Geode

My hollow fabrication is a geode made of sterling silver. I decided that it is not wearable, rather it is meant for display. The front of the geode has the rings of a geode etched on it. The back of the geode has a simple hammer texture. The outer wall was etched using nail polish as a resist that was dabbed on randomly to create a texture similar to the outside of a geode. On the inner wall I used two stamping tools, one with a triangle on the end and one with a "V" shape to try create a 2-D version of a crystal texture. When I was finishing the piece with sanding discs, i lost a lot of the texture I had created. The pictures are horrible...I'm still trying to figure out how to use my new camera! But these are to give you an idea of what I made.

Baharal-Gnida Designs

Jan advised me to check out Rebecca's blog and look at the sculptures and jewelry made by Talya Baharal and Gene Gnida. The onionskin series they made is absolutely gorgeous...and exactly the inspiration I needed to think about how I'm going to construct my Materialise piece! I was inspired by pictures of geodes and plan on making a ring based on those pictures for my project. Now that I have seen the way these designers went about constructing their jewelry, I am going to try to use their technique to create a copper maquette of my geode ring.

Materialise Map

Private First Class

For its 2007 line, MGX managing art director Naomi Kaempfer asked four designers to create an object around the theme of "Private" that challenges the company's production capabilities:

1. Detail.MGX - Dan Yeffet
2. Damned Lampshade - Luc Merx
3. Especially For You - Amanda Levete
4. Download - Ross Lovegrove

These are all remarkable pieces, especially the damned lampshade! (love saying that) The fingerprint lampshade is whimsical and at first glance appears to be an animal print (zebra?) but ends up surprising the viewer.
The damned lampshade is a throwback to classical times, while the Especially for You bowl is totally modernistic/futuristic (and I would never have known it was a bowl if the article hadn't told me).
Probably the least interesting piece to me was the Download pen, but eye-catching nonetheless.

Metropolis Articles - Arik Levy

METROPOLIS ARTICLE

Breaking the Mold
Using unconventional thinking and smart design processes, Arik Levy transforms everyday household objects into beautiful works of art.
By Paul Makovsky
Posted February 20, 2006

http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/popup_image.php?image_id=5733&slideshow_speed=10


“If I hadn’t been a designer, I would’ve been a scientist,” says Arik Levy, a Paris-based industrial designer who in recent years has captured the attention of companies like Vitra, Ligne Roset, L’Oréal, and Renault. “I work like a researcher in a lab, searching for the genetic codes of materials or companies. Once I’ve decoded them, I inject my own gene in different places.” He believes that changing this “genetic code” essentially creates a new material. “I try to use materials in places they’re not normally used to give them another kind of life.”
Even though he has amassed a huge materials library over the past 15 years, Levy isn’t necessarily interested in the latest. “It’s not really about the material you use, but the way you use it,” he says, citing materials that have been around for decades, such as honeycomb and electroluminescent film, with which he has developed innovative products. “If you use a material in new ways, you’re creating a new molecule for the industry, the public, and yourself.” Metropolis asked Levy to describe the process behind his latest products.



Kaz Candlestick Holder Molding

Levy had trouble producing a mock-up by hand. He worked with glass model-making specialists in France and Germany, but the results were unsatisfactory, so he turned to 3-D software used in automobile design. “Rather than the traditional way of making and casting from a model, we made a mold for the crystal directly from a 3-D model,” he says. The designer paid particular attention to the way the mold would open. “Glass molds have very sophisticated opening abilities.” Ultimately he created a trace that conformed to the highly complex form so the mold could be split. The result is a piece with soft edges and virtually no cut lines, making the glass look as if it’s melting.

Courtesy Arik Levy/Ldesign and INTERWARE

METROPOLIS ARTICLE

September 2007 • Metropolis Observed
New Uniforms

­Arik Levy responds to the pervasiveness of athletic wear with a fashion-forward line for urbanites.

By David Sokol
Posted September 19, 2007

As the Korean licensee of Marc Jacobs, Christian Lacroix, and Timberland, the clothing manufacturer Kolon has no trouble producing mainstream fashion. “They have the mechanism; they click their fingers, and another jacket comes out,” industrial designer Arik Levy says. But when the company decided to develop a more unique line of active wear, its first impulse was to look beyond the fashion set for ideas. “They said they wanted somebody who doesn’t have experience as a fashion designer,” Levy recalls, “but who would experiment with materials to develop something new.”

