"Bau Bike" by Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen




Intruigued by the look of this bike ... designed by Danish designer Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen ...

"The BauBike is inspired by Bauhaus design. It is constructed around the geometric shape of the square and the equilateral triangle. The design is stripped down to clean lines and raw material.

The open-end piece above the back wheel, offers the possibility to customize the function of the bike to whatever need you may have. The different accessories can be placed in the tube and can easily be changed if needed.

The design follows a set of formal rules, limiting the geometry to straight lines in a pattern of 60 and 90 degree angles in proportions following the principle of the golden section.

By limiting the form with a fixed set of design rules and stepping away from the traditional function-oriented approach to the design process, this project transcends the border between design and art, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the bike as design and as a lifestyle accessory and introducing a much needed playfulness on the bicycle scene.

The BauBike is a bike for the modern urban society where adaptability is a necessity."

Pictures from http://nacionaldesignstore.com/blog/?p=1228
Text from http://www.baubike.dk/index.htm

"Algues" by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec







This is an older project (2004) also by the fantastic design duo Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. Entitled "Algues", these screens are made to look like Twigs and Algues and can be used as art/screen/divider .... loving it!!!

"The common idea is to approach architecture from the millimetre. Or how the repetition of a same motive brings to a larger scale. The Algues and Twigs modules become kind of raw materials, destined to be transformed. They have their own mode of assembly, which is more specific than that that of wood or metal. But they require no tool but for a pair of hands. Using the hand as the only tool is for us a means to free the construction process from the issue of skill or knowledge. We tried to make them as easy to use as a pencil and a piece of paper."

Like a weave, a plant, a cloud, the surfaces created by the algae and the twigs form an ensemble which can be taken in one look but which intrigues by its complexity.The main issues with the algae and the twigs are firstly the way in which they are put together and then their relationship to the space they are to occupy.

From their website http://www.bouroullec.com/

"Clouds" by Rona & Erwan Bouroullec for Kvadrat



“Clouds" is an innovative, sophisticated and colorful new tile concept for the home, designed by the internationally acclaimed designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, in collaboration with Kvadrat. The tiles can be used as an installation or be hung from a wall or ceiling.

The tiles are made of one element and are attached by special rubber bands. This simple design means you can easily arrange and re-arrange the tiles to reflect your ideas and bring self-expression into your home, time and time again.

This post via Nacional Design

More at Kvadrat

Rudyard Kipling's "IF"



"IF" is an incredibly wise poem by Indian poet Rudyard Kipling and animated by Jim Clark, discovered on a most unlikely blog by DJ Delphinus, a Los Angeles DJ ... Take the time to really listen to what Rudyard Kipling writes and ponder ...

If only more of us were able to apply his principles: we would live in a world with less ego and more humbleness (present company included).

You can watch here as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpcNFll5yOM

More Poetry Animations here.

Book Art

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This is something even those who have no interest in books would love. If you are among those who think books are for reading only, think again!

Pix 1 & 3 - Cara Barer another great artist. "My photographs are primarily a documentation of a physical evolution. I have changed a common object into sculpture in a state of flux."

Pix 2 - This Scottish artist doesn't use a brush or a pen. Her creations are nothing less than some fairy-tale creatures. Welcome to the unique world of Georgia Russell.

Pix 4 - Abelardo Morell, educated at Yale University School of Art, awardee of 2006 Rappaport Prize & is a professor of photography. Morell is famous for his Alice in Wonderland series.

This post (edited) via CrookedBrains.
More 'Book Art' at http://www.crookedbrains.net/2007/12/book-art-this-is-something-which-even.html

"Where the wild things are" TRAILER

Hoping that the film by Spike Jonze based on the beloved classic by Maurice Sendak "Where the wild things are" is as good as the book, but I already love the look of the trailer. Check it out ...

Jim Denevan's Outstanding in the Fields








Jim Denevan is ALSO (see previous post on Sand Art) an accomplished chef and founder of Outstanding in the Field, a world-wide moveable feast, a seasonal open-air investigation into the quality and meaning of place.

Outstanding in the Field grew out of Jim's "farmer dinners" which took place during the mid 1990s at tiny Gabriella Café in Santa Cruz where he invited local farmers to preside over special meals featuring their just-picked harvest. The first Outstanding in the Field "farm dinner" took place at Mariquita farm in Corralitos, California in September of 1999.

Outstanding in the Field has hosted 115 events since 1999. In 2008, Outstanding in the Field went even farther afield, venturing beyond North America, bringing our long table to selected sites around the world.

For more information or to attend an OITF dinner, please visit OITF at: http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/

This post via http://www.jimdenevan.com/food_index.htm

OzCollective's Abri No.177 (Umbrella Art)







Ozcollective are an exciting group of Paris based designers, who came to our attention through their masterful arrangement of umbrellas called Abri no 177. But they go beyond the odd craftily arranged parapluie, which main men Alexandre Pachiaudi and Gaëtan Kohlerthey told us all about.

