Sketchbook: Fabrica 2013 Informal Annual Review: Design/Exhibitions: Salone del Mobile; Lisbon Architecture Triennale
In terms of Fabrica-at-exhibitions this last year, Sam Baron's studio has been blazing a trail in particular, doing multiple exhibits in multiple cities. Almost too many to track. The show for Salone del Mobile was a particular highlight, continuing Fabrica's relationship with the amazing Villa Necchi in Milano, one of the most beautiful houses I've […]
Sketchbook: Colors magazine, Colors #86 “Making the News”, and Colors News Machine
If you were to make a list of the ten most influential magazines of all time, I'd hazard a guess that Colors magazine might be in there, so it's a particular privilege that we get to produce Colors from Fabrica. I won't go into the past of Colors as that's widely available and discussed elsewhere—suffice to say […]
Journal: Fabrica
I’m writing this flying over the Alps, on BA579 from Venice to London. It’s a big blue sky lit by hazy sunshine, and the Alps look unreal. We just flew a few metres over a contrail, a perpendicular arc into the sunlight, hundreds of kilometres long, a surprisingly distinct temporary structure of curly vapour. Best […]
Stadsmuziek, by Akko Golenbeld
Difficult to resist giving this one a quick nod, given the subject. A physical model of Eindhoven rolled onto a drum and attached to a piano. A form of player piano with the city as the score. [By Akko Golenlbeld for Design Academy Eindhoven, exhibited at Salone del Mobile in Milano.] Instantly triggers all kinds […]
Journal: Shanghai Expo 2010: universal narratives vs. universal values in the corporate pavilions
Back in May, I visited the 2010 Shanghai Expo. I was in China to help lead a creative cities symposium in Hong Kong and then as a speaker (with Finland’s/Kone’s Anne Stenros, The Young Foundation’s Geoff Mulgan, Shanghai academic Wenhui Shan and others) on a 'social life of cities' panel at Cisco's Partnership for Urban […]
World Design Congress 2009, Beijing: Carsten Nicolai / Alva Noto
(Continued from World Design Congress 2009: Day three. Written at the time, last October.) As noted, I’ve followed Carsten Nicolai’s work for years, so it was a pleasure to see — and hear — him in the flesh. Nicolai, aka Alva Noto, is one of the stalwarts of the avant-garde electronica/noise/sound scene, but also works as […]
World Design Congress 2009, Beijing: Day three
(Continued from World Design Congress 2009: Opening ceremony, World Design Congress 2009: Day one and day two. Written at the time, last October.) The third and final day of the conference – for me at least – and the sky in Beijing is cool, grey and damp, shrouding any memories of the clear blues and crisp shadows […]
Journal: World Design Congress 2009, Beijing: Day two
(Continued from World Design Congress 2009: Opening ceremony, World Design Congress 2009: Day one and National Centre for Performing Arts. Written at the time, last October.) After the sunshine, blue skies and glamour of the opening day, the morning of day two of the ICOGRADA World Design Congress at least has the courtesy to be grey. And […]
’49 Cities’, by Work AC
Please note: this post has moved to Medium. A while ago I was asked to help write a short piece on 'future cities', no more specific than that. The context was Australia, but fairly free. I suggested we start it with the following passage: — Fade in — The city of the future is established initially […]
14 Cities
In the previous entry I wrote about an unsuccessful submission for the Venice Architecture Biennale Australian pavilion. As I noted, it grew out of an earlier internal ideas competition at Arup Sydney, in which I produced a set of 14 super-short stories, each pertaining to describe a particular Australian city of the future. In reality, […]