Crosby Studios is a creative agency that works on a wide variety of projects, including fashion collaborations, graphic designs, and interior design for hospitality and residential spaces. In fact, this isn’t even the first time that Crosby Studios has created a product like the Balenciaga-stuffed sofa. Their website also features some furniture that celebrates sneaker culture, including a transparent armchair filled with Nikes.

Nuriev and Balenciaga first unveiled the couch at Design Miami 2019, a yearly fair that aims to provide both designers and consumers with commercial opportunities and serve as a platform for cultural and artistic collaboration.

The sofa’s daring aesthetic is supposed to be both visually and mentally stimulating, though Nuriev hopes hopes it can also inspire customers to be more aware of the negative impact consumerism has on the planet. While the design is reminiscent of a large, overstuffed sofa you might expect to see in an average family home, this couch has a lot more going for it. The materials are much more unique, mostly sourced from “damaged or otherwise unsellable garments and off-cuts from obsolete stocks of Balenciaga clothing,” according to MR magazine. The final effect is a couch with a bold and mixed pattern of all conceivable colors.

While the materials that went into making it would normally not be suitable for any other means, Nuriev has repurposed them into what the fair calls “environmentally conscious design, giving generations of garments and other materials another life.” And while it may be a think piece first and foremost, the furniture is still functional, even including a pillow and recliner if you want to get a bit more comfortable.

The eco-friendly sentiment here is appreciated, but Nuriev is not the first to bring this concept to life. Companies such as Tradesy, The RealReal, and Poshmark also attempt to give clothing multiple lifetimes by reselling old pieces so they can be enjoyed by several new owners for decades to come.

Earlier this year, Balenciaga also launched an environmentally-friendly clothing line. The company’s goal with that collection was to practice sustainable fashion and bring awareness to threatened species and the need for conservation. Even better, the company put their money where their mouth was, donating all proceeds from the collection to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Attitudes toward sustainability, conservation, and eco-friendly design may vary, but seeing retail giants like Harry Nuriev and Balenciaga moving in the right direction is massively encouraging. Recognizing the responsibility designers have in protecting the environment is a necessary step forward for the whole planet.

The post Balenciaga Unveils Colorful Repurposed Sofa at Design Miami 2019 first appeared on Dornob.

Services Généraux is a multidisciplinary full service creative bureau founded by an art director and product designer. They consider themselves “Image Makers,” spending their time creating virtual spaces, objects, and images. More concretely, “their constant experimental and creative research practice is reflected in a breadth of: creative direction, architecture, space and object design, graphic design, image making, and video projects.”

Services Généraux has also worked with some giant companies before, including Adidas, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, and Nike. The aforementioned founders of the studio, Antoine and Valentin, are steeped in mystery, as they do not publish any photographs of themselves or even their last names. “Maison” is their first-ever completely conceptual project.

The “home” is set in the idyllic French countryside. Photos show a backdrop of lush green grass, shrubbery, and trees. The illusion is further intensified by a sunset reflecting off the windows of the imaginary home. “Maison” was inspired by the real-life ruins of a farmhouse, once bustling with life but now a shadow of its former self. Its dilapidated walls provided the studio with a starting point for the design, and their influence can even be spotted in the images of the conceptual home’s exterior walls. The rest of the exterior is made from blocks of concrete that are neutral-toned and varying in color and appearance. Overall, this creates a very natural look — one reminiscent of the very countryside it is set in.

The interior of the home continues the natural motif and is supremely understated. The walls are all beige or off-white, lacking any significant texture. They were purposely left bare to remind viewers that function is always more important than fashion. The bathroom, for example, is beautiful in its simplicity and has nothing outside of the essentials. In the photorealistic images of it, we see a large stone standalone tub. Right above it, there is a wooden window open to the outside world. There’s also a sink of the same natural beige stone, a chair, and a wooden block to rest your towel on. Other than that, all we have is a stool, a bucket, and a cloth for washing up at night.

We’re also given a sneak peak of something we can only assume is a living room, because not much else is going on in it otherwise. Here, there are only three chairs, a fireplace, and some wood to get the fire going. The bedroom mirrors this simplicity, showcasing a bed, a few books, and another fireplace. While there may not be much going in “Maison” entertainment-wise, you still get the feeling that your basic needs and comforts would be met in a home like this. This particular home, while only imaginary, also brings you back to a simpler time.