After being tapped for the job, Levy channeled his distaste for sporty fare—or at least its pervasiveness. Puffy winter jackets are a particular pet peeve. “One would buy a North Face jacket and go to work in the bank with it,” he says. “The problem is that you look like an astronaut.” This gear may be well suited to the Himalayas, Levy adds, but not to the temperature fluctuations of city living.

His genre-bending Transition line launched with a sleek spring/­summer collection this March in Korea. (Kolon will next introduce Transition into Chinese and Japanese markets, with European and American launches tentatively planned afterward.) Levy designed a jacket, shirt, and trousers for the debut collection, and art-directed Kolon’s in-house designers in creating the remaining 21 pieces. The garments borrow sparingly from the functional archetypes of the North Face and Patagonia, yielding a simple silhouette that falls close to the body and parlays easily between home, work, and a night out.

In Levy’s designs, the jacket features an interior waterproof pocket, and the legs of the pants are lined with a bicycle-ready reflective band that is revealed only when they are cuffed. To achieve the cleanest possible lines, the shirt is laser-cut and largely substitutes heat-sealed welding for stitching. Although extreme-weather jackets often feature waterproof strips attached this way, Levy notes that most companies don’t heat-seal seams because it requires custom welding jigs.

The clothes also respond to the conditions in which we now live, what Levy calls a “frightening” moment in history. “When you read the newspapers, not just the sports page or the furniture magazines,” he says, “you realize the needs we have are totally different from the equipment we’re given.” Made with inherently bug-repellent material, Transition T-shirts become weapons against the West Nile virus, while the trousers come with a plastic-buckle belt to help speed you through airport security.

For all Transitions’ style, details like these cement the collection as sportswear. “Take the jacket in your hands,” the designer says. “There’s so much to look at, you forget about the form.”



Levy models his sleek street-ready jacket for Kolon, which hides a watertight pocket inside.

Courtesy Alfredo Salazar

Materialise Designers

These are my favorites.....innovative, extraordinary shapes......

Polyvase.MGX
Designed by Dan Yeffet 'Jelly Lab'
Technique: SLA
Material: Epoxy Colour: dark brown, grass green (or other by request)
Models available:Small: Ø 180mm, H 23mm
Medium: Ø 195mm, H 255mm
Large: Ø 225mm, H 305mm

Dan was born in 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. He worked as a freelance designer in the Netherlands before opening his own design studio - Jellylab - which is now located in Paris. Dan describes himself as an explorer and an adventurer.

http://www.within4walls.co.uk/new/designers.php?id=DAN%20YEFFET

Black_Honey.MGX
Designed by Arik Levy
Technique: SLA
Material: epoxy
Colour: Black honey
Models available: Curved: H 114 x 396 x 403mm
Flat: H 54 x 402 x 403mm
Small Curved: H 73 x 273 x 275mm

Arik Levy was born in Tel Aviv in 1963. He graduated with distinction in Industrial Design from the Art Centre Europe in Switzerland in 1991. He taught at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Creation Industrielle and Les Ateliers Paris from 1992 until 1994. He has won numerous awards and is currently Partner and Creative Director of LDesign in Paris, a company active in prospective studies in industrial design, product development, light design, corporate identity, packaging and display, interiors and exhibition design, as well as stage design.

http://www.within4walls.co.uk/new/designers.php?id=ARIK%20LEVY

One_Shot.MGX
Designed by Patrick Jouin
Technique: SLS
Material: Polyamide (nylon)
Colour: white
Dimensions folded position: length 650 mm * diam 110 mm
Dimensions seating position: heigth 400 mm * diam 320 mm

'For the first time in history, a kinetic, integrated, functional design piece has been produced in a single, non-assembled unit. This functional piece of furniture, including all moving parts, was produced in one piece by the Rapid Prototyping technique known as Selective Laser Sintering.'
http://www.leuveninc.com/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_212389

A former artistic director for fellow French designer Philippe Starck, Jouin opened his own studio in Paris in 1998. His firm, which has designed a range of products from lighting and furnishings to electronics, is known for their experience with the latest industrial design techniques including rapid prototyping and gas injection. In addition to product design, Jouin’s other work includes designs for manufacturer exhibition spaces and hospitality interiors, including the Chlösterli restaurant in Gstaad, Switzerland and the Mix Las Vegas restaurant.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:sZNhTxSM7aQJ:archrecord.construction.com/features/interviews/0809PatrickJouin/0809PatrickJouin.asp+Patrick+Jouin&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us&ie=UTF-8

