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Space and silence in crowded city

A composer and architect are creating urban ‘soundscapes’ around Lower Manhattan to explore the relationship between space and sound. Organized by the Guggenheim Museum, To a Great City is the second edition of stillspotting nyc, a two-year multidisciplinary project that explores the relationship between space and silence within the crowded urban environment. Here Estonian composer [...]
Book review: Contemporary Jewellers

Self-expression has always existed, whether in the form of decorating the body or using objects – so the original human act of piercing some kind of pigment or object into the body gave birth to jewellery. Contemporary Jewellers: Interview with European Artists successfully follows the development of this art and craft throughout the ages. It [...]
Objects of desire: Virage Volante

What constitutes good design, and is this mutual to desirable design? This is what crossed my mind as I glanced at the Aston Martin Virage Volante test car that was delivered to our London office – the Lightning Silver coloured soft-top oozing the sort of unfussy elegance this marque has mastered. The strong James Bond [...]
Deborah Turbeville: The Fashion Pictures

‘Perhaps the most interesting thing about my photographs is that they are a little bit of an enigma; they are hard to place,’ wrote Deborah Turbeville on her evocative photography. To celebrate the work of this visionary American fashion photographer, The Wapping Project has organised an exhibition of her work in London that aims to blur [...]
Hidden garden: Zumthor’s Serpentine pavilion

Upon the threshold between park and courtyard is where Swiss architect Peter Zumthor’s trademark of simple yet careful control of light and juxtaposing materials resides. Once inside, it is the most comfortable of spaces. On a warm day, the heat absorbing black walls provide shade and a cool place to easily spend hours. There is [...]
Leather maker’s genuine green thinking

It’s not quite a fifteen minutes drive from Glasgow airport, but those six-odd miles east, takes you to a vast industrial complex, which seems completely incongruent with its beautiful rural setting. These grey and soulless buildings should be a horrible blot on an otherwise idyllic landscape but they aren’t – they actually appear to be [...]
Shift Happens: Critical visions of London

Four young architects are looking to find innovative solutions for pressing issues facing London’s future. One proposes a partnership of private enterprises exploiting the happiness index in order to create a new social housing model. Another suggests how the London stock exchange can reach a mutual agreement with the Church of England to archive its [...]
BMW i: E-mobility design

A little while ago we reported on BMW’s new e-mobility sub-brand i. Announced at the start of the year, it was created to focus entirely on finding sustainable driving solutions. Last week the German marque showed us the first two cars the i3 and i8 to be produced under the BMW i brand. Though still [...]
Stillspotting nyc: To a Great City

For the second edition of stillspotting nyc, To a Great City, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and US and Norway–based architect Snøhetta are creating urban soundscapes around Lower Manhattan to explore the relationship between space and sound. Organised by the Guggenheim Museum, stillspotting nyc is a two-year multidisciplinary project that explores the relationship between space and [...]
Fashion teams up with product design

Luxury Italian fashion house Fendi is challenging a group of emerging designers to create temporary window and in-store displays as part of 2011 London Design Festival. In a special tribute to British design, product design students from the Royal College of Art have been asked to create work that incorporates Fendi’s signature craft techniques along with [...]

EVENTS: THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2011

The London Design Festival 2011 Its that time of the year again. Get the Design Talks insight as to whats great and new.

EDITORS CHOICE: THE LAYOUT LOOK BOOK

Worth a read The Layout Book. Great new book about how to design layouts for the relevant publications.

LATEST REVIEWS: DESIGN AS POLITICS / TONY FRY

Design as Politics: Our world is nearing a state of structural unsustainability, a truism so obvious that even global-warming deniers deny it under their breath.