Design

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Design

A Circular Monument of Rust-Colored Stone Rests Atop Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts

A walkable sculpture now marks the eastern entrance of Xi’an’s Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts, providing a hidden space with natural light and open air in the midst of the bustling Chinese city. The project of Shanghai-based architecture firm Neri&Hu, “The Urban Monument” is built with terracotta-colored travertine and comprised of four sections that allow visitors to seamlessly pass from street to interior to outdoor gathering space. Located south of the towering Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the immense project similarly references local ancient culture and is designed to mimic an illuminated clay lantern.

Neri&Hu maintained the underground museum’s original stairs to draw in pedestrians and lead them to a sunken piazza, and a latticed facade allows sunlight to brighten the inner walkways. In addition to the galleries, a massive amphitheater with concentric benches for seating sits at the top of the structure, which also holds public restrooms, a restaurant, a lounge, and retail space.

Completed in December 2021, “The Urban Monument” is one of many of Neri&Hu’s architectural projects that play with geometries and light, which you can explore on its site.

 

Design

Traditional Glassblowing Methods Suffuse Kateryna Sokolova’s Modern Vessels with Historical Spirit

It is often said that glass is a “slow-moving liquid” because it lacks of the molecular structure of true solids. Like oversized water droplets on the verge of slipping off the edge of a branch or a table, Ukrainian designer Kateryna Sokolova’s sculptural vessels draw on the medium’s natural malleability. GUTTA, a series of vases and carafes, draws on a rich tradition of glass-blowing in Ukraine and evokes a sense of paused time, as if the pieces are frozen in motion. “Through the curvaceous shape of the vases, I wanted to convey the mysterious power of nature and a sense of rhythm,” she says.

Sokolova’s designs are produced in Lviv by artisans who practice ancient glassblowing techniques, imbuing the modern forms with a historical dimension. GUTTA vessels are on view at the contemporary design fair Collectible in Brussels this weekend, and you can find more of the artist’s work on her website. (via Le Journal Du Design)

 

Art Craft Design

Supple Forms Bow and Bulge in Jonas Noël Niedermann’s Colorful Glass Sculptures

In his new body of work titled Loops, Jonas Noël Niedermann plays with the possibilities of color, shape, and light. The Swiss artist is known for his keen interest in the malleable, varied properties of glass, and through a variety of hot and cold sculpting techniques, he creates elegant rings in a spectrum of jewel tones. Because of their curved and bowed edges, the delicate pieces shift in depth and color when viewed from different perspectives as sides appear layered or folded in. A brass finish also coats the bottom of each sculpture to accentuate the way light catches and casts prismatic shadows through the material.

Loops is on view from March 14 to April 4 at Chesterfield Gallery in New York. You can find more from the artist on his site and Instagram.

 

Design

Readers Burrow into a Bookworm Haven in Kurkku Fields’ ‘Underground Library’

Undulating grass mounds at Kurkku Fields camouflage a meditative enclave for reading and rest. Opened last month in Kisarazu City, Japan, “Underground Library” is the project of Hiroshi Nakamura and NAP Architects, who designed the study center so that it nestles into the ground and seamlessly merges with the surrounding landscape.

A radial skylight allows natural light to pour into the otherwise concrete and wood space, along with large glass windows that line the building’s perimeter, showcasing a selection of the 3,000 books on the shelves. Given the location of the library, many of the titles explore the natural world through poetry, art, philosophy, history, and science. Halls wind throughout the circular space and lead to cozy reading rooms, some of which have narrow shelves carved into the walls that hide volumes for surprise discoveries.

“Underground Library” is one of many projects from Nakamura and his team that embeds architecture into the landscape, and you can explore those works on the firm’s site. (via designboom)

 

Design

Inspired by the Industrial Age, Giant Gears Conduct ‘Rolling Bridge’ Along an East London Channel

Cody Dock, a Victorian-era industrial site along the River Lea in east London, is in the midst of a monumental facelift as part of a masterplan to transform the space into a creative hub. A new bridge by architect Thomas Randall-Page connects pedestrians across a recently re-flooded channel, but this is no 19th-century relic. Nodding to its industrial surroundings through the use of weathered steel and bent oak, “Cody Dock Rolling Bridge” has the distinction of being the first of its kind to roll on its axis to make room for passing boats.

Seven years in the making, the design for the crossing was inspired by early mechanisms that could be powered by hand. Gear teeth wrap the frame, and when operated by a set of manual levers, the entire structure passes along tracks on the sides of the channel. Using materials “in their raw untreated state, the aesthetic is more influenced by the area’s maritime and shipbuilding past, traces of which are dotted throughout the area,” Randall-Page told Dezeen.

“Rolling Bridge” is part of PUP Architects’ multifaceted plan to transform the once-derelict site into a pedestrian-friendly, artistic community, and it was a finalist for the 2023 Bridges Awards. Find more projects by Thomas Randall-Page on his website.

 

Animation Craft Design

An Adorable Hand-Crafted Totoro Collection Celebrates the Studio Ghibli Icon

The iconic round-bellied Totoro of Studio Ghibli’s (previously) My Neighbor Totoro stars as part of a broad array of new collectible ephemera paying homage to the anime icon. Created by teams of craftspeople connected to Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, the series translates the fluffy, two-dimensional character into adorable wooden sculptures made of camphor, the tree Totoro occupies in the film. Paired with textiles, ceramic works, and paper boxes all featuring the character, the collection follows the highly anticipated opening of Ghibli Park late last year, giving fans of Hayao Miyazaki another opportunity to enjoy his beloved animations.

The Totoro objects will be available through a lottery opening on March 1—find details on how to join on the Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten site. Watch the video below  and visit Spoon & Tamago for more insight into the process behind the collection and an upcoming opportunity to view a live demonstration.