A Christmas holiday with wishes for a prosperous New Year 2016- and a promise…?-))

“….We are ready to embark on this landmark 55th edition. It shows clear signs of being interesting and robust, in terms of both the wide-ranging commercial offering from a phalanx of the foremost companies on the national and international market, and in terms of the balance achieved between tradition and innovation in the name of quality and refinement. The ever-increasing interest show by operators, journalists and members of the public is testament to the variety and quality of the event: the Salone del Mobile, along with the city of Milan, manages to capture the attention of more than 300,000 visitors, from 165 different countries,….” said President Roberto Snaidero.
  
The  Salone del Mobile 2016 edition this April 2016 (from 12.4.2016 until 17.4.2016 in Milan, Italy), re-sets again the game board of the industry with many noted initiatives, projects and parallel exhibitions- events.  Interior design and architecture seem to kick off early this year as THE fundamental discipline to observe -preoccupying the creative neurons of the distinguished designers who contribute to the Salone 2016 (check  A4D-D4A related posts in  January’s  2016 Residences et al feature, for more exciting info?-))

To begin with, the Rooms. New Domestic Landscapes exhibition, curated by Beppe Finessi, showcases interior architecture as interpreted by 11 leading designers, at the XXI Trienalle di Milano spot “Curve” ( from 2.4.2016 until 12.9.2016): Umberto Riva, Alessandro Mendini, Manolo De Giorgi, Lazzarini and Pickering, MaraLaudani and Marco Romanelli, Andrea Anastasio, Fabio Novembre, Duilio Forte,Elisabetta Terragni, Carlo Ratti and Francesco Librizzi.

The exhibition: 21st Century. Design after Design appears to be the capital sociological and historical trigger-point of the Trienalle, destined  to abridge the glamorous and perplex industrial past with the intense challenges-questions of the future, meant to tantalize the design world from now on, (“….How does the figure of the designer change in this context? How can we highlight the complex ecosystem resulting from the confrontation between typical mass production logic and the new forms of post- Fordist organisation? How can we describe the profile of a designer given the increasingly powerful link with forms of social innovation involving communities, regions and local culture? What things, what cities, what communities do we want to hand down to our successors?....”). 

Furhermore, Before Design: Classic  exhibition, presents a different concept of the classical, resting not simply on the past but impacting powerfully on the present, laying the foundations for a new vision of the future …Also: let’s not forget- since it happens every two years…Alongside  with the Salone del Mobile.Milano, the biennial  EuroCucina and International Bathroom Exhibition will be back in their 21st and 6th editions respectively, from 12th to17th April 2016. Innovation, evolution, state of the art technology, massive exhibiting power, business-ready, with gallons of style and ideas. A territory to explore for the public- visitors from apparently more than 170 countries- expected again this year. The tip of Salone philosophy, dedicated to the “youth push” idea- the 19th edition of SaloneSatellite will be back, in Pavilions 13 and 15, along with EuroCucina, (with free entry from Cargo 4). Its corollary, the SaloneSatellite Award – now into its 7thedition – is devoted to young designers under 35, with prizes for the three best prototypes on show conforming to the product categories at the exhibition.  

It is fascinating how many sectors, services and agencies of public and private administration in the city of Milan, work in admirable coordination to bring together the core events of the exhibition, its preludes ,its parallel projects, its publicity through all possible media channels- organizing  an essential design “force majeure”, targeting at EVERY visitor’s need: either a tourist, student, journalist, designer, entrepreneur or/end academic. 

A4D-D4A will try to bypass every adversity in order to deliver again this year, an article in detail, about the key elements of this epic design congregation. The Salone fuels ambition and boosts intercultural exchange- together with  documenting the progress of the design vocation/profession world-wide.  

Please find all the information regarding the fair , on the www.salonemilano.it website. 

Seasons Greetings - Happy New Year 2016
A4D-D4A?-))

FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ RE-DESIGN THE LIBRARIES OF THE FUTURE...

