Tag Archives: Exhibitions

350 paper planes were floated from The Guggenheim’s top floor calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine

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On March 5, on a Saturday afternoon, a group of 15 artists and activists launched 350 paper planes from the top floor of The Guggenheim calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Deployed during peak visiting hours, the 350 paper planes floated from the museum’s top floor to the ground, between floors brimming with people. As Russian forces invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had requested NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but the request was rejected by NATO for fear of bringing more countries into the conflict since they would have to shoot down any Russian aircraft flying over Ukraine.

So far NATO, led by the United States, has announced it would not intervene by air or land, rejecting the possibility of taking on Russian forces. The paper planes that flew through the Guggenheim had a clear message for citizens of the world,

It reads, “This jet is made of paper. But what if it were steel and carried bombs over the heads of the ones you love? Right now, Russia is making deliberate efforts to blow up the largest nuclear plant in Europe in order to wipe out the Ukrainian population. This would give Putin control over Ukrainian land. But that is not the end. Russia wants to move its nuclear arsenal to the Ukrainian-Polish border and push its army further west. Putin has openly said this many times. This is no longer a local conflict. Act now to save the world. Ask president Biden to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Protect the sky over Ukraine. Full embargo on Russia. Boycott Russian influence in cultural and political institutions.”

Upon entry to The Guggenheim, museum security guards barred two artists and activists from entering who were given the option to enter without the bag of flyers in tow. Artists Anton Varga, Bea Fremderman, V Pan, and Volk Lika were among the 15 organizers behind the act.

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The Best of MWC 2022 – Product Design in a Mobile World

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The Mobile World Congress this year is unsurprisingly filled with phones and Metaverse references, but producers and consumers are thankfully becoming more aware of the deeper impact these products have in our lives and on the planet.

Next to CES, MWC is an auspicious time for companies to show off their wares, especially those related to smartphones, tablets, and even the new “Metaverse.” Despite the onslaught of COVID-19 since 2020, the smartphone market shows no signs of declining, at least to a significant degree. After two years, MWC 2022 sees a return to face-to-face exhibits and interactions that almost feels surreal given previous events. It’s not as jam-packed and as frantic as before, but that’s not the only thing that’s different this year. There’s also an increased consciousness of the role that thoughtful product design plays in improving people’s lives, both directly and indirectly through sustainable products.

Like every year, a few of these designs and products manage to grab our attention more strongly than others. Some through their design, others through their commitment to the environment, while others are just plain fun or useful. Without further ado, here is Yanko Design’s Top 8 picks for MWC 2022, ranked!

1. OPPO Find X5 Pro

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some smartphones are regarded to be beautiful, mostly from the standpoint of people who love gadgets and tech products. They are well-designed, of course, but few would probably be standout to a designer as a thing of beauty. The OPPO Find X5 Pro breaks out of the mold in more ways than one.

The phone’s design takes minimalism to heart without going overboard and ditching features. The cameras are still there, but they aren’t as in your face as most camera bumps are these days. The structure rises so smoothly and so softly from the surface of the phone, like a dune in a desert after a sandstorm. You have a single continuous form that looks and feels unbroken, even with the camera holes and branding.

OPPO’s choice of ceramic material also brings joy to the hands. The white colorway exudes an atmosphere of peace, while the black finish pulls you into its dark depths and into a meditative state. Both are sleek and clean, even if the black does become a fingerprint magnet. Wiping off those smudges can itself even become a mindfulness practice.

What makes the OPPO Find X5 Pro’s understated beauty even more compelling is its relevance. We live very busy lives in an ever-changing world that’s still recovering from two chaotic years. Smartphones have become our faithful companions and weapons in navigating this world, but they have also become sources of stress and, in some cases, addiction. OPPO’s “futuristic” design actually goes back in time and back to the basics, offering an oasis of calmness and comfort for the eyes, the hands, and the mind.

Designer: OPPO

2. Realme GT2

Realme gets the silver medal for the GT2 and GT2 Pro phones not in the uniqueness of their designs but for the boldness of their statement. True, the Paper White and Paper Green models of these phones do have unique patterns and textures that try to recreate the look and feel of paper, but that pales in comparison to the message that the design is trying to send.

