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Absolutely Absurd: 18 Playful Furniture Pieces for All Ages

18 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

The humor starts with the name, but definitely does not end there. Straight Line Designs produces just about anything except works that are straightforward or linear.

Descriptions including ‘playful’ and ‘postmodern’ come to mind, or, more directly, the titles speak for themselves: canned bench, burnt table, cracked cabinet.

These objects indeed fit their monikers, as they crash, melt, rip and explode around, into and through your rooms in cartoonish fashion.

Still, to dismiss them as childish fun (though many are indeed designed for kids) would be to miss the remarkable attention to detail in these difficult and hard-to-execute pieces of furniture with their zigs, zagz, curves and springs.

From the company: “Straight Line Designs is a one-of-a-kind workshop that has been operating out of Vancouver, British Columbia for the past 25 years. In addition to installations, sculptures and private commissions, designer Judson Beaumont and his staff of eight full-time craftspeople have designed and constructed a variety of custom-built furniture and projects for public institutions and children’s exhibitions throughout North America and abroad.”

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More Creative Furniture for Cramped Urban Living: 20 Pieces of Ingenious ‘Flat Pack’ Furniture

Without further ado, here are 20 more examples of incredibly compact and transforming furniture for cramped urban living.
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10 Pieces of Unusually Awesome Furniture for Kids: Part Six in an Eight-Part Unusual Furniture Series

While much of it can be boring, some designers are putting the fun back into kids’ furnitures. These pieces are a delight not only for kids, but for their hip parents, too.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Dystopian Dumpster Living: Trash Bins Turned Tiny Houses

18 Dec

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

Giant receptacles for trash have been transformed into the most unexpected things – swimming pools, bars, giant pinhole cameras, and now tiny ‘living containers’ on wheels. German designer Philipp Stingl envisions a future in which the growing elderly population requires cheap and portable housing, and these lockable rolling dumpsters would certainly fit the bill.

The set of ‘housing containers’ includes a larger yellow dumpster with a door, window and a drinking canister; the top opens like a normal dumpster and has a net in the lid for storage. The second unit is smaller, meant to be used as a bath tub.

The designer created these containers for a rather bleak future in which social systems collapse and “from the ashes an aging society will rise, marked by crime, sickness and poverty.”

One can only imagine that Stingl is being satirical when he states, “Essentially, these ‘living containers’ testify to an active and creative lifestyle for the old age without compromises.” It’s hard to ignore the implications of placing the homeless and elderly in trash containers. However, this concept isn’t much different from many other economical ideas for homeless housing, which can also be used as emergency shelters in the event of a disaster.

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Dumpster Drinking! Skips Turned into Miniature Bars

Dutch designers create miniature ‘trash villages’ in urban locations by transforming dumpsters into bars and restaurants using discarded building materials.
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Go Big or Home: Living Small in 11 Tiny Houses with Style

Tiny houses are growing in popularity because of increasing environmental consciousness and a desire to reject unnecessary material goods.
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[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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30 Days of Design: 15 Off-the-Wall Calendars

17 Dec

[ By Steph in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

Grids of square-shaped dates aren’t the only way to keep track of the passing year. These 15 design-centric wall and desk calendars allow you to pop, unravel, bleed and burn your way through the days of the week, or arrange them into a functional sculpture.

Unraveling Calendar by Patrick Frey

(images via: design milk)

With each day that passes, you pull the thread that dangles from the bottom of Patrick Frey’s Gregor Calendar, and the year literally unravels, leaving nothing more than a ball of yarn by December 31st.

Bubble Calendar

(image via: bubble calendar)

Say goodbye to each day with a satisfying, stress-relieving pop. The Bubble Calendar has the days of each month printed on a sheet of thick paper covered in bubble wrap.

Matches Calendar

(images via: gstudio)

If unraveling or popping each day doesn’t give you enough satisfaction, maybe you’d prefer to see them burn. Ukrainian designer Yurko Gutsulayk offers each date as a tear-off match that can be struck against the surface of the calendar’s stand.

