Thursday 27 December 2012

Partridges & Pears


... My true love sent to me... a partridge in a pear tree!

Seasons Greetings, & a prosperous New Year to all of you who read/have read my blog... and those of you about to discover it ... may you continue to do so in 2013 

Thx
Alison

Alison Day Designs
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Monday 24 December 2012

Carolijn Slottje: Interior Design



Decorations in the park (the Noorderplantsoen), during the ten days that the annual Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival is held are often refreshingly original, and in some cases thought provoking for the viewer. Summer 2012, saw the inclusion of an unusual collection of birds throughout the park: outlines of over 30 familiar species native to the area, and they were constructed from detailed, three-layered laser cutouts of mirror. Each was mounted on heavy iron bases by metal nuts and bolts and displayed at intervals throughout the park; one could spy a kingfisher hanging from a pole, a heron balanced on a branch staring intently into the distance, or groups of birds standing in the water’s shallows.

A promotional postcard from the festival, which turned out to be a pitch to the CBK (Centrum Beeldende Kunst) to realize the project, led my curiosity to contact interior designer, Carolijn Slottje.

Carolijn told me that apart from the obvious decorative aspect, the thinking behind this project was to make people aware just how many bird species are resident in the Noorderplantsoen, and what effect the presence of a festival can have on the indigenous flora and fauna.





I met her at her studio, in part of an enormous, high-ceilinged old school premises destined for demolition, and run by the anti-squat organization, Carex. It is here that she has all the room necessary to work on the five or so projects that she completes per year; either under her own name, or as part of the collaborative label (with Eileen Blackmore, Martijn Westphal): Young and Hanson. We ascend a series of bright red wooden stairs to the slightly warmer, large-windowed, mezzanine area of the studio, and sit in the sun, with large glass beakers of hot amber-coloured tea.

A graduate of Minerva, Carolijn has had a great deal of interest surrounding her work, beginning with her graduation project: Capilliar. This organically formed and ‘intelligent’ display structure has exhibited in Berlin, been written about on blogs, and drawn attention from museums for its originality. Looking like a magnified cross section of blood vessels and arteries on a glass slide under a microscope, and constructed from a series of adjustable rubber membrane cells, plastic straws, and with grey plastic tubes as inner display areas, this book case can be adapted to fit any space.

I ask Carolijn where she gets her inspiration from. It seems that her design philosophy and approach comes from her interest in natural structures, the stories contained within patterning, sustainability and fair trade. Finding inspiration in the mechanical working of things, for example bionics, she then figures out how she can translate this for human use. Or from nature: the already documented information on how a leaf unfurls, or the resistance of a riverbed. Knowledge gained from the former has already been applied to the technology of how a satellite opens in outer space. The natural world for her is inspirational through its planned chaos: “If you fill a pot with stones, whether big or small, they will naturally fall to accommodate each other within the pot, and find their own level.”

It can take up to a year before Carolijn can finally launch a new product on the market. Not only does the designed object have to be able to exist in its surroundings, but there is the question of feasibility; materials have to be costed, the end design has to be tested for safety, and then there is the question as to whether there is a market for it.






Although her income could do with a boost, Carolijn is just able to survive from her work: commissioned interior projects, and the creation of small saleable objects. For example, her fabulous up-cycled Zaanse clocks as bird houses – traditional old style Dutch clocks, with new life blasted into them. Plus of course, products from the design collective: Young and Hanson, in house at Vos Interieur.





For the future, her objective is not so much about making a name for herself, but to maybe work for Ikea or Hema, producing products with the underlying philosophy of them being financially accessible and attractive to all. Also, she would like to use her knowledge for the design of a “good chair for a well-known label.”

If you’d like more information about Carolijn’s work: www.carolijnslottje.com. Or call her: here.




© Alison DayFirst published in the Connections magazine #38 Winter 2013
Read & download issue here






Wednesday 19 December 2012

Bells On!









No, they're not mushrooms, or some invading fungus, but Sound Architecture IV, an art installation by Ronald van der Meijs.


The installation works with wind - as the wind blows, the bells ring, rather like a wind chime.


Tuesday 18 December 2012

Beautiful Burger









As a follow up to my last post on edible packaging, it seems that Brazilian-based fast-food chain Bob's has replaced its plastic burger wrappings with edible ones - Way to go! - I wonder what it tastes like?

Via: DesignTaxi

Sunday 16 December 2012

Breadtopia











Blues is to jazz what yeast is to bread. Without it, it’s flat.” - Carmen McRae

There's nothing more disappointing, whilst on the run, than grabbing 'a-sandwich-to-go' only to find that the bread is less than acceptable. 

The momentary illusion of a tasty sandwich, created by the attractive packaging, its filling promising satiation, is immediately dashed by the first bite; the filling runs off in terror, the bread shrinks into a glutinous lump and then proceeds to stick to the roof  of one's mouth. Swallow, and it dawns on me that this 'bread' has only just started its journey, and has a long way to go... Ugh!

It is with this in mind that I rejoice at the movement of the real bread movement, where the baking of bread is artful - the use of the best organic ingredients, perfect preparation, and the pimping of the worn out old homely-style bakery establishment to one befitting the sale of real bread.

Photos of BlĂ© Bakery on Agias Sofias in Thessaloniki, Greece 
Via: The Cool Hunter
Blurb: © Alison Day Designs

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Living in a Box



There are times when we all feel as though we are 'Living in a box.' ...

If you were given the choice to, would you pay luxury rates to stay in a hotel that is housed in shipping containers? 

It seems that the Chinese architectural firm: Tonghe Shanzhi Landscape Design have created a 5-star luxury hotel, the construction of which was also eco-friendly.










Via DesignTaxi