- A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Chuck Klosterman. This is great stuff.
DEC. 31, 2014: Billed as “the floating Dubai,” the inaugural space hotel opens its doors. Financed by Google, the cost is $2 million per room, per evening. Kanye West performs in the ballroom on opening night.
And the Risk reference for 02/10/51 is particularly welcome.
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- A photographic exhibition of the contents of junk drawers and medicine cabinets.
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- Aerodynamic, asymetrical umbrellas. Able to “withstand winds up to 70 mph without inverting. Optimal line of sight from under the canopy, patented reinforced rib construction, patented handle construction with reverse opening – a true breakthrough in umbrella design.“
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- Google Earth is set to allow access to undersea landscapes. The Independent.
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- Madrid is celebrating Semana de la arquitectura or ‘Architecture week’! You can join us today for a tour of the Retiro Park Gymnasium by Abalos and Herroros or on Friday for a tour Oiza’a BBVA tower. See you there.
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- Developer Nakheel has revealed a proposal for a 1km-high tower that will be the focus of a new 270ha development called ‘New Dubai.’ The tower, designed by ‘global architecture firm‘ Woods Bagot, will eclipse the Burj Dubai as the world’s tallest tower and has been designed with not one but four cores “inspired by Islamic patterns”. BD Online.
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Charles Saatchi has opened his new gallery in the refurbished Duke of York’s HQ Building in Chelsea with an exhibition of contemporary Chinese art. Reviews and images at The Guardian, The Independent and The Times.
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- A break in our communications: literal video clips. Pipe Wrench Fight!
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- Crucial public transport for Sydney’s Northwest looks set to be shelved, as the federal government sees no new potential votes in the district.
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- ‘Dynamic duo, gruesome twosome or just plain geeks in ties and tweeds, the British artists Gilbert & George don’t seem to care what you call them as long as you pay attention, which you couldn’t avoid doing if you tried in their suffocating and disordered wraparound survey at the Brooklyn Museum.’ NYT.
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- Darwin at Home teaches geometry to walk.
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- Sumo is a flash based photoshop clone that works within a web browser. Pretty impressive, demonstration of Flash’s capabilities.
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- Britain is measuring the energy efficiency of 18,000 public buildings and ranking them using a sliding scale with A the best and G the worst. Foster and Libeskind both scored poorly. The Guardian.
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- The IHT reviews the Singapore Biennale which this year explores ‘translocalmotion’ – urban growth, migration and their social and cultural consequences.
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- The Economist reviews a new exhibition celebrating Andrea Palladio, “Palladio, 500 Anni: La Grande Mostra” at the Palazzo Barbaran da Porto in Vicenza.
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- Peter Schjeldahl on Giorgio Morandi’s still-lifes: ‘The paintings present objects singly, side by side, or in overlapping groups. They feel monumental because they are viewed at eye level, or from just above. (Morandi, who stood six feet four, built a high table that he often used for that purpose.)’ New Yorker.
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- The Independent looks at the legacy of Le Corbusier on the eve of a major retrospective of his work Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture.
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- Photos of some seriously beautiful models out of Peter Zumthor’s office on display in Lisbon.
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- This is pretty fun. Local designer Chris Doyle has made a set of guidelines for his own personal identity. With colour palletes, seating styles and incorrect use of clothing.
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