Taking inspiration from paper and other sustainable materials, Realme adopted a bio-based polymer to create the shell of these two colorways. Although the phone is far from being recyclable, the novel material significantly reduces the carbon emission overhead of producing these phones. The Realme GT2 is only the second of two phones boasting a TCO 9.0 certification for its positive impact on the environment.

This bio-based polymer might be a one-off thing, but Realme is at least making a lot of noise about its other efforts to create a greener tomorrow. Like many smartphone makers these days, it is reducing the amount of plastic in its packaging and increasing its use of sustainable materials. With the Realme GT2 series, it’s also committing to planting a tree for every phone sold. As one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in the market, it has a big responsibility in creating awareness and doing its part to help protect the environment. It deserves major props for getting the ball rolling in this arena.

Designer: Naoto Fukasawa for Realme

3. TCL Ultra Flex

Foldable phones are going to be around for a while, even if they won’t become the future. The new experiences it enables are both exciting and challenging, especially for designers. We’re still a few hundred steps away from the perfect foldable screen, which makes it the perfect time for designers and manufacturers to play around with new ideas and test out prototypes.

Samsung and LG aren’t the only ones having fun with deformable screens, of course. TCL is right up there with some even crazier ideas that actually become working prototypes. It hasn’t sold any of that technology yet, though, or at least the flexible screens it has been developing. That gives it at least more time and leeway to bring more ideas to light, including this one it showed off at MWC 2022.

Foldable phones seem to have adopted Samsung’s “innie” design, where the flexible screen folds inward like a book, protected by the phone’s external frame. It’s not the only way to fold, of course, but it is currently the winner, despite requiring an extra screen on the outside to make the phone usable even when folded. Some think that allowing a screen to fold in and out would be the ideal option, leaving the owner to decide which method is best, and that’s exactly what the TCL Ultra Flex tries to do.

As a prototype, it’s not exactly the prettiest nor the most usable, but it does try to prove that it can be done. Of course, there remain many questions about its durability, not to mention its economy, but there’s plenty of time for the company to figure that out. Once it does, TCL will have the opportunity to shape the foldable device market and, consequently, shape the new experiences that these devices will offer.

Designer: TCL

4. Huawei MatePad Paper

Tablets are making a comeback, especially from the Android side. These increasingly larger slates are getting more powerful to the point that they are being positioned as laptop replacements. Tablets, however, do have new competition in the form of more powerful and more talented e-book readers, often called eReaders. Huawei, however, is putting a different spin on that idea and is targeting a very specific and probably niche market.

The Huawei MatePad Paper does come with the trappings of a typical e-book reader, one that uses the popular E-Ink display to give your eyes and the device’s battery a well-deserved reprieve. What makes this new contender different is that reading is actually just its secondary purpose. Its primary goal is to replace your paper notebook instead.

That is definitely a tall order, especially with so many expectations coming from die-hard pen and paper users. You can really only do so much to try and replicate the feel of pen or pencil writing on a material like paper using a plastic stylus nib and glass. Huawei has made a good approximation, but the MatePad Paper’s features try to make up for whatever flaw there is in that experience.

The Huawei MatePad Paper is designed primarily to be a notebook, and the software it has reflects that purpose. In addition to typical note-taking, it even has features for creating your own digital journal and copying content directly from a Huawei laptop. It can also record audio while you’re jotting down notes and play it back later when you need more than just a visual reminder. Its lightweight and portable design makes it an almost perfect companion to keep your design ideas and references, and its simpler functions, at least compared to a tablet, leave very little room for distractions as well.

Designer: Huawei

5. HTC Viverse

The Metaverse is everywhere, at least when it comes to marketing and buzzwords. Just like the early days of the cloud, the term is still a bit hard to qualify and quantify in its current form. This, of course, leaves the doors wide open for any interpretation, implementation, and vision. Despite its name, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, doesn’t have a monopoly on the Metaverse (at least not yet), and its rival in the VR space is putting down some stakes on the ground to claim a bit of that space.

