Hasta La Ideas

In case you missed it, Core77 friends and family gathered at New York City’s Phaidon Store last night to do some holiday crafting. Resident paper craft expert, Daniel Stillman, led the charge with lessons in candy cane construction, miniature Christmas trees and modular pieces perfect for group building. Thanks to everyone who came out for some holiday cheer and for Phaidon for hosting!

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The Carpenters Workshop Gallery had one of the strongest collections at Design Miami this year, and were the only exhibitor with the confidence to display their prices. Dutch designer Frederik Molenschot stole the limelight—so to speak—with his spiraling bronze Citylight Chandelier that would look right at home on any Tim Burton set.

The real crowd pleaser was RAndom International’s You Fade To Light mirror wall which made it’s debut at Milan in 2009. The interactive pixel-tiles react to movement, lighting up with a variety of modes controlled by an iPhone app.

While perhaps not the most economical use of material, another standout piece (yes another a light) was Sebastian Brajkovic’s Lathe Lamp made from solid aluminum with a CNC lathe and treated with an anodized finish.

Click through for more photos

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As we noted earlier, this year’s Autodesk University had an exciting new emphasis on making things just for the sake of making them, as evidenced in their choice of presenters—we’ve got an interview coming up with speaker Saul Griffith of Otherlab—as well as in their new products. As the DIY and Maker movements continue to take firm root, Autodesk has noticed and is addressing the market.

This is perfectly encapsulated in their freaking awesome 123D Sculpt app for iPad (which you should download right now, as it’s free for a limited time). Rather than being a mere time-killer app where you fling birds or solve puzzles, this one actually lets you create things. It provides you with a series of stock forms in various genres–humans, geometric shapes, sneakers, clothing, et cetera—that you can then sculpt and paint into whatever you envision.

You may have seen the original video demo of the product (shown at the bottom of this entry). We went a step further and got the guy who did that video, industrial designer Kyle Runciman—remember his Alias and SketchBook demos from last year?—to walk us through the program and explain the steps, below. (Automotive designers in particular will want to check out the footage starting at 5:50.)

(Hit the jump for the original demo video.)

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Hot Pursuit: Erwin Wurm’s “Big Hoody” (2010) at the Art Basel Miami Beach booth of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac and Nick Cave’s “Soundsuits” (2011) on offer at Jack Shainman Gallery. (Photos: UnBeige and Jack Shainman Gallery)

First the turkey, then the art and design. Today Art Basel Miami Beach opened its doors to the public. Now in its tenth year, the ever-expanding fair is showcasing works from a eye-watering 2,000 artists represented by approximately 260 galleries worldwide. Based on the champagne-swilling VIPs at yesterday’s preview (we spotted Morley Safer lounging with a cigarette and intially mistook him for a highly realistic sculpture), Erwin Wurm is gaining a lot of new fans, thanks in part to crowd-pleasing works on view at the booth of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Drawn in by the Vienna-based artist’s disembodied pink hoodie (above), few fairgoers can resist standing under the neighboring giant, wall-mounted police officer’s cap. Wurm was also feted last night at the Bass Museum of Art, where an exhibition of his genre-bending work opened today.

Right around the corner from the Convention Center, Design Miami got a headstart on things with its opening yesterday, complete with a Veuve Clicquot-sponsored food truck and champagne lounge. In addition to works from 23 galleries, this year’s fair features “Craft Alchemy,” a performance project in which designer Elisa Strozyk and artist Sebastian Neeb work their magic on Fendi’s leather scraps. Meanwhile, architect David Adjaye gets his close-up as designer of the year, while Bjarke Ingels has teamed up with Audi on a “digital street” environment. And what’s that floral aroma wafting through the tent? Belle-Ile, a fragrance created by olfactive branding company 12.29 especially for Design Miami.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Shoji Tanaka, President of Cosmo Power, inside the Noah earthquake and tsunami shelter.

No, the picture above is not one of our picks from our End of Year/End of Days Holiday Gift Guide. It’s the “Noah,” an emergency shelter made from enhanced fiberglass. Like the biblical hero, Japanese manufacturer Cosmo Power built the floating capsule to withstand giant waves and flooding, providing a temporary shelter from raging water and debris.

Next Wednesday, December 7th, “Noah” will be debuting in the United States at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City in conjunction with a special charity auction and gala benefiting Design Saves Lives. The non-profit organization is raising funds to benefit artists and designers affected by last year’s earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. “Noah,” along with almost 100 other designed objects and Japanese crafts are up for bid. For just $5000, you can take “Noah” home for you and have it ready for the next You can participate in the online auction here, or attend the live auction and gala if you’re in New York City.

Design Saves Lives Charity Auction and Gala
Hosted by the Museum of Art and Design and Steelcase
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
6PM – 8PM

The Design Saves Lives charity auction coincides with MAD’s Beauty in All Things: Japanese Art and Design exhibition. The exhibition opened last week and will be on view until February 2012.

Donate to benefit Design Saves Lives and lend a helping hand to Japanese artists and designers!

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