Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

The Surtur Chair by Emilia Borgthor

2010-05-18T16:38:00.000+08:00

At ICFF 2010 in New York, Emilia Borgthor exhibited her Surtur Chair as part of the ICFF Studio for young designers to show their prototypes.

From the designer:

SURTUR is the name of the fire god in Norse mythology. In 1963 the island of Surtsey was created in a volcanic eruption that started below sea level. Surtsey is now on the World Heritage list, UNESCO because of it’s values and uniqueness.
The inspiration came from this island and is thought of being a little habitat where the user can move around and adjust to their activites. The human body is made for motion and it is natural to move. In addition to the physical factors there are dynamics of space that affect people and therefore has to be concluded in the design. The act of sitting is viewed as a static in nature. Far from the truth, it involves almost continuous repositioning in order to respond to the demands of the various activities. How each individual relaxes is unique but the ergonomics don’t change. Surtur is a new innovative chair with ergonomics in mind.

Visit Emilia Borgthor’s website – here.

All pics & info courtesy of contemporist

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Baita Product Design

2010-05-18T16:24:00.001+08:00

Check out the work from contemporary Industrial design studio in Rio de Janiero called Baita Design.

All pics & info courtesy of trendland

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

100 Chairs in 100 Days

2010-05-14T11:49:00.000+08:00

After spending 2 years collecting discarded chairs from friends and the streets of London, designer Martino Gamper spent 100 days creating 100 new chair designs. “My intention is to investigate the potential for creating useful new designs by blending together stylistic or structural elements of existing chair types.”

All pics & info courtesy of trendland

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

The Pop Culture Vader Helmets

2010-05-13T15:59:00.001+08:00

This summer, “The Vader Project launches the final chapter of its four-year art odyssey. The iconic collection features 100 Darth Vader Helmets re-imagined by today’s most notable artists. Completing its epic world tour, The Vader Project returns to Los Angeles in June for a special ten-day exhibition in Hollywood as a preview to the upcoming Freeman’s Auction in Philadelphia.”[1]

Notes about project (from the official PR):
For this unique project, each artist customized a 1:1 scale authentic prop replica of the actual Darth Vader helmet featured in the STAR WARS™ films. Notable artists involved with the project include: Shag, Peter Kuper, Jermaine Rogers, Gary Baseman, BXH, Tim Biskup, The Pizz, Dalek, Paul Frank, Ron English, Jeff Soto, Michelle Valigura, Frank Kozik, Plasticgod, Simone Legno – Tokidoki, Bill McMullen, Secret Base, Joe Ledbetter, Alex Pardee, Suckadelic, Cameron Tiede, Mister Cartoon, Marc Ecko, and Amanda Visell.

All pics & info courtesy of scene360

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

The LUCILLA Lamp by Imperfetto Lab

2010-05-13T14:59:00.001+08:00

During Milan Design Week 2010, the Italian design studio Imperfetto Lab, introduced the LUCILLA lamp at ENTRATALIBERA.

All pics & info courtesy of contemporist

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Concept : Nesnel Ofis ‘Shoe Rack’

2010-05-13T13:52:00.000+08:00

Nensel Ofis has envisioned a portable problem solver, the perfect shoe rack. Though still a concept, this product promises to be a collapsible, stack-able, and space saving invention. Coming in bright green, this shelving unit can be organized in multiples to create additional space for shoes as well as folded in on itself and stored when not in use. The hexagonal design is both trendy and functional so that you don’t end up with an eyesore in exchange for a sensible solution.

No word on availability yet, however you can check out more Nesnel Ofis projects over at their website

All pics & info courtesy of formatmag

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

PASS THE BATON Vintage Store

2010-05-13T13:22:00.000+08:00

Ever so adapting to market trends and conditions, Nigo of BAPE (or A Bathing Ape) franchise opened PASS THE BATON. While the premise of the new retail concept is a shop for vintage rags, the store design is that of a more opulent atmosphere. Built by architect Masamichi Katayama and his Wonderwall design firm, the store is a jewel-box in the high-end retail neighborhood near Marunouchi in Tokyo (now with a second location in Omotesando Hills), PASS THE BATON’s intricate fusion of antique furnishing, clothing, accessories, and purchasable goods.

