At first I did a double-take. What is that? Then I realized that what appeared to be a slow-moving drip of liquid metal on the wall was actually a mirror. If you’re looking for a conversation piece to give as a gift or to display in your home then the Mizukagami Water mirrors will do the trick. Designed by ad agency expert Rikako Nagashim and acrylic designer Hideto Hyoudou, the mirrors look as if they’re melting off the walls and table edges or pooling on the floor (though I’m not sure how functional they’d be on the floor unless you were using them to stare at the ceiling or up women’s skirts!).
Close up of a dripping Water Mirror
Water Mirrors dripping off table edges. That's a conversation piece over dinner!
Close up of Water Mirror
Interesting decorative idea?!
Then there are speech bubble mirrors created by Nakamura Kengo for Delivery Works. These are fun in any home. I can’t wait until these are available for purchase. I’m not relying on Google’s translation engine to tell me when and where I can order these so if you happen to understand Japanese, please let me know!!
Nakamura Kengo's Speech Balloon Mirrors for Delivery Works. Fun!
Close up of Nakamura Kengo's Speech Ballon Mirrors for Delivery Works
Leo Burnett’s latest NGO advertising campaign is causing waves – pardon the pun – for its client the Surfrider Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to protect the ocean’s waves and beaches. The campaign highlights the results of our carelessness with polluting the water in a very direct way. Check it out:
If you’ve ever had a desire to travel or had thoughts of doing something “different” with your life but felt that there just was no way – then you need to check out the work of Julian Bialowas - freelance graphic designer and photographer.
His work makes you pause in your day. Combining his own travel photos with inspiring quotes and thoughts he’s come across, he has been posting them in his 365 day project.
I love his work because they whisper “just go” to me. Reading these, absorbing the image and keeping them in the back of my mind (not too far back) is a reminder that there is so much adventure, opportunity and possibility out there – always waiting.
If you enjoyed discovering his work as much as I just did, you can follow him on Twitter, and buy his prints for yourself. You can also keep him on your radar as he launches his new project 16 hours. I’m know I’m looking forward to it.
I’m always amazed when I see efficient design that is inspired by nature. I shouldn’t be – since mother nature has been engineering itself since the beginning of time for optimal ways to survive and thrive. You could say nature is the ultimate bio-innovator – in a never-ending R&D project of constantly improving, adapting and looking at better ways to grow.
Informally, biomimicry has been around a while now. Ancient cultures observed the world around them to teach them how to survive and coexist with nature. Today, as a formal field of study, biomimicry is the discipline of examining the models and processes of nature (of mimicking it) and applying that to solve human problems. With sustainable solutions and social responsibility becoming a mandatory consideration for many designers in a variety of fields, more of them are looking to nature and are asking “how does nature solve a similar problem?”
In this video – science author Janine Benyus shares examples of how we as humans can innovate by observing how nature solves its own problems.
Benyus’ message is simple:
“The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth. This is the real news of biomimicry: After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival”.
Here are some other interesting examples of biomimicry in action:
Staying warm while skating in Winnipeg
Patkau Architects based in Vancouver, British Columbia solved the problem of staying cold in bitter winds by looking to animal behaviour for inspiration. This lightweight plywood material can stand up to harsh winter winds by being placed at rotations, groupings and distances that resemble the effect created when buffalos huddle together for warmth and protection.
Skating shelter design in Winnipeg takes its inspiration from how animals huddle together for warmth. Photo courtesy of Patkau Architects.
Lightweight, inexpensive and sturdy skating shelters that stand up to Winnipeg's frigid winters. Photo courtesy of Patkau Architects.
Solar Ivy – Generate energy while you add a green look to your building facade
Solar Ivy has developed solar panels in the shape of leaves to cover exterior walls of buildings. It (almost) creates the same aesthetic that you’d get with rambling ivy covering the exterior of many brownstones, brick homes and limestone buildings.
Solar Ivy's solar panels mimic the shape of leaves. The energy-generating cells are attached to a recycled leaf structure and can be customized in colour, spacing, energy needs and orientation. Photo courtesy of Solar Ivy.
Among Solar Ivy's features are its strong stainless steel mesh which allows it to "grow" anywhere on any facade, its ability to produce renewable energy and like its natural ivy counterpart it provides shade. Photo courtesy of Solar Ivy.
