tdmangione

2008-05-07T19:39:00.002-04:00

Gold Leafing

In the last week I have been working on trying to make a wax mold that looks like a somewhat authentic gold bar with some success. Since then I have been researching and learning the technique of applying gold leafing to a portion of my fish skeleton. I thought that maybe someone might be interested in using this technique in the future so I have included the instructions below:

Gold size is painted onto the surface to be gilded with a brush (clean brush with mineral spirits afterward),
allowed to dry until it is tacky to the touch.
tests for correct tackiness by touching the surface with the knuckle (less likely to be greasy). "It should not stick, but when pulled away, you should feel a slight pull and hear a slight 'tick'."
too wet, it will work its way up through the gold leaf and leave a sticky surface. If it is too dry the leaf will not adhere.
work in a draft-free environment.
You can apply the entire sheet at one time on larger surfaces using a "gilder's tip" (a soft brush the same width as the leaf),
or you can tear off smaller pieces of leaf and apply them with a small brush. A natural bristle brush (sable) can be used.
The leaf is picked up with the brush by charging the brush with static electricity (traditionally by rubbing the brush on one's hair). The leaf will attach to the electrically charged brush, but will easily disengage from the brush when touched to the size surface.
When the surface is covered, burnish the gold leaf onto the size gently with the brush or a cotton swab. It can then be burnished further with a fingertip.
A second layer of gold leaf may be applied over the first, by applying more size and following the same procedure. This is useful in applications where a thicker layer of gold is required.
Gold leaf will not tarnish and therefore doesn't need any other surface treatment. (The imitation leaf does.) If you want to give it a protective coating, you can spray with a clear acrylic spray or clear lacquer (Krylon, Tremclad, urethane - matte finish or gloss). Make certain size is totally dry before applying protective coating.

2008-04-25T17:41:00.003-04:00

Fish Skeletons

Have been working on preparing my fish skeleton the last few days but not much luck - after removing flesh and soaking in meat tenderizer, the bones ended up being very thin and fell apart. I am going to finish the process just to see the result. The next step is to soak in acetone to degrease and then to soak in bleach to whiten. I am going to have to start with a larger fish this time, maybe a salmon instead of a small perch. I also went on-line and came across a fish skeleton expert in Florida - all kinds of people out there! He charges about $300 and up for his skeletons - but he has a few skeletons that are a bit broken up that he is willing to donate for my project. As long as they are recognizible then I think they will work. Never thought I would spend so much time fooling around with dead fish!

2008-04-23T14:57:00.002-04:00

Soap Making - Email Responses

I had mentioned earlier that I would be sending emails to nearby soap makers in Maryland. I'm excited that I received 3 responses from my original 4 that were sent out. I wanted to share one response that I felt was very helpful - maybe if you decide to make soap in the future it may come in handy. I also wanted to post this as a reminder that there are many talented crafts people out there that are very willing to help out students in any way they can - just a friendly email does the trick!

----- Original Message -----
From: Tracy D. Mangione
To: anne@earthsgardensoaps.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 3:34 PM
Subject: Need Help
Hi,
I am a resident in Baltimore, have looked at your website and was wondering if you would be willing to help me -- I am a student a Towson University and I am taking a casting class this semester. My next project is casting with alternative materials instead of bronze as I have done previously. I was studying about the process of gold mining and the damaging effects it has on our environment. I decided that soap would be a good medium to work in for my project and was hoping that you could help me. I have done a bit of research on the web and think that clear glycerin soap may be my best choice. I am making a mold so that the soap will have the form of U.S. Mint Gold Bars. There will be 6 bars (3 representing the pollution of the rivers and 3 representing the destruction of the land). I was wondering if:

you are able to add dirt, fish bones, rocks, seashells to glycerin soap?
Can seaweed (dried or alive?) be added to glycerin soap – will it cure correctly?
Is there a brand and color number that would give me a good ocean blue and or earth green
Is there a favorite brand of oil that may smell of sea/salt or earth and one that may smell foul like
Pollution?
Is there any ingredients that I could add to final bars to show pollution – murky waters?
Is there any ingredients that could be added to give it a gold shimmer around the edges?
Will this have to be poured in layers to keep things from floating?
Are there any other tips you can recommend for making glycerin soap?

Any advice you are willing to give me would be greatly appreciated. Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Tracy Mangione

Response:
Dear Tracy,

I love your project! Although I make cold-process soap the old-fashioned way, I can answer some of your questions. I make a "dirt" soap and I include coffee grounds, kaolin clay, oats, cornmeal and pumice. It looks just like dirt and feels gritty after the first use. (It is smooth when it is cut and the water from its first use exposes the grit).
Majestic Mountain Sage sells an "earth" fragrance. Hunters use it so they can mask their own scent while hunting.

The gold shimmer can be added with mica dust. I use it on my Mayan Gold soap. You just dip your gloved finger into the powder and rub it around the edge of the soap.

Dried herbs like thyme can mimic seaweed or forest leaves. I use herbs in many of my soaps and they do not float. Soap is too thick for things to float when it is poured.

You can add any of the ingredients you mentioned (shells, bones, etc.). Also, you can mix strongly brewed coffee with 1/2 a batch and swirl it into the clear half when pouring.

The Chemical Store www.chemistrystore.com sells liquid soap colors and Emerald and Brill Blue sound like they might work for you.

As for adding salt: Salt will pull the glycerin out of your soap and you will have sticky puddles. Perhaps you could add ground plastic to mimic this.

There are "ocean fragrances" available, but not any foul smelling ones. I don't know how ammonia would react with soap, but it smells really bad. If you do it, I suggest doing it outside or with really good ventilation in case it gives off fumes!

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions as your project progresses.

Best regards,
Anne Mann
Pamper yourself with Earth's Garden Soaps www.earthsgardensoaps.com

2008-04-22T17:43:00.004-04:00

Final Project (Materials) - Gold Mining and Effect on Environment

For my last project in casting, I have decided to move forward with my idea on how gold mining effects the land and sea. I decided to use real fish bone skeletons that will be added to my soap mixture. Was not sure what you can and can not add to soap -- did not want a problem with it curing correctly. I have contacted by email some local soap makers and I am waiting on a response on how to incorporate bones, dirt, rocks, plants, etc. into the prepared soap. I hope I get some answers, if not -- I will do my own experimenting. I spent part of today calling seafood markets and pet stores in order to get a fish skeleton. I was surprised that the fish markets I contacted were unwilling or unable to help me. This would have been my best source because I could get a larger specimen and the meat would have already been removed. Instead, Pet Smart was willing to give me some dead fish - gross! Looked up ways on how to clean bones from flesh:

http://www.ipa.min-cultura.pt/cipa/zoo/pubs/articles/preparing-skeletons.pdf

On preparing animal skeletons – a simple and effective method
Takes as little as a few hours

First a few words of caution. Preparing animal skeletons does require some care where health and safety are concerned. We never prepare animals that have died of unknown causes. Rubber gloves are recommended when preparing a carcass.

