Design
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Design
Beekeeping Made Easy With a New Compact Hive Built for Urban Settings
Gone are the days of full coverage beekeeping suits and padded gloves with the invention of a radical new hive by Italian company Beeing, which was founded by a third-generation bee keeper. B-box is the very first system designed for homes and urban environments, with a small footprint that can fit on even the tiniest of balconies or backyards. Not only does the simplified hive makes raising bees and harvesting honey easy for novices, it benefits the bees as well. A seven-foot-tall chimney ensures that bees remain out of range when coming in and out of the hive, while uniquely designed chambers present only small sections of the honeycomb so users are not disturbing or impacting the health of the hive by extracting a large sheet.
With 80% of the world’s food supply needing the help of bees, coupled with major threats to a declining bee population, it is more crucial than ever that solutions to this crisis are discovered and put into action. You can learn more about B-box in the video below, and contribute to their campaign by visiting IndieGoGo. (via designboom)
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Design
Hypnotic New Garments by Iris van Herpen Blur the Boundaries of Art, Science, and Fashion
Like many of her haute couture peers, fashion designer Iris van Herpen (previously) selects a theme that inspires and unites the designs in each of her collections. Van Herpen, who has interdisciplinary interests in fine art and science, is particularly known for her wide-reaching collaborations. For her latest body of work, titled ‘Hypnosis,’ the Dutch designer partnered with Anthony Howe (previously), an American sculptor who specializes in large-scale kinetic works.
The resulting collection is centered around Howe’s Omniverse sculpture. With rotating circles of varying sizes spiraling out from a central arc, Omniverse “explores our relationship with nature and intertwines with infinite expansion and contraction, expressing a universal life cycle,” according to a statement on van Herpen’s website. The designer used feathers, silk, aluminum, stainless steel, organza, ball bearings, and satin in labor-intensive processes to form the ethereal dresses worn by runway models who passed through and around Howe’e sculpture.
“The ‘Hypnosis’ collection is a hypnotic visualization of nature’s tapestry, the symbiotic cycles of our biosphere that interweave the air, land, and oceans. It also reflects the ongoing dissection of the rhythms of life and resonates with the fragility within these interwoven worlds” van Herpen explains.
You can read more about the intricate techniques used to create the garments—including one developed in collaboration with Canada-based Professor of Architecture Philip Beesley—on the designer’s website. Van Herpen also released a behind-the-scenes short documentary that takes viewers inside her atelier, which is embedded below. Explore more of van Herpen’s mesmerizing creations on Instagram. (via Hi-Fructose)
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Art Craft Design
Houseplants Become Hairstyles for Smiling Anthropomorphic Planters by Ceramicist Abby Ozaltug
Canadian potter Abby Ozaltug creates charming clay planters that give an extra bit of personality to domestic leafy greens. Tousled ivy, spiky cacti, and multi-strand succulents become the unique verdant hairstyles of rotund planters. Each ceramic vessel sports arms and legs (sometimes functional, sometimes decorative), and a few of Ozaltug’s designs also have charmingly simple smiles and eyes. The artist sells her pottery on Etsy as CeramicSense, and shares updates on Instagram.
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Design
A Partially Submerged Train Car Provides a Dramatic Entrance to Frankfurt’s Bockenheimer Warte Subway Station
via Reddit
Subway stations are typically just a means to an end, simple structures that allow a large overflow of commuters to enter and exit at will. It is less common for the design to be a destination in itself, like the popular Bockenheimer Warte subway entrance in Frankfurt, Germany. The station, erected in 1986, was built to look as if an old tram car had crash landed into the sidewalk that surrounds the station. The entrance was designed by the architect Zbigniew Peter Pininski who was inspired by René Magritte surrealist paintings. Although slightly dark, the work does have a hint of magical realism, making riders feel as if they are arriving at Platform 9 3/4 rather than just another subway stop in Frankfurt. (via My Modern Met)
Via @MojoBeast
Via Yasuo-Nanashi
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Art Craft Design
Malleable Paper Sculptures by Polly Verity Expand and Contract Into Mesmerizing Shapes
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Caterpilla Corrugation #Paperfold #corrugation #papiroflexia #paperengineering #origami
Polly Verity (previously) has been experimenting with three-dimensional paper sculptures and intricate folds since the age of eight, when she was given a paper folding book by her step-grandfather. Instead of following an ancient origami tradition, Verity finds her inspiration in the more modern technique of abstract tessellations developed by Bauhaus experimentation in the 1920’s. Through the years she has focused primarily on repetitive abstract geometric patterns made with uncut pieces of white paper to allow her audience to focus on the works’ shapes rather than be distracted by her chosen color. In addition to small sculptures, Verity has also created one-wear-only dresses for weddings, performances, and photo shoots. You can see more of her repeated paper designs on Instagram.
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Craft Design
Modular Paper Cubes by Origami Artist Jo Nakashima Shape-Shift in Seemingly Infinite Combinations
Brazil-based origami artist Jo Nakashima (previously) continues to create seemingly impossible kinetic origami out of modular cubes. Each interconnected box is individually folded and then strategically incorporated into the larger unit to create a moveable structure that shape-shifts in the user’s hands. The 9-unit design shown below is based on the “Pandora’s Box” by Yami Yamauchi, and Nakashima describes the difficulty level as “easy”. See more of Nakashima’s creations, including frequent step-by-step tutorials, on YouTube and Instagram.
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Design
Bottles and Jars Made of Soap Replace Disposable Plastic Packaging
Mi Zhou, a student in the Central Saint Martins Material Futures master’s degree program, re-imagined the disposable nature of toiletry containers by turning the vessels themselves into usable products. Instead of the ubiquitous flexible plastic tubs and tubes that are filled with lotion, soap, and shampoo, Zhou’s creations are made of soap. In soft shades of mint green, peach, and yellow, the translucent containers sport sophisticated designs that bring to mind classic shapes of perfume bottles and powder boxes. To complete her concept Zhou consulted with Yanhao Shi, a soap artisan, and Luis Spitz, an expert in the soap industry. Read more about Zhou’s project on the Central Saint Martins Material Futures catalog. (via designboom)
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Editor's Picks: Design
Highlights below. For the full collection click here.