Ikea pack furniture in it. Gehry has made furniture from it. Now
architects are shaping spaces with it. Is there any limit to the
creative re-use of corrugated cardboard? With its unique physical
consistency, its decidedly axial strength, and its deadening acoustic
absorption, corrugated cardboard has many inherent qualities. As such
it was the perfect material for this particular sound installation:
Made from 720 half square sheets of 7mm thick corrugated cardboard,
stacked in 360 layers, this cavernous sound space is set within a 2.5m
cube. As a space for listening to and experiencing music, the initial
concept for the design developed from the architect’s ambition to
create a strong spatial intensity and a distinct internal atmosphere.
With an irregular free-form interior set within a regular cubic volume,
the object has a profound duality. Made from one material it also has
an implied solidity that strengthens the architect’s distinction
between inside and out – a distinction that is heightened when the full
acoustic ambience is experienced from within.
Cutting the cardboard took three working days, and assembly just one.
The structure sits under its own dead weight, without any fixings or
glue. And, for those of a technical persuasion, a simple calculation
reveals that the combined compression of the 360 layers of cardboard is
20mm over the 2.5m height, or an average of 500ths of a millimetre per
sheet. All services are integrated within the stack, including cable
runs and apertures for the six-speaker surround sound system. R. G.
My first thought when asked to review a ‘boutique’ hotel was
something along the lines of ‘God help me’. It seems this new breed of
hotel was designed purely for city boys and city girls to pour money
into for the duration of yet another pointless business trip.
Overpriced, understaffed, and all because people want a kooky carpet in
every room.
So it was with a strange recalcitrance that I walked into London’s
Zetter hotel
for my Sunday night stay. The former 19th century warehouse sits on the
Clerkenwell Road amidst design houses and refurbished blocks in the
increasingly trendy Farringdon. Opened in 2004 by Michael Benyan and
Mark Sainsbury – the pair behind acclaimed restaurant Moro in nearby
Exmouth Market – the focus is strongly on cutting edge-design and
eco-friendly living. Natural light floods in from the building's
five-story, semi-elliptical atrium, while a bore-hole drilled beneath
the property provides water purified and bottled for drinking.
The tiny lobby is dominated by its chandelier of pink glass calla
lilies, and offers three options. To your right, a wood panelled, cork
stooled bar, with the Mediterranean themed restaurant beyond. To your
left, a small, perfectly formed reception desk. And straight ahead, the
red mirrored, boudoir themed lifts.
Reaching the fifth floor, the aspects of design suddenly become more
apparent. The large atrium pushes natural light through the building,
and the artwork from local artists breaks up the slightly drab pastel
décor. My room for the evening didn’t feel like your bog-standard
abode. The eclectic mix of original Penguin Classics, wide screen TV
and soft furnishings felt more like an affluent teenagers bedroom than
twenty something playground. The enormous wood decked balcony matched
the room in size, while London’s newly emerging skyline provided the
perfect backdrop.
Add to this ambient mood lighting, free wireless broadband, DVD player
and access to a 4000-track music library, my preconceptions of ‘trendy’
hotels suddenly seemed a bit archaic. The hotel has done away
with the outdated amenities that characterize so many other
establishments. Most rooms don't have a mini-bar or tea- and
coffee-making facilities. Instead, coffee and vending machines on each
floor dispense everything from champagne to disposable cameras.
Greeting fellow travelers in matching robe and slippers while buying a
bottle of champagne is surprisingly relaxing.
What started out as another over priced, poncy Auberge, became a well
thought out, modest getaway for the design orientated traveller. But
then again, there’s nothing worse than a pretentious critic being
proved wrong. By Matthew Hussey
This year's Geneva Auto Show stunned audiences with a car that
teeters on the edge of an optical illusion. Exasis is a transparent
Rinspeed creation has an insect-like body, transparent high-tech
plastic and yellow trim. At first glance, it looks like a large scale
Meccano set, upon closer inspection the image is literally transparent!
