Design Corner

A Bike Rack That Relies On Basic Physics, Not Screws, To Stay Steady

2012-05-23T13:30:23Z

One of the biggest trials of riding a bike in the city: Once you’ve managed to dodge every sideswiping cabbie, you’re faced with where to store your ride. Park it outside and you may not see it again. But most bike racks require boring holes into a wall. Delta Cycle’s Michelangelo Two-Bike Gravity stand is one of the most elegant--and foolproof--solutions we’ve seen: a freestanding rack that supports the weight of two bikes while simply leaning against the wall.

The structure owes its stability to the basic physics of its curved legs; the more weight they hold (up to the maximum load of 80 pounds), the steadier they are. The stand comes with two sets of hooks for a pair of bikes (watch the video to see the easy-peasy setup) and two small utility hooks for accessories. Rubber bumpers attached to the powder-coated steel body protect the wall and floor from marks and scratches. The installation requires just a few minutes--shorter than it takes to school an oblivious taxi driver on the difference between car and bike lanes.

Buy Michelangelo for $79.99 here.

Modkit Micro visual programming interface

2012-05-23T13:18:44Z

*I dunno if this scheme will work or not, but if that freakin’ Moog can run as part of a Google doodle, man, anything’s possible nowadays. Imagine the awesome locked-room murder-weapons you could build with a gizmo like this.

*I’d like a visual interface even dumber and cheaper than this one. Like, an interface for the interface’s interface, and then I just wave my hands in ten-micrometer 3d augmented registration.

Process Intensity and Social Experimentation

2012-05-23T14:21:31Z

On the surprising design features of Johan Sebastian Joust. From my "Persuasive Games" column at Gamasutra. — In 1987, game designer Chris Crawford introduced the concept of process intensity, "the degree to which a program emphasizes processes instead of data." Process, Crawford explains, involves "algorithms, equations, and branches," while data refers to "tables, images, sounds, and texts." A process-intensive program "spends a lot of time crunching numbers; a data-intensive program spends a lot of time moving bytes around." For Crawford, process intensity is not only a theoretical frame for understanding the difference between algorithms and information, but also an aesthetic principle. "Processing data is the very essence of what a computer does," contends Crawford, so using it... (read more)

iPhone powered electronic gTar promises to teach almost anyone how to play the instrument

2012-05-23T12:48:23Z

Asmita Prasad:

“Perseverance, trial & error and walk before you run” are the kind of concepts that seem to be lost on people today who want instant gratification and don’t want to invest much time into learning how to play to an instrument the old-fashioned way. Even though gimmicks like the Guitar Hero series got some of these lazy bums learning how to move their hands across fret board, there still are some people who just cannot be bothered with perfecting their guitar playing with practice and want to be able to play like a pro even if they’ve picked up a guitar for the first time. Created by Incident the gTar is touted to be a learning tool that pretends to teach you how to play the guitar though it ensures that you’re never hitting a single bad note.

gTar

The gizmo comprises of an electronic guitar that can be embedded with an iPhone on which you can download an app that will illuminate the fret board and let the player “see” the chords that he wants to play. With three learning levels-easy, medium and difficult- the gTar promises to help hasten up the process of learning how to play the guitar. However, what makes us a little skeptical of this claim is the fact that the electronic guitar is pre-programmed not to let the player ever play a bad note. At the ‘easy’ level, a player only gets to learn which strings to play via illuminated LEDs, at the ‘medium’ level, both strings and frets are illuminated to help the player improve further though its Smart Play function only plays the correct string at all times so you never really get any real audio feedback on whether you’re playing the right chords and notes.

Fitted with a bunch of sensors, the gTar nannies a player through the traditionally hard to learn art and at best helps you develop a muscle and visual memory of strings and guitar chords. Since the gTar is programmed to only let you hear the correct chord and strings at all times, you feel like a pro from the moment you pick up the thing though the absence of real time audio feedback may fill you with false confidence and lead you into making a total ass of yourself in front of people when you pick up a real guitar and learn firsthand what your guitar playing really sounds like.

