in this case a Ferrari 250 GTO breaking out of its shell, to create a witty high-octane take on the beginning of life. While both series feature cars, they both also involve fooling the observer into seeing the images as computer-generated renderings rather than the real photographs that they are.

Fabian says: “I have always been fascinated by the clean, crisp looks of 3D renderings. So I tried to use that certain type of aesthetic and combine it with the strength of real photography. These images are also about capturing time: either in stopping it as in the Hatch series or inventing it as in the Disintegrating series.” Fabian Oefner’s artwork will be on show at the M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva starting on 27 November until May 2014. Disintegrating in detail Fabian Oefner explains that photography usually captures moments in time; but his Disintegrating series is all about inventing a moment in time. “What you see in these images, is a moment that never existed in real life,” says Oefner. “What looks like a car falling apart is in fact a moment in time that has been created artificially by blending hundreds of individual images together. There is a unique pleasure about artificially building a moment… Freezing a moment in time is stupefying.”

The images show exploded views of classic sports cars: intricate scale models of an eye-wateringly beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé with gullwing doors (1954); an iconic sleek, black Jaguar E-Type (1961); and a curvaceously sensual Ferrari 330 P4 (1967). Fabian first sketched on paper where the individual pieces would go, before taking apart the model cars piece by piece, from the body shell right down to the minuscule screws. Each car contained over a thousand components. Then, according to his initial sketch, he placed each piece individually with the aid of fine needles and pieces of string. After meticulously working out the angle of each shot and establishing the right lighting, he photographed the component, and took thousands of photographs to create each Disintegrating image.

All these individual photos were then blended together in post-production to create one single image. With the wheels acting as a reference point, each part was masked in Photoshop, cut and then pasted into the final image. “These are possibly the ‘slowest high-speed’ images ever captured,” says Fabian. “It took almost two months to create an image that looks as if it was captured in a fraction of a second. The whole disassembly in itself took more than a day for each car due to the complexity of the models. But that’s a bit of a boy thing. There’s an enjoyment in the analysis, discovering something by taking it apart, like peeling an onion.” However, he adds: “The hardest part was actually setting up the camera, lens and light, because the biggest frustration is when you can’t get any beautiful image out of it!” Hatch in detail With Hatch, Fabian Oefner presents his interpretation of how cars might be ‘born’. The first two images show a Ferrari 250 GTO (1962) – again a detailed scale model – breaking out of its shell. The third image shows one of the empty shells left behind among several others yet to hatch. Fabian started by making a latex mould from the model car, which was then filled with a thin layer of gypsum to create the shell. Several dozens of these shells were made in order to complete the next step: smashing the shell onto the car to create the illusion of the vehicle breaking out. This step had to be repeated a great many times until the desired results were achieved. To capture the very moment where the shell hit the model, Fabian connected a microphone to his camera, a Hasselblad H4D, and flashes, so that every time the shell hit the surface of the car, the impulse was picked up by the microphone which then triggered the flashes and the camera shutter. Representing a car as a living, breathing organism that has been gestated is a neat twist on car conception; it could be said Hatch is to the automotive world what a stork is to delivering babies.

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Dezeen promotion: design brand Luminaire is presenting work by designers Tokujin Yoshioka, Patricia Urquiola and Daniel Widrig at an event in its exhibition space this Thursday evening, to coincide with Design Miami.

The Design+World event will showcase products in Luminaire’s range, including Yoshioka’s Elements tables with surfaces balanced on angled supports.

Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola’s recently published Time to Make A Book compendium will be available alongside art and design titles by Phaidon.

Sinuous 3D-printed body adornments by designer and architect Daniel Widrig will debut at the event. Widrig’s Kinesis collection features undulating forms that wrap around the neck and over the shoulders, created using selective laser sintering.

Other pieces on display will include blown-glass ornaments by Italian studio Fabrica and glass pendants that look like fishing floats by Nao Tamura, plus more glassware by a variety of designers.

The event will take place from 6-9pm on Thursday 5 December 2013 at Luminaire Lab, 3901 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida – RSVP to attend here. Find out out more about the event on the Luminaire website.

Keep reading for more information from Luminaire:

Luminaire’s continued commitment to promoting good design and education culminate with the third instalment of Design+World, a comprehensive exhibition exploring how today’s designers are interpreting materials, technologies and production methods to create work which expands on the traditional boundaries of design. The exhibition will include works by Tokujin Yoshioka, Patricia Urquiola and Daniel Widrig. As well as exploring the culture of glass with Fabrica’s Drawing Glass, Nao Tamura’s poetic glass lighting and a selection of limited edition glass pieces from our own collection. Additionally, we will welcome Phaidon books to the showroom, bringing a preeminent voice in art and design to the design district.

