Currently on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the London Design Festival, Mathieu Lehanneur presents a spectacular Liquid Marble table. Located in the V&A’s ornate Norfolk House Music Room, the table evokes a surreal vision of the sea, mimicking the look and feel of rippling water. Made of a single piece of hand-polished black marble, and designed using advanced 3D movie-making software, Liquid Marble reproduces the visual effect of a sea surface, gently touched by the wind. The structure reflects and distorts itself, and the intense black of the marble accentuates the color of the ocean as if it were fossilized in stone.
“I was inspired by the contrast between the deep silence of Liquid Marble and the luxurious decor of the Norfolk House Music Room, where the most beautiful symphonies were hosted,” stated Mathieu Lehanneur.
Currently on display at the Chelsea College of Art and Design as part of this year’s London Design Festival, The Smile is an impressive 34-meter long by 3.5-meter high (111.5 feet by 11.5 feet) rectangular tube that looks like a huge Chesire cat grin. It was created by Alison Brooks Architects in collaboration with Arup. Viewers are encouraged to wander through the hollowed interior and then walk up either of the two ramps which lead to open apertures with views of the sky.
What makes this structure so unique is that it’s the most complex structure ever to be made out of cross-laminated timber (CLT). As CNN states, “The Smile is an experimental building — part pavilion, part sculpture — designed to showcase the structural and spatial potential of a material that could transform the way architects and engineers approach timber construction.”
In essence, The Smile represents one of the most important developments in a decade of research into structural timber innovation.
Steel and concrete have been used as structural materials in buildings for centuries, the construction of this structure makes it a possibility that buildings could, one day, also be completely fabricated out of wood. CLT lends itself to prefabrication, it can be cut precisely in a factory and is easily assembled on site.
If you’re in London, you can see The Smile through October 12th.
Today, instead of putting up a typical blog post about art or photography, I thought I’d write an open letter to my sister, Carol. I’m not the gushy type, outside of Sam and my two boys, I’m not particularly warm (though I wish I was), but I feel that it’s important to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you. Sure, I could have done this privately, over email, but I feel compelled to share this.
You see, back when I was first diagnosed with bipolar, it was Sam and Carol who were there for me. Carol and I attended UCLA together and so we developed a close relationship during those formative years. I call her the better version of me, she’s smart, funny and compassionate. She’s the one I call when I’m feeling too stressed out or when I’m on the verge of another manic episode. She drops everything for me. She’s taught me that you can trust people but that the feelings of happiness and confidence come not from the validation from others but from within.
So here goes. (Carol’s nickname is Jae. It’s derived from her Korean name Jihae, which means “wisdom”.)
Dear Jae,
This letter is a long time coming. I’m not good with words, like you, but I didn’t want another moment to pass by without telling you how much you mean to me. Back when I was first diagnosed with bipolar, and I had to go the UCLA psych ward, where I spent six weeks locked up and away from my children, it was you who talked me down from the ledge. In the darkest moments of my life, you remained steady and strong. And for that, I thank you.
While in mania, I know I was difficult to deal with. I remember crying on the phone to you because I had just gotten into a big fight with Sam. You let me stay at your place but, more than that, you didn’t make me feel like something was wrong with me. You were patient and understanding, you knew that the storm would eventually pass and that things would return back to normal.
I admire you for the mother that you are to your three children and I’m thankful to have such a great role model. When you take Parker aside and reprimand him in a stern but caring way, you show me that you can love a child while still teaching him hard life lessons.
Thank you for always opening up your house to us. Sam and I see your place as our second home, you make it so comfortable. Also, thanks for always making me fresh guacamole. It never goes unnoticed.
Finally, thanks for the boost of confidence. Making the switch from running My Modern Met to becoming a real photographer is daunting and scary, but you give me the peps talks that I need.
This is easily one of my favorite photo competitions. The world’s largest, the Sony World Photography Awards, just revealed some of their stunning standout images in their 10th year. The 2017 competition is open until January 19, 2017, so photographers, you still have a lot of time to submit your pictures. What are they looking for?
“I will be looking for originality of thought and execution, clarity of vision – a clear concept that translates well into pictures on the wall or on the screen. Simplicity, good craftsmanship and sometimes its wit, or compassion, ingenuity, luck or good judgement – but a good picture always stops you in your tracks,” said Zelda Cheatle, Chair of the Professional competition.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on April 20, 2017. All winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited as part of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 21 – May 7, 2017.
My favorite online art store, The Colossal Shop, just added a new product and I’m in love with it! Called Rainbow Birds in Flight Papercraft Kit, by Paperwolf, it’s a series of seven colorful birds that you have to put together yourself. The DIY kit comes flat, with pre-cut and scored pieces, as well as an instruction manual, for you to build your own birds. Make sure you have some time on your hands, though. It takes about one hour to construct each bird.
About the creator: “Based in Stuttgart, Germany, Paperwolf is run by Wolfram Kampffmeyer. Wolfram started the business in 2010 as a side project to his computer animation career, and he continually adds animals to the lively menagerie.” (I love the fox and the eagle owl, too.)
I love how the birds look like they’re in the midst of flying. What beautiful sculptural pieces to hang on your wall.
Inside of my house I have all white walls. I prefer to have my colors come from art or home accessories, like pillows. These would be perfect!
Have you guys heard of Cuyana? The women’s clothing brand recently popped up on my radar while I was reading a Fast Company article. It was started by two women who believed that they could find customers “who would understand that having a full closet with too many different options is not necessarily better than one with fewer, more expensive items that they really love.” Basically, the idea is that less is more.