Begin by: skin, crudely deflesh, and simmer (slow bubbling just below boiling point – avoid a full rolling boil) the carcass in water so that the tendons and ligaments are softened. Since fish do not have ligaments and their bones are more delicate than those of mammals and birds, fish should not be simmered for more than about 5 minutes; smaller mammals and birds need 10 - 15 minutes, while larger mammals need an hour or so..

The next step is enzymatic proteolysis. We use an enzyme called Neutrase (the liquid form), made by Novozymes, a large chemical company in Denmark, with agents in many parts of the world. You can find more information about where to purchase it via Novozyme’s web site: http://www.novozymes.com . If you cannot afford to buy Neutrase, you can use biological washing powders (some come in liquid form too) such as Ariel or Biotex or even meat tenderizers like papain - an extract of the papaya fruit.

The cooked carcass, now devoid of much of its meat, is incubated in a solution of the enzyme – two or three teaspoonfuls (10-20 ml) per 20 litre bucket of warm water is usually sufficient; it is important to let the carcass cool down below 50ºC before adding the Neutrase, and not to use water that is too hot, otherwise the enzyme will be deactivated.

After 3 - 4 hours, if there is still some residual meat left, it is desirable to change the liquid completely and add fresh warm water and enzyme. Generally the bones are completely clean of blood, muscle and tendons after two or three changes of enzyme solution

If the carcass is left in unchanged enzyme solution for longer than a few hours, bacterial decomposition sets in which creates more smells.

After incubation the bones will be lying at the bottom of a "soup" containing the broken down meat proteins and fat. This soup needs to be thoroughly washed away with hot water through a sieve to avoid losing small bones, and the bones usually need to be rinsed once or twice. The resulting cleaned disarticulated bones should then be left to dry thoroughly.

Bones generally contain a lot of grease, it will be necessary to degrease. If this is not done, the bones can become unpleasant and smelly. By leaving the bones in acetone for several weeks. Fish grease being rather light, tends to dissolve out quickly, so fish skeletons de-grease rapidly.

The degreased specimen is then dried. Some zoo-archaeologists like clean white specimens and bleach them. But chemical bleaches can damage bone and the dazzling white may obscure surface modelling and small surface details.

2008-04-17T21:29:00.001-04:00

NY Times Multimedia – 3 part Series
By Jane Perlez

The Cost of Gold: 30-Tons an Ounce
The price of gold is at a 17 year high and the demand of gold has gone up. This demand for gold has caused many problems and a gold mining team from NY Times visited sites in U.S., Africa, and Latin America to help understand the consequences of gold mining. Gold creates huge costs: environmental damage, social upheaval, families in poor countries are forced to move off their land and make way for open mine pits. The gold companies say they do their best to make sure that poor countries are helped by their presence by helping spur economic growth, helping with schools and medical clinics for communities. Some say the environmental consequences of mining makes “today’s gold, dirty gold.”
It is often questioned what happens to a gold mine after it closes, one example is in Montana. Cyanide is used to help mine the gold and has been leaking into the ground, coming into contact with the underlying sulfite rock. The state is working on a fund to help treat polluted water coming out of the mine.
In Guatemala, a Canadian company built a mine that has caused great opposition. A town bishop is fearful that the mine will take water away from the farmers. They took some of the farmers out of town and traveled to another mine. Many came back quite upset stating that the land looked horrible. Next month, the mine is ready to start production.
Ghana in West Africa, is the newest area being mined for gold. This was the home of the Ashanti civilization that was known for their use of gold. The workers search for gold in waste, scooping it up in buckets, washing and then taking it to be treated with mercury. The World Banks is helping to finance the project. More than 8,000 people have been displaced by this new mine. The company feels they have done no wrong stating they paid compensation to farmers and built homes for those that were left. Gold mining can be done responsibly but as of yet it has not been done that way.
Facts: an ounce of gold can require the removal of more than 100 tons of rock.

The Cost of Gold: The Treasure of Yanacocha
The Yanacocha mine in Peru is the world’s most productive gold mine. The NY Times went to Peru to see how it works. The Yanacocha mine is located in the Andes, where the Spanish came more than 500 years ago and captured the Inca and took their gold. Today, a Denver based company, Newmont, has been operating the mines in Peru. They have extracted 7 billion dollars in gold by digging open pit mines. This mining blasts and excavates large quantities of land and the dirt is later moved and treated for cyanide. Five Hundred tons of earth is moved every day at this mine. By the time the mine is closed, Newmont will have moved 1 billion tons of earth to get the gold. The use of cyanide in gold mining is used to separate the gold from its ore. The biggest problem for the mining company was the people who lived around the mine, peasants and farmers. They became angry because their water source was being polluted by metals coming from the mine. The villages also considered the land sacred and thought that the mine was sacrilegious. They said that their animals would not drink the water and some died. In 2002, 2,000 fish died in a hatchery that was close to the mine, this was caused by sediment from the mine.
A village priest helped bring this to the forefront – he said mining leaves too many in poverty, mainly women and children. He also began to help them fight the mines that were too close to their property. The priest stated that the landscape was being destroyed, “we are losing our valley, the mountains are on one side one day and the next they are gone completely, the lagoons have disappeared.” Brant Hinze is the main person in charge of the Yanacocha mine, his main job is make mine run efficiently and make sure none of the gold is stolen. When N.Y. Times was there they had poured their 19th million gold bar. Brant Hinze said that they exceed industry standards when it comes to the environment. He states that 66% of employees are from the nearby town; they make good wages and are now for the first time able to send their children to universities. He said his company sees the value in the gold and the neighboring people see it as opportunity.
Last year was a huge problem for the villagers, the mining company got permission to drill onto one of the villages sacred mountain, Cerro Quillsh. The peasants began a blockade of the mine, people were arrested and injured. The mining company had finally apologized for what they had done, stating that they did not fully understand what it meant. In order to keep the peace, the mining company will spend about 7 million dollars on social programs. The priest stated that he would not be satisfied until the mining company made the mountain a natural reserve – this would show that they truly had respect for the people in the villages.
Additional Mining Info: Rock that is blasted can cause pits that are several thousand feet deep and a mile or more across. Cyanide breaks down in sunlight, and leaks and spills from mines, flow into rivers killing fish and creating pollution. Additives used during the refining process can result in the emission of nitrogen oxides, a major cause of acid rain.

Questions on the Cost of Gold
This last section of Jane Perlez’s three part series is a question and answer format in regards to gold mining. One interesting questions commented on how many children work in gold mines and under what conditions? Perlez answered that for the most part they did not see any children – the workers are mostly men, but in some places women are truck drivers. Although in some gold mines in the Congo, it has been said that children have been known to work there, but that cannot be confirmed.
One question that got my attention was in regards to how to buy jewelry in an environmentally and socially responsible way? This was answered by the fact that there are no guarantees as of now. A standard has not been agreed upon by the industry.

