SLOW

“50% sawdust” is a project that evolved from the auto-production design, conceived by israeli-based “Kulla Design Studio”.

The three young designers have creating them one material — combination of two different worlds of waste, wooden sawdust and plastic bags (without the use of any adhesive) — and them one way to manufacture it, thus creating new aesthetic qualities, applications and life for the two constituents.

SLOW

“Non-sign II” is an installation conceived by the art collective “Lead Pencil Studio” located at the canada-US border near vancouver.

The sculpture is made from small stainless steel rods that are assembled together to create the negative space of a billboard.

While most billboards draw attention away from the landscape, “Non-Sign II” suggest to frames natural spaces, focusing attention back on them.

lead pencil studio: non-sign II

SLOW

This Soup Set was conceived in 2003 by the Dutch designer Hella Jongurius in ordered to the Dutch ceramic factory Tichelaar Makkum. Hella Jongurius create the design with the brief to honor the skills of glaze painters. Her project tell the different steps of a painting on ceramic object : she present patterns in different step of progress from a piece to an other and add the percentage of finishing in the bowl like a part of the decoration. The designer look for raising users of the needs of time who require the implementation of a painting on porcelain draw by hand.

(via Soup Set - Jongeriuslab)

SLOW

This lamp was conceived by NEXT architects and Aura Luz Melis. From it design to it working the light — an halogen lamp shrouded in a vegetal oil inside the spherical glass — are slow : when turn on the opaque and solid oil start to thin down by heat and become more and more translucent (transparent). This process act slowly behind our eyes, to increase luminosity. 

Droog store | Lighting | Slow glow lamp

SLOW

During the Milan Design Week 2004, the conceptual Dutch design company “Droog Design”  offered to taste the Slow spirit. This experience was named “Go Slow” and will be exported for various occasions in Rotterdam, London et Tokyo.

Designers presented a restoration service voluntarily slow by the cultural aspects of wining and dining with honest food, traditional products, small-scale producers en regional specialities as demanding by Carlo Petrini (cf “About”).

A “Senior waiter” concept was implemented for a slow but careful service made by old people. A way for designers to denounce the actually youthism (cult of youth) lead by society. It’s promoted inter-generational solidarity and agree with waiting time.

Special attention was gave on relaxation : the scene took place in a immaculate atmosphere, massage was given by the waiter, lunch was served on trays under which a pillow allowed to fix all of it comfortably on knees, dry footpath of peddles was offered…

This experience introduced the aspiration of Slowness movement : act Slow suggest to reconsider the speeding of life and the quest of productivism due to our industrial society. It’s living in a human and ecological way. It’s being more respectful of present and future generation and local culture.

Droog Design

SLOW

This mobile phone concept by London designer Patrick Hyland can be charged by the heat in your pocket. 

Dezeen » Blog Archive » Nokia E-Cu by Patrick Hyland

NOT SLOW - BUT NOT SAD

Once upon a time, in the last village of Paris, I named Montmartre, a garbage truck was driving around streets to do its job. Between move and stop, it made life difficult for the Parisian drivers who were stuck behind it, forced to wait. But one of them decreed otherwise. She decided to honk as loud as possible to hurry things. But she was right next to a terrace outside a café. Her impatience disturbed all the street, then the waiter of the café throw a bucket of water at her car. Ashamed, the driver decided to stop her car and to call the police, standing in a ten cars way. At this time, the garbage truck was already far away. Now the best part: all the other drivers get out of their car and decided to carry the impatient lady’s car out of their way to free the road.

Paris, je t’aime.

SLOW

Earth likes to remember us how illusory is our power on it.

 Information Is Beautiful

SLOW

LA 81 Safe Radio is an environmental friendly radio made of bio-plastics taken from bamboo plants. This radio by Laxon can be powered either by AC or crank powered, functioning not only as an AM/FM radio but as speakers for mp3 players. Design by the Elium Studio.

LA 81 Safe Radio by Lexon

SLOW

Mingei spirit, a cult of durability.

Mingei minds, literally ” popular artisanat”.

It’s an artistic movement initiated by the Japanese philosopher Sôetsu Yanagi in 1925. The Mingei spirit match with the value of the english movement Arts & Craft by its willpower to defend popular arts and cultural originality of populations.

The Mingei advocate “USEFUL object”, attractive for eyes, pleasant to use, companion to everyday life. It’s made naked object with a basic delicacy of shape who make him impervious to the fashion industry. It’s not a one-life object. It refuse Luxe and superfluous, prefer bearness and fluidity. Mingei artisanat look for a sincerity work witch don’t want to seduce.

When the Arts & Crafts went against the sudden rise of industry and its cheaply-made product, Mingei’s movement proposed solutions to improve everyday object unless questioning industry and artisanat. In that way, designers are invited to iniate them on Mingei’s Principe, like Charlotte Perraind, with the goal to open him on industrial production in agreement to its value.

Mingei’s spirit looks a way to the designers to create. This one needs to submit himself to a conscience of morality. He’s goals is to lead artisans and collaborate with industry to give born at a new tradition by reformation and improving production’s quality. According to Yanagi, artisans and industry needs to be educated through them duty and responsibility, and the society needs to improve its taste of estheticism in a same way.

SLOW

City is harmful to brain.

Between potential threat due to circulation, urban life and consumeristic temptation our brain is subject to innumerable stimuli which ask him an unbroken work. If it looks insignificant, this mental suractivity is extremely exhausting, as it runs one of the principal weak spot of the brain: its capacity to concentrate.

Natural habitats too are full of objects which get our attention, but they don’t active negative emotional responses (unlike car and crowd).

Perhaps can we learn to built cities less aggressive and more respectful with the cognitive limits of the brain.

For now, the spanish architecture agency Selgascano make some jealous… Draw by the architect  Iwan Baan , them offices take place on the nature heart.

For more (in French) Comment la ville nuit-elle à notre cerveau ?