Here are some pix from a trip back to New York. It was so good to soak in the sights, sounds, food and culture once more:
Guggenheim Museum
Whitney Museum
High Line Park at Night
Making Candy at Papabubble
Butterflies!
Architecture
5
Dec 08
Tara Donovan at the ICA
Here are a few shots from my trip to the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston over Thanksgiving. From the road, the museum appeared a bit small against the dramatic Boston Harbor, but once inside the layout and scale of exhibitions felt just right.
On the top floor, I fell in love with Tara Donovan‘s delicate installations which were made of everyday materials like film, scotch tape, drinking straws and styrofoam cups. The repetitive patterns revealed beautifully organic forms that captured and reflected light in subtle ways, shifting as I walked around them. The photo below is of layered polyester film from Untitled (2008).
26
Jun 08
Dubai’s Movable Tower
Remember Archigram, the futuristic, pop-infused collective from the 1960s? The group that dreamed up magical urban environments like the Walking City and the Plug-In City?
It seems like the spirit of Archigram has emerged once again in the 21st century, this time in Dubai. Italian architect David Fisher has designed a 1,378 foot-tall skyscraper with 80 movable floors, each capable of shifting a complete 360-degree revolution around a central column within three hours or less. Dubbed the Dynamic Tower, the new structure will house a luxury hotel, commercial space and private residences:
Despite its behemoth appearance, the Dynamic Tower touts impressive green design principles. Wind turbines located beneath each floor will allow the tower to generate enough power for itself as well as neighboring buildings. An entirely pre-fabricated construction process will further reduce costs, too.
Fisher shows no signs of slowing down; indeed, he’s hoping to take his skyscraper idea worldwide. The tower is scheduled for completion in 2010, but Fisher is already planning similar structures in Moscow and New York.
http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net/building.html
12
Jun 08
Mutek 2008 Recap
Events like Mutek remind me of the rip-roaring delight of being young, traveling to exotic locations (like Canada!), and indulging in sights and sounds from the outer fringe. Some festival highlights:
Morgan Packard and Josh Ott opened the week with ambient techno shavings, helix-like visual permutations, accordian drifts and bird whistles:
Barem and Chic Miniature warmed up the crowd on Friday evening at SAT, while artists worked on a large mural:
Half Hawaii shook the packed midnight down at Metropolis:
And Onur Özer unleashed horns onto the crowd on Sunday’s Piknic set. It started to rain, but who could stop dancing?
I also enjoyed a side visit to the Canadian Center for Architecture, where I caught an exhibition on residential case studies by SANAA partner Ryue Nishizawa:
31
Dec 07
DIY Cardboard Furniture
In school, I once had a studio project that called for the design of a stool made of corrugated cardboard. The idea was simple — to create a piece of furniture that was easy to assemble, structurally sound and made from inexpensive, readily available material.
Following this concept, Foldschool offers free furniture patterns which you can use to make your own chair, stool or cute little rocker from corrugated cardboard. Swiss architect Nicola Enrico Stäubli began Foldschool to provide “a face-to-face approach to design and [bring] together product and user the closest possible.” With beautifully sculptural lines, each of Stäubli’s designs strikes a strong impression.