Any who, the project is currently on track raising $100,000 in funds to get the gTar into the manufacturing process and when the company does reach its goals, they promise to retail the gTar electronic guitar for $450 as well as a free app for you iPhone that comes with a pre-loaded library of guitar hits.

gTargTar: The First Guitar That Anybody Can Play

Via: Kickstarter/ Tech Crunch

Diabetics can now keep an 'eye' on their blood sugar level with smart contact lenses

2012-05-23T12:45:46Z

Asmita Prasad:

Constant monitoring is perhaps the only way that diabetics can ensure that their blood sugar remains within the desirable level. Now, an organic chemistry researcher University of Akron named Dr. Jun Hu has come up with a new kind of contact lens that would alert people about their friends’ rising blood sugar level by simply looking into their eyes. Dr. Hu has been working on the project since 1999 and has finally created not only a smart contact lens that can automatically monitor blood sugar levels of the wearer but is also working on developing a smartphone app that would allow users to simply look into their phone’s camera, take a picture of their eye and instantly get the blood sugar reading from the lens.

See

The blood sugar monitoring contact lens would change color by sensing the slightest change in the sugar level present in the tears and indicate a rise in blood glucose level by changing their color. This would allow pre-diabetic patients to better monitor their condition and eating habits as well as diabetic struggling to keep their blood sugar level in check through a busy day. The change in the color of the lens would not be detectable by the wearer who would have to rely on feedback from others or a mirror to see if the color of their lens has changed and when combined with the smartphone app, the creation would allow millions across the world to keep blood sugar levels in check without using the painful prick-and-tell monitor.

Seesee, Contact lenses, Contact lenses blood sugar levels for diabetics

Via: Dvice

4N DS 21122010 MS represents the next generation of protective masks

2012-05-23T12:43:21Z

Asmita Prasad:

With airborne epidemics like SARS and bio-terrorism no longer being figments of science fiction writers, the traditional protective mask may not be the ideal solution to combat air-borne infections. The national finalist from Switzerland for the James Dyson Award, the 4N DS 21122010 MS protective mask is a new take on the usual single-way protective mask that features a common half mask’s bearing system and the mask body of the one-way mask. The optimized solution guarantees optimal positioning and a perfect fit that is essential when the mask is being used in places where the risk of contamination is high.

multi-way mask

To make the masks more durable and give them a longer working life, the multi-way mask features a one-way filter that sits between the two bowls of the 4N DS 21122010 MS protective mask’s body. This allows the users to clean and change the filters as required and as often and also choose the strength of the filtration system. Depending on degree of contamination and the amount of time that the mask needs to be worn, the mask can be customized and optimized for individual users.

multi-way mask

Equipped on a maximum, the interior and outer shell features recesses that allow the user to remain fatigue-free and maintain a good respiration. The mask can also be adjusted to optimize fit via a color coding system that guides to user to seamlessly contour the mask to their face. On the nasal septum, the 4N DS 21122010 MS protective mask features an eye protector that can integrated into its structure via a simple plug-on mechanism.

Source: Freud Werk

LowePro Backpack Flash lets you take perfect shots even without an assistant

2012-05-23T12:36:18Z

Asmita Prasad:

Those amature-ish shots clicked with a digi cam may look like the perfect slice of real life but there lives in all of us, the need to have a few perfect pictures which basically is what runs the massive professional photography business despite the invasion of the camera phones and the digital cams. However, most clients simply do not understand how important lighting can be to make that perfect shot look prettier and sometimes, when a pro photographer is not paid enough to hire an assistant to hold the flash and other paraphernalia that the paying public thinks of as “dispensable”, having devices like a Backpack Flash can be a real lifesaver.

LowePro backpack

Fashioned by professional photographer Ian Spanier, the backpack studio flash rig called LowePro allows other professionals to mount a flash a few inches overhead to give them the liberty to adjust lighting on their own while retaining the freedom of movement for their hands. Spanier fashioned the rig as a design for bird watchers who need to carry bulky equipment to hard-to-reach places where the traditional requirements for a great shot cannot be ticked off the page as easily.

