Category: Creativity

Urban Melodies: Multiple-Exposure Street Scenes Remix Cities

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

Capturing the cacophony of urban life, this series of superimposed photographs renders local phenomena, regional monuments and international architecture in a strangely compelling style.

Alessio Trerotoli‘s work has taken him to Rome, Paris, Berlin, Buenos Aires, New York and other world cities, sometimes shooting in subways or side streets and other times photographing iconic settings.

Each image is comprised of multiple exposures in the same location, creating a layered effect that reflects a sense of movement despite the images themselves remaining technically static.

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Urban Melodies Multiple Exposure Street Scenes Remix Cities

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Double Vision: 33 Examples of Multiple-Exposure Photography

When photographers intentionally capture more than one image per frame, surreal, complex layered images like these 33 eye-catching multiple exposures can …
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Urban Hybrid: Double-Exposure Photos Fuse London & NYC

While photo shoots can be meticulously staged, sometimes the best shots come with an element of surprise – particularly in the chaotic context of cities.
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Little People in Paris: 5 Tiny Street Art Scenes by Slinkachu

The tiny figures of Slinkachu play out surreal scenarios ranging from dramatic to comedic, all against the backdrop of life-sized props that seem giant by …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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WebUrbanist

June 3, 2015
Printable Electronics Make These Headphones Just 1mm Thick

[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

While an ordinary pair of headphones might consist of 50-something energy-intensive components from various manufacturing processes, this ultra-thin design uses printable electronics to cut that number down to an incredible 8. The ‘roll to roll’ process uses technology as the main material for the design, simplifying its composition and cutting out all unnecessary parts.

Designer Maxime Loiseau explores the adaptability and flexibility of printed electronic circuits in place of wires, used in conjunction with a plastic welding process that joins together larger, simpler pieces rather than a bunch of small injection-molded components. That means the whole product can be made on a single production line.

The wireless Bluetooth version is only a single millimeter thick, including the speakers, which rely on the vibration of a piezoelectric cell to produce sound that’s comparable to more conventional headphones. On the wired version, a single paper-thin cable hangs from one side, leaving the other free. The junction of the cable and the speaker is highlighted in a bright color to spotlight just how flat it is.

“The project doesn’t change the way we will use headphones,” says Loiseau. “The purpose here is to offer a reflection about producing electronic devices in a smarter way. The more materials are advanced, the more they are paradoxically easy to work. Through one production process, we can then using less process, less material, energy and pieces. At the same time, I tried to use the possibilities of the process to create an aesthetic result from it, a more fair product, with no superfluous parts.”

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3D-Printable Connectors Make DIY Furniture Assembly Easy

Leveraging the best features of available 3D printers and the materials they can print, this kit-of-parts approach opens up an amazing array of possibilities …
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Retro-Modern Radio Ball Rolls its Way to the Next Station

Remember when searching for a good radio station was a process of discovery, slowly turning a knob to hear snippets of music or talk making its way through the …
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E-Ink Keyboard: Letter Keys Morph into Custom Symbols

Electronic ink is energy efficient and easy on the eyes, so why not adapt it to the keyboard? Think of it like the Apple version of a colorful but bulky …
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[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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WebUrbanist

June 2, 2015
The Modern Cyclist: 17 Minimalist Designer Bike Accessories

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

A lot of stuff made for cyclists, from rain gear to storage solutions at home, is just plain ugly. If you’re a discerning bike commuter with an eye for good design, you’ll appreciate these 17 stylish accessories that don’t sacrifice form for function, adding to a bike’s practicality in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Vadolibero Bike Butler + Shelf

Store your bike in style with Vadolibero’s two multifunctional stands. The Bike Butler is billed as “an urban-chic version of the most efficient biker wall-pocket,” with slide-out trays, drawers, a space for keys and sunglasses and a couple hooks. Keep it in the hallway as a means of organizing the small items you normally throw on a table, and corral your bike at the same time. The Bike Shelf is essentially a stage for your bike, putting it on display with lights and everything, but it’s also a functional wardrobe packed with storage space.

Six Smart Cycling Accessories by ECAL

Students at Swiss art and design school ECAL came up with a line of clever biking accessories called ‘Savoir-Faire’ for Milan Design Week 2013. These detachable accessories and modifications either combine several functions in a single object, like the brake/horn on the handlebar, or add extra functions to make a bike more adaptable for everyday use, like snow chains and bottle carriers.

Sleek & Simple Cup Holder

This minimalist cup holder will help you tote your coffee across town, and consists of no more than two rings and a steel spring, requiring no screws or glue to hold it together. Flip the cup holder over to hold drinks of varying sizes.

