Catch the beast! 09/19/2010
 © neozoon.org  © neozoon.org  © neozoon.org "There! A human! For heaven's sake! Catch the beast! — Planet of the Apes, 1968. An line that appropriately sums up Neozoon's philosophy. Neozoon is a street art collective based in Paris and Berlin. They seek to heighten our awareness of the way we treat animals, and the relationship we have with animals and birds. Initially the art was flat on the wall, but a recent collection consists of 3-dimensional animals as well. There is something intriguing and chilling about the imagery created. The Bah Bah Blacksheep slaughterhouse area in Dresden has a line of sheep, each one numbered along the wall. It's an artistic expression that also makes you stop in your tracks and think about what we do to animals. It reflects on our heartlessness towards them as well. Though just silhouettes, each sheep is life-like, lively and original, right from their numbers to their yellow ear tags. A street in Paris has shown fur-coat recycling, a streak of life like creatures racing and leaping around the corner. It makes a strong statement, without destroying the character of the area. Lynxes, from the Urban Art Festival Madrid 2010 is also freakishly real. On the tamer side there is Cats (Urban Art Festival Madrid 2010), which is playful, domestic and harmless. There are lambs gazing at you in Berlin. Manteltier in Berlin is one of their 3-dimensional exhibits, and combines and fun and macabre in a surreal way. A kangaroo in Paris might just make you stop while walking by. There is also a bunch of pedigree dogs in Berlin, that you can see on their site, along with magnificent bulls, standing bears, pigs, wolves, foxes and more. A pretty unusual take on street art. All these are created from actual discarded fur coats, which adds to the realism and is truly confrontational for us humans. The location of some of the displays, such as the sheep on one of the oldest slaughterhouses of Paris adds to the meaning. A piece of street art that makes us think about the way we treat animals. The realism of actual fur shaped into life like forms makes the horror of killing animals real. Do visit their site, for more on the furry friends, and check out their videos. You can read more about them here too. How do they make it? Check out the video here. By Armeen Kapadia 2 Comments Esthetically fashioned 03/03/2010
 © fromsomewhere.co.uk  © fromsomewhere.co.uk  © elvisandkresse.com  © christopherraeburn.co.uk The British Fashion Council has an eco sensitive initiative known as Estethica, now in its seventh season at the London Fashion Week. This initiative, one of the first of its kind, has seen some rapid growth, from 13 to 18 designers. It encourages ethical designers competing in the mainstream. Some of the designers are reusing materials you wouldn't look twice at, and creating great looking stuff at that, while others are focussing on naturally grown materials, and fair trade. Take a look at the work of Elvis and Kresse, the people who seem healthily obsessed with waste. Some of the material they work with includes old fire-hose, coffee sacks, parachute silk and more. See their products, bags, belts, wallets, and they looks as good as new, if not better. Their packaging too, is made of re-used material, with product labels that are printed on the back of used Air Traffic Control Strips. Another designer doing some pretty nifty work is Christopher Raeburn, who makes parachutes into must-possess jackets and the like. The jackets are made from military parachute fabric, and looking at them you wouldn't believe it. The lines of the parachutes are transformed into trendy outer wear. From Somewhere have been creating women's wear since 1997, from the waste created in the designing phase such as proofs, swatches, cut-out left overs and ends of materials. Each piece is individually unique, but they are still reproducible in large numbers. Each piece is made from high-quality left-overs of the fashion industry, things that are usually unwanted and ignored, but still beautiful and usable. Run by Orsola de Castro and Fillippo Ricci, their strategy is simple and brilliantly effective. Use the fashion industry production surplus and leftovers, completing the circle of creation and consumption. Incidentally, Orsola and Fillippo are the co-founders and creators of Esthetica. Izzy Lane Ethical Fashion creates woolen garments that mostly come from their own sheep, and the Shetland Collection is entirely undyed as the natural colour of the wool is best. The shoe collection is totally animal-friendly with no animal derived products used. Izzy Lane is also concerned with creating the entire garment exclusively in Britain, and use what little is left of their textile industry. Kayu is an ethical and ecologically conscious line of accessories, the high-point of which are sunglasses handcrafted from bamboo. Their clutch bags are made from a women's cooperative and feature natural materials such as shell and straw. Founded by Jamie Lim, Kayu funds one sight-restoring surgery for each pair of glasses sold. There are other designers here too such as Sonya Kashmiri, who only uses a special tanning process, and Minna, who re-use old lace, and design waste to create stylish pieces. Nina Dolcetti shoes are outrageous and hand-made, yet create minimum waste, and avoid tanning. Estethica labels selected for 2010 are here. A great initiative that can create new paradigms in the industry, and encourages designers to be more ethically and ecologically conscious. By Armeen Kapadia A roof over your head 01/27/2010