Who needs piles of cheap clothing when you can buy higher quality products that you love? The company has helped to pioneer a new trend in shopping, which they describe as the “lean closet” movement. They even came up with a motto, “Fewer, Better Things.”
Yesterday, I came across this Fast Company article: The Decline Of Premium American Fashion Brands. What Happened, Ralph And Tommy? It’s a very interesting read about how a lot of luxury brands have lust their luster, basically cannibalizing their own sales by offering cheaper, lower quality versions of their own clothing.
As a result, a new crop of brands have popped up like Everlane, DSTLD, and Cuyana.
I appreciate that these shops’ items aren’t extravagantly priced yet are high quality. Would you or have you shopped at these stores?
Right now, on Cuyana’s website, for $10, you can get a nifty guide to San Francisco. As Harper’s Bazaar states, “San Francisco-based clothing line Cuyana joined creative forces with indie travel magazine Cereal (the minimalist’s bible to places and spaces) to produce a beautiful, brand-new travel guide to the City by the Bay.”
Cuyana’s website states, “These places take a fewer, better approach to design. They all exude an aesthetic that has poetry in their meticulously created spaces, like the clean lines of coffee shop Saint Frank, or the soft colors that fill Song Tea and Ceramics. They are beautiful in their simplicity, and you will find that every element has its own story to tell.” Looking forward to taking a long weekend trip to San Francisco with Sam using this little guy.
Lastly, on a side note, the minimalist in me is loving all of Cuyana’s dresses.
The 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest is now underway! It kicked off on August 15 and will run until November 4. Photographers, if you win the grand prize, you’ll go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, 10 days for two to the Galápagos with National Geographic Expeditions. They’re looking for photos that showcase the awe-inspiring and diverse natural world around us. Though both wildlife and landscape photos can be submitted, I’ve selected only top wildlife photos in my post. (I can’t help it, I love animals.) Enter now!
Above: Bear Hug Brown Bears
Katmai National Park, Alaska
Photo and Caption by Aaron Baggenstos/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
The Best Spot on the Savannah
Female leopard gazing out over the savannah in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
Photo and Caption by Natashia B./2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Curious Lions
Using a wide-angle lens (16mm) on our remote-controlled camera buggy results in the background being smaller in shot and appearing further away. We fire the camera shutter using the same remote-control transmitter that we use to drive the buggy, allowing us a range of a couple of hundred meters although we rarely sit more than fifty metres away from camera.
Photo and Caption by Kym Illman/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Let’s Picnic
Yellowstone National Park, west thumb geyser basin, a perfect spot for picnic, and I mean not for human.
Photo and Caption by Qian Wang/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Tundra Ghost
Snowy owls are among my favorite birds on the planet. Their elusive nature and elegant flight make them a crown jewel to photograph. Repetition and persistence proved to be the key with this image. Using a slow shutter speed of 1/50 to create this “wing blur” effect I took well over 1,000 unusable photos over three weeks in the field to make this one frame. In this case, the high risk came with a high reward.
Photo and Caption by Aaron Baggenstos/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Swamp Raccoon
While looking for alligators at a swamp in Louisiana, this beautiful little creature wanders out of the murky waters right into the morning light , pausing just long enough to capture.
Photo and Caption by Kim Aikawa/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Wildebeest Migration
This is a photo of Wildebeest during migration in the Serengeti.
Photo and Caption by Hugh McCrystal/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Priceless
Two very precious endangered beasts gracing me with their presence under the stars in South Africa. So many of these rhino are now being dehorned to save them from poachers that this photographic moment is even more precious to me. A long exposure for the stars while light painting the rhino as they drank makes for an amazing moment captured.
Photo and Caption by Alison Langevad/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
I came across this series called Emergence, by Brooklyn-based artist Mark Dorf, and was immediately struck by its beauty. Shot in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Dorf combines photography and digital media in a harmonious way. I love the colors he uses, especially when he takes part of an image and selectively enhances it.
Dorf uses landscapes as a point of departure to analyze how new media technology has altered the ways in which we understand and think about the natural world.
As he explains, “Emergence repeatedly highlights the hyper-focal quality of science and the simultaneous representation of a single subject in multiple ways: photographs with pixels re-ordered by hue and saturation placed on top of the source image, landscapes split into planes representing measured division of space, and images taken from a single valley that were then rearranged to create the form of a fictional and abstracted mountain.”
It’s a beautiful and different way to appreciate nature. The graphic design/nature/photography-loving part of me finds this series refreshing and unique.
You can buy the book Emergence Volume I, which is limited to 150 copies, at In The In-Between. Each copy is individually signed and numbered by the artist. I want a print of one of these (or maybe even several) to hang on my wall.
Hello, I’m Alice Yoo! I’m founder and CEO of Skylar Yoo, a company dedicated to inspiring and empowering women to be bold. We sell apparel, art prints and accessories to the modern feminist.
In my former life, I was editor-in-chief of the art and culture blog My Modern Met, which I founded back in 2007. I curated and wrote about art, design and photography for more than seven years. (In fact, I published over 7,000 articles which were seen by millions of people worldwide.) I’m also co-author of a book called For Love: 25 Heartwarming Celebrations of Humanity, which is on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
I live in southern California along with my husband and my two toddler boys.
This blog is about what I love, the tough experiences that I’ve learned from, and my journey as a second time entrepreneur. Right now, I’m in the midst of a 365 day challenge, to read one book a day. If you share my passions or want to learn some cool new facts, come along for the ride. I hope to inspire, educate and entertain you!
