Where do people find time to do these things!!?? Oh yeah, I forgot, some people don't have to actually work or pay bills...or just neglect everything to make awesome lego videos like this for 1,500 hours!! (or roughly 4 months of full-time work.
WOW! This is essentially an interface that requires only a computer, a webcam, a printer and a lot of ideas. The D-Touch sequencer and drum machine are available for FREE (both Mac and PC versions). Just watch the video and definately go to their site. Simply amazing.
This is some of the best examples of this kind of work that I've seen. Beautiful, well thought out compositions by this team of German photographers simply called LAPP. Check out more of their work and learn more about them at their site > HERE
The pavilion at PS-1 this year by MOS architects is awesome! It's actually palm fibre but it looks like hair from a wooly mammouth to me. Actually, I was disappointed when I learned that it is not synthetic fur. Yeah, I know this is technically more 'sustainable' but this is more about making something cool on a smallish budget. I still like last year's installation by Ball-Nogues Studio better, but this is really good.
I'm really feeling this project. I've seen similar methods of using optical illusion to transform architectural space and have wanted to explore that stuff myself. This is just one of the best landscaping solutions I've ever seen for a tight space. Great work by Faulders Studio from Berkley, CA.
The Calligraphy of Disproportionate Advantage, 2007, 76" x 108", oil on linen
I love this guys work. Mostly because his paintings are like snapshots from my personal life as an international player...Ok, the secret's out! Don't be jealous..as you can see, it's just a bunch of sexy people lounging around naked, drinking champagne and smoking cigarettes. I don't even like cigarettes!
"Rodgers’ current work focuses on portraying contemporary body politics. His rendering of the upper-class leisure life stands as an iconic vision of today’s society. The resulting paintings are not snapshots or slices of life, not verite records of actual moments in actual party or family situations, or diaristic records of his life, but carefully constructed and composited fictions, designed to elicit the most meaning and sustain the maximum amount of ambiguity. "
He also does a lot of G-Rated work that is equally impressive. I think his understanding and use of color & contrast is phenomenal and heightens the experience. Rarely are the subjects looking at us or even each other making me wonder about the activity out of the frame and also serving to fracture the space within the frame while maintaing a tight and balanced composition. I'll refrain from more artsy talk...You can see more of his work and learn more at >> TerryRodgers.com << Eyes on You, 2006, 62" x 72", oil on linen
Shades of Olympus, 2004, 70 ½" x 99", oil on linen
I see & study a lot of design that's out there and sure, a lot of it is shiny, cool, smooth, expensive and often useless. Then every once in a while comes along a product that just makes sense and you want to punch yourself because you didn't think of it or do it first. This is one of those brilliant designs.
These guys make some really great short films, music videos and commercials. DO NOT miss watching their latest work titled "Synesthesia". Check out their work at Terri Timely.
Amazing project!!! I hope to work on some things like this in the not too distant future. (plug: stay tuned for the release of my sound/art/design project nearing completion of phase1 in the next couple of months.) The concept of creating visuals based on tracking movement through a defined space is something I really wanted to explore but just didn't have the budget for. This shows what is possible when using very sophisticated technologies in highly creative ways. Also thanks to companies like Toyota for realizing the importance of art/design and spending tons of money on this. Say what you will about the corporate 'machine' but the fact is that machine helps a lot of ideas to become manifested. What a creatively diverse team too!
The newly built Parish Church of Santa Monica by Vicens & Ramos architects is amazing!!! Beautiful building all around. If I'm ever in Santa Monica I will definitely be going here. The exterior of the building is made of steel that was meant to rust which gives it the orange color. A metal exterior for a church is an interesting concept..plus it will probably prevent people from using their phone in church! Read about the building and process >HERE<
Ok, back from a little hiatus....I'll be posting a lot over the next couple weeks though to make up for it. I've seen and heard a ton of great things to share but let's start with something that will only happen once in our lifetime. If I had the money I would have flown over there just to witness that.
On July 22 was the longest solar eclipse the earth will witness this century. Unless you were in the right part of Asia you would not be able to see it though. You can find out more about the event from NASA. Speaking of NASA, this eclipse also comes at the same time of the 40th anniversary of NASA pulling off the greatest hoax in history. (the alleged moon landing...ugh, don't get me started on that!!)
The calendar section of Uniqlo's site is a great example of really nice programming and layout. Fun interface, great motion graphics, and really fast. If you have money when you go to Japan you'll also like their stores..they have stores all over the world but they're based in Japan. DO NOT go to Japan without money! You WILL see everything you could ever want and more...no matter what it is. The tilt-shift video shows some cool and interesting parts of Japan that you'll want to go to.
