2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

Federal Deficit

Slightly off topic...but I found this interesting...no wait...concerning. I hope you do as well since it doesn't seem like many are interested in Congress given the empty seats in this video...It gives you a little peek into why we just surpassed 12 trillion dollars in debt ($12,000,000,000,000).

Oh...and in case you are wondering...It took about 250 years to get to 6 trillion dollars of US debt and only 7 years to get to double it to 12 trillion. I think it is in our best interest to start paying attention. This debt is OUR debt. Please contact your representatives to see if they can try to...um...curb the unsustainable spending.

-Greg

A Glimmer of Hope

Most likely...if you are reading, this you are a designer of one sort or another...if not, you are at least design-minded. I can not tell you how many conversations I have had with designers who are frustrated, burnt out, weary, tired, uninspired and otherwise on the verge of giving up in this economy. Resources are limited, clients are overly conscious of budgets, jobs are scarce and... 

"It's tough out there. So many huge problems in the world, so much noise, so hard to know what to do and where to begin. All of which means—it's a great time to be a designer."

In comes the Glimmer Manifesto. Think of it as your first sip from the fountain of designer-immortality. The fire under your feet. As designers (and, honestly, just as contributing members of society...) it is our job to create transformation within the world, to improve it...for everyone. This holds true in the toughest conditions even more so. I stumbled across Creativity's write up on the book earlier this morning and I am definitely adding this to my next Amazon shipment! Click here to read the write up.

 

Warren Berger is the author of Glimmer and the editor of the blog GlimmerSite.com

Its another awesome source of inspiration and I highly recommend checking it out!

Digital Art and the Mysteries of Science

Global Wave by George Steuer
 

Digital Technology has created powerful tools for imaging the invisible world beyond our senses:  from the very large things- such as a galaxy to the very small things- such as an electron.  But the nature of this digital imaging technology influences both the way scientists think, as it allows them to visualize levels of complexity that were unthinkable using analog tools.

The same digital technology is also employed by artists who also investigate the same invisible worlds of complexity, but from a purely aesthetic perspective.  

This is the premise for the new exhibition Digital '09:  Mysteries in Science  at the New York Hall of Science from October 3 2009 until January 31st of 2010. Artists present computer generated images (including the authors) that were inspired by science as large prints in the exhibit hall and digital images on-line.  The exhibition was organized by the group Art and Science Collaborations (ASCI) which works to foster projects where art and science intersect.  If the collision of art and science interests you then dig into the organizations web site for links to specific artists, projects, and institutions.  

   

Sonic Refraction by Frederik de Wilde 

 

Cash for Clunkers

If you're living in the US, I'm sure you've been bombarded by all the buzz and coverage (whether negative or positive) on the Cash for Clunkers program.

Now thanks to Gavin Potenza and the awesome folks at GOOD - we have a brilliant infographic that will make sense of it all.

"The Cash for Clunkers program, which gives up to a $4,500 rebate if they trade in a car with low fuel economy for one with high fuel economy, was re-funded by Congress last week. While the program’s impact on the environment and the economy is still being debated, it did spark hundreds of thousands of purchases of new cars with much higher fuel efficiency".

You can check out the interactive view of the graphic here.

--sdotg--

What if a building could dream?

What if a building could dream?  This is the idea that animates 555 Kubik by URBANSCREEN.   555 Kubik is a giant projection that moves across the stoic facade of architect O.M. Unger's "Galerie der Gegenwart" in Hamburg, Germany.

The projection activates the minimalist, and mostly windowless facade of the building by superimposing its own dynamic virtual fenestration.  In this projected facade, the stone cladding grid, flips like leaves revealing windows that appear and reappear. Its hard not to believe it is the facade itself that is morphing, but its just a brilliant filmed projection.  

At the same time it implies a critique of the building's minimalist design which seems to take itself rather seriously with its black and white color palette and relentless grids.  But its hard to take a building too seriously when giant pink hands are fluttering across its facade, flipping cladding tiles like dominos.

