Up-Close and Freshly Seasonal: the Transformation of (New?) U.S Architecture and other News...

Photo above: American Architecture Awards 2017: Gemma Private Observatory, Central New Hampshire, U.S.A by Anmahian Winton Architects (AW), Cambridge, Massachusetts. (photos are courtesy of Athenaum Museum of Architecture and Design, for the full list of the winners please visit https://chi-athenaeum.org/)

American Apparel re-started producing in Honduras after the legendary urban clothing company ceased activity in its sweatshop-free, downtown-L.A premises, and Chanel is setting a New Image in the midst of Post-factual Era: the real, complete first name of the founder Coco Chanel, Gabrielle is dominating a long-awaited campaign that is targeted at the uneasy and sensitive spirit of the contemporary woman: a fighter and a doubter.

What about architecture then? There is definitely a feeling of existential crisis at a time when architects are violently tested in order to answer to design challenges through extreme climate conditions and limited resources. The big and fierce dynamics of contemporary American architecture, is depicted lavishly in the American Architecture Awards 2017 (an Athenaum Museum of Architecture and Design institution)- and illustrated a tendency which is absolutely NOT based on the notion of "less-is-more". The variety and richness of the materials in abundance, the concentration on the private, but nevertheless extra-large spaces, the hyper-specification on personal comfort and the subbtle yet grandiose luxury aesthetics- indicate a continuity of the all-time classic American values and no serious contradictions to the system, in the form of innovations. In other words there is nothing there we have not experienced before, allthough the projects are entirely fascinating and engage the citizen to an idealization of comfort and beauty inside public buildings, private interiors, big houses and vast residences. Bellow: Overlook, Guest House in Los Gatos, California by the San Fransisco-based studio Schwartz and Architecture (SaA).

Web Summit 2017 is less than 2-months away and A4D-D4A is getting ready to capture the ideas of the most influential speakers, the top revolutionary apps, the crackiest start-ups and the pulse of the city of Lisbon design community and landmarks. If you have any queries regarding the event planning please check the latest updates and book your tickets on: https://websummit.com/tickets

Until then, don't forget to visit regurarly our design blogzette, cos there will be surprises this very autumn?-))

Take care<3
A4D-D4A

.....And More Summer News!: Part C.

Image above: Villa doll house designed by Fabio Novembre for Kartell Kids, Kartell Contamination concept, Salone del Mobile, 2017.

To all design globetrotters outhere: here what's left to schedule this summer for your country-hop, around the most utterly exciting design-related events  about to pop the upcoming months.

1. D Museum in Seoul launches this September the exhibition PLASTIC FANTASTIC in collaboration with Kartell. 40 mega-designers present through their works for the house the metamorphosis of the most ambivalent, ambiguous, ingenious and resistent material of the last 70 years and certainly the unique way Kartell illustrates all its properties, qualities and poetry. The duration of the exhibition will be  from the 14th of September 2017 until the 4th of March 2018. (More info on www.kartell.it)

2. From Wednesday 11th to Saturday 14th of October 2017, Salone del Mobile moves to Moscow for the I Saloni Worldwide series at Crocus-Expo 2 center. It is the annual, usual meeting of two of the most significant forces of European design, the italian contemporary production and the Russian (new) avant-garde. The show will provide many further attractions, (apart the anchorage to its mother event, Salone del Mobile 2017 in Milan), such as Master Classes with leading designers and architects like Simone Ciarmoli and Miguel Queda (curators of the DeLightFul Exhibition at this year's Salone), legendary architect Massimo Iosa Ghini and also Cristina Celestino, one of the SaloneSatellite prominent new talents. Speaking of the SaloneSatellite, the 13th edition of SaloneSatellite Worldwide Moscow will be held again to discover and nominate as passionately as ever, the best new designers, originated from the vast soviet territory and eventually distribute awards to the three finalists (follow the link bellow to last year's entry and winner, super-talented Natalie Musorina and her showstopper, "Torsion" chair, http://musorina.com/torsion-chair ).

3. Fancy a stroll up in Londinium? Two major design exhibitions are taking place in the British capital: Franco Grignani: Art as Design, 1950-1990 at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art presents the influential works of this Italian pioneer graphic designer and artist, creator of the "Woolmark" international logo. California: Designing Freedom at the Design Museum is documenting the exciting evolution of the refreshed, hippy modernism of the 60's to the tech extreme design elite of the Silicon Valley. A true cultural rollercoaster....