 Picture above from : www.slideshare.net/KnudSchulz ….a drone plane operated by an assigned drone pilot -flying into the premises at the Main Library of the city of Aarhus in Danemark. (photo from the seminar and workshop: Designing the Future: the public library as an innovation space -public center*, animated and presented by Knud Schulz, Librarian- Manager of the Main Library in Aarhus, DK- at Eugenides Foundation, Athens, Greece, on the 30th of November  2015)

“The medium is the message” , the famous quote by Marshall McLuhan in his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man , published in 1964- defined the first phase of the digital mass- information era, creating the relationship upon which the medium affects the entire body of the its hosted information , mainly through its perception by  the viewer-user. In contemporary times the dogma switches dramatically, because of the interventional role of the user as an information generator , introduced to the common server (TV-smart phone- PC-radio)  of owned portable digital media devices, in order to integrate  his/her own data engine AND express his/her personal information channel. People are the message today, through the blogosphere, the social media, the on-line public apps, the free internet access and so on.

In the beginning the public libraries conformed to the first rule, as a massive stock of written data, archived to be accessed by the researcher/citizen, as a resource to obtain information, inaccessible otherwise. That was the situation up to this point. The libraries of the future reserve the role of an innovation space , than of solely an information space: a place for knowledge, networking, meeting people, participating and creating- a life-long learning center beyond the academia and a performative  space: a  Media lab and a socio-cultural institution.  This process involves public consultations of all kinds, co-creating and cooperating with the local municipality administration and services, the inter-disciplinary contribution of start-ups along with the engagement of  established companies and financial partners-players.  Tradition leads its way to transcendence and eventually to real democracy: an all-inclusive flexible library center, adoptable to change and faster to evolve, to the service of all citizens.

Diagram above extracted from the seminar and workshop: Designing the Future: the public library as an innovation space -public center*, animated and presented by Knud Schulz, Librarian- Manager of the Main Library in Aarhus, DK- at Eugenides Foundation, Athens, Greece, on the 30th of November  2015)

The new model of a the future library has been introduced in Aarhus, Oslo, Helsinki, Birmingham and soon in Athens –in the SNFCC complex . The future is now and it is ahead us, with its many challenges. Lets embrace it , starting from our libraries.

* The workshop took place within the works of the 11th International Congress of the Libraries Support Organizational Committee, under the title: " Let's talk about Libraries. It's worth it!", held at the Eugenides Foundation, on November 2015 -with the support of the Nordic Library at Athens.

More information, ideas and action plans on : 
www.designthinkingforlibraries.com, www.norlib.gr,  ksc@aarhus.dk
http://www.eugenfound.edu.gr

Joyful wishes and Warm regards
A4D-D4A;-))

The ARCHITECT'S WORKSHOP exhibition, HUBLOT PRICE 2015 winners and a bit of HUMANITY....

 

Picture above: The Architect's workshop, at Benaki Museum (Peiraios street annexe), Ath, GR, until 10/01/2016. Find out details and weekly schedule for visitors on:
http://www.benaki.gr/index.asp?lang=gr&id=202010001&sid=1805


..."Seaward ho! Hang the treasure! It's the glory of the sea that has turned my head.”...   (by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island )     

This is the type of exhibition that makes the odd visitor shout possibly those words of excitement, inspired by R.L Stevenson famous novel...Indeed, this is a true treasure, not made of gold , but of knowledge, craft, experience and wisdom. The multidisciplinary profession and vocation of the architect, is therefore unveiled, by stepping in his very temple, the "atelier"- the lab- the workshop and its equipment. All drawing instruments are juxtaposed in a very intelligent way, together with stunning photography of the architectural process-  models, furniture and text. The Neohellenic  Architecture Archives of the Benaki Museum- truly the national Museum of Decorative Arts in Greece- celebrate 20 years of existence, with the opening of some of their precious contents. The specific exhibition material that in England, Japan, or Germany would fill easily 3 floors, to say the least - redirects the flashlight on contemporary exhibition design export, with no more than decent means. Unmissable- a passionate world of creation, decoration, design, engineering, administration, management...The architect's world, life and work.

Bellow: Architectural drawing instruments, such as compasses, rapidographs, pencils, letrasets, stencils, templates, levelling rods, rulers, French curves, pastels, water colours, pens, triangles, protractors, colorimetric tables, chalks, tracers, pantographs and many more -are appearing in the exhibition's very vast and comprehensive list....