WhalePower Wind Energy: The story of whale bumps and a man named Fish
The story of how WhalePower came to be is the kind that makes every entrepreneur dream of their “eureka” moment. Years ago, Frank Fish (a biology professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania) happened to come across a small sculpture of a whale while on vacation in Boston. He remarked to the store manager that the bumps on the whale fins were placed on the wrong side. The store manager quickly confirmed with a photograph that the artist had in fact depicted it correctly and that was the moment that Fish set out to understand the purpose of and the particular placement of the “bumps” or tubercles. Many years, many mathematical models and many studies later, WhalePower was formed in Toronto and the industry of fluid dynamics was never the same. Today, this tubercle technology blade is a clean power-generating source in the energy sector. Fish is looking to expand into any devices requiring a fan-based cooling system.
The humpback whale fin with its tubercles (or bumps) displayed. Studies show that the tuburcles actually help contribute to a 30% efficiency in the whale's movement by creating less drag as it cuts through the water. Photo courtesy WhalePower Corp.
WhalePower Corp.'s Tubercle Technology - blades modeled after a Humpback Whale fin. With the first energy-producing wind fans now in place in Seaforth, Ontario, the tubercle design has shown to consume 20% less power, make significantly less noise and enables a savings in energy costs to as much as 25%. Photo courtesy WhalePower Corp.
Biomimicry as a field of study can teach us a lot about being more connected to and being more respectful of the world in which we live. Just by being more observant and learning about how nature evolves, we can potentially find sustainable and eco-friendly solutions to the problems of our own making.
Now THAT – juices me big time.
Do you have any other examples of biomimicry in action? Share them here.
Ok, so this isn’t a mind-altering post today but it sure makes me smile each time I watch it! Not to mention it’s a classic song. Enjoy (and hopefully you’re in a relationship that you’re juiced about so taking out an ad isn’t an option ).
Photo courtesy Madtini.com
Oh, and if you actually do like piña coladas, check out Madtini.com for their version. They’ve also got a tonne of other yummy drink recipes.
On my travels I often bring back artwork as mementos. While in Tanzania, I fell in love with a style of painting known as Tinga Tinga. It is colourful, dynamic, charming and named after the painter who developed the style - Edward Saidi Tingatinga.
I saw this piece during my first day in Moshi, Tanzania. It even had cracks in the paint already but I just loved it and took it home with me. Not everyone is a fan however, there are those who argue it's kitsch but since when did capturing the life, environment and culture of a people constitute as kitsch?
A “naive” style of painting
Tinga Tinga art is considered a “naive style” (I use this term lightly since I take issue with it but that’s another blog post) which uses repetition of colours, lines and shapes. It has a rhythm – just like Africa. The subjects in these paintings usually highlight animals, vegetation, the tribal life of the Maasai and increasingly, just daily life in Tanzania and East Africa. When I first saw these paintings in Moshi, I thought they were quaint but after spending time there, experiencing the buzz, the people, the dust, the way Tanzanians still tell time by the sunrise and sunset, the safaris and seeing animals in their natural surroundings, I came to appreciate Tinga Tinga art for really capturing the pulse of Africa in its essence. It is tied to the land, it is full of energy, it can be joyful and it is very much alive.
The back cover of a Tinga Tinga colouring book I found in Tanzania: I tried to find a web presence, but couldn't find anything on the publisher - Blue Rhino. If you happen to come across any info on them please let me know!
From selling on the streets to gallery showings
The use of vivid colour in these paintings comes from its humble beginnings in the late 60s in Dar Es Salaam when, as a teenager, Edward Tingatinga began painting on masonite boards using bicycle paint – two materials which were readily available. Tingatinga sold his paintings in front of a convenience store and as Western tourists came to Tanzania, the popularity of these paintings grew. Tingatinga trained others to paint in this style and out of that grew the Tinga Tinga Arts Cooperative Society. You can still buy authentic Tinga Tinga work from them.
This is small piece on canvas I brought back for a friend.
This is a small painting on masonite measuring approximately 8 x 5 inches. Though Tinga Tinga paintings are also painted on canvas now, the original works were painted with enamel paint on inexpensive masonite boards.
Kitsch or art form?
Tinga Tinga style of painting is increasingly making appearances at Western galleries but it’s still an underdog – especially in the art snob world where some regard the style as childlike and simplistic. Not to worry, consider it an opportunity if you look at it as “emerging art”. As an investment piece Tinga Tinga is still largely underestimated yet they have sold at Sotheby’s and other art auctions for tens of thousands of dollars.
What do you think? Is it kitsch or a unique artform?
