Dark Speed

I'm streaming along, speed is irrelevant, millions of floating fragments assemble into a roadway only moments before my wheels rip across its surface, almost simultaneously the traveled surface fragments and drops away. There's a horizon line. I'm riding towards it in hope that someday that horizon line will fragment and drop away the same way my  traveled road has. Spaceless, Timeless, I will still be gesturing my way across the multiverse.

Solillaquists of Sound

When it comes to music,I go thru genre phases like it is my job. This week I have been listening quite a bit to Solillaquists of Sound. Their music makes you think.  Unfortunately, one of the reasons why this group has not achieved the success they deserve is because mindless music is what sells nowadays(i.e. kesha, lil wayne, soulja boy etc.) Below is a better description of what their music is all about:

"Fusing brutally honest messages with a multi-dimensional sound, As If We Existed -- built with irrepressible positivity, chest-filling spirit, and body-throbbing rhythm -- is a public service announcement with spit. Launched with "The Pledge of Resonance," a poetic musing that links personal action, sound, and truth, S.O.S. focuses in on specific issues. 

A thinking person's brand of the genre -- imagine Digable Planets or The Fugees with greater dynamics and a bigger chip on their shoulders -- Sol.iLLaquists of Sound look to change the world one listener at a time. Leaving music lovers well-grooved, duly enlightened and -- quite possibly -- inspired, The Sol.iLLaquists are a family based on likeness of mind and because of it are, in many ways, more functional than any unit based on bloodline alone."

More songs after the break.

Facade Printer

Alright, I cannot lie - this is quite brilliant! Martin Fussengger and Michael Sebastion Haas, two product designers, combined paintball with graffiti to create a new form of street art! Why didn't I think of this? Below is a description of their facadeprinter.

"The Facadeprinter is a simple robot. Its purpose: shooting out large scale graphics onto walls. Calculating movements based on digital artwork, software controlled motors position an airpressure-marker to fire thousands of colorballs and print the work on a distant surface. The artwork grows dot by dot, like the drawing of a magic pen. An inkjet-printer in architectonical dimensions."

Becoming Usefully Unique

If nothing is original, and our efforts are actually an accumulation of many borrowed ideas, we should at least acknowledge what those ideas are, and who they are coming from.

Shift Step

This is an exercise in an experimental composition theory I've slowly been developing. In short, my interest here is in grouping short rhythms [phrases] and treating them as individual "Strokes" in order to create an even grander rhythm from those groupings.

It's perhaps better understood when referencing linguistics as in the use of letters to create words versus using words to create a sentence. The progression of my music can be better understood as a sentence (a grouping of words(words made from letters)), which I believe can be used to communicate a more rhythmic storyline.

I begin the piece by introducing each rhythm separately on their own layer. Once familiarized, I begin shifting the individual notes of each layer into groupings(words). This happens at the 1:06 mark in the video. Sometimes, the letters of a word fall across several different layers, creating a layer interdependency for the comprehension of the whole sentence. This grouping and interdependency can be observed on the sheet music throughout the video.

Traditional 4/4 timing
Layer 1:  This ismy theo ryof shif tste pcom posi tion

Proposed Gesture timing
Layer 1:  This  Is  My  Theory  Of  Shift  Step  Composition

Actual Layer Interdependency
Layer 1:   T                  y     Th     y                ift          p                si
Layer 2:     hi             M         eor               Sh        Ste               o   tion
Layer 3:        s     Is                          Of                           Comp

SC

Chris Brown + Benny Benassi?

Now, normally I am a big believer in Benny Benassi let alone anything techno - BUT I saw this new video today and I am less than impressed. I am so tired of this trend of audiotunes or whatever it is that makes people sound like robots in every new song that comes out now a days. If I had not seen this video and only heard the song, I would never have thought that Chris Brown had his hand in this. I mean the last time I checked the guy was a lady beater with strong vocal talents ... why not showcase this? The vocal talents not the lady beating.

Anyways ... check this out

Pixel this!

This was brought to my attention earlier today and I wanted to share it with all of you. Also, if you have not yet noticed, I have a theme going tonight - Cities baby!