Perfect for someone with a Wonder Woman fetish who wants to re-enact
the invisible plane routine. How did that poor woman ever find where
she parked that damn thing? We suggest adorning it with beaded seat
covers ala Taxi Driver style to help it stand out in the crowd. by Andy G
Sydney based artist, Brian Walker, credits his desire to seamlessly
fuse fashion, illustration and the element of surprise as the driving
creative force behind his artworks.
In a time where the line between hyper-realities and those of our own
is becoming finer, the Sydney artist's work speaks a relative language.
The digital artist is inspired by surreal landscapes, the evolution of
fashion and changing popular culture . Walker takes these inspirational
genres and merges them with his concept of 'using photography as a tool
to represent the ideas of the impossible'.
Noting David La Chapelle as a major influence, Walker strives to create
a hyper-real visual language which at first glance appears real, and at
second, evolves into the surreal. More of the Sydney artists work can
be seen at lickthesun.comBy Andy G
Do not let the IKEA-yellow exterior fool you – the multifunctional Agora Theatre, is not displaying home
furnishings, but bustling with performances and new media works. It is
located in Lelystad, the capital of the province of Flevoland in the
Netherlands. The city, established as recently as 1967 and known for
its controversial and forward-thinking city planning, is boldly
building its center, the Centrale Zone, according to a master plan by West 8. In turn, West 8 is known for planning a vast array of exciting 'cityscapes', including a luxury village near Moscow and the waterfront revitalization project in
Toronto.
The Agora Theatre building is the work of UN Studio,
a group with theater, museum and art establishment expertise. The
building itself is worth a visit, even if no performances were taking
place (previews are already taking place). The tranquil cafe, open
during the day, offers beautiful views of the square outside. The
startling pink curving walls of the staircases resemble magnificent
silk ribbons. And the deliciously red concert hall with its unusual
wall surfaces will give you something to look at, even in the rare case
that the performance doesn’t interest you. This is one building that
will change the vibe of the city, both day and night. By Tuija Seipell.
Whilst the surf may be up Down Under at present, it's also letting rip
in Munich. Just outside the “Haus der Kunst” museum, sits a canal
who's wildly gushing rapids have created the cities
underground surfing spot de jour.
The rapids supply local surfing buffs with ample waves, keeping their
surfing skills sharp throughout the winter. It seems its one man at a
time at this surfing hole, so future enthusiasts need to join the
queue. Unlike the Aussies, these German surfers need not worry about
sharks. By Billy T (photographed exclusively for TCH by our German spotter, Gunnar Hämmerle)
"Roaming the globe...so you're in the know" is our motto and with
over 410,000 unique visitors per month and over 1.8 million page views,
thecoolhunter is now read in over 120 countries.
The essence of the Cool Hunter is the ethos of 'global information
channeling' that is not regionally specific, but rather based on
worldwide relevance. To cater for our ever expanding international
market, we now offer geo-targeting advertising on a global scale.
If you have an ad that you want to target and limit to readers in the
U.K or Japan for instance, that's when Geo-targeting comes into play.
Geo-targeting allows your banner ads to display only in certain
territories specified by our clients. Resulting in specified viewing by
your chosen regional target audience. Think of it as specifically
selecting what country your ad will be exposed and viewed in.
Our readers have a insatiable appetite for what’s new, innovative and
cool. Created and engineered for today’s demanding and
discerning pop-culture audience. These readers come from every corner
of the globe and bring with them distinguished tastes and specific
requirements which are met with precision by the manner in which the
Cool Hunter reports.
Our top 15 countries with the most popular hits come from these territories in this order:
1. UNITED STATES 2. UK 3. CANADA 4. AUSTRALIA 5. SPAIN 6. FRANCE 7.
NETHERLANDS 8. ITALY 9. GERMANY 10.JAPAN 11. BRAZIL 12. ARGENTINA 13.