Dates Arranged in a Circle by Martin Oberhämmer

(image via: benhammer.de)

This striking black calendar by designer Martin Oberhämmer ditches the conventional layout of dates, arranging them in a colorful circle instead.

Year of the Snake Calendar by Moon in June

(image via: moon in june)

The year ahead is laid out in an unusual graphic checkerboard pattern in tones of magenta and orange in the ‘Year of the Snake’ calendar by Moon in June.

Pop Up Calendar by Johann Volkmer

(image via: design boom)

Each month is represented by a pop-up sculpture made of intricately crafted paper in these three-dimensional calendars by Johann Volkmer. Can you pick out the shapes in each one?

Letterpress Perpetual Desk Calendar by Orange Beautiful

(image via: orange beautiful)

Don’t worry about ever throwing away another calendar. Perpetual desktop calendars like this beautiful typographic one from Orange Beautiful make it easy to switch out the date, month and day of the week so you can use them forever.

ONE Perpetual Calendar Circles

(images via: design milk)

This perpetual calendar uses a series of rings that can be connected in various ways to create a three-dimensional sculpture. The largest ring represents the month, the middle ring represents the moon’s orbit around the earth, and the smallest represents the seven days of the week.

Puzzle Calendar

(image via: paper source)

This fun and interactive puzzle calendar lets you arrange Lego-like blocks any way you like, inserting special blocks for holidays and other events.

Rocking Chair Sculpture Calendar

(image via: design milk)

Some of the seriousness is taken from the notion of passing time with this calendar, shaped like a rocking chair.

Planet Calendar 2013 by Szani Mészáros

(images via: behance)

“I made this calendar for a university project, where we had to use creative papers,” says designer Szani Mészáros of her Planet Calendar. “I wanted to use different papers for each month, so I made a special case, that you can open and, as the time goes by, you can always remove the old paper and replace it with the actual month. I used moon calendar to show the date, indicating only some days of a month, from which you can track all the days you need.”

Geometric Seasons Calendar

(images via: behance)

Spiky shapes capture the essence of various seasons in this calendar concept by Oleg Dzogan.

Ink Bleed Calendar by Oscar Diaz

(images vía: oscar diaz)

Ink Calendar by Oscar Diaz makes use of the timed pace of ink spreading on the paper to indicate the passage of time. The ink reveals each date slowly throughout the month. The ink colors change on a color temperature scale by month, ranging from dark blue in December to red in the summer.

Typodarium Daily Dose of Type Calendar

(image via: fontfeed)

Get your daily dose of type with the Typodarium calendar, which features 366 typefaces from 252 designers – one for each day of the year, plus the cover. It comes in a box that can be used to collect the torn pages, so you can keep enjoying those typefaces even after their ‘time’ has passed.

Median Calendar by Sandi Grigoryan

(images via: the dieline)

“Median Calendar is about balancing your time and energy. Customize you calendar by charting anything in your day and you will see if you are too involved or not involved enough. If you haven’t spent much time on what you are tracking, you will be slacking off but if you spend too much time you may be spreading yourself too thin. This calendar is a visual representation to show how balanced your life is.”

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Time For A Change: 12 Cool & Creative Calendar Designs

If your days are going by in a blur, it’s time for a change. Give the monthly countdown a little extra character with these 12 cool, creative calendar designs.
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Winsome Words: 18 Examples of Typography in Web Design

Web design is 95% typography, and some sites elevate the written word into a form of visual art that’s engaging, informative and memorable.
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[ By Steph in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

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High & Dry: 8 Amazing Abandoned Aquariums

16 Dec

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

Recreating the sea on land is no easy task, especially when a stable and viable marine ecosystem is the crux of the plan. When things go wrong, however, the life leaves and what’s left looks especially out of place – a fish out of water as it were. These 8 amazing abandoned aquariums illustrate what happens when the artificial environments of yesterday go apocalypse now.