4. Some more happy news arrived from the Migliore + Servetto headquarters: the lighting system designed for the new Mondadori Megastore I-MESH lightweight diffuser ceilings, has been awarded the silver medal in the product design category of IDA - International Design Award. Congrats Migliore + Servetto!
http://architettimiglioreservetto.it/international-design-awards-2017-silver-medal/

Stay tuned for more news and ventures on our behalf, by mid-September!
Keep having fun?-))

A4D-D4A

Summer News 2017: Part B.

Image above: WOOGY doghouse (2015, manufacturing kkervvit): design by Sotiris Lazou at the Good Ντιζάιν Greece Exhibition 2017 until 23/7/2017, at Contemporary Space Athens, GR.

https://www.sotirislazou.com/index.php/just-for-fun
http://kkervvit.com/
www.contemporaryspaceathens.com
https://chi-athenaeum.org/

Explore the very latest design developments as stated in the following extracts of the first official summer press release by Salone del Mobile Milan team. It seems that the eco-living and the sustainable design methodologies that go with it, consist the very core interest of the Milanese design center, an international streamliner of the defining solutions in the sector, for the rest of the decade, to say the least.

"... It is part of a wider trend towards cutting adverse effects on the eco-system and is slowly filtering through into all fields of design application, generating eco-friendly alternatives for every sort and kind of product. Thus companies and designers are becoming mindful of sustainability in relation to manufacturing processes, embracing the principles of a circular economy and experimenting with raw materials made from recycled waste. The design sector is beginning to take the entire lifecycle of things into consideration, paving the way for innovative practices such as the creative re-use or harnessing of biodegradable materials. ..."

"...this approach entails no sacrifice in terms of looks but generates new expressive trends and different tastes. The sense of gratification or aspiration no longer derives simply from the immediate benefit to our domestic or work environments but also – looking forward especially – from just how much the entire planet is set to benefit. ..."  

"...The Zero Waste philosophy originated in the Food world, where new “surplus” yet still perfectly good food consumption sales models and practices are being generated. The concept is slowly but steadily being embraced by all manufacturing sectors in response to the pressing ethical need to conserve resources that are far from infinite. It also employs a panel of Opinion Leaders, both national and international, selected ad hoc for their knowledge of the research subjects (design, architecture, interior design, interior architecture) and for their ability to take a crosscutting look at the themes of design and creativity.   
The scope of observation includes all the leading international markets (Europe, Russia, USA and Asia) with a focus on “developing” countries such as China.   
In the design world, this means taking on board the concept of circularity, minimising manufacturing waste, and planning not just the durability of objects but also their disassemblability and their capacity to be recycled or disposed of...."

The coming together of recycling and design is informed by the increasing awareness that materials and objects destined for the waste bin can be upcycled to produce something completely different.    
The concept of waste as a resource forms the basis for all creative recycling  processes. Poor materials, reclaimed materials and waste generated by manufacturing or consumption mark a new frontier for design and for designers who seek to upgrade them creatively while effectively helping to protect the ecosystem.   

Turning things that would otherwise be discarded into items of value - financial, formal and functional – helps increase the utilisation efficiency of available resources and provide a further spur to developing new technologies and creating new aesthetics through design research. ..."

"...I think that as a designer nowadays we should not think we are all making the antiques of the future […]. We should create products that can be part of a circular system, and are designed considering what material goes into the product and what it leaves  behind after use. (Christien Meindertsma, Designer) ..."



The 3rd Good Ντιζάιν Greece Exhibition 2017 is one of the few, formal presentations of the dominant design scene in the country, steadily revealing a landscape of an emerging Gender in the design concept and manyfacturing: the "greek" way in design -and apparently there is such a way.  The exhibition is held at Contemporary Space Athens premises downtown, supported by The Chicago Athenaum Museum and its Good Design Awards institution and it showcases some of the noteworthy works of hellenic professional designers in fields like Industrial design, Graphic design & Packaging, Furniture design, Textile design, Environmental design & Interior design. You still have a chance to visit the show and get a glimpse of what it means to convey an idea into a commercial design object, under the complicated, yet straightforward theorems of a nation so old, yet striving to surpass the current contemporary esthetics.  

