Hasta La Ideas

One of MIT Media Lab’s brightest minds bringing the physical back into digital worlds

Being a graduate student at MIT’s Media Lab is generally a solid prerequisite for assuming someone has brains and John Kestner is no exception. His two new projects explore relationships with digital media, attempting to anchor online interactions in the physical world.

Kestner’s project Tableau harkens back to when communication and social connections took place in person with a conversation, or high-five. Tableau, which looks like your standard handsome nightstand, connects the high tech with the classic feeling of receiving a letter from a friend at camp. Essentially the device is an Internet-enabled printer and scanner that connects to a Twitter feed. When a photo appears in your feed, the Tableau prints it out and drops it into the drawer to be collected at the user’s leisure. If you want to send a message, you simply put it in the drawer and the Tableau scans it and publishes in to your feed. Constructed from reclaimed materials, it only uses Zink paper, a printing medium that requires no printer cartridges. The Tableau can currently be seen on exhibit at the Saint Etienne International Design Biennale.

Kestner’s other project, which involved some fellow Media Lab cohorts, he calls the Proverbial Wallet. Based around the disconnect between the user and the intangible numbers of a bank account, the Proverbial Wallet interprets numerical data into a physical stimulus using Bluetooth technology. Each of the three prototypes serve to alert the user of different scenarios they might encounter financially.

The Bumblebee contains a vibrating motor. Every time your bank processes a transaction, the wallet will buzz. If your wallet buzzes and you aren’t handing your credit card to a cashier or its not time to auto-pay your bills then it is probably a good idea to check for fraudulent activity.

Designed to protect the user from themselves, the Mother Bear wallet becomes easier to open when you’re flush, locking itself up like a clam when your balance gets low. You can also program it to abide by a monthly budget to discourage unnecessary spending.

The Peacock is ideal for anyone who wants to showboat how many zeros were on their last check. The wallet will swell or shrink depending on your account balance. If you deposit that fat check on Friday before going out for the night the Peacock will reflect your good fortune and potentially attract some lovely companions.

Both of Kestner’s projects take an interesting look at how we relate to our media and our money. Most modern users take for granted the giant virtual gap between information and the physical self. Kestner’s work remind us how communication used to take place, the value of physically interacting with the virtual world and why all of that might be really important.

Elegance, power and sustainability combined in Jaguar’s 75th anniversary concept car

First debuted at the Paris Auto Show and more recently presented in LA, Jaguar’s C-X75 concept car is a celebration of design, innovation and class. Loosely based on the classic XJ13 concept the C-X75 exhibits the power and elegance of a supercar while showcasing cutting edge technology that makes it super efficient and environmentally friendly.

Each wheel on the C-X75 is driven by an individual 145kW electric motor which are all powered by one large 19.6kWh lithium ion battery. This system delivers all wheel drive and promises to provide extra control and traction as well as intense torque (0-62 in 3.4 seconds). On a single charge, which takes 6 hours from a conventional household plug to achieve, the C-X75 can travel up to 68 miles with zero emissions.

For extended range Jaguar has utilized some fantastic aeronautical engineering technology by equipping the vehicle with two 70kW gas powered micro turbines. The turbines can used to quickly recharge the internal battery or can be used in conjunction with the battery to achieve the cars top speed of 205 mph. If you plan on taking a more leisurely drive the turbine charged batteries provide the car with a theoretical range of 560 miles.

The vehicle has an complex ventilation system incorporated into the exterior design to cool the micro turbines. There are no side-view mirrors, instead cameras built into the back feed directly to a screen inside the cabin. The beautiful angles highlight the slick hyper aerodynamic look and are complimented by the beautiful 21 and 22 inch aluminum wheels. Up to 50% of the the light weight aluminum used in constructing the car is recycled and increases the performance and economy.

As with previous Jaguar models the interior is designed completely around the driver. The seats are fixed into the frame so upon entering the vehicle a flip of a switch brings the entire steering wheel, instrument panel and pedal box toward the driver for optimal positioning. The aeronautical theme is continued in the cabin, the started switch is positioned on an overhead control panel and the gear shift is modeled after the throttle control from a fighter jet. The information panels are also air craft inspired with a 3D simulated heads up display. Never to be out classed Jaguar added a nice analog detail, a custom designed watch from Bremont that mounts into the center console and is wound by the stopping and starting movements of the car.

