Wednesday, June 09. 2010
Via TreeHugger
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Susana Camara Leret
Treehugger has noted before how one can generate electricity from algae; Now Designboom shows a lamp designed by Mike Thompson that uses the principle. Place the lamp outside and the algae generates electricity during photosynthesis; it gets stored in a battery and released when needed.
The designer writes at his website:
Latro (latin for thief) incorporates the natural energy potential of algae and the functionality of a hanging lamp into its design. Synthesising both nature and technology in one form, Latro is a living, breathing product. Algae are incredibly easy to cultivate, requiring only sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water, offering a remarkably simple way of producing energy. Breathing into the handle of the lamp provides the algae with CO2, whilst the side spout allows the addition of water and release of oxygen. Placing the lamp outside in the daylight, the algae use sunlight to synthesize foods from CO2 and water. A light sensor monitors the light intensity, only permitting the leeching of electrons when the lux level passes the threshold - avoiding algae malnourishment. Energy is subsequently stored in a battery ready to be called upon during hours of darkness. Owners of Latro are required to treat the algae like a pet - feeding and caring for the algae rewarding them with light.
Wednesday, June 02. 2010
Via Pruned
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by Alexander Trevi
(Analog Media Lab, Chair I: Rococo Armchair Retrofit, 2010. Photo by Analog Media Lab.)
Chair I: Rococo Armchair Retrofit and Chair II: Ghost Chair Retrofit belong to a series of projects by Analog Media Lab exploring interfaces between insect and human communities. These works focus on domestic insects that have not been domesticated — meaning, they are generally considered invasive, unproductive or otherwise problematic (e.g., ants, termites, moths).
(Analog Media Lab, Chair I: Rococo Armchair Retrofit, 2010. Photo by Analog Media Lab.)
Connected by flexible tubing to ports in a perimeter wall, the interior volumes of Chair I and Chair II are literally part of the outdoors, making them inhabitable by insects. Active nesting and reproductive behaviors are made visible within the context of the domestic interior.
(Analog Media Lab, Chair II: Ghost Chair Retrofit, 2010. Photo by Analog Media Lab.)
Analog Media Lab is a collaborative practice founded by David L. Hays, Kevin Stewart and Shuangshuang Wu.
Friday, May 28. 2010
Via Dezeen
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Tokijin Yoshioka has sent us a short video of his Stellar installation at Swarovski Crystal Palace in Milan this year.
See our earlier story about Swarovski Crystal Palace 2010 here.
See all our stories about Tokujin Yoshioka in our featured designer category.
See all our Milan 2010 stories in our special category.
Tuesday, May 11. 2010
(image) Via BLDGBLOG
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Personal comment:
The ultimate hybrid between the bookshelf and the hamster learning wheel!
Tuesday, April 20. 2010
Via TreeHugger
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Still Light. Photo via On/Off by D-vision
There's nothing like a light powered by the juicy red fruit more commonly seen in insalata caprese in this city to get the crowd all excited. Or how about a light carved out of soap or light shades made of freshly blown soap bubbles?
One of the most attention-grabbing displays at Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2010's SaloneSatellite showcase of young designers was "On/Off," a collection of wildly innovative lighting designed by Israeli design graduate interns participating in the industrial design program D-Vision. Still Light, the hybrid LED light system above, is powered by an electrochemical reaction of copper and zinc electrodes fitted into tomatoes.
Still Light. Photo via On/Off by D-vision
The "On/Off" brochure says: "LED is on the verge of becoming the common technology in lighting. Installed in an electrical room, the "On/Off" project emphasizes the urgent need to reduce power consumption. The collection designed by D-vision explores various applications of LED lighting and pushes it towards surprising limits."
97% Soap. Photo via On/Off by D-vision
All of the lights in the exhibition use the most advanced LED technology for low energy consumption. I also liked the sweet tubby shape of the 97% Soap lamp, which showcases one major benefit of the low temperature of LEDs: more material choices.
With an incandescent bulb, this glycerin soap lamp would melt into a sticky, soapy mess. Materials with low melting temperatures are often cheaper and more sustainable, as they are often biodegradable.
Olla. Photo via On/Off by D-vision
OK, so hanging around blowing bubbles all day is unrealistic, but the concept for the glass, brass, and soap bubble Olla light is really neat: A person with a straw both powers and provide the lamp shades (freshly blown bubbles).