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The book is titled Where Today Meets Tomorrow: Eero Saarinen and the General Motors Technical Center, and it includes photographs, architectural drawings, interviews, documents, and an unprecedented level of insight on the process of creating such an iconic project. When referencing the design, Skarsgard comments: “Every detail is prototypical — they didn’t go off-the-shelf for anything, whether trim work, door handles, and every bit of hardware and wall covering — it’s all completely designed for that space.”

The General Motors Technical Center is located in Warren, Michigan and was Saarinen’s first-ever solo project. Of course, that doesn’t mean this task wasn’t also the brain child of several talented midcentury artists, including names such as Harry Bertoia, Alexander Girard, Florence Knoll, and Alexander Calder. The center was even deemed a National Historic Landmark in 2014. Ironically, despite receiving such acclaim and status, this landmark was not very well known for a long time, as it was mostly kept hidden behind closed doors and only admitted employees and guests. That’s what makes this new book all the more exciting.

The photos in the book give a full picture of the atmosphere around and within the center. The facilities resemble a wide, sweeping campus and cost around 100 million dollars to create. The center has 38 buildings and accommodates over 20,000 employees. The photos also show us the “Design Dome,” which is based on the steel and metals commonly used to make automobiles. The dome is used to display GM’s new product line and is considered the heart of the campus. We’re even given an ariel view of the entire facility, including “The Lake” and its stainless steel water tower.

The book also gives us access to the interiors of the buildings previously seen only by employees and insiders. The technical center’s simple, crisp lobby features large glass windows, reflective tables, and large rectangular arm chairs. The dining area, while also overwhelming linear, incorporates a splash of orange and lush greenery. Everything about the look is minimal and sophisticated while still maintaining comfort.

Eero Saarinen was a famous Finnish-American architect known for multiple high-profile projects. Some of his designs include the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri and the TWA Flight Center of the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. While architectural design obviously made up a large chunk of his adult life, it was also a considerable part of his childhood. This is because he was the son of acclaimed Finnish architect Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen. Subsequently, Eero’s upbringing and European influences allowed him to become a leader in the International style for architecture, which is similar to modernism but originated in Europe post-WWI.

While Eero did have big shoes to fill growing up, he certainly left a large shadow of his own, designing some of America’s most iconic landmarks.

Photos courtesy of James Haefner

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Art Basel is an international art fair that showcases the works of both well-established and up-and-coming artists. It holds yearly shows in Basel, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Miami Beach, Florida. The latter saw a slew of big names pass through this year, including Shepard Fairey, the artist behind Obama’s famous “Hope” posters. Rapper Travis Scott even threw an A-list after-party for stars like Winnie Harlow, Kehlani, and Kendall Jenner. And considering all that culture, buzz, and celebrity presence, you’re probably wondering how a banana titled “The Comedian” stole the show.

Only Italian artist and well-known prankster of the art world Maurizio Cattelan can answer that for us. Cattelan has a long history of making art installations that toe the fine line between brilliance and total absurdity. In 2011, for example, he stuffed and embalmed 200 pigeons and placed them atop air conditioning pipes in a heavily frequented Italian pavilion. The installation even included fake piles of pigeon poop on the floor for authenticity.

More famously, Cattelan crafted a solid 18-karat-gold toilet titled “America” that was recently stolen from England’s Blenheim Palace.

All of Cattelan’s work, including “The Comedian,” makes viewers question the intertwined relationship between money and art. For “America,” the artist used a very valuable material to make something very base and pedestrian. With “The Comedian,” he inverts that idea, using an object anyone can afford and elevating it to an outrageous degree simply because we deem it “art” and him an “artist.” His point was swiftly proven, too, as this piece sold for a staggering $120,000. This sparks an important conversation about what makes art valuable: the materials itself, the idea behind it, or the prestige of the artist (I certainly know that if I taped an aging banana to a wall that no one would be paying $120,000 for it). This in turn makes art lovers question exactly what they are buying into and how much value they should truly be attaching to any given work.

After thousands of dollars spent and thousands of selfies taken, the plot thickens even more. A few days after the banana was initially taped up, performance artist David Datuna walked up to “The Comedian,” pulled off the duct tape, and ate all $120,000 worth of potassium. He titled this performance “Hungry Artist.” This however did not lower the price of the artwork, and the banana was soon replaced.