Coral World – Nassau, The Bahamas

(image via: Williams Family)

Coral World Bahamas is a combination aquarium and beach resort that opened in 1987. Its signature lighthouse-like tower observatory was built on an artificial island and is linked to the mainland of Nassau via an elevated causeway.

(images via: Worldnews.com and Ambertq)

Coral World suffered severe damage from Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and although the UFO-esque tower remains as an easily recognizable landmark, the cessation of any maintenance by owners Coral World International is allowing rust and weathering to inexorably take their toll.

Sea-Arama Marineworld – Galveston, Texas, USA

(images via: SixFlagsHouston Forums and Artificial Owl)

Sea-Arama Marineworld opened in 1965 and was Galveston’s most popular attraction for decades. Times change, however, and when Sea World Park opened in San Antonio the more modern facility began scooping too many of Sea-Arama Marineworld‘s potential visitors for the aging facility to remain profitable – it closed its doors for good in 1990.

(images via: Abandoned But Not Forgotten (ABNF))

Sea-Arama Marineworld was completely demolished in 2006 but thanks to the efforts of photojournalists both amateur and professional, we can appreciate the sad beauty of the former 25-acre complex as it silently molders away.

Lal Bagh Botanical Garden – Bangalore, India

(image via: Mohammed Absar)

Captured in the midst of ongoing decay in mid-June of 2010, the abandoned aquarium at the otherwise open-for-business Lal Bagh Botanical Garden in Bangalore, southern India puts on a brave front against the irresistible force of passing time. Though the garden as a whole dates back to 1760, the aquarium building is of much more recent vintage.

Saikaibashi Public Aquarium – Sasebo, Japan

(images via: Tee-Photo and Abandoned Kansai)

The Saikaibashi Public Aquarium opened sometime in the mid-1960s and operated for about 30 years. Its remains can be found in the city of Sasebo, near Nagasaki in western Japan.

(images via: Forbidden Kyushu)

The two-story aquarium was anything but grandiose – passage between the two levels was via stairs, not an elevator or escalator – but it did boast a four times daily dolphin show.

(image via: Forbidden Kyushu)

The aquarium’s decaying remnants are surprisingly free from graffiti though most of the building’s windows have been broken. Considering the area’s humid summer climate and frequent summer storms it’s probable the Saikaibashi Public Aquarium will be taken over by mold and mildew unless a demolition crew doesn’t demolish it first.

Old Cleveland Aquarium – Cleveland, Ohio, USA

(images via: Realbruts! and What My Eyes Have Seen)

Overshadowed by the Greater Cleveland Aquarium that’s housed in a fully renovated abandoned power plant, the old Cleveland Aquarium was a modest structure free of bells and whistles.

(images via: Kingtycoon and Mobius Faith Imaging)

The elderly brickwork building was used for police K9 training for a time after the aquarium closed but both cops and dogs have hightailed it outta there as well.

Dolphin Island – Okinawa, Japan

(images via: 28DaysLater)

Dolphin Island, or “Hiikuu Island” in half-Japanese is located a stone’s throw off the coast of Okinawa. When the surprisingly large restaurant/aquarium was built several decades ago a causeway was constructed to provide easy access. Nowadays any intrepid explorers must wade across at low tide – stay too long and you’ll be spending the night alone with only spiders and fire ants for company!

(image via: Gakuran)

The remnants of Dolphin Island‘s small aquarium can be found within the forlorn building; all of the tanks (and their occupants) are long gone however.

It’s not known why the place’s owners saw the need for an above-ground aquarium when the surrounding waters are a scuba-diver’s paradise but maybe that’s one reason the island is deserted today.

Abandoned Water Park – Dead Sea, Israel/Jordan

(image via: Foto8)

The frequency of tourism to Israel’s border regions may be described as boom or bust… the former typically leading to the latter. It’s not certain why the colorful water park complex above gave up the ghost in 2010 but lets just say the life preserver at the bottom of the pool had no takers.

