At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week. Stay tuned for weekly material…
People People Transparent Speaker
Image: wired.com
Image: peoplepeople.se
People People has designed a transparent speaker than can blend in any room with any décor. The simple, innovative electronic can provide big sound quality while taking up a small amount of space. No matter what colour your walls are or how much room your furniture takes up, the People People Speaker can fit in anywhere. The nippy device is also compatible with wireless systems, which means there’s no need for tangled wires to clutter your interior. The eco-friendly design is built with glass panels that can either be replaced or recycled, making the speaker a home-companion that will last for a very long time.
Image: juxtapoz.com
Image: juxtapoz.com
Image: juxtapoz.com
Virginia-based artist Bohyun Yoon has deconstructed dolls and taken their parts to create a suggestive shadow display. The installation is titled ‘Unity’ and features various parts of the dolls’ anatomy being strung up and suspended from a ceiling to create alluring shadows of the human body and its flexible capabilities. Made from silicon rubber, wire, steel and a spotlight, the piece evokes a visual that sees silhouetted human bodies entwined in a provocative dance against the backdrop of a plain white wall. The artist spoke about his artwork saying, ‘my art utilizes the body as the tool for an intensive investigation of the public and private’.
Image: gizmag.com
Image: gizmag.com
Apple designed the MacBook Pro to be the cutting edge of modern computing architecture, but Rawbkny has created a crafty accessory for Apple enthusiasts looking for something different. The MacBook Wood Keyboard is a fitted add-on that can cover your keys in either rosewood or bamboo. The wooden keyboard gives the laptop an organic and homey feel that helps thaw its techy industrial look. Although the wooden kit adds some extra height to the original keys, Rawbkny has said that the keyboard will not damage the MacBook Pro’s screen as there is still a slither of space between the keypad and the display when the laptop is closed.
Balloon Sculpture by Jason Hackenwerth
Pisces balloon sculpture by Jason Hackenwerth from National Museums Scotland on Vimeo.
Image: thisiscolossal.com
Jason Hackenwerth is renowned for his latex balloon sculptures and his latest spectacle has created a colourful splash at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Using 10 000 balloons, the New York artist produced a piece a called ‘Pisces’ which is inspired by his interpretation of the Greek mythological story of Aphrodite and Eros. In the tale Aphrodite – the Goddess of Love – and her son, Eros, escape the wicked monster Typhon by transforming into a coiled spiral of two fish that has now been blown to life by Hackenwerth and his team. Three of Hackenwerth’s staff members spent almost six days blowing up the balloons that Hackenwerth and his assistant, Leah Blair, would weave into the bright three dimensional kaleidoscope of ‘Pisces’.
Image: mashable.com
Image: mashable.com
GE Healthcare has launched the HDLive ultrasound which allows expecting parents to see their little one in a colour 3D display. Parents can watch their babies in utero while doctors can accurately track the fetus’s health and development. The system creates a moveable virtual light source that produces shadows and definitions to highlight every bump, fold and detail of the fetus’s body and face. Advanced skin rendering is also embedded in the technology to create realistic human-toned colours. Expecting parents no longer have to agonise over who their baby will look like, as the GE HDLive provides all the details.
Image: admedia.co.nz
Image: admedia.co.nz
Popular New Zealand weather forecaster MetService has collaborated with Y&R NZ advertising agency to create a structure that frames real-time weather. The billboard is designed to look like a web browser while giving a visual of actual weather conditions to emphasise that MetService is the most reliable forecaster in New Zealand. The clever ad has received 30 000 Facebook likes, featured on Reddit’s front page and been named BuzFeed’s ad of the month.
Dove Real Beauty Forensic Drawings
Real Beauty Sketches from John X. Carey on Vimeo.
Image: realbeautysketches.dove.com
Image: realbeautysketches.dove.com
In a campaign run by Dove and marketing firm Ogilvy, FBI-trained forensic sketch artist Gil Zamora shows women they are more beautiful than they might think. The Real Beauty campaign traces Zamora’s work as he sketches numerous women and compares their descriptions of themselves to the descriptions given by strangers. The artist first sketched an image of the women based on their perception of themselves and then a second image from the perception of a stranger. The striking differences illustrate that women see themselves differently and less beautiful than what others see them. The marketing campaign speaks to Dove’s brand initiative as a supporter of natural beauty, yet Dove still controversially stands by its animal testing policy. Dove’s parent company, Unilever, has defended cosmetic testing on animals in the past saying: ‘currently, a very small amount of animal testing is still necessary to deliver innovative products that provide consumer benefits and are market competitive’.
Sandwichbike Ready to Ride from Sandwichbikes on Vimeo.
Image: facebook
Image: facebook.com
Bicycles carry different meanings to different people: some use them as a means of transport, while others ride as a hobby or for health and fitness purposes. Whatever the reason, bicycles can be a pricey piece of equipment. Sandwich Bikes has found a solution to this predicament by manufacturing a bicycle that can easily be built at home with a minimal shipping fee. The Dutch-designed stylish ride is delivered to your doorstep in 50 pieces, with the two weather coated plywood frames being the primary structural element of the bicycle. The frames are held together by ‘smart cylinders’ that ensure a durable, fresh ride. The Sandwich Bike has yet be released, but it is estimated the bicycles will be hitting the streets later this year.
Image: lookinart.com
Image: obviouswinner.com
Losing a limb understandably creates insecurity and low self-esteem in patients who have endured amputations. Prosthetics aren’t always the most attractive designs and often appear too industrial or manufactured. To answer this problem, The Alternative Limb Project has partnered with ProActive Prosthetics to create a vibrant line of prosthetics that allow amputee patients to wear their prosthetics as fashionable limbs. From henna tattoo arms to floral leg limbs, The Alternative Limb Project aims to help their clients get noticed for more than their absent body parts. The alternative limbs can give a personality to their wearers that allows strangers to see them as more than disabled.
Images: peoplepeople.se, wired.com, facebook.com, thisiscolossal.com, obviouswinner.com, lookinart.tv, gizmag.com, realbeautysketches.dove.com, admedia.co.nz, mashable.com, juxtapoz.com
