Tag Archives: Exhibitions

This sustainable interlocking system lets vendors reuse, reshape, and reduce the stall waste at festivals

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Picture this, you are at a festival that is bustling with stalls – you are trying different food, shopping for little items, taking pictures of the experiential booths. But have you ever come back to the scene after the festival is over? After the festival is over it is basically a giant waste site of all the dismantled temporary stalls. Plexus was designed to eliminate the waste generated by these exhibitions without taking away from their charm!

Vendors never really re-use the stalls as they might have a different need in terms of sizes and themes depending on the event. However, constantly investing in new stalls not only creates waste but is also costly. Plexus is a waste-reducing prototype that was made keeping in mind the needs of vendors as well as the environment. The unique construction of Plexus reminds me of tazzos. It is a network of two components – nodes and connectors – that lets you make 1000 stall variations with different shapes and sizes. The adaptable system is designed on a cellular automata model and can be flat-packed in crates for easy shipping. “Cellular automata are mathematical models designed to construct the complexity of natural systems displayed in a diverse naturally occurring phenomena. This complexity model consists of simple systems resulting in dynamic field behavior when interacting with each other,” explains the team.

Plexus draws inspiration for its amorphous frame from nature from the lattice-like body of a Venus flower basket giving it an easy plug-and-play feel. “It is designed as an intricate network, whereby a series of simple components, based on aggregation principles, can result in a new design of the display booth for every exhibition, and also a new brand image. Designed as a universal model, this system can adapt to nonstandard stall sizes and to a differentiated product range,” said Britta Knobel Gupta and Amit Gupta, Founding Partners, Studio Symbiosis.

Events like festivals, fairs, and exhibitions are where vendors can market their product directly to the consumers – it is a place ripe with opportunities for business. With Plexus, vendors can reduce waste drastically without changing the way they participate in these events. Since it is reusable and can be molded into different forms which allow vendors to keep things fresh and creative without adding on extra costs.

Designer: Studio Symbiosis





This first ever nature preserve in Hong Kong brings the beauty of biodiversity to the concrete jungle!

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If you live in a city, nature might sometimes feel further away than it really is – and when you don’t have a car to take you up the coast to the mountains in a matter of hours, that distance feels even longer. Different institutions like museums and zoos are capable of taking us out of that urban haze for the moment, but soon enough, their icy exteriors, contemporary layout, and revolving doors spit us out onto the sidewalks, reminding us that our city ‘jungles’ still mostly consist of concrete. In Hong Kong, however, a nature preserve, built by LAAB Architects and PLandscape cozies up and beneath skyscrapers to change the urbanite’s relationship with nature.

LAAB Architects and PLandscape have teamed up to create The Nature Discovery Park, a rooftop nature conservatory that takes an educational approach to provide city dwellers with a much-needed escape to nature and lessons for younger generations in preserving their own city’s biodiversity. In order to embrace open-air facilities like restaurants and learning centers, the Nature Discovery Park is situated on the roof of Hong Kong’s harbor cultural center K11 MUSEA. Adaptive to unpredictable weather and air quality, the park’s main greenhouse utilizes telescopic sliding glass doors to facilitate naturally ventilated, alfresco learning experiences. The structure’s frame is constructed from steel and aluminum, while the interior attributes its furnishings to wood that was harvested from sustainably managed forests. The nature preserve’s own gardens are dotted and sprawling with plant boxes of Hong Kong’s prevalent biodiversity. Teeming with sweeping branches and long-leafed bushes that seem to overflow onto the grass walkways, guests of The Nature Discovery Park can follow the curated landscape, learning about the city’s natural life along the way. Finding its center between luscious greenery and butterfly gardens, the prefabricated greenhouse was installed on-site to avoid wasteful construction practices and keeps a hydroponic nursery, providing a no-soil means for horticulture.

