Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2013: British designer Jasper Morrison has added a folding armchair to his Park Life collection of outdoor furniture for Spanish design brand Kettal.

Like the other pieces in the Park Life range, launched last year for Kettal, the armchair has an aluminium frame that is both lightweight and durable.

Jasper Morrison designed the chair with a cross-bracing hinge beneath the seat, which allows it to fold flat for easy storage.

The seat and backrest are made from porotex, a fabric made of PVC-coated polyester.

Morrison presented the new Park Life chair at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan last week alongside Village, another outdoor chair for Kettal. See more furniture by Kettal on Dezeen.

The designer also presented a chair inspired by camping furniture for Italian brand Mattiazzi. See more design by Jasper Morrison on Dezeen, including the iconic 1986 Side Table and the 2007 Crate Series.

See our pick of the best projects from the Salone »
See all our stories about design at Milan 2013 »

Here’s a bit of information from the brand:

Park Life is a complete family of furniture for outdoors, whose clean cut profile is adaptable to a wide range of different situations. Lightweight, yet extremely durable, it’s easily stacked for transport or winter storage and its technical sophistication and careful consideration of ergonomics besides a lot of care over how it looks are all intended to ensure a long life, both structurally and visually.

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Jasper Morrison for Kettal appeared first on Dezeen.

Milan 2013: French designer Matali Crasset has designed a sofa that breaks down into a bed, two armchairs and two footstools.

Called Concentré de Vie, the system by Matali Crasset comprises two upholstered chairs and two pebble-like cushions, housed in a triangular base that doubles as a single bed.

The elements are upholstered in neutral fabric with orange highlights and can be rearranged to accommodate different numbers of guests or activities as required.

Italian brand Campeggi showed the design at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. The brand has produced a few interesting pieces of furniture for house guests, with past products we’ve covered including a sofa wrapped in a fabric wall, a chair that transforms into a single bed and a coat stand that conceals a spare bed by Crasset.

See all our stories about design by Matali Crasset »
See all our stories about furniture by Campeggi »
See all our stories about design at Milan 2013 »

Here’s some more information from Campeggi:

Concentré de Vie is a project allowing diversity to express itself thanks to a set of elements that can be moved everywhere within the domestic landscape. It’s a mutant structure able to welcome from two to seven people turning from sofa to living room and proposing, at the same time, a different kind of comfort.

A team among which each member plays a main role: two square elements that become, one after the other, armrest, footstool or pouf; a box element acting as a binding agent that can be used as a single bed and finally two relaxing elements, real core of the whole system, which can be used together or separately.

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for Campeggi appeared first on Dezeen.

Milan 2013: Italian architect Carlo Ratti and his team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology installed three robotic bartenders in Milan last week (+ movie).

Ratti and the researchers and engineers at MIT’s Senseable City Lab collaborated with The Coca-Cola Company and rum makers Bacardi to create Makr Shakr, a bar staffed by three robotic arms that mix customised drinks.

Above: movie by MyBossWas

Visitors to the Galleria del Corso were invited to download an app to their smartphone or tablet and create their own recipe before sending it to the robots to be mixed up.

“The number of combinations is almost infinite, especially if we take into account the machine’s precision of measurement,” said Yaniv Jacob Turgeman, project leader at Senseable City Lab.

The designers also programmed the robots’ gestures by filming ballet dancer Roberto Bolle in action and using data from his movements.

The prototype Makr Shakr was being previewed ahead of its official launch at Google’s developer conference in California next month.

At last year’s Istanbul Design Biennial, Ratti programmed a printer to write out and continually update the Wikipedia entry for Open Source Architecture on the wall of the Adhocracy exhibition.

We’ve featured lots of robots on Dezeen, including a robotic arm that wound 60 kilometres of carbon and glass fibre filaments into a pavilion and a robotic 3D printer that creates architecture from sand – see all robots.

Other installations in Milan this year included Jean Nouvel’s vision of future office environments and a courtyard filled with rotating cork platforms by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec – see all stories about design at Milan 2013 .

Here’s some more information from the designers:

Researchers and engineers at MIT Senseable City Lab, Cambridge, in collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company and Barcardi rum, have designed a robotic bar, capable of preparing approximately one googol (equal to 10 power 100) crowd-sourced drink combinations. The project, called “Makr Shakr”, was developed with the endorsement of “World Expo Milano 2015 – Energy for Life. Feeding the Planet”, and will be tested during Milan Design Week (April 9-14th, 2013) before being unveiled in its final form at Google I/O in San Francisco (on May 15th, 2013).

“Digital technologies are changing the interaction between people and products,” says Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and the design practice carlorattiassociati, Turin. “This is what we would like to do with Makr Shakr, as part of exploring the Third Industrial Revolution paradigm. People are given the power to invent their own drink recipes and digitally controlled machines make these recipes into reality. We can then enjoy the results of their production – sharing our experience and opinions with friends.” Ratti adds, “Makr Shakr aims to share this new potential – design-make-enjoy – with everyone in just a few minutes: the time taken to prepare a new cocktail.”