 

----------------

The first edition of the Hublot Prize, awarded by the famous Swiss luxury watch brand, saw two joint winners: BIG GAME swiss studio, for their team spirit and Norway's DANIEL RYBAKKEN for his illumination design- both designers whose careers began with SaloneSatellite. The awards ceremony was held at Tokyo Design Week in October. For images and information on the Hublot company, design competition and trophy and the impressive works of the illustrious winners, please check the links bellow:

http://www.hublot.com/en/news/at-the-heart-of-tokyo-design-week
http://www.big-game.ch/?clients
http://www.danielrybakken.com/daniel_rybakken_-_design_studio.html
http://salonemilano.it/en-us/PRESS/Press-Releases

                                -------------------

Three young refugees were discussing together, standing in the packed train wagon, the line from Piraeus to Athens center. They were checking each other for information, seemed they may were friends travelling to the airport, living Greece to a promised land...They stepped out the train, hopping over the huge gap, their formed a queue by holding tight each others back shoulder -the first one was leading the way with a white cane, following the poorly made tactile paving, in a quick pace....They were blind. I did not take a photo, being entirely astound, as my fellow travelers ...it seemed like solidarity and companionship got invented that exact mini-second.  A gaze to a new and humane era.

A4D-D4A:-))

 

 

After all, it's all about MAGIC....?-)))

 

Picture above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQXvSb-ZC7U
Find out more info about eligibility criteria, volunteering and donations on: http://www.magicwheelchair.org/

The Holiday and the Carnival season- all over Europe and the Globe is about to start and I feel the urge to introduce you to a creative, fantastic scheme of people and children I follow lately- and a cause to embrace with true interest, all of you design aficionados.
After all, it's all about Magic....?-)
Magic Wheelchair is a nonprofit organization that makes epic fancy costumes for children in wheelchairs.
Children choose what they want to be for the Carnival or Halloween and then the artists, technicians, designers-and volunteers at Magic Wheelchair make a custom fit costume for the child's specific wheelchair.
The Founder of the organization Ryan Weimer and his incredible family are in the very beginning of this "magic" initiative, turned out now to be treasured in the hearts of
many kids with disability/special needs or features, who enjoyed the use of a one-of-a-kind, custom-designed, unique mobility vehicle.
The innovative wheelchair designs- collected by the organization and manufactured by its volunteers- combine beautiful artistry, toy design of high creative caliber and finally an educational  and a joyful experience for the children- who are being involved by delivering their own ideas to the making process.
Already applauded by the Media all around the World, Magic Wheelchair shows well the power of community, creativity and resourcefulness. It is worth far more than just admiration to their work as a team of makers- it is worth our commitment.

Happy "Magic"-al thinking - Regards and salutations
A4D-D4A;-)))

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE ....I SALONI WORLDWIDE MOSCOW 2015.

 

 

Picture above: retro postcard, 1972, photography by S.E Hedin : Moscow river Volga winter swimmers - on the background depicting parts of the Frunzenskaya residential quarters, represented mostly by Stalin-type buildings with few pre- revolutionary  houses and currently, new developments.

Here follows the Salone Del Mobile Moscow Edition 2015 Press Release - as it was sent to journalists on the 20th Of October 2015 - no further words are necessary. If you are interested in finding more about the Salone 2015 Milan edition and both the 2016 events, following  respectively on April and October 2016 - please check - starting from the link bellow:
http://salonemilano.it/en-us/WORLDWIDE/Press/Press-releases

"....I Saloni WorldWide Moscow 2015: expectations met, winning quality

The 11th edition of i Saloni WorldWide Moscow – the point of reference for the Italian home furnishing sector in Russia and the former Soviet Republics – closed to great acclaim. Building on its success and looking confidently to the future, the 2016 edition will focus on consolidating a crucial market for the sector and on its mission as a promotional vehicle for its companies in emerging international markets.

A key edition of i Saloni WorldWide Moscow drew to a close last Saturday at Moscow’s Crocus Expo, characterised by an overall positive trend, notwithstanding the uncertain political and economic situation in the country, and by the quality of demand and supply.
37,779 visitors and journalists attended this edition.

For the first time in its history, the event – organised by Federlegno Arredo Eventi in collaboration with ICE – Italian Trade Agency for foreign promotion and the internationalisation of Italian companies – was attended by members of the Russian government and, in particular, by Alexander Morozov, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry of the Russian Federation who also took part in the opening press conference, Growing together; an eye to the future.

The meeting between Federlegno Arredo President Roberto Snaidero and Minister of Tradeand Industry of the Russian Federation, Denis Valentinovich Manturov was also highly important.
They discussed the difficulties facing Italian furnishing sector companies intackling the Russian market and Federlegno Arredo’s wish to continue to invest in a strategic area.

