tree huts & high rises

These rugged tree houses, by Tadashi Kawamata, do not fit into the concrete, slick, skyscraper paradigm of New York City, but this is exactly why they are so perfect here. They create a great contrast to the glass high rises that surround Madison Square Park, and makes this part of Manhattan feel a little more suburban.

be seen, be safe

ouch!

This is the third shattered iphone I have come across in the past two months. It's unbearable to see the smooth, silky glass cracked like an eggshell in so many different places. In fact, I have noticed one too many broken iphones that I am pleasantly surprised when I find one in tact. What's the deal? The iphone revolutionized the cell phone category with its lake-like touch screen, simple casing, and inexplicable magic. It seems so wrong for it to look like a pair of gym sneakers. 

The iphone above belongs to Peter who dropped it while someone tried to rob him of it. His situation is understandable, but he admitted that his roommate's iphone was also cracked. Why can't people just hold on to these beautifully expensive devices? Is it too sexy and sleek for it's own good? One more slip, and you may find out.

the power of palm

My father, the most Gandhi-loving, energy-conserving, tree-hugging person I know called me tonight to tell me about an article he found in Time magazine about sustainable, throw-away dishes.

I love the square and hexagonal shapes of the palm-steamed verterra plates instead of the conventional round ones. It really separates itself from the costco-going, bj-bargaining consumer market and brings disposable to a whole new green-chic level.

The article brought me back to my vacation days in India when occasionally we ate our meals on large, flat banana leaves, which are wonderfully waterproof for all those curries. They are used especially during weddings in India when the entire village participates.

I couldn't help but feel my father encouraging me to find inspiration from our own culture for eco-friendly innovations. I was born in Kerala, India -the land of coconut trees, and quite possibly the place where Mike Dwork sourced his palm, and established his million-dollar business.

eye spy

This sculpture is like a giant video camera, and when inside I felt like I was part of a covert operation. The installation, called 'Vergence,' is based on the idea of a pinhole camera. Several holes are cut into the four sides of this structure and a lens is placed at each of the holes. Light refracts through the glass and projects the moving, outside scene up-side down onto hanging, plastic sheets. It's quite entertaining to figure out the mystery of this piece while standing in the darkness within and viewing the world without (you).

vergence - the simultaneous movement of both eyes in opposite directions to obtain or maintain single binocular vision - wikipedia.org

$2.25

Every college campus has one- the pizzeria that provides the default, cheap, easy meal to be consumed walking or standing while carrying books, plastic tubes, foam core, or whatever hodge-podge of supplies art students need. Slices are for $2.25 and now you can actually sit and enjoy the greasy goodness. The owners of Luigi's converted a gigantic, sidewalk, cement planter into an outdoor table and threw in some folding chairs; a great, urban, space-crunch solution. Although you can't put your legs under, it's a resourceful approach to designing around the environment, as well as an interesting way to redefine an object.

classic

I have never been so excited about a car before, not even when I worked on the Nissan Cube. The details on the classic citroens are just amazing. Why don't they make cars like this anymore?? Yah... I know $$.

After seeing one of these, I don't want another vehicle. The owner got his first classic citroen in high school, which makes me feel like it's not impossible. They are so beautifully designed. The thin, elegant steering wheel, the delicate windshield wipers, the metal rearview mirrors. It's like wind and love and paris rolled up on the side of the industrial design building. oooh la la.

greeking out

Some sketches I did on the Greek collection at the Met. The Greeks really love their wine and all the vesicles used to hold it. I enjoy the different accented handles they put on almost everything. In fact, much of the pottery looks like giant goblets that can be used by 10 people at a time. Cheers to sharing!

flower power

I was in search of some awesome, wonderfully white-and-grey, organically-inspired patterned paper for our invitations. What I found instead were Zoe Bradley's flower creations at Kate's Paperie. So I looked up origami flower-making and now I'm considering making our floral arrangements for the wedding rather than importing orchids from South America; it would definitely be a more sustainable option. I just wish there were ten of me! You know... enough to make 150 invitations and 10 gigantic, cascading floral centerpieces. I'm small, but I like to THINK BIG.


Pink Bouquet Rose For Your Valentine's Day Admirer/ Lover - These bloopers are hilarious

fire and ice

Tada! My first completed assignment for the fall semester. The effects of human activities on the ecosystem, particularly national parks. I over think everything! Most of the time to my disadvantage, but coming up with a way to relate all the cards using a backdrop of mountain ranges with endangered species snow silhouettes actually got me a round of applause from my 'sustainable methods' class. The more immediate, obvious effects of human activities in national parks are on the first cards and the long term affects are toward the back. The snow caps are prominent at first, fade and then disappear by the last card. The blue sky depicts some of the positive things that humans are doing to help the environment. I definitely over-did this week-long project, but I'm just on fire after a long summer vacation. I just hope the enthusiasm doesn't melt any time soon.

[ID]entity crisis

Summing up your personality, work ethic, style and creativity on a 3.5" x 2" business card can become grounds for an identity crisis. Yesterday, I had an hour to design a business card for the Pratt Show where our stylized Nissan Cubes would be on display outside of the Manhattan Show Center. The exercise made me self-conscious and I wondered how other industrial designers did it, like do you make sure it says 'designer' or maybe 'industrial designer?' I will probably continue to change it until I retire, but here is an attempt to make a statement. I ended up giving one card to a student illustrator, Danielle Criswell, whose work I liked and wanted to buy, and spent the rest of the time picking up other business cards. Really, a successfully designed business card is hard to come by. It is a lot like good poetry - simple yet evocative.

Take Your Time

Although I enjoyed the 3D furniture sketches, the pixel tape, and the chocolate nipples displayed in the 'Design and the Elastic Mind' exhibit at the MOMA, I loved the works of Olafur Eliasson's in 'Take Your Time.' On the floor marked by orange florescent lighting and mirror installations, Eliasson immerses you in his work. The 'aha' moment comes as you wait for the lights to change, or the hanging mirror to complete its rotation, which is exactly what I needed after a busy year of design school - to stop and experience a new landscape.