Users will download an app on their handheld devices and mix ingredients as virtual barmen. They can gain inspiration by viewing other users’ recipes and comments before sending in their drink of choice. The cocktail is then crafted by three robotic arms, whose movements reproduce every action of a barman – from the shaking of a Martini to the muddling of a Mojito, and even the thin slicing of a lemon garnish. Roberto Bolle, etoile dancer at La Scala in Milan and Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, along with Italian director and choreographer Marco Pelle, inspired the gestures of the robots. Roberto Bolle’s movements were filmed and used as input for the programming of the Makr Shakr robots.

The system also leverages the revolutionary, touchscreen-operated beverage dispenser, Coca-Cola Freestyle, which offers more than 100 brands at the push of a button. “Coca-Cola Freestyle represents innovation at its best, combining revolutionary technology and inspired design to deliver unprecedented choice to consumers,” said Jennifer Mann, VP and General Manager, Coca-Cola Freestyle, The Coca-Cola Company. “This collaboration is another way we continue to find new ways to bring co-creation and social sharing to the next level.”

In Makr Shakr, the social connections woven through co-creation and the relationships between ingredients and people are shown on a large display positioned behind the bar. Consumers can also share these connections, along with recipes and photos on various social network platforms.

“Pioneering spirit has been at the heart of BACARDÍ since its earliest days, starting with a revolution in rum-making to inspiring today’s most drunk cocktails, first of which is the Mojito. This project embraces the same ambition,” said Giorgio Bertolo, BACARDI Marketing Manager, Italy & France “and we are proud to partner with Coca-Cola, once again, in this cocktail making innovation, as we did in 1900 with the invention of the Cuba Libre. Furthermore, this project is an experiment from the digital world asking people to step out and connect in a real human experience around a drink, exactly as we aim to facilitate with our cocktails.”

“Leveraging the great energy of this global design event, we are excited to explore new dynamics of social creation and consumption.” says Yaniv Jacob Turgeman, project leader from MIT Senseable City Lab. “We’ve all been the home bartender at one point, and it’s a lot of fun mixing for oneself or one’s friends. Here the number of combinations is almost infinite, especially if we take into account the machine’s precision of measurement. With a domain of limitless possibility, the magic moment will be watching the formation of a bottom-up bar culture as we close the loop between co-curation and co-production in real time.”

Makr Shakr can mix both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. The digital design system monitors alcohol consumption and blood alcohol levels by inputting basic physical data, something beyond what a traditional barman can do. Makr Shakr promotes responsible alcohol consumption by allowing people to self-monitor their drinking. A contribution is asked for drinks being produced by the Makr Shakr, with any gain generated from the project – after production costs – being donated to the Politecnico di Torino for a student fellowship on the Third Industrial Revolution.

A press preview will be held on Tuesday, April 9th at 6pm – Terrazza Martini, 7 Piazza Armando Diaz, Milan. The public opening will follow at 8pm – Galleria del Corso, Milan. Makr Shakr will be in action everyday until April 14th, from 1pm until 11pm.

Project concept and design by MIT Senseable City Lab.
Implementation by carlorattiassociati | walter nicolino & carlo ratti.
Main partners: Coca-Cola and BACARDÍ rum.
Technical partners: Kuka, Pentagram, SuperUber.
Media partners: Domus, Wired.
Event in collaboration with Meet the Media Guru and endorsed by Comune di Milano, World Expo Milano 2015 – Energy for Life. Feeding the Planet.
Video by MyBossWas.

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MIT Senseable City Lab appeared first on Dezeen.

Fetishistic suits of armour, orthopaedic braces and wearable tusks all feature in an exhibition of prosthetics at the SHOWcabinet space in London (+ movie).

Curated by Niamh White, associate director of fashion film website SHOWstudio, the exhibition opened on Thursday and contains pieces intended to enhance, protect or deform the body.

The name of the showcase derives from the Ancient Greek word “prosthesis”, which means “to add”, but the collection also incorporates the modern understanding of prosthetics as replacement limbs.

Above: Fragmented Figure by Úna Burke

Designer Úna Burke created original pieces for the show made from leather straps joined with rivets, which encase limbs like a suit of armour.

Above: RE.TREAT #4 by Úna Burke

A black leather outfit is made up of one piece that covers the neck, arms and shoulders, and another that fits over the legs up to the waist, leaving the chest and abdomen exposed.

Above: RE.TREAT #8 by Úna Burke

Similar tan coloured pieces include a bodice extended over the shoulders and up the neck, fingerless gauntlets and a restraining device that forces the arms into a submissive position by encasing them together in front of the body.

