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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Arc Kit: Design and Build Your Own Miniature Architecture

19 Nov

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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A kit that combines the precision and detail of computer modeling with the physicality of Legos makes it possible to design and build any architectural structures you can dream up. With minimalist greyscale components that are significantly more refined than those found within actual Lego modern architecture sets, Arckit by Damien Murtagh can be used as a professional tool for architects or a fun toy for architecture hobbyists and enthusiasts.

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Traditional model-making typically requires a lot of measuring, cutting and glueing, and once you set a piece in place, you’re stuck with it. Arckit’s snap-together system made of ABS plastic allows continuous modifications so you can really experiment. It’s a lot cheaper than purchasing 3D modeling software, without the steep learning curve. While it was initially designed for adult use only, it turns out that kids love it, too.

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The modular system is at 1:48 scale and comes in three packages for structures measuring 60, 120 or 240 square meters. The 120-square-meter set has proved the most popular, offering over 385 pieces, a component tray, and a booklet explaining how to put it all together. Add-on components are also available, with extras including trusses, floating staircases and printable adhesive sheets so you can customize colors, textures and other imagery however you like.

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Unknown NYC: 12 Hidden Sights in America’s Cultural Hub

19 Nov

[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

hidden nyc parakeet brooklyn

The hordes of tourists glomming onto New York City’s most famous sights likely won’t notice the wild acid-green parakeets of Brooklyn, the strange bricked-up prison window on the side of the NYPD headquarters, the jarringly angled townhouse facade on Greenwich Village or the world’s largest chess board mounted to the side of an apartment building. They’ll pass right over the subway grate that helped make Marilyn Monroe famous, and fail to notice the touching and disturbing miniature Holocaust memorial on a courthouse column. These 12 little-known sights speak of the city’s hidden history, and include a few offbeat but very New York things that locals should experience, too.

Wild Parakeets of Brooklyn College
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Most tourists are too busy paying attention to the city’s infamous population of pigeons, or the rats scurrying along the sidewalk in broad daylight, to notice a more exotic species that has taken up residence around utility pole transformers and anywhere else that radiates heat. As the story goes, a shipment of Argentinian birds including parrots and parakeets in bright shades of green and blue escaped the cargo hold at JFK Airport in the ‘60s, and the birds set up nests all over the tri-state area. They’re most commonly seen in Brooklyn, especially at Brooklyn College and Greenwood Cemetery.

Roosevelt Island Cat Sanctuary
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On the same tram-accessible island housing a stunning abandoned asylum, crunching among dead leaves or peeking out from beneath tangles of rusted steel, hundreds of cats proliferate. Roosevelt Island feels a world away from Manhattan despite how easy the tram has made getting there, and its population of feral cats only enhances the sense of wildness and disorder. Nobody knows who first began abandoning cats on the island generations ago, but they’ve only multiplied, to the point that a group called Island Cats has formed to trap, neuter and adopt them out.

Manhattan’s Oldest House
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Built in 1765 by a British officer on Manhattan’s highest point in the hills of Washington Heights, the Morris-Jamel Mansion is the city’s oldest and supposedly most haunted residence. Remarkably well preserved, the house hosted George Washington after his defeat at the battle of Brooklyn and is now a free open house museum. The home’s mysterious original residents, who were stunned by high society despite their wealth, add to the draw. Officer Roger Morris’ mistress-turned-wife Eliza Bowen Jumel was the subject of nasty rumors, blamed in gossip for his early death and spending nearly three decades at the house as a recluse descending into dementia before her own passing. Paranormal investigators are particularly fond of the place, claiming that it hosts at least five ghosts.

Marilyn Monroe’s Subway Grate
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One of the single most iconic images of any American film was captured atop an anonymous subway grate on the corner of Lexington and 52nd, which is passed over by countless tourists every day due to the lack of a plaque or any other fanfare. While the scene that appears in the movie had to be captured on a soundstage, producer of The Seven Year Itch had Monroe get into costume and stand over the grate until an uptown 6 train went by, blowing the skirt of her white halter dress straight up into the air. The scene on September 15th, 1954 was a leaked publicity stunt that lead to a crowd of 3-5,000 spectators loudly talking, yelling and cheering, and the resulting photos were used to publicize the film. Today, you’ll find the grate outside the French restaurant Le Relais de Venise, if you want to recreate it.

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Unknown Nyc 12 Hidden Sights In Americas Cultural Hub

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Fast Track: New High-Speed Pedestrian Lanes Live in Liverpool

18 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

pedestrian walking lane

An experimental pedestrian fast lane system deployed in England allows speedy walkers to circumvent gawking tourists and window shoppers.

