Hasta La Ideas

Our latest video explores the machine driven approach of Oakland’s denim master

Hidden on a back street in Oakland, California in an unassuming warehouse lies what may be the pinnacle of denim craftsmanship in the USA. Roy Denim, the second of our videos to premiere at last week’s 99% Conference, is actually just one man, Roy Slaper, whose obsession with making jeans has driven his small business into the conciseness of denim heads everywhere. In our video we learn about Roy’s machine driven approach in creating his jeans, the birth of his business and how his obsessive attention to detail results in some of the toughest, nicest looking denim around.

ArtLebedev ha pensato questa essenziale quanto pratica USB flash drive. Credo sia ancora un concept, o mi sbaglio?

Preparation begins for MoMa PS1’s new air-scrubbing nylon star

by Francesca Giuliani

The nylon air-cleansing concept that won MoMa PS1‘s 2012 Young Architects Program, Wendy is now set to grace the Long Island City museum’s courtyard during the forthcoming summer months. Designed by New York-based architecture firm HWKN, the project aims to test the potential of architecture for ecological and social impact. Treated with a innovative titania nanoparticle spray to neutralize airborne pollutants, during its time at MoMA PS1 Wendy is projected to eat a quantity of smog equivalent to removing 260 cars from the road.

The website features a video preview of the final installation, demonstrating Wendy’s ability to interact with its surroundings through blasts of cool air, mist, water cannons and music.

HWKN is seeking a host of volunteers to help bring the sustainable structure to life. For those wishing to contribute to Wendy’s assembly between 15 May and 26 June 2012, a volunteer application is available on the website (non-architects are welcome).

Wendy’s website also offers the opportunity to buy t-shirts and totes created by designers 2×4, Bruce Mau Design and Pentagram. Coated in the same titania nanoparticles as Wendy, the shirts and bags will expand the nylon star’s air-scrubbing action beyond PS1’s courtyard.

A showdown of heritage alarm clocks

This past year saw the relaunch of a slew of throw-back designs to the so-called golden age of Braun. Joining the analog clocks and minimal wristwatches is a line of digital clocks inspired by the clean look favored by designers Dietrich Lubs and Dieter Rams. Seen side-by-side, both the analog and digital options are enviable design objects, but we imagine two camps must form around the digital and the analog.

Sizing up the two lines, there’s a lot of crossover: both are controlled by radio signal available in select countries; both feature a crescendo alarm and a snooze function; both are designed to be easily read; both light up in the dark. In short, they have all the specs you might expect from a classically reliable alarm clock.

The digital line features a quick-set function and a crisp reverse LCD readout. The radio model—not available in analog—also includes a speaker and six presets for a standard alarm-clock setup. On the analog side, the classic alarm has been updated with a voice-activated snooze feature for groaning sleepers. While the digital models do their best to imitate the original designs, there’s something gimmicky about an alarm clock that is made to look “vintage”. The analog models have a more honest heritage appeal, and the readout the only major difference. Points would be given to digital for ease of use, although the spare face of the analog clock isn’t exactly difficult to read.

At the end of the day, it’s a matter of personal taste. While the new digital clocks may be milking the last ounce of cool out of the Rams and Lubs heritage, we’re still won over by the sleek look, which was developed under the direction of Markus Orthey. For fans of the old-school vibe, it makes a bit more sense to search around for the original and iconic AB1 alarm clock, which can be found around the web in limited stock. We’re not sure why Braun opted not to recreate a perfect facsimile of the original with the new analogs; it seems like authenticity would trump voice-controlled snooze any day.

Whichever way you swing, both the digital and analog models look great on a nightstand—which, after all, is what you’re really after.

Lixil pictures the future in foam

One of the fundamental components to various Asian ways of thinking is the idea of making opposites coexist in harmony. This philosophy has been applied for millennia and today is being reinvented in a new way by Lixil Corporation, a global leader in housing equipment and building materials. Based in Tokyo, Lixil presented a new bathtub concept during the recent Milan Design Week. The installation, A New Desire, showcased the innovative project—a synthesis of dry and wet areas in the home, blurring the lines between living room and bathroom and traditional bath and contemporary leisure activities at the same time.

Lixil’s new tub has a sinuous, clean and almost spatial shape. A unique water control technology combines water and air and creates a constant stream of creamy foam, that’s at once incredibly soft and rich while retaining a somewhat firm consistency. The frothy water overflows over the sides of the tub and collects in a special attached drainage system that allows the tub to be installed virtually anywhere in the home.

Kenya Hara, Japanese designer and writer conceived the tub as part of a specialization in mixing object design with experiences. The art director at MUJI, Hara was also responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games and Expo 2005 as a member of the advisory board.

“Imagine time passing pleasantly,” says Nara. “You are enveloped in warm foam; you’re reading a book, watching a movie, feeling the air and the light on your skin. You’re bathing in creamy foam. More than a new style of bathing, this is something that will liberate a new horizon of human desire.” Though “A New Desire” was presented as a concept, Lilix envisions the foam technology as a new way of living and bathing the future. Keep an eye out for developments and future projects by visiting the website.