The main keep of the nature preserve is also home to a farm-to-table dining experience and herbarium museum that showcases Hong Kong’s rich array of natural biodiversity and plant life native to its Victoria Harbor shores. The Nature Discovery Park is Hong Kong’s first biodiversity museum and sustainability-themed education park, offering workshops, tours, and interactive experiences related to both the vibrancy and diversity of Hong Kong’s ecological presence. Much Like The High Line in New York City, Nature Discovery Park’s gardens are curated and maintained to fit their city’s environment and allow guests to physically immerse themselves with the surrounding natural abundance.

Designer: LAAB Architects x PLandscape

Designed for astronauts, this machete from Case Knives celebrates more than 50 years of its debut on the moon!

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Personally, I couldn’t be in charge of making the carry-on list for astronauts traveling to the moon. Cookies would be item number one, followed by my apartment keys, and then maybe some multi-vitamins. Even my own carry-on lists for weekend trips are pretty questionable. Making a list for space travel, I’d be too distracted with how many pairs of socks the astronauts might need and totally forget the necessities, like toenail clippers or better yet, knives. Since the 1960s, back when the Gemini and Apollo missions were the subjects of every worthwhile conversation, the team at NASA put its trust in W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company, known today as Case Knives, to design the knives that astronauts would bring with them to the moon for half a century to come.

Today, Case Knives relaunches their registered trademark Case Astronaut Knife M-1 in commemoration of more than 50 years worth of space travel. The Case Astronaut Knife M-1 dons an optic white, glossy handle constructed from a space-tested combination of synthetic fibers, offering a smooth finish and an ergonomic grip for accurate and controlled use. The As-Ground machete blade comes with a bite, ground from stainless steel blocks, and a heavy gauge with a double row of sharp saw teeth along its spine. Machete blade’s modus operandi is in survival. Used for heavy-duty jobs like bushwhacking, coppicing, and butchering, machetes are no joke and proved necessary by NASA for use in such an unpredictable environment like outer space. As an entire knife, the Case Astronaut Knife M-1 weighs 7.5oz, measures at 16-inches, with its blade reaching a length of 11.75-inches.

The Gemini and Apollo missions to the moon back in the 60s required some new survival training for prospective space travelers and what better weapon to have at your side for survival on the moon than a machete? Picture your favorite heroes from jungle-adventure films slicing through the tangled brush with a machete the length of their torso. Shrinking that machete’s length down to fit into NASA’s survival kit was a job sufficiently handled by W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company and more than 50 years later, Case Knives celebrates a job well done.

Designer: Case Knives

Click Here to Buy Now!

Constructed from stainless steel, the Case Astronaut Knife M-1 was designed in order to equip astronauts with an essential survival tool for trips to the moon.

An ergonomic handle gives the Case Astronaut Knife M-1 the punch it needs for astronauts to use it for precise and controlled jobs that require a knife.

The Case Astronaut Knife M-1 comes protected in a themed package reminiscent of its trip to the moon back in the 1960s when NASA first entrusted W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company to make the first knife specifically designed for space travel.

Design of the Year 2020 award goes to pink seesaws installation on the US-Mexico border!

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2021 is the promised year – the year of redemption and even though COVID is still at large, we know we are looking to make the planet a better place. The sentiments that gripped us this year had a range – from empathy, despair, and joy, the one thing that survived was humanity’s fighting spirit (remember Darvin and survival of the fittest!). The Design of the Year award encompasses the same feeling that we have been battling the entire year – through our silent tears and the moments when you picked yourself up at your lows – the award is given to an installation that made us smile through all the troubles that came our way. Meet the Teeter-Totter Wall, a wall that bridged across El Paso (Texas) and Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, and helped the children in US and Mexico interact with each other, eliciting joy and the brought warmth to our heart.

