pavel novák: 8-bit invader projection mapping

'8-bit invaders' projection mapping by pavel novák 

'8-bit invader' is a work of projection mapping created by czech designer pavel novák for the 5th anniversary of tomas bata university'sdepartment of visual arts in zlín, czech republic.

the display playfully conflates the real and virtual worlds, first using the edifice simply as a surface onto which novák's own fictional game 'furniture catchers' is loaded via the command line. for a few seconds, pixelated people appear in the sites of the building's real windows to drop furniture, which a digital truck on street level moves to try to catch. after an alleged system error converts the building temporarily into the 'blue screen of death', a series of iconic games are displayed in play, with architecture elements of the building incorporated into the gaming landscape.



full simulation of '8-bit invaders' 


the simulation begins with a fake command line input screen 


additional view 


video of several projects, including '8-bit invader', projection mapped at the event 

via computerlove



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designboom reminder: infiniti digital art competition

designboom in collaboration with INFINITI is offering an international competition asking participants to design spectacular or interactive digital artworks, to be installed throughout europe and voted on to win the 10,000 euro first prize.

submissions may take the form of projection mapping, interactive sculptures, video or flash files, processing or max applications, or other digitally mediated works, but register now!
the first round of the competition, featuring the theme 'inspired performance', ends friday, july 8th. 

via designboom 

source DesignFields

helen pynor: liquid ground

'breath' by helen pynor

GV art gallery, london, UK
on now until july 2nd, 2011



'liquid ground' by helen pynor
all images courtesy helen pynor and GV art gallery
(above) 'liquid ground 1'
c-type photographic print, face mounted on glass
160 x 110 cm
image © helen pynor


conceived from her research into the numerous recorded cases of accidental drowning in london's thames river, australian artist helen pynor has created 'liquid ground', a series of large-scale photographs which capture various water-buoyed garments expelling human organs from within its floating form. simultaneously haunting and surreal, the unexpected injection of internal organs into an otherwise dreamy underwater scene results in a collection of images that is arresting in both a visual and visceral manner. 

pynor explores new ways in which we can relate to our body's makeup by rejecting the celebration of gore and horror but drawing from both personal and cultural stories. utilizing phantom forms, the notion of the human body is approached in a highly sensitive and emotional manner despite the morbidity of the subject matter. 



detail
image © helen pynor



'liquid ground 2'
c-type photographic print, face mounted on glass
160 x 110 cm
image © helen pynor



detail
image © helen pynor



'liquid ground 3'
c-type photographic print, face mounted on glass
160 x 110 cm
image © helen pynor



'liquid ground 6'
c-type photographic print, face mounted on glass
160 x 110 cm
image © helen pynor



detail
image © helen pynor



'liquid ground 4'
c-type photographic print, face mounted on glass
160 x 110 cm
image © helen pynor

via designboom

source DesignFields

mark reigelman: breaking the bottle at heller gallery

mark reigelman: breaking the bottle

heller gallery, new york city
on now until july 30, 2011


'breaking the bottle' by mark reigelman at heller gallery
all images courtesy of mark reigelman

brooklyn-based artist mark reigelman has created 'breaking the bottle,' a site-specific installation on display at new york city's heller gallery. 
taking cues from the handmade glass defenses found on fences and rooftops worldwide, this work encrusts twelve household objects, including chairs, lamps, and a bearskin rug, in protective layers of broken shards. 

the collection is placed on a pedestal with dimensions matching the artist's childhood living room, arranged to suggest a familiar domestic landscape. 
however, the green color and crystalline surface texture evoke clipped, performative topiaries of the outdoors: 
the innate danger and hostility of glass shards make them useful barriers, but they also greatly isolate the objects contained within.

reigleman's abrasive integration of this material in a typically comforting interior subverts expectations to examine increasingly blurred distinctions between public and private domain.



the objects' functionality is maintained, such as the lamp's illumination and the mirror's reflective properties, to convey a familiar scene



installation view









all objects are true to scale












photo studio installation process



photo studio installation process



glass covering in progress

integrating reigelman's background in both sculpture and industrial design, the systematic process of 'breaking the bottle' took three months to complete. 
each object is composed of about 40 layers of glass shards, and the installation altogether uses over 1,000 pounds of 100% recycled glass and 20 gallons of adhesive epoxy resin. 



glass covering in progress



glass covering in progress

via designboom

source: DesignCoast

H3T architects: bike sauna

'bike sauna' by H3T architects
all images courtesy H3T architects

czech republic-based practice H3T architects (vitek simek, stepan rehor, matej velek) has sent us images of 'bike sauna', a transportable sweat lodge pulled by a tandem bicycle. constructed out of light and durable materials for maximum ease of use, the project serves as a new and unconventional social tool that interacts with its immediate site.



exterior view

able to accommodate up to six people, the sauna is encased in a cylindrical volume clad in translucent panels. featuring a fully-functioning fireplace that expels smoke through a tiny protruding chimney, the interior is outfitted with a set of wooden benches. access is provided through a slit on an elastic membrane which keeps in the heat during use. the prototype is a platform for testing ideas, exploring the possibilities of portable architecture with a clear social function.