Spanier used a bunch of mounts and framing to have the diffuser sit just 5 inches above the head with the Canon flash unit powered by a rechargeable battery sitting pretty in the backpacks. To ensure that the flash is triggered as required, Spanier threw in a bunch of wireless receiver and voila! the hands free flash unit was born that could save many a hundred buck in assistant fee per shoot!

Via: Ian Spanier/ Gizmodo

Hybrid racecar by BYU graduates looks good to scorch the track

2012-05-23T12:34:37Z

Radhicka S Saxena:

Design students at the Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah must be some set of go getters. Under the guidance of Dr. Robert Todd, they constructed a hybrid race car. Daubed in color blue, this streamlined beauty, aptly known as Hybrid Blue, is touted to be extremely fast and efficient. The super duper auto has already proven its mettle. After taking up the Society of Automotive Engineers Formula Hybrid challenge, the speedster stood first there. The event took place at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway very recently in 2012.

Student built hybrid racecar

The auto is also quite the speedster and can generate a torque of 610 Nm. In just three seconds, the auto will pick up from zero to 60 mph. It has an electric motor loaded with a 72 volt lithium polymer battery pack and also an ethanol powered E85 fuel burning engine. The 100 hp auto gallops at an amazing pace.

The power of the auto comes across blatantly in its performance during the endurance run. It not only finished the 13.7 mile stretch before others but also had 75% of the battery charge along with some fuel left over even after it had cross the final mark. The victory is certainly a momentous one as this was the final project of Dr.Todd, who will be retiring shortly. Also, BYU has never stood first at this event before, so the win was really very memorable.

Students build hybrid racecarStudents build an award-winning hybrid racecar

Via: Gizmag

Throw spot light on your Apple gadgets with this ravishing iDock

2012-05-23T12:29:45Z

Jaspreet Kaur Walia:

Products by Apple are very sleek and come covered in a lot of style and elegance. If you have been hunting for a perfect for your iPhone, iPad or iPod, then your search ends here. Here is a smartly designed dock from Woodguy, which is unlike any other you will find in stores. The wooden creation isn’t like a block or wood onto which the Apple gadget will stand, but has additional traits that makes it wanted.

Edison Bulb swing arm light

Synch up and charge your gadgets in style, while giving the space a staggering appearance with this Old Time Light Dock that has been fashioned out of natural wood. The attention grabbing dock will support all Apple products, like the iPhone, iPad and iPod as it sprinkles the space with additional charm. It comes fitted with a swing arm light, complete with an Edison squirrel cage light bulb and an adjustable arm. The handcrafted creation has an extended base and is accompanied by a USB cable.

If you like to keep your phone or tablet or iPod in a cover and hate to remove it while charging, then this will sure be a happy buy. Simply, insert the gadget into the dock while it is still in the case and save yourself some labor. All you have to do is tweak the arms as per the thickness of the case by turning the screws. The wooden creation will fetch plenty of attention and will be a perfect addition to variety of environments like homes, offices, restaurants as well as hotels.

Via: Luulla

Net Zero Energy: High performance school replicating sustainability

2012-05-23T12:27:05Z

Ishan Sidhu:

Sustainable buildings are the need of the future and various designers around the world have been coming up with various such innovative designs replicating sustainability. Such an example is this Net Zero Energy (NZE), a prototype of high performance school, which is also a winning entry of the Los Angeles Unified School District Competition and planned by the District to be built throughout Los Angeles on several campuses for various purposes.

NZE High Performance School

The NZE Prototype is flexible design with high performance, which sustains variety of uses and spaces and can adapt to changes in size, technology, operations, program and pedagogy of the future. The building comprising readymade kit of parts assembled out of components manufactured previously offsite is designed for various uses like multipurpose hall, charter schools and small learning center in both district owned constricted urban sites and existing campuses. In this two story 30,000SF prototype, classrooms for up to five hundred students can be accommodated and customized as per the site conditions as it is capable of changing size as per the requirements of the program making easy for it to blend in its surrounding environment. It’s just not some single building solution, but in fact it’s a strategy set as a solution for numerous needs of most varied K 12 systems in the US.