From these articles, it is evident that gold mining is a hazard to the environment and its surrounding people. When first researching “blood diamonds,” I was disheartened to learn the horror that went along with diamond mining, and once again I am shocked to learn that gold mining is also causing great harm to the environment and people. It has left me with a negative feeling towards diamonds and gold – making me question why do I want to make jewelry and what is my part in this damage and upheaval. It is quite sad that no standards are in place to keep land, animals and people safe – best we can do is find alternatives for these stones and metal and help spread the word.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/international/26gold-questions.html

2008-04-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

Bibliography – Materials: Design Problem 2

Beylerian, George, and Andrew Dent. Material Connexion. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2005.

Ethical Metalsmiths, Keith Lewis. April 4, 2008. http://www.ethicalmetalsmiths.org.

Mioculture. April 16, 2008. http://www.mioculture.com.

Papcorn. April 16, 2008. http://www.papcorn.dk.

Slack, Laura. What is Product Design? Switzerland: RotoVision SA, 2006.

Wikipedia. April 14, 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. April 16, 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_design

2008-04-16T13:02:00.005-04:00

Green Materials
What is Green Design?
Sustainable design (also referred to as "green design", "eco-design", or "design for environment.") Green Design involves using design methods, products, and processes that minimize the ecological impact of design and construction upon the earth. It uses methods and products that cause the lowest possible impact upon the ability of the natural environment to maintain its balance.

Why Does Green Design Matter?
Whether our perspective is global or local, we should care because the design choices we make affect the health, safety and welfare of those for whom we design as well as the health of the planet. We spend more than 90% of our lives indoors, therefore the indoor air we breathe, and the materials with which we have constant physical contact are fundamental parts of our lives. We need to consider the effects of indoor air and materials have on our physical health. Most design experts agree that green design is the standard by which good design will eventually be measured.

Who are some of the Designers Using Green Materials?

Mio Culture: This companies philisophy, “all of our products use materials that can be easily recycled with existing infrastructures, fit into closed loop manufacturing systems available today or fit seamlessly with natural ecosystems”. Few of their designers:
- Jaime Salm: designed wallpaper tiles
- Katherine Wise: helped deisgn capsule lighting, using felt molding

Papcorn: designs compostable dinnerware

2008-04-16T11:45:00.002-04:00

What is Product Design by Laura Slack

This book discusses a selection of products that offer insight into the design process. Product Design involves creating an object that begins with design ideas (drawings, sketches, prototypes or models). Some examples of products that include creative design are:

Victorinox: Swiss Army Knife designed in 1891
Paper Clip designed in 1899
Ame Jacobsen: Cylindaline Tea Pot designed in 1967
Swatch Watch designed in 1983
Apple iMac Computer designed in 1996
Peter van der Jagt: designed “Bottoms Up Doorbell”, ordinary wine glasses redesigned to be used as a doorbell
Designfenzider Studios: designed “VaseMaker”, lets you take a vessel of your choice and combine it with their porcelain vase maker to create a hybrid vase
Chris Christou: “Disposable mobile phone,” made of recycled paper pulp. This offers a affordable, disposable and recyclable design
Jurgen Bey: “Garden Bench,” a bench made with grass cuttings
Piet Houtenbos: “Grenade Oil Lamps,” surplus grenades are used as refillable oil lamps

When designing, it is important for designers to research the product. In order to better help conceptualize the design, it is necessary to draw, sketch and create many prototypes. The next step in good design is visualization; this can be done through CAD/3D, Vector and Adobe. Followed by prototypes, testing and production.
The new meaning of design has become “design as a statement.” The clothes we wear, products we buy and way we furnish our homes help us express ourselves (socially, politically or culturally).

2008-04-16T10:25:00.003-04:00

Material Connexion
This handout discusses materials and technologies that are new and offer an improvement on an existing process. Here are a few of the designers that I found interesting:

Lot Ek: re-use of shipping containers to create a modular home
Reiko Sudo: weaves materials such as copper wire, paper, rubber, feathers
Robert Ebendorf: created necklace made of recycled objects found out walking (bottle caps, paper clips, plastic info tags from flower pots, leaves, plastic spoon, etc)
R. Ebendor: crab claw necklace (designer wastes nothing and designs the collection of claws into a very pleasing form) *gives me ideas of objects I could collect: clam shells, acorns, old keys, car parts – ideas are endless)
Kardash Onnig: carved goat covered with real goatskin
Charles Worthen: Uses silicone caulking as medium for a large collection of sculptures
Gaetano Pesce: material architect that who uses urethane, rags, glass, metal, etc. He designed an armchair out of spaghetti (food from the pantry – another interesting idea that I could use in my own work)

The article mentions that some designers, like fashion designers, are content with purchasing their materials through mills but the most creative designers are willing to open up their horizons by exploring new materials. It is important to look around you and see the world of materials (wood, polymer, glass, ceramic, etc.)

2008-04-04T18:37:00.000-04:00

Ethics and Materials by Keith Lewis
Lewis expresses his feelings regarding the fragility of our earth. He mentions his disbelief that a fellow artist had made a bracelet out of ivory. His thoughts continue with such facts that each piece of ivory represents a dead elephant; 80% of ivory is illegal; 30% is used in the U.S.; market demand is so strong that even younger elephants are dying yearly; and “fossil ivory” or walrus ivory is driving the illegal market. He continues with the idea that such objects as ivory, exotic woods, gold and diamonds; objects that we need in order to create crafts have placed a burden on our animal species, rain forests, air, and have even led to the enslavement of our fellow man. This has become a heavy burden on the objects we have created, such as earrings. He mentions that it is easy to not take a stand, instead coming up with excuses as to why we are too busy, believing that our customers will only buy these materials. A second concern is the fear of change; these traditional items are considered precious and will the public be ready to purchase jewelry made of plastic, aluminum or bamboo? He ends with the thought that the moral reasons outweigh the excuses. I have never considered the ramifications these materials have on our environment until our research into the Blood Diamond project. It has made me a more ecologically concerned consumer and producer of jewelry. I believe that this will be a difficult struggle to overcome, it will be hard for people to let go of their beliefs of what is precious and be able to embrace alternate materials that are more eco-friendly. Once again it comes down to knowing what is right or wrong and spreading the word – take responsibility in order to help others to do the same.

