Kick the closet Written on July 30, 2009, by Ingeborg.

A cabinet stuffed with clothes with doors unable to close, is usually not so nice to see. At the Art Academy in Utrecht, Nynke Boelens, made the stuffing into concept. ‘All the Things I Keep Inside’ is built of 580 loose elemenst tied together with elastics. The more junk, the better. Reminds me of the Kickit cabinet for sale at Magazin.

Secrets in wood Written on July 29, 2009, by Ingeborg.

In the Dutch Design graduates series, that is starting to evolve here, see Dear Diary 1.0. Marlies Romberg (21) built this traditional and trustful looking wooden workstation. As the new diary is blog, twitter and facebook, this computer with lock and key gives nostalgia a place in our modern world.

Threads and layers Written on July 27, 2009, by Ingeborg.

How does it feel if you can’t decide whether you should write with your right or left hand? What does it look like if a dyslectic person tells there’s holes in words, or that he can’t recognize a letter in the alfabet he’s known for many years? Typography graduate Miranda van Hooft makes it unmistakably clear with her graduation project for the Royal Art Academy in The Hague.

Turn the heat on Written on July 20, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Seiko applied the warmth of your wrist to power their watch. During sleep we generate 80W of thermo electric energy. Design Academy graduate Martijn Dijkhuizen managed to capture this energy through this Teddy bear to take to bed. Teddy is based on the Seedback effect where a current is created between two plates of different temperature, one being warmed by your body.

Hey ho, let’s go Written on July 15, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Finally. I can sell this 100 horsepower carbon burning machinery and switch to electric. The long awaited Enertia by Brammo hit the market. 12,000 dollar is not cheap, neither expensive for a bike. 180 kilo’s of weight can become 130, but 250 km/h top speed will then be 90 km/h. But hey, it will be the talk of the cleaner town.

Leaf project Written on July 7, 2009, by Ingeborg.

I liked actually all Rietveld graduation projects showcased for Architectural Design. The greenest was Leaf Project by Roos Kalff. Imagine how many sundays of working in the garden go into those blocks. The Eames-copied chair that lays out the structure of leaves is probably not so green considering the resin that keeps it up. Is that why we see a collapsed one lying around?

City jewels Written on July 6, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Liesbet Bussche graduated at the Rietveld Academy in Jewelry. Her final work dresses up the city. Ordinary objects in public space are made into precious jewels, like the police line from knitted cloth, the earpin that makes the concrete anti-parking ball into a pearl. The house at Prinsengracht is in love with one at Keizers’, taken from the necklace with half heart they share.

Cover carpet Written on July 5, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Seen at the Rietveld Academy graduation show: a two dimensional carpet looking rather three dimensional. Jacqueline van der Horst covered her human model to expres shelter in our homes. Together they sculpt huge silent, blind, anonymous figures. Textiles and architecture are closely related. You hesitate to walk over it.

Mensch Maschine Written on July 3, 2009, by Ingeborg.

As if Kraftwerk is still the hippest band, Germany brings us a new ManMachine. It’s the combination of electricity and human legs that make eRockit drive as fast as 60 miles per hour. Looks are distinct enough to not be asociated with anything we already know (like powered pedalling bikes for your grandparents). Still waiting for e genuine 100 m/h electric bike I can afford however…