HTC’s Viverse is still a work in progress, but its ambition is no less grand than others. Its Vive VR platform already laid the groundwork for some Metaverse-compatible experiences, like holding events and meetings in virtual worlds. It is also envisioning more interactive experiences, like buying or paying for goods using cryptocurrencies and, of course, buying NFT art.

What makes the Viverse more encompassing is that HTC isn’t stopping with its Vive VR platform. Ideally, the Metaverse experience will extend to almost any device with a screen, like a smartphone, a tablet, or even a computer with a web browser. Without this seamless cross-platform experience, the Metaverse will be limited to a few people that have no problems wearing headsets or eyewear all the time, which doesn’t really sound Metaverse-like.

Designer: HTC Vive

6. Lenovo ThinkPad X13s

Let’s face it, most laptop designs don’t exactly excite, especially when they look like any other laptop in the market. Although there are a few that do stand out, they are far and few in between. When Lenovo announced a host of new laptops at MWC 2022 this week, we almost gave it a pass, but one new entry piqued our curiosity in more ways than one.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X13s has the distinction of being the first ThinkPad to be powered by an ARM Snapdragon processor, a glowing recommendation considering the strength of Lenovo’s brand. With the attention that Apple’s M1 chip has been getting since it launched, there has been a great deal of interest in seeing more Windows laptops running on this platform.

What this means for designers is that the ThinkPad X13s will last longer than most other laptops on a single charge. This translates to longer working times away from a power outlet and more freedom to work the way they want. There are still some problems with app compatibility with Windows on ARM, but staples like Adobe’s suite and ZBrush are completely supported already.

The ThinkPad X13s also has a rather intriguing design that could be best described as a “reverse notch.” Instead of going the way of the latest MacBook Pro, Lenovo opted instead to have a bit of a lip at the top of the screen to accommodate the camera and security hardware. That said, the bezels around the screen are still on the thick side, so there doesn’t seem to be anything gained from that unusual design.

Designer: Lenovo

7. Prinker

We’ve already seen the Samsung-backed Prinker make its debut back in CES 2022 last January, and it has returned to once again show how well-thought design can also be fun and whimsical. Basically a handheld inkjet printer in the shape of a gigantic ink cartridge, Prinker offers almost endless fun in putting temporary tattoos on almost any part of your body.

What makes this product special is that it combines existing ideas and technologies in a way that creates a totally new experience, the marks of a great product design. Plus, it’s also fun and safe, a win-win situation for young people craving to add a bit of personalization and identity, even at the wildest of parties.

Designer: Prinker (Samsung)

8. Fauna

Sometimes, the best solutions are also the simplest and the most inconspicuous. That’s the kind of solution that Fauna’s audio sunglasses try to offer, solving multiple problems with a single and stylish product. Part eyewear and part open ear headphones, Fauna lets you enjoy your music while keeping safe and looking great, all at the same time.

This kind of integrated solution will be critical in the next few years, especially as technology becomes even more deeply embedded in our lives. Ordinary objects like eyeglasses, rings, and even clothing will soon be connected to a network thanks to technologies like 5G (or 6G even), flexible screens, and wearable circuitry. These, in turn, will pave the way for the so-called Metaverse to become as normal and as ordinary as the real universe.

Designer: Fauna

Wrap-up

Mobile technology and consumer devices have grown by leaps and bounds ever since the iPhone first came out more than a decade ago. Smartphones, tablets, and the accessories built around them have become almost unavoidable parts of modern life. There are no signs of things slowing down, which doesn’t bode well for humanity and the planet in the grand scheme of things. Fortunately, there are signs of things shifting for the better as well.

Just like at CES 2022, we saw positive indicators that both manufacturers and consumers are becoming more aware of how these devices have indirect effects on lives and the environment. From focusing on mental health in addition to physical fitness to embracing and promoting sustainable practices, the design of products, both physical and digital, are seemingly taking a turn for the better. While foldable phones, the Metaverse, and dozens of identical devices will continue to flood the market, there is at least some hope that the people pushing these products and technologies have grown more conscientious of the role they play in building a better future.

