Media facade architectural display.
d’strict architectural display in seoul national university seoul korea.
Designer: d’strict
about randy shear
Rolf sachs, renaissance man.
rolf sachs tackles design from every angle, from chess sets to smart cars.
It should come as no surprise that something as playful and cool as the IQ Fortis Watch would come from design master mind Rolf Sachs. With its thick, leather band and the handmade look of the watch face, the IQ Fortis is a manly watch that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
That statement can be applied to most of Sachs designs, which range from simple and conceptual objects to expertly crafted furniture and lighting, like his dome light series that debuted at Art Basel this year.
above: dome rubecula
above: dome rattus maximus
above: dome addict
Designer: rolf sachs
Producer: fortis
about perrin drumm
I.M. pei talks about louis kahn.
your daily dose of inspiration.
thanks randy shear
Energypod. Fatigue management.
we were alerted that there are energypods on google’s campus. good for them.
above: the energypod. below: a description from the producer’s web site:
Fatigue control for the workplace! Looking like something out of science fiction, the MetroNaps EnergyPod actually harnesses science and NASA technology to create a space within a space.
Occupying the same amount of room as a sofa, the EnergyPod creates a cocoon from outside noise and distractions. Occupants are reclined into the optimal napping position to promote blood circulation and reduce pressure on the lower back and ambient sounds help nappers drift into light sleep. At the timer’s expiration, the occupant is gently woken with a combination of lighting and vibration.
Key Features & Benefits
* Room within a room
* Inbuilt Bose sound system
* Contemporary design
* Zero gravity technology
above: another fatigue management product from metronap is the lightweight and easily transportable “napshell.”
note: however, if you’re working for a less evolved company or not putting in 16 hour days…
above: fits easily in your desk drawer. put glasses on, crack your office door ever so slightly, prop large document on copyholder device in front of you.
Producer: metronaps ( energypod )
21_21 design sight.
founders and board members naoto fukasawa (product designer), issey miyake (fashion), taku satoh (graphic) at their 21_21 design sight museum.
the impulse for the creation of 21_21 design sight originated during the isamu noguchi exhibition in new york. designer issey miyake, architect tadao ando and sculptor noguchi talked about the need for a place where japanese design could be discovered, promoted and shared. above: logo design: taku satoh naturally. photo: masaya yoshimura for nacasa + partners.
above: in 2006, miyake took his biggest leap yet. he and his two collaborators opened 21_21 design sight in a tokyo building designed by tadao ando. “we always dreamed of a space in Japan,” says miyake, who promises “new and unprecedented solutions” from his unusual venture.
above: tokyo midtown is a new development with a range of offices, parks, shopping malls, apartments, restaurants and museums. the area around roppongi is well known for its many pioneering galleries with contemporary art, architecture and design.
below: “xxst century” exhibition starting on the first anniversary of 21_21 design sight’s opening in 2007, the question arises: where are we headed, now that we live in the century once hailed as the future?
in this show, exhibition director issey miyake has done extensive research to prepare for the show, which includes a wide spectrum of japanese and international creators, all of whom address today’s many doubts and insecurities through their own individual form of creative expression. above: yasuhiro suzuki beginning of time tokyo, 2007 – 2008
above: koutarou sekiguchi it’s departure at a bright night. maebashi, 2007
above: the wind installation in issey miyake’s creative room
above: stickman by dui seid
above: “the outline” exhibition – the unseen outline of things. exhibition design by naoto fukasawa and tamotsu fujii.
above: an ‘outline’ is a contour of something. it is also the boundary that delineates an object and its surrounds. since that which surrounds an object is air, the outline of a hole in the air that is shaped like an object is the same as the outline of the object itself. the air is also a metaphor for the atmosphere around that object. this air (atmosphere) is composed of everything that exists around the object – elements such as peoples’ experiences and memories; customs and gestures; time, circumstance and sound; technology and culture; and history and trends. should even one of these elements change, and the outline of the object changes too. people share this outline of the air implicitly. my job is to determine this outline and to design something that slots right into it. ~naoto fukasawa
above: the “post fossil” exhibition brings together over 130 works of 71 participants. this collection poses the question, “how will the designers of tomorrow look to past in order to invent the future?” as it “excavates” and analyzes new creative trends in and for the 21st century, which are embodied in materials, colors, shapes, processes, themes, images, techniques, and other elements, this exhibition searches for clues necessary for the human beings to live and define their future.