Here's a small taste of some of the projects, (from top to bottom): Space & Time clock by A Future Perfect - "Asola" table lamp by Evangelos Vasileiou for Ligne Roset - 2055 Series door handle by Yannis Georgaras - Popsicle (Glifitzouri) by Danai Kehagia - Sam loves Betty anti-insects biocosmetic formulas by Yannis Ghikas (packaging), Aris Passouris (graphic design).

The first part of midsummer news is over - get ready for more soonish?-)))

Happy designful summer!

A4D-D4A

Summer News 2017: Part A.

Here is the latest from A4D-D4A favorite fairs, design studios and exhibitions around the globe<3:

1. The recent press release regarding The Salone Awards 2017- edited by the Salone Press Team reports: 
"Salone del Mobile.Milano Award Mark II: The 11 winners of the second edition of the international award, devised by the Salone del Mobile.Milano to give further prominence to the outstanding sectoral exhibits at last April’s 56th edition, have now been announced.
The Salone del Mobile.Milano is repeating last year’s successful first edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Award, a special prize for the very best showcased by the furnishing and design world at the most recent edition of the fair.
The award is intended to recognise the value of ideas, creativity, innovation and technology that together contrive to make the event the world’s most acclaimed international vehicle for cutting edge design trends and the very latest in home living".

The 11 winners, as presented by category- are for this year:

-Best Product – Workplace3.0: Io.T / studio Gtp and Tecno
-Best Product – Euroluce: Filo / Andrea Anastasio / Foscarini
-Best Product – xLux: D.Vision3 / Ferruccio Laviani / F.lli Boffi
-Best Product – Classic: Black & White Collection / Provasi
-Best Display: Flos / Calvi Brambilla
-Best Product – Furnishing: Pack / Francesco Binfare / Edra
-Best Emerging Designer: Elena Salmistraro
-Best Designer: Philippe Starck
-Lifetime Achievement Award: Ernesto Gismondi
-Special Jury Prize: Marva Griffin
-Special Banca Intesa Sanpaolo Prize (institutional partner Salone del Mobile.Milano): De Castelli

Hail, hail to the choice of winners- we are anxious to receive next year's third edition of the Salone Awards!

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We have already mentioned the event in our 20th of April 2017 related post- but here a small taste of the fantastic photos realized by Mario Grisolli:  Steve Jobs o visionario: the state-of-the-art exhibition designed by Migliore + Servetto, held in Rio de Janeiro already and re-opened on 15th at the MIS in San Paolo, (with an inauguration on 14th of June).


The exhibition project- conceived by Migliore+Servetto Architects is created and produced by Fullbrand and curated by Cecilia Botta at the Pier Mauà in Rio de Janeiro and then at the MIS in San Paolo -"builds a path of knolewdge structured in narrative cells which allow the visitor from time to time to establish a new relationship with the contents of the exhibition".

..."Faced with such a complex and multi-faceted personality, we conceived the set up as the sum of eight environments which are  very different  one to another, designed in order to let the visitor get closer to each theme in a unique and engaging way.”... 

Ico Migliore + Mara Servetto.

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Fancy a stroll up in U.K this September? In the Cambridge Home + Garden Show some of our most cherished designers and manufacturers will be there not only to exhibit but to host and sponsor customer centered, support events, guiding through the visitors with essential, personalized consultation for their OWN house design- like the Ask Me Anything service sponsored by Mineheart! Be there and get the advice you need for re-designing your residence, by the very best in the trade!!!

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Stay tuned for the announcement of the A4D-D4A new design seminars and webinars, soon to be launched?-))) We promise some super exciting series of knowledgeable, intense, updated and innovative design lectures and workshops, custom made to the Future NOW. 
Until then,

Best regards
A4D-D4D

                                                         

BACK TO THE FUTURE: INTER-SECTING SPACES EXHIBITION AT ATHENS JEWELRY WEEK 2017.

