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…

My paper bag Written on June 26, 2009, by Ingeborg.

A homeless person in the tram inspired Ramon Middelkoop to make a durable version of the brown paper bag. He saw the dirtiest bag ever, but it kept its charm. The biologically tanned leather bag is handmade in India. Towards becoming Cradle to Cradle certified, the distributor takes the bag back once you’re fed up with it.

Brick in the wall Written on June 25, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Jan Vormann quietly goes about his task of repairing walls one Lego at a time. I assisted him in Amsterdam. For him holes aren’t eyesores but opportunities to add colour to the city. The event is part of Platform21=Repairing, that investigates repairing as a way of thinking, a culture in itself almost, designed to cater to short term needs of both industry, politics and society.

Rem still can Written on June 24, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Nice to see good old hero Rem Koolhaas still has his Archigram touch. The pavilion he made for Prada in Seoul (Korea) deals with heaps of money spent for just one exhibition. Turn the Prada Transformer over with a crane and up comes a new use of the building. This way there’s four uses to one temporary building.

Trees on top Written on May 28, 2009, by Ingeborg.

“Take a circular piece of the forest and put it 36 meters up in the sky. From this elevated ground there is a 360 degree view over the forest,” says SeARCH architects. Trees actually grow on top. Not the hardest part for structural engineer Pieters Bouwtechniek: “That’s to avoid visitors from feeling the tower move.” The forest on the platform is engineered smallness.

Flip flops from the slum Written on May 27, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Loose the Birckies. Shoe designer Jan Jansen and industrial design students are selling a slipper that keeps car tyres from being incinerated. Plus gives South Africans in slums a job. The patterns were designed by orphans from the slums around Durban. Even our secretary of state our wears a pair of Plakkies (South African for flip flop).

Make time go by Written on April 27, 2009, by Ingeborg.

“What is your must see?” was the most asked question in Milan. My highlight is Real Time by Maarten Baas. He reinvented himself as movie director and shows critique at our fast society. Sweeper clock shows two men working hard to make the fingers of the clock move. For sale as clock on a hard disk. Also see World clock, Grandfathers clock and the Analog digital clock.

Own the impossible Written on April 18, 2009, by Ingeborg.

Impossible to build Escher-like forms become reality with 3D printing. The process also called Rapid Prototyping or Digital Manufacturing not only builds a prototype or cuts assembly process or warehouse costs. Printing a CAD-file layer by layer with a laser that turns powder into solid material, also makes wonderous lamps, bags or dresses. For sale to amaze your friends at Salone Milan.