2008-04-04T17:21:00.004-04:00

Some Groundwork by Ron Graziani
I know that the requirement for this essay was to discuss the past, present and future about gold but I found the theories discussed within Graziani’s work to be very confusing. I did not get much out of the reading; he seems to jump from one subject to the next making it difficult to follow his point of view. Was a relief to come to the end of the essay!
http://www.ethicalmetalsmiths.org/GO/SomeGroundwork.html

2008-04-04T09:27:00.001-04:00

The Price of Gold by Susan Kingsley
This article discusses the devastation on our environment due to gold mining. Throughout time, gold has symbolized power, beauty, greed, etc. In our lifetime, gold is now seen as a metal that is damaging our wilderness, contaminating watersheds, and further damaging poor nations through mining. Almost half of the world’s gold comes from open pit mines that leave behind a billion tons of contaminated waste rock (one gold ring = 35 tons of waste rock). The process of extracting gold uses cyanide to attain the metal from crushed rock. Exposure to this harms the nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. It has been killing fish, birds and plant life. The leftover solution of cyanide is stored in “barren” ponds with plastic liners placed under the ponds. Often the liners leak and the chemical leaks into the ground and contaminates underground water with no way of getting rid of it. Animals feed off of theses ponds and thousands have been killed. In addition, in the Somes, Tisza and Danube Rivers along with the Black Sea, this substance has also contaminated rivers making the water supply undrinkable for millions of people.

Mercury, used for centuries, is another deadly substance used to extract gold. It is stored in animal fat and eating fish in these contaminated waters such as those in the Sierra Nevada Range is not recommended. Mercury can cause brain and nerve damage.

I was surprised to discover that the mining industry is our nation’s top polluter turning out 3.4 billion pounds of toxic waste. What was most shocking to learn was that as of today, no environmental standards are in place. This makes me question my own part in this matter – is there anything I can do to help put a stop to this. Maybe the best way is to spread the word and make our political representatives knowledgeable in order to help find more eco-friendly ways to mine.

2008-02-13T09:17:00.008-05:00

Blood Diamond - Word Association

Killing
Vultures
Amputees
Mutilation
Hands
Legs
Diamonds
Blood
Tears
Scars
Rebels / RUF
Weapons
Ammunition
Homeless
Poverty
Camps
Mines
Combat Uniforms
Captives / Abduction
Slave
Rape
Kimberly Process
Vote / Elections
Wounded
War Crimes
Looting
Misery
Panic
Enslaved
Death
Children
Curse
Four million
Skull & Crossbones
Love
Romance
Wealth
Royals
DeBeers
Contraband
Smuggling
Corruption
Terror
Exhaustion
Malaria
Aids
Kimberly Process
Certification
Remorse
Praying
JusticePeace

2008-02-12T13:52:00.000-05:00

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream

The movie, End of Suburbia, made in 2004, demonstrates that the American way of life, is headed for ruin. It begins by looking back historically to the Industrial Revolution which was the beginning of our dependency on non-renewable resources such as coal and oil. Cities became pretty horrible places, with noise, pollution, factories, slums, etc. The alternative to this was moving to the suburbs. By 1947, nearly one million houses sprang up over the country in the suburbs. Americans soon became dependent on the automobile to get them to work, shopping malls, school etc. Each year there were more cars, roads, highways and expressways – the suburbs could not exist if there was not cheap oil. In discussing suburbia, the film states that “it is the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world… a living arrangement that has no future.” The basic cause of it all is the end of cheap and abundant energy. This will happen in our lifetime and will bring an end to the “American” way of life. The film describes suburbia’s future as “stuck up in a cul-de-sac in a cement SUV with an empty gas tank.”

Colin Campbell, a leading authority on this issue, warns in his book, The Essence of Oil & Gas Depletion, “oil and gas are finite fossil fuels from the geological past and are inevitably subject to depletion. Eventually we must run out, but what matters more is the inevitable peak of production when growth gives way to decline. The wider implications of this historic discontinuity are colossal.” This is a fact that few people seem to realize! It is predicted that oil prices will rocket as demand exceeds supply, leading to fierce competition and disruption of our economic system.

The film gives insight into the American mind – a naïve and ignorant view of the world. It describes how Americans expect to fill our gas tanks for half of what the rest of the world is paying. We expect natural gas to heat our homes, and create endless amounts of electricity. Everything from trains, busses, heat, and air-conditioning – all are dependent on cheap fossil fuel and suburbia depends on it more than anywhere else. A fact that exemplifies what could happen with our decline in natural resources occurred in 2003. There was a massive blackout in Ontario caused by a series of fuse boxes tripping after they reached 100% capacity, due to 90% temperatures with massive use of air-conditioning; this was a warning that people did not learn from. We are relying more and more on natural gas for electricity and natural gas is becoming very scarce.

Matthew Simmons believes that we are now at the peak, where the world is producing the most oil that it will ever produce and we are going to enter an arc of decline very shortly. M. King Hubbert, a famous geologist of the 20th century, made a speech stating that sometime in the 1970’s, America would peak as an oil providence, once we reached that point, we would start a decline – very few people took him seriously even though he was well respected. This did in fact happen in 1970 and 1971 and it took about a decade for people to discover that in fact we did peak. After the Hubbert Peak, Kenneth Deffeyes, author of “Hubbert’s Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage,” predicts what the future hold for us: stock market prices will plummet, 2 million jobs lost, state and federal budget surplus will be gone, along with the disappearance of the middle class.

Fifty years of peace and stability has caused Americans to believe that there is no danger to us, and trust that our economy will keep going no matter what. The truth is that we will need to downsize everything from farming, education, to the way we live in landscape – everything will have to be smaller, and we will need to grow more food closer to where we live because food prices will rocket. In the future, more people will be farming, we will have to reorganize with local people producing things and selling things in much smaller scale. We will desperately need railroad transportation that we do not have now. We will have to learn to do retail again on the local level. There will be numerous recessions that will eventually turn into an economic depression, one that will never end. Oil depletion will have strong effect on these communities causing political upheavals. This will create tremendous pressure on politicians to solve the problem but there are no solutions. Americans will elect “maniacs” that make false promises of keeping their lifestyle. We need to start preparing for a real problem.

Attention is drawn to the fact that politicians and the media have resisted in telling people the truth. It is thought that the media is silent on depletion because there is no upside of it, reality is bad for business. The politicians’ for the most part will not address oil depletion due to the fact that society, being addicted to oil, is not prepared for shocks and doesn’t want to hear that oil supplies will run out. Some politicians like Dick Chaney have commented on the subject but Americans seem to not take the subject seriously. The majority of America’s oil supply, over 60%, comes from places where people dislike Americans. We are spending a lot of money to help secure these oversea oil supplies. When the problem becomes more severe, it is predicted that you will see a draft instituted in the U.S., lots of protest, with lots of men and women dying in war.

The film finishes by explaining that there are no other alternatives that will support even a small fraction of the life style Americans have grown accustomed to. We don’t have a plan “B” so people have a reason to be frightened. There are 600 million vehicles on the planet and 200 million here in the U.S. people think we can use hydrogen cars but this will not work because you need natural gas to make these cars. We will have to use new ideas to figure out how to live with less oil. Some of these ideas are coming from a movement called “New Urbanism,” it supports more traditional, walkable communities. It started in the late 80’s by planners who realized that the suburbs were not the answer and believed that we needed to relearn town planning. Due to the oil situation in the world, people will need homes where they can walk instead of drive. Americans in the near future will have less money – we may see more than one family living in the suburban “McMansion” with crops growing on their front lawns – these homes will be the slums of the future. Peak oil is going to reverse globalization, survival will only happen through a local basis and we will need local economies – this is the only way the human race will survive.
The End of Suburbia should be a required viewing for everyone, especially for politicians, industry leaders and any other people who help run our society. Those that view it will most likely be in for a shock but hopefully will take it to heart, spread the word and do what we can to make the future better for the next generation. It further reaffirms the importance of knowing our political candidates’ views; we need to inform ourselves so we make wise choices for our future when we go to the polls. There is no way for planet earth to keep consuming the way it has been. The consequences of ignoring this eminent crisis, as clearly shown, are devastating.

