dave eggers

check this TED




thought we all might like an upper after Josh's rant

Architectes de l'Urgence

Australia Canada France
This was the best lecture I witnessed in attendance of the 2009 AIA convention in San Fransisco. The weekend was packed with lectures, expo, vendors, representatives, architects, students and San Fransisco. The following lecture was an explanation of the projects of Emergency Architects. This idea/firm is spreading around the globe. I had the chance to see the presentation and hear Q & A. The team is a collaboration across a number of continents. Much like Architecture for Humanity the teams devote themselves to assisting communities in developing countries. However, they do not limit themselves to merely developing countries. The premise is to devise, invent, educate, and develop techniques in areas requiring disaster relief. The disasters do NOT have to be geologic disasters. They point out inequities of existing UN, UNESCO, RedCross relief systems and devise solutions, often working with the local populations. Sometimes this results in architecture, but more likely it results in learning and education. The prominent issue that I gathered was that disaster areas need an open method of communication and and open mind to educate the local communities. The answer was NOT merely a 'super architectural' solution. An example being that a UN school had been built and while that was a helpful structure the community had NO teachers and therefore was in existence unused currently helping no one.

4 main disaster relief points learned from presentation of president Patrick Coulombel

1. provide know-how
2. transfer know-how
3. identify construction
4. implement sustainable techniques for specific population/region

The discussion and examples of architecture did a fantastic job of addressing the varying disaster relief efforts. More could have been discussed in regards to how the foundation works, is funded ( a question posed & answered), the politics of disaster relief architecture, collaborations with other pursuits/firms/agencies etc, and how to continue involvement in this process. I have since googled and looked on TED for more on this group. Most of the information resides on their websites. I would like there to be discussion regarding this topic. It was a very focused topic throughout the convention. The AIA should post soon all the lectures and their respective information. AIA seminar info

wiki: website

william kentridge

Kentridge Exhibit at SFMOMA

A fabulous collection of work is on exhibit currently in the Museum of Modern Art by architect Mario Botta in San Fransisco. South African based William Kentridge supplies an unending reel of inpsiring, breathtaking, soulful inner samples, documentarian approaches to life, art, apartheid and the continuing expansiveness of the human. His work manifests in multiple media types, charcol, ink, sketch, sculpture, mixed-media, film, installations, and compositions. The geometric aspects of this artist breach the artistic and explore the tangents of film, architecture, humanity and all the goodies of feelings real art should. His collaboration with composer Phillip Miller is part of the process that rarely accompanies art found in museums. I had the recent pleasure of seeing the exhibit and was completely moved and inspired. What interested me the most was the use of objects, he constructed a mini black box theatre complete with a perspective built diorama, computer controlled animatronic collage and what I assume to be stop motion filming. The down and dirty approach to his work is impressive. Please research and investigate this artist. I do not know the location of the next exhibit, but it is more than a worthwhile experience, it is NOT boring, tiring, or irritating. The exhibit was very well curated and took the individual on a safari through the series of pieces.

Books purchased William Kentridge, (Repeat) from the Beginning & Five Themes

Most notable piece Black Box

William Kentridge

Most Bad-Ass casa in SA

Here's the gist-

Ive been working with a small art lighting company and need your input on which one of the following photos we should submit for mags and such. These pics are from one of the most recent pieces we've installed and the second for home owners Tom and Chris of Terrell Heights. Their home was featured in the local paper last year for being Bad-Ass, I agree. So my peeps, let me know what you think, I'll throw some photoshop at them later.

Sasha Barr

Sasha Barr
A very talented graphic designer who I have been following for a while now. His minimalist style coupled with a penchant for hand made screen prints make him a potent force in the gig poster scene. Check out his portfolio for some stellar examples.

Collaborate look and listen

This is a response to a previous email sent out by mr. rutledge about the opportunity to use this community we have gathered here to create and design. I am aware that many of us are busy, especially those that are going to be graduating into unemployment soon, but we should begin preparations to work together on any design competition that may interest us. The point of this blog is to not only share but also to produce. Here is a great example of what we should aspire to be better then. So please comment, add ideas, and peruse this site so that we can begin turning the gears of this operation.

Holcim Awards Competition

Holcim Awards Competition
This is a really sweet competition that has been held for a couple of years now. Contestants submit ideas for new sustainable construction projects in different regions of the world. The open-ended nature of the competition makes for a myriad of entries ranging from the typical to the atypical. One of the gems contained within is the student project submitted by Magnus Larsson. Head over to BLDGBLOG for an extensive article on the implications of a unified desert barrier composed of structured sand.

The Holcim Awards is an international competition of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. The competition celebrates innovative, future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects and visions from around the globe and provides prize money of USD 2 million per three-year competition cycle.

Magnus Larsson's project: "Dune anti-desertification architecture, Sokoto, Nigeria"

Architecture around the web

Alchoholic architecture the art of drinking without drinking
Airport hotels Foster keeps putting out the hits
Habitat 825 only in Cali would lime green be acceptable
Spacebuster pure, portable protection and purveyance

James Jean

James Jean
This is an artist you should be familiar with if you have ever read a Fables comic book. He has been renowned for his exquisite use of color in his airy, surreal compositions which is evident in his most recent solo exhibition. Check out his site and be sure to peruse his sketchbook section which is arguably the most interesting aspect of his online gallery. He systematically scanned in select pieces from his sketchbooks of the last few years. This is where you get to see an artist expand and learn through a visual temporal catalog.

Subprime

Beeple
This is a pretty awesome and smooth animation of houses becoming miraculously constructed and then torn down over the course of 5 minutes. It is quite smooth and I suggest you check out his site for more examples of the same.