In an interview with The Guardian, Datuna admitted that he doesn’t even like bananas, eating only around one every year.

After this incident, it was determined that the public could not be trusted with the installation, and it was taken down entirely. At this point however, gallery owners had completely lost control to the pranksters. Soon after it was removed, someone scrawled “Epstien didn’t kill himself” on the blank white wall. This too was covered up by security.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mMSwIQYoSc

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Virgin Galactic has partnered with Under Armour to create a functional futuristic flight suit for every one of their space tourists. This bundle includes a spacesuit, training suit, footwear, underwear, and a limited edition jacket.

To make an outfit that was practical, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing, Under Armour used feedback from many varying but related experts, including stylists, pilots, and doctors. Every suit will be individually customized for each passenger, including a name badge and national flag. All passengers will be able to take the suit and space gear home with them as well, which is good news considering the fact that we have no idea what kind of souvenirs will be available at the edge of space.

In an interview about his partnership with Under Armour, Virgin head Sir Richard Branson describes his intention with the design as “[wanting] it to be comfortable, flexible, strong, dealing with slightly colder weather and hotter weather, and we also wanted it to be sexy and look good.” Wearing the suit himself during the interview, Branson joked, “If I was a younger model, you’d understand that it is sexy and does look good!”

The flight suit is made from an assortment of materials that have been tested to do well in space-like environments. For example, the suit is lined with cold gear retractor lining to keep passengers warm and comfortable despite unexpected changes in temperature. On top of that, one of the most important materials in the suit is Under Armour’s Celliant yarn called “Rush.” Rush uses infrared heat to helps your muscles recover and grow at a quicker pace. The flight suits were recently debuted for media outlets and investors at an indoor skydiving facility in New York City. There, they were worn by dancers who proved the flexibility and durability of the suits with impressive acrobatics.

Virgin Galactic is a part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin group and aims to be the first commercial space line. Their site explains it best, noting that they “are developing and operating a new generation of space vehicles to open space for everyone.” That is, everyone who can afford a ticket, of course. While the cost may seem out of this world to the majority of us, 3,000 people have already expressed interest in the trip.

Even if you can’t quite afford the ticket, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank still assures us we can get in on the fashion trend. A limited edition UA x Virgin Galactic shirt is now available on their site for a much more reasonable cost of $35.

The post Virgin Galactic and Under Armour Design Futuristic Outfits for 2020 Space Tourism first appeared on Dornob.

THE WELL’s official website bills the center as “your complete ecosystem for wellness,” in which “your health is integrated, proactive, and personalized, leading to a more balanced you.” The company behind THE WELL uses the science of Western medicine and the wisdom of Eastern healers to foster holistic healing both physically and mentally. The facilities include a Meditation Dome, spa, private training gym, co-ed sauna, Movement Studio, Reflexology Lounge, library, organic restaurant, and annex for private parties. Not only does the club provide physical treatments like acupuncture and yoga, but it also offers several health education options, including sessions with personal trainers and weekly curated fitness programming. The intention is to help provide necessary services while also empowering members to take wellness into their own hands.

The club was designed by Rose Ink Workshop, a creative agency that mainly works in interior design. The company’s goal is to “place extra emphasis on crafting unique branded experiences … that make people smile.” THE WELL mixes luxury and simplicity to create a completely serene aesthetic. The motifs are apparent all throughout: light open spaces, neutral tones, lush greenery, and natural wooden fixtures. The design was specially planned to help members appreciate the design of human body and feel at one with all living things.

The Reflexology Lounge, for example, has white washed walls decorated with off-white macrame. The room also boasts gray and beige lounge chairs, gray side tables, and similarly neutral-toned blankets and baskets. The only pop of color here comes from racks of lush green plants. The wellness center’s Mindful Movement Studio is painted in the same stroke, with soft white walls and gentle lighting present all throughout. This space is mainly open and features a full-size mirrored wall.

The other areas of the club keep the same aesthetic but include elements designed to boost their unique intentions. The Meditation Dome has plush carpeting and a table filled with tall off-white candles, while the gym features color-coordinated weight-training machines and rope light fixtures made to complement an actual climbing rope. Rose Ink clearly put a lot of thought into designing interiors that not only accompanied THE WELL’s experiences, but enhanced them, too.