Four tweaked takes on menswear from New York Fashion Week

by Camille Hunt

Steadily emerging from the shadows of their flashier female counterparts, some of our favorite menswear collections that hit runways last week in New York were an array of impeccably-tailored ensembles, each continuing to probe different spins on mens dress codes—what fashion editors call “directional.” From Siki Im’s modern Arabian look to a literally criminal interpretation of Americana by N.Hoolywood, the collections profiled below stand out for conceptual and innovative designs, while remaining wearable (depending on just how futuristic you dress). Pictured above (from left to right): Bespoken, General Idea, N.Hoolywood, Siki Im.

Bespoken

While you wouldn’t be wrong for bristling at the name, the latest collection from brothers James, Liam and Sam Fayed successfully blends their sartorial experience (their father Ali Al-Fayed owns the British suit company Turnbull & Asser) with modern elements for Bespoken. Suits, trench coats and double-breasted cardigans come expertly tailored, yet have a slightly disheveled look they describe as “Saville Row meets rock ‘n’ roll”—i.e. it’s a wardrobe for aspiring lil’ moguls, befitting of the founders themselves. A series of shirts, ties and pocket squares were also made in collaboration with their family’s iconic brand.

General Idea

General Idea designer Bemsuk Choi’s fourth New York Fashion Week collection was all about “the journey back to the familiar,” which in his hands looks like a vision of future ’80s nostalgia. Crisp basics preceded modern silhouettes in a color palate that progressed from all-white to pops of bright red, brushstroke graffiti print and multicolored paint splashes on jackets, pants and shorts, with materials ranging from cotton and tencel to linen and even polyester.

N. Hoolywood

“Police Picture,” Japan-born Daisuke Obana’s appropriately-named spring collection for N.Hoolywood, took cues from the American convicts of the 1930s with shirts, jackets and hats in thin and thick stripes, gingham and printed denim. The buzzed-about presentation had attendees peer through glass windows where street-casted models appeared in a jailhouse-style lineup.

Siki Im

Siki Im was an architect before shifting to fashion and working under both Karl Lagerfeld and Helmut Lang. His latest xenophopia-inspired collection channels an urban sheik vibe, with knee-length linen tunics, pants with dropped crotches and caps made with washed and dyed silks to resemble desert headdresses.

Formed by Giovanni De Pol and six other young people living in Italy between Modena and Milan, Dead Meat clothing comes from a sort of Italian countryside version of a Warholian Factory with ontology as a main focus.

Seemingly more art oriented and consciously philosophical than market-driven, the resulting collection of graphics, comics, tees and other clothing reflects an intellectually pensive team focused on producing a high quality, stylish assortment of goods.

“I sell thousands of pieces of clothing and I diffuse my own personal verb. I, more or less, influence people. I don’t want to be overly serious because I really trust in what Pasolini called “The Depth of The Surface” but, you know, the world needs to follow an Idea of Equilibrium. I just would like to be a part of it,” De Pol explains.

Provocation? Narcissism? Culture? Their quest for equilibrium is subtly prevalent, expressed in their manifesto and by kitschy black-and-white drawings, collages of Kurt Cobain and Hitler printed on tees, Rorschach test-inspired military jackets, and by perfectly knitted holes and scars in pricey sweaters. Keeping the best hidden, the brand carefully prints the most artistic and experimental images on the inside of the clothes.

Dead Meat sells at an impressive roster of stores worldwide, including United Arrows in Tokyo, The Library in London and Florence’s Luisa via Roma. Prices begin around $125 for T-shirts.

To get around Brazil’s convoluted customs procedures and expensive tax laws that govern importing and exporting art, Brazilian collective Autista and British gallery KK Outlet turned to the fax machine to transport art across oceans for a new show called “Ex-Fax Machina.”

At last Thursday’s opening Brazilian artists Ramon Martins, Eduardo Recife, Elisa Sassi and Carlos Dias made drawings and faxed them to London’s KK Outlet Gallery, while U.K.-based artists Andrew Clark, Billie Jean, Mcbess and Jimmy Turrell faxed their completed drawings to Gallery Pop in São Paulo. Flaunting Brazil’s 50% tax on any cultural item sent or received (the strict rules have prevented both NYC’s Met and MoMA from lending pieces in the past), the pieces now hang on both galleries’ walls through 26 March 2010.

To further demonstrate their point, KK Outlet installed a fax machine dedicated to receiving faxes from all over the world. Select faxes will be included in the show and they’ll accept them (at +44 (0) 207 739 0396) through the end of the show.<

Artists’ faxes sell for about $45 in England and $28 in Brazil.

Faxes by the public will also be for sale for $15, which will be donated to non-profit group Viva Rio.