First and foremost, the strong response from the 335 participating companies was proof of their absolute confidence in the event, seeing it as an unmissable opportunity to break into markets increasingly interested in quality classic, modern and design pieces.The quality of the goods on exhibit drew in a correspondingly high level of visiting sectoral operators not only from Moscow, but also from the regions and the former Soviet Republic countries. Thanks to the collaboration with ICE, the attendees also included a hundred important delegates from all over Russia.

“The results of this edition show that Russia is a market in which we should continue to invest. Despite the ongoing challenging economic context, entrepreneurs have tackled  the situation with great determination and with confidence in the future, and the market has reacted positively. It is fair to say that the high level of the exhibits was matched by an equally high level of professional visitors”, said Roberto Snaidero, President of i Saloni WorldWide Moscow.

Unmissable as ever, SaloneSatellite WorldWide Moscow featured 39 young designers from Russia and the former Soviet Republics. For the first time in its history, equal merit prizes were awarded in 2nd and 3rd place for outstanding creativity and focus on sustainability. The 6 prizewinners will be invited to SaloneSatellite in Milan, held under the umbrella of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, from 12th to 17th April 2016.

The three Master Classes, providing opportunities for focus, reflection and discussion on design-related issues, proved a huge attraction, with a round table on the fit between project and market and two dialogues with two leading names in Italian design and architecture, Luca Nichetto and Cino Zucchi, moderated by journalist and design critic Olga Kosyreva.
The IN ITALY APP, launched at the last edition of the Salone del Mobile in Milan, and especially produced in a Russian language version for i Saloni WorldWide Moscow, was a great hit.
Next appointment with i Saloni WorldWide Moscow: October 2016.

Milan, 20th October 2015
Press info-source: Marva Griffin Wilshire
Press Office - International Press Coordinator

...................."

Congrats and to many more to come!-))
A4D-D4A

RESIDENCES ET AL: CHAPTER 1. From a SITE - EFFECTS EXHIBITION to a CATCH 22 - URBAN EVOLUTION...

 

Image above: architectural model by students Koutsioumaris, Mpouranta, Rouni:
Den(-c-)ity
http://synth09-athens-faliro.blogspot.gr/2014/05/17.html

"One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again", said Renzo Piano architect of the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center, down in the river delta at Faliro bay area, in Athens, Greece.

In the beginning was the Word...and then was a plan?-)
The senior students of Semester 9 - Urban design class of the School of Architecture in NTUA (National Technical University of Athens) conceived and designed 22 proposals of urban planning notions that would transform the SNCC surroundings and gradually evolve the urban character of the whole city of Athens. The then-call exhibition Site Effects, was born out of this effort, to decipher this new architectural landmark by super-exposing new solutions for the area's and the city's sustainable plan of future urbanism.
The times seem to impose such thinking:
Peter Vetsch' eco/earth housing is back under the public eye again, the Sauerbruch Hutton architects in Berlin, win the annual German Architecture price for Immanuel protestant church-declaring Sustainability over Glamour as the new Moto, Ackerhelden association in Germany rents gardening space to citizens of the German capital...and the living legends of Japanese architecture,Toyo Ito and Fumihiko Maki act against Zaha Hadid's original plan for the National stadium in Tokyo, for reasons of ecological and cultural sustainability of the surroundings -together with the 33000 signatures of the locals...

The titles of the projects vary significantly, covering a broad spectrum of design approaches: Urban frames - Urban virus - Mold and time - Crossing wedges - Urban implant - Persephone's garden - Tesselate - Unreeled nature - Adversed cities - Squares, water, metal bars - Den(-c-)ity - Cracks on the urban web - Point, section, plane - Spatial passage - Unnatural praise - City layers - Fragments.

In the colloquial supporting event, two of the exhibition curators- Faculty professors As. Prof.Ariadni Vozani and Ad.Prof. Anrdreas Kourkoulas, presented the central axis of the course- a number of data, questions and notions regarding the SNCC project, as the students' principal survey of its connection to the city of Athens and its expansion to the sea. 
A make- or- break architectural point for the area AND the city of Athens- a fact that architects/Professors D. Karidis, Y.Peponis, Y.Aesopos and Ad. Professor in Urban Planning, Meta Berghauser Pont illustrated thoroughly, by a series of examples and similar attempts (older and recent) in other capital cities like Berlin, Genova, Hamburg, Bilbao, in comparison with studies of urban network planning in Medina, Atlanta, Singapore, Stockholm, Amsterdam, New York, Chicago, Barcelona. They elaborated on the possible configurations of the final equation: the old Athens, the sea front or barrier, an immense architectural and financial investment, its network and its cultural impact (or not), a crisis (or not) and a critique, the future possibilities of this new "Acropolis" or a new urban Guetto - and the final outcome: a starting point?
A brave, new activity, hopefully- that leads to a creative, unlimited, urban function, for all the citizens - of the Athenian town and of the world. A new generation of designers - architects contemplate heavily on this vision, soon to be a reality, ready to use.
 