Coming up with Creative Ideas

2008-02-02T13:11:00.000-05:00

Coming up with Visual ideas can sometimes be a bit difficult. Prior to Jan's Jewelry II class, I usually surfed the web for images to gather ideas. This can be very time consuming - but often times rewarding. As of now, in addtion to Googling, I have found some other techniques that are very helpful:

To help with my creative ideas, I have started a library of pictures that interest me. I began last year, anytime I am online and come across a photo of something I like, I then download it to my computer. I have set up various files according to the subject matter, for instance - Flowers/Trees, Birds/Bugs, Color, Abstract, Organic, Wallpaper/Fabric Design, etc. This has been great because when I get a new project I can usually find things in these files to help me begin my design.
Brainstorming - Sit in a group with your classmates or friends and share ideas. This can be fun because you can be creative and throw out all kinds of ideas - even crazy ones. It is also good to have paper nearby so you can sketch out some of the ideas for the group. I was new to Brainstorming last semester and at first found it very intimidating sharing my ideas with a large group but after you've done it a few times and realize everyone is nice and supportive than it becomes much easier. The bonus of brainstorming is that you can walk away with many great ideas for your art.

Always keep a skechbook nearby and draw. Sometimes the best ideas come to me at night when I am in bed and my mind is finally clear. I always keep paper in a drawer by my bed so I can write down or sketch out any ideas that come to mind. The next day I just paste it in my skechbook.

Magazines, books, and newspapers are also great ways to come up with visual ideas. For example, I was taking a painting class while planning a vacation to Carmel, CA. After reading a travel book on Carmel, I came across a beautiful monestary. Once on vacation, I drove to the location, did my sketches and photographs and finished painting it when I got home.

Art musuems and gallerys also give me great inspiration. I love to go to the BMA and look at Henri Matisse's paintings - his use of color is amazing. A few of the paintings I have done were based on the combination of colors he used in his works.

Once I have a basic idea, the use of prototyping has helped me to better understand the work by actually having something physical in front of me - much easier to grasp than just a sketch. Your first prototype may cause you to realize that adjustments need to be made and in the end it helps you create a better piece of art. My final project last semester was to create a piece of jewelry that had side walls - I must have created at least 10 prototypes before coming up with my final design - my end result was something I was very happy with

Last sememster in Jewelry II, our class did an exercise to help us come up with visual ideas. We were told to write down a list of our favorite words. From this list we selected our favorite and based our art on the word, my word was "willow." Many times you do a project based on the criteria of a teacher but this was great because instead it was based on a word that had sentimental meaning to me -- I planted three willows in my yard - one for each son. I have found that making a list of words can be helpful for all creative endeavors.

When thinking about our next project, Blood Diamonds, I tried coming up with ideas but realized that I didn't know as much about the subject as I should. I have since began by searching the web, lots of good sites out there with good visuals -- has already given me a few ideas. I have watched the movie "Blood Diamonds," starring Leonardo DiCaprio - very sad situation, will try to go on-line and find still shots of the movie to help me out a little more. Sometime this week I am going to make a list of words that I associate with "Blood Diamonds," some are already coming to my head, rebels, war, guns, conflict, Africa, stones, missing limbs, slavery, etc., from these I hope to be able to bring them to life in my sketchings.

Fresh Air - Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters

2008-01-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

Podcast interview with Dave Grohl, guitarist, songwriter, and actor, of the band Foo Fighters. Interviewed by Terry Gross, on the January 4, 2008 broadcast of Fresh Air. Dave Grohl, founder, leader and primary song writer of the Foo Fighters, talks about their evolution and his role in the band Nirvana. Previously, Grohl was a drummer for the grunge band Nirvana, after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, he started Foo Fighters. The band’s latest album (their sixth), Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace, has been nominated for a Grammy as album of the year. Grohl doesn’t play drums for the band due to the fact that one of the band members, Taylor Hawkins, is a phenomenal drummer.
Their new album (their sixth) includes a song he wrote in tribute to miners trapped in a mine collapse in Australia. One man died but two survived and when the men were trapped, they requested an iPod with their last album of Foo Fighter songs sent down to them. Grohl heard about the request, and was very moved that he could help them. He sent them a note, and then later met with one of the miners. From this incidence he was inspired to write a track that he included on the new CD titled, “Ballad of the Beacon Field Miners.” This is interesting to me because it relates to my own work and emphasizes that inspiration for art can come from many places, you just have to take the time, think about it and put it to paper.
Grohl was questioned about how he started the Foo Fighters after Kurt Cobain’s death, he mentioned that he had to find out what his sound was compared to what Nirvana’s sound was. He stated that Kurt was a gifted songwriter, whose songs were really simple and direct, “almost like nursery rhymes but with distortion washing all over them.” Grohl loved being drummer for the band but after touring he would go down to his basement and record music of his own. Said that when your in a band and it’s working well, the last thing you want to do is “pollute that process” in regards to bringing in his own songs. After Kurt died, he stopped playing music for awhile and it was hard for him to listen to music because it meant celebration and life to him, not death. Later he realized that it was part of the healing process.
Later, Grohl discusses the Nirvana song, Smells Like Teen Spirit. When they were rehearsing this song in a barn in Washington, Kurt came in with an idea for a melody, and the band began to jam and the song happened by just releasing and getting away from the world. Grohl stated that fame wasn’t a bad thing because the band didn’t have to change what they do to make it happen. When discussing Cobain in regards to his heroin habit, Grohl stated that someone addicted to heroin can be really hard to reach. Mentioned that when on stage, Kurt would often dive into his drum set and later found out that Kurt would do this when he thought the drummer was not playing well. The interview moves onto a song that Grohl wrote when he was in Nirvana, a song that was about Cobain. The inspiration for the song came about when he moved to Seattle to join the band from his happy home in Virginia. He came to a new town not knowing anyone and was in a band with two strangers and he missed home. At night while Kurt was asleep, Grohl would write “quiet acoustic songs” and the song “Friend of a Friend,” is about the two people he joined the band with. In discussing Kurt’s songwriting skills, Grohl mentioned that every night Kurt would go into a locked, quiet room and write in a journal – stated that this gave him ideas for many of his songs, adding that he was very prolific – that the time that he had to himself every night was entirely his own – he would write for hours every night. This emphasizes for me the importance of practicing daily your chosen craft so that you can master it. One of Grohl’s favorite songs on the new CD, is “Home” – it is the one that makes him most proud, he says, “as a musician you want to tap into the thing inside of you so that it makes sense.”

