Digital Architecture Event at Bartlett

As part of the Bartlett School of Architecture International Lecture Series there will be a FREE Digital Architecture Event this coming Wednesday.

Date:Wednesday 9th December, 2009 from 6.30 PM (GMT)
Open to public, arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Organiser of Digital Architecture London Conference, Ruairi Glynn has brought together some of London's most prolific recent graduates in a group presentation of innovative and inspiring projects examining the scope of 'digitally enabled' architecture. Presenters include this years' President's Silver Medal Winner, Nicholas Szczepaniak, the Bartlett's Christian Kerrigan and Ric Lipson, AA's Adam Nathaniel Furman, AA DRL's 'Shampoo' Group and RCA's Jordan Hodgson.

To place this in context: from the first generative algorithms of John Frazer, to Cedric Price and Gordon Pask's proposed interactive buildings, to the technologically inspired hinterlands of Archigram's walking, reconfigurable, and instant cities, London has long been a provocateur of digitally enabled architecture.

This spirit of speculation and provocation continues in a young generation of designers who slip with ease between computational algorithms and hand drawings, paper models and robotic manufacturing. In November 2009 Ruairi Glynn and Sara Shafiei co-authored and published 'Digital Architecture: Passages Through Hinterlands' which went further than the exhibition, revealing the processes behind leading graduate work alongside interviews with young practices including Amanda Levete Architects, Plasma Studio, JDS Architects, sixteen* (makers), and marcosandmarjan - discussing how the these innovative explorations have begun to make their mark on the built environment. Following the lecture, there will be a book launch of 'Digital Architecture: Passages Through Hinterlands' at the Bartlett. It can also be previewed online at

www.passagesthroughhinterlands.com

Interactive future in Berlin on the 7th of december

For our German friends, this sounds like an interesting evening debate about intelligent architecture and spaces:

What impact have new (communication) technologies on the architecture? Often falling into related keywords such as "interactive spaces" or "intelligent architectures, what exactly does "interactive" mean? This is the conversation that the Academy of the Arts wants to bring around the three following speakers:
(1) Joachim Sauter is co-founder of ART + COM, design office for New Media. ART + COM translatea complex issues staged by means of interactive media in the space and makes them more tangible, for example in the form of exhibitions, art installations and stage sets.
(2) The London textile designer Carole Collet explores how new technologies can be integrated into textiles to create poetic and atmospheric spaces.
(3) Wilfried Kuehn pursues a very different approach. His (exhibition) architectures are not influenced by media productions, but by clear geometries, physicality and a deliberately structured sequence space.

The evening is a collaboration between the Academy of Arts and the young architecture platform, "Plan A". The new publication of "Plan A", "Sensing Space - Technology for architectures of the future" (June '09 / jovis Verlag) is dedicated to the potentials of new technology as an integral, formative forming part of architecture and provides, among other things the work of Carole Collet.

Details
Monday 07.12.2009
19.30 Uhr
Akademie der Künste
Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
030 – 200 57-1000 / info@adk.de
www.adk.de

Clash of Desire: Private View

Evolution and The Knight dress designed by Yolana Limman using Jenny's Ferrofabric

Yolana Limman is a young and energetic fashion designer finishing up her MA in Design Studies at Central Saint Martins. Her latest project aims to celebrate the Indonesian theatrical tradition of Wayang Orang Bharata.

The hero Arjuna, played by an actor (right) and rendered in magnetic Ferrofabric (left)

This genre mainly uses physical and musical drama to enact the stories of the Ramayana, so the main characters are eye-catching expressions of jungle monsters and noble heroes.

Bima, a prime antagonist of Arjuna

In her search for different ways to blend culture and clothing, Yolana created 5 dresses. Each dress marks a different step in her journey. For the latest one, she collaborated with Ferrofabric to design a sarong with an interactive surface. It will be on display with her entire project at the Old Truman Brewery from December 4 - 6, with the private view on December 8.

For a sneak preview of the outfit, check out these links:

Yolana designed a sarong, called "The Evolution" http://clashofdesire.wordpress.com/our-design/wob/the-evolution/

...and also a vest, called "The Knight"
http://clashofdesire.wordpress.com/our-design/wob/the-knight-vest/

Climate & Architecture - towards an atmospheric architecture

In correlation with the Climate & Architecture exhibition, the Royal Academy of Fines Arts, School of Architecture, Copenhagen is hosting a promising seminar embracing the idea of an atmospheric architecture.

Date:	10.12.09 - 10.12.09
Location:	The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture The Exhibtion Hall Danneskiold-Samsøes Allé 51 Holmen
Time:	13.00
Event holder:	The Nantes School of Art & The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture

Today the climate has become the main aim of architects and architectural practice changes in order to integrate the goal of safeguarding the climate. But as the balance with climate and its protection becomes the goal of architecture, it is also possible that climate becomes the ressources and tools of architecture.

Thus weather vocabulary used to describe atmospheric phenomena (convection, pressure, depressions, temperature, heat, relative humidity, reveberation, for example) becomes an architectural language.

The Nantes symposium of Copenhagen 2009 "Climate & Architecture - towards an atmospheric architecture" seeks to integrate the climate mission of architecture not only as the purpose of the contemporary architecture, but also as the process.

The full programme can be downloaded here.

Material Trends Award 2010

Which innovative ideas do young designers come up with to create intelligent materials? Which changes will we see in the field of lightweight construction and composite materials? These topics are dealt with in the material TRENDS award 2010, organized by iF for the first time. Students and recent graduates from the disciplines of design, architecture and interior design are invited to submit their creative ideas.

