SUMMER 2018: THE HOTTEST TOP 10 OF DESIGN ESSENTIALS!

Photo above: Zip It Mesh in yellow for coins, credit cards, keys, by HAY.
https://hay.dk/it

The summer is here and you would n"t want to miss our well-thought, funky, high-end and deliciously heretic A-List of design products and publications. If you are out and about looking, fancy some shopping or if you wanna just get updated and well informed about the hot cakes in those design windows, you've are in the right platform. So, feast you eyes on these 10 references bellow and tune in to our broadcasting:

1. Zip your valuables into these wonderful Zip It Mesh bags and wallets by HAY, inspired by stationary for office documents. Cool Danish design, so pretty and practical.

2. Mineheart excelled again with a new addition in their famous lamp collection: the Feather pendant lamp combines extreme technical expertise with the Mineheart well known maximal inventiveness. It also comes in white.

3. The wooden drawing cabinets by Zoe Murphy are just the epitome of artisan flair inside the concept of a British furniture designer who works in the post-digital reality. Special editions for Liberty store in London confirm the item as a designful must-have AND an absolute beauty to look at.

4. The ceramic designs by Ada Charvalia transmit joy, optimism and reinvented volumes. Their quiet beauty and perfect craftsmanship declare the presence of a great talent on board, settling in the world of ceramic arts and crafts.

5. On the occasion of the exhibition "Martin Margiela, Collections Femme 1989-2009" held at the Galliera Fashion Museum at the City of Paris, the museum also published an exhibition catalog, the offspring of the specific event. The book consists of a Manifesto about the biggest designer among all fashion anticlastics- it serves also as an archive of his most memorable works.

6. Are you looking for a Weavers' Hot Spot? Ergani workshop is the place to find all sorts of handmade textiles and soft furnishings, toys, jewelry - and on top of that you will fall in love with your granma's custom-made old loom again!

7. Design for Hair: for all hairclip collectors out there, embrace the New Modernity with hair accessories by Cos.

8.& 9. Poetry and Design on your Feet (literally). The footwear design is seriously tested here with the works of Megumi Ochi (top) and Trippen (bottom).

10. Interested in creating your own Top 10 of great design? This is another good place to start your casting, a platform gathering the most diverse design by new designers of all sectors, recent design graduates to discover, contacts and places to purchase their work.

https://www.newdesigners.com/

Stay happy and enjoy the summer next to good design!

A4D-D4A😃💟

Are Robots Outwitting Our Nerves? A.I. and the [Real] Challenges of the Future.

Above: image theme taken at: https://gr.pinterest.com/pin/344103227770120937/

Code & Sensibility, Sense & Codability: It's a new Dawn, It's a new Day, it's a new Life for Us. The problem is: are we Feeling Good?

We list bellow our top 10 questions regarding Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) not fully answered by A.I. experts, scientists, developers and avid supporters-or haters. The answers might simply not be there, or if they are, it might be difficult to express them with known tech terms or place them into existing theorems.
So let's explain by asking:

- As we are about to gallop from Narrow A.I (Weak A.I.) to General A.I. (Strong A.I.) in the following decades which actual professions, practised by humans will come to extinct first and eventually they will be replaced by A.I. mechanisms i.e. robots?

They are well argumented predictions for drivers, secretaries, translators, meta-data techies, diagnosticians, documentalists  and on a next level security agents, curators, teachers, journalists and so on.

- In life-threatening conditions like poverty, war, desease or global crisis can superintelligence provide help or stopping these situations , before they reach a climax?

It is up to us - as long as we prevail in terms of intelligence on this  planet -to create safety nets to stop malignancies of all kinds, and A.I. could facilitate and support that task. Or not.

- A.I. is turning evil or against us humans?

A.I. is not turning evil or sensible/conscious to some point, it just seems to have different orientation, a definite divergence compare to our objectives, right now. 

- Can A.I. be 100% safe?

A.I. can be entirely safe, as long as we continue to implore about safety and impose research over that uncompromising issue, especially in the area of autonomous weapons.

- Which is the specific timespan in decades before we start having 75%-implemented A.I. in our daily lives?

Some say 2060, the truth is we simply don't know.

- What will be the response in child development and upbringing, after A.I.'s mass application?

Specialists in child development are extremely concerned about A.I. and many papers illustrate direct connection with autism. The capital point on this debate remains the career orientation though, during teenagehood, ex. in countries like Finland where the government is willing to re-examine the whole primary education system, in order to make it "future-friendly" and "job-accessible".

- How A.I. will affect - if so - the environment and global warming?

