davidreport

The Drawing Lamp is a consistently simple lamp reduced to the basics, including cable and illuminant. Thomas Feichtner designed this desk lamp for his own use. As the name implies the Drawing Lamp is a lamp preferably used by the designer to illuminate the drawing area. On the one hand it lights the whole desk surface, on the other hand its light can be directed precisely to where it is needed on the paper – as Thomas Feichtner prefers it for sketching. The light is not focused via a complex mechanical system or by adjusting a reflector but simply by putting the whole lamp into a horizontal position.

Its construction allows placing it on the desk at two different angular positions. The lamp can be put down in a horizontal position with the illuminant slightly above the desk surface or in a vertical position with a maximum distance between the illuminant and the desk surface. The lamp keeps its balance as in a balancing act. The conclusive implementation of the simple construction, with the cable running through the tube to the illuminant – the destination point and the source of light – was made possible by LED technology. LEDs do not require a reflector to concentrate the emitted light, and thus it was possible to simply put the LED into the tube. The appearance of the Drawing Lamp is defined by the cable, the steel tube and the LED illuminant. Like the classic bare light bulb hanging on a cord from the ceiling the Drawing Lamp is reduced to the bare essentials. Only the sophisticated deformation of the tube provides the lamp with the benefit of adjustability. The interplay of angles, radiuses and lines results in an object which is conclusive in terms of construction and form.

A lamp reduced to the basics: http://bit.ly/bjAvE5

This year Kivik Art Centre presents a new work that manifests the basic concept of our project: an architect and an artist in collaboration. It is also the first time that both are women and we can present a Swedish participants. Architect Petra Gipp has created a Refugium, a refuge in the forest of solid wood and concrete. An architectural sculpture that doubles as a small cinema, a walk-in-cinema” with a few seats for both a contemplative and an intense experience. The film shown was filmed by Runa Islam in a museum in Washington during her research stay at the Smithsonian Institute. The film called Cabinet of Prototypes, was commissioned by Kivik Art Centre and form an exquisite combination with Petra’s architecture.

From previous summers most works are still here. The five structures by Snøhetta Architects, three in collaboration with the photographer Tom Sandberg (2007). The visionary Venturo house by Matti Suuronen (1971/2009) and the sculpture for the individual experience of architecture, a collaboration between David Chipperfield and Antony Gormley (2008). In one of the old stables on the farm the exhibition KIVIK ART 2020 will be installed. individually studied the conditions for Kivik Art Centre, and then, without any thoughts on politics or money, have visualized their visions for the future. Local presence, sustainability and environmental aspects have formed the critical platform for the project. It is important to note that these are indeed visions - sometimes utopian - but are all healthy stimulus to our imagination and for our dreams of what Kivik Art Centre one day might become.

Photo by Gerry Johansson.

Architect and artist collaboration at Kivik Art Center in Sweden: http://bit.ly/d6OPwH

San Francisco-based fuseproject, led by industrial designer Yves Béhar, is today announcing the worldwide unveiling of the GE WattStation. The GE WattStation is an easy-to-use electric vehicle (EV) charger with a consumer-friendly form. Designed to help accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles, GE WattStation significantly decreases time needed for vehicle charging and, with the use of smart grid technology, allows utility companies to manage the impact of electric vehicles on the local and regional grids.

Fresh from their work with PUMA on a reduced-impact global packaging and distribution system, fuseproject has now designed an essential component of the delivery system for electric vehicle users. Combining functionality with user-friendly form, the GE WattStation offers faster battery charging and smart grid technology within a modular design that allows for easy upgrades, allowing customers to stay current with the latest advances.

“Good design is when a new technology enters our life and makes it more simple, beautiful and healthy,” said  Yves Béhar, founder of fuseproject. “The GE WattStation achieves this with a welcoming design that will seamlessly integrate into the urban landscape and become a natural part of our daily driving routine.”

San Francisco-based fuseproject, led by industrial designer Yves Béhar, announces the unveiling of the GE WattStation: http://bit.ly/aabXv6

Eliumstudio is pursuing its search for industrial elegance with Ceramic Art in the world of household electrical appliances which continues to resemble tableware. This time with the producer Rowenta. Initiated with the metal and wood Silver Art series dedicated to breakfast-time, eliumstudio has today revolutionised ceramic for one of the very first uses of this noble yet unstable material, for a large scale series.

The tiny variations inherent to the firing of the ceramic made, for example, the safety tests necessary for this type of product very unpredictable. A constraint resolved by the designers thanks to the elastomer lid which compensates the small margin between the pieces and permits the kettle to be knocked over without any scalding liquid being projected. With a design which preserves the smoothness of the material it avoids the tendency towards rustic, the result therefore meets the studio’s expectations: aesthetically Ceramic Art passes indifferently from the kitchen to the table: that is from the status of a preparation appliance to an element of contemporary service (the kettle is moreover sold with two mugs). A new level has been reached which confirms eliumstudio as the best representative of French decorative refinement on the scale of industrial product design.

Nice household electrical appliances by eliumstudio for Rowenta: http://bit.ly/caSqUW

There is a short interview with myself in the latest issue of Dwell magazine: http://dwell.com?r=97898389

Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka is going to present an installation called “Snow” at the “Sensing Nature” exhibition, which will be held at the Mori Art Museum from July 24th.