above: post fossil curator li ddelkoort.
more about 21_21 design sight
Resources:
architoniciconeye
dezeen
architectural record
The best bike cities. 2010.
america’s top 50. via bicycling.com
1. Minneapolis
2. Portland, OR
3. Boulder, CO
40 acre bike park in boulder
4. Seattle
5. Eugene, OR
6. San Francisco
7. Madison, WI
8. New York City
9. Tucson, AZ
10. Chicago
11. Austin, TX
12. Denver, CO
13. Washington, DC
san francisco
14. Ann Arbor, MI
15. Phoenix/Tempe, AZ
16. Gainesville, FL
17. Albuquerque, NM
18. Colorado Springs, CO
19. Salem, OR
20. Scottsdale, AZ
21. Louisville, KY
22. Chattanooga, TN
23. Long Beach, CA
24. Cary, NC
25. Milwaukee
26. Boston
27. Philadelphia
28. Pittsburgh
29. Charleston, SC
30. Arlington, VA
31. Sioux Falls, SD
32. Boise, ID
33. Kansas City, MO
34. Columbus, OH
35. Tulsa, OK
36. Grand Rapids, MI
37. Billings, MT
38. St. Louis
39. Cleveland
40. Greensboro, NC
41. Lexington-Fayette, KY
42. Omaha, NE
43. Salt Lake City
44. Miami
45. Indianapolis
46. Fargo, ND
47. Anchorage, AK
48. Baltimore
49. Little Rock, AR
50. Rochester, NY
left: amsterdam top 10 cities via reuters
1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Bogota, Colombia
4. Curitiba, Brazil
5. Montreal, Canada
6. Portland, Oregon
7. Basel, Switzerland
8. Barcelona, Spain
9. Beijing, China
10. Trondheim, Norway
sorry, can’t find the source for the following list…
1. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Trondheim, Norway
4. Lund, Sweden
5. Berlin, Germany
6. Basel, Switzerland
7. Tokyo, Japan
8. Paris France
9. Ottawa, Canada
How apple is revolutionizing education.
Takeo obayashi home by tadao ando.
while researching danish light artist, olafur eliasson, we come across a home by architect tadao ando. it is the tokyo guest house — gallery of businessman takeo obayashi.
above: note the N-shaped plan placing several courtyards in the middle of the house.
Located on a quiet residential street of unremarkable homes, the private and public faces of Obayashi’s house are clearly delineated by a wall of vertical laminated-glass panes. There are no visible doors. Behind the glass wall is an enclosed corridor with doors at both ends.
This is a critical space, an interlude between the inside and outside body of the house. “The entrance corridor is similar in concept to the engawa, or veranda, of a traditional Japanese home,” says Ando. “It is like the divide between the inner world of the house and the outer world of nature. I realized that Japan is the only place where this link between exterior and interior spaces was developed into an important architectural feature.”
Along the sky-lit corridor, rhythmic, almost hypnotic, shadows form geometric patterns. “I hope that as guests enter the house they feel a sense of expectation and excitement,” says Ando.
above: ando (left) and obayashi within the entrance corridor.
Ando’s houses favor centrally placed courtyards that illuminate dark interiors with light. As the natural light changes throughout the day, night and seasons, so do the interiors. “Nature is a crucial element of my residential designs,” he says. “It’s my intention to always introduce nature to its fullest extent.”
Interestingly the courtyards are often purposely placed in a way that requires inhabitants to walk through them between the main arteries of the house. Despite the inconvenience, residents say they enjoy the rain and snow falling within their home and don’t mind carrying an umbrella or even getting wet.
In the middle of the N-shaped plan the courtyard here is a dynamic space activated by Eliasson’s 6,800+ platinum-glazed ceramic tiles, a contrast Ando’s signature spare, concrete-and-glass spaces. The tiles surfaces changing in color and intensity depending upon the conditions of light. During the day a monochromatic gray.
