VANTABLACK / SURREY NANOSYSTEMS

//There's black, and then there's Vantablack.// 

Developed by a British company Surrey NanoSystems, Vantablack is currently the world's darkest material, absorbing up to 99.965% of light in the visible spectrum. It is so dark that the eye has difficulty understanding what it is seeing and the perception is thus limited to 2 dimensions. Vantablack ("Vertically Aligned Nano Tube Arrays") consists of a "forest" of carbon nano-tubes that are so densely packed that most of the light gets trapped inside the material.

Vantablack is mainly being used in research applications now from stealth aircraft and weaponry to calibrating space cameras and telescopes and increase their optical efficiency.

British contemporary artist Anish Kapoor has exclusive rights to use the Vantablack pigment in his art. //Vantablack seems a natural choice for Kapoor's experimental inclinations given his forays into working with stainless steel and mirrors. Kapoor's sculptures are designed to unsettle the viewer and distort their surroundings, so working with a material that functions as a portable abyss seems like a nice step up.//

[ Sources: dezeen, cool hunting, dazed digital ]

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

// Women's Day can be a reminder to women and lovers of women to band together and support each other! Remember the incredible accomplishments of historical women, and celebrate the accomplishments of women today! Be confident in your own sexuality, beauty, ability, belief and body and show trust and kindness towards other women of all races, bodies, backgrounds and beliefs. //

[ Frances Cannon: What it means to be a woman today, illustrated; Dazed Digital ]

[ Source: Dazed Digital ]

BLOODROOT BLADES / VAN WYK & SNYDER

//Unlike knifemakers who start by grinding down stock pieces of metal, these highly sought-after blacksmiths go to junkyards and auto yards to find recyclable metals they can manipulate, whether old springs from a 1954 Chevrolet or discarded brass from a shipwreck. They transform selected scrap metals into one-of-a-kind knives so stunning that customers are willing to order the blades more than two years in advance.//

//The word cleave can mean two different things: The word cleave can mean to bring apart as in cleaver" but the word cleave can also mean bring together. And the knife does both of those things at the same time, which I think is an incredible thing. It is cleaving food from itself to cleave people together. And that's a really neat characteristic of how knives work with people.//

[ Bloomberg, MADE, Bloodroot Blades ]

WOOL AND AIR COLLECTION / MALAFOR

With furniture like this moving apartments would be much more easier. The AIR collection, by polish design studio MALAFOR, consists of a sofa, armchair and three variations of stools. Each piece consists of a metal frame and inflatable pillow, they are light and easy to dismantle. 

Inflatable pillow comes in a pillow cover and both are made of modern textiles. Inflatable bags are very durable and can withstand the pressure of 2 tons. If pierced, they can be quickly and cheaply replaced. The pillow cover is made of an extremely durable, non-flammable and easy-to-maintain textile.

[ Notcot, Feel desain, Malafor, Design and paper ]

  

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

//It is… advisable that the teacher should understand, and even be able to criticize, the general principles upon which the whole educational system is formed and administered. He is not like a private soldier in an army, expected merely to obey, or like a cog in a wheel, expected merely to respond to and transmit external energy; he must be an intelligent medium of action.//

[ John Dewey ]

THE TENT / IGOR PONOSOV AND BRAD DOWNEY

// This year, a speech delivered by Putin declared, with lips split by a smile, the purpose of Crimea’s annexation as, “protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population in Crimea.” This absurd oversimplification undermines the reality of the actions that took place. The annexation resulted in disorder and chaos, and deep mistrust between countries. In yet one more simplification of this complex situation, governments in both the East and the West, have executed orders motivated by greed that resulted in tragic loss.

The artists, Brad Downey, an American, and Igor Ponosov, a Russian, developed an altruistic friendship, despite odds being against them. Physical distance and language barriers stood as challenges, but over the course of four years, the artists came to know one another as brothers. They realized projects together many times and travelled to meet each other in different countries. They hoped to do a project in Ukraine one day, since Igor had especially come to love spending time there. When they heard about the conflict in Ukraine, they decided that now would be the best time to finally realize the project they wanted to do there.

It would be a chance to symbolically subvert the greed displayed by government. They prepared for the trip to Ukraine by stealing advertisement banners, a representation of consumerism, hence purchases obtained by money and influenced by greed. Brad and Igor converted the appropriated advertisement banners into a mobile artist workspace. The tent could be deconstructed easily and stored in a small backpack. By the time Brad and Igor were ready to go to Ukraine the peninsula had been annexed. Instead, they went to the Russian territory of Crimea. They asked no one to help fund this trip, for they wanted to accomplish it without external influences, during a time and in a location where outside influence ruled. For three days, they hiked to reach the Crimea’s highest plateau. Throughout this period of living inside the creation, they cherished the beautiful countryside and mourned the actions, or lack of action, from both the East and the West.//

[ Rebel art ]

HOUSE PROTOTYPE / LUIS ROLDAN VELASCO + ANGEL HEVIA ANTUNA

//This project aims to build a prototype house with minimal ecological footprint through the use of locally sourced natural materials and the drastic reduction in energy demand; energy efficiency is achieved by using natural thermal insulation throughout the external envelope and by developing strategies adapted to equatorial latitudes for solar energy capture through greenhouse effect.//

Located in Sangolqui, Ecuador, this house prototype has a layout of only 50 m². To provide more useful data for research, it has been designed to be dismantled so that it can be transported and tested in other climatic regions of Ecuador. After its useful life it will be possible to reuse or recycle it's parts.

[ ArchDaily ]