For the flexibility of the prototype four working systems are comprised that include firstly, an exoskeleton, a fixed, consistent exterior building frame system comprising, elevator, stairs, firewall, plumbing and electrical. Secondly, are the variable windows, doors that enable various combinations and options in the buildings exteriors and facades design although the roof monitors, clerestory windows etc. are consistent throughout. Thirdly, in order to accommodate various requirements of space and uses are the variable de mountable, non structural interior partition walls and mezzanine configuration. Last one is the climate system for the maintenance of high natural ventilation, day lighting and energy efficiency. For this, solar absorption tubes, PV panels, panellized solar skin etc. are been used and can be too customized as per different site conditions and solar orientations.

Via: Cargocollective

Grow plants on walls of your house with Urbio

2012-05-23T12:24:26Z

Radhicka S Saxena:

Many people just love gardens but don’t have space to grow plants inside the house. If you live in a space cramped home but nurture a fondness for gardening, then you must take a look at this modular, minimal and flexible gardening system. Known as Urbio, the system mainly consists of planters and plates that can be mounted on the walls of your home. And not just walls, they can cling to all ferrous surfaces like bathroom mirrors, metal planes and even doors of refrigerators.

Versatile Urbio System

Not sure what this add-on will look like in your abode? Well, you can take small steps in the beginning and mount only a few planters at first. Once you get used to these, just go ahead and add more as and when you like. The system is a fitting choice for small sized plants, flowers and shoots. Herbs, creepers, dainty flowers and bamboo will work well with it. Moreover, the installation process will be a breeze and you can take help of the wall template for planning out their placement.

Think that managing your new decor will be a hassle? No need to stress out as this is a no bother way of doing up your home. The high strength neodymium magnets of the planters glue to your wall real neat. They bond with ferrous surfaces and also to each other very easily. Moreover, they can be detached and rearranged anytime.

Also, look at all the fun things you can do with Urbio. The versatile system literally sets you free and lets you get creative. The planters and containers are available in a plethora of shapes and sizes. They can be tall, short, wide, slender, rounded, boxed or even in the form of wall plates. So go ahead, chalk out patterned designs, or jumble up slew of different shapes, Urbio is as crazy as you want it to be.

UrbioURBIO urban vertical garden

Via: My Urbio/ Inhabitat

Silicon Knights suit against Epic Games hits the bargain bin, worth $1 per claim.

2012-05-23T13:00:00Z

While the trial between Too Human developer Silicon Knights and Unreal Engine house Epic Games is just getting underway, a North Carolina judge ruled that the value of the damages at issue will be limited to $1 per claim.

The case was originally filed in 2007. Silicon Knights had licensed Unreal Engine 3 for Too Human but during development they had major problems using Epic's tools, which they claimed were unfinished. Silicon Knights eventually decided to abandon Unreal and built their own engine to complete work on Too Human, and subsequently filed suit against Epic alleging, among other things, that the studio had lied about the features in the engine while using the licensing fees to complete development of the first Gears of War.

Silicon Knights had originally claimed the damages totaled $58 million, but last December a judge ruled SK's main witness for the claim--Terry Lloyd, a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst--wouldn't be allowed to testify. The company struggled to find other witnesses to make the case for the value of its claims and so the judge decided to cap each claim at $1 rather than postponing the trial.

Silicon Knights had to lay off 45 employees last year after completing work on X-Men Destiny for Activision and failing to close a deal with a publisher their next game. Company CFO told the Financial Post last December that the company still had just under 40 employees. In March SK president and founder Denis Dyack said the studio is "working on an IP that's our most requested and we're really excited about that."

[viaThe Escapist] [img]

Tambour Table by Michael Bambino

2012-05-23T13:00:02Z

You know those desks that have the rolling tambour doors that slide open and closed to expose or hide the desk? Well, Brooklyn-based industrial designer Michael Bambino took that idea and flipped it on its head with his Tambour Table. It’s a desk/computer table that looks like your average work table. Not so…

The tabletop can be rotated to either side to reveal not only storage, but also USB connections and a power source. The notched tambour part cascades down the back of the table making it perfect to fit against a wall. Pretty genius.

I love how it hides your cables and the only one you see is the one coming out of the back leg.