The post The Best of MWC 2022 – Product Design in a Mobile World first appeared on Yanko Design.

Paperless Pavilion in Guangzhou Design Week lives up to its name

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Most of us probably dream of eventually having paperless events or at least those that do not waste that much paper. Anyone who has ever been to a physical event, specifically conferences, exhibitions, and expositions has gone home with a bagful of pamphlets, brochures, and other paper materials that you probably will not use in the future and will just be thrown away. So a lot of exhibitors are now thinking of ways to lessen paper waste and one at the recent 2021 Guangzhou Design Week went an extra step.

If you were able to go to the Guangzhou design expo last month and visited the Netherlands booth, then you were able to experience the Paperless Pavilion showcasing the latest Dutch design strategies. But for those that are still stuck viewing expos and exhibits from the comfort of our own homes, this is what we missed, at least from the pavilion from the Dutch contingent. This was collaborated on by the Dutch Consulate, multimedia designer Shard Island, light innovator Signify, and Superimpose Architecture.

Designers: Carolyn Leung, Ben de Lange, Ruben Bergambagt and JunWei Loh

The main idea for the Paperless Pavilion is in the name itself. They wanted to minimize or do away with the use of the usual posters and pamphlets that booths normally have and instead create something that would still bring content to the visitors through live and digital presentations. But rather than just use the standard LCD screens, they came up with something to display innovative Dutch design. The whole area had plasterboard painted white with a brushed metallic veneer layer.

They also weren’t satisfied with just using typical LED lights but instead highlighted it with curved walls. Even the acoustics of the pavilion was incorporated into the design by using a special carpet to complement the curved outer wall and the entrance atriums to give better acoustics for the videos and other audio materials. If visitors want to “take home” the information that they got from the presentations, there’s a QR code where all the materials are saved and can be accessed.

Expos usually have a ton of booths that you can visit so exhibitors will want to have a space that stands out to attract visitors. The Paperless Pavilion used 124 linear LED light fixtures arranged into colorful, horizontal bands. And because this is the Dutch pavilion, they were arranged like you were looking at tulip flower fields. And when there’s an event within the area, the lights are part of the presentations, reflecting into abstract colors on the walls.

Some may wonder if the materials used in the Paperless Pavilion actually cancel out the idea of becoming more sustainable by not using paper. Superimpose Architecture assures us that the LED lights will be reused after the exhibit so that should not really be a problem.

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LEGO master builder Mitsuru Nikaido creates detailed animal sculptures that will shock and awe you

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Mitsuru Nikaido, a Kurashiki-based artist, makes sculptures of different animal species from LEGO building blocks.

Mitsuru Nikaido has been creating intricate sculptures out of LEGO building blocks for years. Backed with a wide-ranging and diverse portfolio, Nikaido feels most inspired to build his sculptures in the shapes of different animal species.

Designer: Mitsuru Nikaido

When constructing his sculptures, the Japanese LEGO enthusiast tends towards a cyberpunk aesthetic and gray-scale color palette to highlight his signature style. His varied collection includes LEGO sculptures of walruses, Huntsman spiders, crayfish, cicadas, triceratops, beetles, shoebills, and even microscopic water bears.

Based in Kurashiki, Nikaido mostly utilizes the gray-toned LEGO bricks, only relying on brightly-colored bricked to accentuate an animal’s defining feature, like a pair of electric eyes or a lustrous beak. While any one of Nikaido’s sculptures can impress without any movement, some of his works feature spring-loaded limbs, like flexible joints and a wagging tail, that shine a spotlight on the potential of LEGO building blocks.

Nikaido mostly exhibits his sculptures on his social media channels, and a select few of his pieces of artwork are for sale on his website. Alternatively, interested viewers can see his sculptures on display at the LEGO House in Denmark.

Nikaido’s Mecha Cicada creation.

Nikaido’s Mecha Beetle creation.

Nikaido’s Mecha Water Bear sculpture.

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LEGO and Minion-inspired creatures take over the French street bollards with artist Le CyKlop!