For more information on the exhibition Site Effects 22 Proposals - held on the SNCC Visitors Center until the 18th of October 2015 and its parallel events and archives, please check:

http://synth09-athens-faliro.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/SNFCC

visitorscenter@snfcc.org

http://www.benaki.gr/index.asp?lang=gr&id=20201&building=6

Warm regards?-))
A4D-D4A

DESIGN SCANDALS...thoughts over a turbulent industrial culture

Secrets, lies, unorthodox practices, incorrect techniques, unethical trade, colossal financial interests: all create the image of fierce competition in design industry the last century of its tremendous explosion. Many stories occur, regarding some legends of creativity, historical industrial units and ambivalent, yet extremely popular final products. It is getting so difficult and awkward, to choose certains dark facts/events from such a long line of production evolution...stigmata on Design history' immaculate body.

a. Coco Chanel's tries to trip up the Wertheimer family, current owners of the Chanel brand.

In 1924, Coco Chanel made an agreement with the Wertheimers creating a corporate entity, "Parfums Chanel" on which she had a share of only 10% of the stock, a fact that displeased her, making her trying to get bigger control of the company the following years, in vain.
World War II brought with it the Nazi seizure of all Jewish owned property and business enterprises, providing Chanel with the opportunity to gain the full monetary fortune generated by "Parfums Chanel" and its most profitable product, Chanel No. 5. The Wertheimers, were Jewish, and in May 1941, Chanel used her position as an "Aryan" to petition German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership. Chanel was unaware that the Wertheimers, anticipating the forthcoming Nazi mandates against Jews had taken steps to protect their interests. Prior to fleeing France for New York in 1940, they had legally turned control of “Parfums Chanel” over to a Christian, French business man and industrialist, Felix Amiot. At war's end, Amiot turned "Parfums Chanel" back over to the Wertheimers.

More on :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Wertheimer

b. Hugo Boss support to the Nazi regime designing and clothing production

The fashion company that epitomizes contemporary German Chic has done service to Hitler's government.The founder Hugo Boss created the company in Metzingen in 1923 and then the factory in 1924. Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before Hitler came to power. By the third quarter of 1932, the all-black SS uniform (to replace the SA brown shirts) was designed by SS-Oberfuhrer Prof. Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck (graphic designer).
Hugo Boss company produced these black uniforms along with the brown SA shirts and the black-and-brown uniforms of the Hitler Youth. Some workers are acknowledged to have been French and Polish prisoners of war forced into labour. In 1999, US lawyers acting on behalf of Holocaust survivors started legal proceedings against the Hugo Boss
company over the use of slave labour during the war. The misuse of 140 Polish and 40 French forced workers led to anapology by the company.After World War II, Boss was fined for his support of Nazism and was not allowed to vote.

More on :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss_(fashion_designer)

c. International arms manufacturer Pietro Beretta central share holder: the Vatican

Founded in the 16th century, Beretta is the oldest active manufacturer of firearm components in the world.
Few people know though that the company is controlled  by the Holding SpA Beretta and the majority shareholder of the Beretta Holding SpA after Gussalli Ugo Beretta, is the IOR  (Institute for Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican Bank)  private institution founded in 1942 by Pope Pius XII and headquartered in Vatican City.

More on:
http://theinternetpost.net/2015/05/12/vatican-bank-is-the-main-shareholder-in-pietro-beretta-arms/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta

d. Do fashion designers follow practices of "extermination" of unsold clothes?