As great as all these spaces may be, the library is by far the most colorful room in the wellness center. The walls are of course white, but they’ve been paired with a teal carpet and a blush pink couch. This room is also decorated with colorful accent pillows and centerpieces, while the shelves on its walls are adorned with artworks in varying shades of yellow, pink, and orange. In here, members receive educational programming from doctors, teachers, and authors.

General membership for THE WELL costs a hefty $375 a month, but the price is cut to $210 if you’re under 32. While that price tag might still make you wince, it will certainly hurt a lot less with a face mask on and a tasty green juice in your hand.

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Olivia Kim, Nordstrom’s VP of Creative Projects, has partnered with Nike to create the latest Nordstrom-Nike collaboration: No Cover. The collection is inspired by the streetwear and high energy of New York City during the 1990s. The companies explain that their collaboration “taps into the attitude of 90s underground NYC, where self-celebration means openly being yourself.”

Naturally, this means the collection features a lot of bold colors, fashion-forward silhouettes, and exciting styles. Since Nike is first and foremost a footwear company, we’ll start by talking sneakers. Kim has reimagined five of Nike’s most popular designs for the collection — Air Force 1, Air Max 98, Air Footscape, Air Mowabb, and Air Jordan IV — each one of them drastically different from the rest.

The Air Force 1 design features fresh colors and patterns. The sneaker itself is royal blue corduroy adorned with a yellow snakeskin swoosh. If that’s not electrifying enough for you, you’ll be happy to hear that it also boasts a glow-in-the-dark sole. Kim’s Air Max 98 goes a completely different route, offering a gradient of red, green, and yellow. Its details are inspired by the Air Max 120, originally released in 1998. In her redesign of the Air Footscape, Kim references the punk attitude of the East Village with an energetic zebra pattern and a touch of pink.

The Air Mowabb’s design plays on its original function: to transition from running to hiking. With a mix of colors, textures, and patterns, this sneaker dares to be worn any way anywhere. Lastly, the Jordan IV, inspired by an earlier version nicknamed “Black Cat,” keeps color and details simple but expresses creativity via its fashion-forward materials.

In addition to the redesigns of these classic sneakers, the collection also features 16 other pieces. There is truly an impressive variety here, with everything from wrist sweatbands to a puffer coat and fanny pack. In a clever act of self love, Kim’s also included a graphic tee decorated with one of her own sneaker designs, the Air Max 98. The clothing includes a mix of contrasting colors, including lime green, royal blue, stark black, and cherry red. And whether you’re looking to work out in an attention-grabbing sports bra or throw on a Betty Boop hat for lunch with a friend, you’re sure to find something here you like.

Nike News provides insight on the intention of Kim’s work, explaining: “she loves New York streetwear from the 90s, a time when a majority of the fashion-forward styles and fresh colors were made for men and she could never find anything in her size.” For that reason, the collaboration stresses inclusivity. Just take the name for example. “No Cover” serves as a reference to the fee to enter a nightclub. Unlike those nightclubs, Kim strips away the exclusivity, allowing people any age and gender to express themselves through their stlye and taste.

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At first glance, the Inner Expanse Infinity Coat is an ankle-length puffer jacket with a trench coat on top. From there, it separates down to three core pieces: a vest, a puffer jacket, and a trench coat, each of which you can wear in a variety of ways.

The jacket is so adaptable because it’s been well equipped with strategically-placed buttons and zippers. These elements allow you to transform it by simply adding or subtracting parts depending on the temperature or your mood. The hood and neck piece are also detachable, and you can zip the sleeves off and on to your liking. If you want to show off the puffer underneath, the trench coat can be backless. If you want the full coat, no problem. The beauty of the Inner Expanse Infinity Coat is that you can pretty much turn it into anything you want.

The coat is made out of wind-proof, water-repellent fabric and comes in two different color options. The first is a classic and subdued combination of black and true navy. The second is much more daring. Dubbed “Marvel,” “Honeycomb,” and “Candy Pink,” this jacket celebrates color with hues of vivid magenta, soft pink, and rich yellow. The puffer jacket is also reversible, with a different color on each side. Both color combinations offer adjustable and reflective cords, thumb holes in the sleeves, snap pockets, and side zippers for better mobility. One last cool feature: when you’re done wearing it, you can take it off and neatly tuck it into a pouch that’s actually inside one of its own pockets. Not much outerwear comes with that kind of built-in storage!