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Quick Tip: Create a Mech-Inspired Text Effect in Photoshop Using Layer Styles

2012-05-23T13:00:36Z

In this quick tutorial we will show you how to create mech-inspired text effect using layer styles in Photoshop. Let’s get started!

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

Step 1

First create a new .PSD document, 600 x 400 pixels in RGB mode, 72 DPI with any background color. Now prepare your assets. Install the SF Sports Night fonts into your computer and open all .PAT files.

Step 2

Now go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below. You can also access Blending Options with two faster ways. First and the fastest way is to double click on the layer in your layers menu. Other way is to right click on the layer in your layers menu and choose Blending Options. When you are done with all the settings below, don’t forget to hit “OK” in the Blending Options window!

Step 3

Now we can start making our text effect. First choose the type tool and change font to SF Sports Night NS AltUpright, size around 175 pt and anti-aliasing Sharp. Now type your text somewhere in the center of the image. You can write any word, but in this tutorial I’ll use "MECH".

Step 4

Finally we are ready to start with our text style. Go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on our text. You can also use the quicker methods to access Blending Options from "Step 2" of this tutorial. When you are done with all the settings below, don’t forget to hit "OK" in the Blending Options window! This text layer will add some shadows and lights into the final result.

Step 4

We are almost there. Now we need to duplicate our text layer. Select the text layer in layer menu and go to Menu > Layer > Duplicate layer and name it as you wish. Now go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style as we will make different style for this layer. Finally go to Menu > Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options and use the settings below on our text. Again, you can use the quicker methods to access Blending Options from "Step 2" of this tutorial. When you are done with all the settings below, don’t forget to hit "OK" in the Blending Options window! This is the main text effect layer and must be on top of the second text layer.

Conclusion

Now you are finished. TIP: Now you can rewrite the text with something else (in both text layers) and the effect will still remain same. You can also play with different fonts.

icff 2012: geometric designs

2012-05-23T13:00:15Z

It’s time for ICFF again! This year’s show wasn’t quite as packed as years past (in terms of things I wanted to cover), but I definitely spotted some geometric designs that I not only wanted to write about but also hide in my bag and take home. I’m sure this angular trend will wind down at some point, but right now triangles, trapezoids and any other right-angle-type shape you can name is hot. My favorites are above and below, but stay tuned for more geometry at the stationery show soon . . . xo, grace

Images above: I loved this little pavilion created by the students from Parsons.

Image above: These USB drives were so, so gorgeous. I wanted 10 of them immediately. They were $100 a piece, though, so I left empty-handed. Argh. “Empty Memory” was designed by Yookyung Shin.

Image above: Geometric lights from the always awesome Iacoli and McAllister

Images above: More gorgeous geometric pieces from Egg Collective. That table. Oh man, that table. I want to make out with it. And the little tables? They adjust higher or lower by turning them. Swoon.

More new design after the jump . . .

(more…)

our finished sunroom!

2012-05-23T13:00:56Z

ABOVE // Bench seating and cushions: handmade (tutorial here), Mason jar lighting: Boots n Gus, Arm lighting: The Century House

You guys. I am crazy excited to introduce my finished sunroom to you! Ken and I (OK, mostly Ken) have been renovating this space for six months now and I’m crazy thrilled with the result. You won’t believe how many naps I’ve taken on that couch (14, to be exact. Believe it.) I’ll have a video tour up for you shortly on my HGTV.com column, but for now – enjoy a sneak peek with just a few photos to get you excited:

ABOVE // Bistro table: West Elm, Chairs: Burke Decor, Sheepskins: IKEA

You remember the before, yes? (I’m so embarrassed to show you that video, by the way, as that room was super, super gross.) After tearing down the walls, replacing studs, adding beams, insulation, drywall and bright white paint (of course!), the room is barely recognizable. And we LOVE it!

ABOVE // Corner chair: Thomasville, Floor lamp: handmade (tutorial here), Sofa: West Elm, Ottoman: West Elm, Sheepskin: IKEA

I’ve sourced everything underneath the corresponding photos, but wanted to also say a HUGE thank you to a few amazing sponsors: West Elm, Rugs USA and Andersen Windows (we installed 100 Series windows and they are gorgeous). Our sunroom wouldn’t have been half as perfect without your help, friends!

