Brad Cloepfil's Clyfford Still Museum Breaks Ground

By: Nicholas Tamarin

Residents of the Mile High City can walk even taller now that ground has been broken on the highly anticipated Clyfford Still Museum.

Located in Denver's arts district and scheduled to open in 2011, the museum is designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, the firm behind several major museum projects, including the Museum of Arts & Design in New York. Cloepfil's design calls for a two-story, 30,000-square-foot cantilevered building of textured concrete with a series of open, light-filled spaces designed to accommodate a rotating exhibition program of the abstract expressionist's work.

http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6712796.html?nid=2068

Mini by Designerette

Design studio Designerette of London and Amsterdam have created a scaled-up version of a doll’s house tea service. Called Mini, the full-size teapot, cups and saucers are made of porcelain and retain the shape of the tiny originals.
http://www.dezeen.com/2009/12/23/mini-by-designerette/#more-57979

nimbl wheelchair

The nimbl is a wheelchair concept by edmonton, canada based designer lawrence kwok. the design wascreated specifically for use in the home. kwok wanted to create a wheelchair that could navigate inside a home without the need for renovating or retrofitting a home for wheelchair use. http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/8582/nimbl-wheelchair.html

Inventables' Number 1 Material for 2009

Inventables.com garnered nearly a million hits in 2009 from designers searching for new materials and technologies. The most viewed material, with roughly 167,000 hits: Temperature-sensitive glass, seen above in tile form. http://www.core77.com/

Patrick's Sticks

In April, when you visit the NCMA’s new restaurant, you won’t have to take a break from the art—instead, you’ll be dining amongst it. Artist Patrick Dougherty is creating an installation specifically for the restaurant that brings the outdoors in with unique sculptural forms created from young tree saplings. Using branches and boughs from surrounding areas, Dougherty coaxes, bends, and gently prods them into amazing oversize forms. http://ncartmuseum.org/untitled/2009/12/patricks-sticks/

Special Exhibition, Metropolitan Museum of Art

NYC-Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156–1868October 21, 2009–January 10, 2010The Tisch Galleries, 2nd floor

This is the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to the arts of the samurai. Arms and armor is the principal focus, bringing together the finest examples of armor, swords and sword mountings, archery equipment and firearms, equestrian equipment, banners, surcoats, and related accessories of rank such as fans and batons. Drawn entirely from public and private collections in Japan, the majority of objects date from the rise of the samurai in the late Heian period, ca. 1156, through the early modern Edo period, ending in 1868, when samurai culture was abolished. http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={F8E9ACA7-5B17-471F-9394-D298E7E53159}&HomePageLink=special_c2b

Singapore’s Largest Garden Project Unveiled

by Mike Chino

Designs have just been released for Bay South, an incredible botanical preserve topped with super-tall solar trees that is set to be Singapore’s largest garden project. Conceived by Grant Associates, the 101-hectare expanse of lush green space will be situated right next to the Marina Bay resort and will feature two botanical biospheres and a series of towering tree structures that double as vertical gardens.



http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/21/singapores-largest-garden-project-unveiled/#more-76956

New Biomass Plant for the UK Looks Like a Giant Green Volcano

by Bridgette Meinhold

The United Kingdom is splattered with fossil fuel based power plants and concrete cooling towers which are major carbon producers as well as eyesores. Luckily, plans for a new biomass power plant covered in native grasses in the UK have just been released and they will complement the surrounding ecology as well as decrease carbon emissions by 80% compared to coal or gas fired power stations. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, a London-based firm, the 49.3 MW power plant located on the banks of the River Tees will be a man-made mountain covered in plants and will certainly be a welcome replacement to the older, pollution-spewing plants around the country. http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/21/new-biomass-plant-for-the-uk-looks-like-a-giant-green-volcano/

Built to Wear by Ball-Nogues Studio

Los Angeles designers Ball-Nogues Studio have completed a temporary, dragon-like installation made from 10,000 items of clothing hanging on cords.



Called Built to Wear, the project is part of the Shenzhen & Hong Kong bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture that opened in China last week, and was assembled by 30 volunteers from Shenzhen.



The installation, made up of garments donated by American Apparel, will be gradually dismantled as the clothes are given to visitors, finally ending on 23 January 2010.