The Inner Expanse Infinity Coat is part of a larger collaboration between designer Roksanda Ilinčić and Lululemon. Ilinčić is a London-based fashion designer with a very successful self-titled brand. She studied architecture as an undergraduate and went on to receive her masters in womenswear. As a designer, she aims to make her clothing experimental but still comfortable and wearable.

The collaboration combines Roksanda’s “bold and feminine aesthetic” with Lululemon’s “technical innovation” to create fashion that is unique, unexpected, and functional. The jacket is one piece of a 16-item collection available on Lululemon’s website right now. The collection includes a duffle bag, sports bra, running shorts, and other assorted athletic wear. Some of the most uncommon pieces include water-repellent trousers and a “Technical Satin” skirt, both meant to be worn over your workout gear. The whole collection shares the same color palate and striking utilitarian style.

Buying this coat may alleviate the need to buy other jackets, but it will also do serious damage to your wallet. The coat retails for a whopping $998, but hey, high-fashion comes at a price, right?

The post Lululemon Partners with Roksanda to Create Transforming Jacket You’ll Never Want to Take Off first appeared on Dornob.

The XC40 Recharge is being advertised as a pure electric SUV that will be a good investment for both the driver and the planet. The company site explains that the car was designed to “to give you the best experience on the road now, and to protect your future.”

While that promise might sound great, we felt it important to take a look at the numbers to see if it all added up. One of the largest concerns when purchasing an electric vehicle is the car’s range and battery. The XC40 Recharge’s long range is 200+ miles, and it takes 40 minutes to charge to approximately 80 percent. That may not measure up to the 400 miles you can get out of a full tank on a Honda Civic, but this energy is clean and comes at a very low cost. Even better, that range and time frame is pretty comparable to other brands’ electric SUVs. For example, Chevrolet’s Bolt advertises a long range of 238+ miles, but takes a whole hour and a half to charge the same amount. Admittedly, Tesla blows them both out of the water with a long range of 300+ miles and a charge time of about 30 minutes.

Volvo’s electric SUV also presents a surprising amount of power, as it’s equipped with 402-horsepower front and rear electric motors. This allows it to reach 60 miles per hour in under five seconds, which means you won’t ever have to sacrifice a powerful take-off or smooth acceleration for an eco-friendly ride. Another perk of having an electric motor is near-silence while driving. Additionally, the XC40 has a one-pedal driving feature that “makes for an intuitive and powerful drive with a feeling of full control — a car that seamlessly follows your intentions.”

Outside of the fact that it runs on electricity, the XC40 has plenty of other features worth mentioning. For example, the car eliminates any need to touch your phone while you’re driving, as it includes a screen equipped with Google Maps and a voice-controlled Google assistant. Volvo also provides impressive safety features, including a system that warns you of any traffic in blind spots and gently steers you away from oncoming accidents. One final perk of purchasing the XC40 is the feeling of doing right by the environment. The car boasts zero emissions while driving and is made entirely from recycled materials.

While Volvo may not be revolutionizing space travel and exploration like Elon Musk is, the company is still making a difference in the world. Though it’s not the first electric car ever, having more electric cars on the market means a smaller transportation footprint as a whole. Plus, the XC40 Recharge offers consumers an opportunity to purchase from a brand they know they can rely on while simultaneously freeing them from visiting a gas station ever again.

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If you were a kid growing up in the 90s, had a kid growing up in the 90s, or even walked into a Target school supplies section during that time period, you’re probably already familiar with Lisa Frank’s work. If you were living under a rock and haven’t heard of her, don’t worry, we’ve got the inside scoop for you.

Frank’s designs feature highly stylized animals, bright neon colors, and rainbow patterns. Her products are marketed mainly towards children, including folders, lunchboxes, stickers, and posters. The products gained huge popularity in the 1980s because they were unique, exciting, and just all around fun. Her work quickly became so iconic that you couldn’t enter an elementary school classroom without encountering a kitten with enchanting rainbow wings or a technicolor dolphin swimming above a mass of neon coral.