Olla. Photo via On/Off by D-vision
Like Still Light, Olla helps demonstrate the green power needed to replace consumption of fossil fuels for electricity -- and what it takes to produce it.
Personal comment:
I quite like the images. In particular the one mixing an electronic circuit with tomatoes as well as the fragility of the soap bubbles lamp.
Wednesday, April 14. 2010
Via It's Nice That
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by Will
Really nice project by Nora Korn and Christoph Köhler. Both from the German city of Mainz they have transformed everyday waste into a series of alternative products. Having collected over fifty piles of rubbish the pair documented the project over the course of three months which resulted in eleven items of “newly combined, rebuilt or converted bulky waste”.
“In times of fading resources when the demand for sustainability is growing and the desire fore more and more new products is omnipresent, both works show that the solution for all these problems is nearby – maybe too near: at the pavement around the corner.”
Personal comment:
The second life of objects and products is a growing theme in the sustainable + designers area either... An interesting catalogue here with funny products.
Thursday, April 08. 2010
Via TreeHugger
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by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain
Image by Droog
Designers everywhere are preparing for this year's Salone del Mobile in Milan, and so is Droog. The Dutch design company saved 5135 items from liquidation sales and other leftovers and invited 14 designers to create something new with these objects. The result: folding chairs manicured by nail artists, handkerchiefs that distribute selected daily news articles, spoons with non-edible yet mouth-watering coatings- all on sale at the Milan furniture fair next week!
According to Droog, every month about 500 companies in the Netherlands go bankrupt. The question is: Where do their products go? Droog managed to get hold of 5135 products by bidding at liquidation auctions: 1 water cooler, 1 dining table, 2 bar stools, 4 metal trays, 6 wooden trays, 8 mirrors, 10 small bowl sets, 11 cups, 14 dog baskets, 20 dish towels, 40 glass vases, 50 safety vests, 60 sets of cutlery, 80 folding chairs, 90 flower pots, 100 candy pots, 102 wooden spoons, 168 plates of glass, 200 saltshakers, 448 wallets, 500 matchboxes, 720 cola glasses, and 2500 handkerchiefs.
Reading through Droog's new blog, interesting questions have been raised regarding the re-use of these objects as well as consumption and production in general. Here is how designer Erna Einarsdóttir described her initial reaction to the design brief:
It is pretty clever to not let all these things go to waste and, coming from Iceland, I think we could have used a project like this over here. I am sure many things are getting thrown away from empty offices in Iceland.
Designer Ed Annink's reaction was "sad and happy". He says: "All together we design and produce too much, and see what happens! Stuff does not reach our houses anymore, but instead they stay at dark places. No function, no fun. But yes, a story!" Let's see what Ed comes up with, using 14 dog baskets, and 60 sets of cutlery.
Image by Droog
Saved by Droog is an interesting creative exercise to re-use "lost" objects as raw material. "A pragmatic starting point with surprising outcomes, the presentation celebrates the re-use potential of leftovers as a valid approach to product design and development", says Droog.
Visit Droog in Milan: April 14th - 18th, Via Alserio 22, Milan, 20159, Italy. ::Droog
More about Droog:
Pioneers of Change: Repairing Manifestos, Slow Food & Dutch Design Shows at Governors Island in New York
House of Furniture: Chairs that Pop Out of Walls
A "Touch of Green" in Milan 2008
12 Milkbottles Recycled into One Lamp by Droog
Wednesday, March 03. 2010
by Nicolas Nova
Interesting locative media project that I’ve found relevant lately:
Address necklace by Mouna Andraos and Sonali Sridhar:
“Address is a handmade electronic jewelry piece. When you first acquire the pendant, you select a place that you consider to be your anchor – where you were born, your home, or perhaps the place you long to be. Once the jewelry is initialized, every time you wear the piece it displays how many kilometers you are from that location, using a GPS component built into the pendant. As you take Address around the world with you, it serves as a personal connection to that place, making the world a little smaller or maybe a little bigger.“
I like the idea of having a personal connection to a place and not necessarily a human being. This is so different than the raft of buddy-finder applications.
(...)
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Via Pasta & Vinegar
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