2008-01-30T14:11:00.000-05:00

Blood Diamonds - Images & Ideas

Blood diamonds, are also called conflict diamonds. They are mined in war torn African countries by rebels to fund their conflict. The rebels severly abuse human rights, often murdering and enslaving the local populations to mine the diamonds. Imagine what the reaction of the average buyer would be if he learned that he was financing a war somewhere in Africa with his transaction. Human rights organizations link more than four million deaths and millions more displaced people to the trade in conflict diamonds. These stones funded armed conflicts in Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today this illicit diamond trade is believed to fund armed conflict in Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and may finance terrorists groups such as al Qaeda. Although 99.8 percent of all diamonds coming into the market are conflict free, we still need to make an effort to help stop the remaining percentage by purchasing legitimate diamonds to help put a stop to this.

In countries where blood diamonds are mined, many governemnts are unable to fully control the behaviour of their own officials and employees. With large sums of money involved, armed factions and smugglers can often pay off ministers, licensing authorities, customs officers and border guards. During Sierra Leone’s civil war, rebels were frequently able to trade diamonds for weapons from the very government commanders and soldiers who were supposed to be fighting them.

Due to wide media coverage of conflict diamonds, the Kimberley Process was launched in 2000. It is backed by the UN and initiated to help stop the illegal trading of diamonds and other gems from conflict zones. Under the arrangement, all diamond shipments from participating countries must be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity specifying their origin.

The film industry has been helping create more awareness about the crisis in conflict diamonds. Some of the films that are based on this issue are the James Bond film "Die Another Day", the hip-hop film "Bling: Consequences and Repercussions", an Australian/Nigerian Film called "Death is a Diamond", the 2005 Hollywood film starring Nicholas Cage "Lord of War" and the Leonardo DiCaprio film titled "Blood Diamond" that is set in Sierra Leone.

Bibliography - Blood Diamonds Project

2008-01-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

Blood Diamonds. Bill Brummel. 1996-2007. History Channel. January 30, 2008. http://www.historychannel.com/

Blood Diamonds. Les Stone. 1995-2008. Zuma Press. February 6, 2008. http://www.zreportage.com/blood_diamonds_site.shtml

Blood Diamonds and How to Avoid Buying Illicit Gems. John Roche. December 8, 2006. National Geographic News. January 30, 2008. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Conflict Diamond. Amnesty International Hong Kong. February 4, 2008. http://www.amnesty.org.hk/html/modules/news/article.php?storyid=45

Conflict Diamonds, Sanctions and War. Anna Campino. March 21, 2001. United Nations Department of Public Information. February 5, 2008. http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html

Conflict Resources from Curse to Blessing. Ernest Harsch. January 2008. www.un.org/AR

Stop Blood Diamonds. January 30, 2008. Stop Blood Diamonds. January 30, 2008. Africia Renewal. January 30, 2008. http://www.stopblooddiamonds.org/

*To cite a general website (MLA):Name of website. Editor(s) of website. Date of electronic publication. Associated institution. Date of access . address.

Podcast

2007-11-02T11:50:00.000-04:00

Top: Janne Kyttanen / Below: Macedonia Tray by Kyttanen

Janne Kyttanen - Digital Manufacturing

Interview by Jessie Skaline

Freedom of Creation has its base in Amsterdam, the company thrives on the edge where technology meets design. The company was formed by Janne Kyttanen and Helsinki in 2000, the company is a pioneer of digital manufacturing and its research into rapid prototyping and manufacturing techniques such as laser centering has led to the products such as the Lily Lamp that won a Red Dot Award in 2005. In addition to its line of commercial products, FOC is also working with ongoing research with several technical universities.

His first question during the interview was, "as a design student how did you end on the cutting edge of rapid prototyping techniques? Kyttanen stated that he wanted to find a way where he would have no compromise in his design and this is how he began using these manufacturing tools. His dream is to be able to design with no restraints, this tool has allowed him to do this.

He described the process of rapid manufacturing: "first the designer makes a 3D computer file and feeds this file into 3D printer, the machine stacks 1,000s and 1,000s of matter and this is formed into a solid object, it will come out as you see it."

The advantages of this machine is that it can be used as a manufacturing tool or a prototyping tool. The trend at the moment is that these machines are developed for small series productions not so much prototyping any more. When machines were first invented in the 1980s, they were not made specifically for prototyping but this is the first thing that they were used for. The range of materials that can currently be used for digital manufacturing consists of a big variety of plastic, metal, paper, or any material that you can stack. These machines cost about 20,000 dollars making them quite unattainable for a small design firm or student coming out of college. Kyttanen suggested that students may try to come across these machines by knocking on many doors, emailing, and phone calls. He stated that companies with these machines may let you test them if you are persistent enough. This machine is good for numerous designs, such as: custom design, small series of productions, medical products, such as hearing aids (it scans your ear canal , making a hearing aid with a perfect fit). The machines and materials are expensive but also because there is a monopoly on the machines. His company, FOC, are now making many sports products but lighting is still one of the biggest areas because lighting has proved to work.

Podcasts

2007-11-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

Top: Town of Dubai located below Iran / Bottom: Burj Hotel

International Design Forum - Luke Williams from Frog on Dubai

(Interviewed by Linda Tischler)

Luke Williams is Creative Director of Frog Magazine. Luke Williams and Linda Tischler both attended the International Design Conference, held in Dubai in the Middle East. The town of Dubai has become known world wide for it's innovative architecture. The conference had many themes that were "fat and juicy and excited them both. The conference had a much more Middle Eastern focus than an international one. Focus at conference was mainly about architecture and building. Luke commented on how the town of Dubai will soon be the world's largest town and they they actually put a ski slope in shopping mall they built. In order for Dubai to get the world's attention, they did well in marketing the town. Williams was told that going to Dubai was comparable to going to Los Vegas but it is ten times as big. He did not feel the sense of cluster like Los Vegas, stating that it was spread out and diverse. He described the hotel in Dubai where he stayed, stating that it was built around a series of canals and felt like Venice - a man-made experience that was deliberately artificial but the design was taken very seriously. The issue with the design aesthetic is that it is not very subtle, and they borrow from other cultures; example, hotel theme was "stay different" which they borrowed from Apple.

Williams commented on the conference, mentioning that it embraced all the ideas of the Western World and also tried to fit in their own individual culture. The broader topic at the conference was "old versus new". It is often thought that for good design you should never look back to the past or the old convention. Marcel Wunders, a designer and speaker at the conference, mentioned that good design takes from the best of the past, gives it a little twist and gives it back to you. He uses things that are very familiar to you from the past but in new forms - making it very comfortable to you.