Atlantis Marine Park – Two Rocks, Australia

(images via: Tumblr, Crafted By Ben and Escobar.ID.AU)

Japan’s Tokyu Corporation had high hopes when they opened the Atlantis Marine Park in December of 1981. Located in the small town of Two Rocks a few miles north of Perth, the park encompassed 14 hectares (more than half of them artificial lakes) and boasted an Oceanarium, a Seal Pool, a Dolphin Pool and a Children’s Adventure Park. Six dolphins were caught nearby and three more were born at the park in 1988.

(image via: Tumblr)

Thought the dolphins liked Atlantis Marine Park enough to start settling down and producing offspring, the Australian government had a few issues – mainly, the park’s dolphin tank was now too small and would have to be expanded or a larger one built.

(images via: WAtoday and Tumblr)

Faced with an expensive renovation bill and mindful of declining profits, Tokyu Corporation decided to cut their losses, release their dolphins and close the park. Old King Neptune was/is not amused though appearances may indicate otherwise.

(image via: EnglishRussia)

Several sources state the Russian building above is an abandoned children’s summer camp building, not an abandoned aquarium. You’ve gotta love the design, whatever it is, even in its currently decrepit state. When Great C’thulhu and his minions finally awake and reclaim their old stomping grounds, this is what it’s gonna look like.

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Amazing Aquariums and Fish Tank Designs

Here’s a selection of some of the coolest (and in some cases bizarre) fish tanks and aquariums for your favorite fish.
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Holy Water! 24 Amazing Aquariums and Fish Tanks

True aquarium aficionados know a beautifully designed fish tank can be like a work of living art. Here are 24 of the wildest examples.
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[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Bunyan’s Pride: 19 Log Cabins That Stack Above The Rest

14 Dec

[ By Marc in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

The typical rectangular cabin plopped in the middle of the woods is no longer the standard, as homeowners get increasingly creative with rustic housing, the designs are becoming larger than life.

(Images via freshome, trendir, homesresult, kubodo, design-crisis)

Cabin GJ-9 is a slick prototype created by Gudmundur Jonsson Arkitektkontor, a Norway based firm. Finne architects adds a twist to the typical cabin with this house that takes full advantage of the privacy afforded by dense woods, by having walls made of glass. Danish Dorte Mandrup created this 10 square room that is more an outside reading nook than anything else. Olson Kundig architects created this gorgeous, and huge, “cabin” that is about as far from the typical log design as one can get. Any fan of the Lord of the Rings, and Hobbits in general, will get a kick of this rounded doorway, that makes this cabin feel like a hidden hideaway.

(Images via besthousedesign, izifunny, slim69, funelf)

AATA Architecture created the Morevara cabin, a modern twist on an old classic. This second cabin utilizes a unique layout that allowed them to keep a trunk of a tree emerging through their kitchen counter, truly adding to the natural aesthetic. Chalet Cyanella is located in the French Alps and gives a glimpse of a modern interior that contrasts sharply with the natural panorama outside. Lastly, we have a house in Seattle that literally escapes to the treetops to separate itself from urban sprawl.

(Images via trendir, houseplans, demagz, inhabitat)

WRB in Sweden created the top cabin, which actually has a gorgeous seaside view. The clean lines make it look more like an artistic statement than a vacation home. Piet Ein Heek created this log box room, which can shutter itself up and look like a pile of sticks. More images are available here. Studio Aisslinger created this Berlin cabin that looks caged, yet open, and has an incredibly distinctive design. OLGGA came up with this portable log cabin, which looks rustic on 3 sides, and hides a sleek, modern interior.