Items are cataloged and arranged similar to that of a personalized closet space, while key items are highlighted by stylists, designers, and influencers on its blog-roll online. Its certainly a must-visit locale while in Tokyo.

PASS THE BATON – Marunouchi
2-6-1 Marunouchi | Map
Marunouchi BRICK SQUARE
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan

PASS THE BATON – Omotesando Hills
4-12-10 Jingumae | Map
Omotesando Hills West B2F
Shibuya-ku Tokyo Japan

All pics & info courtesy of freshnessmag

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Ann Demeulemeester Seoul Store

2010-05-12T16:14:00.000+08:00

APC founder Jean Touitou said himself :

“There are too many fresh kids, it makes me worry for the future”

This quote seems to have some reverance with the volume of ‘emerging’ brands, which many cultural critics believe to lack true creative direction, yet rather they ‘play off’ industry trends. Although ‘workwear’ may to some extent be the latest ‘casuality’ of this nature, Ann Demeulemeester has forged one of the most inspirational and unique brands within fashion. Her gothic, avant-garde take on fashion, harks back to her days in the 1980’s emergence of the ‘Antwerp Six’, arguably the most influential movement on modern design.

This store is no different in many ways to her approach to fashion – standing out from the crowd – yet is totally unrelated to anything she has been previously involved in. The ‘green’ exterior is stark contrast to the grey Seoul City backdrop, showing Ann and archtiects Mass Media at their creative best. However, 4 floors infused with light, bamboo walls, and ‘fluid- curvacious’ walls are a far cry from her asymetric, monotone styles which have graced catwalks. Open air spaces not only allow pieces to become one with their environment, but also suggest the removal of barriers between catwalk and street – a battle which has plagued her career.

This removal from the norm, freedom of expression and the ability to adapt are truly what Jean Touitou meant, surrounded in what is now a ’sub-culture of conformity’. This building demonstrates how people respect individuality, and perhpas now, with an abundence of genreic design, both this building and Demeulermeester’s collections will be given unquestionabey merited respect, as markers of a ‘new-wave’ of design excitement.

All pics & info courtesy of slamxhype

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

OHWOW Book Club Designed by Rafael de Cárdenas

2010-05-12T15:51:00.000+08:00

Drawing inspiration from stepping patterns commonly found in Navajo blankets, Rafael de Cardenas constructs a new retail space for OHWOW, the creative collective spearheaded by Al Moran and Aaron Bondaroff. The OHWOW Book Club is located below street level in a landmarked historic brownstone on Waverly Place.

At 150 sq ft, this pocket-sized store was conceived by de Cardenas to echo a classic black & white, pre-war NYC bathroom. Its shelving units appear stacked one atop the other and the negative space behind the shelves lends a floating sensation.

A layered pattern of stream-lined brushstrokes on the walls, coupled with reflective angular mylar shapes and sharp fluorescent lighting give the space a sense of disorientation and chaos, fitting in OHWOW’s vision of creating a heterotopic arena for cultural projects.

OHWOW Book Club
227 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10014

All pics & info courtesy of slamxhype

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Starck + Intersection Magazine Soapbox Car

2010-05-12T14:50:00.000+08:00

In an interesting project French designer Philippe Starck got together with Intersection Magazine to build a soapbox car. The car comes without engine, without steering and without brakes and as you can imagine, looks beautiful. Thankfully they provide a video with the presentation of the car, so that one gets a better idea of how it all works.

In the upcoming issue of Intersection Magazine you will find an extensive interview with the designer, as well as lots more background information on the project.

Via AI.

All pics & info courtesy of selectism

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Disney for Cappellini Furniture Collection

2010-05-12T14:06:00.000+08:00

The Disney empire is about to step into the design game with a furniture collection in collaboration with high-end Italian furniture company Cappellini.