Implemented by retailer Argos adjacent to a shopping complex in Liverpool, the Fast Track is a trial run (or: really fast walk) for separating dawdlers from power walkers.

PIC BY ARGOS/MERCURY PRESS (PICTURED: THE FAST LANE IN LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE) Speedy shoppers will no longer get stuck behind people who dawdle or stop to check their phones ñ thanks to the UKís first ever pedestrian fast lane. Argos has painted new markings on the pavement outside its Liverpool store after research revealed almost half the nation found the slow pace of high streets to be their biggest shopping bugbear. The new lane, being trialled this week in the Liverpool One shopping complex, hopes to help pick up the pace for those who are hurrying by bypassing the crowds. SEE MERCURY COPY

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If it seems like a marketing stunt, consider this: close to 30,000,000 Brits favor fast lanes for busy pedestrian thoroughfares. Close to a third surveyed in a recent study responded that they would approve of some consistent solution to slow-moving foot traffic.

fast lane shopping market

As in similar attempts elsewhere, like NYC’s half-joking painted pavement markings dividing New Yorkers from Tourists, the aim is to provide clear paths for different paces, segregated by speed, cellphone use or other factors, indoors or outside.

This latest variant may only be temporary, but a store spokesperson says it is there by popular demand and if successful the same idea could continue to spread to other private and public spaces.

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Best from Above: Drone Views of 6 Philadelphia Abandonments

18 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

Some of the most fascinating parts of certain deserted buildings in Philadelphia cannot even be seen from below, making this drone footage shot by Matt Satell of Philly by Air all the more revealing.

Spring Garden School

Take the Spring Garden Public School, for instance, the roof of which is enclosed in a an arched grid of fencing that wraps an outdoor gym and recreation area for students. “This abandoned public school was built in 1931 and designed by the Philadelphia School District” explains drone pilot and urban photographer Matt Satell. “There have been proposals discussed to convert the structure into a residential building, but nothing has been finalized yet.”

The PECO Delaware Station is situated adjacent to the Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown, its outcroppings of both natural overgrowth and artificial stacks far more visible by air. “This coal-fired power plant first opened its doors in 1920. It was originally designed by John T. Windram, who also designed the Franklin Institute. The plant was owned by Exelon Generation until 2015 when it was sold to Bart Blatstein and Joseph Volpe who have plans to build boutique hotels.”

Quaker Storage Building

Other buildings featured are on historical registers, or the subject of redevelopment plans or (as in the case of the Richmond Power Station) are already famous for being featured in films such as 12 Monkeys, Transformers 2 and The Last Airbender. The Quaker Storage Building, Dreuding Brothers Building and Willow Steam Plant (each shown in the embedded video above) all have elements best captured – and are perhaps only truly comprehensible as a whole – when viewed from above as well as below.

Meanwhile, if you enjoyed your brief tour of Philadelphia’s most prominent abandonments, you can take a further aerial flight around the city with the video above, likewise documented via Philly by Air.

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The Warning: Murals Painted On Fragments of a Melting Glacier

17 Nov

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

the warning mural 1

The face of a giant bathing woman seems to rise up from the icy waters of an undisclosed Arctic location beside the fragmented remains of a rapidly melting glacier, snow-capped mountains in the distance. That there are no other obvious signs of human activity in the lonely landscape scene only reinforces the sense that this figure is out of place. For Sean Yoro, the surfboard-balancing artist otherwise known as Hula, she’s putting a human face on a very pressing global problem.

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Having built a name for himself painting serene portraits of women in waterside locations and even onto the rusting remains of an abandoned ship, Yoro impresses both with his skills as an artist and the novelty of his method. While he normally paints in situ, this new setting required a different approach, and he painted on acrylic panels instead, mounting them on chunks of ice.

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The paintings are designed to dissolve over time (presumably in a way that won’t harm the environment, given the earth-centric message of this piece), highlighting the time-sensitive nature of this issue.

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“In the short time I was there, I witnessed the extreme melting rate first hand as the sound of ice cracking was ac instant background noise while painting,” says Yoro. “Within a few weeks these murals will be forever gone, but for those who find them, I hope they ignite a sense of urgency, as they represent the millions of people in need of our help who are already being afflicted from the rising sea levels of climate change.”

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Cruelty of Concrete: Harsh Architecture in Berlin & Beyond

17 Nov

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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There is an innate coldness and harshness to concrete that lends it a sinister air, as if unsavory practices are carried out within, even if the building is actually in use as a church or monastery. Spanning a range of architectural styles and movements from Bauhaus to Constructivism, most of these concrete wonders of Europe are in use as animal research facilities, former bunkers, libraries and hotels, while others remain abandoned.