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/12/18/built-to-wear-by-ball-nogues-studio/#more-57351

Stolen Leonardo da Vinci Masterpiece Back on Display

A painting by Leonardo da Vinci has gone back on display in Scotland six years after it was stolen.
The Madonna with the Yarnwinder was taken from the Duke of Buccleuch's home at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire in August 2003.
It was recovered in Glasgow in 2007 and has now been loaned to the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh where it has been put back on display.
Eight men have been charged in connection with the theft.
The artwork has an estimated value of £30m and is the only Leonardo painting in Scotland. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8417859.stm

Drawing Life: The Dutch Visual Tradition

Getty Center November 24, 2009- February 28, 2010





During the 1600s citizens of the Dutch Republic enjoyed increasing political freedom and economic prosperity, which ushered in a tremendous boom in art production and a flourishing art market. This exhibition of drawings features some of the most beloved genres depicted by Dutch artists during this highly active period. These subjects include the depiction of a tiny native caterpillar, the panoramic landscape, the weathered farmhouse, and a smiling shepherd—a celebration of Dutch life in all of its diversity. http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/drawing_life/

Louis Vuitton: Bet on This

By Gillian Mohney for Interview

Louis Vuitton has opened its seventh flagship in Macau, once a seedy counterpart to Hong Kong but now the single great tribute to the human weakness for gambling in the world. In honor of the new store, Louis Vuitton lets you lose your shirt in style with a new logo casino valise. When packing for your next trip to Macau, you might bring a visor or an elegant undress. Or you might just cut to the chase and fill your bag with ebony dice, a deck of cards, and a stack of chips. The luggage is more Montecarlo than Vegas or Atlantic City—there are no watery drinks to be concealed here, or machine guns for that matter. Instead, there's just enough room to store yet another Louis Vuitton bag, the square monogrammed President carrying case.
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/fashion/2009-12-15/louis-vuitton-bets-on-this/

KNN Media Center by DRDS

Posted by Natasha Lyons for Dezeen

Californian architects DRDS have been awarded first place in a competition to design a new broadcast and media centre in Busan, South Korea.
The KNN Media Center will be the new home of the Korea News Network and will contain broadcast studios, office space, retail outlets and a teddy bear museum.
The project was designed in collaboration with Ilshin Architecture and Engineering and is due to open in 2012.
http://www.dezeen.com/2009/12/15/knn-media-center-by-drds/#more-56707

Guarda Chuvas by Vik Dias

The hurly-burly of city life is softened by Vik Dias, based in São Paulo. Dias manipulates photographic images to show the urban arena in a different light. The action is set against a paler horticultural background that adds a different type of life to the narrative. Public transport takes on a warmer aspect and manages to soften the hard edges of the concrete jungle, while the people that are its players are highlighted in their intimacy.

http://mocoloco.com/art/archives/012922.php

Dochodo Zoo Island is an Eden at Sea

by: Ariel Schwartz

It sounds like the plot of the movie Jurassic Park (minus the dinosaurs), but JDS Architects’ have created an incredible plan for a zoo located on the South Korean island of Dochodo. The island could, according to the architecture firm, be a “case study to define a tourist region based on sustainable development only, where natures and structures function in equilibrium, symbiotically feeding one another.”

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/14/dochodo-zoo-is-an-island-eden/#more-75172

Vodafone Headquarters

Barbosa & Guimaraes designed the new headquarters for mobile phone brand Vodafone in Porto, Portugal.
The new building is faithful to the Vodafone
slogan “Vodafone Life, Life in Motion”, adopting a dynamic image, covering the sense of movement, challenging the static.
The formalization of this concept is based on the concrete, which through its plasticity, allows to create irregular and free-form shapes, working both as a structural solution and exterior appearance, creating a unique shape, a monolithic building, bringing cohesion and unity to the set.


http://coolboom.net/architecture/vodafone-headquarters/#more-7883

The Überstairs of Cooper Union

By Reid Pillifant

The timing of architecture reviews is a mystery. The Cooper Union building has been open for months--The Times reviewed it in June--but the Wall Street Journal is just now weighing in.
To date, the outside of the building has gotten most of the attention. Local residents have opposed its size and said its hulking waves are out of context for the neighborhood. Lately, its exterior rises doubled as a BMX ramp and a slide.

http://www.observer.com/2009/daily-transom/uberstairs-cooper-union

Godiva Chocoiste by Wonderwall

Japanese interior design company Wonderwall have completed a chocolatier’s shop in Harajuku, Japan, where chocolate seems to drip from the walls and ceiling.