A.I. applications can certaily help regulate the current state of the planet, but there is no evidence for final solutions just yet.

- Is it possible our society adopting to a A.I. Eutopia quickly?

The idea of humans living a blissful life in the future, away from production while machines will perform all the daily tasks, plus providing economic growth - is most appealing, nevertheless many moons away from current social infrastructures, ethics and mindsets.
.
- If A.I. won't work for us, will it be possibly or easily reversible?

As the next "industrial" revolution, it will be as irreversible as the previous ones.

- Are we ready to use A.I., to confront A.I., or to merge with A.I.?

Let's ignore all three prossibilities and better start planning ahead. If we want to establish A.I. in our lives like another competence, another complete technological achievement meaning to benefit us, we better start engaging our local governments preparing the ground- therefore making it happen under all the possible prerequisites we desire. That will do.

Love & Robots?-))
A4D-D4A

A.I. prelude and fresh news from MoneyConf and Web Summit 2018.

Is it possible to envision a state currency with innate defense mechanisms in the distant future? A thinking currency, able to embody coding intelligence in order to resist -or even predict and avoid- various economic thrashings or shocks such as negative growth, collateral/toxic depts, hedging, stagflation, Zombie banks and so on? Have a look to the following fascinating captions of the last MoneyConf press release, including A.I. for finance and everything around it.There is no better place apparently to discuss issues like cybersecurity, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, AI, regulation, and the future of fintech than there.

"We are at the beginning of tokenization of everything"

What will it take to make the vision of an open, inclusive and empowering global economy a reality? Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, took to Centre Stage to discuss tokenisation and tomorrow's global economy. Check out his full talk here. ..."

"Go get more women"

One of the most influential female executives in Silicon Valley, Sarah Friar of Square joined us on Centre Stage yesterday to speak about taking risks in a calculated and principled manner, as well as the value of diversity in fintech. You can read about it here, or watch her talk here.  ...."

"Congratulations, Railsbank!

From over 100 startups to just one winner. Today, the audience joined in and voted through the MoneyConf app to make Railsbank, a unique banking and compliance platform, the 2018 PITCH champion. Congratulations and welcome to the PITCH Hall of Fame.  ..."

"Blockchain has the same 'dynamics' as the dotcom boom and bust"... by Joseph Lubin, Cofounder of Ethereum and founder, ConsenSys. Check out the article here.

 "Europe needs to be intelligent in how it adapts to change" by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, check out the related article here.

"Grammy winner, musician Imogen Heap embraces blockchain at MoneyConf 2018". Watch the video here.

Plus:

Aid:Tech, an Irish start-up using blockchain to distribute international aid in refugee camps, has raised an estimated €1 million from investors.

Super-charismatic speakers soon to appear on the Centre Stage of Altice Arena, in Lisbon, Portugal next November. Web Summit heat strikes again, here you have a small preview of our personal faves, some of them well known to all of you through our posts;-))

Tim Draper, founder, Draper Associates

Ben Silbermann, CEO, Pinterest

David Pemsel, CEO, The Guardian Media Group

Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition - European Commission

Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation - European Commision

Ben Goertzel, Chief Scientist - Hanson Robotics

Mmantsetsa Marope, Director of International Bureau of Education - UNESCO

Katie Rae, CEO - The Engine

Arvind Gupta, Co-Founder - IndieBio

Suzet McKinney, CEO - Illinois Medical District

Alyssa Newcomb, Technology Reporter - NBC News

Mona Siddiqui, Dean of Islamic and Inter-religious Studies, School of Divinity - The University of Edinburgh

Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO & Chairman - thyssenkrupp

Ross Mason, Founder - MuleSoft

Polina Montano, Co-Founder - JobToday

Josephine Goube, CEO - Techfugees

....and more!

We are making our own wishlist of speakers for Web Summit 2018 here in A4D-D4A. If you have any favourites, people you wish to read about and hear about, feel free to post us a message! We are all ears!

Until next week, last week of June and especially dedicated to A.I. ...

Stay well!

A4D-D4A

ATHENS JEWELRY WEEK 2018: RADICAL PRESENCE(S).

Photo above: Malene Kastalje, The Swollen Part series, neckpieces and brooches (silicone, magnets, neodymium magnets). Athens Jewelry Week 2018: "Art + Jewelry: Intersecting Spaces", main exhibition at the Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece.

