One of the world’s foremost industrial designers, the incomparable Luigi Colani, has a featured exhibition at the Design Museum in London. Luigi Colani: Transforming Nature will end its run on June 17 and it’s a great opportunity to see large scale prototypes of his inspired vehicles in person. An early proponent of bio-design, the Professor’s vast body of work includes the 1989 Colani Ferrari Testa d’Oro (above). In 1991 it attained the world speed record in its class, (vehicle with catalytic converters) achieving 351km/h.
At the International Design Forum in Dubai, Rem Koolhaas in collaboration with the magazine Volume, has released the first guide to the urban design and architecture of the Persian Gulf region. As with past Koolhaas books, Al Manakh features an amalgamation of materials from essays to graphs, drawings and photographs with numerous contributors. Considering Dubai’s position at the forefront of the radical urban experiment, this is an especially timely volume. Worldwide distribution will proceed its release at the Design Forum. No release date is available.
On Thursday Foster + Partners unveiled designs for an iconic winery “for the Faustino Group, 150km north of Madrid in the Ribera del Duero, one of Spain’s foremost wine-producing regions.”
The Daniel Libeskind designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal Building, an extension to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, will have its Architectural Opening & Building Dedication next Saturday, June 2nd. Through June 10th, visitors will have the opportunity to “have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to enjoy Daniel Libeskind’s architectural design in its purest form throughout the building. During this period only, most of the building’s unique spaces will be empty and open to the public before installation of permanent exhibits, along with the rest of the building.”
Fallout, a post apocalyptic role playing game released a decade ago, was one of the finest computer games ever made and featured impressively strong art direction. Bethesda Softworks (The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion) acquired the license in 2004 and have progressively begun to unveil concept art in anticipation of the teaser trailer due within two weeks.
The Maison de Verre (House of Glass) is a remarkable residence, constructed in Paris between 1927-1932. A prime example of early modern architecture or the International Style, its design by Pierre Chareau in collaboration with Bernard Bijvoet and Louis Dalbet was notable for its steel frame structure, glass block facade, sliding walls and unique use of materials, all of which were exposed. Furthermore, when the owner Dr. Dalsace purchased the old house on which La Maison de Verre was built, he intended to demolish it. The upper floor tenant would not oblige, forcing the Dalsace’s to have their residence built beneath the old building’s upper storey.
The Dalsace granddaughter, Dominique Vellay, has written a book, La Maison de Verre. Published by Thames & Hudson, it features over eighty full page photos taken by François Halard. Available since January in the U.K., it’s now available from Amazon.com and should appear on U.S. bookstore shelves within a couple of weeks.
Long awaited among cinephiles, the DVD release of Bernardo Bertolluci’s Il Conformista arrived with a surprising lack of fan fare last December. The story, set during Mussolini’s reign, involves a fascist agent with a tragic past, tasked to assasinate his former mentor while in France. Especially lauded for its direction and Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography, The Conformist has been rightfully heralded as a visual masterpiece. Rarely mentioned though is the film’s locale selection and Production Design by Academy Award winner Ferdinando Scarfiotti (The Last Emperor).
Despite Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous architectural accomplishments, from Fallingwater to New York’s Guggenheim Museum, he believed his most interesting works went unrealized. In 1985 these works were collected in the book, Treasures of Taliesin: Seventy-Seven Unbuilt Designs, by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer. These seventy-seven works are presented in one hundred six color plates, “twenty-nine of the drawings never before published.” Each project accompanied by an insightful page of text, bound in a 13.5 x 10.5 inch hardcover volume.
The sculptural iconicism and appealing aesthetics of Santiago Calatrava’s architecture have garnered him world recognition. You can now meet this starchitect in person at the Taschen Store on 107 Greene Street, New York City this Monday, May 21st from 6-8pm. He will be signing copies of his new oversized (12.1 x 15.4 in.) monograph, Calatrava: Complete Works 1979-2007.
Paper has become the material of choice for several sculptors in realizing stunning diverse designs.
Jen Stark evokes M.C. Escher on LSD with her use of colored, stacked construction paper and exploration of infinite arrays. New York residents and visitors have the opportunity to see her work first hand with a solo exhibition, Primaries: New Works by Jen Stark, starting this Friday, May 18 through July 1, 2007 at LMAKProjects Williamsburg. (See article end for exhibition address & hours.)
Richard Sweeney’s sculptures are elegant explorations of form, often inspired by geometrical and natural structures. His paper sculptures have appeared in a variety of commercial mediums including album covers and recently in DKNY’s flagship London store. Richard offered a glimpse into his creative process with an untitled project still in its experimental phase, potentially slated for this September’s Tuscany based international paper festival, Cartasia.