The lower section of the downstairs walls is painted white, contrasting with the chocolate-coloured paint that appears to seep down from the moulded ceiling on the second floor.

Designed for chocolatier Godiva, the two-storey shop has a glass front making the effect clearly visible from the street.

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/12/03/godiva-chocoiste-by-wonderwall/#more-54460

Found by Stuart Haygarth

This chandelier made of spectacle frames (above) is on show at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London as part of an exhibition of work by London designer Stuart Haygarth.



http://www.dezeen.com/2009/12/04/found-by-stuart-haygarth-at-haunch-of-venison/

ShowCase: 3.1 Phillip Lim Seoul Flagship Store

The second flagship store designed by Leong Leong Architecture for 3.1 Phillip Lim is located in Cheongdam-Dong, Seoul’s premiere fashion district. In a period of eight months, Leong Leong designed and oversaw the construction of the 550-square-meter store in an existing four-story building.The Flagship Typology - Sameness vs. DifferenceThis project is a single store within 3.1 Phillip Lim's global roll-out campaign, which will include many international locations. Aware of the inevitable repetition that is necessary for such a commercial expansion, we thought of the typology of a flagship store as being characterized by the simultaneous need for sameness and difference. Typically, the consistent repetition of brand traits is necessary to reinforce an identity, while novelty can refresh the aura and desire for the brand. In this particular case the client, a relatively new fashion house launched in 2004, emphasized the need to establish a legible consistency in order to unify the different existing stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. http://archinect.com/features/article.php?id=94255_0_23_0_M

Out-of-Site: Young Art in Miami

by Alex Gartenfeld

Art Basel Miami Beach is as blue-chip as an American art fair gets. In the past few years, even NADA has moved upscale. But in a less than blue-chip year, we look at the young art galleries presenting exhibitions off-site, many of them in the less than prosperous Design District.



http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/the-market/2009-12-01/young-art-in-miami/

Stockholm’s Royal Opera House Restaurant by Claesson Kovisto Rune

Claesson Kovisto Rune created a new interior for Stockholm’s Royal Opera House
without interfering with the ornately decorated 1895 interior, protected as cultural heritage.


The strongest architectural component is a series of free-standing, giant, angled mirrors, defining the space and separating the passageway from seated guests. The gold-tinted mirrors are laminated with a film that controls the sector of vision, preventing you from seeing your own face clearly reflected.


They also designed a complete range of new furniture, carpets, lighting, etc. made by a handful of Italian and Swedish manufacturers.
The veranda was not protected as cultural heritage, allowing Claesson Kovisto Rune much greater freedom. The floor level was raised to match the dining hall. The windows were cleared, affording a fantastic view of historic central Stockholm beyond. http://coolboom.net/interior-design/stockholms-royal-opera-house-restaurant-by-claesson-kovisto-rune/

SOMA by Ayala Serfaty

SOMA, the Greek word for body, is an installation representing the topography of light by Ayala Serfaty. Thin glass filaments are woven to produce spatial structures that are ultimately sprayed with a polymer to generate a skin-like layer, a membrane of sorts. It has taken six years to develop SOMA, after many landscape formations that have resulted in this final version. The effect is akin to glowing leaves of snow. http://mocoloco.com/art/archives/012555.php

SCAD Student's New Water Saving Design

ID students at the Savannah College of Art & Design are currently engaged in a hands-on project with local relevance: Helping a nearby vacation destination, Tybee Island, reduce its water consumption to preserve a local aquifer.

