Hasta La Ideas

Modernism grounded by the natural world in this architect’s first monograph

The beautifully simple design of architects Thomas Phifer and Partners’ first monograph (even lacking page numbers) almost rivals the buildings themselves. Rather than rely on text and sketches, high-res photographs and renderings show in vivid detail what makes the firm’s stunningly minimalist ideas and emphasis on eco-friendly construction so renowned.

Central to their design process is the use of technology to connect inhabitants to the building’s surroundings rather than creating a divide. Naturally-lit, floor-to-ceiling structures in glass and steel favored by Phifer and his design team make this connection—what they call “Modernism from a humanist standpoint”—most clearly.

But this connection to nature goes further than a picture window; natural elements inform eco-conscious solutions to lighting, heating and cooling, working with the seasons to deepen residents’ relationship to their environment.

The American-made monograph is available through Amazon.

Artist Tofer Chin’s black stalagmite sculptures invade a Rio de Janeiro park

The 30 mosquito bites that eventually landed him in the hospital from a Dengue scare didn’t stop artist Tofer Chin from installing his latest show in Rio de Janeiro’s Parque Lage. “Fourteen Black,” as the Los Angeles native calls it, runs until 30 April 2011 as part of Rojo’s Nova project.

To address the project’s theme about the absence of light, Chin placed 14 tall, black triangles—a shape that regularly appears in his work—around the Patos Lagoon in the park, located in the Jardim Botanico neighborhood. The wooden, acrylic-coated “black stalagmites,” as he calls them, are meant to be “living and breathing souls, ghosts, spirits, voids, shadows.”

In contrast to the abundant, bright, green surroundings, they work to emphasize the existence of dark, shady areas in the park and play on the idea of light versus absorption of light. Also, because of the way that light bounces off the sides of the angular sculptures, they give the scene a surreal digital touch.

You can get a behind-the-scenes look of the artist installing his work as well as other artists participating in the Nova project here .

Creativity and one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges intersect in a group show

EcoArt uses art as a platform for drawing attention to the environment and surrounding issues. Their altruistic endeavor aims to inspire creativity that will raise awareness through various events and exhibitions, such as their current show “Pure Water Vision.” Featuring a collection of works from the ten finalists of the Acea EcoArt 2010 Pure Water Vision competition, artists explore the relationship between man, water and the environment through photography, video, painting, sculpture or performance.

Focusing on the inherent interactions between humans and nature, the artists addressed issues from global warming to biodiversity to the human effect on ecosystems, covering a broad spectrum of issues facing the environment today.

Of the 600 submissions to the competition, 30 will be featured in the next volume of the EcoArt book and the ten finalists will have their work displayed in the exhibit, one lucky winner being awarded €10,000 and admission to the Acea Group Collection. The Pure Water Vision exhibition runs through 5 April 2010 at the Auditorium Conciliazone di Roma in Rome.

Bees and strawberries inspire furnishings at Stockholm Design Week’s premiere satellite show

With the world’s press and monochrome-clad fans of design descending on Sweden for a glimpse of the distinctive “Scandi” style at Stockholm Design Week, we checked in on one of the most promising satellite shows, “Check In 11: Unpacked” to see what the ten promising new designers exhibiting there had to show. Curated by Frida Jeppsson (author of In Case of Design—Inject Critical Thinking“), this ambitious show seeks to let the work of the ten do the talking in a “work in progress” format.

We were happy to see the geometrically exuberant work of the furniture designers Zweed, but the show includes some exciting furnishings from Daniel Svahn, whose work focuses on the form of the beehive. Svahn’s two cabinets (below) and tactile drooping lamp (above right) twist the hive form into something that we can enjoy without getting stung. Stained legs and gentle external coloring in green and gray play against the honey-colored interiors of the two cabinets, while the semi-translucent white of the lamp gives it an almost ghostly quality—devoid of the buzz of frenzied bees.

Young design practice Glimpt collaborated with artisans in South Africa on a range of lighting inspired by strawberries (top right and above). The two lights on view, called “Last Fruit Standing” and “Forbidden Fruits,” mix the colors and vibrancy of the region with Swedish aesthetics, drawing the viewer’s attention to reward it with the charming little touches. Each ceramic element has been hand detailed, while the colorways of the shades are enhanced by more accent colors, instead of taking a safe road with neutrals. Each of Glimpt’s lamps command attention and are all the more covetable for their bold, almost carefree use of coloring.

Une belle animation typographique, sur l’initiative du magazine National Geographic, pour le cap franchi cette année des 7 milliards en population mondiale. Un aperçu de la croissance et de ces tendances démographiques, de la géologie ainsi que les impacts sur la planète pour demain.

Previously on Fubiz

• Navid Baraty
• GrandPeople
• Levi Van Veluw

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