Mouse Bunker, Berlin: FEM Animal Testing Facility

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The imposing exterior of the FEM facility at Berlin’s Research Institute for Experimental Medicine is fittingly frightening for the activities that take place within: namely, testing on 88,000 laboratory animals. Known locally as the ‘Mouse Bunker,’ FEM was built in 1980 and its shape was ironically inspired by the sheep-stalls of Lower Saxony.

Sainte Bernadette Church, Nevers
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Designed by French architect Claude Parent and built in 1966, the Sainte Bernadette Church in the city of Nevers is about as un-churchlike as churches get. The solid concrete Brutalist structure eschews ornamentation for a utilitarian appearance that continues into the interior.

Bibliotheque Louis Nucera, Nice, France

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This modern library in Nice is among the world’s most unusual, with a square block sitting atop a giant sculpted neck. Named for author Louis Nucera, the building is a joint project between architects Bayard and Chaps and sculptor Sacha Sosno.

IBM France Research Center

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Marcel Breuer’s 1962 IBM Research Centre and Forum features a double Y-shaped plan situated on a sloping site overlooking the French Riviera. Precast concrete units on the facade disguise a system of in-situ concrete columns

Ghostly World War II Boat Pen, Bordeaux, France
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Sections of the abandoned Base Sous-Marine in Bordeaux are occasionally put to use as a dramatic backdrop for special events, but otherwise, this World War II wonder completed by the Germans in 1944 remains hauntingly empty. It once served as a home base for supply boats, torpedo transports, U-boats and the 12th Flotilla of long-range boats in the war and features a nearly indestructible 30-foot-thick roof. The whole thing occupies a total area of nearly 463,000 square feet and was made from 21,188,800 cubic feet of concrete.

Forum Hotel, Krakow

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Constructed between 1978 and 1989, Krakow’s Hotel Forum remains one of Poland’s most sci-fi-looking structures, but today, it’s deteriorating, its facades often covered in oversized billboards.

St. Agnes Church, Berlin

cruel concrete st. agnes church

Once adorned with a neon blue cross that gently illuminated its harsh silhouette in the geographical center of Berlin, St. Agnes Church (built in 1967) was recently turned into an art gallery.

Jesuit Cloister by Paul Schneider-Elsleben, Nymphenburg
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Life must have felt harsh for the Jesuit monks who inhabited this Nymphenburg monastery by Paul Schneider-Esleben, completed in 1965.

Water Towers in Germany by Bernd & Hilla Becher
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Water towers take on all sorts of weird shapes around the world, but Germany has its own special collection of Brutalist concrete versions by Bernd & Hilla Becher and Helmut Erdle.

Tour Vigie et Reservoir, Gaston, France
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Undeniably weird, this watchtower and reservoir designed by Gaston Jaubert and built in 1974 looks over the port of Fos-sur-Mer in France.

Radio Kootwijk, Netherlands
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Pre-dating most Brutalist and modernist architecture by several decades, the Radio Kootwijk building began construction in 1918. Designed by Dutch architect Julius Maria Luthmann in Art Deco style, it’s an interesting juncture of a typically ornate architectural style and a rather impersonal material. The Germans blew up the transmitter during World War II and the building has been in disuse ever since.

Pilgrimage Church by Gottfried Bohm, Neviges, Germany
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Designed by Pritzker Prize-winnign architect Gottfried Böhm and built in 1963, the Pilgrimage Church in Neviges, Germany resembles nothing more than an organic composition made from an unnatural medium, like a cluster of oversized crystals rising from the green hillside.

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Color Me Patriotic: Ukraine’s Painted Lenin Statues

16 Nov

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

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As the Ukraine strives to break free from all things Russian, some unlikely allies – Soviet-era statues of Lenin – have been enlisted to wave the flag.

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Or “wear” the flag, as the case may be, and the easiest way to do that is by liberally (pun intended) applying blue and yellow – the colors of the Ukrainian flag – to bronze tarnished by decades of weathering. Lenin, as depicted above in Nikopol, wouldn’t be caught dead sporting such an ensemble back in the day. Not to worry, it wasn’t long before nationalistic protesters with plenty of rope put Dayglo Vlad out of his misery.