Vacationers flocking to Tybee's beaches have already found their beachside showers turned off, as the island undergoes a government-mandated reduction of water usage by 44,000 gallons a day.
To that end, SCAD students are devising systems to meet Tybee's needs using rainwater, bamboo, and even Astroturf. http://www.core77.com/

Construction Begins on Amazing Tunnel-Shaped Rotterdam Market Hall

Bridgette Meinhold for Inhabitat



Imagine having this sweet public market pop up in your town? Well the lucky residents of Rotterdam are actually getting one! This week, the mayor of the city announced the commencement of construction on the huge tunnel-shaped market hall which will flash images of gigantic fresh fruits and vegetables via LCD screens on the inside and be lined with balconied apartments offering killer views on the outside. This true mixed-use development combining residences, shopping, restaurants and a public market will be a central hub of activity for citizens and tourists. The project is being developed by Provast and was designed by MVRDV. http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/11/20/construction-begins-on-amazing-tunnel-shaped-rotterdam-market-hall/

Thanks

This is the time of year we reflect on all the things for which we can be thankful. Due to the current state of the economy that has affected so many of us this year I've made it a personal challenge to remember the intangibles that don't waiver with fluctuating markets, interest rates, real estate values, or employment status. One such aspect of life is the creative nature in all of us.

The pleasure I gain from compiling this blog is derived from being able to explore our creative forces that manifest in so many different ways. The cornucopia of ideas, images, and perspectives pouring out from within continuously fascinates me. The power we have to communicate emotion, enhance our environment, and sustain ourselves in inventive ways is a testament to the power of the human spirit. This spirit is at the root of our relationships, passion, and vision.

Whatever circumstance you find yourself in this Thanksgiving remember to reflect on the gifts that you intrinsically hold and be thankful for them. I'm thankful to you for sharing your gifts here at Creative Juices.

"If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation, it would be the ability for each individual to learn to laugh at himself." Charles Schulz

Tim Buton Exhibit at MoMA

November 22, 2009-April 26, 2010



Accompanied by the film exhibitions Tim Burton and Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of MonstersTimed tickets are available for this exhibition at no extra cost. Simply select a specific date and time when you purchase your admission ticket online. Timed-ticket holders are guaranteed entry at the selected time. Untimed tickets do grant entry to the exhibition, but there may be a significant wait. Members and accompanying guests need not wait to enter Tim Burton. Simply present your membership card and/or member guest admission ticket at the exhibition entrance. http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/313

Social Housing for Miners

Zon-e Architects projected a new social housing for miners located in a mining town in the heart of the Cantabrian Mountain in Spain.


The project, which is state-funded, is the first new residential development in the region for 25 years. The form of the building comprises two masses perpendicular to each other. The concept for the building form takes precedent from the jagged mountains, which at times become geometric.


The colors and materials, such as the local slate, keep the building in context. The black facade acts like coal, absorbing almost all light that falls on it. Each of the 15 apartments is different in terms of size and floor plan. This contrasts with the building’s overall uniform appearance. Each room enjoys views over Asturia’s landscape. http://coolboom.net/architecture/social-housing-for-miners/#more-7744

Books

Keith Haring
by George Condo, Jeffrey Deitch, Julia Gruen, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Mark Coetzee, Suzanne Geiss
reviewed by Robert Atkins


Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications
Haring remains a lightning rod for critical discord and hyperbole. According to various observers, he is either one of the best or one of the worst artists of our time. http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/books/keith-haring

Perhaps with a Bedazzler?

Perhaps not even the iconic Bedazzler could offer any sort of improvement to this design. Maybe Crest White Strips?

I'm out of suggestions so if you want to read more you'll have to follow the link to the post by Yuka Yoneda for Inhabitat: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/11/15/jewelry-made-from-human-teeth/

Dress with 24,000 LEDs

Each of the flat, extra-thin LEDs that illuminate the dress measures a mere 2×2 millimeters, but they work together to create a dazzling light show of hundreds of colors that pulse across the flowing skirt. And we’ve come a long way from those lame, scrolling LED belt buckles—the intricate circuitry that underlies this futuristic frock was painstakingly hand-embroidered on a layer of silk, imbuing it with the fluidity of fabric.

To diffuse the light and create an even more ethereal effect, the designers added four layers of silk chiffon, along with 4,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals that extend the gown’s glittery sheen even after the LED bulbs go dim. And although the Galaxy Dress is lightweight, the heaviest part isn’t the technology but rather the 40-layer pleated silk organza crinoline that gives the skirt its flounce. http://www.ecouterre.com/5815/bewitching-led-galaxy-dress-by-cute-circuit-is-worlds-largest-wearable-display/

A Drunken Accident Waiting to Happen?

