Showing posts with label December 14. Show all posts
Showing posts with label December 14. Show all posts

Thursday, December 14, 2017

This Woman Creates Teacups To Insult Your Guests With Class

Social standards might restrict you from showing to people the way you feel about them, but it does not mean that you can not get around it. Miss Havisham‘s has produced a fine collection of not-so-subtly insulting cups “for your woman that speaks her mind”.

More info: FacebookShop 

h/t: sadanduseless

Capturing The Sounds Of The World As Photos

How do you visualize sound? You’ve probably seen the waveforms that are today’s most common means of sound visualization – they’re used by sound engineers so they know what they’re dealing with at a glance, and as a shorthand for listeners on websites such as Soundcloud to be able to orient themselves in the music that they’re hearing.

But unless you’re one of those sound engineers – and a particularly poetic one at that – the idea of looking at a series of wavy lines for pleasure or meaning probably feels pretty remote.

The folks at Expedia picked up on this, and connected it with an often-overlooked joy of travelling: to listen. By taking the waveforms created by some of the most wonderful and remote sounds in the world and mashing up some pretty startling pictures of the surrounding environment, they’ve created a series of photographic remixes that manage to capture both the musicality and the color of the phenomena that they record.

The sound of Saharan dunes groaning as the subsiding sand particles grind against each other gets the full sandstorm treatment, dust and sunlight mixing together in an explosion of gold and blue. The sound of the Amazon inspires a more idyllic interpretation: sunlight, defused through the treetops, creates a dreamy glow around the vines that tangle around the waveform, while tropical birds scatter from the visual sculpture like music notes in an old Disney cartoon.

The rocky coastline of Ecuador’s Galapagos islands becomes a scattergun warning shot of clattering rocks, sent to keep meddling tourists away from the precious, diverse flora and fauna that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. Listen to the accompanying field recording and you’ll hear the laughter of a sea lion family as they watch you scarper.

Sounds inspiring? Check out Expedia’s image and sound set to witness this unique encounter between the sonic and the visual.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

RSAA/Büro Ziyu Zhuang Combines Ancient Traditions for Remote Home in China

RSAA re-invented a small house located in a distant village in the north Anhui province of China. The design intervention involved rebuilding the little home which was in poor state and covered by weeds following being uninhabited for more than ten years. The design strategy attempts to interweave the custom of the older house with a contemporary strategy. The architects split the existing residual wall into two parts to create a courtyard and enhance circulation, while the eaves of the roof were prolonged to create platforms facing the mountainside.

 

RSAA/büro Ziyu Zhuang accommodated the design of the house to amplify views of the neighboring countryside. The extension of two bays, one facing west and the other in the south-north management, widens the distance while creating a more spacious layout. The addition of a sweeping curved roof covered in gray tiles produces a new typology within the existing ancient village, constructed in the conventional folded style.

 

An extra level was added to the design, using a copper-plated staircase reaching the second floor. While the major structure of the construction uses traditional wooden structure, the addition of modern components like aluminum and glass make a spatial linkage between the ancient and new.

In addition to re-constructing and transforming the home, the architects made an outside patio which leads to the surrounding tranquil pedestrian paths. Beginning from the entry of the gate into the courtyard, the veranda creates a spacious yard where to enjoy the scenic setting.