Design

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Art Design

Bizarre D.I.Y. Balloon-Destroying Devices by Jan Hakon Erichsen

Don’t invite Jan Hakon Erichsen to your next birthday party. The Norwegian artist is on a mission to destroy every balloon he encounters with an endless array of awkward Rube Goldberg-esque setups. Erichsen documents his inventions in “Destruction Diary” videos, which he posts daily on Instagram, and aggregates into compilations on YouTube. Erichsen’s usual balloon-popping tool of choice is a steak knife, but he has also employed bananas, cacti, and saws to do the deed. The artist explains in a statement that he “works within a variety of media focusing on topics like fear, anger and frustration”. In addition to his balloon-centric video work, Erichson explores other found materials in his structural D.I.Y. projects, which you can see on his website. If you enjoy Erichsen’s creations, also check out Simone Giertz’s robots.

 

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A post shared by Jan Hakon Erichsen (@janerichsen) on Jul 18, 2019 at 2:56am PDT

Design Music

Paramour: A One-Shot Music Video Filmed From the Perspective of a Toy Train

In Ewan Jones Morris’s music video for Scottish composer and producer Anna Meredith’s music video Paramour, a toy train speeds around a series of prop-filled rooms. The train cannot be seen, because it serves as a miniature dolly for the camera strapped on top. As the camera moves around the set, musicians jump in and out of frame, entering just as they produce a dramatic cymbal crash or play a particular note on the saxophone. In addition to keyboards, guitars, and drums lining the lego track, other notable props include multiple plants, a gigantic ice cream cone, and a perfectly placed 20-sided die. The song is off of Meredith’s upcoming album FIBS which will be released October 25, 2019. You can see more music videos by the artist on her website and Youtube.

Design

Put Words into Action with ‘Gerry’, a New Font Created From the Silhouettes of Gerrymandered Electoral Districts

Apologies to anyone who shares the name, but two designers in Chicago are taking on electoral gerrymandering in a new font called Gerry. The font, created by Ben Doessel and James Lee, is composed of 26 districts whose absurd boundaries resemble alphabet letters much more than they resemble logical, cohesive population groupings. Alabama’s pronged 1st District bears a striking resemblance to the letter K, while New York’s 8th District looks like an M with its tall legs connected by a curved middle.

“Gerry” is available for download on a dedicated website, UglyGerry.com, which also includes a Twitter integration allowing visitors to thank their Representatives for their contributions to the font. If you’re interested in learning more about Gerrymandering, we recommend this John Oliver segment. (via Hyperallergic)

Design Photography Science

Chart-Like Composite Photographs by Dan Marker-Moore Show the Progression of the 2019 Solar Eclipse

Los Angeles-based photographer Dan Marker-Moore (previously) flew south to document the solar eclipse that occurred in Chile on July 2, 2019. While many professional photographers also documented the event, most images capture the singular moment in one image. Marker-Moore decided to break out the progression in orderly chart-like designs. He shares with Colossal that he experimented with over one hundred different format variants before deciding on the final five. Each image contains between 26 and 425 photos of the sun. Read more about Marker-Moore’s trip and the equipment he used here, and find prints of his eclipse series in his online store. The photographer also shares new work on Instagram.

Design

The World’s Largest Bicycle Garage Opens in Utrecht

Photos: Petra Appelhof

Colossal recently covered Utrecht’s efforts to green up their public transit with bee-friendly bus stops, and the Dutch city is at it again with the world’s largest bike garage. The multi-level structure, recently completed, is totally underground, allowing the public square above to be a pedestrian-first space. Designed by Ector Hoogstad Architects in collaboration with the Sant & Co firm and Royal Haskoning DHV, the garage accommodate 13,500 bicycles. This quantity unseats Tokyo as home to the world’s largest bike garage. To learn more about the specifics and logistical considerations of the design, visit the architect’s website. (via designboom)

Design

Conductive Origami by Yael Akirav Unites 3-D Printing and Textiles to Create Foldable Modern Light Fixtures

Photos: Ofek Avshalom

Israeli industrial designer Yael Akirav 3-D prints conductive material onto textiles to create illuminated works of origami. The lighting fixtures can collapse or expand due to their pliable surfaces, allowing them to be displayed either open and lit or folded into a closed position. This expansive movement stretches the conductive filament and also works almost like a dimmer. A slow pull turns the light on gradually, and then turns it off as it is compressed back into its original position.

Akirav recently graduated from the Industrial Design Department at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem where she was first exposed to 3-D printing technologies. You can see more textile designs created with 3-D printed conductive elements on her website and Instagram.

Animation Art Design Science

Infinite Forms Unfurl in New Rotating Sculptures by John Edmark

We continue to be transfixed by John Edmark’s (previously) infinite 3-D printed designs. The self-described artist, designer, and inventor uses visual tricks to create cascading effects on rotating textured white sculptural surfaces. His most recent video, “Blooms Assortment”, features a noodle-like form, shifting cubes, and a hollow gridded shape that resembles a geyser or mushroom cloud. Edmark has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science and has lectured at Stanford’s design program for over fifteen years.  See more of Edmark’s creations on Vimeo and if you’d like to call one of his pieces your own, visit his online store.