SUNDAY MARCH 07 2010
Having presented his portraits of women in Brazil, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, India, Belgium, Britain and other countries, young French artist, JR, is showing the whole of his «Women» exhibition for the first time.
The exhibition has been conceived as a journey through Paris in the open air. Visitors can see it on foot, on bicycle or by riverboat.
After «Portraits of a Generation», inspired by events in the suburbs of Paris, and «Face 2Face» (featured on A Parallel World), which was displayed in the Middle East, «Women» is the third phase of the 28 Millimetre project, taking its name from the wide-angle lens that requires the photographer to be only centimetres from the model in order to take the portrait.
WOMEN grew out of many pictures and few words. JR’s words were necessary, of course, to convince more than 70 women around the world to take part in the project. JR went to meet those living in the shadows, the real pillars of their societies despite daily violence, wars or simply discrimination. His desire to shift certain limits by using unusual places allows him to deal with subjects in the news in an innovative way. From 3 October to 2 November, through thiis exhibition and a book, people will learn all about this adventure that took JR to ten countries on four continents.
Trailer for the film, "Women are heroes"
For more information, please visit www.womenareheroes-paris.net
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28 2010
Standard Time is an video artwork concept of Mark Formanek, realized by Datenstrudel.
"Standard Time is a performance lasting exactly 24 hours and recorded on film. However, this film is much more than just the recording of an action, the recording of something that has taken place in the past; it is also a clock. A clock for use right now and in the future which, as each day goes by, extends further into the past, but is still up-to-date and punctual”. Mark Formanek
70 workers are building a wooden 4 x 12 m "digital" time display in real time: a work that involves 1611 changes within 24 hour period. The action was seamlessly documented and shot on HD video and a 24 hour movie or clock of the project was created.
The spectator looking at Standard Time does not only see the time, but also people constructing it. People who, with a stoic sense of duty, are wasting time on an apparently useless activity that fulfills only one function: to display time. Even though the workers are trying hard to construct every single minute, they are constantly on the verge of failing.
For more information www.standard-time.com
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 07 2010
The mission Dutch prison architect Willem Van der Sluis was tasked with was to create an outdoor excerise/sport space for the prisoners at the prison boats in Zaandam.
The decision to use geodesic domes was a solution to the balance between the demands of justice, i.e. not allowing anybody to escape, and delivering the maximum regarding the needs of the prisoners.
The space had to be easily built and easily dismantle; prisoners had to be able to see the outside world, but outsiders should not immediately recognize the structure as a prison.
The conjoined geodesic domes do not look like cages at all. But, these spaces, designed for playing sports, prevent inmate soccer or basketball players from escaping.
Van der Sluis' major contribution is the view afforded to teh inmates. Instead of regular prison yards with walls that only afford a view upwards, the domes allow prisoners to see and experience much more of the outside world.
Pierced with smaller holes at the base creating a contrast not unlike Venetian blinds, the advantage is that from within the prisoners can look outside, but do not have to worry about being viewed by passersby.
Higher up the holes get bigger, allowing more daylight in. "I tried to give it the feel of light falling through trees in a forest," Van der Sluis explains.
The structure consists of just 15 triangles that are replicated form the whole dome. It is a design that can as easily be constructed as dismantled. If the boats the structures are on are relocated, the domes will move with them.
The domes are an innovate solution to a potentially difficult problem.
SUNDAY JANUARY 24 2010
Rabtilla Residence by Michael Rantilla
As is often the case, difficult terrain and space restrictions can be a powerful catalyst for innovative design and that's certainly true here with the building lifted out over the ground around it. As this was the architech's own home, creativity was at the fore.
A vertical concrete mass in the center allows for the three flooors to be cantilevered over space, which creates sheltered open spaces below. On the inside, it appears that the rooms grow out into the forest, creating a connection with nature. The central core allows easy circulation and access.
Shell Villa by ARTechnic
Lying stark white amoung the surrounding vegitation, this curvy tubular villa looks to have been dropped from space. But while it contrasts sharply with its surroundings, the stunning structure sensually weaves itself into its environment in an elegent way.
Each room and space flows into the next. The two predominant colours are white (for the exterior and some furniture) and wood for virtually everything else and these ensure that the design works as a whole.
http://dornob.com/shell-house-design-spectacularly-curved-architecture/
Hilltop home in Malaysia by the TYL Design Group
This massive home in Malaysia took five long years to design and build and drawfs the more modest scale of the surrounding residential neighborhood. Not surprisingly, the owners are real estate professional who have shaped city skylines, and it appears they have taken the same approach to shaping their neighbourhood.
The impressive architectural curves and generous size are fully translated from the exterior to the interior design, as do the curvilinear forms and other distinctive features of the outer facade. High ceilings, large windows and a mixture of warm and cool tones are seen throughout.
http://dornob.com/huge-private-home-dominates-small-residential-landscape/
For the latest and most interesting trends in design, please visit dornob.com
MONDAY DECEMBER 28 2009
What sets ART+CO's exhibitions apart is that they attract the eye and make the viewer think.
The project featured here was one of many developed by Art + Com for the BMW museum in Munich and shows what can be achieved with a fertile imagination coupled with some farly sophisticated technology.
The concept behind this mechatronic installation is a spatial representation of the form-finding process in art and design.
"Women are Heroes" exhibition in Paris
Women in Paris 3 October – 2 November 2009Having presented his portraits of women in Brazil, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, India, Belgium, Britain and other countries, young French artist, JR, is showing the whole of his «Women» exhibition for the first time.
The exhibition has been conceived as a journey through Paris in the open air. Visitors can see it on foot, on bicycle or by riverboat.