I'm all about Playtime

Plot: Monsieur Hulot has to contact an American official in Paris, but he gets lost in the maze of modern architecture which is filled with the latest technical gadgets. Caught in the tourist invasion, Hulot roams around Paris with a group of American tourists, causing chaos in his usual manner.

Facts: Directed by Jacques Tati and at the time of its making, "Playtime" (1967) was the most expensive film in French history.

Thoughts: This could possibly my favorite film to date. There really isn't a story or a hero and there is minimal dialogue that is usually inaudible but it's filled with wit! The film shows how humans wander aimlessly through impersonal cities and sterile architecture. Check out below for a few scene clips.

Verdict: Definitely a must see! This should be the next film you order on Netflix.

An Empty City I can enjoy

It's short and an instrumental but how amazing does this sound? I've had this song playing over-and-over again (you know how much I love to kill songs) while doing some wall sections for our studio project. I enjoy it and I hope you do as well!

David Guetta : One Love

A throw back outro for ya'!! I'm playing this to hype everyone up for next friday!! David Guetta will be at Congress April 1st! No fools. I'm interested in hitting that one up! Stephen expressed some interest as well, anyone else feeling it?? Let me know.

In Your Face!

J. Mayer H. Architects : Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain

Remember that Crazy project you did back in undergrad that the critiques said couldn't be built?  Well..

Wendy's Week Outro Jam

Another hot track I heard all the time in Europe...and of course it's a techno beat.

Thirsty Thursday and all that jazz

Well, it's Thursday and I must say it has been quite a successful week thus far, plus we are scheduled to begin building our vertical garden wall this weekend! It has been a fabulous 80 degrees or so here in Charleston the past few days and today I decided to sport my first pair of shorts for the year. In my Introduction to Craft class we are going to start designing a bathroom for our school building here. The Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston (CAC.C) is actually located in a historic marine hospital building in the downtown and next to the city's historic jail building. Our wood shop is located in the lower level of the jail and adjacent to the American College of the Building Arts. Needless to say, these buildings are quite old and require a lot of maintenance. Unfortunately the school budget for the project this semester is not enough to redo the entire bathroom, so we will be phasing the project. Now, I must explain that the bathroom on the studio floor of the building is multi-purpose as it also houses some server equipment and a small kitchenette. Since a lot of people feel rather uncomfortable cooking in the bathroom, especially when others are coming in and out to use the facilities while food may be cooking, we are going to work to separate the two functions by reclaiming space in the printing and laser cutter room. Just finished taking measurements of the three spaces with two of my fellow classmates and we will see what happens during our design "charrette" later this afternoon. It's such a beautiful day, it is quite hard to focus on school and especially computer work, but there is only about 5 weeks of school left before all of our projects need to be built and then I will be halfway done with graduate school!

Had the box review on Tuesday and the entire jury had great comments about everyone's design and execution. Apparently this is one of the best batch of box designs and projects that they have ever had so that was great to hear.

Holy Crepe!

I have a confession to make - I am addicted to Crepes and I need help. But who could resist this deliciousness? What you are feasting your eyes are the Lyon (Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, green peppers and oregano) and, my favorite, the Amsterdam crepe (Gouda and muenster cheese, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and oregano).

Where can you find this amazing meal for a very reasonable price you ask? Great question. You can enjoy this food at Iguana Cafe, a European cafe, located at 517 N.Halsted St. Chicago. Just last year they were awarded by Celebration Media, U.S. as one of its 2010 Talk of the Town Award Recipients in the category of top Creperies and it's about time!

Tiny Apartment : 24 Rooms

For studio, we have been asked to design a Boutique POD hotel in New York City located on West 31 street and 8th avenue - a corner site diagonal to Madison Square Gardens.

Pod hotels have been quite popular around Europe and they are finally starting to gain some traction here in the states. To get an idea of what to expect, check out Citizen M. The basic premise is to reduce the cost of the stay by reducing the size of the room but not sacrificing any amenities during the process. One of the rooms we are set to design is roughly 77 s.f. Figuring out the logistics of the space and what to include has been problematic so far but if this tiny apartment can be transformed in 24 rooms then I know anything is possible!

Sweet & Salty

MVRDV : Shenzhen, China

Simple lofting gestures are used to celebrate special moments within this corporation office building including: double height entry space, leisure and dining hall level, and executive offices.