  http://www.lavoutenubienne.org Ten years ago in Burkina Faso, a landlocked African county, a small change started in the way people built their homes. Today that provides employment to many and is a growing way of life. It involves the construction of a simple vaulted earth roof, which was the traditional way of building for centuries, till it was replaced by other, less viable materials like tin roofs. The Earth Roofs for the Sahel, is a programme that is part of the Association la Voute Nubienne, (AVN) an NGO registered in France and Burkina Faso, in 2000. It promotes the construction of timberless valuted earth brick houses, using a well known technique known as la Voute Nubienne (VN). The VN technique is actually an adaptation of an age old technique of building houses from the Nubian region of Egypt. The country has two seasons, a rainy one for around 4 months, and the rest of the year is the hot season with winds from the Sahara. Traditional building used earth walls, thatched roofs and some timber, but with population growth the use of timber for construction is illegal or too expensive. People often resort to sheet metal or timber beams. These materials drain family resources, sheet metal gets corroded, and they are often imported from outside at high expense. Sheet metal also has poor heat and sound insulation. The first prototype of a VN construction in Boromo, Burkina Faso, was built as a challenge by Thomas Granier and Séri Youlou in 1998. Next year, a VN house was built, and the Association la Voute Nubienne was founded in 2000 to promote the VN technique as a solution for affordable, sustainable housing in the Sahel. The vault roof is built without a timber support. The roof is waterproofed using locally produced plastic sheeting over a smooth coating of mud. This way of building is not only ecologically and economically sound, but also socially viable, and all these three parameters are essential in a country that occupies the sixth to last place on the Human Development Index. Local masons are trained, and they in turn employ apprentices once they become master masons. After some experience, master masons become independent entrepreneurs. The AVN helps them through the process, and helps the entrepreneurs develop a client pool through communication and networking. Till today approximately 235 houses and 20 public buildings (including schools, dispensaries, churches and mosques) have been built. Over 115 masons have been trained and there are currently 170 apprentices. Houses using the VN technique are more comfortable, healthy and durable. They are also safer, less prone to collapse and better in extremes of climate. They can be easily built with local materials and labour, most houses are built by bartering crops and/or labour. The families cover the housing and material cost, with AVN only covering a margin of labour and training costs. Now AVN has to cover less and less, which is a healthy sign of an active, self-sustaining system. The project is generating income and employment for many, and there have been over 7000 beneficiaries till date. The number of apprentices is increasing, which means more masons to carry out further training in the future. The vaulted roof can be converted to a flat terrace roof and the technique allows for later extension of a building, even adding a second storey onto an existing single storey building. The simplicity of this technique, (you can read more about it here) and its involvement of the local community are key to its success. It does not require fancy equipment, skill, or technical know-how. While giving people a better way to live, it also provides a means of livelihood, essential in such places. It has led to a major reduction in the use of imported materials, as it uses local materials, earth and water, and deforestation has also reduced. The poorest of families in remote rural areas are also building with this technique. Money saved by building this way is used for health or education. This technique thrives because it stays as close to the people it was meant for, as possible. It is an innovation not only in design, but also in system. It traditionally comes from their own culture, it draws on local materials and skill, and creates independent entrepreneurs, reducing dependence on the mother NGO, and outside resources. Do have a look at the video below. By Armeen Kapadia Eating off leaves 09/11/2009
 VerTerra dishes Michael Dwork, founder and CEO of VerTerra, was inspired by the Indian leaf plate when he visited India. Since then he has been constantly refining that simple organic plate. On similar lines, VerTerra focuses on producing more durable and versatile single-use products. The products can be used to bake in the oven, store in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. VerTerra is rooted in the Latin phrase 'Veritas terra' or 'true to the earth'. The VerTerra dinnerware is made from fallen leaves that they borrow and then returned to the earth. The methods that Verterra uses to produce its quality dinnerware is sustainable. Most of VerTerra's dinnerware are made in South Asia by creating hundreds of fair-wage jobs. The company claims that their craftspeople are well-supported financially, provided healthcare and safe working conditions. Their top priority is to be true to the earth. Although water is used to clean gathered leaves, no trees are cut, and over 80% of the water is recaptured and reused. The dinnerware is 100% free of chemicals, lacquers, glues, bonding agents or anything