Win A Copy Of ‘Going Public: Public Architecture, Urbanism And Interventions’!
Last month we published our review of the book Going Public: Public Architecture, Urbanism And Interventions. Published by Gestalten, the publication features new, creative forms of architecture in public spaces. We're happy to give away two copies of the book to our readers!
Building A Temporary Favela In The Dutch Winter
Amsterdam's first slum will open this spring. The temporary favela is a project by art, society and new technology institute Mediamatic and will consist of all kinds of small, organically developed buildings inside a huge industrial building called De Fabriek. Mediamatic's Freezing Favela will be a flexible space open for experiments with new ways of building, growing, isolating, energizing and programming in austere conditions.
Trend 1: Spotify The City
One of the most interesting developments in the last years is the shift from ownership to access. Music service Spotify is a good example of this change that will eventually turn around the economy. We don’t buy CDs any more, but a monthly Spotify subscription gives us access to all the music in the world without owning it. Exactly this focus shift is also introduced in the way cities are organized and developed. The city gets 'spotified'.
Give Your City A Virtual Paint Job With Tagtool
Tagtool is an iPad application developed to function as a portable, intuitive instrument for projection painting. The app was created by a Vienna-based OMAi, an agency that offers interactive art and entertainment services.
‘Hello Lamp Post!’ Enables Passers-By To Talk With Street Furniture
This summer the undulating roads of the British city of Bristol will quietly undergo a change. Unseen to the passer-by, the postboxes and lamp-posts, storm drains and man-hole covers that litter the streets will steadily be vitalised with powers of speech. People will begin to be able to greet the objects they encounter via text, and converse with them about the area in which they ‘meet’. All the information gathered from the exchanges will be stored, moderated and then fed back to others — meaning that dialogues and games, tips and stories can be shared amongst the residents of Bristol.
Trend 2: Secret Urbanism And New Exclusivity
Bottom-up, open data, open source, open design, co-creation, crowd-sourcing. The last years have been marked by a trend of openness that's driven by the geeky side of Internet culture, and driven further by things like the economic crisis and the democratic deficit. Whether it's about WikiLeaks' struggle for open information or the attention for participatory urbanism, we all go 'inclusive'. However, there's no culture without counter-culture.
Dutch Soup Brand Launches The Ice Skating Alternative To Nike+
"Where to skate?" is currently a frequently asked question in the Netherlands. It's winter and lots of people can't wait to use their skates again, looking for lakes and canals that are frozen and nice routes to skate. Ice skating is one of the biggest sports in Holland, especially when there's 'natural ice'. It's freezing cold at the moment, which means ice skating madness. And good times for the marketing of winter-related products.
Become A Virtual Street Vendor With Cart Life
From the Sims to more this-is-the-real-life games, simulation games have always attracted a lot of interest, even for those who are not really into video games. The ability to be in someone else’s shoes and try an alternative, though virtual, reality is a great temptation for many of us. It could be argued, that the majority of such games allows people to create a positive and comfortable scenario of virtual life; a life where one’s avatar is rich, successful, attractive and with minor everyday problems. However, Cart Life, a retail game developed by Richard Hofmeier back in 2010, puts the gamer in a quite different position.
Pop-Up Container Hotel Opens In Antwerp
Nowadays, we are kind of used to seeing pop-up shops, kiosks, food carts, restaurants, bars, parks and workplaces. However, were still happy to stumble upon this neat pop-up hotel! Sleeping Around is an original concept developed by an Antwerp-based group of four who came up with the idea for a moving hotel.
Kit Kat Introduces ‘No Wi-Fi’ Zones
On Amsterdam Ad Blog we came across this pretty nice ambient advertising campaign that was launched by Kit Kat in downtown Amsterdam. Instead of offering free wireless Internet, the brand introduces 'No Wi-Fi' zones that block all wireless signals within a radius of 5 meters.
Trend 3: The Reinvention Of The Post Box
Waiting for packages sucks big time since urban lifestyles are more flexible than ever. As the fixed address is slightly becoming an old-fashioned concept, the post box of the future will be movable in terms of space and time. New-style post boxes take different shapes and forms, pop up where needed, and don't require a direct link with home addresses. Several companies around the world are working on futuristic concepts that redefine the post box, and make parcel delivery processes fit with modern lifestyles.
Nomadic Designer Hits the Roads of Sweden
So, you just graduated from the art and design school and you have to take the next step. Would that be launching your business and start to work? Would it be going on an inspirational journey? Erik Olevsson from Sweden decided to do both!
Please Dial Number To Order Snow
Controlling the weather and its phenomena has always been a deep desire and dream in people’s minds. How great would it be to order snow with your smartphone? London-based creative agency POKE made it possible!
Trend 4: The Factory Moves Back Into Our Houses
After years of industrialization, digitalization and outsourcing of labor, we increasingly feel that we're losing what life 'really' is about. A process of detachment with normal daily life has made us economically vulnerable. Increasing numbers of people feel disconnected from the making process of stuff they use on a daily basis. They do not only want to bake their own bread again, but they want control over production processes of more and more products that are used at home. Does doesn't only go for food, but also for other stuff that we all use on a regular basis. The result is that we start to have our own little in-house factories.
Trend 5: Local Urban Culture Goes Global
What do Park(ing) Day, Jane's Walk, PechaKucha, Restaurant Day and Nuit Blanche have in common? They all started as local urban bottom-up initiatives, but turned into global phenomena over the last years.