Thanks to my man Pete for letting me know about this. It's an online gallery of some really cool portable record players. After seeing the Baird Wondergram in this gallery I regret selling mine..oh well. The english version of this site is still under construction so I'm not exactly sure if this is a physical museum in Austria or if it is a traveling exhibit curated by Austrian collectors. Or maybe it is just an online thing? Maybe someone can help clarify that for me? Anyway, check out their collection of portable turntables. The cover galleries are nice too.
Remember those dope handmade Audiowood by turntables by FiveTen Studio I posted a few months ago? Well if, not just click that link and check out these other ones by Thai artist/designer DEr' (maybe someone can help with the translation and tell me a little more about him, his design statement or just something worth knowing. In the meantime, those of us that do not understand Thai can just admire the craftsmanship and the idea of turntables as furniture.
So what if I'm posting an advertisement...until the last 10seconds you probably wouldn't think it was an ad for Swiss International Airlines. It's a really well put together short film by directore Marc Forster. I've posted the YouTube version but I would recommend watching the HD version >HERE<
This is one of the best things I've seen in the past year. At first glance it just seems like some cool graphics and sound...fair enough. What's fascinating though is that every piece in this series was made using the Processing programming language. The project is curated by the design studio Universal Everything (which does some really nice stuff) and musician Freeform. This is only 2 short clips from the series. Here's an excerpt from the Advanced Beauty website:
"The films embrace unusual video making processes, the visual programming language Processing, high-end audio analysis and fluid dynamic simulations alongside intuitive responses in traditional cell animation. Each artist was given the same set of parameters to work within; to start, finish and exist within a white space, creating a seamless coherence, all sculptures sharing the same white environment."
David Traver, the guy on the right, is the winner of the 2009 World Beard and Moustache championships. In case you missed it this year in Alaska, you can travel to Norway for the 2011 World Beard and Moustache competition.
This is a concept design by Francesco Cugusi & Roberto Strippoli that combines a cd player and turntable into one. What's really cool though is that after the system plays the record once it would learn it and you could skip through the tracks like on a CD. Would it really work? probably. Will it actually get produced? probably not :( Still a good enough idea for me to put on here though.
I just saw this a couple of weeks back and must say it's one of the best documentaries produced in the last couple of years. Alan Abel has devoted his life passionately to what he believed in and was/is an true unsung hero for modern times and deserves some recognition. On the surface his tricks are funny and clever but his true genius is in his reasoning and execution of his ideas.
I really like this firms' work. Their use and understanding of materials & technology to make temporary installations that leave a long-lasting impression on patrons is very impressive. The way they transform a space with form, color and light & shadow is brilliant.
Not much to say here. Just a really nice bike that uses wood instead of metal for some of the tubing. The joints are metal though. This was made by Arndt Menke.
I am familiar with the bamboo bike by BME and the new Bamboo bike Ross Lovegrove designed for Biomega...and the wooden bike at the Camper store in SoHo...and several other wooden (even cardboard) bikes. None of those look this good though.
Thanks to tdw for letting me know about this digital graffiti wall by YRWall. I love it when graffiti can transcend the streets and reach more people. This type of installation has HUGE potential and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this in the future.
Joel Scilley makes beautiful wooden turntables and and is partner in FiveTen Studio in Oakland. He makes these turntables on his own terms but will also work with clients to create anything you want. I know this one looks more like london broil but it's actually wood. Maybe it will look like wood to me when I'm not so hungry.?
Love him or hate him, Marc Newson is one of the most important designers of our time. This special by the BBC gives some insight into the world of one lucky and very talented dude. Watch all 5 parts.
There is still no word on if this is real or not. The pictures look very convincing however, the company does not seem to be selling it anywhere and the picture credit is for some Belgian architecture blog. Still a great idea and I want it. Tadao Andois one of the few architects I know more than a little bit about and I really admire his work. The Koshino House is an icon in the world of architecture and Tadao Ando is perhaps the most prolific and most decorated architect alive today.
Shack Up (UPDATE: w/ Don't You Worry About A Thing)
I love the original classic by Banbarra but there's something about A Certain Ratio covering this song that makes it edgier. Maybe it's the punky guitars, the British accents or even the slightly faster tempo? I recommend owning both since the work for different types of moods. They were one of the main groups from this scene..other groups of the 'punk/funk' scene include ESG, Pigbag, Gang Of Four, The Dance, Defunkt and Liquid Liquid amongst many others.