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The Modern Cyclist 17 Minimalist Designer Bike Accessories

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London Approves Europe’s First City-Spanning Bike Superhighway

Catering to some of the 170,000 cyclists that ride across London every day, this segregated bicycle lane will stretch from west to east, pass through the heart …
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13 Modern Minimalist Movie Posters by Matt Owen

Graphic designer Matt Owen sums up classic films like A Clockwork Orange, Big and The Breakfast Club with minimal imagery for movie posters that really pop.
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Starry Night: Glow-in-the-Dark Bike Path Inspired by Van Gogh

Opening last night in Nuenen, Holland, this illuminated cycling surface is free to the public, storing sunlight during the day to create stellar patterns to …
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[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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WebUrbanist

June 1, 2015
Photosynthetic Furniture: Living Fixtures Produce Light & Heat

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

Employing natural processes to illuminate and warm interior spaces, this series of algae-based furnishings combines beautiful glass vessels and organic matter to create lovely yet functional home objects. Each fixture generates light, heat and oxygen using methods similar to those seen in bio-adaptive architectural facades.

Designed by Jacob Douenias and Ethan Frier (photos by Tom Little Photography LLC.), objects in the Spirulina series utilize cyanobacteria, “chosen for its rich green hue, light absorbency, and culinary qualities,” set in alkaline water housed in shapely glass vessels. Found all over the world, this versatile algae can survive and thrive in all kinds of environments and is already widely used in other forms of biotechnology.

In this commissioned series, a set of spaces show off the various ways these organic home furnishings can be deployed in living and dining areas, popping up from tables, sprouting from walls, sitting on the floor or hanging from the ceiling. The various units are linked by a half mile of hidden plumbing and wiring and controlled via a concealed computer system that both analyzes results and controls each appendage. Living Things is now installed at the Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until March 27, 2016.

But how does it work? “The 3D printed nylon knobs embedded in the surface of this workstation actuate eighteen valves which allow for the harvesting of Spirulina when the culture becomes dense enough, and the supply of fresh liquid media to each vessel. Inside the cabinet the pumps, tubing, manifolds, LED drivers, air pumps, heater connections and filters which comprise the heart of the life support system”

More from its creators: “The morphologies of hand-blown glass vessels function both as lighting and heating elements for the human occupants, and high functioning photobioreactors which provide heat, light, agitation, air supply, nutrient and waste control to the living algae inside.”

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Algae-Fueled Building: World’s First Bio-Adaptive Facade

Bio-reactors and micro-algae sound like the stuff of science fiction, but this is the real deal: biomass built into panel glass on an actual working structure.
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3 Eerie Eco-Friendly Lamps Fueled by Algae, Breath & Blood

Potential energy is all around us … not to mention in us as well. This set of of experimental projects utilizes power from simple human exhalations to …
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Flat Pack: 20 Creative Furniture Designs for Cramped Living

Without further ado, here are 20 more examples of incredibly compact and transforming furniture for cramped urban living.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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WebUrbanist

June 1, 2015
Dealt: 12 More Abandoned New & Used Car Dealerships

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

From low low prices to low low sales: at these abandoned new & used car dealerships, showroom traffic’s been reduced to a permanent state of gridlock.

Pontiac hasn’t made or sold any vehicles since GM discontinued the historic brand five years ago; the iconic Indian Chief logo vanished from Pontiac products decades earlier. As such, McNamara Pontiac-Isuzu‘s magnificent neon sign is truly a blast from the past on multiple levels. This Orlando, Florida dealer has been closed and abandoned for some time now and the fate of its sign is in jeopardy. If Chief Pontiac could shed a tear, he surely would.

Lost Kees

On September 20th of 2003, Flickr user Onasill ~ Bill Badzo visited this strikingly lonely abandoned car dealer and service center in Brookhaven, Mississippi. We’re guessing he didn’t receive the expected level of service.

Dig that ornate filigree trim just a-rusting away in the salty Gulf Coast breeze! Though Kees Motor Co. would appear to be as deserted as the day is long, peeking through the front window appear to be an American flag, office furniture and the headlights of a mid-1960s vintage vehicle.

Mission Not Accomplished

Signage of any kind is sorely lacking at this abandoned used car dealership in San Francisco’s Mission district, unless one counts the mystifying image gazing out from the front facade’s central window. Kudos to Nik Daum for capturing this carefree yet car-less scene sometime during the summer of 2010.

Citation Not Needed

Citation Motors of Oakville, Ontario, closed in 1988 for reasons that remain unclear: some say it had its concession license revoked while others point to the fact that BMW was reducing its dealer network at that time. Perhaps hoping he’d someday be allowed to sell Bimmers again, the owner has kept the “ghost” dealership (and at least a few unsold period BMWs) in reasonable, “frozen in time” condition.

When contacted recently by a reporter from Jalopnik, the owner merely stated “you have to be crazy about cars, like you and I, to enjoy owning a place like this.” Crazy… like a fox!