I found this photo the other day. How awesome is that?
Taken back in the day (did I really just use that expression?) when we were "dolled up" for midnight mass and we were allowed to open ONE present on Christmas Eve. The maxi dress was clearly in every little fashionista's closet while my brother sported the wide colllar shirt with cowboy boots. Wow. What were my parents thinking? Forgive the blurriness but the original photo was blurry.
Suddenly, it was Christmas eve in my cousin’s wood-paneled basement, complete with macramé sofa covers and circular shag rugs. I was seven years old, my body hadn’t quite caught up with the accelerated growth of my two front teeth and we all wore the Dorothy Hamill haircut (though mine had grown out if that gives you a clue as to which kid I am in that pic). There was turkey and usually a pork roast warming in the oven, my aunt was playing Christmas carols on the piano and enjoying some wine and somewhere in the background ambient noise was probably my dad manually turning the channel on the huge television set. Click. Clack. Static. Click. Ahh good times. Don’t you just love how a photo can bring back all sorts of memories?
Holding it in my hand, I realized that I haven’t printed a photo up in years. YEARS. I don’t think I’ve used the printing services of a photo shop in at least 10 years and I haven’t used my own printer to print up family pics in at least six years. (I remember this because I put a scrapbook together for my brother’s wedding). Beyond that, I don’t even know the whereabouts of my printer.
Digital photography has completely changed my behaviour in how I enjoy my photo memories. I keep my photos handy and with me at all times on my blackberry. I enjoy them exactly every 3 seconds as they refresh in a digital picture frame on my desk. I keep them in virtual albums online so that I can share them with friends and family.
In fact, I’m backing up and then destroying three boxes worth of digital photos on CDs from over the years. Yes, three boxes may be a bit excessive but when you have the freedom of snapping photos with a digital camera, it’s too easy to edit afterwards rather than to wait for and maybe miss the special moment.
I have to admit holding that photo in my hand makes it, and the memory of that Christmas all the more precious. There is something very tangible and real about holding something in your hand as evidence of a memory – a sense of permanence.
As I flipped the photo over, I was reminded of another time in my life, probably late grade school or early highschool. I had signed the back of the photo with what I imagined John Taylor’s signature to be (you know John Taylor – the bassist for Duran Duran. Ok then).
I must have been sitting in class in highschool imagining what life would be like as Mrs. John Taylor when I signed the back of that photo.
I don’t do things like that anymore with my photos as I don’t print them up anymore. I think I’ll have to change that. It’s nice to have a physical reminder of a past memory every now and then.
Do you still print up your photos or do you keep them in digital format?
Remember when wall decals were all about the latest superhero to come with your cereal box? Well they’ve grown up! Imagine these in your home office, in a den, the music room, the playroom, a craft wall, or even your man cave.
Blik Wall Decals are just as fun in adult-sized rooms as they are for pint-sized people. These funky and fresh designs are either ready to order or can be customized for one-of-a-kind spaces including libraries, art centres, commercial offices, hotels, recreation centres, retail spaces and studios.
Use them if you want to add a splash of something special to a corner of your room, as a focal point on a feature wall or to set the mood in a transition space like a hallway or stairwell.
Cameras may die everyday but NOT in Toronto for the Contact Photography Festival!
Never fear. Photography is alive and well in Toronto.
The launch parties have started in earnest and photo junkies are getting set for Toronto’s annual photography festival – Contact. It’s a field day (all month-of-May-long) for any photography enthusiast and everyone else alike.This non-profit event showcases the work of more than 1,000 artists who will exhibit their work at over 160 venues so chances are, you’ll be able to check SOMETHING out – even while just out and about. And if you happen to be travelling around the country during the event, keep a lookout for some public installations in urban areas across Canada this year.
Here’s a glimpse of some of the artists who will be participating in this year’s theme of Figure and Ground:
Chris Boyne, Stillwater, 2009 - Photo Courtesy Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival 2011
Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Wrapped, 2007 - Photo Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery, London
Lee Goreas, The Happy Hooker - 2010, Photo Courtesy of Birch Libralato
You don’t have to go all the way to jolly old England to get the fever for the royal wedding. Now that’s the spirit! Strangely, this juices me.
Because everyone needs a tiara while they watch Will and Kate get hitched! I’ve seen all sorts of Will and Kate themed madness over the course of the week but this takes the (wedding) cake. You can enjoy more of social media guru Randy Matheson’s original post here.
Have you been following the royal wedding? Do you care?