An event that it is coming to terms with the city's glorious past and turbulent present - certainly a most fertile ground for artistry - Athens Jewelry Week is turning into an institution in a very short time. The rigorous organizers create since 2016 an anti-copy/paste jewelry fair that it is most visually becoming and it gathers contemporary jewellers of incredible capacity and vision, from Greece, Europe, Asia and beyond. The result is a series of parallel events and performances around the city, starting from the core exhibition at the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture and Decorative Arts.

This year the plot thickens, the craftsmanship and inventiveness of the participants steps up another level and radical notions float in the open space of the exhibition's central area. The intense impact of the objects crossover the instant recognition of all things relevant to now: democracy, sustainability, existence, survival, pluralism, memory, courage, strenghth, effort, beauty, science, humor, humanism, narrative and history. The questions remain strong butthe objects proved stronger and made to be worn by the human body but also by a building, an area, a city. 

Could Athens be the inspiration or the stimulus to rethink the past centuries' ornamental tradition? The city is definitely the reason to revoke existing problems, issues, philosophies and maybe it offers the opportunity to remap crafts' territories, from the "over-exhibitional" norms of contemporary jewelry's huge commercial fairs to something really essential.

Key moments of the exhibition, the works of Guest and Invited artists, Maria Militsi and Matt Lambert respectively, the latter also having presented a groundbreaking video performace (photos bellow).

The students who stole the scene with their phenomenal creations: Everett Hoffman with Wild Country necklace, Veronika Fabian with Rebellious Chain series, Johannes Lindh post-sautoir and Marzia Rossi necklace (Alchimia) - (in pictures from top to bottom bellow).

The Greek makers-jewellers performed a powerful rematch this year, alongside with some impressive international entries - we selected the following noteworthy works, (from top to bottom): Efharis Alepedis, Constantinos Papadoukas, Yiota Vogli, Artemis Valsamaki, Asami Watanabe.

The predominant side-by-side presentations of last year's winners Orsolya Losonczy: "Precious Inside Out" series  and Snem Yildirim: "Mein Lieber Diktator" series (their brooches in pics bellow, top and bottom respectively) configured once more the bipolar question of Beauty and Politics, of Utopia and Distress, of Self and Ego. 

We are closing with the installation Hormones by Hao-Han Jhang, a vivid reminder of all the revolutionary mutations that are about to determine future societies and industries.

We are looking forward to next AJW 2019. It seems that this institution is here to stay!

Enjoy?-))

A4D-D4A

IN & OUT SALONE DEL MOBILE 2018: LIVING NATURE & ITALIANA EXHIBITIONS.

Photo above, from left to right: Woman's jersey jumpsuit with zebra animal print, Roberto Cavalli, Summer 2000. Kita embroidered sequin dress by Ken Scott, 1973. Blue coat with overlock stitching, Sportmax (designer Nanni Strada), Fall/Winter 1971-1972. Patchwork, fur coat by Fendi, Fall/Winter 1999-2000. A corner in the room under the theme Bazaar at the exhibition ITALIANA, L'Italia vista dalla moda 1971-2001/ Italy Through the Lens of Fashion 1971-2001), conceived and curated by Maria Luisa Frisa & Stefano Tonchi, at the Palazzo Reale, Milan, Italy.

The exhibition Living Nature. La natura dell'abitare is the principal exhibition that took place outside the main Salone area: the Rho fairground, in the city center right next to the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), gathering thousands of visitors. The ambitious experimental project conceived by the Carlo Ratti Associati design studio can be a scalable model of a simulated future, where living in the city has to integrate into the natural environment and not the opposite. In times of global warming, climate change, desertification, seasons disparition but also social disparity and a challenged energy distribution globally, this capsule "residence" consists of a realistic vision for a habitat made to last, but not to threat the natural surroundings.

"Living Nature invites us to explore two key themes: the relationship between domestic living and nature and climate control. In the 20th century, it was the city that appropriated nature, leading to excessive land consumption; we are now facing quite the opposite challenge, that of bringing nature back into cities and homes".

The environmental impact assessment of the endeavour is extremely well investigated, as the project presents practically 100% bio-sustainability, focusing on "green" energy production and supply. Photovoltaic panels, accumulators and heat pumps secure a precise energy flow, so the cold air generated inside the pavillion cools down the "winter" area, while it produces excess heat that serves to warm up the 'summer" area- very likely to the system of a large  A+++ refrigerator.

The Living Nature model of a home or preserved living area, was created under the Salone del Mobile umbrella, with the support of three other major Italian public institutions. Could it be the solution in the search for the ideal human shelter, the forerunner of a eutopia after the last century's catastrophic practices?