A "sun protection" system was developed by slanting the walls of each level outward, mimicking the 35 - 55 degree angle of the sun.

Crafty & Selective design implementation makes this Architecture a humble yet well-characterized building. Remember : Dessert is sweeter after you've eaten all yo salty vegetables...

Peeta : 3D Graffiti

Commissioned mural work by Italian graffiti artist Peeta.  His interest in shadow-play is what allows these drawings to really pop off the wall.

I'm interested in these works for their formal composition in their seemingly 3 dimensional space.  If only architects were as talented at arranging shapes in space...

VoltaDom Installation : Skylar Tibbits

SJET is a multifaceted practice, started by Skylar Tibbits in 2007 as a research platform for experimental computation + design.


His work is inspirational to me, in-that he's pursuing his personal interests, which happen to blur across several disciplines. I'm not sure that his work is helping clarify the role or responsibility of the Architect, but that doesn't seem to be his objective. He is, however, creating a sophisticated catalog of effects, techniques, systems, tools, and vocabularies for us to borrow from if need be.

Week Intro Jam ...

Haha, sorry Matthew ... stole your theme with my week intro jam by Morgan Page. Just heard this song on Pandora the other day and it really gets me into the mood to spend endless hours on my computer making architectural magic happen for my studio class.

Also ... new updates on my box project. It is due tomorrow and I have the second coat of Tung Oil on it and drying as we speak. Whoooeeeeee!

Duck Sauce?

Well, I don't have the time to be surfing the web and finding cool new stuff to share like my counterparts on this blog, BUT I do have a great song to share that I heard all of the time while studying abroad in Barcelona this past fall. It's Duck Sauce's Barbra Streisand

An Archi's Tale

As family members and friends start heading to bed; the architectural student continues to slave away at his task. You often try to find a purpose for it all. It must pay off at the end right? But what if it doesn't?. There are no guarantees to where we will end up or who we will ultimately become. Who even knows how much longer we will get to enjoy ourselves on this earth. (2012 is just around the corner ya'll!!!) So is it worth it?

Visual communication in Chicago

Thanks to technology, communication between individuals has become simple and instant but it got me thinking - how else can you send a message without actually saying it verbally or displaying it through technology?

I spent a few hours walking around Chicago trying to find these different forms and managed to come across these few examples...

Faxing Berlin

Exclusive blue shirt friday jam!

Your weekly friday afternoon dubstep outro.  Faxing berlin is a hot track, one of deadmau5's best I would say. Here it has been dubbed out and mashed up and it's sick!! Play it loud!! Have a good weekend

Bibio : Sugarette

Happy Friday! Here's a pretty good Jam by the British music producer Stephen Wilkinson AKA Bibio. If you listen to some other songs of his you will find that he produces a nice array of different styles & moods.

Enjoy

BLUR OMA!

Blur : Song 2

Approx. 15 years ago an English alternative rock band released this hit single

OMA : Educatorium

Approx. 15 Years ago Rotterdam based metropolitan architecture firm OMA opened doors to this hit single

BEST soup out of a can!

My first official post on the meatFAT blog. Excited I am. Currently I am reporting from Charleston, SC from Clemson University's Architecture Center here in the city. I like to bring my lunch to school and one of my favorite things to eat is soup. A lot of people like to get into these debates with me that soup is not food and cannot be my favorite thing to eat, but I think these people are extremely confused because soup is amazing and I cannot get enough of it. I have been dining on soup for my main daily meals for years and today I discovered the best canned soup I have ever had, Wolfgang Puck's Organic Roast Chicken with Wild Rice. I purchased two cans while shopping at the local Harris Teeter, and for those of you that are not familiar with the Low Country of South Carolina, Harris Teeter is the top choice grocery story. Tomorrow I am going to try the Organic Butternut Squash so I will be sure to keep you informed.

Other than that, my studio class is designing a vertical garden wall for Elliotborough Community Garden here in downtown Charleston. Community gardening is all the rage right now and we are fortunate enough to have a client that is more than pleased with the design the eight members of my studio class has been collaborating on. We begin building within the next week or so, and I will be sure to include more photographs of that process as well.