Lily.MGX
Designed by Janne Kyttanen
Technique: SLS
Material: polyamide (nylon)
Colour: white
Design: chrome coated, stainless steel

Janne Kyttänen, born in Finland in 1974, began experimenting with Rapid Manufacturing technology to produce prototypes for new products. Janne founded his company, Freedom Of Creation (FOC), in Helsinki in 2000 and in 2002 started FOC in its current form in Amsterdam while using Materialise's machines to produce rapid manufactured lights. This collaboration led to the new Materialise MGX department, which presented its first collection of designer lampshades manufactured with 3D printing techniques at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2003. The collection promptly won the Blueprint Best Newcomer Award at the 2003 100% Design Show in London.

Janne's company produces unique light designs and interior accessories in highly complex and intricate forms and its endless experimenting and research into material applications has resulted in the production of rapid manufactured fabrics made up of thousands of tiny, interlocking pieces.

http://www.within4walls.co.uk/new/designers.php?id=JANNE%20KYTTANEN

Embodied Sympathy

So, the craftsperson imagines what people need and then makes objects that fulfill those needs. Her work is beneficial.

I agree that art is what feels right. Thinking first about your subject and your intentions, and then of line, size, shape, form, color, rhythm, texture, dimension, light .... sifting through all the elements of composition and design to find what feels right.

Treating the subject.....hmmmm. Interpretation requires learning our own feelings, as well as how to express them....intensely studying our feelings, becoming intimately acquainted with them, coming to grip with them. It requires awareness, overcoming preconceptions, observation and allows us to appreciate the beauty of things previously overlooked,and to discover (or uncover) new relationships, to delight in them.

Embodied sympathy involves a resonation with others' psychological and emotional states and creating to express and/or alter those feelings...to reach out and understand....and by experiencing the creation (useful object, adornment or visual art) be touched by it, possibly transformed by it, hopefully helped by it (treated??)

Embodied sympathy is a two-way street between the artist and the subject. It flows nicely into the social implications of art, social design, etc.

Favorite Words

snuggle
breath
wrinkle
dewy
utensil
delicious
zipper
blink
rock
skedaddle
bubble
chrysophase
tender
frenzy
butter
twist
crispy
lush
mesmerize
pamper
luminous

Floating Scarves

My Droog design, floating scarves, uses recycled soda cans to combine functionality with aesthetics. Designed into a free-form metal sculpture and made to hang on the wall in a 3-dimensional fashion (sticking out from the wall about 1 inch), scarves of various patterns and colors are interwoven throughout flowing lines of sculpture.

Basically a hanging scarf holder, this design stands on its own as a great wall sculpture. It transforms into ever-changing possibilities with the addition of a scarf or scarves needing to be stored. Rather than hiding them away in a drawer or closet, this design allows the accessories to be viewed as pieces of art, in their own right.

The design lends itself to change - both change in the substance of the display (by changing out the scarves on any given whim) and in the perspective of the viewer (who is looking outside the box and admiring recycled soda cans and accessory clothing as decorateve home interior design)

I plan to cut up the aluminum cans to create small rectangular shapes which I will texture and then rivet together to form an abstract grid. I know this sounds confusing so by the end of the day I hope to have my sketches posted up and hopefully some photos of maquettes.

Crafty Bastards

This past Sunday I went to the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair. Awesome doesn't even describe it. It was sponsored by the Washington City Paper, Washington D.C.'s alternative free weekly paper. The fair was held in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. There were over 100 booths set up outside with many one-of-a-kind crafts, from hand-made jewelry to clothing of all sorts and kinds to distinctive artwork and toys.

The weather was perfect and the crowds were thick. I really enjoyed seeing seeing Annie, Juliet and Megan's booths - they were definitely "best of show." I even bought one of Megan's rings and a pair of earrings that I love love love!

There were also entertainment and craft workshops going on throughout the day. I enjoyed the community break dancing contest, which I have a video of that I hope to upload onto my blog soon. It really added to the grassroots earthy feel of the fair. I've never been to a craft fair before so this was quite an experience. Being there with Jan and her experienced eye and running commentart made it possible for me to "Get Awesomized!" (as recommended in the fair's program).

Here are some of the designers that caught my eye...

Designers/Artists-in-Training - Response

I truly appreciate the pearls of wisdom being shared here. Sketching and reading- owning your drawings, your intentions and your books! Makes good sense.

