Blabber, Etcetera

Thursday, February 5

Hotel Sax Prague

Design Hotel Sax was opened in April 2008 in Prague’s city quarter of Mala Strana. The hotel’s interior was designed in the styles of the 1950s to 1970s by the architect Jaromir Pizinger. The exclusive furniture is mostly original from that period, which the architect sought and obtained in auctions worldwide.▪

The world trend of designed hotels – unique buildings that are completely designed by a particular designer – has come to Prague. Throughout the hotel, original period furniture created by top designers of that time is used – Panton, Colani, Saarinen, Eames, and others, which were exclusive already then and affordable only for wealthier clientele. Small period items are sold also in the hotel store.
The Hotel Sax has retained its classic appearance. Yet the building is originally medieval and dates from the 14th century. At that time it was owned by a blacksmith named Sax, after whom the hotel was named. In the past, the building also served as an orphanage (16th century) and a hospital for the poor (18th century). It then served as an apartment block, from the 19th century until 1994, when it was converted into a hotel. The interiors are now fitted out with retro furnishings from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and the designs come from the studio of the architects.

words: Katerina Tasheva
via DeZona

Wednesday, February 4

Altermodern-Tate Triennial 2009 at Tate britain 4 February – 26 April 2009

POSTMODERNISM IS DEAD

A new modernity is emerging, reconfigured to an age of globalisation – understood in its economic, political and cultural aspects: an altermodern culture

Increased communication, travel and migration are affecting the way we live

Our daily lives consist of journeys in a chaotic and teeming universe

Multiculturalism and identity is being overtaken by creolisation: Artists are now starting from a globalised state of culture

This new universalism is based on translations, subtitling and generalised dubbing

Today’s art explores the bonds that text and image, time and space, weave between themselves

Artists are responding to a new globalised perception. They traverse a cultural landscape saturated with signs and create new pathways between multiple formats of expression and communication.

The Tate Triennial 2009 at Tate Britain presents a collective discussion around this premise that postmodernism is coming to an end, and we are experiencing the emergence of a global altermodernity.

Nicolas Bourriaud
Altermodern – Tate Triennial 2009
at Tate Britain
4 February – 26 April 2009

FlatFlat by SAKO Architects

photo © Chikao Todoraki / Sasaki Studio Inc

Project Name: FlatFlat
Project Location: Tokyo, Japan
Project Type: Showroom Interior
Architects: SAKO Architects
Building area: 328sqm
Design Period: 2008/06-2008/07
Construction Period: 2008/07-2008/08

photo © Chikao Todoraki / Sasaki Studio Inc

Where Organic Meets Inorganic
text by Katerina Tasheva for deZona
FlatFlat by SAKO Architects in Harajuku is the store where the visitors are actually able to experience Hangame, an online games portal, and Hange.jp, a games portal for mobile phones, developed by NHN Japan Corporation. The store is located at the center of Harajuku, a part of Tokyo, known internationally for its youth style and fashion. It occupies a narrow space of 3.5 meters wide by 45 meters long with complicated plan and structure as the result of repeated reconstruction.

photo © Chikao Todoraki / Sasaki Studio Inc

text by SAKO Architects :
The concept of the store is the future park and we attempted to combine virtual element with real space opens to anyone. It is not only the space where organic principle and inorganic principle stay together, but it represents the modern society consists of real and virtual environments.
Organic principle consists of curved lines has a space characteristic of a cave which is the various space that people can discover own place to stay depending on each purpose and feeling while the different scenes unfolds continually. We attempted to create a space that people feel like snuggling up to the organic form that curves based on human body dimensions. Visitors do not hesitate to enter the store because of the sense of closeness. On the other hand, Inorganic principle consists of white wall surface fixtures, neon tubes of ceiling illumination and mortar floor creates virtual character. We used the lines, which let neon tubes, and the prevention of crack seam of mortar offset the forms of the wall surface fixtures. They stimulate curiosity of the visitors by synergy with the forms of the fixtures and lead them to the inner part of the narrow space.

photo © Chikao Todoraki / Sasaki Studio Inc

via Yatzer

Aurland public toilets and kiosk

Aurland public toilets and kiosk, Aurland - Norway. Todd Saunders & Tommie Wilhelmsen. Fotografías, archDaily.com and saunders.no (mirador de Aurland)

+ Aurland public toilets - Todd Saunders (fotografías)
+ Aurland public toilets - archDaily (artículo con texto, fotografías y planos)

via Judit Bellostes

Another Kountry: 4th February - 31st March '09

Chest by Roy McMakin

Established & Sons LIMITED

2-3 Duke Street, St. James’s, London

Established & Sons LIMITED presents Another Kountry, an installation of important limited edition works by Seattle-based artist, designer, and furniture maker, Roy McMakin.