Also, I am building a box out of wood for my Introduction to Craft course. We primarily work in the woodshop and it is kind of like a product/furniture design class where we do an individual project (box design)then a collaborative project at the end of the semester that is usually an improvement project for the school. Past projects include light tables, book shelves for the library, librarian's desk, a media podium, and various other installations for the school to display photos and awards. We will have our final review for our individual box projects next Tuesday and then begin working on the group project.

Well, I guess I am supposed to plug a sweet song or band that I like ... how about this one in honor of a recent show I went to here in Charleston. The band is called Greensky Bluegrass. Not my usual type of music (techno), but it was pretty fun and I tried out some country style dancing ... maybe a jig or two as well. They have some songs and clips on their website so I hope you enjoy!

Film : 27

27 | A JOURNEY THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE

A truly incredible undertaking best described as "a journey into the heart of contemporary European architecture, under a permanent state of mutation. 27countries, 27 cultures, 27 architects build according to their own rules, and their own history while giving contribution for the construction of a common space: Europe."

GMP Architekten : Qingdao Grand Theater

German firm GMP Architekten designed this theater in Qingdao, China. A trellis sweeps across the roofs of several buildings on the site creating a hierarchy of occupiable atmospheres.  The trellis helps gradient the transition between outside and inside, gently guiding people into their theater experience. At first glance, this architectural feature seems to "overshadow" the theatrical experience for the user, but as a transitional exercise in sequencing the procession from street-scape to the viewers seat, it seems to create a very casual experiential shift, which I believe is an important responsibility for all architects.

I want my day to be made of glass

Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.

Do you think this sort of technology is possible within the next 15-20 years or is just wishful thinking?  Would this technology make your life easier? Or do you prefer a life that's not so heavily focused on technology.  It's not strange to see our society consumed by the latest and greatest gadget. Case-in-point

Even though I may never see this come to fruition in my lifetime; I'm just glad someone is thinking about the possibilities.  The future is ours to design. 

You are a smart man, Jobs!

"Your time is limitless so don't waste it living someone else's life. 

Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of others opinions. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; 

they somehow already know what you truly want to become.  

Everything else is secondary." 

Steve Jobs
Co-founder and CEO of Apple

Pay attention young designers

29 Things that all young designers need to know

Check out this great article that Doug Bartow, principal of id29, and his colleagues put together. It includes some very useful advice that can benefit designers of all ages and skill levels. You may think you have a good understanding of what you are doing or trying to accomplish but sometimes you just need articles like this to help guide you along the way.

Katy Perry : I kissed a girl (Rusko Remix)

Jam of the Week!

The outro....Yes, it's Katy Perry, and no, it doesn't suck because it's a re-re-re-remix!!!

Oh, and Armin Van Buuren is live on podcast right now! http://www.radio538.nl/

Shape Shifter : Summer Haze

A motivational beat to start your day.  Accomplish more than you expected to today.

Disappearing Architecture : Refocusing Experiential Perspective

What's next; after our fascination with computer software and its ability to form, fragment, and aid the construction of our geometrically augmented architectures wears off? A speculative response to this question, after the page-jump..

Photograph by Stephen Coorlas

Tip # 1 : Blue and Brown

I feel as if this basic fashion rule is ignored and unknown to too many men. Brown shoes, brown belt and even the brown bag make the crisp blue threads appear even more vibrant. This look needs to be a staple outfit in every man's closet. Fashion tip #1.2 notice the pant leg cut. Tailored, straight cut. Loose the excess fabric guys. Clean. Crisp.

Make your worst everyone else's best.

Combo : Mural Painting Animation

Get ready to get your mind blown away!!! This painting animation was shown to us during our studio lecture and needs to be shared amongst all of you. Blu and David Ellis, two very talented artists, collaborate in this masterpiece that took roughly about a week to complete. Check it our for yourself!

Bertrand Goldberg : Raymond Hilliard Homes

I passed these buildings tonight on the south side of Chicago thinking to myself, "how innovative"

Photograph by Stephen Coorlas

Capital "A" Architecture

REX | OMA - Wyly Theater


Joshua Prince-Ramus and his firm, REX, (Previously OMA-NewYork) designed the Dee and Charles Wyly Theater in Dallas, Texas with the idea that “Architecture must do things again, rather than represent things.” He delivers a TED talk where he discusses the powerless role of the architect and presents the Wyly Theater as a product of Architectural agency that may revive the power of the Architect today.