The Teeter-Totter Wall was titled the winner of the Beazley Design of the Year awards, which are organized by London’s Design Museum every year and were also named as the transport category winner. “The Teeter-Totter Wall encouraged new ways of human connection,” said Tim Marlow, the chief executive, and director of the Design Museum, in a press statement. “It remains an inventive and poignant reminder of how human beings can transcend the forces that seek to divide us.” Judged by a panel of 5 people, including designer Camille Walala and Ma-tt-er founder Seetal Solanki, the award was decided, quite aptly, after President-elect Joe Biden was declared victorious in the US Presidential election. The creators of the seesaws, Ronald Rael (professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley) and Virginia San Fratello (an associate professor of design at San José State University) state “It’s become increasingly clear that walls don’t work.” San Fratello added. “Walls did not keep the violent protestors out of our government buildings and they have not kept Covid out of our country. We should be building bridges, not walls.” In reality, the design was actually conceptualized almost 10 years ago, while the bright pink colour was inspired by the femicide memorials in Ciudad Juárez, which pay homage to the women murdered in that city.While the wall was live for only about 40 minutes, the joy it inspired was enough to go make the installation go viral.

“We are living in a time when people are longing for meaningful connections and we would like to think the Teeter-Totter can be an example for how we come together, to create balance and equality,” say the designers, who were inspired by the very frank but humor-filled way political cartoonists address issues. And how did they achieve the implementation of the design? Rael worked with Mexico’s Colectivo Chopeke to smuggle these seesaws into place, with one team working on each side of the border to slide the boards into place – between the tall metal slats that form the wall. And of course, the entire operation has to be done with speed since it was not an officially approved installation!

It’s 3 weeks into 2021 and we can see the world is hopeful – if nothing else, it is this award-winning design that proves our case. The world still stands for what is right, for freedom of movement, expression, and life and it is this sentiment that makes this humble, playful yet resistive installation such a powerful force. This sentiment is best echoed by assistant curator Maria McLintock “Designs of the Year this year feels more pertinent than ever, from designs that create a kinder and healthier world, to those calling out and critiquing systems of oppression, we hope it serves as a time capsule of a shifting world.” We remain hopeful!

Designers: Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello of Studio Rael San Fratello.

The 1976 Apple computer-I can now get a custom made bespoke, midcentury luxury case it deserves!

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It’s hard to imagine Steve Jobs selling his Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus to help fund and produce friend, Steve Wozniack’s hand-built and custom-designed Apple Computer-I back in 1976, but that’s how the story goes. The Apple Computer-I, more casually called Apple-I, is a desktop computer that’s hardly in circulation today due to its discontinuation with Apple-II’s debut. Wozniak and Jobs first sold Apple-1 as only a bare board, a single-etched and silkscreened circuit board, with no electronic parts so that consumers could build their own computers, only needing an additional television set and keyboard. Today, Sweden-based designer, Love Hultén builds his own re-interpretation of Apple-1, or rather a midcentury display case to cradle the old tech relic, and calls it Aple.

Aple is a bespoke, made-to-order, battery-operated display cabinet that encases original, ‘Woz-built,’ Apple motherboards from 1976 or later. Unlike Apple-I’s consumer products, Hultén’s display case comes equipped with a fully integrated keyboard and monitor protection framing that’s hand-constructed out of either black walnut or old growth teak wood. The wooden monitor housing perches above the display cabinet on an angled mount carved from the same wood as the rest of the case. On the display case’s right side, a pull out drawer reveals the motherboard’s circuitry. Mostly enclosed, Apple-I’s circuit board can be magnified by looking through the case’s plexiglass dome, resembling a crystal ball cut in half, which Love Hultén might have included to evoke 1970s era mysticism. The backside of Hultén’s Aple unveils a retro, standard switchboard that deepens the product’s tribute to the technology of yesterday, eliciting curiosity for all the functions and hidden features to be unlocked.

The development and story of Apple-I are just as exciting today as years ago and Love Hultén is giving the tech giant’s initial success a brand new stage. Love Hultén is known for taking timely products, like tropical-themed synth players and portable, arcade-period gaming consoles, and turning them into artfully funky displays that give the designs of yesterday a timeless fit for today. Be sure to check out the rest of Love Hultén’s work and hey, if you ever find yourself with one of the six operating Apple-1’s in circulation today, send it over to Hultén for a modern-day facelift, he knows what to do.

Designer: Love Hultén

From quirky to downright eccentric, 50 designers get creative with their take on toilet paper holders!

