The Designersblock exhibition that took place at The Piazza Covent Garden during the London Design Festival was the best Dblock show we have seen. The space was great and there was a huge variety of design over three floors, including some 100% Norway (some of the same pieces that were at Earl's Court) and the sensational freshness of the Seoul Designers Pavilion. We'll start with a taste: the Brilliant Wings installation by YLEM (Moonjung im & Sungsu Kang), a night sky full of birds that are really hands made out of sticky tape; intricate bespoke wallcoverings by Asma Hussain; a variety of pieces from DIDshow, Daegu University's Industrial Design department; and some Added Value porcelain. There was humour mixed with practicality abound, as shown by work from Eleanor Freya Gregory for KithKin Presents (the Chesterfold was a hit with the crowd) and Yookyung Shin & Younga Kim, who were ready to clean up.

+ designersblock.org.uk

London textile designer Kathy Schicker's light-reactive woven textiles appear to be beautiful white jacquard fabrics, but when they are exposed to sunlight, the light brings out colour and pattern. At the same time, the sunlight charges the fabric, causing it to glow in the dark. The effect is usually quite subtle, but will vary depending on the time of day and season.

+ kathyschicker.com

the interactive design group sounds butter wanted to create a new way to make sound visible. while things
like equalizers and sub-titles already visualize sound, they sought to find a way to make sound physical.
using an old sewing machine as a basis, they conceptualized a prototype, which would take sound input
and convert it into a sound wave of thread on textile. the sewing machine is synonymous with producing
products in industry and thus served as a fitting analogy for the project.

http://www.soundsbutter.com





via infosthetics

it’s been a great week here at d*s and i’m super excited for next week…because it’s the premier of the d*s and new york public library project! so please tune in on monday at 1pm for the launch of the first episode of our series! i’m so pleased with the results and can’t wait to share it all here. i’m filming the second episode on monday and we have a bonafide design celebrity joining us so stick around on monday to find out who that is! until then, here is a roundup of this week’s highlights. have a wonderful weekend! [above is a beautiful paper cut out from heather moore of skinny laminx. click here for more info]

• must read post(s) of the week: ugliest pillow contest- finalists and voting! and alyson fox’s gorgeous wedding
• regional roundups: austin regional roundup part 1, 2, and 3
• new sneak peeks: ruth shively, melissa mcclure’s LA loft, matte stephens’ portland home, dolan geiman’s studio
• new guide: doorstop roundup
• new diy projects: custom house of cards, kate’s ceramic planters, candy control
• new before & afters: andrea’s outdoor seating, barb’s wooden table, whitney’s ottoman, summer’s dresser
• furniture: schindlersalmeron stools
• paper: new morris & essex stationery, linda and harriett calendar
• artwork: john murphy collages, alexander girard prints
• textiles: japanese tea towels, fabric covered boxes
• misc: new coe and waito ceramics, things i’m loving- metallics, modern pet houses, crystal kluge monogram font, new jocelyn warner wallpaper, pattern show at olio united, gorgeous green interiors
• gift guides: we’re launching ours after thanksgiving but better living through design just launched a great gift guide. click here to check it out.
• new d*s guest blog: click here to check out sarah fox’s fantastic guest blog posts (including 4 diy projects!)
• recipes: in the kitchen with ditte isager (fruit meringue cake), sarah fox’s goat cheese pear tarts

ines schwotzer is a jewelry and accessory designer who lives and works in the small town of feilitzsch,
germany. she has worked as a freelance designer since 1995, creating her own pieces and working for
the likes of fashion house chanel. many of her works are done in stainless steel using non-tradition
technique she learned through textile background. using thin wire, schwotzer weaves and braids the
metal to create delicate works that contrast the coldness of the material.

http://www.schwotzer-design.de

'swivel chair' by bokja, sixties furniture upholstered in embroidered vintage fabric from tajikistan - image © bokja

al-sabah art & design collection is a contemporary gallery which is scheduled to open its doors in dubai in early
spring of 2009. the gallery is the result of a recent partnership agreement between DIFC (dubai international
financial centre) and founder of the luxury retail emporium villa moda, sheikh majed al-sabah from kuwait.
the mission of the gallery is to promote the craftsmanship of the middle east. sheikh majed al-sabah wants to
encourage local governments to take more responsibility in preserving their cultural heritage.

before the gallery is even completed, it will preview its collection at this year's design miami 2008 from
december 1st - 8th with an exhibition entitled 'ALEF'. the name of the exhibition refers to the first letter of the
arabic alphabet 'a', but also acts as a symbolic name to mark the gallery's first show. 'ALEF' will highlight the
work of two lebanese designers, huda baroudi and maria hibri of bokja. the duo is known for their use of
vintage furniture, embroidered in fabrics originating from the east. also on show will be the work of dutch
product designer, pieke bergmans, who works in porcelain, plastic and glass. he will be creating a series
of pieces using traditional syrian mother-of-pearl inlaid antique pieces of furniture. for the gallery's official opening
in 2009, new works by studio job, maarten baas, marcel wanders and jaime hayon, who have created limited
edition pieces with local artisans, will be revealed


'swivel talia' by bokja, vintage furniture upholstered in a combination of vintage lakii from central asia together with
suzani (decorative textile) and new fabric - image © dina debbas


'crystal virus' by pieke bergmans, blown glass vase

designboom snapshots design miami 2007

design miami: http://www.designmiami.com
al-sabah art and design collection: http://www.alsabahcollection.com

at night, light shines through the exterior patterned blocks of the 'patchwork pavilion'

'patchwork pavilion' is a temporary art gallery designed by DOMO arquitetos associados. the structure was
originally built for the casa cor 2008, an exhibition for home textiles in brazil. the name of the pavilion is fitting,
as the exterior is constructed from a random combination of four different pre-cast concrete blocks whose
patterns have been inspired by embroidery pieces that originate in the northeast part of the country.
these concrete blocks were largely used in early modernist buildings in brazil, because of their ability to ventilate
and allow light to pass through the patterns, as well as for their low-cost and shape.


the four different patterned tiles create a graphic patchwork effect




'cave house'

DOMO arquitetos associados' 'cave house', was originally designed for a competition called 'luxury for all'
which explores the idea of luxury living which considers our sensorial experience with buildings and objects,
with an approach to sustainability. the structure aims to continue the flow of nature through the cave-like space.

DOMO arquitetos associados: http://www.domo.arq.br