highlike

MASAKI FUJIHATA

beyond pages

The data projector loads images of a leather bound tome onto a tablet which a light pen activates, animating the objects named in it – stone, apple, door, light, writing. The soundscore immaculately emulates the motion of each against paper, save for the syllabic glyphs of Japanese script, for which a voice pronounces the selected syllable. Stone and apple roll and drag across the page, light illuminates a paper-shaded desklamp; door opens a video door in front of where you read, a naked infant romping, lifesize and laughing, in.

Gmunk

Telestron DTLA
Conceptually, at its foundation, the installation was an exploration of the absence and presence of light and how it defines a space. The team wanted to play with dramatic scale, and to do so they employed two Quantec KR150s as Robotic Conductors, wielding large, fabricated geometric shades to manipulate the various light sources and cast brilliant arrays of graphic shadow work throughout the space. They upgraded the show for The Row to be more immersive, adding more synchronized lighting fixtures and laser projectors around the perimeter of the space to embellish the ambient lighting states, and as a result amplified the user experience even further – creating a more sculptural and geometric installation for the masses.

Sarah Sze

Shorter than the Day
The New York-based artist captures the sky as it changes from cerulean blue morning to a colorful sunset to the many shades of night through nearly 1,000 photographs of the sky. Each printed image is fastened to the aluminum and steel with alligator clips and is revealed as viewers move around the massive work, just like the earth circles the sun to mark a day.

YURI ANCARANI

DA VINCI

“Da Vinci”: a name evocative of masterpieces in the history of art, but also a remotely manipulated medical robot allowing surgeons to perform operations. Yuri Ancarani, filmmaker and artist, with this film gives us access to the interior of a human body, in shades of blue evoking the “grotta azzura”, a mythical maritime cave in Capri. Here is observed the dance of the machines, a sign not of a dehumanized environment, but on the contrary of a human intelligence at work.

BINA BAITEL

Pull over
French-israeli-swedish architect-designer bina baitel‘s lighting transcends the interaction between light and material, combining technological innovation with french handcraft. Her newest collection of lighting objects is commissioned and produced by nextlevel galerie in paris.‘Pull-over’: baitel’s previously designed ‘pull-over’ tactile luminaire is now also being produced by nextlevel gallery. The skin of the design is a variable luminous source thanks to its flexible nature – the light bulb, dimmer and lampshade are one.

AmorphouStudio

Amorphoustudio’s ‘symbiotic towers’ in Jumeirah Gardens, Dubai consists of a residential, a hotel, and an office tower, connected on the ground level by a double-deck pedestrian shopping plaza. The connecting plaza creates two environments that can be used throughout the different seasons. The first environment, the lower deck, is a lavish green semi-shaded oasis level that is packed with trees and water to provide gathering zones for people during the hot summer season. It is located on the natural landscape level to be accessible to pedestrians from all sides.

Steven Chilton Architects

wuxi taihu show theatre design
The building’s appearance is composed of three primary elements, the columns, the shade canopy and the building envelope. Representing an abstract impression of a bamboo forest, the slender white columns are positioned around the perimeter of the building in such a way as to provide a screen between the building façade and surrounding landscape. The ‘bamboo’ columns clear around the various entrances to help frame the accesses into the building.

Raffaello D’Andrea and Max Dean

The Table
The Table is an autonomous robot with an automatic mechanized system able to react to unexpected movement or obstacles and to carry out one or more tasks by executing a program in a given environment. As is the case with most “prototypical” robotic works, or single editions, the basic physical components can be pre-manufactured then modified or custom built to meet specific needs. In the case of The Table, the control system and its algorithms were entirely conceived by Max Dean and Raffallo D’Andrea. All the components, including the wheels and motors, were also custom manufactured, giving the installation a unique character. The singular characteristic of this work lies in the robotic nature of the table and it’s capacity to operate in an environment specifically designed for it. For example, the shade of red painted on the floor is directly linked to the effective functioning of the camera and the control software. Also, the space lights used in the room produce a light that prevents the creation of shadows, which the software could mistakenly interpret as a physical presence.

SPLITTERWERK

bio intelligence quotient house
Dubbed the Bio Intelligent Quotient (BIQ) House, the approximately €5 million building was designed by Splitterwerk Architects and funded by the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA), a long-running exhibition series showcasing cutting edge techniques and architectural concepts, for this year’s International Building Exhibition – 2013.
A total of 129 algae culturing tanks are affixed to the East and West sides of the building via an automated external scaffolding structure that constantly turns the tanks towards the sun. The plant cultures are fed through an integrated tubing system, CO2 is pumped in as well. According to Arup’s Europe Research Leader, Jan Wurm, who collaborated with Splitterwerk on the project:The algae flourish and multiply in a regular cycle until they can be harvested. They are then separated from the rest of the algae and transferred as a thick pulp to the technical room of the BIQ. The little plants are then fermented in an external biogas plant, so that they can be used again to generate biogas. Algae are particularly well suited for this, as they produce up to five times as much biomass per hectare as terrestrial plants and contain many oils that can be used for energy.Not only do these tanks provide shade for every level of the building during the summer and biogas for heating during the winter, the facade itself collects excess heat not being used by the algae, like a solar thermal system. That heat can then either be used immediately or stored in 80-meter-deep, borine-filled borehole heat exchangers located under the structure. Total fossil fuels used in this process: zero.