The tiles could symbolize the multi-faceted life of the businessman-cum-art collector.
above: the tiles during the day a monochromatic gray.
above: one of two galleries on the subterranean level of the house holds pieces from obayashi’s collection of works by young Japanese artists. from left are paintings by aya takano, naofumi maruyama, kyoko murase, hidekazu tanaka and torawo nakagawa. at left a honey-pop chair by yoshioka.
above: on the subterranean level juxtaposing the contemporary lines throughout the home is a tea ceremony room created by ko uehara that was designed after konnichian, a historic kyoto tea room.
above: for the bar, designer tokujin yoshioka created a table and bench out of slabs of optical glass. The LED piece on the wall is by tatsuo miyajima.
Obayashi commissioned a collaborative effort between artists and architect, including Danish-born light artist Olafur Eliasson, Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka and Japanese lighting architect Shozo Toyohisa, who has designed lighting for exhibitions at MoMA in New York. “When Eliasson came up with the idea of working with the courtyard using ceramic tiles, I really liked it,” says Obayashi, who was hesitant to propose the idea to Ando. “Many architects want minimal change within their design. They want to speak with their own language. In Mr. Ando’s case, his language is glass, steel frames and concrete.”
Designer: tadao ando/architect, olafur eliasson/light artist
[via architectural digest] — photography by robert mcleod
New york (new york) state of mind. Frank-Jay-Z-Alicia.
here’s a branding question: what signature song comes to mind when you think of nyc? your age may dictate your answer.
above: logo by milton glaser, 1975.
… ( verbiage of tim wilkin, new york sports writer – the howard cosell of horseracing ) “The New York Racing Association has laid a dinosaur egg on this one
The staple song for the Belmont Stakes, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” has been sacked. Instead of having old Blue Eyes belting out those famous lyrics when the horses come out of the tunnel for the Belmont, we have this:
The song by rapper Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind.” The song that will be out there will be the version by Alicia Keys, (it will be sung by teen recording artist Jasmine Villegas) which isn’t that bad but it’s not Frank at the Belmont. I will boycott it, turn on my new iPod and listen to Springsteen.
Whoever made this bonehead decision at NYRA should have to sing a duet with selected legislators from the state at next year’s Belmont. This is a stupid idea. Frank, if he were alive, would be appalled, I bet.
“New York, New York” is a staple at the Belmont, has been since 1997 when it replaced “Sidewalks of New York.” If I was a horse, I would turn around and go back into the paddock when this new song is sung.
Maybe next year, this NYRA genius can get a new song for the Kentucky Derby. Sure! Get rid of “My Old Kentucky Home.”
One last thing: this is a dumb idea. Did I say that yet? ” [tim wilkin]
OK, we can breathe a little easier now that this isn’t an official nyc rebranding move. On the other hand, one never knows about these things when they happen. Here are the songs…
below: performed by frank, 1982 ( more info below )
http://designapplause.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=9645
below: alicia keys performs empire state of mind, part II at the p.c. richard & son theater in TriBeCa on november 17, 2009.
below: official jay-z and alicia keys seen september 2, 2009
Frank’s tune is a classic at 33 years. I probably won’t be around but let’s see where things stand in 2043. The city that never sleeps won’t lose sleep over two great songs.
Resources:
“Theme from New York, New York” (or “New York, New York”) is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli.
In 1980, it was recorded by Frank Sinatra, for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980), and has since become closely associated with him. He occasionally performed it live with Minnelli as a duet. Sinatra recorded it a second time in duet with Tony Bennett for his 1993 album Duets.
It should not be confused with the song “New York, New York”, from Leonard Bernstein/Adolph Green/Betty Comden’s musical On the Town, which features the lyric “New York, New York, is a helluva town / The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down…”
Composers Kander and Ebb stated on the A&E Biography episode about Liza Minnelli that they attribute the song’s success to actor Robert De Niro, who rejected their original theme for the film because he thought it was “too weak.”
The song did not become a popular hit until it was picked up in concert by Frank Sinatra during his performances at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978. Subsequently, Sinatra recorded it in 1979 for his 1980 Trilogy set (Reprise Records), and it became one of his signature songs. The single peaked at #30 in June 1980, becoming one of his final hits on the charts. Sinatra made two more studio recordings of the song in 1981 (for his NBC TV special The Man and His Music) and 1993 (for Capitol Records). From the latter, an electronic duet with Tony Bennett was produced for Sinatra’s Duets album. [lastfm]
*****
“New York State of Mind” is a song written by Billy Joel which initially appeared on the album Turnstiles in 1976. While not a hit when it was first released, it has received much more frequent airplay in recent years. “New York State of Mind” enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and radio airplay after the 2001 September 11 attacks, and is frequently played after New York Mets, New York Knicks and New York Rangers games. It also frequently appears on playlists of adult contemporary and oldies formatted radio stations that broadcast in the New York City market.
