WEEKLY EMAIL: MAY 28, 2010

FEATURED THIS WEEK : KEN BOTNICK AND IRA RAJA

The Subtle Technology of Indian Artisanship

Objects found daily on the streets of India are made with such remarkable ingenuity and embellished with such attention to detail that India could easily be considered more "high touch" than high tech. But is there anything to be learned from this intimate, hands-on, experiential culture that might be relevant to one that is becoming increasingly virtual?
READ MORE

PLACES : LEIGH MERRILL

Streets: Into the Sunset

When photographer Leigh Merrill lived in the Bay Area, she took thousands of photos of houses in San Francisco. The "Streets" series presented here focuses on houses in the Sunset neighborhood — images that are, as Merrill explains, digital fabrications, with each image "typically made from several photographs of individual houses combined with tens to hundreds of smaller bits and pieces from other photographs of houses." The results are images that appear to be plausible, straightforward, but are in fact illogical, even strange — like home ownership in America today, they are an unsettling mix of fantasy and reality.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : ERNEST BECK

New Meaning at ICFF

Of course, there were big names at New York's annual furniture show, like Tom Dixon and Patricia Urquiola. Spain and Austria showcased their top talent with polished displays. But there was also room for upstarts.
READ MORE

CHANGE OBSERVER : JOHN THACKARA

The Revelation

Emitting messages, however clever and evocative they may be, is not the same as being with real people, in real places, who are changing their lived material reality. That's why I have a radical proposal: Consider speaking your words in a place rather than pressing "send."
READ MORE

CHANGE OBSERVER : ELIZABETH HELMAN MINCHILLI, ANNIE SCHLECHTER

Rome Sustainable Food Project

For over two decades, chef, author and founder of Chez Panisse, Alice Waters has been working tirelessly to change the way we eat in America. Four years ago, she sent chef Mona Talbott to put her words into action at the American Academy in Rome.
READ MORE

PLACES : JESSE LECAVALIER

All Those Numbers: Logistics, Territory and Walmart

Walmart is one of the biggest corporations in the world (last year it ranked third, after Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil) and the largest private employer in the United States (the federal government is the largest employer). Since opening its first store in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962, the discount giant has become a ubiquitous, not to say defining, presence in suburbia. And now, having "saturated its rural and suburban markets," writes architect Jesse LeCavalier, it is training its sights on cities. Where some might see a threat, LeCavalier sees an opportunity — an opportunity not merely to make better-looking big boxes but to explore how architects might adapt the retailer's phenomenal expertise in logistics and operations to make better-performing environments.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : JAMES MERRILL

"b o d y"

Look closely at the letters...
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : ERIC BAKER

Today, 05.22.10

Here are Today's images.
READ MORE

PLACES : CENTER FOR URBAN PEDAGOGY

The Water Underground

You turn on the tap and the water flows. You press the lever and the toilet flushes. But where does your drinking water come from? And where does the wastewater go? A team of staff and students from the Brooklyn-based Center for Urban Pedagogy set out to answer these most basic of urban questions, and the result is The Water Underground. The 24-minute video tracks the complex — and aging and sometimes contested — systems of water supply, treatment and waste that serve New York City. Continuing our affiliation with CUP, which began with Bodega Down Bronx, we are pleased to feature the video.
READ MORE

PLACES : BETH WEINSTEIN

Self-Fab House

"Throughout the global architectural community there is a concern and interest, if not obsession, with the development of compact, self-sustaining dwellings," writes architect Beth Weinstein in her review of Self-Fab House, a compilation of the results of a competition sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Weinstein questions the preponderance of schemes that feature lone houses in the wilderness — the self-fab primitive hut — yet commends the optimism of many of the proposals, and also their openness to new materials, ranging from algae to nanogel, inner tubes to biodegradable plastic.
READ MORE

BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE

Gael Towey

Gael Towey is the editor and founding creative director at Martha Stewart Living.
Listen >>
More Design Matters Archive >>

CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE

Peepoobag

Report on Peepoobag, a new self-sanitizing, single-use, biodegradable container for human waste.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE

On Comic Sans

Oded Ezer & Typography

Baseball the Beautiful

PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2005

Campus Design as Critical Practice

How to turn a lackluster midwestern campus into an international cultural destination.
READ MORE

CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES

Academic Programs >>
Competitions >>
Conferences & Events >>
Fellowships & Prizes >>
Organizations >>
Programs & Initiatives >>
Publications & Websites >>
Social Networks >>

RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED

I Wish I Worked There!
Kursty Groves & Will Knight

100 Visual Packaging & Labels
Ann Ford

Granta 110: Sex
John Freeman, editor


WEEKLY EMAIL: MAY 28, 2010
FEATURED THIS WEEK : KEN BOTNICK AND IRA RAJA The Subtle Technology of Indian Artisanship Objects found daily on the streets of India are made with such remarkable ingenuity and embellished with such attention to detail that India could easily be considered more "high touch" than high tech. But is there anything to be learned from this intimate, hands-on, experiential culture that might be relevant to one that is becoming increasingly virtual? READ MORE
PLACES : LEIGH MERRILL Streets: Into the Sunset When photographer Leigh Merrill lived in the Bay Area, she took thousands of photos of houses in San Francisco. The "Streets" series presented here focuses on houses in the Sunset neighborhood — images that are, as Merrill explains, digital fabrications, with each image "typically made from several photographs of individual houses combined with tens to hundreds of smaller bits and pieces from other photographs of houses." The results are images that appear to be plausible, straightforward, but are in fact illogical, even strange — like home ownership in America today, they are an unsettling mix of fantasy and reality. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : ERNEST BECK New Meaning at ICFF Of course, there were big names at New York's annual furniture show, like Tom Dixon and Patricia Urquiola. Spain and Austria showcased their top talent with polished displays. But there was also room for upstarts. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : JOHN THACKARA The Revelation Emitting messages, however clever and evocative they may be, is not the same as being with real people, in real places, who are changing their lived material reality. That's why I have a radical proposal: Consider speaking your words in a place rather than pressing "send." READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : ELIZABETH HELMAN MINCHILLI, ANNIE SCHLECHTER Rome Sustainable Food Project For over two decades, chef, author and founder of Chez Panisse, Alice Waters has been working tirelessly to change the way we eat in America. Four years ago, she sent chef Mona Talbott to put her words into action at the American Academy in Rome. READ MORE PLACES : JESSE LECAVALIER All Those Numbers: Logistics, Territory and Walmart Walmart is one of the biggest corporations in the world (last year it ranked third, after Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil) and the largest private employer in the United States (the federal government is the largest employer). Since opening its first store in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962, the discount giant has become a ubiquitous, not to say defining, presence in suburbia. And now, having "saturated its rural and suburban markets," writes architect Jesse LeCavalier, it is training its sights on cities. Where some might see a threat, LeCavalier sees an opportunity — an opportunity not merely to make better-looking big boxes but to explore how architects might adapt the retailer's phenomenal expertise in logistics and operations to make better-performing environments. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JAMES MERRILL "b o d y" Look closely at the letters... READ MORE OBSERVATORY : ERIC BAKER Today, 05.22.10 Here are Today's images. READ MORE PLACES : CENTER FOR URBAN PEDAGOGY The Water Underground You turn on the tap and the water flows. You press the lever and the toilet flushes. But where does your drinking water come from? And where does the wastewater go? A team of staff and students from the Brooklyn-based Center for Urban Pedagogy set out to answer these most basic of urban questions, and the result is The Water Underground. The 24-minute video tracks the complex — and aging and sometimes contested — systems of water supply, treatment and waste that serve New York City. Continuing our affiliation with CUP, which began with Bodega Down Bronx, we are pleased to feature the video. READ MORE PLACES : BETH WEINSTEIN Self-Fab House "Throughout the global architectural community there is a concern and interest, if not obsession, with the development of compact, self-sustaining dwellings," writes architect Beth Weinstein in her review of Self-Fab House, a compilation of the results of a competition sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Weinstein questions the preponderance of schemes that feature lone houses in the wilderness — the self-fab primitive hut — yet commends the optimism of many of the proposals, and also their openness to new materials, ranging from algae to nanogel, inner tubes to biodegradable plastic. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE Gael Towey Gael Towey is the editor and founding creative director at Martha Stewart Living. Listen >> More Design Matters Archive >> CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE Peepoobag Report on Peepoobag, a new self-sanitizing, single-use, biodegradable container for human waste. READ MORE OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE On Comic Sans Oded Ezer & Typography Baseball the Beautiful PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2005 Campus Design as Critical Practice How to turn a lackluster midwestern campus into an international cultural destination. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES Academic Programs >> Competitions >> Conferences & Events >> Fellowships & Prizes >> Organizations >> Programs & Initiatives >> Publications & Websites >> Social Networks >> RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED I Wish I Worked There! Kursty Groves & Will Knight 100 Visual Packaging & Labels Ann Ford Granta 110: Sex John Freeman, editor
Privacy Policy \| Contact Us You are subscribed as \| Unsubscribe Copyright © 2009 Observer Omnimedia LLC. All rights reserved. Design Observer, P.O. Box 159, Falls Village, CT 06031, USA