(Images via didohomes, coolcrack, santabanta, offbeatenough, izifunny, standout-cabin-results)

Log cabins don’t have to be small huts in the woods. This giant edifice is one of the most epic cabin examples, as it looks more like an ancient Viking hall than anything else. A grand fireplace with hewn logs supporting the interior structure lend a rustic atmosphere to the interior. The third example shows a more modern, yet equally large, take on the fireplace, with seating for at least a dozen around the fire. The bottom example is more like a log mansion, yet still manages to integrate aesthetically with the nature around it. Another example of a grand entrance, is followed by an interior example of a possible lobby for homes like this. Large logs, leather, stone, and fire all combine to make any log cabin feel traditional, regardless of the size.

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Waterfront Wonders: 8 Great Modern Island + Ocean Homes

With stunning views of lakes, rivers and beaches, these eight modernist homes are a perfect match for their gorgeous waterfront settings.
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Fire-Inspired: 14 Converted & New Lookout Tower Homes

From 15th century guard towers on the Italian coast to modern timber-framed fire towers in Montana, these 14 homes get their inspiration from high places.
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[ By Marc in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Stories Jump Out of the Pages with 3D Book Sculptures

14 Dec

[ By Steph in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

Fiction favorites, from Gone with the Wind to Treasure Island, literally leap off the pages in three dimensions in Jodi Harvey-Brown’s imaginative book paper sculptures. Harvey-Brown illustrates figures from the stories, cuts them out and sets them on top of the open books among paper trees, waves, castles and dragons.

The top sculpture is from ‘Knight and Dragon’, a book from the Dragonlance series. Harvey-Brown wired the knight and dragon through the book for extra stability. Above, a ship rises from the waves in the book ‘Kidnapped.’

Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer relax on a raft in the Mississippi.

Bambi and his mother explore the peaceful meadow just before tragedy strikes in one of the book’s most poignant scenes.

Pirates are poised above a chest full of gold and jewels in Treasure Island. See more of Harvey-Brown’s book sculptures, many of which are for sale, at the artist’s website.

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Gripping Book Art: 31 Sculptures Worth Reading About

Society is in a digital age and paper books are being left behind. Artists are fighting the tide by bringing books into their own as gorgeous works of art.
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Book Sculpture by Jacqueline Rush Lee

Artist Jacqueline Rush Lee takes papercraft to a new dimension with stunning, organic book art crafted from lovingly handled used books.
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[ By Steph in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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Design Miami Tent Covered with Inflatable Sausages

13 Dec

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Bundles of giant white inflatable sausages make a big visual impact on the exterior walls of the Design Miami tent at Art Basel. New York studio Skarnitecture covered the structure in vinyl tubes bundled together at varying heights for a result that’s highly unusual, to say the least.

The studio aimed to transform the tent using limited palette and a limited range of materials, mostly relying on the same vinyl that was already used to create the tent itself.

The tubes drip down into lounge areas just outside the tent like rounded man-made stalactites.

Inflatables give architects an opportunity for experimentation that can’t be replicated with permanent materials. See 17 more creatively amorphous inflatable structures including pavilions, additions, temporary balconies and even entire cities.

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Airy Architecture: 14 Inflatable Pubs, Churches & More

These 14 buildings are full of hot air – literally – ranging from goofy inflatable pubs to awe-inspiring pneumatic pavilions and even inflatable insulation.
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Creative Urban Furniture: Convertible, Inflatable & Portable Homeless Shelters

Regardless of your view of street dwellers or opinion regarding the best solutions to these problems, suspend your judgment for a moment to take in these extremely cool designs!
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[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Then & Now: Hybrid Images of a Deserted School in Detroit

13 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

It is one thing to see a building in a state of disrepair and imagine what it would have been like when it was occupied and vibrant. It is quite another to overlay a photograph, taken from the precise same spot, bringing into sharp focus the difference a day, week, month, year or decade can make.

DetroitUrbex takes documentation to new depths (and heights) in this series of collages that show historical use and present conditions in abandoned structures through the lens of students and teachers overlaid with the haunting shots of an urban explorer.

The hybrid results span decades, including a combination of more-recent color photographs and archival black-and-white ones, capturing ordinary activities and everyday people and putting them in a strange and haunting context.