"These modified handlebar plugs speak to the disgruntled urban cyclist. By retro-fitting stock parts with up-cycled keys, bikers can now find satisfaction with close encounters. This concept puts an new twist on the timeless tradition of car-keying revenge." by Matt Braun and Jared Delorenzo
*no cars were damaged and theRecordPlayer.net does not support vandalizing cars
"Yoshimoto discovered this cube when he was searching for a way to divide a cube equally in three-dimensional space. The result is a peculiar polyhedral dyad consisting of eight interconnected cubes that can be opened in multiple ways. The cube can be divided into two cubes and then transformed into two rhombuses, one silver the other gold with twelve faces each. With its endless transformations, this cube makes a great toy for children as well as an intriguing desktop puzzle. Made of polypropylene."
Before I die I want to own at least one high-end turntable. (Technics 1200s are NOT high-end!) Of course I'll also own some of the portable turntables I really want by this point too. And maybe one or two of some old classic turntables I really want. But until those days come..we got pictures. You can see more stuff you can't afford at the company's website- Transrotor
I first stumbled upon this man's work a little over a year ago and got more into him while researching for a project. His compositions are usually just very simple geometric patterns. What's fascinating about his work is the execution scale of some of his projects. I was surprised not to see his name mentioned in a New York Times Magazine article last year about another artist that does similar work...shame on you NYTM editor! haha..Varini is not a big name in America though and the majority of his work is in Europe. You can see more of his work at Varini.org
Here's one of several videos of his work on YouTube>>>
Now you can bacon-ize any website now for free! Gotta love the internet and the geeks that create this stuff! Go to Bacolicious and add more bacon to any site you want. Or just copy this and add any site after it- http://bacolicio.us/http://
This one is actually a 'real' woman and not android although she may as well be. She is extremely brilliant and beautiful. Her name is Neri Oxman and if you're geek or just into material science, architecture, design or art you already know the name or at least her work. I forget name pretty easily unless I'm reminded again. In this case, when I was reminded it was one of those, "Duh! Of course I know her work!" kind of things. Amazingly, she's still working on a pHD in Design & Computation from MIT. Her body of work is very extensive and her list of awards and achievements is probably as long as she is tall. She's studied all over the world, been showcased in Seed Magazine and featured in nearly any architecture or design magazine around the world, been in shows at museums around the world, spoke at several lectures and somehow stays very grounded. Perhaps it's her medical background and growing up in Israel? In any event, she is destined to become one of the major players in architecture, design and material science in the 21st century. So what does she do?
" M A T E R I A L E C O L O G Y was formed in 2006 by Neri Oxman as an interdisciplinary research initiative that undertakes design research in the intersection between architecture, engineering, computation, biology and ecology. As such, this initiative is concerned with material organization and performance across all scales of design thought and practice. Material is interpreted merely as any physical entity which corresponds and reacts with its environment. As such, it seeks to promote and define a design research agenda which is ecological in nature, in ideology and in material practice; it aims at embracing the evolving elements of change in both (and indeed related) social constructs and environmental descriptions of the ever changing built environment."
For a proper explanation of what she does, just go to her site- MaterialEcology
To see her most current award or project go to her Blog
Aiko is a Japanese girl built in Canada that can do almost anything for you and doesn't forget anything. The only major issues with this chick are that she requires a charge ever few hours and doesn't walk. From what I could tell, she can be a bit of a pain, but you could program her to your liking. Oh, and NO SEX! I don't know why someone would ever make a woman like that!!?? However, it's a lot cheaper than a real wife would cost that did give you sex- only $28,000 for the current model. Compare that to the millions you'll spend over a lifetime trying to convince your real wife to sleep with you once a year! She does speak Japanese and English though but her English isn't very sexy. She is the product of a lifetime of work by 'genius' (psycho) Le Trung.
*Disclaimer: In case you can't tell, I'm kidding! Some people get real crazy about this kind of humor for some reason.?
“Aiko is what happens when science meets beauty. I want to make her look, feel and act as human as possible so she can be the perfect companion.
I talk to her a lot, and hope to improve her knowledge. So far, she can understand and speak 13,000 different sentences in English and Japanese. She recognizes faces and says hello when any of my family come around to visit.
She helps me pick what to have for dinner and knows what drinks I like.
She even helps me with directions when we’re going somewhere. She has all senses except for smell, a is very patient and never complains,” says Mr. Trung
(this is a weird picture...she probably beat him up for this!)
The Calligraphy of Disproportionate Advantage, 2007, 76" x 108", oil on linen
Eyes on You, 2006, 62" x 72", oil on linen
Shades of Olympus, 2004, 70 ½" x 99", oil on linen
(I love this picture by Rajesh Kumar Singh)