In Dubai, they have a building that looks like the Sydney Opera House called the Burj, located next to the beach. Williams stated that it is incredibly modern from the outside and has an enormous presence. At night it lights up and changes color. The interior of the Burj is in complete disconnect with the outside design . The outside is breaking all conventions and the inside utilizes old conventions of the western style. He felt that there was a complete mismatch and disconnect from the inside to the outside. The restaurant inside looked like a space ship and walls looked like circuit boards, the carpeting had blue bubbles; creating a look of a cross between a 1970s Los Vegas lounge and a spaceship. Not in sync with elegance of the outside of the building; mixed time periods, different styles and different conventions. It gives you a sense of the lack of strategic planning, one example of this is that they built all of these buildings but did not think through design of traffic problems and now they have to deal with it and fix it. They moved to fast in the earlier design process and did not factor in the design consequences.

The most interesting speaker was Oliveria Toscana, he is behind the Benetton ads and spoke at the conference with a lot of emotion. He talked about the mix match of styles and borrowing from western civilization as they tried to clone in their own country with their design. He commented that it came off as a bit tacky. Toscana also mentioned that the Arab attendees looked great and were dressed all in white, which looked beautiful and simple - stating, "do your design like that, simple and elegant, don't borrow from the outmoded conventions of the west."
This is a culture that is just coming into design, too rapidly with superficial elements. Design is not just about something pretty or aesthetically pleasing but more about shaping people's behavior. Tuscana said, design and politics are incredible close (they both effect human behavior) and that is where you can make a difference. Design is more about function than just putting decorative elements on a new hotel.

Williams stated that they need to promote more of the process and thinking of design and how it can shape things and make the world a better place. He also mentioned that Toscana also had some great notions on creativity, he stated that you have to be insecure to be creative - thought this was interesting. easier to borrow than to risk anxiety of being creative on your own terms. When something is not routine this is the essence of design.

Materilise.MGX Design Products

2007-10-26T14:53:00.000-04:00

Materialise History:

Materlise.MGX is a design company that exports its products to more than 20 countries in the world. It was founded in 1990 by Msc. MBA wilfried Vancraen along with the Univ. of Leuven. They begain as a protoyping service, especially in the fields of medicine, dentistry and the automotive industry. By 2003 they began developing lighting items that were both creative and surprising objects. A few years later they added lampshades, furniture, interior goods, jewelry and accessories to their product line.

Materialise's Philosophy:

The company aims to bring about their clients' ideas into reality. their designs have a custom-made approach. Their Art Director, Naomi Kaempfer launches a new product line every year. She has hired 20 well known architects, designers and design studios based on specific themes to help develop their ideas and concepts. They avoid reproducing the ordinary and cliche products that are being marketed today.

Few of My Favorite Designers:

*(all work detailed on Flicker site)

Patrick Jouin: Was born in Nantes, France. He graduated the ENSCI, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Creation Industrielle, in 1992. His interest lies in making extraordinary modern experiences, which includes entire interiors and full scale architectural projects. He also explores new techniques and materials that resulted in the Solid collection.
Ross Lovegrove: Born in Wales in 1958, getting his degree from the Royal Academy of Art. He worked for Frog Design in West Germany and worked on projects such as Walkmans and Apple Computers. His design interest depicts appealing fluid shapes, rich color and beautiful materials. He is inspired by forms of the natural world and the ability to evoke a emotional response with the users.
Luc Merx: Dutch artist known for the "Damned Lampshade." He images the shade hanging over diners as they are shocked by the frozen, terrified bodies in his work. His work helps create a new freedom of form.
Lionel Theodore Dean: Graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in London. He worked as an automotive designer and later moved into interior products, particularly lighting.
Janne Kyttanen: He was born in Finland and studied in Barcelona. He designed the first animated 3-Dimensionally printable lights as well as the first economical series of lights produced in this manner.
Arik Levys: graduated from Industrial Design from Art Center Europe in Switzerland. His work deals with a variety of subjects; including product development, lighting design, corporate identity, packaging, point of purchase design, signage, exhibition, interior and set design.
Dan Yeffet: He was born in Jerusalem and studied at the Bezalel Academy and at the Gerrit Rieveld Academy in Amsterdam with a degree in industrial/product design. He is now based in Paris. His design includes furniture, lighting, concepts and product development.
Bathsheba Grossman: She got her art degree from the University of Penn. She studied sculptural principles and metalworking. Since then she has been making sculpture using many technologies including lost-wax casting, electroforming, stereolithography, ZCorp printing, and most recently Prometal direct steel printing.

Design Problem 3 - Bibliography

2007-10-26T14:38:00.000-04:00

.MGX Design Products. Kunstmaan and Smartlounge. 2007. October 26, 2007 <http://www.materialise.com/materialise/view/en/114835-About+.MGX.html>.

Stylepark. 2007. Stylepark AG. October 27, 2007. http://www.stylepark.com/en/materialise-mgx>.

Bathsheba Sculpture. Bathsheba Grossman. October 27, 2007 <http://www.bathsheba.com>.

Arik Levy. Arik Levy. 2006. October 27, 2007 <http://www.ariklevy.fr/main.php?sit=3>.

Patrickjouin. Patrick Jouin. 2005. October 27, 2007 <http://www.patrickjouin.com/site/index.htm>.

*To cite a general website (MLA):
Name of website. Editor(s) of website. Date of electronic publication. Associated institution. Date of access .

Willow

2007-10-16T23:31:00.000-04:00

Selected willow as my favorite word that I will be using to design my pendant. Eleven years ago I planted 3 Weeping Willows on the hill in my backyard - one for each of my boys. I love the graceful curves and delicate leaves.

I have been working on ways to bend willow, which I am using to anchor my pendant. I have found the following info on the web and thought it might be useful to someone in the future.

Use and Storage of Willow
Willows are worked in a damp condition which means that they must be soaked in cold water in order to make them pliable. After soaking, they should be covered in a cool spot to mellow overnight. Times for soaking vary according to the thickness and type of willow and your particular situation.

The following soaking times are given as a guide:

White and Buff Willow
Up to 4 feet.................half hour
4 to 6 feet.........half to one hour
6 to 8 feet.....two to three hours
8 feet plus.....three to four hours

Brown Willow
Up to 4 feet....two to three days
4 to 6 feet.......three to four days
6 to 8 feet.........four to five days
8 feet plus...................one week

Test: The willow is soaked enough when a butt end will kink at 90 degrees without breaking. Do not over-soak!

2007-10-08T19:17:00.001-04:00

FAVORITE WORDS

Home
Smitten
Chocolate
Family
Everlasting
Spell
Wisteria
Snooze
Willow
Essence
Vintage
Flutter
Autumn

2007-09-26T20:42:00.000-04:00

Reading: The Design Process

Working: Design problem comes in form of Design Brief
Design Research: Look at how other responded to same ideas you are addressing
Read various points of view
Brainstorm: discover when ideas come to you - discover creative self
Prototyping
Time Management

Notes: Like the picture of the fuzzy carpet with wheels - lets you know that any material can be used for a prototype

Reading: The Design Process (Marquettes & Model Making-Prototyping & Manufacturing)

Ideation
Research & Development: how has this been solved before
Design Reviews: students function as a design team
Design Team: need multiple view points
Marquette & Models
Prototyping & Manuf.

