concept – Page 20 – DesignApplause

The minimalist's record player.

Feb 19, 2011

Record players have a unique position in terms of design. Consumers tend to prefer either a throw-back, retro style or a super high-tech DJ dance club set up. As such, their design has forked into these two categories without much in between. Cue RD Silva’s “Turnstyle,” a new kind of record player that pushes design to the limit by completely doing away with all superfluous materials, including the base, the bulkiest part. It’s simple, refined and elegant in its no-frills approach. Comprised solely of a motor, needle, speakers and controls, “Turnstyle” is as lightweight and transportable as you can get.

Silva breaks down the components of his design:
“As simple as it gets:
The motor that spins the record.
The needle that reads the record.
The speakers that play the audio.
The controls that…control the record. On/Off.”

designer: rd silva

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Micro teahouse. Terunobu fujimori.

Feb 17, 2011

The academician and architect, Terunobu Fujimori, has observed that a teahouse is “the ultimate personal architecture.” Its extreme compactness, which would at most accommodate four and a half tatami mats (2.7 square metres) or even just two tatami mats (1.8 square metres) of floor space, makes it feel as though it were an extension of one’s body, “like a piece of clothing.”…

Fujimori hires professionals to do all the structural and electrical work on his buildings but handles many of the interior finish details himself, with a motley group of volunteers that he calls the Jomon Company—so named for the Neolithic period of Japanese history and for the primitive tools they use to give Fujimori’s interiors a warm, roughed-up feel. Although he might have conceived and built this one all on his own.

architect: terunobu fujimori
period: 2003-2004

Pantone hotel. Brussels.

Feb 14, 2011

Conceived by the designer Michel Penneman and the architect Olivier Hannaert, the Pantone Hotel is based in Central Brussel, Belgium. Inspired by the famous color matching system Pantone, the 59-room hotel is a great place for designers to sleep over while passing by the Belgium capital.

Pantone Inc’s claim to its fame began 45 years ago with its revolutionary color matching system that allowed designers to reproduce accurate color anywhere in the world. The company is branching out and moving into lifestyle – oriented industries using the same color numbering system to guarantee an exactness of hue. In 2009 they launched sea-vee sneakers.

Steve burns "snow fort".

Feb 10, 2011

While one generations may know Steve Burns as the former host of the beloved cartoon Blues Clues, the next generation is more likely to recognize him as the owner of an Eric Lifton-designed home, a fabulously converted 2,000 square foot garage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Burns recently made a new addition to his courtyard, a guest house he describes as a “charming alcove studio, steps from the L train. Cutting-edge green construction, locally sourced material, a MUST SEE!” It would be a steal at his tongue-in-cheek asking price of $1,100/month if it wasn’t made of snow.

Built by himself with “a shovel and a really long serving spoon,” Burns’ snow fort took him eight hours to make. The walls have the added benefit of doubling as beer cozies (see photo) which Burns and friends made good use of during the Super Bowl. Unless the snow melts soon in NY, Burns can count on having a guest house through to the end of the season.

[nymag]

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A little zen in times square.

Feb 8, 2011

Located in the center of the Times Square entertainment district, the new Intercontinental New York Times Square Hotel’s lobby is intended as a respite from the hustle and bustle of the street, and the 1,500-square-foot courtyard is its serene centerpiece.

The courtyard’s sculptural focal point is a metallic sapling cluster whose form strikes a compelling dialogue with its Zen-like environment. Its visual impact made the more striking by a translucent, vibrant red-resin panel behind it, the tree stand above a zero-edge reflecting pool, over which it seems to hover; subtly concealed LED lighting accents the composition by day, and gives the red wall a luminous glow by night.

There’s also a series of staggered, sheared boxwood hedges beside a floating stone bench that recalls the rock karesansui gardens of Japan, a laminated granite wall and a line of tall illuminated bamboo in stainless steel planters.
Says landscape architect Thomas Balsley, “The courtyard for the Intercontinental is designed to oxygenate the hotel, both literally and figuratively. It offers a visual and spiritual retreat to the hotel’s travelers and guests as they retreat from the city’s bustle.”