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Toilet paper is 2020’s hottest commodity. Everyone wants a piece – in fact, at one point near the start of quarantine, some of us were willing to fight one another for just a piece. That’s all to say, assuming that it’s a household item we use everyday, toilet paper is more important than we sometimes feel comfortable acknowledging.

In Echo Park, an east side neighborhood in LA, the Marta gallery showcased more than fifty different toilet paper holder designs as part of an exhibition called, “Under/Over,” that responded, in short, to the recent toilet paper shortage that reached the far corners of the USA. As a result of anxious pre-quarantine shoppers hoarding loads of toilet paper, the paper goods aisles in plenty of grocery stores were emptied out for weeks at a time. This prompted a unique design showcase where artists of varying mediums were given a space to get creative with their distinct take on the toilet paper roll holder.

The curators behind this exhibition, Heidi Korsavong, and Benjamin Critton recognized the comedy behind this anxious hoarding but also sought to comment on the environmental implications of our silent dependence on toilet paper. 37 gallons of water are needed in order to produce a single roll of toilet paper. That’s a lot of water down the drain and once we flush, it’s out of sight, out of mind. We give toilet paper little to no thought unless it reaches the point of a dire need for it and when we’re actively trying to avoid getting to that point, toilet paper turns into somewhat of a luxurious expectation no matter where we might find ourselves sitting…with our dire needs.

The designs ranged from chic, clean aesthetics that prioritized minimalism and style to more intimate and culturally significant interpretations that rubbed shoulders with folk art. My personal favorite turns the toilet paper holder into a mammoth-sized, shining-wet, orange tongue. The designs that adorned the walls of Marta Gallery spoke to the idle, yet inherent autonomy that could bring the need for toilet paper from afterthought to center stage. This provides much-needed commentary on our collective claim to environmental provisions, such as trees for toilet paper. “Under/Over,” begs the question, When did we expect toilet paper to be there the same way we expect our bodies to produce the need for it? The cycle of destroying virgin forests in order to create toilet paper for human needs might never end, but we can get creative with slowing it down in the meantime. The exhibition’s curators proved that getting creative in the meantime will always be worthwhile.

In order to provide an ecological alternative from which to jump off, the toilet paper presented at “Under/Over” was made entirely from organic bamboo pulp, in collaboration with Plant Paper, in order to incorporate an appeal for ecologically moral alternatives to the everyday toilet paper roll. The founders of Marta Gallery, Heidi Korsavong and Benjamin Critton aimed to inspire a sense of enchantment in the exhibition’s attendees with the hopes that upon leaving the toilet paper-lined gallery walls, they’d feel capable of producing their very own toilet paper holder, to go along with their very own need for it. Further, Critton says, “Our hope is that the sheer presence of some of these pieces prompts delight or reflection in such a way that someone might question their implicit ‘collaboration’ with the companies supplying them their toilet paper.”

Check out the exhibition in Echo Park by scheduling an appointment between September 10 and November 1, 2020, or scroll through the designs below, feel inspired, and get creative in the meantime!

Curators: Heidi Korsavong and Benjamin Critton.

This Smart Robot Is The Perfect Quarantine Companion For Youngsters!

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Quarantine has been an adjustment period for everyone, but especially for young children who only got a taste of what socializing and education could offer prior to the onset of today’s global pandemic. The world is most likely forever changed as a result, which true creatives embrace accordingly. Designers behind products like Xiaole, an educational company robot for young minds, adapt to today’s world while acknowledging the connective companionship that molded our world of yesterday. Xiaole offers a touch of sentimentality in its friendly accompaniment and an artful amount of respect for the young person of today in regard to their future world.