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French street artist Le CyKlop transforms city bollards into anthropomorphic, LEGO-inspired caricatures using yellow spray paint and his own sticker designs, dubbing the urban art Angry L’éGO.

Cities across the globe are home to unconventional local celebrities who turn sidewalks and building facades into blank public canvases where they can stamp their own artful print. In Paris, urban street artist Le CyKlop transforms the cobblestone avenues into LEGO-inspired city sets. Using his own sticker designs, Le CyKlop spray paints the tips of street bollards in yellow, finishing them off with anthropomorphic stickers that make each bollard look like one-eyed LEGO characters, dubbing the public art Angry L’éGO.

Beginning in 2014, Le CyKlop, a French street artist, has transformed bollards into LEGO figures throughout France. Le CyKlop has brought LEGO-inspired street art to different communes like Pantin, Colombes, and Montreuil.

After first picking out the bollards that he thinks could use some bright yellow makeup, Le CyKlop spray paints them so it looks like they’ve been turned upside down and dipped in yellow paint. Then, Le CyKlop pops some stickers onto the bollards, giving each one a distinct cyclops-inspired facial expression ranging from happiness to mischievous, and from fear to anger.

Le CyKlop found inspiration for his urban art through Greek mythology and the iconic building blocks brand LEGO. Describing his spray paint street art, Le CyKlop notes, “In my work, I try to break free from conventional supports such as walls or canvas, to invest in the objects. By putting an eye on them, I try to make them come alive, to give them a soul and to give birth to a form of fantasy.”

Designer: Le CyKlop

This Japanese architect’s fairytale teahouse covered in a grassy facade is topped with a yakisugi-treated timber loft!

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Japanese architect and architectural historian Terunobu Fujimori is known for his quirky teahouses and fondness for unusual city structures. His latest tea house transports an elf’s cottage from the pages of a fairytale to the concrete of Tokyo. Featuring grassy facades, timber treated with yakisugi, and a lofty vista point, the teahouse, called Goan, is sightly positioned in front of the new National Stadium of Tokyo where it remained until 5 September 2021 in celebration of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Poking out from the corner of one facade, visitors can crawl through a circular hole, traditionally known as a ‘Nijiriguchi,’ to gain entry to the tea room’s interior. Moving inside, visitors pass through the grassy exterior and are welcomed by an entirely unstained wooden first floor. Functioning as a reinterpretation of ‘Nijiriguchi,’ a small wooden staircase and ladder connects the bottom floor with the upper tea room.

Upstairs, visitors can enjoy a cup of tea and a view of the National Stadium designed by Kengo Kuma. From the outside, the upstairs tearoom inside Goan is visually separated from the first floor with a timber exterior constructed from yakisugi treated wood, a traditional Japanese method of wood preservation. The tea room is swaddled in polished natural wooden panels and furniture, giving the room an air of organic warmth.

Standing as one of eight pavilions that are designed to showcase Japan’s future of urban architecture and art, the Goan Teahouse was installed as part of the city’s Pavilion Tokyo 2021 initiative. The initiative coincided with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where six world-renowned Japanese architects and two artists each designed a one-of-a-kind pavilion for fans of the games and city visitors and residents to enjoy.

Designer: Terunobu Fujimori

Plots of grass were used to cover the exterior of Goan, a natural choice for Fujimori. 

Inside, visitors access the upper tearoom via a wooden staircase and ladder, a reinterpretation of ‘nijiriguchi.’

Upstairs, visitors can enjoy a cup of tea and city views inside a room decked out in polished natural wood.

The National Stadium designed by Kengo Kuma is a direct sightline from the upper vista point inside the tearoom. 

Fujimori worked alongside undergraduate architecture students from Ouchida Laboratory to finish Goan. 

Fujimori’s plans for Goan are now on display at the Watarium Art Museum.

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A sneak peak at what’s in store at this year’s Maison&Objet event at the Paris Design Week

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Following fifteen intense months of nothing but online activities, the real-world version of the trade fair is about to make its much-awaited return… but a lot has changed since March of last year, and even the design industry has seen its fair share of upheavals. In preparing for its grand return, Maison&Objet conducted a survey among 1,152 international industry professionals to keep their finger firmly on the pulse of the design, decoration, and lifestyle community. The results of the survey would help them determine the best way to restructure their grand event, while ultimately crafting a trade fair that helps the creative community flourish.