In 2009 Jay-Z and Alicia Keys released the song Empire State of Mind, which is also inspired by Frank Sinatras Theme from New York, New York. [wikipedia]
The no. 1 habit of highly creative people.
your zen fix of the day is clearly habit forming.
photo courtesy of zen habits
“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.” ~Rollo May
Edited from a post written by Leo Babauta.
Creativity is a nebulous, murky topic that fascinates me endlessly — how does it work? What habits to creative people do that makes them so successful at creativity?
I’ve reflected on my own creative habits, but decided I’d look at the habits that others consider important to their creativity. I picked a handful of creatives, almost at random — there are so many that picking the best would be impossible, so I just picked some that I admire, who came to mind when I thought of the word “creative”.
This was going to be a list of their creative habits … but in reviewing their lists, and my own habits, I found one that stood out. And it stands out if you review the habits and quotes from great creative people in history. It’s the Most Important Habit when it comes to creativity.
The No. 1 Creativity Habit
In a word: solitude.
Creativity flourishes in solitude. With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, you can focus.
Of course, there are lots of ways to find this solitude. Let’s listen to a few of the creative people I talked to or researched:
Felicia Day – wonderful actress perhaps best known for her awesome awesome work on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Guild. One of the things she said: she makes “sure to be creative first thing in the morning, before doing anything for the outside world, really sets the day up for me. It makes it feel that CREATING is my job, not answering emails.”
Ali Edwards – an author, designer, and leading authority on scrapbooking. One of her top habits wasn’t exactly solitude, but is related: “Do nothing. I have a habit of welcoming time away from my creative work. For me this is serious life-recharging time where my only responsibility is to just be Mom & Wife & Me.
Doing nothing has a way of synthesizing what is really important in my life and in my work and inspires me beyond measure. When I come back to work I am better equipped to weed out the non-essential stuff and focus on the things I most want to express creatively.”
Chase Jarvis – an award-winning photographer. “Find Quiet. Creativity sometimes washes over me during times of intense focus and craziness of work, but more often I get whacked by the creative stick when I’ve got time in my schedule. And since my schedule is a crazy one and almost always fills up if I’m just “living”, I tend to carve out little retreats for myself. I get some good thinking and re-charge time during vacations, or on airplanes, but the retreats are more focused on thinking about creative problems that I’m wanting to solve.
That’s why I intentionally carve time out. I make room for creativity. Intentionally. The best example of what I mean by a retreat is a weekend at my family’s cabin. It’s a 90 minute drive from my house on the coast. There are few distractions. Just a rocky beach and a cabin from the 60’s with wood paneling and shag carpet. I go for walks, hikes, naps. I read. I did get an internet signal put in there to stay connected if I need it. But the gist is QUIET. Let there be space for creativity to fill your brain.”
Maciej Cegłowski – painter, programmer, excellent writer. A classically short answer that embodies a beautiful way to find solitude. What habit helps his creativity? Maciej replied: “Running up hills!”
Leo Babauta: OK, I wasn’t going to talk about myself in this post, but I thought I should share some of my previous thoughts.
The best art is created in solitude, for good reason: it’s only when we are alone that we can reach into ourselves and find truth, beauty, soul. Some of the most famous philosophers took daily walks, and it was on these walks that they found their deepest thoughts.
My best writing, and in fact the best of anything I’ve done, was created in solitude.
Just a few of the benefits I’ve found from solitude:
• time for thought
• in being alone, we get to know ourselves
• we face our demons, and deal with them
• space to create
• space to unwind, and find peace
• time to reflect on what we’ve done, and learn from it
• isolation from the influences of other helps us to find our own voice
• quiet helps us to appreciate the smaller things that get lost in the roar
The Greats on Solitude
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – prolific and influential composer of the Classical era: “When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer–say, traveling in a carriage or walking after a good meal or during the night when I cannot sleep–it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly.”