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Deserted Europe: 20 Hauntingly Abandoned Buildings

From houses and estates to factories, mines, military buildings and prisons here are the explorations of twenty buildings by one daring European urban explorer.
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5 Surreal Google Street View Images: Interesting Errors, Glitches and Mistakes

With so much focus on Google Street View privacy issues, many people have missed a whole subset of non-controversial but much more strange Street View images.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Wheely Great Ideas: 10 Bodacious Bike Technology Concepts

12 Dec

[ By Delana in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

The bicycle has been a favorite form of transportation for around two centuries, and every generation adds its own advances and accessories to the time-tested design. Living in the technology age as we do today, bike-related advances abound. These 10 concepts use high technology, advanced design skills, and plain old common sense to create some truly useful and beautiful bikes and bike-related accessories.

Samurai Sword Folding Bike

(images via: Nick Domanski)

Folding bikes are perfect for people who ride to work or school and then need to stash the bike somewhere during the day. They fold up into very small sizes, but they aren’t always easy to carry around or to fit under a desk or into a coat closet. The Odachi Folding Bike concept from design student Nick Domanski makes it a bit easier – and a lot more attractive – to carry around a folded bike. When in its smallest form, the Odachi bike can be either pulled along behind the rider or strapped onto the back like a samurai sword. Although the chain and brakes do not appear in the rendered images, the Odachi bike would work just like any other bike.

Twist Tandem Bike

(images via: Jose Hurtado)

The Twist bike doesn’t strive to break down into the smallest package possible; instead, it wants to expand. The concept from designer Jose Hurtado features a symmetrical frame and hubless wheels, one of which can connect to another frame to form a tandem bike. The freedom to ride single or double on this modern bike makes it an unusual but stylish choice for biking enthusiasts.

Revolutionary Roundtail Bike

(images via: Roundtail)

The Roundtail is a truly world-changing modification to the typical bike frame. Rather than the familiar triangular frame configuration which is full of straight lines, the Roundtail features a frame with a circle in the center. This circular frame acts as a sort of shock absorber, making riding a bike far less painful for cycling enthusiasts.

Swiss Army Knife-Inspired Folding Electric Scooter

(images via: Voltitude Switzerland)

The Voltitude V1 was invented by a Swiss father and son design team who took their inspiration from Swiss Army knives and from scooters. The folding electric bike features wide wheels to get it over the urban terrain, electric assisted pedaling and a silent, zero-emission ride. But the most notable feature of the Voltitude V1 is its ability to fold up like the famous Swiss Army knife into a small package – small enough to be stowed in a trunk or closet.

The Greencycle

(images via: Paulus Maringka)

Can a bike really change the world? The Greencycle may do just that. The lightweight but tough bicycle is built of sustainable, affordable bamboo and metal joining brackets. The bike is modular and all parts of it can be easily replaced in the event of breakage. Meant for third-world countries where bikes are the most efficient and sensible means of transportation for vendors and farmers, the Greencycle also features built-in attachment points and platforms for heavy cargo.

Expanding Wheel City Bike

(images via: Yanko Design)

The Smart City Cycle from designer Yo-Hwan Kim takes a novel approach to the concept of the cargo bike. Rather than adding a shelf or hook to the bike’s frame, the designer simply integrated a cargo compartment into the rear wheel. A regular hubless wheel takes the rider to and from work or school every day, but on those days when a stop at the grocery store is necessary a cargo wheel can be fitted to the back of the bike. The cargo wheel holds a load securely in place while increasing the bike’s wheel base to create a stable ride.

Bike Seat Tire Pump

(images via: BioLogic)

Minimizing the stuff you carry – and thus the weight of your cargo – is important for making the most of your bike ride. But there are some essentials that you need to have for longer rides, including a pump to reinflate tires. BioLogic’s clever PostPump 2.0 Seatpost is a bike pump built into a bicycle seatpost. When you need to inflate a tire, the pump easily detaches from the bike’s frame and the seat acts as a handle.