Companionship is essential for young children, so globally mandated quarantines might get in the way of fundamental growth. Jerry C, the designer behind Xiaole, created the smart companion prior to 2020, but it’s timelier than ever. Xiaole’s digital library is filled with high-quality content that helps inspire self-motivated education amongst youngsters. Reminiscent of robot characters from science-fiction films, this robot is also naturally comforting and familiar to young minds, so learning will always feel welcome and accessible. Speaking to the product’s accessibility, the digital library is stocked with integrated translators, encyclopedias, and entertainment components. This all-encompassing library provides thoughtful and leisurely entertainment for children of varying ages and backgrounds. Xiaole is warm in its shape, emotional in its digitized expressions, and dynamic is physical gestures. This smart robot is intuitive in its control buttons, so anyone, no matter how old or young, will be able to bring Xiaole to life With this merging of innovation and sensitivity, Jerry C notes that Xiaole is a “smart companion robot with a sense of technology and affinity.”

Ahead of its time, Xiaole’s design was conceived before the age of COVID-19, but its early arrival speaks to the young human’s inevitable need for connection and stimulation. With or without quarantine, we all need some good friends in today’s world, especially young kids, and if there ever was a time to implement lighthearted respect for our unstoppable future world through design, the time is now.

Designer: Jerry C

These colourful chairs and screens were surplus parachutes once upon a time!

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Today designers leave no material untouched in their attempt to create the most unique and innovative designs. Whether it’s recycled metals, cork, coconut fibers, you name it and the best of designers can incorporate it! Benjamin Hubert’s design agency Layer and the responsible fashion studio Raeburn came together to explore such a territory. Their ‘Canopy Collection’ consists of recycled parachute material wrapped over welded steel frames to create four rocking chairs and two screens. The collaboration was an attempt to merge both the respective brands’ passion for sustainability and their ever-growing interest in “recontextualizing undervalued materials”.

Designers: Layer x Raeburn

Combining two completely different worlds; industrial design and fashion, “The collection presents a timeless design language of strict geometry which acts as a framework for Raeburn’s innovative and forward-thinking recycled parachute upholstery.” Layer and Raeburn scrounged through the archives of Raeburn, to study how the brand has previously repurposed surplus ex-military parachutes to create statement fashion pieces. The unique ideas were transformed and integrated with furniture design.

“The Canopy Collection uses the strict geometry of the steel frames as a base on which to experiment with innovative and forward-thinking recycled parachute upholstery,” said the masterminds behind the collection. It is inspired by the semantics of a parachute in-flight “The lounge chair gently rocks back and forth whilst the re-configurable screen takes inspiration from the section and construction of a wing.” The entire collection reminds me of a billowy parachute wavering in the air, and then subtly settling onto the ground.

Though all the rocking chairs are crafted out of surplus ex-military parachutes and aircraft brake parachutes, they all exhibit varied auras and forms. One of them is multi-colored, boasting vivid tones of orange, white and olive green, while still possessing a very simple aesthetic. The screens are a result of the parachute material being stretched tacitly on the metal base, following a color scheme of orange, green and white as well. Reconfigurable, the screens can be easily opened and closed and moved to wherever you would want them to be placed.

Whereas two of the other rocking chairs showcase a tousled-feathery look, created by draping layers of the material over the steel structure, giving the entire piece a raw and rugged feel. They come in shades of black and white respectively, providing a stark contrast to one another.

Launched during the London Design Festival, the collection is all set to be exhibited at Raeburn’s new SOHO, London store. With an intense combination of fashion, sustainability, a well thought out design, and vibrant colors, this collection is sure to be a hit!

Meet the 10 ‘Fresh Taiwan’ designers that are whipping up a storm at NY NOW Summer 2019!

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I find myself increasingly being asked which countries are on my watch-list for design growth and discourse, and the one answer I keep going back to is the East. Regions like Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea are truly experiencing a renaissance of design, especially with local and national authorities contributing towards and even sometimes spearheading the growth of design as a profession and a force for social good. Taiwan, for instance, has very rapidly become the epicenter of design in the east, having even organized large-scale international design awards and competitions to their credit… the Golden Pin Design Award and the Taiwan International Student Design Competition (TISDC) being among the most noteworthy. Couple their vast tech manufacturing resources, and their meteoric rise in the global design industry and you’ve got yourself a country that produces some of the most inventive, innovative, and inspirational design-driven products you’ll ever see. In fact, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture and Taiwan Design Center are even putting those designs on display at the NY NOW Summer 2019 event in New York! Titled Fresh Taiwan, the exhibition aims at showcasing the island’s design power on a global scale. Fresh Taiwan consists of 10 handpicked designers and studios showcasing their work and their processes at NY NOW. We’re here to have a look at the designers and their creations that are making waves at Fresh Taiwan x NY NOW Summer 2019, Level 3 / HOME: Accent on Design — 3712.