This penthouse flat, located in downtown Los Angeles, has everything a pre-teen girl (or an adult woman wracked with nostalgia for simpler times) could dream of. The bedspread is all rainbows and unicorns — literally. The bed is stacked with cloud-shaped pillows and sits within a neon pink bed frame. It’s also topped with a white, gauzy, light-up canopy to complete the extraordinary aesthetic.

When you finally pull your eyes away from the bed, you see rainbows everywhere. The curtains are beautifully technicolor and open to windows of rainbow hues. You enter the kitchen and are instantly confronted with a bold rainbow pillar. The cabinets? Also rainbow, but with tiger stripes and filled with stuffed animals. Even the dishtowels are an homage to ROYGBIV. If this feast for your eyes is not enough, the kitchen is stocked with a complimentary mini bar of sugary treats, including Pixy Stix, Pop-Tarts, and Fun Dip.

Lastly, the flat offers a magical underwater-themed bathroom. A roomy shower and tub gives you the opportunity to bathe among intertwined dolphins, colorful coral, and fish blowing heart bubbles. Every detail is stylized, from the bright pink bathrobe to the fish scale bath mat. Your toilet paper roll is even handed to you by a playful, friendly dolphin.

It wouldn’t be a Lisa Frank Flat if it didn’t include writing supplies. The room offers colorful pens, bright stickers, and iconic Lisa Frank stationary. And what’s the point of going on vacation if you can’t send your friends well wishes on brightly-colored leopard print paper?

Unfortunately for all the Lisa Frank lovers, the flat was only open for two weeks and completely sold out in the very first hour. Sorry 90s babies, but for now it looks like you’ll just have to keep the decade alive by watching Friends and wearing crop tops.

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The Weedmaps Museum of Weed is an immersive experience designed to take guests through the history of cannabis via the locations and time periods most strongly associated with it. The museum’s website notes, “Here we celebrate the victories and shed light on the most damning moments throughout the last century.” The entire museum is 30,000 square feet and features seven exhibits, interactive art installations, and even a Plant Lab. If you get the munchies halfway through your visit, there’s also a full cafeteria and snack/coffee bar.

The museum starts off in the “Pre-Prohibition” exhibit, where you learn the roots and faraway history of marijuana. The room is filled with cannabis-inspired art pieces of many different cultures around the world. You then enter an exhibit titled “The Age of Madness,” where the story takes a darker turn. This part of the museum is intended to show visitors how “cannabis was used as a tool to fuel hysteria and racial tensions in the early 20th century.”

From here we move to the “Counterculture Revolution” and enter an exhibit filled with the visuals we typically associate with marijuana use. This 1960s anti-establishment movement rejected the misconceptions of the past and embraced cannabis as a symbol of freedom and love. Naturally, the room totes psychedelic paintings, doves to symbolize peace, and protest signs calling for acceptance, equal rights, and unity.

The next two exhibits take you through the War on Drugs, showing how specific communities were negatively affected by it. The museum illustrates the strict legal regulations and massively prevalent propaganda through compelling art pieces, including mannequins with televisions in place of heads dressed in everyday business attire.

The final exhibits touch on more recent advancements in the history of cannabis, including it’s medicinal usage, the general public’s slow acceptance of it, and its road to legalization. Each exhibit is designed to both provide a better understanding of the plant’s history and place in the world, as well as visually stimulate and entice visitors.

The museum only allows those who are 18 and older to visit, though it does offer discounts for students and military. Unfortunately, Weedmaps Museum of Weed is only open until October 27th, so buy your tickets and get those ‘grammable photos while you still can!

The post Bring Your Best Buds to Weedmaps’ Museum of Weed first appeared on Dornob.

Banksy has surprised us all yet again, which is ironically pretty unsurprising. The artist has opened a bold and outlandish homeware store, featuring pieces like a Tony the Tiger pelt rug just inches away from a bowl of spilled Frosted Flakes and a baby mobile decorated with video cameras instead of baby ducklings or unicorns. But the real kicker? No one can get into it.

The enigmatic artist’s new store, Gross Domestic Product, popped up in Croydon, London around the beginning of October, staying there for just two weeks after first appearing. A flyer for the store branded with the clever slogan “When art irritates life” explains that this will be the first and only Gross Domestic Product store, and that it’ll act solely as a showroom for display purposes. Though no one can enter the store, customers can now purchase the decorations via an accompanying online shop.