We look forward to meeting you this year at Design+World, and experience how innovation and imagination unite to impact the future of design across the globe.

Thursday 5 December 2013, 6-9pm
Luminaire Lab, 3901 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida

Daniel Widrig

Luminaire is thrilled to welcome London and Berlin-based designer, architect and artist Daniel Widrig to Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach 2013. As part of the installation, Design+World explores how today’s designers interpret materials, technologies and production methods to create work that expands the boundaries of design. Widrig’s lightweight and unique 3D-printed jewellery collection Kinesis complements the vision of this exhibition perfectly.

The soft, undulating pieces embrace the neckline and shoulders as an exoskeleton. Kinesis pushes the limits of selective laser sintering (SLS), gracefully transforming digital systems into wearable landscapes so artful, avant-garde and surreal that it feels otherworldly. The expressive, sinuous movement of Kinesis and its architectural character are akin to his early work as an architect when alongside his mentor, Zaha Hadid, he led a number of award-winning architectural projects, products and other designs.

Widrig graduate from the Architectural Association in London in 2006, and that same year started working with acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid. In 2009 he opened his own studio with a dedicated team of specialists in a broad range of fields including fashion, furniture, sculpture, stage design and architecture. Embracing digital systems since its early days, the studio holds a unique position in the field and is widely considered to be in the vanguard of digital art and design. In 2011 he worked with the fashion designer Iris Van Herpen to create an extraordinary series of 3D printed dresses, which was named one of the 50 Best Inventions of 2011 by Time Magazine.

www.luminaire.com

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Massachusetts design studio Nervous System has developed a method of 3D-printing jewellery and garments with articulated joints so they automatically change shape once removed from the printer (+ movie).

Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg of Nervous System describe their Kinematics project as an example of 4D printing, an emerging area of research which involves printing three-dimensional objects that automatically transform from one shape to another.

Although it’s long been possible to create larger structures by 3D-printing them in sections then manually assembling the components, what sets 4D printing apart is that the finished object will self-assemble or transform into a pre-determined form.

“4D printing refers to 3D-printing something in one shape that is intended to be in another shape,” creative director Jessica Rosenkrantz told Dezeen. “The design transforms into its final configuration without manual labour. The shape it is printed in may be advantageous for various reasons: faster, cheaper, or printing larger objects in a smaller volume.”

Nervous System are currently working on a dress that can be printed in one piece despite being much larger than the space inside the printer and have also developed a range of jewellery with articulated joints that automatically adapt to the form of the body despite being printed in flat sheets.

The designers first developed software to give any 3D model a flexible structure, made from tessellated triangles linked by built-in hinges. A second process then folds the model automatically to compress it into the smallest possible volume, optimising the use of space inside a 3D printer. The object simply unfurls into its intended shape once lifted out of the printer.

They named the process Kinematics after the branch of mechanics of the same name – also referred to as the geometry of motion – that describes the movement of objects but not its cause.

“We think the greatest advantage of Kinematics is that it can transform any three-dimensional shape into a flexible structure for 3D printing,” Rosenkrantz said. “The system then compresses the structure down through computational folding.”

To create the dress, a 3D-scan of a person’s body forms the basis for a digitally modelled garment, to which the tessellated pattern is applied. The rigidity and behaviour of the final dress can be controlled at this stage by altering the configuration of the triangular hinged mesh: the way the material will drape as a result is simulated on-screen. This digital model can then be folded into a much smaller shape using computer simulation software and printed in compressed form. When the dress is lifted out of the printer, it will unfurl into its intended shape.

“Compressed designs offer benefits not only for production but also for transport,” Rosenkrantz added. “It holds great promise for the creation of flexible wearables but could also be used to enable the production of other large-scale structures in today’s small-scale printers.”

Nervous System began developing the Kinematics concept last year in response to a brief set by mobile phone manufacturer Motorola to create customisable 3D-printed products.

The pair first produced a collection of nylon jewellery derived from the tessellated hinged triangles. The pieces emerge from the printer in a stack of flat sheets but the articulated structure allows them to to fit around the shape of the body.

They developed an online application so users can customise the jewellery designs themselves by selecting different module shapes, altering the density of components in selected areas, changing the profile of the design by dragging the outline around, specifying the size and deciding on the colour.

The price of the product is recalculated with every alteration and once happy the customer can order it to be produced by Nervous System. A second free application allows users to experiment with Nervous System’s templates and print the results at home.