I found this on one of my favorite design blogs. Blogger "hipstomp" came up with a few more compelling solutions for storage using otherwise wasted stair space. Thank you hipstomp for finding an alternative to this drunken accident waiting to happen.

You may see hipstomp's ideas at: http://www.core77.com/

Czech National Library

A project by: BeL
Architecture

The New National Library is a hybrid typology between utilitarian functionality and public grandeur. 60% of the floor area is solely used as storage space, only 20% of the floor area is open to the public. The presence of 10 million books creates a monumentality by shear number, similar to baroque libraries visitors and … read moreemployees are completely surrounded by books. With generic typologies such as supermarkets as a model the scheme juxtaposes the programmatic necessities of separating magazine and public spaces with the baroque approach of universal presence. The enormous size and complexity of a National Library reflects into simplistic spatial matrix. In plan the 97,20 m deep open space is structured by supportive cylinders and voids in the floor. The voids connect spatially to the lower floors, which are mainly used as magazine spaces. http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/czech-national-library/1256/

Into the Woods

Trey Champion: Interior Designer, Photographer, Vocalist

I recently had the pleasure of attending the opening of an exhibit showcasing the photography of Atlanta artist and designer Trey Champion. Like most creative types Trey has many talents.

A native of McCalla, Alabama, Trey Champion earned bachelor’s degrees in both interior design and opera performance from The University of Alabama. His career as a vocalist spans more than 20 years leading to extensive travel throughout the United States and Western Europe. Trey’s interest in photography developed alongside his education in interior design.

The photographs in this series, Into the Woods, showcase nature in and around Atlanta. “Inspiration for this project came from working with so many nature images for healthcare. It seems that we always choose images from the Midwest or more exotic locales and are largely unaware of the beauty that is, quite literally, in our own back yard.” Following a series of hikes, all within 60 miles of Atlanta, Trey has captured compelling images that are featured in this exhibition.

Trey Champion is an interior designer with Stanley Beaman & Sears, where he continues to advance his interior design career and education, pursuing his love of both music and photography. Into the Woods is currently on exhibit at the Atanta office of Stanley Beaman & Sears through February 1, 2010 http://www.stanleybeamansears.com/

'From the House of the Dead' as Literature, Theater, and Music

By James R. Oestreich

With the New York City Opera safely (one hopes) up and running again, the spotlight swings back to the Metropolitan Opera in a season unusually thick with new productions. Next up is Janacek’s “From the House of the Dead,” in a staging by Patrice Chéreau that had its dress rehearsal on Monday morning and opens on Thursday evening...

So this production promises a particularly rich experience of the opera, and the prospect already has New York Times critics buzzing in realms beyond the musical. The basis for the work, after all, is a great literary masterpiece, Dostoyevsky’s novel “The House of the Dead,” which drew heavily on his experience as a prisoner in Siberia. And Mr. Chéreau, though best known for his work in theater and film, earned his operatic spurs early on, with his acclaimed centennial production of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle in 1976 at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, which framed the work in the context of the industrial revolution. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/from-the-house-of-the-dead/

A New Home for Film in Amsterdam

By Joel Weickgenant

AMSTERDAM | On the harbor directly across from Centraal Station, a symbol of Amsterdam’s next cultural evolution is rising from the ground — and, by sometime in 2011, cinephiles in the city will be rejoicing.

The organizers behind Filmmuseum, an Amsterdam institution that has been an important agent in screening and preserving old movies, broke ground in September on a site they hope will widen the museum’s audience and appeal.

The museum’s current location, within the Vondelpark, close to the Museum District, has its limitations. The new harborside building, say the museum’s spokespeople, will help the museum move beyond its core vision — serving as a tool to educate movie geeks. The new space will offer state-of-the-art, modern viewing spaces; the organizers hope to draw more than 200,000 visitors per year to the new building. http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/

Ken Smith Landscape Architect

Ken Smith: Landscape Architect Introduction by John Beardsley Designed by PentagramThe Monacelli Press, 232 pp., $50