In a huge space of 15m in width, fine feathers are blown up by the wind and shower down as if real snow does. It reminds us of the snowscape that lies in our memory, and will express the beauty of nature that exceeds our imaginations. The “Snow” installation is completed by reconstructing the work previously designed in 1997.

Electrolux vacuum cleaner in #art installation: http://bit.ly/9wqq8Y

Snow exhibition at Mori #Art Museum in Tokyo by Tokujin Yoshioka: http://bit.ly/92pJ40

The latest performance test for Electrolux Ergorapido was conducted by Swedish artist and set designer Tobias Allanson. Experienced in working with the overlap of art and technology, he built a machine to take Ergorapido through a number of challenges.

With Electrolux’ test labs as a benchmark, he put together a test track that any good instant cleaner should pass. “Pick up, easy handling and flexible steering are three important qualities we have developed to excellence”, says Christer Månsson, Product Manager for the Ergorapido at Electrolux. “With this exciting experiment we wanted to see how Ergorapido performs in a test situation outside laboratories.”

“Building a moving piece around a vacuum cleaner was an unusual assignment”, says artist and set designer Tobias Allanson, who has created works for among others Urbanears, WESC, Modart and Freitag.

“The biggest challenge for the machine was to show the two in one function, since the movements are more complex and I really went through some struggles with strong magnets. But my favourite one is the one where a bunch of shoes draggle the floors and Ergorapido picks it up right away.”

The machine was filmed and is now touring Europe to different exhibitions.

Swedish mouth blown glass celebrating tap water: http://bit.ly/bNasFB

Swedish glass designers Carina Seth Andersson and Ann Wåhlström is involved in a new interesting glass project for Stockholms Glasbruk Skansen 2010. A project celebrating the good Stockholm tap water! Two new lines for the table or the garden called Floda and Bäcka. Mouth blown and hand finished in the hot shop at Skansen, where the glass products are available in the shop.

Japanese design brand Sfera started the original Uchiwa collection in the summer of 2009, as an example of adopting Japanese traditional craft into our daily life. Uchiwa is a flat, non-folding Japanese fan which have been a familiar part of daily life since centuries. Sfera’s Uchiwa is redefined to fit contemporary lifestyle, simply showing its essential and functional beauty with a timeless appeal. All of the Uchiwa is made by Aiba, a well known Kyoto-style Uchiwa maker with 300years of history.

Sfera’s Uchiwa http://bit.ly/dzU9Na

The Boatanic (boat + botanic) is a novel concept that combines existing know-how to create an unprecedented solution for growing food within the inner city. Its aim is to reduce the environmental impact of our food which, today, still has to travel large distances before it hits our plates.

The concept is to simply convert discarded tourist boats into floating greenhouses as these are ideally suited due to their large glass windows. The idea dawned on Damian O’Sullivan as he was walking around Amsterdam and realised that the typical tourist boat actually resembled a greenhouse. ‘What if you replaced tourists with thyme or tomatoes?’ he asked himself…the Boatanic was born!

The name is also a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the Titanic and can as such be seen as a veiled reference to the environmental danger we are faced with.

The Boatanic will offer fresh year-round seasonal herbs, fruit and vegetables. These will be sold directly from the quay and also delivered by bike to restaurants (wholesale) as well as in the form of monthly subscription baskets (retail).

The Boatanic also intends to engender a return to the commercial exploitation of the inner-city waterways which have all but been lost in the last century as we turned away from them in favour of road transportation.

The Boatanic is ideally suited for cities with inner-city waterways, a rich gourmet culture and a climate that is neither too hot nor too cold. We aim to have a pilot up and running in Amsterdam by 2011 and would then look toward expanding to other cities in Europe and North America. In short, the Boatanic will reduce the food-miles to food-at-your-feet!

The Boatanic will feature as part of a group exhibition at Fort Asperen (NL) until September 2010. Other designers include Arnout Visser and Christien Meindersma.

BOATANIC …all green hands on deck! http://bit.ly/asqQC5

Bruce Munro installed his new artwork ‘CDSea’ in a field near Kilmington over the weekend, after his appeal to collect unwanted CDs from the general public netted him 600,000 discs for the installation.

Munro’s ‘CDSea’ is the first of a number of self-funded installations using discarded or recycled materials, planned for Long Knoll Field, which is bisected by a public footpath. “It’s a great public gallery space” says Munro.

Over the weekend 140 friends and colleagues, including Kevin McCloud and other celebrities from the design-art world, helped to lay the installation. One family arriving from Frome in Somerset for a day out helping to build the artwork had a young boy with them. He sidled up to Munro and asked, “ Are you the one making the sea?”

One man who had already donated 40,000 CDs brought his family and a further 1,000 CDs in the trunk of the car, keen to do all they could to contribute to this unusual artwork. Cider, sausages and sunshine added to the atmosphere.

The 10-acre field at Long Knoll is where in 2005 Munro installed a prototype of his installation ‘Field of Light’ which went on to huge acclaim at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

In this setting ‘CD Sea’ is on public view for the next two months. Munro conceives it as an inland sea reflecting light from the sun and moon. His assistants Ben and James fashioned the footpath into a meandering shape, following his design.

“I was very nervous about it” says Munro. “You never know how something will work out, but now I could not be happier. I’m so grateful to everyone who turned out to help. We had a magical weekend and CDSea looks amazing, like a giant painting on the grass.”