The exhibition ITALIANA, L'Italia vista dalla moda 1971-2001/ Italy Through the Lens of Fashion 1971-2001), conceived and curated by Maria Luisa Frisa & Stefano Tonchi was also a collaborative product  of 11 Italian establishments, (7 of them acting in the public sector). Three decades of passion about fashion and essential understanding of all the initial factors and prerequisites that turned Italy the capital of fashion evolution. The specific event is not only a meaningful, historical survey but a sociological, industrial, artistic and humanistic exploration of a period that propelled the exports of European creative production internationally, a production in which Italian fashion industry represented extreme figures. This conceptual journey is divided in nine units, (Identity, Democracy, Logomania, Diorama, Project Room, Bazaar, Postproduction, Glocal, The Italy of Objects), represented by teams of clothing, accessories, jewellery, publications and videos that altered entirely the landscape of fashion and calibrated the consumers' cognition and taste, to an unprecendented extend in comparison with other periods. 

A wonderful exhibition, carefully mastered to evoque not memories of the past but an intense anticipation to walk further into the different rooms, in a non-stop learning experience.

Feast your eyes on the pictures bellow, from top to bottom: 1.DEMOCRACY: (first three in the foreground, from left to right) Kinki Shop Diffusion, Madras dress, first half of 1970s. Valentino Boutique, dress in silk voile with dots, second half of 1970s. Missoni dark jersey ensemble made of dress, pants and scarf, F/W 1979-80. 2.DIORAMA: (clockwise, based on the Enchanted Rooms feature, Domus, May 1983) Cinzia Ruggeri, dress with leds, 1982. Gaetano Pesce, Dalilatre chair, Cassina. Krizia pleated jumpsuit, F/W 1981-82, Archizoom Associati Mies-Poltrona chaise-longue, Pietro Chiesa Luminator floor light. 3.LOGOMANIA: (from left to right) Etro printed silk dress,1995. Salvatore Ferragamo Patchwork silk poncho. Gianni Versace, Man's silk shirt S/S 1993. Shirt, top and leggings by Pucci, S/S 1992. Versace (creative director Donatella Versace), silk chiffon dress, S/S 2000. Valentino, dress in silk with floral print, 1972. 4. BAZAAR: (from left to right) Gianfranco Ferré, embroidered tull bodysuit and shantung skirt, S/S 1991. Gianfranco Ferré, napa and crocodile leather blouson, S/S 1993-94. C.P. Company (designer Massimo Osti), Goggle jacket, 1988. Gianfranco Ferré, embroidered tulle jumpsuit, S/S 1991. Etro, man's ensemble, F/W 1996-97. 5.POSTPRODUCTION: (front to back) Gianni Versace, denim shirt with silk & golden lace skirt, S/S 1992. Bo-Bo Kaminsky (stylists David Mantej & Evelina Barilli) jacket, culotte and bra in golden lamé, F/W 1984-85. 6. GLOCAL: garments' detail. 

Enjoy the info and stay tuned for more exciting news and design essays the following weeks! Until then...

Happy Spring😎

A4D-D4A

BEAUTY, POWER*, POLITICS: STREAMLINE YOUR SENSES TO SALONE DEL MOBILE 2018.

Photo above: Prototype Design Front, (floor wooden mirror in central installation with real flora), Tomorrow grows here, the moto of 2018 by SWEDESE. Prototypes of new products, have been created of waste materials at the wooden furniture factory in Vaggeryd, Sweden. 

"Good design comes before every trend.  Trends are not making the designers. Designers create the trends." 
President of Salone del Mobile, Mr. Claudio Luti

*"...Over and above those boons, I imparted Fire to the mortals. ...from which they will moreover learn thoroughly many Arts." 
Aeschylus' Prometheus

"Style = Fart", concept Stefan Sagmeister, design Jennifer Phillips, Sagmeister & Walsh, 1998.

The FTK- Technology for the Kitchen exhibition within the Salone del Mobile 2018 fair, is the actual Field of Mars for technology and innovation. How hyper-connectivity will affect our everyday life? An exhibition of immense gravity under the philosophy of "Xtreme Tech is Good For Your Needs and Good For your Keen" where the dominant presences of Miele, Whirlpool, Bosch and Smeg impressed the visitors with high-end inventions regarding the smart home, AI apps & robots, distant cooking, blind/remote appliance manipulation, cookingtainment, sensorial kitchen and cracking design where the sleekness of the German prestige competed against the glorious taste of Italian artisanry. FTK- EUROCUCINA 2018 was solely the place where Asian absence was somehow noted since the specific crowd does not demonstrate a vivid interest to these kind of new, digital, western technologies for numerous cultural and economic reasons (mind that the Salone del Mobile and Milan this year was absolutely truffled with trade operators, buyers and investors' groups from China and neighbouring countries, certifying once more the deep fascination of the Asian visitors when it comes to Italian design + craftsmanship, therefore the increase of Italian exports to deep Asia, also because of the big success of institutions such as the Salone del Mobile. Shanghai). 