The Tragic Aesthetic

For the people of Detroit, the abandoned houses that proliferate like weeds in some neighborhoods, are not beautiful, but rather - as photographer Kevin Bauman argues - "maddening and/or depressing."

Yet for those of us fortunate enough not to live in these neighborhoods, we have the luxury to appreciate the aesthetic beauty of these crumbling structures.  Bauman has been documenting the 'slow death' of these homes before they disappear into dust.  His photographs of these once elegant houses are like stoic portraits of aging aristocrats struggling vainly to keep up a proud face in the face of their inevitable decline.   

Bauman's project, 100 abandoned houses, gathers 100 of his house portraits into a series presented as a grid that reinforces the numbing relentless nature of Detroit's decline.  There is beauty in destruction, but perhaps not for the people of Detroit.  Nobody is more aware of this paradox than Bauman himself who spent so much time documenting the tragic beauty of these abandoned homes.  For this reason, Bauman donates much of the profits from selling his photos to organizations that fight against exactly this kind of urban decline.

Buy a print and save a neighborhood.  Okay, maybe that's overselling it, but Bauman has found a smart way of combining his aesthetic interests with social action.  Plus he takes beautiful photographs. 

Baby Star Price Reduction!

Baby Star has just lowered their prices on 2Modern! Times are hard, and Baby Star is doing their part to help you save money!

A Sign of the Times

A nickel for architecture is no joke.  It's a thriving business and one that just

might out live the recession.

If you drop by the farmer's market in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, you 

can buy juicy red tomatoes, ripe clusters of grapes, and architecture.  In a booth

inspired by Lucy's psychiatry stand from the comic strip, Peanuts, architect John

Morefield dishes out sage advice for five cents.  Morefield can help you decide

where to add a staircase, or sketch out a new roof plan, or suggest the name 

of a drywall contractor.  

After being laid off twice last year, Morefield joined the growing ranks of 

unemployed architects whose jobs were cut because of the economic

downturn.  Rather than change professions, or move to another city to find work, 

Morefield took a more radical turn:  he dropped his prices to a nickel and set up 

shop in a farmer's market.   Business has been booming.  Of course, Morefield is

not designing an entire house for five cents, which he donates to the Ballard 

Food Bank.  He is answering questions in order to create leads. Everyone leaves 

with a business card.

Morefield is busy expanding his operation.  At his web site,

architecture5cents.com you can pay a nickel and receive architectural advice or 

you can join the Architecture 5¢ movement and become a franchisee.  This means you get your own booth, website, license to use the "Architecture 5¢" trademark, a blog, etc, etc.

Morefield says that he wants other architects to get "out on their streets, engaging their

communities." But he is also offering a business strategy for generating new clients.

Is Morefield driving down the value of architecture or is he simply making the 

idea of hiring an architect more accessible? One thing is certain, if the economy 

continues to worsen, we might see other professions set up booths in their local

farmer's market.  Keep your eyes peeled for "Medical Advice 5¢."  

 

New from OFFI

OFFI has some fun new chairs and lamps to brighten things up! The classic Perch Lounge is now available in Ebony or Ivory Leather. Hand-blown glass lamps like the Cupstack Lamp, Zig Zag Lamp, and the Flare Tower Lamp make for fun lighting with a modern twist. The Cachet Swivel Suspension Chair gives perfect balance to your posture and the environment, since it's 99% recyclable! And the minimal yet comfortable Paket Table and Paket Chair Set can be folded up and packed away, saving room without sacrificing visual appeal.

FLOS

FLOS has some great new pieces! Designers such as Sebastian Wrong, Philippe Starck, and Rodolfo Dordoni have produced amazing lighting that is both functional and fashionable. Check out the new Spun Table Lamp and Floor Lamp, the Ray Table Lamp, and the Skygarden Pendant Lamp.