toxic. VerTerra has won many awards for its innovation. The products are stylish, versatile and compostable. The dinnerware is light and looks like a beautifully grained piece of wood. It is rugged and feels almost like thin bamboo. But it is the strangeness that is so attractive. The thickness of the plates gives no hint them being disposable products. They replace paper or plastic plates in over 500 parties and events across the globe. It takes about 62 days for a plate to fully decompose. A set of eight 6-inch plates retails for $4.99. Via its website, customers can directly buy VerTerra products. Critics haven't been able to report anything negative even after abusing the plates and bowls. VerTerra's products are so good that they are now the official serviceware of the Statue of Liberty. Price is a crucial factor that stops people from buying such products. In recent years, the cost of their products have been cut by 50%, making them as affordable as disposable products. Their factories use 10% of the energy that most recycled paper plate factories use. The leaf-scrap that is left while making the plates is crushed into powder and provided as fertilizer to the farmers who send leaves to VerTerra. A manufacturing plant only produces around 2-3 regular trash bins worth of waste in an entire month. Michael Dwork regrets the fact that all items are put in recycled plastic shrink wrap for hygenic reasons. He wishes there was a way around that use of plastic, but it is necessary. There are no other heat and water stable materials that will ensure that customers get the product in a sanitary condition, but he will happily entertain suggestions. The only complaint that he has got in 9 months of selling is that people feel bad throwing them away since they feel so sturdy and look so attractive. These products are the biodegradable, aesthetically pleasing dinnerware and they are as green as it gets. Do see the interview with Michael Dwork. By Sanjay Basavaraju Paper made from poop 08/10/2009
 Promotional products © poopoopaper.com We have heard of eco-friendly paper, recycled paper, paper made from waste fibres and the rest of it. Here is a paper, that’s literally made from waste material. The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company Limited is making paper, and some really nice gift items, all from elephant dung. Asian elephants are found in India, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and Borneo. Elephants are mostly domesticated, and very few remain in the wild now. In Sri Lanka, the elephant has been under threat in recent times, though it was revered in Buddhist tradition. Elephants are often killed and wounded when they come in contact with human habitation and destroy crops. An eco-friendly solution to this problem is the manufacture of paper and paper products from elephant dung. Farmers can now co-exist with the elephant, and have a mutually beneficial relationship with them. Elephant dung is in constant supply, and can easily be collected by the villagers. An elephant produces about 100 kgs of dung per day. An elephant eats coconut leaves, jackfruit leaves, palmyra leaves and other vegetation rich in fibre. Around 60% of this fibre leaves its body undigested. The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company collects naturally dried dung from national parks, and brings it to the paper-making factory. The dung is then rinsed with water, leaving only the fibrous material behind. The fibres are then boiled thoroughly to ensure that they are perfectly clean and smell-free. Colour can also be added at this stage. Natural fibres from banana trees and pineapples are added to strengthen the paper. The fibre is spread over a mesh, and left to dry in the sun for a few hours. And then your poo-poo paper is ready. Visit the Poo-tique to see the range of products the company makes. These make attractive and useful gift items. The company was started in 2002, and now has distributes products in many countries worldwide. Initially their products were expensive, but they worked to modify the production process, and today they have a great product line, with a positive ecologically responsible message. As the site says, they are products with a purpose. Such paper is also made in Thailand. An end product becomes a base of manufacturing for another product. The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company is ‘Number one at number two’. Do see the video below. By Armeen Kapadia The Braille Tyepwriter 08/04/2009
 The Next Generation Perkins/APH Mechanical Braille Writer Braille, an essential communication system, needs communication devices to make it more usable and accessible. One such device is the Next Generation Perkins/APH Mechanical Braille Writer, designed and developed by the Perkins School for the Blind and American Printing House for the Blind. In the end of the nineteenth century several different tactile reading and writing systems were in use. They depended on the slate and stylus, tools developed by Charles Barbier and Louis Braille. The slate and stylus allow for a quick and consistent method of embossing Braille writing. David Abraham, a wood-working teacher at the Perkins School for the Blind, first produced the original Perkins Brailler, a Braille typewriter, in 1951. It has since been used in over 170 countries worldwide. A Braille typewriter has six keys, each corresponding to one of the six dots of the Braille code. It also has a backspace, a space key, and a line space key. Prior to the invention of this typewriter, it was relatively