SWEDEN 14. SINGAPORE 15. MEXICO
They were the talk of Balenciaga's Fall 07
showings recently - the new "IT" shoe that is a clear derivative of the
classic Balenciaga style, but appears to have been "built" by a small
child in Denmark. How does one wear such a must-have accessory? With
grey woollen tights or jodhpurs, apparently. Sarah W
Everyone is a pimp or a pinup, according to Simon Charrison and his
cousin James. Not content with the current trend of hair salons -
emaciated stylists, pissed-off pundits and sound systems capable of
melting your face – the two south Australians decided something had to
be done. So they decided to open their own hair salon that
prioritised service over grandiloquence right in the heart of London’s
east-end.
“Both I and Simon have an ‘old-school approach’. The stylists have a
very close working relationship with the clients, old and new, and many
of them come in just for a chat and a coffee. We offer a range of
complementary refreshments in the salon and we even offer beer and
wine, which is always well received, especially by the clients who have
just finished work.”
The styling and design take a similar approach. Vintage Japanese
chairs decked in thick black leather mould to your body while the
vaudeville décor offers a sense of theatre. Simon has been cutting hair for over twelve years and James has worked
in customer service for a similar period. The sense of personal
empowerment at the heart of Pimps & Pinups has attracted the likes
of Green Day, not to mention local bands who regularly feature on the
in house stereo. “The music we play is really important to the
ambience. There’s a lot of indie rock, but Saturdays mainly just
ends up being the ACDC day though,” muses James. By Matthew Hussey
Like a cool epidemic, hype about the cool hunter
has spread globally and we're talking literally. Bright Neon stickers
emblazoned with the sting "You've been Cool Hunted"¯ have been quietly
circulating through the streets of London, Sydney, New York, Paris,
Berlin, Toyko, Rome & L.A waiting to pounce on the coolest people,
things and places.
So how does it work? Our global spotters
discreetly place stickers on cars, vespas, even on individuals at
certain events. In the case of people, we placed stickers on their
backs, their bikes or their bags.
The response to the cool hunter buzz campaign has been huge,
unleashing a word of mouth phenomenon, one person is cool hunted, they
tell 2 people, who tell 4 and so on and before you know the site has
generated an extra 10,000 hits per day.
"I got home and
discovered a cool hunter sticker on my bag", says Jessica Welsh from
Soho, New York who e-mailed us to let us know she was coolhunted. "Of
course I was curious to know what it was all about, so I logged on and
was quite flattered that I'd been cool hunted. It's such an awesome
site. I told a few of my friends who have now also become fans of the
site".¯
The Cool hunter buzz campaign, the last word on word of mouth. Have you been cool hunted? Let us know.
Nothing grabs an audience's attention more effectively than a clever
optical illusion. Combine that with an ingenious ad campaign and you
get this brilliant mobile billboard for The Red Cross, currently
gracing the streets of San Francisco.
It's photo journalism, meets Hollywood blockbuster movie poster, and it
is turning plenty of heads wherever it parks itself. Enthusiastic
onlookers have been snapping up photos of the mobile billboard and
posting, uploading and sharing them online with friends. This is a
brilliant example of how an audience can further promote the exposure
of a great advertising campaign through mobile phones, blogs and
sites such as flicker. By Andy G
We’re rather liking what this French veteran of the fashion scene is sending down runways this year. It’s actually Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s
fortieth year of doing so – give or take. But his particular brand of
pop-tastic sportswear festooned with Tweety birds, Snoopys and hearts –
splashed with fluorescent tomato - has struck chords with the British
Grime scene elite. As he says, “The kids are calling me JC/DC now”. For
those interested to know, the JC rose to fame in the seventies when he
designed for Farrah Fawcett at the height of her Charlie’s Angels fame
and made the massive inflatable poncho coat of teddybears worn by
Madonna in the film Prźt -a-Porter. Also interesting: their very cute
website with it’s YouTubed Kittyfornia character. Check it out. By Sarah W
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