Thomas Balsley’s nearly four-decade mission of beautifying and enriching the urban experience include Dallas’ Main Street Garden, Tampa’s Curits Hixon Park, and Manhattan’s new Riverside Park South.

designer: thomas balsley associates (tba)

Pour your body out. Pipilotti rist.

Feb 4, 2011

Pipilotti Rist: Pour Your Body Out (7354 Cubic Meters)
November 19, 2008-February 2, 2009

The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium, second floor

Pipilotti Rist’s lush multimedia installations playfully and provocatively merge fantasy and reality. MoMA commissioned the Swiss artist to create a monumental site-specific installation that immerses the Museum’s Marron Atrium in twenty-five-foot-high moving images. Visitors will be able to experience the work while walking through the space or sitting upon a sculptural seating island designed by the artist.

who is pipilotti?
Born in Grabs in the Swiss Rhine Valley, 1962

Studies of commercial art, illustration and photography at the Institute of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria, 1982-1986
Studies of audio visual communications (video) at the School of Design in Basel, Switzerland, Professor René Pulfer, 1986-1988
Freestyle video / audio works and installations, since 1986
Freelancer as a grafic computer operator in different industrial video studios, 1987-1994
Member of the music band Les Reines Prochaines, concerts, performances and LP / CD’s, 1988-1994
Visiting professor at UCLA, Los Angeles CA, 2002-2003
From 2005 – 2009 she worked on her first feature film, ‘Pepperminta’

Lives and works in Zurich and in the mountains of Switzerland, since 2004

Her favorite number is 54. Against taboos and stereotypes with emotion and humor…

[MoMA]

editor’s note: this video, among others, is shown to art & design students. an inspiring example of an artist explaining the concept and pulling you in with analogies, metaphors, and their passion.

The daily: first look at iPad-only newspaper.

Feb 3, 2011

so what does an iPad newspaper feel like?
The answer is “not much like a newspaper” and more like an iPad magazine.

As with all the better iPad magazines, there’s effectively two layouts to almost every page, one designed for portrait orientation, one for landscape. Flipping between the two can reveal extra content and different picture versions. And there’s plenty of video, both in stories and the ads.

Murdoch is betting that people who have become used to paying nothing for content online will be happy to pay 99¢ a week for an iPad newspaper. And early in this game there are many sceptics. Stay tuned. [full story the guardian]

Don't trash. Make art 2.

Feb 1, 2011

we ran this post in march 2008 | click > enlarge
Just about the time we should be thinking about 86ing our plastic bottled water habits we have a bottle story. We came across this art and artist via trespluscool The artist is Martine Camillieri, a french artist who works with colorful plastics. Trying to think of an adequate bumper sticker here. —No to trash. Make art!— You get the idea, help us out here. see our post 21st century waterfall and faux-suede from recycled bottles.

Making tea, perfected. Special teatime.

Jan 29, 2011

Halim Lee’s “Special Teatime” is a thermos embossed with braille to help the visually impaired brew tea. A large dot on the exterior of the bottle corresponds with the water level so you know when it’s full, and an infuser that can hold either a teabag or a blend of loose teas lowers itself inside. The lid works like a kitchen timer – just twist it for the amount of time you prefer – and a bell sounds when the tea is ready, avoiding any accidental burns from pouring a kettle of hot water into a cup. Drink and enjoy.

designer: halim lee

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Half bag, half furniture.

Jan 29, 2011

Hamburg-based product designer Anne Lorenz was recently at the home interiors conference IMM Cologne 2011 showing off “Home Traveller,” a portable storage device. Constructed from soft, supple leather and measuring 28″ x 24″ x 16″, is “Home Traveller” a clever comment on the size of women’s purses today or a creative and functional piece of furniture? Whatever Lorenz’s intentions, the bag is actually quite practical, sitting on a lightweight wooden base that’s easy to lift and carry, perfect for extra linens or clothing. And it’s a far more striking piece than the ubiquitous storage stool – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s no handbag/storage chest/portable furniture.

designer: anne lorenz

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