Bellow, from top to bottom: Miele on your mobile and beyond (video). Bosch' connectivity HomeBox and Mykie Robot assistant (x 2). Whirlpool' 6th Sense program. Smeg' Greek-roman Toile de Jouy "Sicily Is My Love" by Dolce & Gabbana.

Kartell this year acted as a design Mediator for the generation of Millenials. The Italian house demonstrated an amazing extroversion, experimenting with new approaches in interiors and new combinations of materials also by hosting the ultimate design Cosplay at Kartell's flagship store, Turati street in Milan. Xartell, Crossing generation used a series of jaws-on-the-floor young designers-industrial makers and conveyed a unique presentation in terms of production and imagery. Thus, including the latest collaboration of the house with Laufen in the bathroom area, expanded the brand's knowhow to a whole new dimension, a series of lavatories of strong design, genuine beauty and uncompromised quality. Style here is the result of extreme design mechanisms and high aesthetics and not just a loud noise in the toilet compartment to temporarily decorate with photos the glossy pages of house & interiors magazines. 

Bellow, from top to bottom: Young pioneers in Xartell, Ignasi Monreal's fantastic "Scratch "series and  Xian Guan's emotional "Sunday" project, (1,2). Kartell by Laufen panoramic view, ambient bathroom and essential minimalism (3,4,5). The company's colossal stand and impressive visual merchandising at the International Bathroom Exhibition in the Salone premises.

While we swooned over the stands, all the wonderful interactions produced by the differend houses came into place...The recognition of the industry to certain, diversified values is not anymore negotiable. Make-everything-out-of-anything/GoNatural/Recycle (Swedese, Magis, Fendi), Africainsist (Moroso, Nanimarquina, ALotOfBrasil), New-Age-It-Is (Vitra, Missoni Home), WonderMakers (Citco, Glas Italia), FairyTales/CreatePoetry (Alessi, BD Barcelona Design, Brühl, Daum, Lalique, Koket, Etro, Karimoku Kunst), SpaceIntellect (Enea, Plank, Rosenthal, Karimoku New Standard, Geberit).

Bellow, from top to bottom: 1.The Roof Chair by Spalvieri & Del Ciotto for Magis. 2.Rough and edgy dining table by Fendi. 3.The ARCO chair by Martino Gamper, M'Afrique collection, for Moroso. 4.The Blur Rug (detail) by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Nanimarquina. 5.The New Yellow sofa with trigonal cushions by ALotOfBrasil. 6.New-age dining room in one of Vitra's 6 windows including the Panton Chair Chrome by Verner Panton,1959/1960 and the Plate Dining Table by Jasper Morrison, 2018. 7.Chinese Horoscope collection by Missoni Home. 8.ENDLESS marble side tables by Daniel Libeskind for Citco. 9.FOUNTAIN by Tokujin Yoshioka for Glas Italia. 10.Invisible personage-Salvador Dalí: sheepskin throne with LED by BD Barcelona Design. 11.Libellule armchair by Brühl. 12.Daumot Robot 163, by Kriki-Daum. 13.Coutard lantern by Pierre-Yves Rochon for Lalique. 14.TABU cocktail table by KOKET Love happens. 15.Babel armchair by Etro. 16.Karimoku Kunst (Karimoku/ INODA+SVEJE) reception. 17.LAND chair by Naoto Fukasawa for Plank. 18.POMD'OR x ROSENTHAL Equilibrium: bathtub by Edward van Vliet. 19.Karimoku New Standard living interiors, with a refreshed set of designers joining the KNS team. 20.Bathroom area by Geberit/ Pozzi-Ginori. 21. EMA sitting solutions by Lievore Altherr Molina for Enea.

The Salone organizing committee is always ready to accomodate every condition and to come against a new challenge, regarding people with disabilities, special features and underprivileged social groups. This year the Social Mobility program was far more noticeable and it was adopted by many visitors in the Salone fairground, a great step that makes a lot of difference in an exhibition space the size of a small airport. Well done!

Change your views, improve your mindset regarding design: visit Salone del Mobile, 9-14/4/2019! Design starts again THEN!

Next post after the 1st of May 2018: In & Out Salone with two memorable exhibitions!

Until next week, take care!

A4D-D4A 💋