Rosenkrantz and Louis-Rosenberg then developed the principle by adding the ability to fold the design down to its smallest possible spatial configuration. They intend to print their first dress in January.

Photography of the jewellery is by Jessica Weiser.

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Swedish designers Toki Drobnjakovic and Per Sundberg have renovated an underground strip club in Stockholm to create a workplace where walls are embellished with concrete set against bubble wrap (+ slideshow).

A staircase covered in hexagonal concrete leaves, a wall of plants and a torso-shaped sculpture are just some of the additions to the former Blue Star bar, which is now named Studioverket, and functions as both the designers’ studio and as a flexible co-working space for freelancers.

Using the working title Subterranean Concrete Orgy, Drobnjakovic and Sundberg teamed up with concrete manufacturer Butong to produce the new interior elements, and also enlisted the help of architecture student Noa Ericsson and movie producer Erik Liss.

Each concrete structure was cast inside a sandwich of bubble wrap, which could be folded during the setting process to create irregular shapes.

“We use high-strength EXM concrete,” explained Butong’s Lars Höglund. “After pressing, the panels can be shaped for approximately one hour. The leaf-thin layers of concrete where bubbles have connected can either be removed for transparency or kept for translucency.”

For the entrance lobby, the team added rectangular concrete panels across the walls, before wrapping the central staircase with overlapping layers of curving concrete hexagons.

Seeds were sown into the circular pockets of another concrete structure, creating a wall of plants and herbs that was hung inside one of the largest studios, while the opposite wall presents an undulating concrete surface named Sound Wave.

As a nod to the history of the building, Liss also cast concrete over a mannequin’s head to produce a sculpture designed to look like a girl trapped in a wall.

The final touches were a series of concrete pendant lamps that hang down from the ceiling of one of the rooms.

Photography is by Per Lundström.

Here’s some more information from Studioverket:

Studioverket – Subterranean concrete orgy when shady porn-shop goes office hub

Two young designers in architecture and sound, Per & Toki, nourished a long held dream for an office/studio environment to call their own & recently it came true when Studioverket took over the leasing contract from infamous “Blue Star”. Concrete producer, Butong, was contracted to realise Studioverket’s concept of “homogeneous diversity” using Sealed-Air bubble in a special casting process. New elements were produced and old projects were re-designed & tweaked for their new purpose at this basement location in bustling Stureplan area.

The sequencing of space & placement of elements was determined by the two freshly baked entrepreneurs – Butong was then to propose design solutions. Starting with the stairs, the space needed to make a distinct division between exterior & interior space. Architecture student Noa Ericsson was asked to design for the subjects to forget that they have gone underground.

Spatial formation and the relation to the cold light from the vertical garden aim at mirroring the cave typology. The entrance, with its dimmed light, is the darkest space and further in where people work regularly, a lighter environment is created.

The four nodes of the project are connected by intricate moiré lighting effects, caused by small & sharp light sources behind transparent parts of the material, which are turned on when suitable for the setting.

While the wall quickly found its form & expression, the ceiling had to take a few turns before finding its finished state. Noa, first influenced by traditional “kurbits”, gradually broke the elements down to hexagonal tiles. By manipulating the hexagons bend & axis parameters in production and by flipping & rotating the tiles while installing – freedom of organic design was achieved.

On the vertical surfaces, the translucent layers of concrete are removed for an organic pattern of transparency, made possible by the moiré distribution of holes. The wall is also an acoustic barrier as acoustic foam behind the panels absorb street sound, preventing it from spilling down into the lounge.

The graphic organic of the entrance space has its continuation in the truly organic green-wall. A mix of seeds & plant cuttings were used. The seedlings break their way through the ultra-thin layers of concrete in the hollows & are root spread in the underlying substrate, giving a dynamic vegetation. The 1.2m x 3.6m wall is a re-designed bench from a temporary project & it is an inversion of a stone hedge – letting vegetation root in the stones, rather than in between.

Lots of herbs, chillies & other edible plants are grown to be used for drinks or as spice at company events. Tenants and visitors are also invited to plant seeds, available beside the wall. Hopefully this will give create a sort of connection between people and place.

Opposite from the vertical garden a sculptural element defines the space between the two pieces. As a reference to the adjacent music studio – the shape is an illustration of sound waves, placed frozen on the wall.

As this used to be a shady porn shop/erotic bar, the more expressive “Girl in the wall” has found its fitting home close by the emergency exit. This one of a kind piece was created by movie producer Erik Liss, by simply casting Butong on a manikin as he stumbled through the workshop in search for a new style in fashion.