All pics & info courtesy of thinkcontra
You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Russian Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010

2010-05-12T12:27:00.000+08:00

'the best city in the world should be the favorite one among children.' - Nikolay Nosov,
Soviet writer of children's literature

Following the conception of nosov, the Russian Pavilion has been designed by P.A.P. ER Architectural Team as a city from a fairy tale, thus, giving people the impression of a children's paradise. It features 12 irregularly shaped towers in white, red and gold and a 15-meter-tall central building dubbed the 'civilization cube' which links the towers.

The main exhibition area of the russian pavilion consists of three parts: 'city for children', 'city for youth' and 'big world', each carrying themes of 'city of flowers', 'city of sun' and 'city of moon' respectively.

There is a display of scenes from the fairy tale 'the adventures of dunno and his friends' written by children's author nikolay noso. before starting their journey, visitors are advised to envision themselves as DUNNO and his friends when travelling through the building.

With their irregular shapes, the 20-meter towers are located among the natural landscapes of a green lawn and water. upon taking a closer look, visitors will find that these towers form a circle that takes after the formation of a famous russian dance. The roofs of the towers are decorated with hollow pictures in colors widely used for traditional Russian garments, symbolizing the integration of various ethnic groups in the country.

The 'city of flowers' features fairy-tale style images of children, showing a flair for colors and fantasies. the 'city of sun' is a miniature artificial space where the sun shines permanently, shedding light onto every window of the hall to create a translucent labyrinth with virtual displays. Here visitors can learn about the technological inventions by Russian youth. The 'city of moon' focuses on space exploration presenting the history of human travels into space and the advancements made by Russia in their aerospace missions.

Giant strawberries, flowers and trees featured in the pavilion show a city as seen through children's eyes. visitors will travel along the path as if in a story book. along the way, they are met with giant foods and plants. the path consists of sections that each highlight progress in different areas of Russia's development.

'big world'

'city of sun'

'city for children'

All pics & info courtesy of designboom

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

The Plus House

2010-05-12T12:10:00.000+08:00

Mount Fuji Architects Studio have designed the PLUS house in Shizuoka, Japan.

Photography by Ken’ichi Suzuki

Description :

The site locates on mountainside of Izu-san, where Pacific Ocean can be looked down on the south. The untouched wilderness, covered with deciduous broad-leaved trees such as cherry trees and Japanese oaks, gives little level ground. But we saw faint glimmer of architectural possibility along the ridge.

The architecture would be used as villa for weekends. I didn’t want to just form the undulating landscape dotted with great trees as normal, nor design an elaborate architecture bowing down to the complex topography. What sprang to my mind is a blueprint for an architecture which is perfectly autonomous itself, at the same time seems to emerge as an underlying shape that the natural environment has been hiding. It’s abstraction of nature, to say. The architecture was realized by crossing two rectangular parallelepipeds at very right angles. The lower one contains private rooms and bathroom, and sticks half of the body out to existing narrow level ground. The upper one incorporates salon and kitchen, and lies astride the lower one and the mountain ridge. It almost seems like an off-centered cross pinned carefully on natural terrain.

One axis of the cross stretches toward the Pacific Ocean on south, and the other, the forest of Japanese oak and some white birch on west. The rooms in the lower structure and terrace on it enjoy broad vista of the sea and blue sky. And gentle shade of natural forest embraces the space in the upper one. Water-polished white marble (cami #120) was chosen as interior finishing material. It glows softly like Greece sculptures to blend blue light from the south and green light from the west gradationally, thus creates delicate continuous landscape of light which suggests the character and usage of the space. Exterior is also finished with white marble. The surface get smoother as it approaches to the southern/western end till it takes mirror gloss (cami #1000) at the ends. The southern end of white cross melts into the blue of sky and sea, and the eastern end to the green of forest.

Abstraction is nothing to conflict with nature here. Carved out of nature, it never stops being a part of nature itself, however highly abstracted. Never relativizes the nature with its foreignness, nor generate contradiction to settle for being “artificial nature” by giving up being abstract and mimicking the nature.The abstraction inspired by Mother Nature defines the nature itself, and still, stays natural. That’s what I wanted from this abstraction and architecture.

Visit the website of Mount Fuji Architects Studio – here.

