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Of all the talented young Israeli designers I met during Holon Design Week, Lena Dubinsky was an easy standout. She won a reddot design award in 2008 for her paving tile system for rainwater irrigation. The earthenware tiles are part of a sustainable, modular system designed to “collect and reuse rainwater for irrigation in urban settings.” By arranging the tiles around a city tree, for example, you can direct the flow of rainwater to the roots, doing away with the need for a sprinkler system or other wasteful forms of artificial irrigation.
My favorite pieces from her portfolio are her porcelainware. These are often meditative experiments with natural forms in which Dubinsky tests the boundaries of her craft. Her most sophisticated of these is her Measuring Tools collection, the design of which stems from what were once purely functional measuring instruments, but which Dubinsky has refined down to pure form.
“Standards for measuring length and width in ancient times relied on the measurements and movements of the limbs of the human body, and evidence of these techniques are still to be found in use around the world. I wished to investigate and apply this law-like regularity by designing measuring tools which are based on the dimensions of the human body. I am not concerned with historical elements but rather with a set of archetypes which establish new relationships or which reconstruct primal relationships between man and his environment. The project consists of four measuring tools, each one tailored to standardized terminology and related to the measurements of the human body: cubit, hand-breadth, finger and foot.”
Even though no one is going to use these to actually measure something (and that’s definitely not Dubinksy’ point, either), the shapes of the tools are just so pleasing, perhaps because they’re derived from the natural form of the human body. Measuring Tools was awarded in the 2011 London International Creative Competition.
Dubinsky has continued her study of the human body with Body Signs, a collection of jewelry made from porcelain, silver and gold. You can contact her to place an order.
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Mother’s Day may not be until the 13th, but this year don’t leave the gift giving ’til Sunday morning when you’ll inevitably follow up your last minute ecard with a guilt-ridden phone call. Plan ahead and get mom something nice, like a piece of jewelry from the socially responsible, environmentally friendly and totally affordable line, 31 Bits. The Southern California-based company was started by Kallie Dovel after she discovered the beautiful local jewelry being made by women in Uganda. Now, back in the States, she and a few friends have created an international market to sell handmade necklaces and bracelets from over 100 Ugandan women, many of whom lost their homes and families at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army.
The mission of 31 bits is to use “fashion and design to empower women to rise above poverty. By giving our beneficiaries access to the international market, they are able to earn an instant income, providing homes, food, and education for their families. Our program equips women by providing literacy education, financial and vocational training, holistic care, and strong support systems, empowering individuals to further their careers and attain social equity.”
Learn more about the designers and see all the collections on their website.
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Artist Hardware, an arts materials company the produces Field Portage bags, notebooks, sketchpads and paintbrushes, is about to release the Sensu Brush, a paintbrush designed specifically for the iPad.
“Sensu is two very useful tools in one. A brush and a stylus for capacitive devices like the iPad and iPhone. The rubber stylus is exposed when the brush is closed. This stylus is great for sketching and writing or as a general navigation tool. Grasp Sensu near the nib section and pull it out of the protective cap. You will reveal the capacitive bristles of the artist brush. Insert the rubber stylus into the cap and the cap becomes a handle for your brush.”
Artist Hardware funded Sensu with a successful Kickstarter campaign, and now, six months after it ended, they’ve finished production on the brush and have begun sending them out to backers. The reviews are starting to come in, and so far they’re all positive.
“We were really impressed by the way the Sensu Brush works as a stylus or pointing device. The chrome-plated brass body feels light but stable in hand. The length of the stylus means it fits perfectly in the crook of our hands between thumb and index finger when used in pen/pointer mode. The smooth sculpted shape of the stylus body/brush cover is simply lovely. We felt it was one of the most natural and balanced styli we have used. It seems just about perfect for long sessions writing, sketching, or painting. Of course, everyone’s hands are different, but we think the Sensu is spot-on as a stylus.” –ipadcreative
It won’t be on sale until May 25, which – yes – falls after Mother’s Day, but nothing says Mother’s Day nostalgia like an I.O.U. gift. But this time you’ll actually deliver, right?
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When Yamaha was developing a new amplifier, they realized that most amps available to musicians are best suited for live performances, not for personal use and most definitely not conveniently transportable. Not that you can’t get a good, small-sized amp with a handle, but the new THR Amp is about the size of a shoe box so you can comfortably carry it with you. It boasts a range of effects and superior sound quality, but as a non-musician I’m not going to deny that I like it for its homage to vintage sound equipment design.