Click Here for Fresh Taiwan Details

22STUDIO

With their incredible command over concrete, Taipei’s own 22STUDIO makes some of the most fascinating products that highlight concrete in ways that seem virtually impossible. Molding the grey building-material into something as precise as injection-molded plastic, 22STUDIO’s products have the cool, calming color and texture of concrete, but explore chiseled, simplistic forms that look absolutely like miniature architecture. Our favorite is the 4D Concrete Watch Automatic that showcases absolute depth with its stepped watch-face. No one does it better than 22STUDIO.
www.22designstudio.net

CELIA&PERAH

Commanding over wood and audio the way 22STUDIO commands over concrete, CELIA&PERAH specializes in making hi-fi audio devices with a rustic charm. Designed as incredibly capable speakers with great fidelity, CELIA&PERAH integrate a DIY aspect into their speakers where users put the model together piece-by-piece not only appreciating the nuances of great audio engineering, but also learning a bit about the product, while also creating a speaker that’s designed to be opened up, tinkered with, and repaired. CELIA&PERAH’s speakers use quality audio drivers that, for their size, can reach frequencies as low as 58Hz. Our favorite is the vintage-radio-esque R-Series DIY Bluetooth Radio that comes in Mono as well as Stereo formats.
www.celia-perah.com

Mordeco

The name Mordeco perfectly captures the design studio’s ethos of being ‘more than decor’. Mordeco experiments wonderfully with forms, resorting to unlikely shapes for common objects, creating experiences that are either dominated by joy or curiosity, or a combination of both! One of our favorite Mordeco pieces has to be the MIRRO LED+ Tissue Ambient Light, which uses the napkin’s inherent fan-shape and a hidden LED light to make the napkin light up like a lamp!
www.mordeco.com

ystudio

ystudio focuses on creating some of the most cherishable writing instruments ever. Working traditionally with metal, ystudio’s pens come in all varieties, from ballpoint to fountain-tip, and they’re built to last an absolute lifetime, being valued as keepsakes and passed down generations as heirlooms. One of ystudio’s more rare, unique pieces is the YAKIHAKU PEN, which makes use of an Unryu foil, a rare, specialty material that gives the pen its unique, distressed aesthetic that’s unparalleled in its beauty.
www.ystudiostyle.com

Yenchenyawen design studio

Yenchenyawen design studio’s works combine minimal forms, quite characteristic of Japanese/Scandinavian design styles, along with the traditional art of Kintsugi, or porcelain-restoration using melted gold. Some of their unique processes involve copper patination, a procedure that requires the product to be buried up to 3 days for unique patinas to form on the product, creating bespoke patterns. Yenchenyawen design studio also explore Jesmonite as a material, bringing an eclectic mixture of cultures, materials, processes, and contemporary styles together to create products that virtually look as precious as jewelry!
www.yenchenyawen.com

eguchi toys

eguchi toy’s designs are all-natural and whimsical. Playing with basic geometric forms and using different sorts and types of woods to create unique looking toys, puzzles, and figurines, eguchi toy’s designs are fun, engaging, and have universal appeal! Our favorite? The flat-and-colorful Mobile Birds series!
www.eguchitoys.com

Studio Smoll

Studio Smoll’s high-street fashion bags feature a unique design element. Made from vegetable-tanned leather, the bags rely on a series of patented cuts and folds to be assembled, almost like Origami, without generating any waste leather trims. This environmentally conscious approach isn’t just a company mantra, it’s also a design aesthetic, because the bag designs are dictated by these design constraints. In fact, the bags are assembled by the users themselves, as they navigate around the leather sheets to magically transform them into tote-bags and purses!
www.studiosmoll.com

