Lorenza
“PERSONAL INFRASTRUCTURES” — 2010 SMIBE Short Film Competition
In its second year, SMIBE Competition challenges us to create and submit 3 minutes videos about our built environment.
For this competition, SMIBE welcomes moving image stories that investigate, explore, and entertain our communities about social, environmental, political, technological, and economic issues that designers of the built world should be discussing.
Link: SMIBE 2010 - Personal Infrastructures
Travelling and exploring Andalucia
This summer we had the opportunity to explore a little the region of Andalucia, in Spain. We were absolutely blown away by the beautiful architecture and urbanism of both Seville and Malaga. Such beauty has to be shared! So in two parts I will be indeed my experience hoping that it may tickle your fancy to visit these wonderful places too.
Antony Gormley's iron men installation has found a permanent home on Crosby Beach, Liverpool
Intrigued by the work of Gormley, I went to visit Crosby beach and its new permanent residents [100 of them along a 2mile stretch] few weeks ago with a good friend of mine, for a bit of sunshine and a bit of photography.
Walking on the beach amidst this iron men crowd, it feels they are another part of us, the permanent element of our existence which keeps looking on for questions and answers. You feel compelled to stand side to them and look forward, trying to understand, to visualise what it is they are waiting for, or what it is that they are trying to make us see.
Link: Antony Gormley
Location: L+L Maps - 'Another Place'
Combination steam bath / sauna / shower
Ideal Standard's new Tris Sauna-cum-Steam-cum-Shower Room is a dream come true. The only downside? The price tag!
While working on a private house for a client, I have been researching into steam/shower rooms and to my delight I have been coming across some fantastic work by product designers alike.
Tris by Ideal Standard in particular has caught my attention (and the client's too!)
Link: Tris
Design Lab 2008 challenge: Design Home Appliances for the Internet generation
Electrolux Design Lab, established in 2003, is an annual global design competition open to undergraduate and graduate industrial design students who are invited to present innovative, daring ideas and solutions for home appliances.
Visit Electrolux Design Lab for more information.
Entry Deadline: 30 May 2008
Finalists Announced: End of June 2008
Finals in Zurich: 08 and 09 October 2008
The Sculptor Richard Wilson's installation in Liverpool takes by surprise every passer by!
Richard Wilson is regarded as one of the most influential artist/sculptor of the 21st century. English born, he initially trained as a graphic designer but half way through his degree his switched to a Fine Art degree as he realised he was a ‘maker’.
After completion of his academic studies, Wilson returned to London and set base in Butlers Wharf till the early 80’s.
Richard Wilson has always been interested in the relationship between architectural spaces and the changes that can be applied to them, either by people’s interaction, or by the maker or by the manipulation of perception.
One of his most famous pieces, that brought him to be recognized worldwide, is 20:50, which is now permanently exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
Link: Saatchi Gallery
Article: Building Design
The Italian Lighting Company SLAMP, brings a 'bright smile' to anyone's home
The company has been established in 1994 and their lamp design is a result of international designers' creativity.
I remember walking pass SLAMP shops when I was still living and studying in Rome and, as a teen, thinking that there was something cheerful and happy about SLAMP lamps.
Even SLAMP describes their products' philosophy as:
...to create lamps with irony, innovation, and decorative appeal. Slamp lamps break loose from the traditional conservative and haphazard buyers, focusing its appeal on impulse purchasing, with considerable emotional appeal...
Link: SLAMP
The itenerant exhibition held at the City Art Gallery in Manchester offered an insight into the creative and eccentric mind of the renowned Italian designer Joe Colombo
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition "Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future", held at the Manchester City Galleries from the 2 December 2006-25 February 2007, which provided a fascinating journey into Joe Colombo's style and creativity.
Early sketches and prototypes of his objects and furniture opened a time window into the Milanese 1960s where ideologies of future living and compact design merged producing flamboyant results worthy of a museum display.
DesignBoom is truly a worthwhile visit for further images and reading of this colourful exhibition. Also have a look at the Milan Triennale website.
Link: Joe Colombo Studio
Link: Joe Colombo: Inventing the Future
Interestingly, the English pavilion provoked mixed reactions from various critics... and all because London had been replaced by Sheffield?!
Lately I have come across some interesting articles regarding the 10th Architecture Biennale in Venice (2006), its subject being ‘Cities’, and found myself profoundly amused at how criticised the English pavilion (in particular) had been for lacking in ‘real architecture' and 'architects’ work' especially.
It was particularly surprising to realise how little perception of the bigger picture even knowledgeable critics could have.
So we approached its exhibition, based about the city of Sheffield, knowing that for the first time a conscious decision had been taken to move away from London.
Link: LaBiennale
Link: VeniceSuperBlog
The exhibition marks the re-launch of the CUBE gallery in Manchester, UK
The exhibition Future Landscape shown at CUBE, Manchester, has now come to an end. Over the two months of being opened to the public, the exhibition has gathered under one collection several projects, bridging Architecture and Landscape, which, in a near future, will shape the North West region of England.
Projects of prominent architects based mostly in the region were thus displayed to give the opportunity to the public to gain an insight on how the region will be shaped in the years to come and also to express their views on such regeneration projects.
Varied graphic styles, design approaches and thus resulting design-forms were highlighted by this exhibition which brought to the viewer an understanding on the diversity of the projects and their suitability for the chosen sites.
Through walking and observing the works on display, the viewer was certain to find a project which stimulated his/her imagination.
Link: CUBE
An Austrian supermarket spree
My September (2005) journey, through Tyrol - Austria, allowed me to explore about 15 MPreis supermarket stores; driving through towns along a 100 km route, west and east of Innsbruck.
The following images and text describe some of the MPreis locations I visited and my overall impression of the chain and it's unconventionally designed stores.
Link: MPreis
Reference: MPreis: Seriously sexy supermarkets (L+L)
