Eclectic Perambulations in the Noosphere
"The gourd is an annual tropical vine originating in Africa and Asia. Its dried, lignified fruits are used for various decorative as well as practical purposes.
Calabarte creates lamps from this unique fruit through a process of manual perforation and framing. Wholly natural materials and the highest quality of craftsmanship allow for unusual effects. In each interior these lamps create a unique atmosphere, which makes it possible to enjoy light in more than just pragmatic terms."
The magical rug literally animates!!
When the rug is viewed through the specially designed glass coffee table, an animation of carp appears through a moire effect providing a surprise element of natural liveliness to the interior. The graphic apparition, replacing the traditional fish tank, is also a nod to the decreasing abundance of our most precious natural resource – water. Mythologically, the carp symbolises bravery and fortune. Linguistically, the “carp” becomes a humorous extraction of the “carpet” that reveals this intriguing little conversational piece on the floor.
“Mythologically, the carp symbolizes bravery and fortune.”
"The nature of farming is forever changed.
Farming is a practice that by it’s own nature unites humans, technology and animals in productive combinations. Hybrids and various mutant bio-mechanical mixtures—Caterpillar combines, John Deere tractors, etc.—began transforming the rural landscape of America beginning in the early 20th century by subjugating the pastoral ideal to the ingenuity of human invention. From utilitarian machinery, to show piece display, both farm animals and machines express a range of complex personalities. Which poses the question: can these overlaps and mutable identities expand to contend with the various crises the farm industry is facing today?
Farmland World is a chain of agro-tourist resorts sprinkled across the American Midwestern countryside. Part theme park and part working farm, guests arrive to the resort via train and stay as part of 1-day, 3-day or 5-day experience packages. Capitalizing on both recent investments in high-speed rail infrastructure and the plentiful subsidies for farming, the network of resorts combines crowd-sourced farm labor with eco-tainment. Guests perform daily chores as self-imposed distractions from the toil of their daily lives. Among the countless activities offered, guests can choose to ride the Animal Farmatures, the dual natured farm implements that complete traditional farm tasks while performing grand rural-techno spectacles. When its time to leave for home, guests climb back into the train, weary and satisfied from their labors as they marvel at the passing landscape they helped transform."
Constructed in the early 20th century, Eixample is a district of the Spanish city of Barcelona known for the urban planning that divided the district into octagonal blocks. Influenced by a range of schools of architecture, Eixample was designed in a grid pattern with long streets, wide avenues, and rounded street corners. Despite being in the center of a thriving European metropolis, the district provides improved living conditions for inhabitants including extensive sun light, improved ventilation, and more open green space for public use. And of course, the result from the grid-like structure is astounding from above:
"Not too long ago it would have sounded like futuristic science fiction,?but here it is – the world’s most expensive luxury bed that is not suspended but, instead, is tethered to the ground so it does not simply drift up and away.
Seven years of study went into the development process of the permanent, non-degrading magnetic support system for this seven-figure sleeping platform. The bed frame itself is a simple rectilinear board, painted black, that appears to hover on invisible legs.
Perhaps it is just another plaything for the rich, for now at least, but who knows … as technology evolves maybe it will be a teenage fad ten years from now, too. What the military did for flight, architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars may just do for the sleep (or entire furniture) industry. Maybe."