Kamaro’an

Bringing Taiwanese indigenous culture and fashion to the forefront, Kamaro’an makes some of the most unique-looking products that showcase delicate craftsmanship in their culture-heavy details. Kamaro’an’s bags are their forté, using woven leather to create some memorable details around the bag’s rim or around the handle. Talk about showcasing authentic Taiwanese culture on the world stage!
www.kamaroan.com/

Kanari

Conceived in London and founded in Taipei, Kanari explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and objects. Playing with forms that you’re first confused by, then delighted by, Kanari’s products are like visual riddles… you figure them out as you use them. Even with their unconventional forms, Kanari’s products retain every bit of functionality, whether it’s a minaret-shaped bottle opener, or a clock with a skeletal framework around it. Form, function, emotion, Kanari’s products have them all.
www.studiokanari.com

PAPER SHOOT

PAPER SHOOT is responsible for creating some of the most unique cameras we’ve seen. Using materials not commonly found in consumer electronics, be it wood, acrylic, cork, papier-mache, or even something as bizarre as faux jadeite, PAPER SHOOT’s cameras are a combination of vintage, steampunk, and DIY. Designed as functional collectibles, the cameras are capable of great digital photography, although their material choices would suggest otherwise. A great fusion of old-world styling and rather contemporary technology. It’s honestly hard to pick a favorite!
www.papershoot.com.tw

Click Here for Fresh Taiwan Details

Instagram-worthy black and white sketched chapel for you to say “I Do”

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The mythical tale of the perfect wedding! Most of us have at least once, imagined ourselves getting married, from the most picture perfect pastel scenario to the most daredevil version of ourselves that can ever be. Given the latest Insta-worthy demand, people are certainly going the extra mile to get some unique, envy-inspiring, photo-ops!

Adding to your bucket list, we have an artist inspired wedding scenario in Las Vegas that looks like it has stepped out from the artist’s sketchpad. It’s not a Photoshop job, it’s an actual chapel designed by Graphic Designer and Visual Artist Joshua Vides. And trust me, the images of this place will leave you slightly dazed as you try to figure out how this work actually came about. The Palms Casino Resort has just opened an 800-square-foot pop-up wedding chapel named “Till Death Do Us Part”, naming it one of the most social media-friendly places in Vegas to get hitched.

Known for his black and white take on everyday objects and surroundings, Joshua’s style brings back the old-school sketching that beautifully arouses childlike curiosity while standing tall and stark in its territory. Using thick black lines and pure white paint, this pop-up is a part of his latest art series ‘Reality to Idea’. Speaking about his series, Joshua states, “When the ‘Reality to Idea’ concept came to life in March 2017, it was because I needed to make a drastic change with my creative abilities. I had to pivot my expression,” he said. “I didn’t create the concept for Instagram, but once I painted the first object and held [it in my] hand, I immediately recognized Instagram as the vehicle.”

He added: “I believe that social media is a tool. Some use it correctly and some for leisure. I like to look at social platforms the same way I look at my toolbox. What can I accomplish and express today with what I have right here in front of me that can make an impact.”

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Inspired by the people taking photos with the art display at their hotel, Tal Cooperman, the Creative Director of Palms, decided he wanted to create a better immersive experience to enthuse the guests. To create the chapel, Vides uses a metal skeleton with a wooden exterior, with white surfaces covered in thick black lines that shape out the perspective and mark the doors, windows, benches, pulpit as well as the decorations.

The installation will be open to the public from 18th January for photo-shoots as well as to hold an actual ceremony. Packages for rent takes a cheeky twist with names like the “Our Marriage Looks Perfect — On Instagram” package, which costs $250, allows for an hour in the chapel to take all of the social media photos your heart desires. And while all of it is fun, it also holds up a mirror to the tide of influence Instagram is having over the design and architecture space, with imagination closely intertwining with reality. Till Death Do Us Part from social media, indeed!

Designer: Joshua Vides at The Palms Casino Resort

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