Bruce Sterling "Shaping Things"

Following publication of his book "Shaping Things", American Science Fiction author Bruce Sterling share his views and visions at LIFT France 09 about the future of Design, the broad concept of an "Internet of Things", and reflects on two important issues: Privacy and Recycling. 

The internet of things (IBM)

Fascinating short film about the emergence of data and how the planet has created a central nervous system. DIKW, (Data, information, knowledge, wisdom).


Seeing patterns in the data, society becomes more efficient, less destructive and generate new insights and new form of relations. 

This is called smart design, linking all our communication systems that will help us become more efficient, intelligent and in control.

Cassette tape chandelier - Upcycling

Cassette tapes went the way of vinyl records and rotary phones, but designer Alicia Beck is giving them a second life by upcycling the cartridges into attention-grabbing chandeliers. 

Alicia Beck's work includes her balloon rugs, as well as this new addition to her portfolio. She's known not only for her eye but also because she specialises in up-cycling overlooked odds-and-ends. Her cassette chandeliers would be perfect for an untraditional media room, rec room or even a teen's bedroom. Each one can be made on a rainy afternoon.


http://www.aliciabeck.com/

Ray Anderson - TED talks (the business logic of sustainability)

I just watched Ray Anderson's 2009 TED talk about his mission for his company, Interface Carpets, to climb Mt Sustainability towards 'mission zero' - zero environmental impact by 2020. 


His inspiring words caught my attention. Here are some quotes from his wonderful speech. 


"The 'take, make, waste', industrial system dominates our civilisation, a major culprit stealing our kids future, by digging up our earth and converting it to products becoming waste".
  

"The problem is shown with a 'environmental impact equation', a product of population+affluence+technology. Impact by people what they consume in their affluence and how it's produced"

"A=affluence is an end in its self. What if A was a lower case a, = a means to an end, and that end is happiness, more happiness with less stuff, you know that would re frame civilation itself, and our whole system of economics. Living in balance with nature and its natural systems".

What is minimalism?

Peoples idea of what minimalism is and what it means...very inspiring as for me, that is the way forward and the key words connect with my way of thinking!

'Waste not want not'! Super scrimpers

Mrs money penny channel 4 - saves you money!!

Mrs Money penny meets the Jane family who spend and waste money beyond their means. Money spent on clothes, takeaways and petrol for a big car! The best part of this show is when the family are presented with all their possessions and the amount of waste they create as a family expressed in takeout bags, fuel canisters, a skip and clothes hung on the fence. The visual element clearly shocks them into making better decisions!

Ekokook - Zero waste in your kitchen

If you’ve spent a fair amount of time in a kitchen cooking up a storm, then you’re probably aware of one of the major drawbacks of major home-cooking… it generates a ton of waste. That’s right up to 85 or 90 percent of a family’s trash can be generated within the vicinity of the kitchen. Faltazi’s concept kitchen should be interesting for just that reason.

Ekokook is designed to generate essentially zero waste. The solid waste things like glass are ground down using a hand-activated steel ball, and there’s also a manual paper shredder which compacts the leftovers into small bricks. Water is stored, filtered, and reused, with waste water being used to water plants. There’s also an eco-friendly earthworm compactor in a drawer! 


http://www.techmagnews.com/ekokook-concept-kitchens-mantra-waste-not-want-not.html

The story of stuff! - Annie Leonard

OMG!!...this women is brilliant!!!...with 20 years of background in the field, explains elaborate concepts so well that even kids will benefit from a viewing. Annie as Coordinator of the Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption.
 

Katcha Bilek - Upcycling

From the designer who dislikes waste, Katcha Bilek presents her collection of stylish and  versatile bags; belts, crocodiles, chandeliers from upcycled, recycled and reclaimed materials.

I think because they are design-led and hand-crafted, people were attracted to them – my methods cut out industrial machinery and any chance of unethical practices. Plus, each piece is completely unique – you might cut the same design from an inner-tube, but the final result will always be slightly different.”

Her designs have an intrinsic element of relaying environmental issues. “Promoting awareness of the environment and of the raw resources and materials we consume daily  are essential components in all of my creations.”

Katcha continually expresses her love of design, beauty and originality through transforming discarded materials and objects she finds on a scavenge, fashioning them into useful, well-designed pieces.

Katcha Bilek has also designed some popular upcycled tyre sculptures. But, in true Katcha style, not just any ordinary sculptural design – these are life-sized crocodiles from unwanted tyres! Her full collection can be viewed at the coexist gallery on Stokescroft, St. Pauls,Bristol. 