All pics & info courtesy of contemporist

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Multi-layered Papercut Illustrations by Owen Glidersleeve

2010-05-11T16:26:00.000+08:00

London based designer/illustrator Owen Gildersleeve, is known for his precise multi-layered, paper cut illustrations, (like the one above) a piece made up of 2000 squares of colored paper for Wired. His work has been commissioned for The TATE, the Guardian and the New York Times, amongst others, and he was recently feature in Computer Arts illustrators to watch.

More info here Scene 360

All pics & info courtesy of trendland

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Gigantic solar waterfall for 2016 Olympics

2010-05-11T15:50:00.000+08:00

It is a huge solar powered waterfall standing 105m above sea level, designed by Swiss architecture firm RAFAA for 2016 Olympic Games. Named the Solar City Tower, the building is equipped with solar panels, the solar energy to pump seawater to its top, and resulting falling water spins turbines that produce energy during the night.

For some occasions, the tower can transform into an urban waterfall the designer calls "a symbol for the forces of nature." RAFAA expect to fill the building with an amphitheater, auditorium, cafeteria and shops. This solar city tower even includes bungee jumping and a “glass sky walk” on the very top.

"The aim of this project is to ask how the classic concept of a landmark can be reconsidered. It is less about an expressive, iconic architectural form; rather, it is a return to content and actual, real challenges for the imminent post-oil-era. This project represents a message of a society facing the future; thus, it is the representation of an inner attitude. Our project, standing in the tradition of "a building/city as a machine", shall provide energy both to the city of Rio de Janeiro and its citizens while using natural resources."

Via dvice, treehugger

All pics & info courtesy of likecool
You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

The German Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010

2010-05-10T16:58:00.000+08:00

The German Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 is a three-dimensional walk-through sculpture with no defined interior or exterior.For visitors the journey starts at the harbor and leads through gardens and parks, via a town planning office and a factory and past the opera to end at the 'energy source', the city’s power plant.

The 6,000-square-meter structure is germany's largest at any expo. It showcases German urban life and how the country's design and products can help solve urbanization problems.

The architecture was designed by Schmidhuber + Kaindl and constructed by Nussli. The exhibition space was created by Milla Und Partner.

All pics & info courtesy of designboom

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

The Danish Pavilion At Shanghai Expo 2010

2010-05-10T16:48:00.001+08:00

Copenhagen-based Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), designed the Danish Pavilion for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China.

The Danish pavilion does not only exhibit the Danish virtues. Through interaction, the visitors are able to actually experience some of Copenhagen’s best attractions – the city bike, the harbor bath, the playground and the picnic.

The bike is a popular mean of transportation and a national symbol – common to Denmark and China. In recent years, however, it has had a very different fate in the two countries. While Copenhagen is striving to become the world’s leading bike city, heavy motor traffic is on the rise in Shanghai, where the car has become a symbol of wealth.

Both Shanghai and Copenhagen are harbor cities. The polluting activities in the Copenhagen harbors have been replaced by harbor parks and cultural institutions, as the result, the water has become clean enough to swim in. In the heart of the pavilion the guests will find the Harbor Pool. Children can dapple their feet in the water and thus experience how it is like to live in a Danish city where the water in the harbor is clean. In the middle of The Harbor Pool, The Little Mermaid is sitting exactly as she usually sits in Copenhagen. The original Mermaid is visiting China as a concrete example of the idea that the Danish pavilion contains the real experience of the Danish city life.

While The Little Mermaid is in Shanghai, her place in Langeline will be occupied by an art work created by the internationally recognized Chinese artist Ai Weise who among other things worked as a consultant on Bird’s Nest, the national Olympic stadium in Beijing.

The pavilion is constructed as a monolithic self-supporting construction in white-painted steel, manufactured at a Chinese shipyard. Synthetic light-blue coating used in Denmark for bicycle paths will cover the roof. Inside, the floor will appear in epoxy, the light-blue bycycle path respectively.

