Article by: Todd Ford

The park bench, much like other public, utilitarian furniture, has too often been regulated to uninspired mediocrity. They seldom have a contextual relationship to their surroundings and they almost never contribute to the story of a place. Ben Thorpe’s Peelback Bench however, manages to do all of the above with grace and elegance.

The bench seems to peel away a layer of history, presenting for the person sitting on the seat, a short explanation of the history of the area. As Thorpe explains “The basic principle of the bench is to give the effect that it has been peeled away from the ground, revealing a typographical story based upon the history of the particular area where the bench would be placed, giving the impression that you were reading from the foundations of the town”. Read the rest of this entry »

Axis Mundi
John Beckmann, CarloMaria Ciampoli, James Coleman, Nick Messerlian, Pauline Marie d’Avigneau, Taina Pichon
United States

Project submitted to the 2010 Skyscraper Competition

As the city takes stock in a post-boom era, architect John Beckmann sees this as the time to rethink the tall buildings that have become synonymous with New York City’s identity.  

“Instead of disguising the rich potential of towers that have a mix of uses, we looked for a way to express that diversity,” Beckmann explained. The firm used parametric computer-modeling software to test a wide range of possibilities. Out of this iterative process, Beckmann and his firm, Axis Mundi, propose a new way to organize and express tall buildings: the Vertical Neighborhood. “A more diverse, complex, heterogeneous, and environmentally minded city need no longer be represented on its skyline by one-note architecture that makes a singular visual image and little else,” explained John Beckmann, the founder of Axis Mundi, a Manhattan-based architecture firm. 

Rethinking Hines Tower Site
Beckmann proposes a conceptual alternative to business-as-usual, choosing the site of the proposed 53W53rd, among the city’s largest skyscraper proposals in one of the most overbuilt parts of Midtown. Hines, the developer, engaged Paris architect Jean Nouvel, who designed an 82-story hotel and residential tower higher than the Chrysler Building. Read the rest of this entry »

CHROMAesthesiae: An installation of modular color

SOFTlab’s latest installation, CHROMAesthesiae, arrives at Devotion just in time for spring. CHROMAesthesiae is a flourishing landscape of color, blooming across the ceiling in high contrast-gradated clusters. This installation is an investigation on the spatial and chromatic perception of space. SOFTlab uses modularity as a core modality in order to generate complexity from repetitive form, allowing for rapid expansion or contraction of every piece created. With the motto, “everything changes,” the ability to adapt and grow conceptually underpins their entire body of work. This customizable installation is made of discrete, laser cut paper structures held together with binder clips: everyday objects are repurposed and precisely recombined. Forms evolve and shift color throughout the exhibition. Read the rest of this entry »

Artist Jim Kazanjian from Portland, Oregon created a hallucinated and surreal world with rich black and white photographs that tell the story of the relationship between man, architecture, and nature. 

It's the Mother - Nathalie Djurberg

The New Museum announced details of “Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection,” its much-anticipated exhibition curated by artist Jeff Koons. “Skin Fruit” will be the first exhibition in the United States of the Athens-based Dakis Joannou Collection, renowned as one of the leading collections of contemporary art in the world. This will also be the first exhibition curated by Koons, whose early work inspired the evolution of the Joannou collection. Read the rest of this entry »

Mind Your Behaviour
How Architecture Shapes Behaviour

© Adam Mørk

How can architectural surroundings affect your behaviour?

Architecture can get people talking together. Architecture can calm children in the classroom. Architecture can make passive people more active. Architecture can shape corporate culture. Architecture can encourage people to find new paths, discover new aspects of their city – and of themselves. In short, architecture can shape your behaviour.

Mind Your Behaviour opens February 12 at the Danish Architecture Centre. It will be on display until May 13 2010.

Mind Your Behaviour invites you to step in behind the scenes at one of the largest and most successful architectural companies in Denmark, 3XN, known for prestigious projects such as: Ørestad College, the new Denmark’s Aquarium, ‘The Blue Planet’, Saxo Bank’s award-winning head offices and the Danish Embassy in Berlin. Read the rest of this entry »

Urban Art Projects’ sustainable artwork revitalises Brisbane car park

Lasercut Drawing

International studio Urban Art Projects (UAP) has completed a major art installation that transforms the streetscape of Albert Street, Brisbane, through the inventive reworking of an existing multi-storey car park into a highly sustainable, visually compelling art project.

The artwork, ‘Landlines’, by Jennifer Marchant was developed and crafted in UAP’s studio in Brisbane. Wrapping around three elevations of the car park, the piece is created from 549 powder coated, laser cut aluminum panels, all 1.2m x 3.6m. Collectively these components of the design have been beautifully worked to represent the contours of a map of Cunningham’s Gap and the Main Range, Brisbane. Read the rest of this entry »