Frontlines
Words Annemarie Hoeve
It’s sad, but true: leaving home without your mobile phone can be highly traumatic. Bringrr kindly helps jog your memory. Plugged into your car, when this nifty gadget senses (via Bluetooth) that you don’t have a phone with you, it sounds the alarm. See www.bringrr.com
On the Moof
Dutch design – Urban wheels
“The secret lies in what’s not there,” say Van Moof, the Dutch company behind a new range of bikes designed to deal with the demands of the city. The lightweight bikes have no loose cables, as these can break easily with everyday use. An LED lighting system is neatly incorporated into the frame, and is solar-powered. See www.vanmoof.com
Lucky No. 5 What is it about the number five? Chanel No. 5 has been on sale continuously since 1921, and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is one of the most famous pieces of classical music ever. Now Van Moof’s new model, No. 5, has been nominated for a Dutch Design Award. Van Moof No. 6, especially for women, will be launched this autumn.
Greener pastures
CDSea – Land artWhat to do with all of those old CDs gathering dust on the shelf? British ‘light artist’ Bruce Munro asked people to send them to him. This summer, he and 160 volunteers laid out 600,000 CDs in a Wiltshire field, transforming it into a shimmering outdoor canvas he called CDSea. The CDs are now destined for a green future at a local recycling plant. Visit www.brucemunro.co.uk
Bruce Munro became inspired by the play of light and its impact on the emotions while observing the glittering sunshine during a stint in Australia. In 2005, he ‘planted’ 15,000 lights in a British pasture. He has more land art projects in the pipeline.
Some spices aren’t just for cooking. Lancôme’s new scent, Ô d’Azur, features a rather surprising combination: Damask rose, and the secret, surprise ingredient – pink pepper. See www.lancome.com
2D is so passé. Add an extra dimension with the Vision Max 3D glasses, which promise compatibility with all 3D TVs. Might the next stop be contact lenses? See www.monstercable.com
Have you been neglecting your inner boy scout? Get that campside feeling without the fire with this table lamp from 5.5 Designers. You can forget about roasting marshmallows though. See skitsch.it
Culture
The Immortal Alexander the Great
September 18 to March 18, 2011, Hermitage Amsterdam
Paintings, tapestries and decorative art explore the life and legacy of this legendary figure of antiquity. Born in 356 BC, Alexander – who was tutored by the philosopher Aristotle – became King of Macedonia in 336 BC. Through a series of extraordinary campaigns, he created one of the largest empires in ancient history and is renowned for both his military genius and for permeating the East with Greek culture, in the form of Hellenism. See www.hermitage.nl for more details. For other events in Amsterdam and the rest of The Netherlands, turn to the Updates section on pages 61 and 63 of this magazine.
Comunication
Urban Enlightenment – The New Graffiti
Modern graffiti artists can now write with light. That’s thanks to the Graffiti Research Lab, a group of open- source urban artists committed to developing new forms of inner-city communication and sharing their technology with the world. They are the brains behind the LED Throwies seen here: small, battery-powered lights attached to magnets, which can be thrown onto metal surfaces for an instant light show. They also came up with Laser Tags: massive laser projections which turn entire buildings into potential whiteboards. See www.graffitiresearchlab.com
Books – The Flavour Thesaurus
Cooking is easy if you know what goes with what, which is exactly what this new book is for. The back section lists 99 ingredients and suggests flavour matches for each. There are 980 entries and 200 recipes covering classic combinations, as well as more unlikely pairings, such as watermelon and oyster, and blueberry and mushroom. By Niki Segnit; published by Bloomsbury.
Design
It’s official – Upwardly mobile
As a young Dutch designer setting up his own business, Tim Vinke experienced the importance of being mobile first-hand. So he created his own mini-office on wheels. Made from EPS foam, it includes two chairs, a table, lighting, power points, a hole for a coffee-maker and storage space. Visit www.timvinke.nl
Now booking Tim Vinke aspires to include a touch of humour in his work. He is currently developing a matching bookcase with in-built bar stools to go with his office.
Travel
Only those with a head for heights should take the plunge in this rooftop eternity pool. With vertigo-inducing views over Singapore, the pool at Marina Bay Sands Hotel rises up 200 metres, and spans over 150 metres. Set in a 1.2-hectare tropical ‘sky park’ resting atop the hotel’s three towers, it is reported to be the world’s biggest pool at this height. Visit www.marinabaysands.com
In the picture
Exhibition – New photography
MoMA’s annual New Photography exhibition opens in New York this month. It features work from four rising stars: Roe Ethridge, Elad Lassry, Alex Prager and Amanda Ross-Ho. Although each has their own style, they are all inspired by pop culture, from advertising to cinema or print. The exhibition runs until January 10, 2011. Visit www.moma.org
Touch Hear
Future at your fingertips
The Touch Hear project of the National University of Singapore’s Design Incubation Centre may still be largely in the ‘wishful thinking’ phase, but who cares? It’s an amazing idea. Featuring two implants, one in the fingertip and another in the ear, it would allow users to simply touch a printed word to hear its meaning and pronunciation. Visit www.designincubationcentre.com
Front Lines
Green games
Imagine if, by attending a football match, you could help the environment. It’s not as crazy as you might think. London architecture firm The Facility is working on ways to harvest energy from crowds, where technology in the floor would trap energy from every step the crowd takes. Visit www.the-facility.co.uk
Rich pickings
Proving that even billionaires like a good bargain is BillionaireXchange. It’s a type of eBay for the super rich. Here you can find a buyer for that tropical island you have become bored with, or for the French chateau which is a bit draftier than you thought. All you need is $2 million in assets and you can join. See www.billionairexchange.com
Architecture
Balancing barn – Cutting-edge holidaysPhilosopher Alain de Botton is on a crusade to help the masses appreciate modern buildings. The author of The Architecture of Happiness has co-founded a non-profit venture into holiday homes. Five top architects were asked to design retreats pushing the boundaries of the public’s perception of buildings. One of the first looks like it’s pushed the boundaries so far it’ll topple over. It’s called the Balancing Barn, by prestigious Dutch architects MDRDV. Located in Suffolk, England, it opens next month, from €25 per person, per night. See www.living-architecture.co.uk
Internet
Time Travel – Past vs present online archive
Have you ever found an old photo and wondered about the people and places pictured? A new global project, History Pin, aims to tie down details about such lost fragments of history. If you have a photo and a story to tell, upload them to the website. Using Google Maps and Street View, the picture will appear on the site’s world map along with images of what the same place looks like today. Fascinating browsing. Visit www.historypin.com
Ideia
You’re texting someone and – wham − where did that tree come from? Say goodbye to text-induced bruises with the iPhone App Type and Walk. It uses your phone’s camera to register your surroundings, so you can still see where you’re walking. Visit www.type-n-walk.com