Click Here to Buy Tickets Now: $70 $95 (26% off). Hurry, Early Bird ends September 8, 2021.

Maison&Objet found that an overwhelming majority (65%) of those surveyed shared a positive outlook on the future of the design/decoration/lifestyle industry, with 20% of brands even expressing an intent to expand their teams. As a recap of the past 15 months, almost every survey participant admitted that the pandemic forced them to pivot to the online space. “It has now become clear that having a social media presence – and notably an Instagram account – and setting up an online store is one of the most crucial growth levers retailers can adopt”, mentions Maison&Objet’s report on the survey. A sudden halt on international trade even prompted brands to ‘go native’ and rely less on imports while focusing on creating more ethical, locally made products… a direction that was welcomed by consumers too. However, a primarily online-driven business had its limitations… as did a virtual trade-fair. An in-person edition of the Maison&Objet provided more than just a showcase of products. It gave people the opportunity to touch, smell, feel, and experience designs (something that a website couldn’t do), while also allowing brands and retailers to celebrate the hard work gone into launching new creations while also getting to network with each other and compete to return with better products the following year.

Determined to bring back that ‘joie de vivre’ of a real-world exhibition, the Maison&Objet event returns for a live in-person event in Paris from the 9th to the 13th of September, flagging off Paris Design Week from the 9th to the 18th of September. Over 1,300 brands have confirmed their attendance at this year’s Maison&Objet, highlighting the grandeur of the trade fair’s comeback while also the responsibilities needed to be taken to conduct the fair safely. The hosts, in consultation with the government health authorities, plan on issuing health passes for all attendees. Masks will be mandatory and hand-sanitizing stations will be set up at regular intervals. Various traffic regulating measures are also in place, ensuring that aisles/stalls are kept at least 3 meters (9.8 feet) apart and that physical distancing regulations are followed along with a strict occupancy-limit per hall. For design enthusiasts who won’t be able to make it to Paris this year, the MOM virtual showcase will help you explore all the works by their categories and brands – Yanko Design will even curate a special MOM newsletter featuring a collection of our hottest designs from the event this year… and you can scroll down for a fleeting taste of what to expect at one of design’s biggest trade shows!

The Hoverpen 2.0 Interstellar Edition by David Liang

A winner of several international design awards, the Hoverpen is a uniquely alluring pen that hovers at a precise 23.5° inside its levitating stand.

Lovebox Color & Photo by Xavier Houy

The Lovebox is a connected, messaging device that pairs with an app to go beyond regular communication and deliver special expressions of affection. Think of it as a physical symbol of your digital memories and intrinsic emotions.

Closca Helmet by Closca Design

Headgear like the Closca Helmet are truly a one-in-a-million sort of thing. It collapses flat when you need to store it, and opens out into an ergonomic head-shell when you need to wear it. Not to mention, it comes with the additional benefit of providing ventilation thanks to the air-vents in its unique design.

Heng Balance Lamp by Allocacoc

The award-winning Heng’s clever design lies in its brilliant element of interaction that controls the lamp’s light. The lamp’s hollow center has two magnetic orbs within it that switch on and off the light within the lamp’s ring. The strings are short enough to allow both the orbs to be attracted to each other, yet still not touch. When the lower orb enters the magnetic field of the upper one, the lamp switches on. Release the lower orb and the lamp goes off.

EcHome Speaker by Sharon Lin

A universal speaker that relies on the power of acoustics instead of the connectivity of Bluetooth, the EcHome speaker simply creates an echo-chamber around your smartphone’s speakers, amplifying them naturally. The wooden speaker doesn’t rely on any electronics or a battery and will work with any phone, every time!