Visit our website: www.re-collect.net
http://www.upcycling.co.uk/news/katcha-bilek/

Dieter Rams Less and More

Dieter Rams is my hero!...Jonathan Ive, Tom Dixon, Jasper Morrison and Philippe Starck are all avowed fans of Rams, who has often been referred to as the ‘designer’s designer.’

After visiting his exhibition at the design museum 'less and more' earlier this year, I was in complete admiration for this man's great achievements. 

I hope to follow in his foot steps in creating innovative designs which are, as he quite rightly states 'better design helps people understand it's functionality. To make products usable is important, not to make it spectacular! that's not important, but to make it unspectacular, especially in the future'.

Dieter Rams Less and More - Interview

Dieter Rams - Gestalten (HD).mp4 You tube

Mies van der Rohe - Visions Of Space 2/7

When I studied Interior Design, I visited the famous 'Barcelona Pavillion' and it was impressive!..I loved the lines, the marble, water, and sleekness of what appears to have been designed for the rich and famous. Although, it's missing the comforts of soft tactile furnishings, apart from his leather 'Barcelona chairs' to be able to comfortably live there, yet it oozes class.

I try to connect his ethos with that of Dieter Rams and have come to the conclusion that his modernist, simplistic approach does resonate through Dieter's products. Ludwig was a craftsman a stonemason's son, while dieter was also focused on making, trying new materials and experimenting with form.

Bill Ford: A future beyond traffic gridlock | Video on TED.com

Bill Ford: A future beyond traffic gridlock | Video on TED.com

Toyota Prius concpet bike NEW technology

Prius...AMAZING technology...a neuro headset, change gears using our very own brain waves...

The Prius Projects Concept Bike has reached its final stage, and it has just been revealed that Toyota and Parlee Cycles are working with DeepLocal to bring some incredible technology to the green bicycle. Using a neuron helmet, the rider of the Prius bike can shift gears with their mind!

DeepLocal also designed a smartphone app to monitor heart rate, speed, and cadence. This could allow the bike to be programmed to behave intelligently in the future, remembering the driver’s behavior on a certain route and switching to autopilot mode for auto shifting. The design of the bike overall is subtle, but this type of technology has all sorts of implications in terms of futuristic features. We’re excited to see how people pick this up and run with it. See the video for more details on this unique bike.

Read more: Mind-Reading Prius Bike Can Shift Gears with Just a Thought! | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Watch the video....

http://modular4kc.com/2011/07/27/a-toyota-parlee-mind-controlled-bicycle/

Lumber by Jamie McLellan for Fletcher systems

Jamie McLellan has designed this chair for New Zealand brand Fletcher Systems using traditional log-cabin knuckle joints.

 The Lumber chair is made of thick wooden dowels and a single bent ply shell with wood upholstery.

These pieces use interlocking knuckle joints similar to those found on traditional log cabins to give the frames their signature detailing, and a strength that far exceeds their visual lightness.

New Designers From the Design Museum

http://vimeo.com/13641484

Contexture Design, Vancouver Canada's "Home Phone"

Home Phone is an exploration of shelter and the concept of home, particularly as it relates to homelessness.Telephone booths, once a common sight around our cities, are being removed from service as cell phones become commonplace. For many homeless without the benefit of a cell phone, the public phone booth is an important amenity to connect beyond local neighborhoods. We see the loss of the phone booth as a loss of public infrastructure in our cities. Our design reshapes that public facility by creating a stylish, small home - a home phone.

Coffee Cuff

An elegant wooden bracelet that can slip off your wrist and onto your coffee cup. Fashion + function. Handmade from reclaimed architectural veneer offcuts.

Now that's what I call 'GOOD DESIGN', I love these responsible design solutions.

Walls are dancing Matt W Moore

This summer mural painter Matt W. Moore created a series of live painting performances on walls “Walls Are Dancing” in MARSEILLE, LYON, and PARIS. Directors Le Groupuscule captured the evolution of each mural, gathering over 700,000 pictures, that were edited as a stop-motion animation to an unreleased track by Monsieur Monsieur to create this music video. This collaboration of 3 artistic disciplines to make walls dance is part of the global initiative : Let’s Colour Project.

I love this video!...hats off to the team who put together this AMAZING stop animation and of course to the artist himself for brightening up those bland walls, perfect for the summer!!! 

Ethics & Sustainability (essay research)

For my recent essay, I had to add a few examples of 'good design' which was a great way to check out whats going on out there in the eco friendly world.


I found these few simple, yet effective concepts to get my brain ticking for what to write about...and was interested at harnessing natural energy sources such as solar, wind and water power. I chose my local gym as my location, (as I've become an avid user lately), and became interested in kinetic energy, why not use our own power source to power lights while we work out, or even our own ipods?...