It has “the tone and response of a tube amplifier, hi-fi stereo output for playing along with a backing track and a range of effects to modify the tone,” like Modern, British Hi Gain, Lead, Crunch and Clean. It also has four dual effector circuits: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser and Tremolo. Watch the instructional lab video to see and hear a demonstration of the range of sounds.
There are few different models in the THR line up. See the specs and enter to win one of your own.
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It took designer Jasper Morrison four and a half years to perfect his new line of outdoor furniture for Kettal. The stackable tables, chairs, a sofa and lounger were made especially lightweight to make moving them into winter storage as easy as possible. The collection was shown as part of Kettal’s display at Salone del Mobile in Milan, along with pieces by their other designers, like Patricia Urquila.
Apparently, it took Morrison almost five years to design the collection because he spent much of the time researching outdoor furniture products, analyzing standard codes and testing materials for durability. I like his clean, streamlined collection because it reminds me of the simple, well-made, modern patio furniture my grandparents had in their backyard. Like Park Life, those pieces were built to last. In fact, many of those pieces currently furnish the pool area at my cousin’s home. That kind of generational lifespan is one of Kettal’s biggest selling points – along with considered design, of course. Morrison took ergonomics seriously in his approach to make leisurely summer afternoons as comfortable as they ought to be.
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Ping, an American brand of high-quality golf equipment, is taking advantage of the publicity Bubba Watson received by winning the Masters while using a pink driver by producing them for the public. Ping announced it will sell 5,000 limited-edition, all pink G-20 drivers. The drive will be available at pro shops starting June 1 and cost $430 usd. Ping, which sponsors the Masters champ, said it would donate 5 percent of sales of its pink driver to the “Bubba Long in Pink. Driven by Ping” campaign.
The left-hander starting using the pink drivers to create exposure for himself and cancer research and prevention. Ping donated $10,000 to help start the “Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million” initiative and has given the charity $300 every time Watson hits a drive more than 300 yards with his pink driver. He averages 313.1 yards per drive, tops on the Tour.
Written in cursive on the crown of his G20 driver are the words, “Made Exclusively for Bubba.” The loft is 8.5 degrees, the 44.50-inch shaft is a pink True Temper Grafalloy Bi-Matrix. Grips are PING 703 Gold. He takes 10 wraps of tape under his right hand, 12 wraps under his left. [ ping ]
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RISD furniture design student Joseph Guerra has a noble ambition “to design useful, mass market objects that exhibit a simplicity and beauty that challenge traditional societal notions of value.” This is a goal he’s gotten closer to reaching over the past few years. Much of his early work is more art object than practical design. His latest piece, Utility Mirror, is probably the most practical, but his Flashlight is, to me at least, the most beautiful.
The flashlight’s components are housed in a CNC-cut cork case that can be disassembled to replace the batteries, making production easier. But that’s not the only practical aspect of this design. The fact that its rectangular and sits flat instead of rolling around like a typical flashlight is, perhaps, one of the unintentional bonuses. Not unintentional at all is the choice to use cork and a contrasting white handle. Cork is one of my favorite materials, and I love to see used thoughtfully or unexpectedly. Flashlights are usually made of cold, hard metal, but Guerra makes the flashlight a touchable, almost comforting object, one that you want to leave out instead of tucking it away into the tool shed.
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If you’ve visited the Guggenheim lately you may have seen Earth Blocks – no, not the ones used to build houses (though those are really cool, too). I’m talking about the kid’s version, Earth Toy Earth Blocks, which are like sustainable Legos. Made from a composite of cedar tree bark, compressed saw dust, coffee beans and green tea leaves, the blocks don’t come in shades of red, blue or yellow. In fact, you’d better hope your kid likes dark green and brown a lot.
They’re a lot softer than Legos, which means it won’t hurt as much when you accidentally step on one, but The Wall Street Journal points out that since they’re softer and don’t snap together as tightly as Legos, they’re “less than ideal for making lightsabers.” And since the blocks do actually smell like coffee and tea, they’re probably better suited for the big kids out there. I can’t be the only who never outgrew her Legos, right?
You buy them from the Guggenheim online, $30 for 50 blocks.
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