I have always kept scrapbooks - clippings from magazines of jewelry I like, fashion that strikes my fancy, pictures/words that resonate and might one day make it into a collage for a friend or family member. The sketchbook seems like a maturing of that interest, making the designs my own, creating new unique designs.

The Art of Innovation Chapters 4-6

I absolutely love reading about innovation. The techniques of brainstorming and prototyping while working in groups or teams are exciting and energizing. As they are described, they sound fun and creative and like self-generating powerhouses, with each team member sparking off the other. There seems to be a whole set of group dynamics that teams (or at least team leaders) must be aware of and able to optimize, so as not to have counter-productive conflict, distraction, or blocking. There has to be a degree of mutual trust and a willingness to share ownership of ideas.

Funny enough, typically, kids are funneled through the secondary school system, enduring 12 years of systemization, standardization, discipline and a general stifling of creative thinking in favor of memorization and regurgitation. Free flight of ideas is generally discouraged. Instead, students are rewarded for copying classical patterns and inhibiting their behavior so as not to present any problems. Group work is generally frowned upon, so students can be strictly graded and judged on their independent thoughts and work product.

So, how ironic it is to find this group creativity technique of brainstorming to be valued in the workplace and marketplace. The "two heads are better than one" philosophy inherent in this technique is a skill that has to be learned, with ingrained habits having to coincidentally be unlearned.

The "rules" of good brainstorming include quantity rather than quality, suspension of criticism or judgement, welcoming unusual ideas, and synergistic building upon the ideas of others. None of these new groundrules are woven into the fabric of my education, nor into the substance of my work habits. Sad, really, to think of all the lost opportunity throughout my school career to have learned and practiced and incorporated fun, creativity, and energy into what I learned and how I learned. Just think how much more productive I could be in design, if I didn't have to un-learn self-sabotaging habits like self-criticism, censoring, self-consciousness, suppression, inhibition, embarrassment, etc. The things that helped me get through secondary school are now obstacles to my free and open expression.

TOWSON METALS & JEWELRY CLUB!!!

Hello everyone...just wanted to let you know a little bit about the Metals & Jewelry club (if you didn't already know about it) and wanted to give you a heads up about all the cool stuff we have coming up!

We had our first meeting already but don't worry, it's not too late to join! Our next meeting is October 1st at 6:30 in CA 2006. At our first meeting we had elections for officers, talked about all of the perks you get from being a member, went over the budget, talked about possible field trips, workshops, speakers, and a holiday sale among other things.

So let me get to the fun stuff...
Sep 30 - Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair in DC (washingtoncitypaper.com/craftybastards)
Laura and I are going to be driving so if you want a ride contact one of us. There will also be a sign up sheet posted
on the door outside of CA 2015 I believe, you might want to ask Rebecca for details.
We will be leaving at 10 am and coming back by 5 so people can make it to the studio if they need to work

Oct. 1 - After the club meeting at 6:30, there is a Gocco workshop at 7:30 in 2015. I'm not sure who is leading this
workshop, so again, you might want to contact Rebecca!
For more info on Gocco visit this link: http://www.gocco.com/prod.HTM

Oct. 12 - Life Near the Bone at the G-Spot Gallery. This is April's exhibition so everyone needs to go check this out!

Oct. 19 - Earwire and pinback workshop from 12:00-2:00 in CA 2015. Rebecca is taking the time to learn the proper
techniques and wants to show us all how to make these! Bring wire (20g half hard, sterling)

Oct. 25 - Workshop on photographing your own work in CA 2006 led by Rebecca.
Make sure to bring some of your work and your own camera!

Nov. 9-10 - Philly Museum of Art Craft Show! This is going to be sooo much fun! We will all be riding together, leaving on
friday the 9th, sleeping over, and coming back saturday night!

Nov. 19 - At 7:00 Rebecca, Laura and I are meeting in CA 2006 to make a banner for the club. Anyone is welcome to join!
We'd love your help and design ideas!

There is soooo much more that we are going to do...so come check it out at our next meeting Oct. 1!

There is only a $10 fee to join and for that you get access to a special cabinet with all kinds of fun tools that aren't in the DePatta, informative speakers, awesome workshops, fun field trips, the ability to participate in the holiday sale to make some money and get your work out there, and best of all it's an easy fun way to get involved and get to know alumni and students involved in the jewelry and metalsmithing program here at Towson!

Droog designs that resonate with me...

Continued research on Droog....

OK, so I’ve had a change of heart……




I’m afraid I may be becoming a Droog addict!