Albert Einstein – theoretical physicist, philosopher and author: “On the other hand, although I have a regular work schedule, I take time to go for long walks on the beach so that I can listen to what is going on inside my head. If my work isn’t going well, I lie down in the middle of a workday and gaze at the ceiling while I listen and visualize what goes on in my imagination.”
Franz Kafka – one of the most influential writers of the 20th century: “You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
Nikola Tesla – inventor, one of the most important contributors to the birth of commercial electricity: “The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone—that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.”
Joseph Haydn – A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent much of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Hungarian aristocratic Esterházy family on their remote estate. Isolated from other composers and trends in music until the later part of his long life, he was, as he put it, “forced to become original”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – German writer and polymath: “One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.”
Pablo Picasso – Spanish painter best known for co-founding the Cubist movement.
Picasso: “Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
Carl Sandburg – American writer and editor, best known for his poetry: “One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude.”
Thomas Mann – German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist: “Solitude gives birth to the original in us, to beauty unfamiliar and perilous — to poetry.”
The No. 2 Creative Habit
While it might seem contradictory, the No. 2 habit when it comes to nurturing creativity: participation.
This can come in many forms, but it requires connecting with others, being inspired by others, reading others, collaborating with others.
But how can you have both solitude and participation? They obviously have to come at different times. Finding the balance is key, of course, but it takes a conscious effort: this time is for solitude, and this time is for participation.
Why are they both important? We need inspiration from without, but we need creation from within.
A couple of the people I interviewed had habits that relate to this:
Chase Jarvis: “Devour Popular Culture. Consuming the works of others inspires me. And it’s not just museums and the “establishment”. I devour magazines, books, street art, performances, music, etc. All things that make me think critically (and whimsically) about the world. You get the picture. Inspiration can come from anywhere.”
Ali Edwards: “Participate. My creative spirit is interested in documenting the wonderful everyday details of our lives. To really get to the heart of the matter I need to be fully participating in my life, in the interactions with my kids and husband and family and friends. If I am just going through the motions or wishing away the present moment for “the next thing” I am missing the blessing of right now. My creativity requires the habit of active participation and daily attention to detail.”
Other creative habits
There are other habits than those top two, of course, that can nourish creativity. Some other good ones:
Felicia Day: “When I am most productive I am the most ruthless with my schedule. I will literally make a daily checklist with, “one hour gym”, “30 minutes of internet research,” and “drink 3 glasses of water” on it. For some reason being that disciplined creates a sense of control that I wouldn’t have otherwise, as a self-employed person, and I get the most out of the scheduled hours that I have for writing.”
Ali Edwards: “Take notes. I am a really good note-taker. It’s essential for me to write down my ideas when they come to mind…otherwise, poof, they disappear way too quickly as I move on to the next task (diaper changes, wiping noses, tending to the stuff of life). I use my phone, my computer, and a moleskine notebook to jot down thoughts and ideas and then I move them into Things every week or so.”
Chase Jarvis:
• Live a creative life everyday. I very much believe in doing creative stuff everyday. For one, I take photos and videos almost everyday. Doesn’t matter the camera. I use my iPhone everyday. Just taking photos keeps me in a creative headspace. Hell, I play with my food and draw and doodle.
• Moderate Expectations. Make it a habit not to judge yourself on your creative output. Sometimes your creativity is on fire. Great news. Other times, it’s not. It’s hard sometimes when you make art in a professional commercial capacity because you’re paid to be ‘ON’, but you’ll save yourself a lot of greif if you make it a habit to be cool to your psyche when your creative mojo isn’t firing on all pistons.
• Shake Your Tree. When I’m starting to feel stale, I make a habit of getting into adventures. Break molds. Drive home from work a different way. Stir up my routine. I get active and shake my tree.
• Find fun. Doing what you love inspires you to be more creative. Make time and space for having fun. All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.
• Lastly, being creative means living a creative life. Expect yourself to have one. Believe you are creative. Know that you are. Make that the most important habit of all.
For more on creativity, read the author’s Little But Useful Guide to Creativity.
“Creativity is essentially a lonely art. An even lonelier struggle. To some a blessing. To others a curse. It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very soul an idea.” ~Lou Dorfsman
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[ via zen habits ]