Food design-design of eating?

Food design is having an unprecedented boom. It started a few years ago mainly through designers who started to think about food in new ways. This phenomenon was also supported by a increase attention of cooking and chefs such as Jamie Oliver.

The interesting twist in having now, is that the design thinking is not only positively affecting what we eat but also how we eat; we are not only witnessing striking industrial food design such as Enivrance but also a whole new approach of space and dwelling.

http://www.dezeen.com/2010/11/22/food-and-design-report/#food_and_design_report

“Today when people are looking at a kitchen project they are looking at removing the walls, removing the doors and creating much more open living spaces that incorporate not only the kitchen and appliances but also the eating area and indeed some parts of the lounge. So the whole area becomes the social centre of the house. People are making quite radical changes to the structure of the property in order to make that change.”

Nigel Taylor, brand director, Scholtès UK

From body architecture to the motion of architecture

Body-Architecture-Motion-Space

Recently Lucy McRae supported Swedish singer Robyn in her video clip "Indestructible" through her pumping/pulsing water dress. In it, the body is the platform and notion that Lucy explores with numerous low tech devices in order to creates a living and artistic dress/machine that reacts upon Robyn's sensual and insinuating lyrics.

Lucy McRae is proposing already for sometime the body as a interface for living and evolving materials. Maybe we can state a new death of fashion, after Harald Gruendl book. Why? Because Lucy is designing and constructing on the body with inert materials that in combination with the body physiognomy and physiology, meaning motion, but also breathing and sweeting are a new bodyfashion statement. One cannot happen without the other and vice-versa.

Image: http://lucymcrae.blogspot.com/

Fleshwear

The SKIN is becoming the most precious accessory, wearable and prestigious fashion item.

Skin as a transformable and distinctive item of luxury.

Body architect Lucy McRae is turning her skin on a second nature and living sculpture.

Photos: http://lucymcrae.blogspot.com/

http://vimeo.com/5835028

FeMANine

http://www.myspace.com/jeffreestar

feMANine
This posting refers to the men who are exploring and challenging gender representations. They use femininity as a masculine tool of self expression. Individuals such as Jeffree Star and J.T. Leroy who use in their image strong feminine and masculine elements and they play with them as a way to define a unique identity and self experimentation.

They are seen as freaks by some, but why using such term when disrupting gender's archetypes and challenging the inherent meaning of the body and its sexuality. Jeffree use his body as a modification temple, using plastic surgery and tattooing for crafting and branding himself.

We are in an era where we are embracing technology as a way to enhance our body features and therefore achieve the self realization we strive for. A sense of empowerment comes by understanding the limits of our bodies and self representations and pushing then to the limit, given the tools we have available today. Playing with our body and gender is just part of understanding the moment we live in.

http://www.greenfield-sanders.com/news/writer-jt-leroy

Blow Tech is posting about design solutions that involve simple principles and low tech approaches with striking outcomes.

Photos: http://www.dezeen.com/2009/07/17/ink-calendar-by-oscar-diaz/

Spanish designer Oscar Diaz has created an Ink Calendar that works with the aid of a highly absorbent paper, and ink that becomes visible as its gets sucked into the material over the course of time. The day of the month will timely appear on the surface allowing people to know the date.

Photos: http://www.muti.cx/

Another example is from Randolph Muti, Brazilian designer. Muti is well known for the permanent experimentation he carries out at the Melissa's shop facade in Sao Paulo.

He is also known by the lighting installations and recreation of experiences in spaces, yet one of my favorite ones is the Colcci Catwalk at a previous Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

He recreated for Colcci Summer Collection an ocean of Styrofoam wages along the catwalk, where the models were gracefully sliding through. The ocean was orchestrating the movement of the cloths and walk of the models. The plain color of the structure was tainted with red and blue lights sporadically.

Low tech solutions can be the way in today's branded experiences market to be remembered rather than overusing technology as a way to wow consumers.

From Sci-ties to sci-faschion

Sci-ties and sci-fashion is a posting about the dialogue between architecture and fashion that is happening in megacities. (Photo: Paramorph. Mark Goulthorpe)









Cities around the world are changing. New megacities and shrinking ones are on the rise. New shapes of urban landscapes and networks are emerging as a consequence. The way inhabitants are interacting and experiencing the cities is also changing.

Cities are shaping our thinking, and moreover the way we create and design.

Architect Hani Rashid is branding cities with buildings like the Guggenheim and Perm Museums in Guadalajara and Moscow respectively, in order to support and provide a stronger sense of identity to the cities from an outside in perspective. Helping its citizens to promote and continue building a more modern sense of pride and character of them.
















The dialogue between architecture and fashion starts with the collaboration between architects and fashion brands. As architects are positioning and re-defining cities now they are also doing it with brands. Their sensitivity and their way to understand people in a broader context is supporting the fashion world with their products. (Photo: http://www.asymptote.net/)



The fashion-architecture dialogue is tangible in the shoes designed by Zaha Hadid for Lacoste and Melissa. Photo: http://www.dezeen.com/category/all/featured-architect-zaha-hadid/

Now the question is, as the name of the posting suggests, how ready are we for understanding the language that these architects are presenting to the world in buildings and products.

Their added value to me consists in their way they understand cities and human relations in those; but the full dimension of their language seem still hard to be fully valued. Their work provides in the first place a feel of alienation due to the mega-structures built, the materials involved and voluptuous shapes in place.

Ink on canvas

INKvasion




















Photo: The Three Headed Tatooed Waif
www.johnjohnjesse.net

John John Jesse is a NYC painter who belongs to the so-called Lowbrow generation by Pedro Alonzo in the book The Upset. Young Contemporary Art (2008) Gestalten.

Lowbrow is also called "pop surrealism". An Art movement from the 70s, coming from subcultures from LA involving punk music and hot rod street culture.

INKvasion concept alludes to the punkpop culture elements of John John Jesse's paintings. More precisely about the tattooed females represented on his canvas. Inkvasion celebrates the way he portraits and translates the inked divas populating the streets of big cities in such outstanding way, his writing his name of the art history books.