How was Ozcollective formed? What are its guiding principles and beliefs?

AP: It is a simple story. We met as freshman students in the same workshop at l'Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris. We then learned together during the next five years.

Much of your art has crossed over into architecture. Where do you identify yourselves on the spectrum?

AP: You describe us as artists, and we enjoy that, but we come first as architects.

GK: It is true that for the moment our projects are pre-eminently research that have not a direct link to architecture.

AP: And what is architecture...? It is something very transdisciplinary. Every master architect has given to the community a definition of this word: Vitruve, Alberti, Le Corbusier, Mies ... Each one of them defines in his own words a different color/taste to this discipline. And at the same time they all say the same thing! For me it is something between science and arts craft.

Could you tell me about the creation of Abri no 177 from the original idea to exhibiting it?

AP: The first step to understand the Abri No.177 stands in its name. In french Abri means shelter. We developed this project around this idea. The umbrella was chosen as the main material for the project because it is a fascinating manufactured object with plenty of evocating meaning. It is one of the most tiny and delicate shelters a human can ever use. We tried to create something between the roundness of a human breast and the aggressivity of a hedgehog.

This post via http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/democracy/ozcollective

Sand Art





Lenny & Meriel did the artwork in sand & then photographed them from above with a kite. The amazing results can be seen above. You can see a more complete set of pictures here.

This post via http://www.crookedbrains.net/2007/12/art-from-above.html







These 'Sand Arts' are created by Jim Denevan using the twigs or branches which are brought to the shore by the waves, without using any kind of measuring instruments. Jim draws -- working up to 7 hours and walking as many as 30 miles. His work has been featured in the New York Times, National Geographic, Elle, GQ, The Surfers Journal, and Outside, as well as in many other national and international publications.

This post via http://www.crookedbrains.net/2008/12/art_09.html

METAL POINTU by Bernard Bouhnik







One of my all time favorite jewelry designer is Paris-based artist Bernard Bouhnik. His pieces are always made of metal - the core of his collection revolves around the following materials: tin, silver or bronze with occasional Bling (sparkling crystals). Every time I wear anything from him, people inquire and compliment me left and right. If you like bold jewelry with a sculptural look, Metal Pointu is THE collection for you! Most of his creations are now available online, but the best ones remain in the actual retail stores. With multiple locations in Paris, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, as well as Canada, Korea, Japan and Australia amongst others, Metal Pointu is now about to open its first flagship store in the US, in one of Manhattan's best "bobo" streets ... Elizabeth Street. For the exact list of locations, click here.

More at http://www.metal-pointus.com/

Wim Delvoye




Louis Vuitton tattooed pig 'Louise' was raised, fed, pampered and then tattooed at Wim Delvoye's Art Farm in China (where animal welfare regulations turn a blind eye to tattooing - side thought: is branding still allowed in the west?). Though Wim Delvoye has 'inked' many other pigs (including human ones) with various designs ... Louise and her LV logos remains my favorite ... so chic! I admit I am both amused and horrified by this ... but I have to say: it takes guts (I'm talking about the pig: the animal, not the man ... the pig!!!!! No, NOT the man, the little four-legged furry animal ... then again, I haven't met the artist.

More at http://www.wimdelvoye.be/

This post via Belg'Chic

Beta-Plus Publishing


Belgian Publishing House Beta-Plus has been publishing high-quality books on architecture, interior design and gardens since 1995. Each title is a complete thematic overview with exclusive color photographs on every page.

In January 2009, they came out with a thematic series called Compendium.

There are basically three styles of books:
1- 'The Square Sized' series
2- 'A&D' series
3- 'Compendium' series

Check out their stunningly minimalist site http://www.betaplus.com/en/

Compendium & Thematic series


Square series

A&D series

Jos Devriendt "The end of the vase"




Jos Devriendt is a Belgian potter/artist who designs and creates ceramic vases (amongst other things). His exhibition "The end of the vase" was a survey of his twenty year quest for design, aesthetics and symbolism. And his remarkable analysis of this search was his decision to leave the flowers where they are; in nature. Or, how an ending can be something hopeful.

More of his work can be seen at the Matin Gallery, a stunning Los Angeles Gallery specializing in minimalist ceramic and furniture designed and created by artists.

More info at http://www.matin-gallery.com/

This post via Belg'Chic

Stunning apartment in Knokke, Belgium








This duplex apartment on the Belgian coast town of Knokke was designed with simplicity. This little get away gem is like a sanctuary of tranquility. The choice of colors - or lack of - allow the beauty of the materials to shine and for the view to come in and merge with the space without competing with might have been flashy choices of furniture and/or colors. Stunning!

More pictures at http://www.owi.bz/