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Swarna IDC Degree Show 2009

Besides hosting the usual buffet of seminars and workshops for their Swarna 2009 Degree Show, folks at Industrial Design Centre IIT Mumbai had a spectacular exhibition for their graduating class. Although I got to sift through the Industrial Design, Animation Design, Visual Communication and Interaction Design faculties, I naturally gravitated towards the ID section. Follow me to see the some of the innovative gems I discovered at the show.

Exhibition: Industrial Design Centre IIT Mumbai

Tokyo Fiber 2009 SENSEWARE PART 3

Part 3 of this fantastic exhibition. Makoto Azuma, Mint Designs, Nendo, Nissan Motor CO. LTD.

Part 1, Part 2

Exhibition: Tokyo Fiber

Tokyo Fiber 2009 SENSEWARE PART 2

Part 2 of our coverage. Jun Aoki, Kashiwa Sato, Kengo Kuma, Kosuke Tsumura.

Part 1, Part 3

Exhibition: Tokyo Fiber

Tokyo Fiber 2009 SENSEWARE PART 1

Tokyo Fiber SENSEWARE was started as a project to show the merits of Japan’s fibers. SENSEWARE refers to materials or mediums that arouse a creative desire in people. This is part 1 of our coverage on the ‘09 SENSEWARE exhibition in Milano. In 2007 we saw televisions made of fabric small and squishy enough to coddle in your hand. This year the projects continue to amaze.

Part 2, Part 3

Exhibition: Tokyo Fiber

Top Italian product designer Antonio Citterio used a multi-layered stretch fabric that is both pliant and strong, taking on the challenge of designing a sofa that can change its shape. The sofa starts out flat like a bed, but on pressing a button on a remote, changes shape to produce a backrest. The stretchability of the fabric enables the creation of this beautiful, soft, and minimal shape.

Designer Gwenaël Nicolas has an interest in sculpting light, and created a bench that uses coarse knits of optical fibers to respond to human movement with light. The optical fiber textile was produced through a collaboration with Reiko Studio. The strength of the light attenuates along the length of the fiber, and this property is cleverly used to supplement the rhythmic patterns of the textile.

The water droplets seeping out are kept under control on the water-repellant fabric as they form letter that spell out the exhibition theme. In a sense, this is a sign made of water. Fibers given a special coating at the nano level completely repel the drops of water, much like a lotus leaf. When the droplets of water exceed a certain size, they roll away down the sloping surface.

The robot tiles created by media artist Hiroo Iwata incorporate sensors using electrically-conductive textiles. The emergence of fabric that conduct electricity with nano-level conductivity has the potential to bring revolutionary change to environmental-use materials. Imagine keyboards made from fabric.

Exhibition: Tokyo Fiber

Fashion Glossy, Frills and Dinner Jackets

Imagine using the three in context of cupboard, seating and lighting. Crazy? Crazed? Wonky? No! Simply imaginative and creative!

Designer: Fredrik Färg

This Car Got One Fat Lip

Oh you’ve made a car have you? Pshaw! Anyone can do - you designed it in 30 days? It must be terrible! Oh, for your 30th Anniversary, you say? Much better! Oh I can see it? Can’t wait to see - oh. Oh my. That is sleek looking! And no doors? Oh and it’s bluish-purply - Prince approved! *Flash Forward 9 Months*

Two Doors!? White?! Hulk-smashed?! Oh my goodness!

Designer: I.DE.A Institute

Stockholm Furniture 2009, Full Coverage

Can’t get to Stockholm, Sweden to attend the Stockholm 2009 Furnishing Fair? We’ve got you covered. Just bookmark this page for the latest. Hit the jump to see what we’ve seen so far.

Updated: Friday February 6, 2009

imm Cologne 2009, Full Coverage

Can’t get to Cologne, Germany to attend the imm Cologne 2009 Furnishing Fair? We’ve got you covered. Just bookmark this page for the latest. Hit the jump to see what we’ve seen so far.

Updated: Friday January 23, 2009

Honda Reveals Hydrogen-Powered Hot Speedster

Yesterday Honda revealed their modern shot at a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Progress on at least the green front, but look at that jet on the back! The Honda FC Sport is straight out a certain “Speed” cartoon-to-movie. V-Flow fuel cell stack and electric drivetrain from the FCX Clarity. Three seater, similar to the McLaren F1 supercar, the driver sits front and center while the two passengers sit on either side of him or her. I’ll be borrowing this tomorrow for it’s supreme race on die Autobahn.

Designer: Honda Motors

Zaha Hadid’s Swirly Furniture (Again)

Another week, another exhibition featuring Zaha Hadid’s swirly, blobby, and cool lacquered-fiberglass furniture . But this latest round, a show sponsored by Rove TV has some gems worth seeing.

This New York show, seen in a few rooms at Sonnabend and in the magnificent recently-vacated garage at 169 10th Avenue, are an excellent catalogue of Where Zaha Hadid Is Going and Where She Has Been.

Exhibition: Sonnabend Nov. 1 - Dec. 13

100% Design Tokyo 2008, Huge Photo Gallery!

While most of you are busy recovering from sugar highs (did you get good candy?) we were busy at 100% Design Tokyo. This year drew an even larger crowd, both exhibitors and installations had some amazing eye candy. Some ideas were oldies but goodies, some were improvements on things we’ve seen before, and some were just plain out of this world. Hit the jump for the huge gallery of pictures!

Exhibition: 100% Design Tokyo 2008

100% Design London 2008 Recap

It’s official, the 2008 London Design Festival is now over!  In its 6th year and with over 150 events held all over London, I was lucky enough to be able to view the best of the best within furniture, craft, architecture, fashion, multi-media, graphic and industrial design.

Exhibition: 100% Design London