A Thread for Fine Design

[bmike]

guy who 'invented' this bike lives around the corner from me.
you use a running / walking motion with your legs. no circles.
up down up down up down.
really weird to see it go down the street.

seems really counter intuitive to me... but i like spinning, and feel its actually easier on the knees.

still has gears though, so you maintain some of the mechanical advantage of the modern bike.

[dale]

Ah, so it almost works like the Nordic Track exercise machine by the looks of it. That's quite cool.

[bmike]

@dale said:

Ah, so it almost works like the Nordic Track exercise machine by the looks of it. That's quite cool.

yeah, it is similar.
problem for me is that when i walk, my arms tend to move.
when i run, they definitely move.

on a bicycle with a typical crank, the feet move in circles, different than walking, so unless one is hammering up a hill, arms and upper body can remain quiet.

[Tobobo]

Speaking of design,

This book is very interesting

http://www.taubaauerbach.com/newsite/view.php?id=286&alt=698

[solo]

Fine design...maybe, genius...hell yeah!

http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw

The Life straw!!

[bmike]

looks like a larger version that i've seen in use for hikers / adventurers:

http://www.mcnett.com/Frontier-Pro-Portable-Water-Filter-System-P207.aspx

[dale]

@solo said:

Fine design...maybe, genius...hell yeah!

http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw

The Life straw!!

I think you've nailed an incredible example of not only how design can bring about change,but that it is not just about aesthetics,but outcome. Great find!

[Mike Lucey]

The Yike Bike. I remember seeing this in concept stage some time ago but now see that its on the shelves! Its pricey but breaks the mold when it comes to personal transport.

[dale]

At first I thought this was counterpoint to Pete's post. A decadent Life straw,for the first world's trending overfed.
But the implications of the technology, when I dug deeper, could have staggering consequences on the delivery of medications for asthsma, and many more. http://www.egodesign.ca/en/article.php?article_id=605

[dale]

@mike lucey said:

The Yike Bike. I remember seeing this in concept stage some time ago but now see that its on the shelves! Its pricey but breaks the mold when it comes to personal transport.

Mike
I would have loved one of these when I was living on the coast for my commute to and from work and the Ferry. It was an uphill return to the ferry, and took me just long enough that I would miss the Ferry which would mean a 14 hr day by the time I got home.
Love the way it folds also. and starting at $2000.00 US puts it inline with other quality electric bikes.

[dale]

Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum Kengo Kuma and Associates

http://www.kkaa.co.jp/c/works/architecture/

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[dale]

These people play with light. Not just lighting, but screening, sunshades,all inclusive, in a very creative way.
Atelier Oï was formed in La Neuveville, Switzerland in 1991, by three Swiss designers, Aurel Aebi (b. 1966), Armand Louis (b. 1966), and Patrick Reymond

http://www.atelier-oi.ch/index.php?id=3

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[Mike Lucey]

Lit Motors Will Shake Up The Electric Vehicle Market With Its Two-Wheeled, Untippable C-1

http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/10/lit-motors-will-shake-up-the-electric-vehicle-market-with-its-two-wheeled-untippable-c-1/

Good to see the c-1 progressing

[Mike Lucey]

Soltech Energy
http://www.soltechenergy.com/en

While maybe not fine design, I thought it is quite interesting.

[Mike Lucey]

Odooproject prefab home produces twice the amount of energy it consumes http://www.odooproject.com/en/gallery/house_g.html

[dale]

The Solar Decathlon is always worth watching. This is a first class entry Mike , not Net Zero, but Net+1. I'm really interested in the air to water heat pumps. They are really coming on.
Here is a link to a presentation by the team plot-paris is on. He posted it over on the The site. All SketchUp and Thea
http://www.youtube.com/v/PLSYleNYog0
I'll PM him and ask him to jump in.

[dale]

I have been searching for an adequate definition of "design"
I have been trying as a matter of course to avoid Wikipedia, so as not to become hooked on the instantaneous answers it offers, forcing me to dig a little deeper.
But damned if the best definition, (at least to put it into the context of what I wanted to see within this thread), wasn't in "W" world.
A specification of an object, manifested by an agent, intended to accomplish goals, in a particular environment, using a set of primitive components, satisfying a set of requirements, subject to constraints; to create a design, in an environment where the designer operates.

There are so many things I personally haven't posted, selfishly, because they are not in my sphere of interests. Examples of this are: Jewellery, Shoes, Fabric, Fashion.
But One that is not very well represented, is in fact something that I attended College to get a degree in, and that is Art.
And within the Arts is the field of photography.
So in order to stake new territory with something I feel falls into "Fine Design" I post the following:
Christian Coigny
An artist based near Lausanne, Switzerland. http://www.christiancoigny.com/about/
I contacted Christian, to ask permission to include the following image, and he graciously consented.
It is, in my opinion, very difficult to use the human figure without crossing boundaries into garish, or sexual. But in essence the human figure is the basis for so many iconic forms, and in terms of "Fine Design" I understate when I say it is "The".
I find his work exquisite, complimented by his use of Black and White.
Note: this small image does not do this photograph justice, so please visit his website for a much better view.

[pbacot]

Dale,

Perhaps you can answer this. I would not cavalierly combine art and design, though they work together. For your thread, certainly--but in terms of understanding? I have but a smattering of Art courses, so I only run around the edges of the big questions. Indecipherable perhaps but important to me nonetheless.

And this is a beautiful image and example of both in a way. Sorry but I can't totally separate the sensuality myself. (And how often in Art's history has classicism been used as an excuse to look at naked women?)

Peter

[dale]

Peter
I always appreciate your insights.
I probably should not have chose this image, as he does great landscape work as well, and does also photograph the male figure.
I think you use the correct term in "sensuality". This versus sexuality.
I have to run now, but will try to expand later

Regards

Dale

[dale]

Peter
You have touched on something I think that is worthy of discussion. I won't pretend I can give a finite answer.
I think maybe the best way to do this is to have a look at what some claim are separation points between art and design.

Art Is expressive, Design is communication.
What is it we do when we sit with clients to begin the design of a residence (for example)? My approach is to try and coax out of them information about the way they live in order to give them a residence which is an "expression" of their lifestyle. This is of course a simplification.
But cozy for some would be:

For others:

Whereas, if you have ever had the opportunity to stand in front of Picasso's Guernica, you can get the sense, even if you don't know anything about the painting, that it is communicating a great horror.

Art is Subjective, Design is Objective.
Art is interpretive, Design is understood.
To me these are only semantics, that are totally interchangeable.

But, I respect your opinion, and if there are any others that feel I should keep Art out of the Fine Design thread, let me know, or at the very least give me your opinions as to what Art and Design are.