ABOVE // Sofa: West Elm, Pillows: Etsy/vintage, Rug: Rugs USA, Rattan floor cushions: Target, Ottoman: West Elm, Sheepskins: IKEA

Thanks for joining us on this wild renovation ride, friends! I don’t know how much renovating we’ll do when the little one arrives, so we’re soaking up every moment of this final project. A huge thanks to our HGTV.com readers for following along as we document every step of the way!

NYC Department of Records

2012-05-23T13:00:54Z

NYC Department of Records digitized a huge cache of historical documents recently, including some creepy Police evidence.

Eau Good

2012-05-23T13:00:19Z

I noticed Eau Good, a water bottle with an integrated filtering system, at ICFF. Binchotan (the filtering material inside the bottle) reduces chlorine, mineralises the water and balances the pH. It can be used for up to 6 months and amazingly recycles for many different uses after this. And, the cork lid is a nice touch.

I am a big fan of Black + Blum. Their dish rack makes me happy every single day.

In Situ vs Site Specific

2012-05-23T12:55:00Z

Vladimir Putin with Ronald Reagan; John Powers, Die Die Die (2007)
I'm traveling to Vyksa Russia today to take part in an arts festival. Vyska is home to a water-tower, built by the engineer/architect Vladimir Shukhov for a local metallurgic plant. The festival is built on realizing a connection between Revolutionary Russia of the early 20th century and the "street-art" of today. I won't be making any street-art, but I will be working "in situ"

Incredibly (for an American), the bridging document is a Russian Futurist manifesto from 1918:

Decree #1 on the Democratization of Art (the hoarding of literature and the painting on streets) Comrades and citizens, we, the leaders of Russian futurism – the revolutionary art of youth – declare:
1. From this day forward, with the abolition of tsardom, the domicile of art in the closets and sheds of human genius – palaces, galleries, salons, libraries, theaters — is abrogated.
2. In the name of the great march of equality for all, as far as culture is concerned, let the Free Word of creative personality be written on the corners of walls, fences, roofs, the streets of our cities and villages, on the backs of automobiles, carriages, streetcars, and on the clothes of all citizens.
3. Let pictures (colors) be thrown, like colored rainbows, across streets and squares, from house to house, delighting, ennobling the eye (taste) of the passer-by. Artists and writers have the immediate duty to get hold of their pots of paint and, with their masterly brushes, to illuminate, to paint all the sides, foreheads, and chests of cities, railway stations, and the evergalloping herds of railway carriages.
From now on, let the citizen walking down the street enjoy at every moment the depths of thought of his great contemporaries, let him absorb the flowery gaudiness of this day’s beautiful joy, let him listen to music — the melody, the roar, the buzz — of excellent composers everywhere. Let the streets be a feast of art for all.
And if all this comes to pass, in accordance with our word, everyone who goes out into the street will grow to be a giant and in wisdom, contemplating beauty instead of the present-day streets with their iron books (signboards), where every page has been written on their signs by greed, the lust for mammon, calculated meanness and low obtuseness, all of which soil the soul and offend the eye. “All art—to all the people!” The initial pasting up of the poems and hanging of pictures will take place in Moscow on the day our journal is published,

Mayakovsky, Kamensky, Burlluk. (“Futurists’ Journal” - March 15, 1918)

Richard Serra's "Site Specific" preparations for Band (2006); John Powers "In Situ"construction of Fat Bastard (2010)
I am not at all a street-artist, but I do not feel I am out of step with the aims of the festival. My contribution will be to build a "tower" using wood blocks in situ. This does not mean the work will be "site specific" in some grand theoretical terms. Already played-out when I first began doing installation work in 1995, Richard Serra proved once and for all just how attenuated and meaningless "site specific" had become in 2006, with the installation of his monstrous "site specific" work Band for his retrospectives at MoMA and LACMA (Band was billed as "site specific" for both venues). In situ means the work I will do will be conceived and built on the exact spot where it will be shown and live out its objecthood. In situ it means it will be conceived and built on the exact spot where it will be shown and live out its objecthood. My career has provided many opportunities to build pieces in situ - but almost all of them have been indoors. Rather than make a piece in the studio to bring to Russia, my preparations for the festival amount to little more than a wish list:

A - 50 mm x 100 mm x 150 mm - 800 pieces
B - 75 mm x 150 mm x 225 m - 500 pieces
C - 100 mm x200 mm x 300 mm - 250 pieces
D - 150 mm x 300 mm x 450 mm - 150 pieces

I say wish list because I hoped to get some of what I asked for. My hosts cut all those parts, plus some extras. I will work with two assistants, a translator and the tools they provide me. Here is what I expect: that it will be difficult to communicate with my helper; that I will have to teach them how I work and learn how they work; that not all of the tools and materials I need will be there so we need to make multiple trips to find what we need; and that exactly what I need will not be available, that I will need to find approximations of what I am used to working with. I don't say this because of any lack of competence or professionalism on the part of my host (they've been very generous and seem to have their shit together). I say this because this is what it means to work in situ. It is as different from parachuting in a studio built work conceived to be "site specific" as hitch-hiking is different from business class travel.

To stretch (torture) the metaphor of hitch-hiking vs air travel a little further: There is no itinerary - my friends are always a little alarmed to find out I am traveling without having made any plans. Like a hitch-hiking trip, I have a structure in mind but part of the point is that it is a loose structure that can change and reverse itself out of necessity or opportunity. (Hitching through Montana I was once asked, "Have you ever ridden a bull John?") In situ means I will travel through/work intimately within the landscape, not drop in from above. Like a hitch-hiker I will not be in control, I'll be a passenger, my helpers will also be my hosts and my guides. In the years I hitch-hiked around the US I found I could discuss politics and religion with my rides - that the most interesting conversations were arguments with people who I vehemently disagreed with, but who also happened to be behind the wheel, and who's largess I depended on. I learned how to argue my case without ruining the ride. That is very much how it is to work in situ. Any artist can claim his or her work is "site specific" but that does not necessarily mean the work has roots in its site. By necessity, in situ work does.

Vladimir Shukhov water-tower; D & C Blocks

BASE_camp by NEST ONE

2012-05-23T12:51:08Z

NEST ONE have designed BASE_camp, a mobile phone shop, café, co-working space, workshop and event location in Berlin, Germany.

Project description:

At over a hundred events in the past year federal ministers, congressmen, bloggers, journalists, founders and activists met in the old BASE_camp in Berlin to discuss issues of the new digital society and to network. Now the telecommunication provider BASE has set up its new camp. Right in the heart of Berlin opens the new 330 m2 shop combining selling space, café, co-working space, training room and event location.

The BASE_camp is subdivided into various areas, openly designed and fluently merging. Shop space, café and working spaces mix harmoniously. In the back area a combination of bar, lounge and café relates to the different demands of the visitors. Resembling a communicative stopover, the café counter is based on a kiosk. The box becomes an eye catcher.

Furniture with visible electrical connection, compact lockers with space for laptop and writing pad and wireless internet in the entire shop shape a perfect co-working environment. Determinant room element is the analogue twitter-wall: information and inspiration. Trend topics and punch lines of the day taken from twitter are on display and always up-to-date. Classic displays connect the analogue and the digital world. Hence, the BASE_camp is on the cutting edge, obviously.

NEST ONE’s creative concept is marked by a reduced and uncomplicated design: uncommon combinations of materials like wood, linoleum and copper catch the eye and transport by their natural character a feeling of closeness. A clear, comprehensible shape language underlines the casual, inviting atmosphere of the BASE_camp.

The furnishing, e.g. Windsor chairs and Muuto tables, link the retro-chic of Berlin’s café culture to the progressive spirit of mobile communication.

Further focal point is the flexibility of the brand. Through use of light furniture and mobile installations a convertible room is generated. The colour concept supports the diversity of the room. For this purpose, BASE’s colour palette has been broadened by natural material colours.

Visit the NEST ONE website – here.