The sequence of events at the exhibition takes place between two parallel facades – the internal and external. The internal is closed and contains different functions of the pavilion. The width varies and is defined by the programme of the inner space. The external facade, pavilion’s façade outwards, is made of perforated steel. In the evening time, the indoor activity of the pavilion will be illuminated for passers-by.

The Danish artist Jeppe Hein has designed a ‘social bench’ that will run alongside the bicycle lane. In some places, the bench adapts to its environment elastically and different functions are added such as a bar for food and drink.

Visit the Bjarke Ingels Group website – here.

All pics & info courtesy of contemporist

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Alison Berger Glassworks

2010-05-10T10:44:00.000+08:00

Describing her style as romantic modernism, Alison Berger uses hand made techniques to creates a variety of glass products, from sculptured chandeliers and floor lamps to vases and vessels.

Based in West Hollywood, California, Alison wasn’t always working with glass, as she started with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Rhode Island School of Design, and then went onto Columbia University School of Architecture where she became an architect. Having worked with Bausman-Gill and Associates as well as Frank O. Gehry Associates, both architecture firms, it wasn’t until 1995 that Alison decided to concentrate on glass design full-time.

Apart from studying to be an architect, Alison also studied glass blowing for more than 25 years and was an apprentice with Dale Chihuly. Each piece that she makes is hand blown, annealed for two to three days, and then is hand finished and in some cases, hand etched.

When asked about her major influences, Alison said “My work is influenced by the glow of fireflies, candlelight,16th Century scientific objects , the first and last hour of sunlight know as the Golden Hour, and found objects I come across in my travels.

When asked about the best thing about being a designer, Alison said “Freedom. I’m able translate the things that inspire me, whatever they may be, into physical objects”, and the worst is “the struggle to balance and perfect what I see in my mind’s eye.”

Alison has had various amount of success with her work being part of the permanent collection at the Corning Museum, and she has also had her work displayed at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. Alison has also been part of many exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Asia, and has designed objects for film and music videos including work for Madonna’s Bedtime Stories.

Visit the website of Alison Berger Glassworks – here.

All pics & info courtesy of contemporist

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

French Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010

2010-05-10T09:55:00.000+08:00

the exterior facade connected to the main structure

lights inserted in each diamond like structure

Named 'the sensual city' The French Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010 designed by Jacques Ferrier Architects is covered with a concrete trellis like structure, surrounded by water. inside is a main courtyard with growing walls that lead to the green rooftop along with ponds and water fountains. Visitors can ascend to the rooftop via an escalator to view the courtyard below.

All pics & info courtesy of designboom

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Jean Paul Gaultier to Launch Home Furnishings

2010-05-07T16:25:00.002+08:00

“Clothes are my job, and as I only know how to dress, I dressed this ELLE Decoration suite in the Cité de l’architecture & du Patrimoine, with various touches that already grace my collections.

First, the marine touch. Navy stripes are deployed and deformed on the walls, they are draped and curl around the furniture, a little “marine morphing” lounge that disappears in the white canvas.
Then comes the green touch. Nature opens its doors !

Plants are invited in, a garden is printed on the walls! Ivy weaves into the sofa; lichen grows over the woven chairs in the shade of a tree, and moss, like green velvet, carpets the stone, plants tumble down in steps, hiding in a net.

The nude touch, satin skin :
Fabric unfolds on the walls of the bedroom and forms a powdery velum on the ceiling. The corset dress of a fairground doll becomes the bed’s giant quilt. In this room, lingerie, a lace that fishnets on the carpet and is mirrored in the window panes.
For the reflective touch, the terrace !

Paris and the Eiffel tower resonate and multiply in facets shaped like diamonds, jewels, accessories for the sky and clouds, which play on a chequered mirror on the floor, the shiny lining of a cement grey coating. Clothes have gone from one state to another as we pass from one room to another.”

Jean Paul Gaultier

A collaboration between Jean Paul Gaultier and French furniture brand Roche Bobois is due to be unveiled, in full, over the coming months. For now we can offer a what’s to come, by taking a look Jean Paul Gaultier’s renovation of Elle Decoration’s suite.