After «Portraits of a Generation», inspired by events in the suburbs of Paris, and «Face 2Face» (featured on A Parallel World), which was displayed in the Middle East, «Women» is the third phase of the 28 Millimetre project, taking its name from the wide-angle lens that requires the photographer to be only centimetres from the model in order to take the portrait.
WOMEN grew out of many pictures and few words. JR’s words were necessary, of course, to convince more than 70 women around the world to take part in the project. JR went to meet those living in the shadows, the real pillars of their societies despite daily violence, wars or simply discrimination. His desire to shift certain limits by using unusual places allows him to deal with subjects in the news in an innovative way. From 3 October to 2 November, through thiis exhibition and a book, people will learn all about this adventure that took JR to ten countries on four continents.
Trailer for the film, "Women are heroes"
For more information, please visit www.womenareheroes-paris.net
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28 2010
Standard Time - A very unusual way of displaying time.
At MB&F we love "Time" in all it's forms and we especially enjoy genuinely innovative ways to indicate time - after all that is what we do! But while we have seen time displayed using everything from the shadows cast by the sun to hands, cones and even satellites on watches and clocks, we have never heard of time displayed by men using planks of wood . . . until now that is.Standard Time is an video artwork concept of Mark Formanek, realized by Datenstrudel.
"Standard Time is a performance lasting exactly 24 hours and recorded on film. However, this film is much more than just the recording of an action, the recording of something that has taken place in the past; it is also a clock. A clock for use right now and in the future which, as each day goes by, extends further into the past, but is still up-to-date and punctual”. Mark Formanek
70 workers are building a wooden 4 x 12 m "digital" time display in real time: a work that involves 1611 changes within 24 hour period. The action was seamlessly documented and shot on HD video and a 24 hour movie or clock of the project was created.
The spectator looking at Standard Time does not only see the time, but also people constructing it. People who, with a stoic sense of duty, are wasting time on an apparently useless activity that fulfills only one function: to display time. Even though the workers are trying hard to construct every single minute, they are constantly on the verge of failing.
For more information www.standard-time.com
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 07 2010
Sportdome architecture by Willem Van der Sluis
How does one design a space for a user who does not really want to be there?The mission Dutch prison architect Willem Van der Sluis was tasked with was to create an outdoor excerise/sport space for the prisoners at the prison boats in Zaandam.
The decision to use geodesic domes was a solution to the balance between the demands of justice, i.e. not allowing anybody to escape, and delivering the maximum regarding the needs of the prisoners.
The space had to be easily built and easily dismantle; prisoners had to be able to see the outside world, but outsiders should not immediately recognize the structure as a prison.
The conjoined geodesic domes do not look like cages at all. But, these spaces, designed for playing sports, prevent inmate soccer or basketball players from escaping.
Van der Sluis' major contribution is the view afforded to teh inmates. Instead of regular prison yards with walls that only afford a view upwards, the domes allow prisoners to see and experience much more of the outside world.
Pierced with smaller holes at the base creating a contrast not unlike Venetian blinds, the advantage is that from within the prisoners can look outside, but do not have to worry about being viewed by passersby.
Higher up the holes get bigger, allowing more daylight in. "I tried to give it the feel of light falling through trees in a forest," Van der Sluis explains.
The structure consists of just 15 triangles that are replicated form the whole dome. It is a design that can as easily be constructed as dismantled. If the boats the structures are on are relocated, the domes will move with them.
The domes are an innovate solution to a potentially difficult problem.
SUNDAY JANUARY 24 2010
Ultra Modern Homes
dornob.com is an excellent Blog featuring art, design, architecture and more. Here are a few ultra modern houses that they recently posted which which caught our eye.Rabtilla Residence by Michael Rantilla
As is often the case, difficult terrain and space restrictions can be a powerful catalyst for innovative design and that's certainly true here with the building lifted out over the ground around it. As this was the architech's own home, creativity was at the fore.
A vertical concrete mass in the center allows for the three flooors to be cantilevered over space, which creates sheltered open spaces below. On the inside, it appears that the rooms grow out into the forest, creating a connection with nature. The central core allows easy circulation and access.
Shell Villa by ARTechnic
Lying stark white amoung the surrounding vegitation, this curvy tubular villa looks to have been dropped from space. But while it contrasts sharply with its surroundings, the stunning structure sensually weaves itself into its environment in an elegent way.
Each room and space flows into the next. The two predominant colours are white (for the exterior and some furniture) and wood for virtually everything else and these ensure that the design works as a whole.
http://dornob.com/shell-house-design-spectacularly-curved-architecture/
Hilltop home in Malaysia by the TYL Design Group
This massive home in Malaysia took five long years to design and build and drawfs the more modest scale of the surrounding residential neighborhood. Not surprisingly, the owners are real estate professional who have shaped city skylines, and it appears they have taken the same approach to shaping their neighbourhood.
The impressive architectural curves and generous size are fully translated from the exterior to the interior design, as do the curvilinear forms and other distinctive features of the outer facade. High ceilings, large windows and a mixture of warm and cool tones are seen throughout.
http://dornob.com/huge-private-home-dominates-small-residential-landscape/
For the latest and most interesting trends in design, please visit dornob.com
MONDAY DECEMBER 28 2009
Kinetic Art using Balls on Strings
The German company ART+COM specializes in developing interactive media and their projects are to be found on the internet, in museums, showrooms, visitor and science centres as well as trade fairs and events.What sets ART+CO's exhibitions apart is that they attract the eye and make the viewer think.
The project featured here was one of many developed by Art + Com for the BMW museum in Munich and shows what can be achieved with a fertile imagination coupled with some farly sophisticated technology.
The concept behind this mechatronic installation is a spatial representation of the form-finding process in art and design.