Does fashion industry burns unsold clothes and accessories in order to "prevent" pattern theft by its competitors, so they don't make cheaper imitations - and stop further economic exploitation of the goods by internet merchants and Outlet shops, leading to "devaluation of the brand"? Yes- it is unfortunately- the answer. Millions of clients started to realize and condemn those practices though, forcing the companies to donate and recycle eventually... Check more on this fascinating, yet deeply shocking subject on:

http://www.livingwell.jo/content/expose/where-clothes-go-die
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Louis-Vuitton-burns-all-their-unsold-bags
http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/11071/does-louis-vuitton-burn-all-their-unsold-bags
http://elitedaily.com/news/world/abercrombie-says-it-would-rather-burn-clothes-than-give-them-to-poor-people/
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2010/01/07/why_hm_destroys_unsold_clothes.html
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/02/what-happens-to-all-of-those-clothes-retailers-cant-sell/

e. Worst car scandals list in history do not include only Volkswagen

VW is just the latest. Takata airbags scandal is another from the "Egypt Plagues" of the industry...The Japanese manufacturer of airbags has recalled airbags in some 19.2 million vehicles in the U.S. due to a tendency of the device to deploy with too much force, sending metal scraps flying into the passenger cabin. Eight deaths and about 100 injuries in the U.S. have been attributed to the defect.
According to a New York Times report, Honda, one of the companies using the bags, and Takata knew about the dangerous airbags for years before disclosing it to the public and issuing recalls. In early September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that its investigation is expanding to include a wider range of airbag types made by Takata.

More on: http://fortune.com/2015/09/26/auto-industry-scandals/

f. Zaha Hadid is out of Tokyo Olympic Stadium project for reasons of sustainability of the urban landscape and eco-system

Zaha is dismissed from constructing the plan ...it all started when Tokyo-based architect Toyo Ito and Pritzker Prize-winner Fumihiko Maki organized an online petition to stop the construction of the new sports arena.
They argue that the stadium, which will be as tall as a 20-story skyscraper once built, will be totally out of scale to its location and will ruin the Meiji Shrine Outer Gardens. Nearby residents will be forced to relocate. The architects propose, instead, saving the city’s existing Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium, which is scheduled to be demolished in July to make way for the new project. The petition ultimately gathered more than 33,000 supporters.
More design scandals -including Zaha's resignation- for the past year in this amazing article:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3040067/the-design-worlds-biggest-scandals-of-2014

g. Steve Jobs, Apple and controversy: Who stole what (or what Steve really stole from others?)

Linux, Android. Microsoft, Samsung (a huge vendetta, a true saga of consequent lawsuits, especially post-iPhone presentation to the public)...A labyrinth of accusations and a blurry perception of where observation stops to give its way to a new invention...Steve Jobs is often quoted as saying “Good artists copy, Great artists steal” (though he was quoting someone else). Check the list in this fantastic on-line survey, about the company's products, based on a pre-existing platform.

http://lunduke.com/2011/05/26/things-apple-stole-part-1-the-dock/

..... ..... .....

Many times I wonder what would be the fate of the two large "Grand confort" armchairs, (designed originally in 1928 by a team of three design legends: Le Corbusier; his cousin and colleague Pierre Jeanneret; and Charlotte Perriand)...in the Olympic Airways glorious lobby at Syggrou Avenue, Athens. Were they authentic? They were not in a pristine condition- they do seemed quite old ... Were they prototypes, imitations or Cassina copyright-protected later production? ...What happened to them after the OA headquarters closed down in 2009? They ended up in a high rank official's play room or in an antiques fair? or even worse: thrown in the public pit?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Confort
http://www.cassina.com/en/collection/sofas-and-armchairs/lc3
Photo bellow: http://oliverwolfson.com/category/modeling/

Be well-Stay safe?-))
A4D-D4A



 

STARTLED & AMAZED: CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY at the EXHIBITION "THE ABSURD" 2015.

 

Image above: a snapshot of a fun idea in the actual exhibition space, The Bauhaus Selfie-Booth. Where? At SYNAPEIRO, Athens, Greece, http://www.synapeiro.gr/the-absurd-2015/

Bellow :Crack The Rules- Rage Against Conformity: A general view of stand materials and finals.




 

SYNAPEIRO contemporary jewelry workshop, exhibition space, seminar hub and concept store- organizes its annual contemporary jewelry exhibition  this September 2015- again. The theme is extremely accurate regarding the times. The Absurd, as a notion, an art movement, a state of mind, a life-style and a philosophy of human existence reigns over our very eyes through the final projects of the SYNAPEIRO contributors - seminar students. The making of sensational wearable jewelry, "different" than our classic, modern iconography of body adornment, is the key-point of the exhibition. The ornament follows the paths of controversy, becomes an acute tool of spiritual awakening and larger-than life intellect. The exhibition has been organized as an infrastructure up to the standards and schemes of what we usually see in large European fairs, and it is promoting seriously great ideas and makers. An avant-garde creative team gives away imaginative, beautiful, intelligent jewelry illustrating the HERE and NOW. Parallel events include discussions over the contemporary jewelry education and professional activity in Greece and overseas , together with the support of invited jewelers-artists from Greece, Netherlands and Germany.