The apartment is located on the top floor of Paris’ architecture museum and was last decorated by Maison Martin Margiela and in 2008 by Christian Lacroix. Featuring different themes throughout, ranging from bleached effects to an abandoned conservatory, each space is extravagant.

All pics & info courtesy of trendland & hypebeast

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

UK pavilion at shanghai world expo 2010

2010-05-07T12:18:00.001+08:00

the union jack is visible on the exterior

detail of rods from the exterior

detail of seeds imprinted on the ends of rods

the rods connected to electrical circuits

the rods glowing at night

The concept behind Thomas Heatherwick's UK pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010, is an enclosure that throws outwards from all sides, a mass of long radiating cilia.

The centerpiece of the pavilion is the seed cathedral, a six storey high cube-like structure, pierced by approximately 60 000 x 7.5m long slim transparent acrylic rods which sway gently in response to any wind movement. During the day each of these rods act like fibre optic filaments, drawing on daylight in order to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources at the interior end of each rod allow the whole structure to glow from the outside.

The pavilion is situated on a landscape which resembles paper which once wrapped the building, but now lies unfolded on the site. The surrounding space provides an open venue for public events and along with shelter for visitors.

AWESOME VIEW & VISUALLY STUNNING !!!

All pics & info courtesy of designboom

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Designer Kitchen by Graft

2010-05-06T09:13:00.000+08:00

Loft Hamburg, located in a restored building in Winterhude district of Hamburg, is a private 118 square-meter residence designed by Graft. The focal point of the high-ceilinged and otherwise white space is a large pod paneled with walnut. The pod contains the residence’s kitchen and bathroom, hides its central heating, cooling and plumbing, and even provides some cupboards and bookshelves. The owner was looking to use a wide variety of materials, and the walnut pod contrasts beautifully with the soft fabrics, leather and natural stone used elsewhere in the loft.

Some background on Graft:

Graft is an architecture, urban planning and design company established in 1998 in Los Angeles by German architects (,) Lars Krückeberg, Wolfram Putz, Thomas Willemeit and Gregor Hoheisel, all now in their early forties. Their Berlin office opened in 2001, and Beijing office in 2004. Alejandra Lillo joined Graft as the fifth partner in Los Angeles in 2007.

All pics & info courtesy of coolhunter

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Shanghai Expo 2010 Part 1

2010-05-05T20:35:00.002+08:00

Fireworks explode over the site of World Expo during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony in Shanghai, China on April 27, 2010.

Organizers of Shanghai's World Expo have been holding trial runs this week, before the official opening this Saturday, May 1st. About 70 percent of the nearly 200 participants participated in the trials, and visitors were already encountering long lines. Officials now estimate the 6-month event, themed "Better City, Better Life", will attract up to 100 million visitors, 95 percent of them Chinese. Shanghai has spent 400 billion yuan (58.6 billion US dollars) preparing for the Expo, according to state media - more than was spent on the Beijing Olympics.

Visitors wait in queue to enter the Spain Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo Monday, May 3, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

Visitors look at a display of screens inside the Spain Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo Monday, May 3, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

Visitors gather in front of a huge animated baby mannequin displayed in the Spanish pavilion at the site of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 25, 2010. Expo organizers gave members of the public a preview of the largest-ever World's Fair as they tested facilities and public transportation before the official start on May

A visitor stands at the South Korea Pavilion at the World Expo site on the trial day Friday, April 23, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

Visitors walk past the illuminated Expo Axis of Sunshine Valley on the first day of the trial run of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China, on Tuesday, April 20, 2010.

Visitors stand outside the U.K. Pavilion, known as the "Seed Cathedral," at the site of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

A Chinese worker peers from behind a wall surrounding the UK pavilion at the site of the World expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 7, 2010.

A man takes a picture inside the British pavilion at the World Expo 2010 site in Shanghai on April 14, 2010.

A visitor examines a seed encased in acrylic inside the U.K. Pavilion, known as the "Seed Cathedral," at the site of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

Check video of the UK Pavilion here:

A night view shows the Serbia pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site April 23, 2010.