Banksy was inspired to create GDP by “possibly the least poetic reason to ever make some art” — namely, an argument over trademarking law and the right to the name “Banksy.” A greeting card company is contesting the artist’s trademark of his own name in order to take possession of it and then legally sell his trademarked products. As the law currently stands, Banksy may not have a right to his trademark if he does not use it himself. The artist refused to go down without a fight, and is using this new showroom to exhibit both an exciting new art installation and impressive, proactive legal action.

The store is comprised of multiple rooms, each of which is quite unique from the rest. One room, almost completely dark, is lit solely from a disco ball made from a police officer’s helmet. This room houses an eclectic collection of other art pieces, including a gravestone and a large crucifix.

Another room shows wares more likely to be on sale, including a hand-stitched welcome mat and plates and mugs featuring some of his most iconic paintings. In this same room, a large screen displays a mural Banksy created in 2018 of a child sticking his tongue out like he would to taste snowflakes, when in reality it’s ash coming from a nearby pollutant. A frame above states, “crisis as usual.”

Still, the most striking room Gross Domestic Product has to offer is the parlor room with the aforementioned Tony the Tiger rug. In here, Tony’s teeth appear rotten from the sugary cereal. The blood red walls are decorated with a version of Banksy’s Rage, Flower Thrower, as well as stuffed animal head mounts riddled with garbage.

While we don’t have all the details on pricing just yet (not all of the products are currently available), we know that some items start as low as £10. The project also shows an immense effort in sustainability, as all the home goods have been made with as many existing or recycled products as possible. Additionally, they are all handcrafted within the UK.

Some products might be a little too avant-garde for actual purchase, unless you want your little one sleeping and dreaming under ten security cameras, of course. Other items, such as the decorative pillows with quippy sayings, could easily fit into any home. And love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Banksy definitely has something unique and interesting to say with this new line.

Let’s be honest, we didn’t want to have to deal with parking or waiting in line anyways. Happy online shopping!

The post Banksy’s Latest Art Installation is a Home Goods Store That Nobody Can Enter first appeared on Dornob.

“Biofacades” work with the planet in a variety of ways. Since the building materials have been fused with living, photosynthetic organisms, the towers will actually be able to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere. Additionally, the algae will serve as a clean and efficient form of insulation. In a similar way, it will also depend on the heat generated by the buildings themselves. The architects explain that the towers’ exteriors “allow [for] symbiosis: the biofacade uses the thermal building to regulate the culture temperature of algae and at the same time these facades allow a much better insulation of buildings.”

The project is set to be completed in Hangzhou, China. Since water is a large part of the city’s industry and culture, the architects created the high-rise with that history in mind. More specifically, the towers are located around one of Hangzhou’s central bodies of water. The structures’ natural sloped shapes will also allow for extensive rainwater harvesting. Rainwater will travel down the sides of the twisted towers and accrue in a collective basin below the connected high-rises.

The tops of the highest towers will hold greenhouses, not only for the benefit of the planet, but also for the mental well-being of the building’s occupants. These spaces are expected to provide fresh air in a lush and tranquil area for relaxation and reflection.

Each of the four towers will be dedicated exclusively to “French Expertise,” though the complex will still be a very mixed-use development. A tower centered around “Haute Gastronomie,” meaning “high-end cuisine,” will be full of French, fusion, and bio-fresh restaurants. This section of the complex will also house a panoramic view bar. Another part of the complex will hold the “French Tech Hub,” consisting of offices, co-working spaces, and a digital entertainment cluster. The “Hospitality” tower boasts a hotel, a spa, and a healthcare center. Finally, the “Art Center” will accommodate artists’ residences, farmers’ markets, and galleries.

Such an environmentally and culturally conscious project is very characteristic of XTU Architects. The Paris-based firm was founded by two architects, Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazieres, who firmly believe that biotechnology is the way of the future. Their website outlines their top priorities, noting that the firm “specializes primarily in academic and environmental research in addition to residential and cultural buildings.”

Previous works of the firm include the French Pavilion at the World Expo 2015 in Milan. That project was dubbed the “Fertile Market,” as living vegetation grew throughout its timber lattice structure. Another example of the company’s innovative style is its work on the Museum of Civilizations on Reunion Island. Because of that area’s dry, hot climate, the museum was given a spiraling arrangement with several meticulously positioned openings. These openings allow natural air to pass through and cool down the building organically.

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