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Dealt 12 More Abandoned New Used Car Dealerships

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Zero Mileage: 12 Abandoned Automobile Dealerships

The showroom floors are bare and the alluring aroma of new car smell has long since dissipated from these dozen down-in-the-dumps abandoned auto dealerships.
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Out of Gas: 24 Eerie Abandoned Vehicles & Transit Structures

In some cases disaster strikes. In others, changing technologies render old designs obsolete, leaving majestic airplanes and giant steamers to rust and gather …
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Abandoned Alien Homestead: Forsaken UFO House in Florida

Painted pink and encrusted with graffiti, the abandoned UFO House in Homestead, Florida, has a backstory as mysterious as its otherworldly architecture.
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[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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June 1, 2015
Senior Citizen Street Art: Young Graffiti Artists Teach Elders

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

In an effort to democratize both the creation and appreciation of urban graffiti, a group of young street artists in Lisbon, Portugal, is teaching retirees how to create their own stencils and tags.

LATA 65 (lata meaning ‘can’ in Portugese) has so far introduced 100 aging participants to the art of spray painting and student work is already popping up in the form of tags and murals brightening up buildings and walls around town.

Led by veteran street artists, this gang of older students is learning not just how to create art but also about the history of the form, providing them not just with tools and techniques but cultural context for their studies as well.

Their efforts are primarily being put toward enlivening dilapidated areas in need of fresh interventions and additional attention. Underlying the artwork itself, however, is a philosophy of bridging generational gaps and bringing new perspectives to a mode of expression typically associated with youth culture.

While the elderly students are so far following the footsteps of their younger instructors, one has to wonder if their approaches may eventually develop in new and different directions, in turn providing novel sources of inspiration and innovation not yet thought of by their more youthful compatriots.

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Amazing 3D Graffiti Artists: Sidewalk Chalk & Street Painting

These street art images and biographies merely scratch the surface and begin to convey their amazing artistic talents though sample artworks and street chalk …
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Link Roundup: Graffiti & Street Art in Melbourne, Australia

For reasons no one seems to fully understand, Melbourne has become the world capital of street painting with stencils.
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NeverWet Graffiti: Invisible-Ink Street Art Shows Up in Rain

NeverWet has been making headlines as the silicon-based spray that repels liquids from clothes and electronics, but this off-book use shows another fascinating …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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WebUrbanist

May 31, 2015
Vortex: Black Whirlpool Spins Endlessly in a Movie Theater

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

A seemingly bottomless vortex of black water spins endlessly in the unlikeliest of places: the floor of a brightly-lit movie theater in San Gimignano, Italy. Peer into its mesmerizing depths, however, and it’s easy to forget where you are, feeling as if you might get sucked inside.

‘Descension’ is an installation by artist Anish Kapoor, specifically conceived for the former cinema, which has now been transformed into a gallery. The whirlpool is among a series of works by Kapoor on display in the space, including alabaster sculptures and large-scale works in fiberglass.

“I have always thought of it (the void) as a transitional space, an in-between space,” says Kapoor. “It’s very much to do with time. I have always been interested as an artist in that very first moment of creativity where everything is possible and nothing has actually happened. It’s a space of becoming.”

The artist, who’s best known for massive inflatable buildings, London’s ArcelorMittal tower and Chicago’s iconic Cloud Gate, previously installed a spiraling black whirlpool in the floor of the Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi, India for the country’s 108-day-long contemporary art biennale.

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Stunning Black and White Street Art Illustrations by Phlegm

Comic book artist and muralist Phlegm makes the streets of England look like pages from an illustrated book, telling a story with giant black-and-white images.
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Chromatic Vortex: 3D Art from 4,416 Sheets of Photo Paper

A site-specific installation in a New York City storefront, this twisting multi-colored tunnel was suspended in mid-air and held together with no less than …
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Ad-Free Advertising: A Void Billboard of Nothingness

An odd metal billboard on the border between the United States and Canada advertises nothing but empty air, drawing the viewer’s eye to the landscape.
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[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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WebUrbanist

May 30, 2015
Oh Snap: Clamping Steel Legs Turn Found Objects into Furniture

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Converting almost anything you find into a household furnishing, from discarded doors and shelf boxes to dart boards, these clip-on supports can be added or removed in seconds.

Initially experimenting with cards, clips and coat hangers, a pair of Spanish design students in Barcelona, Maria Roca and Erika Biarnes (together: Be-Elastic), developed this system to be elegant, efficient, strong and flexible, combining slim steel supports with straightforward usability.

The real challenge was to make something robust that could also be easily converted on demand. While other clamp-based furniture systems exist, this solution represents a more versatile and expressive aesthetic and a much faster method of assembly and disassembly.