Workers attach a logo in Chinese characters meaning the United States at the USA Pavilion at the World Expo site on the trial day Sunday, April 25, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

Journalists gather at the US pavilion for a press preview at the site of the World expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 7, 2010.

Visitors outside the Danish pavilion take photos of Denmark's iconic Little Mermaid statue after it was unveiled at Shanghai World Expo site April 25, 2010.

Denmark's famed Little Mermaid statue is displayed after it was unveiled in Denmark Pavilion at the World Expo site on the trial day Sunday, April 25, 2010 in Shanghai, China. The 5-foot (1.5-meter) statue honoring Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen left Copenhagen Harbor for first time in 97 years for Shanghai's Expo which opens May 1.

Lead architect of the Danish pavilion, Bjarke Ingels rides a bicycle on its roof at the site of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 25, 2010.

Workers assemble a wall part of the Latvia Pavilion at the World Expo site on the trial day Sunday, April 25, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

A night view shows the Russia pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site April 23, 2010.

A man walks past the Polish pavilion at the site of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 27, 2010.

An aerial view shows the French Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site in Shanghai March 28, 2010.

A Chinese worker stands on the top of the pavilion of Iceland at the site of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 7, 2010.

A child poses for her mother in front of the China Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site April 25, 2010.

Visitors walk past the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion, known as the Dream Cube, in Shanghai on April 26, 2010. Multi-nationals are seizing on the six-month event beginning May 1 to build their brand presence in the market of 1.3 billion people, but also the business and government connections - or "guanxi" - crucial to making money in China.

A visitor takes photos of a 3D-projected image of a jade burial suit in the Aurora Pavilion as organizers of Shanghai's World Expo gave members of the public a preview of the massive event in Shanghai on April 26, 2010.

A project model shows a possible future transport system in the Pavilion of Future as organizers of Shanghai's World Expo gave members of the public a preview of the massive event in Shanghai on April 26, 2010.

Visitors walk past the "Information and Communications Pavilion," built by China Mobile Ltd. and China Telecom Corp., in Shanghai, China, on Monday, April 19, 2010.

The North Korean pavilion is seen, next to the Iranian pavilion (right) at the site of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 27, 2010.

An aerial view shows vehicles traveling on newly-lit intersections at night in Shanghai in this March 28, 2010 photo.

Tourists walk past the Finland Pavilion at the site of Shanghai 2010 World Expo, during its third trial operation on April 23, 2010 in Shanghai, China. The World Expo, which runs May 1 through October 31, is expected to attract about 70 million visitors.

The illuminated Finland Pavilion is seen at the site of Shanghai 2010 World Expo on April 26, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

Visitors walk in front ot the Italy pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site April 23, 2010.

The Israel Pavilion is seen at the site of Shanghai 2010 World Expo on April 27, 2010 in Shanghai, China.

The Japan Pavilion is seen at the World Expo site.

A general view shows the Malaysia pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site April 23, 2010.

All pics & info courtesy of daylife

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

Jacob Dahlgreen Conceptual Art

2010-05-05T16:27:00.000+08:00

Jacob Dahlgren is a Swedish painter, sculptor, and conceptual artist who works to a large extent with unconventional materials. Finding abstraction in everyday objects, he creates dynamic interactive installations and great performances.

All pics & info courtesy of trendland

You are who you decide to be ... Adapt & Overcome.

The Fincube

2010-05-05T14:56:00.000+08:00

Fincube by Berlin’s Studio Aisslinger.

This new housing is modular, sustainable and transportable. The low energy house, named ‘Fincube’, is comprised of thin horizontal “ledges” of locally grown wood that wrap the slightly bulging form.

The Fincube is installed on four columns whose height is adjusted to the topographic conditions. The elevation of the plot underlines the cubic form of the construction. Access is made available via a staircase.

With the use of natural materials such as wood, stone, and glass, and with low-energy construction techniques and minimum soil sealing, Fincube meets sustainable construction methods.

According to the intended use, connections for cold water, rainwater, waste water, and electricity are required. Due to the installation of a photovoltaic system on the roof, the Fincube becomes an independent unit.
via: If It’s Hip, It’s Here

All pics & info courtesy of loudreams

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