ONE3 Ruler Pencil by TA+d

By fusing two products into a single form, the ONE3 Ruler Pencil isn’t just compact, it’s conveniently classy too! The ruler boasts of a triangular design that’s easy to grip and maneuver, but it comes with a hollow center that’s perfectly designed to store the ONE3’s pencil when not in use. A magnet even holds the pencil in place, preventing it from accidentally falling out.

Architect’s Gambit by Veerada Siripong

Inspired by the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit”, this unique looking chess-set was created with an architect’s mindset, using geometrically-designed chess pieces that look like an abstract city layout when the pieces are on the board!

Skull DIY Sculpture by Stéphane Villain

If hunting game and taxidermy animal-heads aren’t quite your thing, Stéphane Villain’s DIY animal heads are a cruelty-free quirky-looking alternative! The heads come flat-packed and assemble like origami, adding a low-poly touch to your room’s decor!

Paper Shoot Camera by George Lin

Taking the term ‘Raw photography’ to the next level, the Paper Shoot camera is an unusual camera that’s made from eco-friendly materials. The camera’s designs are based on the philosophy of ‘less is more’ and come as an unassembled set of components that you put together, building the camera from scratch that you can then customize with your own prints and patterns!

Original Storm Umbrella by Senz°

The Original Storm Umbrella is absolutely gust-resistant! No matter how strong the wind, the umbrella’s unique design won’t ever flip over. Moreover, its aerodynamic shape was calibrated to easily cut through the air with minimal drag too, which means you can hold the umbrella comfortably with one hand in a storm! Oh, and when you’re indoors, the umbrella folds into a compact portable avatar, just like your regular umbrella.

Click Here to Buy Tickets Now: $70 $95 (26% off). Hurry, Early Bird ends September 8, 2021.

This greek mythology-inspired Temple built entirely from timber was designed to be burned at Burning Man!

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The Temple to Burning Man is like Apple to Silicon Valley–it’s what it’s known for. At Burning Man, a nine-day desert gathering, the Temple is burned to the ground in total silence on the eighth and final night. While the Temple functions as a non-denominational, spiritual gathering space for Burning Man’s attendees, it represents a blank canvas for people to leave objects and words behind to be burned. Fernando Romero Enterprise (FR-EE), a New York and Mexico City-based architecture firm, revealed Holon Temple, an all-timber, spherical structure that’s designed to be burned.

The timber structure features interior replica altars with surrounding steps/stairs where festival-goers can reflect and meditate before the Temple burns to the ground. Each year, a new Temple is burned in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, where Burning Man is held and each year, the Temple represents something new. The wooden globe developed by FR-EE was named Holon Temple after Greek philosophy. Holon expresses that something is whole in and of itself as well as a part of a larger whole.

At Burning Man, wooden structures are designed to be burned as part of the festival’s spiritual mission. Describing the inspiration behind Holon Temple, FR-EE notes, “It can be conceived as systems nested within each other. Every entity can be considered a holon, from a subatomic particle to the entire Universe. In the design concept for our proposal, the temple represents itself as the multiverse, a group of nested universes, a holon.” Similar to the grids of latitudinal and longitudinal lines on globes, Holon Temple is built on 48 “latitudinal” trusses and 34 “longitudinal” wooden beams, a number representative of the years Burning Man has existed.

From the outside, Holon Temple really does appear like a globe, a microcosmic model of Earth in the Black Rock Desert. The curvilinear trusses and globular structure of Holon Temple are symbolic of perfect order in the Universe and the Temple stands as a whole in and of itself, in addition to being part of a larger whole. On the eighth night of Burning Man, either the entire Temple or a miniature replica inside of Holon Temple would be burned. As the interior altar burns, the smoke would rise through the Temple’s cluster of compression rings, symbolizing the inevitable return of parts to a whole.

Designer: Fernando Romero Enterprise (FR-EE)

 

 

As part of their bid for a spot at Burning Man, the environmental impact and give back had to be calculated.