A set of four legs can support a few hundred pounds, making surface selection a more likely weight limitation than the capacity of the supports. As few as two units, however, can create a working piece of furniture, like a side or television table leaning against the wall. The units come in 16 color combinations (4 colors of cable and 4 colors of steel).

The clamps can be attached to essentially anything less than a few inches thick, including recycled objects of various shapes and sizes: “SNAP is designed to fit all shapes and sizes: triangular, rectangular or irregular boards. You can also place the SNAPs wherever you like in corners, on the sides in a disorderly way, or wherever you’d like! It’s up to you.”

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Flat-Pack Furniture: 3 Modern Designs from Noon Studio

Three designs from Noon Studio prove that simple is beautiful including a flat-pack cantilevered table, an oak and steel stool and an A-shaped leaning lamp.
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3D-Printable Connectors Make DIY Furniture Assembly Easy

Leveraging the best features of available 3D printers and the materials they can print, this kit-of-parts approach opens up an amazing array of possibilities …
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Redefining Rustic Materials: 6 Modern Log Furniture Makers

Logs typically conjure images of remote cabins and plaid-clad workers felling trees. As these seven creative designers and craftspeople show, though, log …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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May 29, 2015
Rotating Condo Tower: Units Take Turns as the Penthouse Suite

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

Spinning structures is not new territory, but shifting units around vertically as well as in horizontal circles is a fresh dimension of novelty with a likewise refreshed sense of purpose – to make housing truly fair for everyone, giving each person some time at (and views from) the top.

Every since the elevator shifted the top floors from being least to most desirable in cities, real estate prices have reflected the relative values of these spaces. With this alternative arrangement proposed by designer Shin Kuo, each unit would take turns being on top as well as facing each different direction.

A lot of engineering is required to make such a thing work, from detachable infrastructural connections to prescribed times and safety locks for rotation (please keep limbs inside your home!).

Part of what makes the solution so intriguing is that it conceives of architecture like a product of industrial design – something that can be fundamentally improved upon through rethinking even our most basic assumptions.

Still, at least one big question remains: given the upfront and ongoing costs of making this whole thing work, who will ultimately be able to live in such a structure, which presents itself with such an egalitarian purpose? It may simply be ahead of its time – if more modular modes of plug-and-play dwelling become the norm, such infrastructure may also come to be more commonplaces (and come down in cost).

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Penthouse Mountain: Stone Villa Tops Chinese Condo Tower

Over six years, one dedicated man has constructed his dream house, complete with (presumably fake) boulders, trees, gardens, pools and ponds. It is the kind of …
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Self-Assembly Line: Modular Units form Viral Architecture

Installed for the 2012 TED Conference in California, ‘The Self-Assembly Line’ is an architectural structure that was inspired by viruses.
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Tree-Inspired Tower: Condo Balconies Unfurl Like Leaves

An iconic new mixed-use development in the heart of Montpellier in southern France, L’Arbre Blanc (The White Tree) grew out of a design concept tied to the …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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May 28, 2015
Architectural Camouflage: Garments Printed with Tile & Marble

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

Blend right into urban surfaces, from the walls of subway stations to the marble in museums and courthouses, with this line of architectural camouflage shirts, pants and accessories. A collaboration between design firm Snarkitecture and custom print company Print All Over Me, the line takes architectural patterns from public places all over New York City and translates them into fashion.

The prints not only honor iconic minimalist patterns that have been an integral part of the city’s visual identity for decades, it enables the wearer to blend into urban environments. The effect can be pretty impressive, as seen in the collection’s promotional images.

“The starting point was this idea of creating moments of architectural confusion, where you become visually lost within different material surfaces,” says Snarkitecture, a Brooklyn-based collaborative practice known for its unexpected installations, like all-white airball machines at Miami’s coolest modern parking garage.

The Architectural Camouflage collection is available now at Print All Over Me, ranging from $ 38-$ 145, including a backpack, a baseball hat, a jumpsuit and a rain coat. Got an idea of your own? Anyone can upload images to create custom garments, home accessories and other items at PAOM.

Check out more urban camouflage, from body painting and bizarre costumes to disappearing cars.

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The Ultimate Urban Camouflage Collection: 10 Strange Examples from Coke Suits to Camo Cars

Here is a selection of ideal urban camouflage perfect for blending into the city scenery and traveling around town unseen while exploring amazing urban …
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Crafty Urban Camouflage: Soda Machines to Fire Hydrants

Whether they be viewed as polemical or pragmatic, this latest in the tradition of creative urban camouflage is at least entertaining and arguably even …
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Camouflage Posters Turn 3D Reality into 2D Illusions

Three-dimensional reality wrinkles and folds when photographic posters of scenes are placed on top of the actual scenes in a form of urban camouflage.
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[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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May 28, 2015