More about the competition here

Open for registration until 26 January 2010.

Climate & Architecture at Karch

Climate and Architecture is an exhibition organized by the Royal Academy of Fines Arts, School of Architecture, Copenahgen to address the challenges related to climate change in the field of Architecture. Beyond direct challenges and immediate solutions, the exhibition is embracing the complexity of the question by addessing issues related to ‘human interrelations with physical design, technology, resources & the surrounding climate’. The exhibition presents two major pieces: New Olduvai Gorges by Philippe Rahm and the Sargasso Cloud, the outcome of the CITA (Centre for IT & Architecture) Summer School by Philip Beesley & Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen. The first one is an installation, emblematic of Philippe Rahm's approach, exploring how concepts such as cold, warmth and daylight can determine a new type of meteorological architecture engaging the five senses rather than limitating itself to pure visual experience. The Sargasso Cloud, -an interactive sculpture where two architectural layers, a forest-like ceiling and a geo-textile structure made out of silk and bamboo interlacing, start to interact and exchange energy as well as responding to human behaviours- investigates how concepts of interactivity and responsiveness can suggest new relationships between buildings and environments.

But enough talking, you should go and see for real these poetic installations, not only because I took part in the design and building of the Sargasso Cloud but also because the secret resides in experiencing these experimental architectures with the five senses . The show will be on till the 20th of december 2009 and will be with a symposium on atmospheric architecture on the 10th of december. Soon more about it!

Details
Royal Academy of Fines Arts, School of Architecture
Philip de Langes allé 10, Copenhagen 1435
12h-20h

Warp factor - Textile Futures exhibition

Opening in Tokyo on the 13th October 2009 Warp Factor ‘09 celebrates the innovation and future thinking of textiles researchers and designers from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. Presenting textiles of tomorrow the exhibition and accompanying catalogue explore potential solutions to aspects of some of the key agendas facing us all, such as Health and Wellbeing; Sustainability; Conservation and Visualisation and the re-wiring and re-branding of craft traditions.

From 16th of november till 18th of december 200)
www.warpfactor09.com

Lethaby Gallery
Central St Martins, College of Art and Design
Southampton Row
Holborn

M-F 10-18h
Sat. 10-16h

Bamboo Light Poetry by Pablo Reinoso

17th till 22th of November

The School Gallery (Paris) has given carte blanche to Argentinian artist & designer Pablo Reinoso for its new exhibition. Let's run to discover what looks like a new poetic and powerful installation where the artist is giving another dimension to the Bamboo Light System, its own creation designed for the Japanese Lighting company Yamagiwa by giving life to an ephemeral forest of bamboo where shadows respond to lights. Not to be missed !

Where ? School Gallery, 81 rue du temple, 75003 Paris
Tuesday-Saturday, 11h-18h

Textured Telly!

Is it a glimpse of the future or a view of the past? Whatever the case, you'll need a pair of 3D glasses to see it.

Get to a Sainsbury's as fast as you can to pick up a pair of stylish red-and-blue specs - modelled here by Bob Angell and Arthur Wooster, also known as the guys behind it all.


On Monday November 16th and Tuesday November 17th, Chanel 4 will air "The Queen in 3D". This is the first time that TV viewers will see 3D footage that Angell and Wooster filmed 56 years ago of the Queen's coronation ceremony. The documentary blends that 1953 footage with video of the Queen at a garden party that the pair captured just last year.

The combination of these retro icon glasses with 50's footage is bound to make us feel nostalgic. However, 3D TV might be a thing of the future. All around us, 3D display is becoming more popular. Imax theatres are becoming more normal, and the popularity of immersive video games is getting media companies to explore the commercial potential of 3D entertainment.


You can also find music videos and short films to use your Sainsbury's glasses with. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5fmqkxcLFg to see JLS's video in 3D. If that's too racy for your innocent eyes, here's one that will please everyone - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv9jI7lJzt0

Youtube viewers have caught on, so you know this is a big trend! 3D TV's day has finally come, proving that Angell and Wooster were far far ahead of their time.

We at Puff&Flock are personally proud of the two. One of them is Jo's father! Yes, Angells are few and far between, and it seems that they're also an innovative bunch. Will Jo's Solar Sanctuary be globally popular in 53 years? You'll have to check back in 2061 to find out!

Links:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=26984
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/The-Queen-Unseen-3D-Footage-Found-Of-Her-Majesty-During-Coronation-Year-Sarah-Hughes-reports/Article/200911215451609?lpos=UK_News_Second_Home_Page_Feature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15451609_The_Queen%3A_Unseen_3D_Footage_Found_Of_Her_Majesty_During_Coronation_Year._Sarah_Hughes_reports

Ercol visit

Puff&Flock was very pleased to visit the Ercol headquarters in Buckinghamshire. Their impressive factory and showroom was built in 2002, and provides a contemporary production environment for the 90-year old company. Read about their fascinating heritage here.



They truly maintain a balance between modern techniques and handcrafting skills - and it all happens on British soil. We were inspired by all of the processes that happen at the factory. They do everything there, from cutting and sanding the wood to upholstering the sofas.

We immediately envisioned a future where our Puff&Flock work will be churned out in such a tremendous facility - any skilled weavers and stitchers, please send us your CV!

Here we are with Jan and Oscar of Hendzel and Hunt - they were truly in their element!!

www.ercol.com
www.hendzelandhunt.com