difficult and cumbersome to write Braille. The Next Generation Perkins Brailler, developed in 2008, is more ergonomically designed, requiring less force to type. It is also smaller, lighter, and quieter. The redesign of the Brailler started with exhaustive international user research, among those who use and know the Brailler best. The product designers, along with engineers, questioned children, adults and teachers in the US, Malawi, South Africa and India, across all age groups. Through the research, they also gained other insights such as the need to erase a Braille error without scratching it out with your nail, or a wooden eraser. The ability to adjust the margins without reaching to the back of the machine was necessary. Users wanted to read what has just been brailled without supporting the page with one hand and reading with the other. It is more environmentally friendly, comes in fun colours, and is has tactile design elements. The Next Generation Perkins/APH Mechanical Braille Writer is one of the forty-seven silver award winning ideas at the IDEA awards. You can read more about it’s new features here. Do see the video below, which explains the redesign. By Armeen Kapadia Glowing in the wind 07/31/2009
 Tom Lawton, and the Firewinder We hear a lot about solar powered lights, but now there is a unique wind-powered light. Firewinder is a revolutionary decorative outdoor light, which lights up as the wind blows. In a soft breeze it gently glows, and in strong winds it lights up brightly. Firewinder is shaped like pasta spiraling upwards, the edges of which have LED lights. The turbine moves depending on how fast the wind blows, making the light respond to subtle changes in the environment, and enabling you to ‘see the wind’. It requires no batteries, mains power, or wiring, it has two brackets that make it easy to install and remove anywhere outdoors, and it is made to face the elements. As the website says, “While the aesthetics have been primarily influenced by the aerodynamic performance of the product, it was important to create a universally appealing form, which would fit in well with any outdoor environment; for this, inspiration was drawn from the naturally spiraling geometry of plants & shells, as well as a few seeds, insects and a 'living fossil' called the Nautilus.” Tom Lawton, a product designer, is the inventor of the Firewinder, and created it out of his desire to ‘see the wind’. He hopes his invention will inspire people to think about the awesome power and beauty of alternative energies that surround us. He says in an interview, “The obvious place to start is with imagination, without that you're never going to think in an original way. You have to dare to dream and be prepared to reject most of your ideas, but that's the fun - Imagineering is what I heard someone once call it. It definitely helps if you're optimistic. People so often seem to create their own barriers through negativity and pessimism and not allow themselves to dream. Then, if you think hard enough and ask the right questions, you start to invite inventive ideas. But that doesn't make the inventor, it's the 'doing' that counts, as so many people have ideas but nothing comes of them because they don't believe they can make them happen and they don't do anything about it. Inventors are not born with a special skill set; it's nurtured by learning from everything around.” He explains how the Firewinder came about, “Design to me is very much a form of self expression and Firewinder started out as a kind of art project, I wanted to experiment with creating lighting effects from the wind - it was November time in 2001 and the nights were creeping in - I wanted to create something that lifted people's moods in bad weather. I had also been searching for a project that would allow me to utilise all I had learned about minimising the environmental impact of my designs in a movement towards sustainable product design. As the days flowed and thoughts transpired I began to visualise a spiralling light that breathed with the wind, reacting to variations in wind speeds with delicate glows and mesmerising forms. Most importantly, the effect had to be an upward spiral. Slowly and surely Firewinder came to life.” You can see more videos of the Firewinder here, though apparently it is more impressive in reality. The Firewinder website sums it up perfectly, “Let there be light, from the wind in the night.” By Armeen Kapadia Enabled by design 07/27/2009
 The Ironing Board Mirror Enabled by Design is a site that’s “all about people powered products”. Enabled by Design is a community concerned with finding ways to transform equipment for people with disabilities, by making it more useful, aesthetically pleasing, and funky. Why should the image of assistive equipment be boring and drab? Costa Rica: Lessons for design 07/10/2009
 Today we are covering something that many may feel does not relate directly to design, but design can learn lessons from the small and peaceful country of Costa Rica, a country in Central America, and the first in the world to abolish its standing army. Diamonds with a difference 07/09/2009
 'Amore' ring made from cubic zirconia diamonds Mining of diamonds has a considerable harmful impact on the land, and the people of the area. DIAZ Fine Jewelry is a company dedicated to producing ‘green’ diamonds, which are made entirely in a lab, with no devastating effects on communities in resource-rich countries. |   Every monthSeptember 2010 CategoriesAll |
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