Above: RE.TREAT #6 by Úna Burke

Burke and SHOWstudio collaborated on a film titled Bound, in which the black attire is warped as if a wearer is moving in it – watch a teaser at the top of this page or the full movie here.

Above: Infundibulum White Brace by Kat Marks

Other items in the collection include legs worn by American athlete Aimee Mullins at the London 2012 Paralympics opening ceremony, adorned with golden wings that flow up each shin.

Above: Infundibulum Black Brace by Kat Marks

Following her experience of wearing a back brace as a teenager, designer Kat Marks created three vacuum-formed thermo-plastic braces in 2009.

Above: Crown of Thorns with Mirror by Patrick Ian Hartley

A headdress formed from pipette-shaped glass tubes that fan out from a metal head brace complete with screws is by designer Patrick Ian Hartley, as are a range of restored artificial hip joints.

Above: Animal – The Other Side of Evolution #4 by Ana Rajcevic

Horns and tusks from London College of Fashion graduate Ana Rajcevic‘s Animal: The Other Side of Evolution series are also on display.

Above: Animal – The Other Side of Evolution #3 by Ana Rajcevic

The SHOWcabinet gallery space and shop are situated in Belgravia, west London, and host new exhibitions every couple of months. The Prosthetics exhibition is on display until 31 May.

Above: Splint #1 by Patrick Ian Hartley

SHOWstudio recently streamed a live project during which photographer Nick Knight captured water thrown at model Daphne Guinness. His images were used by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen to create a dress – more information in our previous story.

Above: Splint #2 by Patrick Ian Hartley

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The information below is from SHOWstudio:

The term ‘prosthetic’ is now attributed to the branch of surgery dedicated to replacing missing or defective limbs, but to the Ancient Greeks it was an altogether more assertive concept meaning ‘to add’, ‘to advance’ or ‘to give power to’. For April’s SHOWcabinet, our re-imagined gallery space, we embrace this original meaning and display a range of artefacts that engage directly with prosthetics’ ability to adorn, equip and enhance.

Above: Splint #3 by Patrick Ian Hartley

Una Burke’s leather sculptures create the foundation for the installation. Her inanimate bodies engage the language of the physical gesture. Each limb is constructed from countless, beautifully bound leather straps and resemble orthopedic braces or suits of armour. While offering protection or support, they also suggest that the encased body is a fragile system. This constant interplay between empowerment and restriction creates a fetishistic dialectic between invisibility and visibility, as well as denial and disclosure. Burke will also release an exclusive film directed by SHOWstudio’s Head of Fashion Film Marie Schuller to coincide with the launch of the cabinet. The film sees her ordinarily motionless figure brought surreally and subtly to life.

Above: Chimere by Yiqing Yin

Alongside Burke’s work sit a variety of objects and artefacts which explore ideas surrounding prosthetics. Created during a dynamic collaboration between Aimee Mullins, Betony Vernon and Dorset Orthopeadics, the prosthetic legs that Mullins wore as a Chef de Mission for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony will be on view in the cabinet. With the legacy of last summer’s Olympic games still fresh, the imagery on Mullins’ sculptural legs is powerful. A full set of wings run the length of each shin – a reminder of Icarus, and a nod to intrepid innovation. Mullins herself competed in the Atlanta Paralympic Games in 2006 sporting a pair of the then newly developed cheetah style prosthetics and has painstakingly spent her career giving a more positive and empowered face to disability.

Above: Brand New Smile by Kyle Hopkins

Also featured in the cabinet is Kat Marks’ artefact collection ‘The Braces’. Inspired by her own experience of having to wear a Boston Back Brace to redirect the curvature of her spine in her adolescence, Marks has created 3 vacuum-formed thermo-plastic braces in various colours and styles. Remaining true to the original function of the brace, these stylised pieces hold the waist in tight and accentuate the hips, exaggerating a shape which echoes an hour glass figure. No longer does the brace read as medical accoutrement but rather speaks to fashionable ideals of beauty and sexuality.

Alongside these powerful anchors, we present an array of items from innovators in fashion and art who embrace augmentation and aesthetics in tackling the idea of bodily enhancement and extension. Medical anomalies and instruments were often housed in early nineteenth century curiosity cabinets, but we’ve chosen to include artwork by Una Burke, Aimee Mullins, Betony Vernon, Kat Marks, Patrick Ian Hartley, Dai Rees, Kyle Hopkins, Ana Rajcevic, Naomi Filmer, Tara Dougans and Yiqing Yin as a means to probe the potential in prosthetics.

The display will be accompanied by a series of events and discussion geared towards exploring the creative industries’ capabilities to expand perceptions of prosthetics.

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at SHOWcabinet appeared first on Dezeen.

Wish you had the design chops to work at YSL? Well, with Abrams’ forthcoming “coloring, activity and inspiration book,” you may not be able to add the inimitable fashion house to your résumé but you can surely show off your skills and arguably…

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