In response to the recent economic climate, this past Christmas, the city of Lisbon decided it needed to spread holiday cheer on a budget. So Lisbon City Hall, along with the Museum of Design and Fashion, invited 25 artists, architects, and designers to submit light sculpture plans to mark the holiday. Ultimately, seven temporary concepts were selected for installation, including one especially eye-catching intervention: LIKE Architects‘ very beautiful, very clever Frozen Trees.

Using an unexpectedly common material–Ikea’s “Rationell Variera” plastic bag dispenser by K Hagberg/M Hagberg–LIKE Architects transformed Lisbon’s Rossi square into an interactive, ephemeral holiday experience. Thirty 3.6 meter-tall cylinders of varying diameters were composed from multiple dispensers and a white monochromatic LED system. They were then placed throughout the square, redefining the public space for visitors. As Diogo Aguiar, one half of the duo behind LIKE Architects explains, the studio saw this as “an opportunity to take from the shelves things that are right before our eyes and to look at them in a less obvious way–to subvert their logic with a sense of humor.”

Further, he notes, “It is great to see people approaching the Frozen Trees, peeking and suddenly realizing the installation is made of objects they could find in their own pantries. . . They leave the place with a smile on their faces. . . [And] at a time of crisis, we need a creative Christmas, a Christmas where a lot can be done by using very few and where creativity is essential to surprise others and to put a smile on people’s faces.”

And partner Teresa Otto observes, “The purpose of doing these exercises, registered in photos and in the memory of those who have seen them, is precisely to be part of the history of that place. . . That’s a story, a story that is part of the city’s history, the city’s architecture history.”

Check out the gallery and short video by Dinis&Gustavo below. And for more information, visit likearchitects.com.

Frozen Trees from dinis&gustavo on Vimeo.

CREDITS:
Authors: LIKEarchitects © (likearchitects.com) / Diogo Aguiar (diogoaguiar.com) + Teresa Otto (teresaotto.com)
Client: Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, MUDE – Museu do Design e da Moda
Construction: OutrosMercadus ©
Photography: FG+SG Fotografia de arquitectura | Architecture photography & Dinis Sottomayor

Dimensions:
10 prisms with 3,60 m high with pentagonal base (16 cm side);
10 prisms with 3,60 m high with decagonal base (16 cm side);
10 prisms with 3,60 m high with pentadecagonal base (16 cm side);

Materials:
2400 plastic bags dispensers ”Rationell Variera”
2500 meters of metallic tubular (square section) – 10X10X1.5mm
100 meters of metallic tubular (square section) – 25X25X2mm
330 linear meters of 12-volt white LED tape
45 12-volt car batteries
10 battery chargers
4800 self-drilling screws 3.5x16mm;

All images courtesy of LIKEarchitects.
H/T Domus.

Foscarini‘s newest lighting addition, Anisha, was designed by Spanish studio Lievore Altherr Molina.

The sleek table lamp’s name carries double meaning: According to Foscarini, “anisho” means “ring” in Argentinean Spanish; at the same time, the name “Anisha” is also a tribute to artist Anish Kapoor, “famous for his works with their primordial, rounded shapes and lively, striking colors.”

One of Foscarini’s first lamps to use only an LED bulb, Anisha comes in two sizes and two colors (red and white). For more info, visit foscarini.com.

“When people talk about design, they’re really talking about, technically, everything in the universe that has to do with intent.” —Milton Glaser

“Design is by its very nature free. There is nothing in design that says certain things must be done in a certain way.” —Tokujin Yoshioka

“It will always be up to good designers to correct the public opinion and promote quality.” —Massimo Vignelli

What’s on the minds of the world’s leading designers? What matters most to them right now? And how do they interpret the changes and constants of today’s culture?

These were the questions on my mind towards the end of 2011, when I decided to approach eight of today’s most intriguing and prolific designers—Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Stefan Sagmeister, Giulio Cappellini, Ross Lovegrove, Tokujin Yoshioka, Dror Benshetrit, and Maarten Baas—to gather a snapshot of the modern design world. The result is Design Voices, a collection I’m proud of, and one I hope you’ll also enjoy.

Design Voices includes conversations with design legends, rising stars, graphic designers, industrial designers, and those who defy categorization. Their words provide us an opportunity to reflect on the state of modern design, and reveal the vast possibilities that the term designer carries with it today. I hope these conversations pique and satisfy your curiosity as much as they did mine. Looking forward to your feedback!

And check out the review on Coolhunting.com!

Design Voices
by Anna Carnick
edited by Jeremy Lehrer
Purchase the e-book at Amazon

Daniel Arsham navigates in a space where architecture and art merge, often playing upon existing structures to create unexpected yet organic sculptures. And his latest exhibition, “The Fall, The Ball, and The Wall,” showcases the Brooklyn-based artist’s diverse, innovative practice and his ongoing interest in challenging expectations of accepted reality.

Arsham presents three bodies of work for the new show–his first solo exhibition in L.A.: His structural interventions continue to defy the notion of architectural rigidity, causing walls to drip and corners to meet in knots. These are accompanied by a new series of work on canvas that depicts realistic buildings neighbored by text that rises tall as skyscrapers, spelling out words such as “oops” and “okay.” And finally, the show features a large-scale, hanging mass of tinted spheres–based on the pixels of a hyper-magnified photo of a cloud formation–from the set of Merce Cunningham’s final performances.

The exhibition is on view January 20 through February 16, 2012 at OHWOW.

Rennes celebrates craftsmanship and timeless simplicity with gorgeous, must-touch leather goods and accessories (check out the gallery below!). The Boston-based line was launched three years ago by self taught designer Julia Okun, who named the company in honor of Rennes le Château, a village in southern France known its local lore and mystery. Okun drafts, cuts and sews every piece in each collection, inspired by the idea that “making an item by hand creates community.”

Ms. Okun graciously took the time to speak with us earlier this week:

Where did you learn your craft?
I learned to sew at an early age from my Mom and Aunt, but only started working with leather about three years ago. Working with leather is really different than fabric, and I’m completely self-taught. I read a few books and just experimented a lot. I bet if I took a class on leather working today I would learn I’m not doing anything by the book! When I started I had no idea it would turn into a business, so I’ve been really lucky in that regard.

I understand the name comes from a small French town–what’s your connection there?
When I started, I called my line Rennes le Chateau, which is a town/Chateau in the south of France. About a year into making bags I realized that name was way too complicated, so I shortened it to Rennes, which actually is another place in France. As a kid, I was really obsessed with any kind of conspiracy theory, and a lot of the “Da Vinci Code” theories are based around the myths in Rennes le Chateau. For some reason (which I’ve forgotten), it made sense for me to call my line that.

And last, what sort of person do you see yourself designing for, and what do you hope people will get out of your line?
I see myself designing for an independent person who doesn’t want labels or brands all over their clothes. One of the reasons I started making bags was because I couldn’t find one I liked. Most of the people in Boston have Longchamp, Coach, or Louis Vuitton bags, and you can see them coming from a mile away. I don’t want to be defined by the clothes I wear – I want it to be the other way around. For the longest time, I didn’t want to put any labels in my bags but friends and family told me I should, so I finally caved in. At least, I hope, they are discreet and classy! I want people to use what they buy from me for a really long time, so I always try to think of making timeless and trendless pieces.

For more information (and to buy), check out RennesHandmade.com. [Note to last minute holiday shoppers--they make great gifts!!] And to see some of Okun’s musings and sources of inspiration, check out her blog at blog.renneshandmade.com.

All images courtesy Rennes.