Eliasson Rap

A must see Olafur Eliasson Rap

The work of Olafur Eliasson

In my on going studies with Carlos Cruz-Diez' work I wanted to showcase a few other artists that have been involved with the kinetic art movement.

Olafur Eliasson's bio from ted.com:

Denmark-born Icelander Olafur Eliasson has taken the art world by storm -- and the meteorological dimensions of that statement are appropriate. His immensely popular The Weather Project, at London's Tate Museum, immersed spectators in an artificial mirrored environment with its own looming sun (and its own analog of London fog), and attracted 2 million visitors in the process. In the summer of 2008, his four massive waterfalls spectacularly punctuated key sites in New York's harbor -- including one pouring from beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

Eliasson's works emphasize tricks of light, refraction and scale, and tend to involve each viewer in his or her own unique experience, as in Beauty, which, by passing light through a wall of fine mist, produces a different rainbow when viewed from different points in the gallery. And his works engage passers-by in urban environments -- Eye See You, a project for Louis Vuitton (and meant to publicize 121 Ethiopia, an African nonprofit Eliasson co-founded with his wife), grabs viewers in the street with a beam of light shot from the window by an eye-shaped lamp.

"Many of his best-known works explore architecture and the mechanics of perception, almost as if the fantastical imaginings of Buckminster Fuller were reinterpreted by a cognitive scientist."
~Michael Joseph Gross, New York magazine

http://www.olafureliasson.net

You're making things explicit. 2009




The weather project. 2003

Messenger Bags and Why I hate Velcro

Image provided by Icefreez on Flickr

If you cannot tell by the name of this article I have a sort of love/hate relationship with everyone's favorite temporary adhesive: Velcro (restricted damnit). I promise I will try to find a way to bend this little rant back into the design sphere.

So recently I decided to purchase a new messenger bag. My current bag and I have a long relationship that began in a fluorescent lit big-box store. It was a long and adventurous relationship that lasted many long hours at the coffee shop, multiple trips across the states, and even a bike accident which resulted in egg yolks and flour forming a pie like shell in the basin of my burlap bag.

But alas, like all good relationships that one must come to an end. The strap is beginning to remove itself from the bag, and fearing the threat of my macbook dropping off my shoulder during a bike ride, I decided to buy a new bag.

Thus the rant begins.



I decided to get a Crumplr bag and though I think their designs are good (as well as the website) I have to say I am dissapointed in the end product. Let me be clear about this review, I do not think the end product is bad, it is fairly good quality, balances well on the bike and is fairly distinctive in design. BUT, what is the deal with all the damn velcro? I have seen this trend in using velcro in many different products and I honestly don't understand it. If someone gets a thrill out of the nerve-wrenching sound that comes from ripping two pieces asunder, then please let me know.

I view velcro in product design like the use of hot-glue in crafting. Somehow velcro transcends its role as a craft making assistant, but the amateur (and dangerous) hot glue must be content with bejewling and making toothpick bridges. Why is the one adhesive that screams tacky and poor craft used in the market while the other waits patiently in the craft drawer?

There really is no need for the little fuzzy squares of hooks and loops. With good design you can insure that the individual compartments in your bag keep their contents safe and secure. Why is the extra lock essential? Do we have velcro for our jean pockets? Is their a lock on your shower curtains? Do you like to sign in a code every time you use your iPhone? Why do we need extra barriers between us and what we need?

Upon reconsideration I really wish that I had bought a badass Chrome bag, or even modified a cheap Rothco model. But now I am stuck with this crackly, inaccessible bag that will soon be modified. I have already made a list of all the things that will be removed and/or replaced. I think the end result will turn out well as the function increases and the frustration decreases.

So can I get some opinions on this subject. A bag is a very personal and unique extension of your personality and design perspective. What do you look for in a bag?

Should I Work for Free?

Should I Work For Free

For all of the fellow designers that find themselves trapped into completing free work, please consult this handy digram to measure the value of that possible work. I discovered this handy graphic off of this list compiled by Smashing Magazine.

Smashing Magazine Article

I love the reasoning of this diagram but the nerdy developer in me is crazy about the amount of work that went into making this thing with pure HTML and CSS. If you understand code then check out her source and be amazed by her incredulous control over absolute positioning.

Jessica Hische