Image above: Let It Shine necklace by Sara Chyan, (matches, acrylic board, resin), Inter-Secting Spaces exhibition during the 2nd Athens Jewelry Week 2017 at the Benaki Museum of Decorative Arts and Crafts (Peiraios annex), May 2017, Athens, Greece. Organization/ Coordination: Anticlastics (Anastasia Kandaraki, Erato Kouloubi and Niki Stylianou).

http://athensjewelryweek.com/

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

Hear the accoustic description for our central picture by clicking on the link:
https://www.facebook.com/katerina.mourginaki/videos/10213117479997540/

The 2nd Athens Jewelry Week 2017 ignited this year something bigger than just the ambition of a Cosette-type small country to just carry the burdensome backet of the European South, next to its contemporary jewelry almighty simblings, for instance Spain and Italy. There is a tsunami of creative forms of jewelry in the city of Athens, a real host of the craft the last 40 years, pregnant with a fascinating, quiet scene of designers/makers - almost entirely unattended by the state institutions like the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, the Ministry of Education and other relevant state organizations and guilds. 
The Benaki Museum of Decorative Arts and Crafts in Greece provided, like in numerous cases, the stage and the in-depth knowhow of a complex field like contemporary jewelry, alongside with the organizational and promotional expertise of the skillful Anticlastics team- for the first concrete contemporary jewelry international exhibition in the Greek capital: Inter-Secting Spaces, within the AJW 2017 other parallel events and manifestations. The exhibition showcases 29 designers/artists who also contested for the 2nd AJW Award 2017, renown contemporary jewelry presences in the AJW 2017 Jury list, the video narrative Meta; Morphosis: A Dream Trip Through Jewelry by Kostas Pittas projecting the essence of the portfolios, a project of children's jewelery and jewelry "games" in order for the visitor to comprehend and perceive the art form of an ancient technology and the intense, intellectual procedure of adornment making.

In the photos bellow, from top to bottom: the craking works (neck pieces) of three legendary artists jewelers, also members of the AJW 2017 Award Jury, Lucia Massei, Sofia Björkman and Tanel Veenre. In the last photo the jewelry project of talented 10-year old Raphael Kasteroudis, one of the highlights of the exhibition.

In the core of the exhibition, 29 Greek and international contemporary jewelry designers/makers/artists inter-sected their diverse perspectives with elaborate techniques, imaginative materials and a strong political vision. Aesthetics is politics and wearable items employ a political statement AND a visual impact of high caliber. Beauty is a result of this process but not a sole indicator of the project value and of its gravity- a project that reflects a huge artistic and technical importance, far and away from common curatorial theory and practice. Enjoy in the pictures bellow, from top to bottom, some of the 29-team key presences: 

The 29 Exhibitors' List - AJW 2017 Award Winner, Turkish Snem Yildirim with her pendant Seven In a Row - JOYA 2016 Winner Liana Pattihis with the pendant Offerings (Tamata) - Angelos Konstantakatos with Hidden Perspectives brooch - Sol Flores with Plane brooch - Iryna Voitenko with Subtle Truth necklace - Martina Dempf with Palmyra brooch - Isabelle Busnel with Untitled 2 and 3 brooches - Christine Jalio with Past-Loss-Future series (pendant and brooch) - Kätrin Beljaev with Companion 2 and 3 pendants - Yiota Vogli with Keep it Safe pendant and pair of earrings - Georgia Gremouti with brooches from Molecular Corpus Colonies and Germination Phase series - Magali Thibault Gobeil with Candy Baby Doll necklace.  

May this new, long awaited amazing initiative continue for many years to come. We are looking forward to AJW 2018 already....Until then, wear it- don't fear it!!!

A4D-D4A?-)))

ACCESSIBILITY HACKATHON 2017, ATH, GR! (XXXL)

Image above: The Winner, the UI GridSense by Team 5 in the 1st Accessibility Hackathon 2017, in EEF/UTech Lab. 

http://web.eef.edu.gr/hackathon/index.php

***You can hear an accoustic description of our central image by following the link:

https://www.facebook.com/katerina.mourginaki/videos/10213039294042940/


The first official Greek 2-day contest for app/UI/UX design for pupils and students, about supporting people with disability (limited mobility, partially sighted/blind, deaf-mute or other physical constraint to full access i.e senior citizens)- was held last weekend at the premises of Eugenides Foundation/ Technology Lab (UTech Lab), with the contribution of computing scientists, human rights organizations, activists and educators. The contestants had to explore the side effects of limited access and design a web or/and mobile app to help improving accessibility for all in the digital era. Talented youth gathered and formed teams, presenting their final idea, with a demo and a strategic plan for future development- aspects on which their evaluation was based by the Judges Committee and concluded to the choice of the three winning finalists. 