Siberian Breakfast Club

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Not all Ukrainian-themed Lenin statues are in the Ukraine, mind you… take the above hastily colorized example from Novosibirsk, a city of 1.5 million in southwestern Siberia. According to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report carried by KyivPost, “Authorities in Novosibirsk say suspects accused of painting the colors of the Ukrainian flag on a monument to Lenin in the Russian city have been detained.” Hey, at least they didn’t tape his butt cheeks together.

Hail Stylin’!

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Back in Kiev, however, anyone wanting to Ukrainianize a Lenin statue need not fear the police though a fear of heights would be a hindrance. The stylish statue above displays all the marks of an unhurried artist – ol’ Vlad looks dapper enough to work at IKEA!

Party Chair Man

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You don’t see many “Seated Lenin” statues like the one above, located in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. There’s no rest for the wicked, however, and the Communist icon’s relaxed pose just made things easier for those wanting to make a political statement in blue and yellow spray paint.

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Color Me Patriotic Ukraines Painted Lenin Statues

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Urban Ant Farm: Colony Encouraged to Hack City of Glass & Sand

15 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

ant farm hybrid

In this Urban Ant City installation, hundreds of Spanish ants were set loose in a scale model of Rotterdam, allowed to navigate the existing street and carve their own paths and tunnels.

ant city angle

Using the same basic principles of a tabletop ant farm, STUDIO 1:1 (images by  Ossip van Duivenbode) added a twist to their approach, giving the sandy landscape sandwiched between glass panels an initial shape.

ant city display

The ants, in turn, are following their instincts, creating custom routes that evolve the existing cityscape, all set prominently on display at the the Office for Metropolitan Information.

ant farm closeup

The pending project results have potential to show how nature takes its course with cities over time, highlighting the intersection of planning and organic forces, and may add a new layer of meaning to EUsociality. It also just looks awesome.

urban ant farm

“OMI is an initiative of UrbanGuides, Perplekcity and Ossip Architecture Photography. These organizations offer city explorations, urban planning and photography combined in one place.”

ant farm urbanism

“In addition, an array of books and city guides have been collected and are presented at OMI, in collaboration with NAi Booksellers. Urban Ant City installation of STUDIO 1:1 is realized together with AIR, the architectural centre of Rotterdam.”

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A Chapel in Space: Images Projected onto King’s College Ceiling

14 Nov

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

chapel in space 1

Galaxies stretch across Gothic columns and spatterings of stars span the archways of the chapel at King’s College, immersing hushed crowds who have come to hear a lecture on space. Artist Miguel Chevalier transforms the cavernous interiors of this stunning structure at the University of Cambridge in England to go along with specific lectures, plunging guests into the subjects at hand visually as they listen to speeches by renowned professors and alumni.

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The space visuals help illustrate Stephen Hawking’s research on black holes, while additional projections in the series explore visual interpretations of history, literature, religion and other subjects. Rather than simply playing video clips to accompany the lectures, or interpreting the subject matter in a literal way, the projections create a richly colorful and moody atmosphere.

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The site-specific installations were created in real-time, and represent the first time an outside artist has been invited to alter the chapel in any way. Previously, Chevalier has projected his stunning creations onto Moroccan mosques and an Italian castle built in 1240 for a project called ‘Magic Carpets.’ Biomorphically inspired, these patterns shift and swirl, making the surfaces seem alive.

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Puphaus & Meyou: 2 Designer Dog & Cat Houses for Modern Pets

13 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

designer backyard dog home

Whether your furry friends are canine or feline, this pair of posh pet architecture companies have your Modernist domesticated animal needs (quite literally) covered.

modernist cat furniture

And for those domiciles home to both cats and dogs that do not share space, fear not: the Puphaus is made for the outdoor dog and Meyou created for the indoors cat.

designer dog living

First, the Puphaus borrows domestic architectural design elements but employs a tools-free approach for easy assembly, creating a backyard home for your pup that could be cooler than your own house.

designer dog house

“Sporting backgrounds in graphic and industrial design, dog-loving founders Roy Fleeman and Zach Griggs wanted to design & build something unique for man’s best friend: the Puphaus. Time to ditch the plastic igloos and give our pups some stylish new digs.”

modernist cat ball

modernist desktop cat

The Meyou line of cat furniture by Parisian designer Aude Sanchez approaches the problem as a question of interior design, aiming to create habitats that will not just look good next to but also become part of your decorative scheme.

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modernist cat observer

The resulting cat cocoons are made for curious and playful kitties to use for shelter, napping, hiding or even sharpening their claws.

modernist kitty stool

The Ball, The Cocoon and The Bed are variations on the same design approach, each with slightly different layouts and features – they can work individually or as a set for various rooms.

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