 

 

Above and bellow: A Panorama of the works and a fragment of the glorious Bauhaus Selfie-Booth!



 

 

 

 

The space delivers seminars in a fully equipped workshop- check in the pictures bellow Intensity Bauhaus exercises, but also the workshop interiors with its work benches and lights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friend, musician, maker and design entrepreneur Eugenia Georgiou, one of the participant jewelers presents her personal notion of the Absurd: rings, pendants and brooches echoing the Howl of...Silence!!-O(bellow).

 

 

 

 

 

Clay, silver, ring ...and Tricks with Bricks (project title in English: So brain-dead) underneath...?-

 

 

 

 

Among other interesting artists and curators, participating and supporting the event with lectures and performances through out its 4 -day period, Laurie Schram - of the Schram Sandhu creative partnership- showcased their ever so interesting line of neck pieces, brooches, rings and many other wonders made by brass and silver. Dutch- born Laurie but ex-London resident for many years, approaches minimalist aesthetics in a fresh and dynamic way that seem to be born out from a fairy-tale workshop, where Josef Albers plays a king and Gils Bakker is a Prince-Charming....which is quite Absurd?-))) Great artistic energy and perfect craftsmanship, (see bellow some shortcuts : Ear "threads" and BBB Brooch (Bend-bend-bend and this clip brooch is made!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on Synpapeiro jewelry, activities, people, events, courses, exhibitions and on contemporary jewelry projects in general - please check the following links and emails:

 

https://www.facebook.com/SynApeiro?fref=ts

synapeiro@gmail.com

 

https://www.facebook.com/EugeniaFeroussi?pnref=lhc

 

www.schram-sandhu.com

info@schrmm.com

http://www.ihm-handwerk-design.com/besucher/highlights/schmuck

 

 

 

See you out there..........................................A4D-D4A?-)

 

 

 

  

 

DESIGN AND DYSLEXIA: AN APPROACH FROM THE SOURCE...

Picture above and picture bellow from: http://danielbritton.info/195836/2165784/design/dyslexia

I still remember the days when in the halls of residence of my university- Birmingham Institute of Art and Design of Birmingham City University - many rooms were refurbished and redesigned to accommodate the needs of students suffering from epilepsy. I also remember the papers of the exams aimed at the dyslexic students - all the academic material from Theoretical studies modules were presented appropriately, so it could be fairly understood -with the contribution of- MAINLY, a lot of audio support.

This autumn 2015 though, we have another "tool"; a typeface coming up to facilitate dyslexic people and raise awareness for the type of functional specificality or perception a dyslexic person embodies and expresses. The information designer who created it, Daniel Britton, dyslexic himself, already caused quite a stir in the cultural Media with a series of dedicated articles, which follow his line of thought for developing and illustrating a very complete piece of work-a concrete font that structures and deconstructs the Word, inside and outside the dyslexic path. So easy to understand, a unique font that differs from the very complicated cognitive approaches of the past- and can get us all in and out the dyslexic universe as readers or writers, with no evident effort! A great tutorial for future designers - extremely useful for teachers, parents, children,-dyslexic and non-dyslexic- but also incredibly lucid about a notion that still remains misunderstood by a fraction of society- as a "disease" ,a "curse" or a "misfortune". Please check:

http://danielbritton.info/195836/2165784/design/dyslexia
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dyslexia-educational-pack/

See Ya?<3
A4D-D4A

TOP 10 AUTUMN LIST OF DESIGN MUST-HAVE PUBLICATIONS!-))

Picture above from State General Archives- Conservation department workshop in Book binding and Conservation,  Eugenidou Foundation Library, November 2014.
http://www.gak.gr/frontoffice/portal.asp?cpage=NODE&cnode=46
http://www.eugenfound.edu.gr/frontoffice/portal.asp?cpage=node&cnode=103

A4D-D4A presents the top 10 list of the publications you must have in mind to read after summer...Get ready for (the order is random!- but if you want the A4D-D4A  classification- or more design-worthy reading suggestions you can send a message on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/all4designandbloodymore):

Islamic Fashion, The Pepin Press, 2011, older publication but one of a kind!
Islam modest dress, worldwide overview of muslim dress, lavishly illustrated, ready-to-use designs on CD- Islamic Fashion and Dress, contains historical images of dress from several Muslim regions, examples of modern interpretations, and many pictures of modern Islamic fashion. Also included are photographs and drawings of embroidered, printed and woven decorative elements.