This floating bubble visualization by Carlo Ratti emphasizes forestry by showing how much carbon dioxide each tree absorbs

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Escaping city sidewalks and standstill traffic for a botanical garden’s grassy lawn lined with rows of trees, butterfly gardens, and flower bushes seems like a deal most of us would be willing to make. While they offer a nice respite from the bustle of city life, trips to the botanical garden also make for insightful learning experiences. In the Brera Botanical Garden, in Milan, energy company Eni and international design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati have introduced Natural Capital, one of the largest data visualizations ever produced to showcase the importance of trees for a sustainable world.

With sights set on being one of the largest data visualizations in the world, Natural Capital demonstrates how trees store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, driving home the importance of forest protection. Extending over Milan’s 500-square-meter garden, Natural Capital showcases plots of floating bubbles that project the amount of carbon dioxide their corresponding trees can capture and store during their life cycle. Walking through Brera Botanical Garden, guests will be met with three-dimensional graphics that showcase the key role that forests play in providing living things with healthy air to breathe, hinting at the symbiotic relationship between trees and humans. Bringing the point full circle, guests will be greeted at Brera Botanical Garden’s entrance by a stationary, giant sphere that illustrates the average amount of carbon dioxide produced by the human body per year.

Speaking on the contrast between the trees’ floating bubbles and the park’s giant stationary sphere, the designers say that it “illuminates the fundamental role that plants play in guaranteeing the planet’s health and limiting global warming. The comparison allows visitors to understand the symbiosis between humans and nature: the former produces carbon dioxide, the latter stores it.” Continuing their collaboration in exploring new circular economy and sustainability paradigms, CRA and Eni remain committed to protecting and conserving forests through decarbonization projects that aim for a more sustainable world.

Designer: Eni x Carlo Ratti Associati

Floating near their corresponding tree or shrub, each bubble will display the plant’s scientific name, age, and amount of carbon dioxide it will store during its lifetime.

Walking through Brera Botanical Garden, guests will learn about the symbiotic relationship between humans’ need for oxygen and trees’ ability to produce it through storing carbon dioxide.

Designers behind Natural Capital note that “Natural Capital aims to experiment with a new design medium, turning data visualization into a tangible, spatial experience, bringing the natural and the artificial worlds a little bit closer together.”

Inspired by the clouds, this art installation was designed to be your happy place!

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Every kid has dreamed of sitting inside of a cloud. As a young kid, I pictured them as being more like tough, hovering wads of cotton candy that were thick enough to hold weight but airy enough to stay in the sky. The day I heard that you’d fall right through if you tried to sit on top of one was the day my dreams of sitting on the clouds ended. But today, Valencia-based Clap Studio has designed an art installation called Cumulus that brings those dreams of sitting inside of clouds back to life.

Inspired by the lightness and calm of clouds, Cumulus was designed to be a muted, soothing hub with a partly enclosed interior where people can feel at ease. Pulled taut around steel beams that form the shape of a sphere or Chinese lantern, the elastic fabric creates a round, internal space that’s similar to the feel of a trampoline. Inside, the globe of bright white fabric evokes the feeling of being suspended inside of a cloud. Three hanging light fixtures also brighten the interior to enhance the interior’s relaxing ambiance, mixing warm fluorescent light with the optic brightness of the elastic fabric.

Speaking on the design of Cumulus, the designers note that, “Inside the cloud, the body seems to gravitate with a feeling of lightness, it is the place where calm reigns. Through the fabric, you get to see only the shadows of what is outside and the sounds aren’t clear enough to perceive their origin.” As the years go by and human productivity increases, at times it might feel like the feeling of calm is a depleted resource. Installations like Cumulus help to make moments of respite that much more accessible, bringing us back to the magic we felt when we thought we could sit on the clouds.

Designer: Clap Studio

With elastic fabric similar to that found on trampolines, Cumulus is tensile and springy.

Partly enclosed, Cumulus features a circular hole that grants entry and exit to the installation with an attachable net that props guests in the installation’s center.

Guests can cozy into the corners of Cumulus to recline deeply against the installation’s side walls.

Hanging light fixtures brighten the space to enhance Cumulus’s cloudlike ambiance.

Opening up to the sky, an exposed skylight reveals views of actual clouds in the sky.

Shadows emanate from the outside looking in and vice versa, thanks to the elastic fabric’s membrane-like skin.