Airless Bike Tires

(images via: Energy Return Wheel)

Of course, a bike tire pump would not be necessary if the cycling world adopts the incredible Energy Return Wheel (ERW). This airless tire features a honeycomb layer of rubber where the air would normally be in a standard tire. As the ERW rides over obstacles and rough terrain in the road, the energy from those little impacts is turned into forward propulsion. This helps the rider move along with less effort – and as an added bonus, there is no need to ever worry about flat tires.

LED Handlebars

(images via: Mitchell Silva)

There are plenty of products meant to keep cyclists safe in the dark, but the Globars are a smart twist on the subject. The handlebars are lit up brightly with LEDs and function as safety lights, headlights and turn signals all in one. Because the turn signal buttons can be activated while the rider’s hands are still on the handlebars, these safety devices are truly safe.

Bike Pedal Lock

(images via: Cheng-Tsung Feng)

Keeping your bike safe while you aren’t on it is an important concern for any bike owner. The Pedal Lock is a neat concept product that would use the bike’s own pedals as security devices. You don’t have to carry a heavy lock around because it’s built right into your pedals, and thieves who try to simply take off the tire to steal your bike from the rack wouldn’t be able to ride it away thanks to the missing pedals.

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Riding High: 30 Outrageous Bike Mods

One way to get more people to start traveling via pedal power is to add a little creativity to an otherwise mundane form of transport.
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Bike Campers: 12 Mini Mobile Homes for Nomadic Cyclists

Who says you can’t camp in luxury when taking a bicycle tour? These 12 bike trailers
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[ By Delana in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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On Space Time Foam: Surreal Billowing Art Installation

12 Dec

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

The science of engineering and rationalism of city planning meet visionary experimentation in art installations by Tomás Saraceno. The Argentina-born artist is known for works that imagine an alternate future for humanity in unexpected, often utopian ways. His latest work, ‘On Space Time Foam‘, is an exploration of self-sufficient aerial structures that could be made on a larger scale and inhabited by humans.

‘On Space Time Foam’ is a layered installation of translucent PVC membranes suspended nearly 80 feet above the ground. Installed at the Hangar Bicocca in Milan, Italy, the work alludes to the primordial state of matter from which the universe formed.

Visitors can access the installation either from above, to navigate it themselves, or from below, to watch as people seemingly float in mid-air. The plastic has a surface area of nearly 13,000 square feet. Walking on the surface is a tricky task, sending visitors sliding and tumbling across the plastic. “As soon as you decide to climb onto the installation, you are necessarily caught up in a play of mutual dependence,” Saraceno told Klat Magazine. “This experience helps to initiate a dialogue between people, through a body language that has no need of words.”

While it’s a fun attraction in its current form, Saraceno has big plans for the concept. He aims to translate it into a Buckminster Fuller-inspired floating biosphere above the climate change-threatened Maldives Islands, which would be fully inhabitable with solar panels and desalinated water. Saraceno will embark on a residency at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to work out the logistics of such an ambitious undertaking.

“The aim of what I do is to try to expand the range of the dialogue, to make as many people as possible aware of the extent of the impact that each of us has on others and on the environment. This is the objective of my artistic practice: awakening people to the interdependence of the different elements that make up the system in which we live—the interrelations between objects, natural phenomena and living creatures.”

See a video of the installation in action, and an interview with the artist, at Design Boom.

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Brad Downey Brings Wonderland to Life: 7 Surreal Urban Street Art Installation Projects

Downey is a New York street artist with a twist: his bizarre contributions to the urban art of public spaces could, if only for a moment, be confused with traditional street furniture.
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Wavy WasteLandscape Installation Made of 65,000 CDs

A surreal landscape in Paris, installed in a former funeral home, is made of 65,000 shimmering discarded CDs in an artistic statement about waste.
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