In his 20-year career as a landscape architect, Ken Smith has designed public parks and private gardens, but also experimented, in museum shows and installation pieces, with projects that redefine the scope of his discipline and its media. Typical of Smith’s more experimental work is a design he completed in New York in 2007, for which he draped oversized man-made flowers, attached to a bright synthetic scrim, over the Cooper Hewitt museum’s 91st Street façade; photos of the project, which grace the cover of Ken Smith: Landscape Architect, make the juxtaposition of cartoon screen and staid Fifth Avenue mansion seem artificial, like the two images were culled from different sources and combined in Photoshop. Generally, Smith’s work is clever and conceptual, and the book presents a thorough documentation of fifteen projects Smith has worked on since 1992. It’s not exactly an exhaustive review of Smith’s career, but as an exploration of the possibilities of landscape architecture and one of its more interesting practitioners, the book is undoubtedly worth

Could Encasing Cities in Giant Domes be an Energy Solution for Our Future?

by Bridgette Meinhold,

Back in 1979, Winooski, Vermont, a town that often experiences -20 degree weather in January, proposed building a giant dome over their city to help reduce energy costs and keep warm throughout the winter. Thirty years ago, we were experiencing an energy crisis with rising oil prices, and people were looking for solutions to reduce their costs. Nowadays, while we’re also looking to reduce our carbon footprint in addition to costs, the concept is still applicable. By doming off the small city of 7,000, Winooski could stay warm all year round, reduce energy costs and emissions, grow food all year, and ban cars inside the dome. Environmentally, it seems like it has potential. http://www.inhabitat.com/

Refurbishment of an Urban Wall

This dividing wall is located in one of the new urban spaces of Barcelona: the ”Rambla Brasil”. This space is the result of covering an urban highway called "ronda del mig" that has become in one of the most attractive city walks of Barcelona. The location has a high urban interest that … read more
needed the participation of the nude wall to complete the urban landscape.
The wall turns into an spectator of exception of the day-to-day live of the neighbourhood and its untidy presence was not accompanying on the harmony of the zone, creating a necessity of designing something to integrate the wall into the urban environment. http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/refurbishment-of-an-urban-wall/835/

Welcome to Creative Juices!

Designers and Friends,

For the past year I've enjoyed compiling ideas and inspirations from the design community and sharing them with you in the form of a Monday morning email publication Creative Connection. With the vision of providing an interactive outlet where we can share our favorite projects, artists, designers, events, and web sites this publication as morphed into a daily bog called Creative Juices.

When you have something to share simply contact me so you may have access to the blog in order to create your post.

I'm excited about the potential of what can happen when creative, talented people influence one another through our various contributions, so let's stir up those creative juices!

Best regards,


Craig Segars
craig@theworkplaceinc.com

A Rally Marked by Bold Strokes

By SOUREN MELIKIAN

NEW YORK — A new breeze of optimism blew over the art world this week. As a host of top level Impressionist and Modern works came up on the block and triggered bidding matches as intense as any in pre-recession days, prosperity appeared to have been fully restored to the auction scene.

The rally, rather discreet on Tuesday at Christie’s where a very thin sale nevertheless managed to rake in $65.67 million, became spectacular at Sotheby’s on Wednesday when the pickings added up to just over $181 million, exceeding the global high estimate for the first time since May 2006.

Image: Kees van Dongen's 1910 “Jeune Arabe” was sold for a world record of $13.8 million at Sotheby's on Wednesday night.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/arts/07iht-melik7.html?_r=1&ref=arts

Extreme Art

By Marjorie Welish

Who among us has not envisioned a better world and imagined ways to transform the troubled here and now to a new and radiant day? William Blake (1757-1827), an artist and poet of uniquely configured creative talent, put his eye, heart and soul on the line with each attempt to transform the world on behalf of himself and us. So it is no wonder that “William Blake’s World: ‘A New Heaven Is Begun,’” now at the Morgan Library & Museum, is as fresh as it is exciting. http://www.observer.com/2009/culture/extreme-art

Duplicate Array

By: Sam Jacob



Just back from Lausanne, where FATs show "Duplicate Array" opened at Gallerie Lucy Mackintosh.