Notes: Similar to previous reading but reinforces steps needed for the "Design Process." Brainstorming and prototyping have really helped improve my original ideas, definitely will continue using these techniques in the future!

Readings Assigned in Class (click below to enlarge)

2007-09-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

Inventory of Skills

2007-09-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

Click image below to enlarge:

Jewelry Sketch Book - Selections

2007-09-12T17:25:00.000-04:00

A Few ideas for Droog Project:

Sad to see a favorite earring sitting in drawer alone and no mate beside it. Why not bring it out into the light and enjoy it once more.
Ideas: hanging from pendants, bracelets. Adding decor to a simple mirror design, etc.
Still working on brainstorming ideas.

IDEO - Company Research

2007-09-11T17:15:00.000-04:00

Thinking first about the consumer is always good in design!

Interacting with the environment instead of just thinking design is the way to go

Why can't every company operate this way - great work environment that creates fun people who will love their job!

Very impressive that they designed the FIRST computer mouse.

Do they still sell this toothpaste design, not sure if I tried it out?

Description on chair states: "Four years of research -- 11 studies by 27 scientists at four universities -- revealed critical discoveries that guided the design of the chair"

They obviously put tons of thought into their designs, not wonder this chair won numerous awards!

What a great idea, can lead to many other ideas. I keep wondering what other jewelry designs can I think up that have a purpose other than just decorative. Maybe a braclet that has a built in GPS navigator or a pendenant that has a built in camera. Kinda reminds me of the old TV show "Get Smart" with Max and his shoe phone!

Researching this company has really gave me a better understanding of how to approach and think out design problems. Get involved, observe and create - don't just think!

Websites: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/060924/2best.htm

http://www.ideo.com/

Droog Design

2007-08-31T14:05:00.000-04:00

Droog Products:
Knotted Chair - looks a bit uncomfy but stylish
Chandelier Bulbs - amazing idea, never thought light bulbs could be so sheek
Tree Trunk Bench - very innovative but will your Thanksgiving bird take a dive to the floor?
Chest of Drawers - love this idea - makes me want to reassemble everything in the house!
Rag Chair - what else can you make a chair of? soda cans, newspaper, cat hair...
Sugar Cubes - fits in box great but does anyone use them? Maybe, splenda cubes!

Droog is an innovative company based in Amsterdam.

It began in 1993 by Gijs Bakker and Renny Ramakers as a statement on design.

They create innovative concepts that change perspective.

It incorporates the work of an international cadre of contemporary designers working with low-cost industrial or recycled materials. (great idea!)

In Dutch, droog means “dry” (as in "dry wit"), and unadorned or simple.

The Droog Design collection is now a broad assembly of international designs that are plain and practical, including more than 150 diverse objects whose only criteria is that they must be informed by cultural developments and by the designer’s intuition

Sources:

http://www.droogdesign.nl/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droog

http://www.designmuseum.org/design/droog

http://www.madmuseum.org/site/c.drKLI1PIIqE/b.1321465/k.9943/Simply_Droog.htm

Second Life - Virtual World

2007-08-31T13:47:00.000-04:00

Second Life is an Internet-based 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its Residents.

It was developed by Linden Research, Inc.

Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 9,207,762 Residents (residents are users) from around the globe.

Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items virtual property and services from one another

Second Life's virtual currency is the Linden Dolllar and is exchangeable for US Dollars in a marketplace consisting of residents, Linden Lab and real life companies

While Second Life is sometimes referred to as a game, this description is disputed. It does not have points, scores, winners or losers, levels, an end-strategy, or most of the other characteristics of games, though it can be thought of as a game on a more basic level. It is a semi-structured virtual environment where characters undertake activities for the purpose of personal enjoyment.

Who's Who at Target

2007-08-31T12:23:00.000-04:00

Affordable Design

Isaac Mizrahi (Left) and Designer Toast? (Right)

Facts:

96% of people recognize the bullseye logo, beating out Apple and Nike
Target operates approximately 1,500 stores in 47 states
Their philiosophy is "Design for All"
Target's first store opened in Roseville, Minnesota, in 1962
is the fifth largest retailer by sales revenue in the US behind Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Kroger and Costco
The company is ranked 33rd on the 2007 Fortune 500

Who's Who at Target?
Target partners with world-class designers to offer the perfect blend of form and function:

Isaac Mizrahi - designs for Target, he is one of the fashion world's most celebrated icons. In 2003 he debuted his successful line of women's sportswear and accessories at Target. His designs in the past were runway clothing that was unattainable for the average person. By designing for Target, he has now made his designs attainable for all people.

Mossimo - began career creating clothes that expressed southern Clifornia beach influences. Started small clothing company that grew into multi-million dollar bussiness.

Liz Lange - Designer who pioneered maternity chic. Former assistant editor at Vogue magazine, later creating Liz Lange Maternity. Maternity Ware at Target.

Sonia Kashuk - Internationally renowned makeup artist creating looks for celebrities, models and magazines. At Target she developed cosmetic products that empower and trasform.

Tomas O'Brien - From SoHo, acclaimed designer of modern style. Creates Vintage Modern, Dining room and Bedrooms for Target.

Rachel Ashwell - Raised in England, her designs blend English heritage and eclectic California
lifestyle. Her designs are Shabby Chic, cozy and relaxed feel. Designs home decor at Target

Sean Conway - Patio - His inspiration comes from his own garden.

Amy Coe - Girls and boys bedding

Michael Graves - one of the great architects of our time. His collection at Target makes up 200 kitchen, cleaning, storage and home decor products. Each piece inspired balance of form and function.

Victoria Hagan - Acclaimed Interior designer. States that "beauty is in the mix." She blends classic and modern for a fresh design approach. Designs furniture and decor for Target.

Isabelle de Borchgrave - Belgian artist, inspired by her travels, gardens and nature. Commissioned to create murals for fine hotels and private homes in Europe. Her collectiion consists of paper products and party supplies.

(Knew about Mizrahi and Missimo designing for Target but never realized that Target hired so many other designers to create their products - what a great idea! This make Target stand out from other stores of its kind (K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc). This has enabled them to be unique, modern, and stylish - offering items with great design at low prices, items that can't be found in their competitor's stores.

Target's Designer Toast

Target understands that consumers looking for a great price do want great design as well. Target.com has a product that shows how something as commonplace as toast can be made more creative. This toaster, marketed by Target, adds a bit of whimsy to the normally mundane task of toast in the morning.

Why should I care?
I should care because I am an art student and Target is all about good design. Hey, maybe I could learn something! Their products are designed to add style, color and smart functionality to your life. Target is not just about how something looks but they work hard to satisfy a need. How can a product simplify your life or how does it make you feel -- these are the questions that Target asks about their products. These are also questions that we should ask about our own designs.