Hasta La Ideas

French artist Olivier Grossetête used three enormous helium balloons to float a rope bridge over a lake in Tatton Park, a historic estate in north-west England.

Oliver Grossetête created Pont de Singe, which means “monkey bridge”, for the Tatton Park Biennial, which this year was themed around flight.

Located in the park’s Japanese garden, the structure comprised a long rope bridge made of cedar wood held aloft by three helium-filled balloons. The ends of the bridge were left to trail in the water.

Though visitors weren’t allowed to use the bridge, it would theoretically be strong enough to hold the weight of a person, according to Grossetête.

Replacing the usual foundations and joints of a bridge with three balloons leads us to question our perceptions, the artist explained. ”My artistic work tries to make alive the poetry and dreams within our everyday life,” added Grossetête.

The artist had previously experimented with another floating bridge in his 2007 project Pont Suspendu, where he used a cluster of helium balloons to float a small bridge structure into the air.

Balloons have appeared in a number of projects we’ve featured on Dezeen, including a proposal for a transport network of enormous floating balloons and a bench that appears to be held up by bunches of balloons at each end.

We’ve also featured lots of unusual bridges on Dezeen, such as a wobbling wire bridge designed to span the Seine in Paris and a sunken bridge in a moat that brings the water up to a pedestrian’s eye level.

See all our stories about balloons »
See all our stories about bridges »

Photographs are by Wilf and Duncan Hull.

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by Olivier Grossetête appeared first on Dezeen.

In a movie filmed by Alice Masters for the Design Museum’s annual Designers in Residence exhibition, Lawrence Lek explains how he created a modular system of plywood pieces that can be bent into objects including a stool and a pavilion.

Responding to the Design Museum’s theme of “thrift”, Lawrence Lek produced a modular system, called Unlimited Edition, which allows the same kit of parts to be adapted into different shapes and sizes.

“The pavilion I assembled for the Design Museum is hexagonal in plan and uses six pairs of modules, but you can also make two smaller triangular enclosures from the same pieces,” he told Dezeen.

“I wanted to create the shapes from a single cut of the CNC router, in order to minimise costly machining time,” he said. “The pieces can be cut by hand on a jigsaw using full-scale paper templates if no CNC machine is available – that’s how I made the initial prototypes.”

The structures are made from plywood, cable ties and leather cord – low-cost and readily available materials which don’t require specialist suppliers.

Lek also bent the wood by hand in a warm water bath made out of leftover plywood and waterproofing material.

Rather than building in straight lines, Lek was inspired by softer shapes of Rorschach ink blots. “The fluid curves of the Rorschach ink blots make us recall the forms that we typically see in nature – animals, plants, insects, and landforms. I wanted to reflect this in the design of the modules, as objects that appear both artificial and natural, industrial and organic,” he said.

The symmetry of the ink blots is also reflected in the plywood, which bends along the axis of its grain.

The movie is by Alice Masters and photographs are by X.

We previously published a movie about designer Yuri Suzuki’s contribution to this year’s Designers in Residence programme – a radio made from a circuit board shaped like London’s Tube map and a set of puzzle pieces that form a circuit.

Above: photograph is by Rima Musa

We’ve also featured a pavilion built from polygonal plywood plates and a table with a net-like base of modular bent plywood.

Above: photograph is by Rima Musa

See all our stories about the Design Museum »
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See all our stories about plywood »

Photographs are by Luke Hayes, except where stated. The movie is by Alice Masters.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

Unlimited Edition by Lawrence Lek

Designer in Residence 2012 Commission at the Design Museum

Lawrence Lek is a sculptor and architect who experiments with processes of natural growth and industrial fabrication through sculptural objects and environments. His work employs modular structures which connect to create larger forms or experiential installations that define the visitor’s awareness of the surrounding spaces.

For the Design Museum’s Designer in Residence 2012 programme, Lawrence has created Unlimited Edition, a series of bent-plywood modules that combine to form objects and environments that users can customize, including a pavilion and seating. Referencing psychological Rorschach tests, which ask subjects to interpret unfamiliar inkblot shapes based on things they already know, Lawrence channelled the element of subjectivity into shaping the organic structures that compose the project.

Throughout the design process, Lawrence constructed numerous maquettes in paper and thin plywood to experiment with form before progressing to full-size pieces. Combining digital design techniques, such as computer controlled (CNC) routing and laser cutting with hand assembly, Lawrence can easily customize the modules to expand or contract. The full-size modules were made from a single cut of standard 8-feet tall plywood sheets, minimizing costly fabrication time. Each plywood module is soaked in water before it is bent and braced in place while it dries.

Working with the inherent symmetry of the material, which bends along the grain of the wood, Lawrence was able to achieve a consistent molding of modules. The shell-like shapes provided rigidity while allowing them to be stacked for transportation and storage. When erected they create uncanny forms, spaces and tool-like objects that invite the user to nurture individual responses within an artificial environment.