Advertising for People Who Don't Like Advertising (Paperback), Laurence King Publishing, 2013
Advertising for People Who Don't Like Advertising is partly a creative handbook and partly an attempt to make the world a very slightly better place. It's intended for anyone who has ever hated a web banner or zapped an ad break - made by a company- Kesselskramer- that dislikes advertising as much as anyone. Nevertheless, it makes adverts. It has worked with global brands to produce fashion collections and promoted a town with a mass wedding. It creates advertising with more human, truthful communications. Super stuff.

Utopia and urbanism, MIET, 2015
Its not the first time, as the author and architect- professor Savas Kondaratos states, that a survey on architecture, combines a thorough exploration of utopia and urban building manifestation. In this epic research-essay Mr Kondaratos goes from defining the meaning of utopia, to the first utopic-based urban infrastructures and communities and finally an illustration of different approaches in utopic and ideal architectural surroundings in theory and in reality. A true history of architecture, through the ways and techniques of an idyllic(?) society- an engaging and exciting book that every designer and scientist should possess. Available only in Greek for the time being...

Design, When Everybody Designs, MIT Press, 2015
Incredibly dificult to choose from the new-ins of the MIT Press fall catalog in design-so for a start: as the author, Ezio Manzini describes in this book, we are witnessing a wave of social innovations as these changes unfold—an expansive open co-design process in which new solutions are suggested and new meanings are created. Ever so interesting.

Yasuhisa Kohyama-The Art of Ceramics, Arnoldsche, 2015 (2nd revised edition)
Ceramic and glass sector has a new book out from the illustrious German publisher Arnoldsche- the samurai of the ceramics Yasuhisa Kohyama has his monography out now- and it is a fantastic book.Yasuhisa Kohyama’s masterly ceramics are inspired by the ancient Shigaraki, Jōmon and Yayoi ceramics of Japan. Using the distinctive Shigaraki clay and a wood-firing anagama kiln, he has created modern ceramic vessels and sculpture, which are vigorous and new, but timeless in their beauty.

History of Design, Decorative Arts and Material culture 1400-2000, BGC- Yale University Press, 2013
More than a decade in the making, out in 2013,this work, spanning six centuries of global design, is the first to offer an account of the vast history of decorative arts, design, and material culture produced in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and the Islamic world from 1400 to the present. The absolute design history reference, a truly monumental work.

Korea Now ! Craft, design, graphisme, mode, Union centrale des Arts Décoratifs, 2015
Between tradition and modernity, Korean applied arts and design are internationally acclaimed today and this book help you discover this creative explosion, through the eyes of experts from both sides of the water - in three dominant fields:
graphic design, industrial design and fashion. Killer!

Magma Sketchbook: Design & Art Direction Pocket Edition (Pocket Edition), Chronicle Books , 2015
Ideally suited for designers, graphic designers, illustrators, art directors, and anyone working within the creative industries, or studying these disciplines, or simply interested in exploring his or her creativity. Helpful and user-friendly, these sketchbooks tread that fine line between giving users practical tools and information while not interfering with their creative freedom. Anyone- citizen, student, professional designer or creative amateur- can find happiness in this little wonder.

How to Thrive in the Next Economy-Designing Tomorrow's World Today, Thames & Hudson, 2015
One of the great voices of sustainability, author John Thackara gives us a visionary yet practical guide to building a more sustainable future, by one of the leading voices of the environmental movement today. Marveling at the power of small actions to transform the bigger picture, Thackara believes that a great transition is under way. It’s the end of one civilization – but the birth of another. Out now!

Architecture Now! Vol. 10, Taschen, 2015 (September)
The 10th edition of one of the trendsetter Taschen classics, celebrates contemporary architectural stardom. Things go big here: from Frank O. Gehry’s shining Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris to Zaha Hadid’s curving Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, take a global tour through the architectural practice emerging today, and defining tomorrow.


Enjoy design-bookworms~~~~~~?-)))
Warm regards
A4D-D4A