Photos by Iwan Baan

Lyons : John Curtin School of Medical Research

Australian architecture firm Lyons uses "segmented continuity" to produce unique interior day lighting effect. This 3 dimensional "gradient" facade might work more functionally as a solution for stimulating movement through space.

Quantic

Quantic

Let me get you all starting this week with the sweet sounds of multi-intrumentalist Quantic.

The All-Nighter

For all you architects (or architects at heart) I think you will enjoy this site.
The All Nighter.  Sadly, many of us can relate to it.

Chiddy Bang

Chiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege andNoah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo met in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in Noah's hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Their sound is based on the fusion of hip hop and unique sample choices from alternative leading artists such as Radiohead,Sufjan Stevens, Passion Pit, and MGMT.

New Restaurant Fridays : Lillie's Q

Lillie's Q

The 1030 crew started NRF [New Restaurant Fridays]

NRF# 2 : Lillie's Q [BBQ]

Photograph by Stephen Coorlas

Morton Anderson : suckerPUNCH

Reminiscent of Cubism art work circa 1920's, Anderson's work seems to use modern day color palettes, line gestures, and composition techniques, which make these art pieces very graphically appealing to me.

Enjoy

Rusko : Hold on (Sub Focus Remix)

There are quite a few remixes to this song; this is one of them. The original is hot too though and you need to check that out son! Play it real loud, then throw ya' blue shirt on for friday!!

This dude is playing congress theater 4.22!! I'm there. Who is coming with me!!??

Classical Symphony : 2011 Season Schedule

Chicago Classical Symphony Schedule

The only thing keeping me sane at the moment while working in studio is classical music. Turns out there are free rehearsals open to the public at the Classical Symphony Hall located at 218 South Wabash Avenue. 

If you live in Chicago you should take full advantage of this opportunity. I know I will! 

Although, I will have to find a date that is willing to accompany me, hmmm....

Lessons for young Designers

10 Lessons for Young Designers by John Jay


I recently came across this list of very power lessons we all should embed into our brains. We all can benefit from this list so print it, post it and read it at least three times a day. 

I want you all to succeed! 

Lost in Architecture : Nicolas Grospierre

Artist Talk: 6PM

Opening Reception: 6:30-8PM

Nicolas Grospierre will discuss the Graham Foundation exhibition and his most recent work. This event is free and open to the public.

Don't let the devil ride

There are always interesting people with interesting stories places you go. Whether they are true or not is not important...whether you believe is...

Photograph by : Abraham Mora

Yann Tiersen : Le Banquet

The playing of the accordion is an increasingly lost art mostly performed by older men from older countries, but there is hope for the survival of the unmistakeable sound of heritage . Yann Tiersen, a French musician and composer, is an example of an individual who has taken up the art of his elders and molded it to produce something progressive and beautifully uplifting. Tiersen is a classically trained musician of Norwegian and Belgian origins who primarily plays the piano, violin, and accordion. His style of music is often described as having minimalist composition.

BUSTED

So here's what happened to me in the last twelve hours and the lessons I've learned....

Common Market : Escaping Arkham

A duo from Seattle that deserves much more recognition. Imagine if you heard music like this blasting from your radio instead of the mindless ramblings that you hear so much of nowadays.

Mr.Brainwash

He considers this art; I don't - Do you? 

In my opinion, it's been done and done better but check it out for yourself. 

Morphosis : Giant Interactive Group Headquarters

Thom Mayne just blew my mind with this new project in Shanghai, China.  It speaks strongly yet peacefully in it's surroundings. A perfect harmony. Agree?

"Situated amid existing canals and a new man made lake, the undulating office building interacts with an augmented ground plane, joining architecture to landscape, and environment to site.  The Giant Campus project is a compact village that accommodates diverse functions in a flexible framework of forms that move in and out of a folded landscape plane."

The Art of Non-Conformity

I would like to switch lives with him for a day....or a couple years. 

"Chris Guillebeau began, The Art of Non-Conformity (AONC) project to chronicle his writing on how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time. In the battle against conventional beliefs, we focus on three areas: Life, Work, and Travel."