Bridging the infamous gap between art and design, McMakin’s work draws particular attention to the complexities of furniture, while eroding the culturally recognized line that exists between furniture and sculpture.

www.establishedandsons.com

Holly Chair by Roy McMakin – Established & Sons Limited

Ebonized Stools by Roy McMakin – Established & Sons Limited

via Detnk

Tuesday, January 27

The rise of moribond Uniqlo to fashion stardom

Photo by Sean Wood, courtesy of MEKAS

What makes a brand successful, well look at Uniqlo, in time of recession the brand has managed a 32.2% growth. Uniqlo is cheap but that is not the receipe to its success. The brand has managed to attract sophisticated customers beyond its middle-mass base.

With initiatives such as the award-winning UNIQLOCK that became the favorite screensaver of Japan’s young PC users thanks to minimalist graphic design, chronological functionality and music from producer Fantastic Plastic Machine. Or the bilingual free magazine UNIQLO PAPER that helped associate the brand with New York hipster culture (thanks to the Chloë Sevigny on the cover and photography by Terry Richardson). And the monthly advertorials in men’s magazines like Popeye in Japan, let fashion-forward readers see new products styled according to the latest fashion principles.

These appeals to cutting-edge consumers, however, did little to change the brand’s reputation of being mostly dedicated to casual menswear. In order to better target women, Uniqlo tied up last September with “real clothes” fashion festival Tokyo Girls Collection and model Yu Yamada to produce a series of sweater dresses for the Shibuya 109 set. The company further targeted young women with new products such as the “beautiful leg” stretch denim (using popular model Norika Fujiwara in the TV commercials) and a “bra-top” that puts brasserie-like pads inside of a tank top.

Despite such narrowly focused marketing efforts, Uniqlo never alienated its middle-market, middle-aged consumers, who mostly shop at the brand for the low prices, laid-back styles, and easy access. The incredibly functional, but not particularly stylish “Heattech” line of winter under items is currently selling-out nationwide despite a production run of an unprecedented 28 million pieces.

Uniqlo has also boosted some really interesting retail initiatives such as the Wakamaru robots in Soho or the 'Giant Human Vending machines' to promote the Heattech collection.

If the brand continues to hone its image as a fashion-forward company with high-quality products, Uniqlo will no doubt maintain its status as the top dog in the industry.

W. David Marx, Chief Editor of MEKAS, is a Tokyo-based writer and fashion market analyst.

via BOF

Saturday, January 24

By kids for kids

We feel no sympathy at all for any kid in Berlin who complains about school if their school is Erika-Mann Grundschule II was designed by the kids themselves with a group of architecture students from Baupiloten studio.

via Cool hunter

What's in the box: Augmented Reality

German company Metaio, seems to be leading some of the innovative commercial uses of this technology, and their latest project is a very fun one for LEGO!

From the press release: “Munich, December 2008 - From November, the Danish toy manufacturer will test launch its “DIGITAL BOX” in selected toyshops and LEGO® stores worldwide. This interactive terminal will utilize innovative technology supplied by metaio in the form of a software program specially-developed for the LEGO Group by the Munich-based experts in
augmented reality solutions. Together with a camera and display screen, the software lets LEGO packaging reveal its contents fully-assembled within live 3D animated scenes.” How much more fun does that make going to the toy store? Of course even cooler would be watching it build up in your hands piece by piece in full rotatable 3D when you hold it up ~ but i know, baby steps… See more preview pics of these new Digital Boxes on the next page!

via NotCot

Thursday, January 22

Social Club Installation

Light installation by collectif Exyzt for parisian night club Social Club (Pier Schneider et François Wunschel.)

via Fubiz

Wednesday, January 21

All Gone: Street Culture Encyclopedia by La MJC

All Gone by La MJC

256 pages, 200 products and 96 brands

James Jarvis, So-Me, Carrie Mundane (Cassette Playa), Eddie Cruz (Undefeated), Jeff Staple, le crew Wood Wood, Leah McSweeney (Married To The Mob), Pedro Winter, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West.

Available at colette today and

Juice à Hong Kong, Acu à Shangai, Yes et Bonjour Records à Tokyo, Patta à Amsterdam, Wood Wood à Copenhague, Solebox à Berlin, SNS à Stockholm, Reed Space à New York, Undefeated à Los Angeles, Huf à San Francisco, Bodega à Boston, Commonwealth à Washington

via La MJC