During the residency, Lawrence moved into a studio in the White Building, a new arts centre across the canal from the Olympic Park. He is currently evolving Unlimited Edition at two different scales – as a system for site-specific urban installations, and as prosthetic objects that modify both our bodies and mental awareness of surrounding Nature.

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Designers in Residence 2012 appeared first on Dezeen.

Istanbul Design Biennial 2012: this movie shows how a custom printer continually updates a copy of the Open Source Architecture Manifesto Wikipedia entry, written on a wall in the entrance to the Adhocracy exhibition at the Istanbul Design Biennial.

The project began over a year ago, when editor of Domus magazine and curator of the Adhocracy show Joseph Grima asked Italian studio Carlo Ratti Associatti to write a manifesto for open source architecture.

The studio decided to start a Wikipedia page about open-source architecture, so it could be continually updated by the online community.

For the biennial they have created a kinetic installation that demonstrates how the page keeps evolving as it is added to and altered.

They have installed a vertical plotter in the entrance of the Adhocracy exhibition that writes, erases and rewrites sections of the manifesto onto a whiteboard as it receives changing information from the Wikipedia page.

Find out more about the project in our previous story here and read our interview with the exhibition curator Joseph Grima here.

See all our stories about the Istanbul Design Biennial 2012 »
See all our stories about open design »

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Manifesto movie appeared first on Dezeen.

An ancient Chinese courtyard garden tucked away in the hutongs of Beijing provides the setting for seasonal installations at curated design shop WUHAO.

Founder and curator Isabelle Pascal, who discovered the run-down complex and renovated the buildings and gardens in 2010, told Dezeen that she developed the idea and the space “to give young designers and brands a platform” to present their work.

The concept of the shop and installations centres around the five Chinese elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

Each of these elements is associated with a season, so the space is transformed every three months to provide a fresh setting and the opportunity to showcase new and different designs.

Spring is associated with wood, summer is symbolised by fire, autumn is represented by metal and winter relates to water, whereas earth signifies the transition periods between the seasons.

The metamorphosis is most apparent in the entrance space, which is completely overhauled with different colours, materials and products to embody the current season and element.

From the entrance pavilion, a circular opening leads through to a terraced garden where furniture and other weather-resistant designs are displayed.

The garden is flanked to the east and west by showrooms in traditional brick buildings, which house collections by designers.

The main pavilion to the north of the garden contains an archaic, semi-enclosed bed at the core of the complex, which is also redecorated each season and is used to display featured designers’ work.

Collections on show include Naihan Li’s crates that fold-out to become furniture, which we featured as part of our Beijing Design Week 2011 coverage.

WUHAO created a pop-up teahouse for Beijing Design Week 2011 wherevisitors were served tea at a heat-sensitive colour-changing table – read our story about it here.

See all our stories about retail »
See all our stories about Beijing »

Here is some more information from WUHAO:

“5 elements – 4 seasons – 1 collection”
Retail – Events – Cross Branding – Limited Editions

Born from Isabelle Pascal’s enthusiasm for the “5 elements” of Chinese philosophy, as well as the energy found in the Chinese creative scene, WUHAO is a holistic project that mixes design, fashion, products, visions and insights. A young, fresh-thinking platform, it aims to showcase and foster the most talented and eco-conscious designers, brands and talents from China and abroad.

Created in spring 2010 in the heart of Beijing, WUHAO recently celebrated its second-year cycle. It is situated between Houhai Lake and Lama Temple, and is a quick walk from bustling Nanluoguxiang – in a unique, peaceful atmosphere.

As a young company, WUHAO is constantly involved in retail, events, cross branding and limited edition work including nurturing six young, upcoming Chinese designers (Xiao Tianyu, Su Chunrong, Zheng Haichen, Wang Kaichuan, Wang Hao, Zhang Cheng) and providing them with the opportunity to showcase their talent to the world. These designers’ works are now available as part of WUHAO’s collection.

Hidden beyond the red doors of Mao’er Hutong 35, Wuhao Curated-Shop Beijing is WUHAO’s first temporary display box. Each season, there are eye-catching installations and new displays for a unique selection of products. It is always striving to provide guests with a unique experience.

Catering to an eclectic community of both Chinese and foreign, global and local, WUHAO holds a contemporary vision of the traditional Chinese garden and has been quoted by Wallpaper* magazine as one of the “20 terrific reasons to visit China”. Starting with only 15 designers in 2010, WUHAO today is now working with a growing network of over 100 Chinese and international creatives.

Moved by its inner dynamic, WUHAO traveled in 2011 to Milan Furniture Fair with designers Xiao Tianyu and Wang Hao, accepted more and more invitations to develop partnerships, and teamed up with young talents such as Huo Yi Jin to create exclusive products. WUHAO’s Dunhuang-inspired wallpaper – a long-term collaboration with Nick Wu – was awarded ‘Best Wall Covering Design’ by ELLE Decoration’s International Design Awards China.