(left) interior
(right) in use






sections

via designboom

source: DesignCoast

crescent handle by rafael gonzalez urdaneta

crescent handle - chrome

'crescent handle' by rafael gonzalez urdaneta from canada is one of the shortlisted entries from our recent designboom competition 'hands on door handles' organized by designboom in collaboration with COLOMBO design.
the door handle contest yielded entries from more than 6, 000 participants and has been juried by UK designer jasper morrison and US-based reiser and umemoto architects.

crescent handle - brushed

'I was thinking about what a door handle is, and how if simplified to its basic function it can be considered an interface between the user and the door, an integrated tool that stays in place to help the user activate the mechanism that unlocks the door and lets him go through and would be virtually not accessible to the naked hand if this element was not present. 
so after this analysis I compared to other existing tools that would provide a similar way of grabbing and turning the pin that unlocks the door, and I found that a wrench could be used to do just that. this handle would be cast metal with a spun metal base, as any of the other handles in colombo design catalogue. I included different finish options that I think could work'. 
rafael gonzalez urdaneta

crescent handle - gold

chosen as one of the 165 overall shortlisted projects, 'crescent' was selected from the 'freestyle' category of the competition, in which we asked for experimental designs that still manage to match the specified technical requirements indicated. 
designboom is currently publishing the most common 'variations on a theme' received, and more than 20 types of door handles working with a similar concept as 'crescent' were submitted to our competition.

crescent handle - gunmetal black



crescent handle - on door

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those wishing to republish an excerpt of this article, please have the courtesy to link back to this original article, and to mention that the project was conceived for the designboom and  COLOMBO award: 'hands on door handles'. 

designboom would like to invite our readers to an evening at the triennale di milano. 
organized in collaboration  with colombo design, the event will feature a lecture by french designer jean marie massaud and will reveal the results of the international door handle competition 'hands on door handles'.
cocktail reception to follow. free entrance.

small details make up the big picture.
landscape, architecture, interior design and door handles.
triennale di milano - sala d'onore, viale alemagna 6, milan 

via designboom 

source designcoast

Bunniguru as a Bridge to Porcelain Art Toys

There are a couple of upscale contenders vying for the "____ is the new vinyl" tagline in the toy art world. Fiberglass and bronze have been gaining fans (amongst those who can afford them), and now, porcelain is poised to make its mark. Porcelain is not necessarily a new material to be tried by toy artists. Jamie Hayon's did this Fantasy Collection for Lladro, and Frank Kozik is rumored to be working on a porcelain project. Despite this, the distinctly un-toy medium has yet to truly "cross over". A certain bunny guru may change that…

Nathan Jurevicius tweeted some photos of a 7-inch porcelain Bunniguru he's been working on with France's K.Olin Tribu, whose website, appropriately enough, is:http://www.artandtoys.com. Nathan's Scarygirl characters released in the early 2000s through Flying Cat and STRANGEco were some of the first and favorite art toys for many stateside collectors. With the scene in a state of change currently, it will be interesting to see if Bunniguru is a bridge to further acceptance of toys in the art world (and, conversely, higher-priced art objects in the toy scene).

No price is available yet, but comparatively, K. Olin Tribu has produced a porcelain piece for Steph Cop at under 5 inches for just below $200 USD.

VIA JEREMY RIAD

source DesignCoast

Jumping Brain x Japan

Emilio Garcia will be releasing a special edition Jumping Brain x Japan in "an effort to help raise money for the people affected by the disaster in Japan". The 3″ resin WHITE NITRO Jumping Brain with Japan flag will be available "soon" at the Jumping Brain official storewith 100% of funds going to help Japan.

VIA JEREMY RIAD 

source DesignCoast

Hitler Goes To Disneyland by JEREMYRIAD

When asked via her Facebook page what this figure means, Okedoki replied: "Pacifist Hitler enjoying his ice cream in Disneyland." Seems obvious enough, right? There are, however, subtleties. She painted tiny skulls on "Hitler's" eyes and adorned his uniform with peace signs. Okedoki writes:

Love/peace in his heart, while hate/war is not far away.
It is up to the individual to decide his fate.
In this case, Hitler has decided to go to Disneyland instead!

Go to town, Walt Disney / Nazi conspiracy theorists!

Not too long ago, Okedoki was the first Artist in Residence around here. But before that, she was the subject of my article: "When Custom Toys Get Controversial". At that time (June, 2010), she had customized at least 8 Hitlers on different toy platforms. She sees the work as social commentary. From the article:

I don't promote Nazism or want to glorify it. In fact, it's the opposite: it's to examine a very dark phase of our social consciousness, and perhaps by seeing the evil, we can see the light/love.

She was commissioned to do this piece by a collector, and it may be her largest Hitler yet. Okedoki mentioned needing to use a heatgun to bake the Sculpey because the Mega Munny wouldn't fit in her oven. Although I know she meant nothing sinister by that, the turn of phrase brings up concentration camp imagery for me. I was surprised to see no negative comments posted by viewers of her process pics, which is a change from her previous Hitler customs. Is Hitler no longer controversial or are toy collectors just able to keep that separate and appreciate the talent displayed in executing this figure?

VIA JEREMY RIAD

source DesignCoast

Your Dog is Not a Canvas

This blog is a testament to how anything can be a canvas (for instance), but I draw the line at pets. CNN is reporting that "China's latest craze" is dying dogs to look like more exotic animals.

A UK paper that covered this white picket fence dog show reported: "While some of the dogs didn't appear to be enjoying themselves, they were a hit with locals." That should be a giant red flag not to do this. I mean, clearly these dog-dyers have some skills, so why not funnel that talent onto something that's not alive…like a plush? They could do dogs wearing wild animal costumes, sort of like these Hello Kitty plushes. China is more than equipped to make cheap plush dolls. Come on, leave the dogs alone.

VIA JEREMY RIAD

source: DesignCoast