Site: Studioverket, Stockholm, Stureplan
Concept: Studioverket
Studioverket Team: Toki Drobnjakovic, Per Sundberg
Design: Noa Ericsson, Erik Liss
Details, Design: Butong
Butong Team: J-C Violleau, Andreas Berkebo, Lars Höglund

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A layer of grasses, herbs and flowers blankets the roof of this hump-shaped house near Reims, France, by architect Patrick Nadeau (+ slideshow).

Named La Maison-vague, which translates as Wave House, Patrick Nadeau‘s project is one 63 experimental houses being built in the commune of Sillery, near Reims, and was designed with an arching profile to resemble the shape of a mound or hill.

Plants wrap around the east and west facades, primarily to provide thermal insulation but also to allow the house to fit in with its rural surroundings.

“The traditional relationship between house and garden is changed, disturbed even; the project encompasses both in the same construction,” said Nadeau.

The architect worked alongside Pierre Georgel of landscape design firm Ecovégétal to design a planting scheme that encompasses herbs such as thyme and lavender alongside sedums, grasses and various other perennials.

“The plants were selected for their aesthetic qualities and their ability to adapt to the environment,” he said. ” The technical challenge lay primarily in the steep slope that required the development of innovative systems for the maintenance of land and water retention.”

An automatic watering system is integrated into the structure but is only intended for use during severe drought conditions.

Timber was used for the entire structure of the house. An arching wooden frame creates the curved profile, while a raised deck lifts the building off the ground and creates an outdoor seating area.

The north and south elevations are clad with transparent polycarbonate, which screens a mixture of clear glass windows and opaque timber panels.

The front entrance leads directly into an L-shaped living and dining space that occupies most of the ground floor of the house. A kitchen and bathroom are tucked into one corner, while a spiral staircase leads up to a pair of bedrooms on a mezzanine floor above.

Here’s a project description from Patrick Nadeau:

La Maison-vague / Patrick Nadeau

The project context is based on experimentation, and initiated by the public housing council of Reims (HLM – l’Effort Rémois) – in a subdivision of 63 lots with heavy economic constraints.

La Maison-vague uses vegetation for its architectural and environmental qualities, particularly in terms of thermal insulation. A fully vegetated shell protects the interior from summer heat and winter cold. The basic form is to encapsulate within a single mat of vegetation that undulates and floats above the ground, at sitting height (the rim surrounding the wooden shelf is kind of a big bench). The traditional relationship between house and garden is changed, disturbed even, the project encompasses both in the same construction.

Inside, the volumes are also very simple. The ground floor, living room, kitchen and multimedia space can be opened by sliding walls. Upstairs, two bedrooms are separated by a bathroom, which is accessed by a mezzanine.

Particular attention is paid to interior and exterior relationships. The terrace at the back of the house extends to the areas of the ground floor, for example, to dry in the sun after bathing.

Upstairs shower space is enclosed by a bay window opening onto a panorama of nature. A sectional view that shows the inner and outer volumes does not exactly follow the same form. The inner space is drawn, at the top, by a semicylindrical shell and, on the ground floor by large cabinets restoring vertical walls, which includes a wardrobe, library, media storage and kitchen furniture.

The house is built entirely of wood (structure, hull and facades gears). Only the foundation is concrete. The thermal performance is ensured by the north-south orientation, the vegetation of the hull and double wall facades. The outer walls are made of polycarbonate and the inner walls of glass and wood. A small wood stove in the living room provides heating for the entire space.

The vegetation has been designed with Pierre Georgel (Ecovégétal). The house is covered with soil that mimics that of a natural slope. The technical challenge lay primarily in the steep slope that required the development of innovative systems for the maintenance of land and water retention.

The plants were selected for their aesthetic qualities and their ability to adapt to the environment (resistance over time and minimal maintenance). It is a mix of sedums, grasses, thyme, lavender and other perennials and small aromatic herbs that are distributed according to the inclination of the hull. An automatic watering system is provided but it is only reserved for periods of very severe drought.

The house is alive, changing its appearance, colour and odour with the seasons. New plants can be brought by the wind, insects or birds and gives the building a certain character or even a fallow ground-wave, hence the name La Maison-vague, which could equally and poetically signify an ocean wave or an open field (terrain vague).

Surface area: 110 m2
Place of construction: the commune of Sillery near Reims

Client: Effort Rémois
Project management: Patrick Nadeau
Technical Consultant: AD & Services
Vegetation (experimental): Ecovégétal

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