WUHAO also set up site-specific installations with designers Li Nai Han, INNOVO/PINWU and MPMP, developed side car moto tours with Beijing Sideways and emerged via pop up projects.

A notable example is WUHAO @ The Teahouse, created especially for Beijing Design Week 2011 in partnership with Tranquil Tuesdays. The temporary Dashilar space was featured in more than 65 media outlets, providing a new opportunity to spread WUHAO’s unique spirit from the walls of the Chinese garden to the design world. With 2 years of existence, 2 cycles, 8 installations, WUHAO less secret but still exclusive is now ready with its partners to broaden horizons and embark on new adventures.

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by Isabelle Pascal appeared first on Dezeen.

Interieur 2012: British designer Ross Lovegrove presented a futuristic concept car shaped according to instinct rather than science at the Interieur design biennale in Kortrijk, Belgium, last week (+ movie).

For his response to the design biennale’s theme of Future Primitives, Lovegrove created a fibre glass model with Italian concept car designers G-Studio and suspended it from the ceiling to act as a 3D screen for a series of video projections.

Its smooth form is a combination of the Pininfarina CNR concept car from the 1970s and the natural shape of a water droplet.

“There is a moment of convergence between these forms where a genesis form appears almost as a discovery point at which fluid dynamics, aerodynamics and human form meet to reveal a volume that is more akin to a biological species than a mechanical one,” Lovegrove told Dezeen.

Above: photograph by Dezeen

“When we passed this form through the labs,” he continued, “the result was what I term ‘instinctive overide’ – a breakthrough in accepting one’s instinctive primordial reflex response to form, over and above science and its calculation.”

Above: photograph by Dezeen

The video projections were designed by Lovegrove with the assistance of Biothing, a UK-based computational design laboratory, to wrap around the curved form of the car and give the illusion of a three-dimensional free-floating image.

“What this achieves is a sense of motion, lightness and almost aquatic serenity, a gentleness not felt when standing next to a contemporary car, where intuition and emotion are suppressed by the physical complexity, weight and often cold aggression of its construction,” added Lovegrove.

Other Future Primitives installations include an illusory arcade created with beams of light and fresnel lenses and a carbon fibre prototype of a rotating cocoon for compact living.

Above: photograph by Wouter Van Vaerenbergh

We recently reported on Lovegrove’s silver spaceship installation in the rafters of Lille railway station in France.

See all our stories about cars »
See all our stories about Ross Lovegrove »
See all our stories about Interieur 2012 »

Above: photograph by Dezeen

Photographs are by Simona Cupoli except where stated.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

For the 23rd edition of the prestigious Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk, Ross Lovegrove has been invited to conceive a project room in which to present a car concept. Seven worldwide renowned designers, architects, and artists will be challenged on this exhibition, titled Future Primitives, opening on October 20th.

For this occasion, Ross Lovegrove is projecting a remarkable video created by Biothing onto an innovative Genesis vehicle form, named Future Primitivism/Instinctive Overide, presented as a moving shape. To realise such an advanced vehicle, the British designer has collaborated with an Italian engineering laboratory that consults with NASA and therefore has gained a major experience in reflecting about the shape and technology behind the means of transport.

In the video the car shape, the air and space around it andits light reflections are so unified that they become indistinguishable for human beings. This unconventional and forward-looking project is realised following a diverse path in respect of engineering a vehicle. In the words of the designer: “Future Primitivism/Instinctive Overide represents a soft slow silent walk to view an object through the evolutionary spirit of mankind and its knowledge passed down through intuition and factors that seem more religious than mathematical.’

Above: photograph by Dezeen

Ross Lovegrove’s statement:
My interest in the nature of form, its purpose and evolution has led me to a place where art, design, science and technology converge in this installation. I have a deep, deep interest in primitive forms, in fact, what I term pre-linguistic forms that move people without explanation or any kind of premeditated, pre-conceived manipulation of thought.

The references taken are those not really from design, because I am trying to break free from the commercial objectives of design which often arrive for me at an achingly obvious false insincerity, not true to the embedded reflexes that still lie profoundly inside our primordial memory and neurology.

Above: photograph by Wouter Van Vaerenbergh

Capturing that event horizon moment where all the logic of scientific endeavour is confronted by the human consciousness that simply tells us its right or wrong. The free decision of the creative mind to totally override data and to say “no, this is how it should be”. In praise of instinct, that lost soul of design… a gift way beyond education, into the clouds of a higher order, a relativity if you like, created first through the eyes and then into a vast void we call the mind… taking a soft slow silent walk to view an object
through the evolutionary spirit of mankind and its knowledge passed down through intuition and factors that seem more religious than mathematical.

So into a new place where dromology confirms our existence, the fantastic historical connect between the hand and mind, those relationships I love… where all things are considered now in the form of human containment experienced from a sense of the internalised form holding humans in dialogue with the extrinsic forces of speed and light.

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by Ross Lovegrove appeared first on Dezeen.