I’ve done some more research and checked out multiple websites and have come to understand that dry (Droog) can be funny, witty, clever, imaginative and quite fertile. I see the pragmatic value in minimalist, recycled-oriented, practical, form following function design. I also see the artistic value in this sort of self-effacing design – thinking outside the box while using the box to help you think, if that makes any sense.

Here's some of the sites I've visited, as well as some pithy quotes about Droog.

1) DROOG - "creating innovative concepts that change perspective. Our products and projects connect with the individual, the user. They deal with slowness, memories, nostalgia, re-use, craftsmanship, nature. They generate experience, interaction, participation, products that are easily to comprehend, have meaning, tell stories; products that are meant to be cherished and not discarded without thought."

http://www.droogdesign.nl/#frames(lb=lb.php?r=73&f=0,rb=rb.php?f=21&s=1a&l=20)

2) What is Droog? "The criteria are flexible and shaped by developments in product culture and the designers’ own initiatives,” states Droog. The only constant is that the concept has validity today; that it is worked out along clear-cut, compelling lines; and that product usability is a must. Within this framework literally anything goes.

Droog was different. It shared the simplicity of minimalism and its careful choice of materials, but deployed humour – albeit a dry or ‘droog’ humour - to strike an emotional bond with the user. Rudy Graumans’ 85 bulb chandelier is an inspired example of lateral thinking in design, but it is impossible not to smile at the verve with which the designer transformed an everyday object like a standard light bulb into a spectacular chandelier."


http://www.designmuseum.org/design/droog

3) Droog Design - "The use of industrial and recycled materials is emphasized by this Dutch design firm established in 1993. "The Droog collection features over 180 designs by over a hundred designers, in the product categories of lighting, furniture, tabletop, kitchen, bathroom, accessory and various. Droog products are chosen or commissioned based on the curatorial criteria laid out by founders Renny Ramakers and Gjis Bakker. They need to combine functionality and conceptual clarity with a keen expression of awareness of cultural and technological references and contexts." Some examples of their products: Birdhouse by Marcel Wanders, 2005; 85 lamps chandelier by Rody Graumans, 1993; Treetrunk Bench by Jurgen Bey, 1999; and Heat wave electric radiator by Joris Laarman, 2003."

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:T73F740BGWEJ:www.digital-librarian.com/shopping.html+muji,+ikea+and+droog&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=34&gl=us

4) "Droog is a brand and a mentality: design of products that do what they should and think about why they’re doing it in the first place: function? fun? wit? criticism? All of the above?"

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:uUkO0vNofGgJ:www.noahbrier.com/links/archives/design/+muji,+ikea+and+droog&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=47&gl=us

5) "Droog Design is an international platform for innovative design. By its mission and activities Droog aims to stimulate creation, innovation and cultural debate. The gallery from Droog Design, droog@home, offers young (inter)national design talent a stage, and enables the public to be introduced to the most recent developments in the field of conceptual design."

http://www.droogdesign.nl/files/pdf/060217%20Press%20release%20New%20British%20Designers.pdf

Target

Who's who at Target and what's their profile?
Target is a chain of discount department stores that carries clothing, shoes, jewelry, drugstore products, bed and bath items, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, toys, automotive supplies and a limited number of grocery items. They differentiate themselves from competitors like Walmart and K-Mart by offering more upscale and trendy products at low cost. They tend to attract younger customers than their competitors because they have many exclusive deals with various designers, including Isaac Mizrahi, Mossimo, Merona, Cherokee, Libertine, Xhiliration, Swiss Gear, etc.

Why should I care?
Places like Target make designer clothing affordable and accessible. As part of the urban sprawl that we call shopping, Target stores at least don't sell tobacco or fire arms, and try to focus on selling higher-end products at low prices, rather than cheap merchandise at discount prices.

Good and Bad Design on Flickr

To view my photos and comments on good and bad design in Target, please go to this URL:


ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/12399340@N04/

Droog Research

Droog seems a lot like Ikea products to me. Scandinavian, different, useful, and stylish in their simplicity. But there are so many random products that I still don't get a total sense of what Droog really is. The design of their pictures featuring their various products seem so cutely contrived.....white on white, Asians in strange poses, etc. Different definitely. But weird! And the whole concept of Droog seems awfully contrived to me - like they invented a market and then made it an exclusive club. Almost like creating a mentality to market their invention. They claim to not be interested in production or profit but I'm suspicious.