The 10 platforms showreel: A-x-ces, Access The World, RampApp, Entertainment For All, GridSense, .rhea, Accessibility App, Easy Life, Help Request, inspire.me mainly focused on databasing and creating communal facilities for spaces categorization, according to their accessibility level, therefore creating new urban cartographies for all citizens. Their differentiation on design and technical adequacy, was one of the criteria for the winning team showcasing an app towards that idea, the Google-powered, yet user-sustained and managed A-x-ces by Team 1 (picture bellow),

which conquered the 3rd place in that field. 

The 2nd price was justly awarded to an app with huge potential and in-depth, personal engagement, Entertainment For All by Team 4. A screen-reader based interface for partially or non-sighted card players, the app consisted of a navigational tool for eye-impaired gamers, suitable at the same time for their non-disabled co-players (picture bellow). 

The winner of the competition, Team 5 with the sophisticated, sensorial interface GridSense created a new cognitive system for accessing info, completing tasks, learning and developing- for almost all types of kinetic disability or visual/oral/hearing impairment. A very impressive portfolio for such a short notice, this UI architecture earned instant acclaim and it surely created a foundation for further work by the team in international hackathons around the subject of accessibility. (Have a look on all 3 winners in the photo bellow).

We are looking forward to next year!Thanks EEF/UTech Lab and Accessibility Hackathon Partners, for this fantastic initiative!!!

A4D-D4A:-)))

Who's the FAIR-est of them all?-) Salone del Mobile 2017- 3.0

Image above: VOLTASOL planters by Xavier Mora & Sandra Compte for Livingthings and NAN lamp by Guimerà i Cinca for Estiluz - at Inspired In Barcelona: In & Out exhibition, Palazzo Isimbardi, Milan, 2017.

The A Joyful Sense at Work event within the context of Workplace 3.0, the biennial exhibition in Salone del Mobile 2017, Milan- showcases exceptional studios involved but more than anything, it is setting the future design of working space - a space going through severe transformation right now as societies evolve. The ambiance of the contemporary business has new notions flowing and incorporates new dynamics, turning enterprises into convolutional, advanced habitats of creativity and growth. A new design terminology is about to determine the working environment: Typological Evolution of Coworking, Humanscale Reshaped, Meeting Rooms Easy Configuration, Acoustic Performance Revisited, Neuroscience and Architecture, Shared Zones, Operative Management Design, Active Learning and Technology, Desired Connection instead of Required Circulation were some of the most prominent ones. 

Products like MOSSwall®  by Verde Profilo - already seen in variations at the exhibition halls- offer a revolutionary, eco-friendly technology in office acoustics, a major issue in companies such as call centers or busy industrial units, law firms or design studios. The Water Cooler experiment by Studio O & A and the Reset installation (picture bellow) were the two proposals at A Joyful Sense at Work that initiated an organic, fluid response to the workflow condition, as well as an emotional tranformation towards the state of stress, while working. 

Inspired In Barcelona: In & Out was propably THE highlight of this year's parallel events at the Salone De Mobile and during the Milan Design Week. The Spanish Design Armada exhibited more than 80 iconic products, representative of the Catalonian school, a movement thriving especially the last 30 years-with companies and professional designers that influenced significantly the routes of European design. A fantastic event, organised by Emiliana Design Studio ( also exhibiting a handful of projects), with the participation of Barcelona Centre de Disseny and Catalonia Trade and Investment.

In a selection of photos bellow, from top to bottom: ABALLS lamp by Jaime Hayón for Parachilna and JAZZ sideboard by Borja Garcia Estudio for Mobenia - Dipping Light lamp(s) by Jordi Canudas - MON ONCLE barbecue by Mermeladaestudio for RS Barcelona, TOLEDO AIRE chair by Jorge Pensi for Resol, GAROTA OP1 lamp by Alex Fernández and Gonzalo Milà for Bover, MEMPHIS BRONZE by Fitnice Internal Team for Vertisol - SHOELACES lamp(s) by Curro Claret for Metalarte - ZIGZAG planter by Emiliana Design Studio for KETTAL

As an epilogue, approximately 350.000 people attended the Salone del Mobile this year. The expectations are once more fulfilled, regarding the most important, commercial, design fair in the world...press wise the Germans were talking money, the Latinos were talking content, the young designers were seeking leads, the Scandinavians were exploring new points of sale, the French new networks. Italy was ready to respond to every single task again, keeping an augmenting pace. It is an augmented design reality the Salone del Mobile after all... Back to it in 2018, from 17th to 22nd of April!

With compliments

A4D-D4A-)))