Perfume For Urbanists
‘I Hate Perfume’ is the name of an innovative line of fragrances, which is totally different from traditional perfumes. Perfume maker and natural nose Christopher Brosius hates perfume. Or, te be more precise, he hates traditional perfumes, which he calls an arrogant slap in the face from across the room. And he’s right. Nobody likes […]
Apartment Building Gets Farm-To-Table Food Service
A real estate developer in New York City sees a new business opportunity in exclusive farm-to-table food deliveries for residents. PSFK explains this project was initiated in order to stimulate a more healthy lifestyle among urban dwellers. The Albanese organization, a NYC-based real estate developer, decided to start this business in three buildings located in Battery […]
The Swiss Army Knife Kiosk
In the summer of 2009 we wrote some articles about the kiosk as part of a strategy for revitalizing urban areas. In fact, kiosks do a good job when it comes to creating a metropolitan service level and social security in public space. In addition they optimize the atmosphere in cities, as we argued. Yatzer […]
Bunker 599 Cut In Two
Amsterdam-based design office RAAAF has launched their latest project called Bunker 599 + 603. The project lays bare two secrets of the New Dutch Waterline (NDW), a military line of defense in use from 1815 until 1940 (precisely the period without any war in The Netherlands) protecting the cities of Muiden, Utrecht, Vreeswijk and Gorinchem by means of intentional flooding.
Pop-Up City As Museum
If the recent hype concerning Banksy’s film ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ provoked any discussion (which it obviously did), it was about the integrity of the documentary itself. Was this really a documentary or is it a hoax? Does Mr. Brainwash really exist? Or is it an alter ego of Banksy himself? However, one of […]
Public Space Goes 3D At The 8-House
During our stay in Copenhagen (as you may know we got invited by Hewlett Packard) we were offered the chance to visit the spectacular 8-House by Bjarke Ingels. The man himself was at the spot to guide us around and explain the idea behind this massive, multifunctional, aluminium rock, which is located in the new […]
Please, Don't Spill Coffee On The Printers
Currently we’re in Copenhagen for the launch of the HP Designjet and Bjarke Ingels’ 8-House premiere. Coincidentally we stumbled upon an interesting new coffee bar concept here. The bar on the picture called Fotocaféen is a photo and printing coffee bar, which means that the art of photography and the crafts and service of printing […]
Currywurst By Train At FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli is a great football club, doing everything different compared to the others. Since last year's promotion to the Bundesliga, the traditional club is among Germany's finest again. Their stadium along the Feldstrasse, located in Hamburg's vibrant district of St. Pauli, is too small for the club's current success. For instance it has no real business club or proper grandstand. A temporary extension made of shipping containers now functions as an alternative business club. Not that chique, but definitely inspiring. The speciality on the grandstand is, of course, 'Currywurst', and it's exclusively delivered... by train. One can stay seated and just pick one out of a wagon-lit passing by.
Amsterdam Through Tourist Eyes
Why is it always the urban authorities that decide how to brand a city, and not the local people, or the companies? The aldermen seem to have the exclusive right to shape its image and exclude “those parts of the city image that are not supposed to be enhanced”. This has also happened in Amsterdam, […]
Puff Data
Over the last months we’ve seen plenty of smartphone apps that stimulate good behavior, for instance the new Nike+ GPS app. This is Puff, a caroon cloud-shape car accessory that is able to visualize the amount of pollution a car is producing. The cloud’s color changes dynamically, depending on CO2 emissions. Green indicates the lowest […]
Arcade Pop-Up
A temporary video game, art and music venue will open its doors in Manhattan on 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue next to Grand Central on October 4. (At least if we all together pledge the modest 6,000 dollar needed to create this place.) The new venue is an initiative of Babycastles, in conjunction with Showpaper. […]
The Internet Café as Net Art Gallery
Some days ago Aram Bartholl from F.A.T. (Free Art & Technology) Lab organized the third edition of 'Speed Show' in the west of Amsterdam. Speed Show is an ad-hoc net art exhibition which turns a random Internet cafe into a very temporary gallery.
Fuck Yeah Commuting
Cartography geeks blog Fuck Yeah Cartography reports about an appealing mapping initiative that enables you to trace commuter traffic to any zip code area in the United States. Type in any zip code and see where people are commuting to/from and how much time they spend commuting. The interactive maps provide interesting information, however, the service […]
Flashmob Protests Against Gentrification
A collective of Hamburg-based activists comes up with a hilarious way of protesting by holding spontaneous ‘Fette Mieten Partys’ (‘Fat Rent Parties’) at the viewings of apartments they consider too expensive. According to Der Spiegel, these new flashmob-style protests are part of a wave of action against gentrification in Germany’s major cities. The activists aim […]
The Political Spectrum In Brands
The Good Guide created a nice interactive tool that provides insight in political leanings of a wide range of large companies. The graph shows how corporations such as Google, FedEx and McDonald’s donate to Democrats and/or Republicans in terms of amount of money between 2004 and the second quarter of 2008. Some interesting conclusions can be drawn. […]
