Despoke

Image:Bike with sprung steel wheels designed by Ron Arad all Images courtesy of WOW bikes

As part of a collaborative fundraising event between Elton John AIDS foundation and Whotels, six top creatives were invited to transform the distinctive Blue ‘Boris bike’ used by Londoners into a a functional work of art, to by used by visitors to London’s Whotel .
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Ron Arad and his team reveal the ideas behind Curtain Call – an interactive 360 degree installation at the Roundhouse in London, 9-29 August 2011. Ron, Julian Gilhespie (architect) and Michael Castellana (industrial designer) talk about the journey so far and what you can expect.
Website:www.roundhouse.org.uk/

Image: Last year’s winning design: Breathing Bathtub by Xi Li, China
Roca, the leading global bathroom brand, together with BCD, the Barcelona Design Centre is launching the fourth edition of Jump the Gap 2010/11, Roca’s international design competition. The competition will officially launch on Roca’s stand (G30) at this year’s 100% Design.

The competition offers talented designers across the world the opportunity to showcase work based on innovation and design within the bathroom area. The winning project will receive a prize of 5000 Euros which will be presented at 100% Design 2011. The winner will also benefit from a targeted PR campaign that will promote the winning design along with its creator(s).
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MARC NEWSON Important early “Pod of Drawers”, 1987 Fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin core, blind-riveted sheet aluminum, paint. 50 3/8 x 27 1/2 x 17 1/4 in. (128 x 69.9 x 43.8 cm.) Produced by Basecraft for Pod, Australia. From the edition of ten plus two artist’s proofs and one prototype. ESTIMATE $300,000-500,000

Phillips de Pury announced the highlights from its June 9th New York Design auction. The sale will offer additional works from The Halsey Minor Collection. Part I was sold in a single-owner evening sale held at Phillips de Pury on May 13th, including Marc Newson’s prototype Lockheed Lounge for $2,098,000, a new world record for the artist.
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Ron Arad’s multi-disciplinary work has long been described to defy categorization, covering an array of genres including art, design, sculpture and architecture. In his current exhibition at the Barbican Centre, Arad’s work is presented in such a way that it responds to each of the categories. The opening room encourages visitors to play, touch and interact with the work in such a way that reminds viewers that each piece is a functioning object, designed for every day life.
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On Thursday 6 May the Barbican Centre hosted an evening of fantasy and imagination in the form of a whimsical Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. The Barbican’s Garden Room was transformed into a dream like wonderland adorned with floating edible treats and fantastical fairy lights while the fancy costumes worn by guests added to the atmosphere of wonderment.

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On 29th October 2010, a panel of top-notch professionals from the two, supposedly delineated worlds of Art and Design, came together to take on the debate of ‘design versus art’. Throughout the past four decades, the face and public perception of design has changed dramatically, mutating from the post punk, DIY rebellion of the 1970’s, to standardised mass production in the 80’s .
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