"Dulplicate Array: Objects/Buildings/Plans presents a series of architecture, design, and art projects by London based practice FAT ranging in scale from objects to buildings and masterplans. The projects explore an idea of architecture narrative, media and communications engaging directly with culture, communities and scenarios that surround them. Using tactics which include appropriation, irony and juxtoposition they set out an architectural agenda addressing issues of taste, ornament and meaning in contemporary culture." http://www.strangeharvest.com/

Transformable LED Trask Lights from MIO

by Lea Bogdan,

Philadelphia-based design team MIO has upped the ante for end-user creativity yet again with the introduction of their first LED light fixture. Called Trask because it can switch from being “track” or “task” lighting, the function of this ingenious flatpack lighting system is completely up to you! The modular units can form everything from desk lamps to linkable suspension lights, giving this eco-centric product the option to snake its way across your entire room. http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/05/26/led-trask-light-from-mio/

Scoop High Chair

The Scoop High Chair, designed by British firm Seymourpowell, brings design to the table--from a toddler's position. Looking rather like the customer throne from a hair salon, the Scoop's rounded surfaces leave no place for dirt to accumulate and can be height-adjusted, from sofa to table height, by means of a foot pedal that drives the pneumatic lift.
Unlike its brethren barber shop chair, the Scoop isn't mounted to the floor; the round base conceals castors, so it can be wheeled out of the way for cleaning. And the adjustable integrated table acts something like the safety bars on an amusement park ride, keeping the child in place and obviating the need for a harness. When it's time for the kid to come out, the table can be slid forward for easier access.http://www.core77.com/

Metropol Parasol

A project by: J. MAYER H. Architects Architecture

'Metropol Parasol' is the new icon project for Sevilla, - a place of identification and to articulate Sevillas role as one of Spains most fascinating cultural destinations. 'Metropol Parasol' explores the potential of the Plaza de la Encarnacion to become the new contemporary urban centre. Its role as a unique urban space … read morewithin the dense fabric of the medieval inner city of Sevilla allows for a great variety of activities such as memory, leisure and commerce. A highly developed infrastructure helps to activate the square, making it an attractive destination for tourists and locals alike. http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/metropol-parasol/152/

$555 Billion Sahara Solar Energy Belt Takes Giant Step Forward

by Bridgette Meinhold,

A giant step has been made in what will be the world’s largest renewable energy project. While previously just a grand vision for the production of clean energy in the Saharan desert, the project now has a core group of backers and a signed agreement between 12 companies wanting to move forward with the $555 billion renewable energy belt. The 12 collaborators signed articles of association last week for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII), which will work to bring more companies and groups on board as well as focus on regulations and conditions to get the project successfully completed and generating pure power from the sun. http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/11/03/ginormous-saharan-renewable-project-moving-forward/#

Rob Pruitt

By James Franco for Interview

There's great irony in the fact that Rob Pruitt is the man putting together the Guggenheim’s First Annual Art Awards, a sort of tongue-and-cheek version of the Oscars for contemporary American art. It’s the kind of irony more befitting a Hollywood film script than the New York art scene. On October 29, before an assemblage of heavyweights in the Guggenheim Museum rotunda, faux-champagne-bottle-in-ice-bucket lamp awards will be doled out to the winners of Solo Show of the Year, Group Show of the Year, Curator of the Year, and Artist of the Year, among a myriad of other categories. While a committee helped select the nominees, the awards show itself was 45-year-old Pruitt’s brainchild—his way of giving back to the art-world community that has made him one of its own unorthodox, uninhibited stars. http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/rob-pruitt/

Locked Away by Nazi's for 70 Years!

Less is More at Christie's
by Mary Lapides

This week the auction world kicks into high gear with Christie's and Sotheby's much anticipated Impressionist and Modern Day and evening sales on November 3 and 4 in New York. According to specialists at Christie's the number of lots offered this season is down from the usual 50 to 60 lots to a leaner 41 lots. Connor Jordan, the newly appointed Head of the Evening sale and a seasoned Christie's veteran stressed that well priced, tightly edited offerings typified the evening sale. http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/the-market/2009-11-02/christies-impressionist/ Image: Pissarros, Le Quai Malaquais et l'Institut, (1890–1903).

Hight school gymnasium. LA TOURELLE A SARCELLES

Located 16 kilometers from Paris, Sarcelles is part of the “banlieue” that hurriedly accommodated the immigrants who arrived at the end of the 50s. With a current population close to 60,000, Sarcelles consist of a small old core and a huge expansion to the south known as Le grand Ensemble and conceived in 1965 by Jacques Henri Labourdette. http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/hight-school-gymnasium_la-tourelle-a-sarcelles/209/