The Dancepants Kinetic Music Player is powered by kinetic energy: you can only listen to your tunes as long as you're jogging.  Shortlisted for Designboom's Green Life competition, the device consists of two main parts: sports pants with interwoven electronics to generate and transfer power, and the music player itself.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-11/18/kick-out-the-jams-a-music-player-powered-by-running

Any one point on a busy street can receive up to 50,000 steps a day, so imagine if you could take all that foot traffic and turn it into something useful – like energy! A new product designed by Laurence Kemball-Cook, the director of Pavegen Systems Ltd., can do just that. With a minuscule flex of 5mm, the energy generating pavement is able to absorb the kinetic energy produced by every footstep, creating 2.1 watts of electricity per hour.

http://inhabitat.com/energy-generating-pavement/pavegen-systems-energy-genrating-pavement_/

Why settle for one form of renewable energy when you can produce power with two? That’s exactly what scientists from the University of Liverpool have done by upgrading an everyday wind turbine with a new set of spinning solar blades. The team, led by Dr. Joe King, came up with the innovative solution to stymie critics who say wind turbines are “only useful when the wind is blowing” — their design doubles the functionality of traditional turbines by incorporating photovoltaic technology.

3M, the company behind Scotch Tape, is moving into alternative energy thanks to a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The company plans to use the money to develop and commercialize its new thin film solar technology known as Ultra Barrier Solar Film. The solar material is reported to have high light transmission, superb moisture barrier performance and excellent weather resistance.

 

The grant is part of the DOE’s SunShot Initiative, which aims to reduce the total cost of photovoltaic solar energy systems by 75 percent by the end of the decade. 3M’s Ultra Barrier Solar Film utilizes moisture-resistant film to replace the glass used in conventional thin film solar panels.

Whereas traditional solar panels are expensive and require involved installation systems, 3M’s solar film requires no metal racking and reduces logistics expenditures. 3M has also stated that the solar film reduces module manufacturing costs by allowing manufacturers to commercialize large area modules.

Mathieu Lehanneur & David Edwards (Pumpkin-water bag)

French designer mathieu lehanneur along with harvard professor david edwards have created 'pumpkin', an object that carries water as it conforms to the needs of its user's in both domestic and international aid situations. 

'pumpkin' is part of a three year experiment focused in south africa. an international support group is set to help local inhabitants imagine new ways of transporting water, influenced by the principles of the water vessel, but also by local ingenuity and initiative. the container was produced for commercial sale in locations throughout the developed world in 2010 with profits directed towards the charity. continual experimentation is aimed at improving access to water in some of the harshest environments around the world. 

The vessel for everyday use is composed of two detachable parts that clip together to serve as a shoulder bag that holds up to one and a half liters of water while transporting personal items. when being used for sport, such as hiking, the object detaches from the bag and connects to other tubes that can hold between four and eight liters of water, encircling the user's head or, like a rucksack, slinging around the back. when requiring large quantities, as in hard work or relief conditions, the container can hold up to fifteen liters of water around the shoulders and neck or torso. 

Gal ben-arav (bamboo bench)

Bamboo is a plant that is quickly replenished, making it a sustainable choice for construction.it also has a high mechanical strength and durability to weather conditions. choosing to use the material in its natural and raw form, israeli designer gal ben-arav has developed the 'bamboo bench'. he has done so in wanting to maintain the materialism, simplicity and natural morphology of the quickly growing species, while on the other hand, creating a conflict and tension between it and industry - aluminium casting.



So so easy and durable...back to simplicity!...great idea!

The seating unit can be formed using two different bench typologies: with or without a back.two cast aluminum frames, reflecting the silhouette of a chair or stool form the structural support of the bench. raw pieces of bamboo fill the frames, acting as both the seat and back of the furniture object. the frames can be adjusted along the length of the bamboo used according to structural needs and weight limits.

Hovding airbag helmet for cyclists

'hövding', produced by swedish design company hövding sverige ab, is an airbag system for bicyclists, designed as a fashionable but practical alternative to helmets. a hood-shaped, nylon airbag is encased within a neck collar and is automatically inflated in the event of a crash by a sensor system. washable fabric shells that fit over the collar create a range of looks for the device, designed to seamlessly incorporate into one's daily outfits.

the zip-up collar incorporates an on/off switch (on when the collar is zipped and buttoned; off when the snap is unbuttoned), an LED battery display meter, and a micro USB port for charging the battery and uploading accident information following a crash.