From the outset, the MO Bakery owners knew they wanted a space that presented their baked goods as the stars of the show, highlighting them like precious jewels in a display case. Masquespacio honed in on water as a theme after realizing it’s one of the main ingredients in both baked goods and coffee, dividing the space into three different areas that each represent a different phase in the process of baking and brewing.

The first zone is dedicated to the liquid state, where water makes the dough start to come together. Next is the bar zone, where a massive waterfall-like installation made of sandblasted glass tubes hovers overhead. The front of the bar features the “solid-state” zone, with lamps representing ice. The third zone is the “gaseous state,” where a series of fire bulbs represent the moment when the pastry is baked in the oven.

Throughout the interiors, custom seating ranging from low lounges to high stools offers comfortable vantage points to take it all in. The various metallic finishes were designed to generate reflections mimicking the distortion that occurs when viewing objects through water. The scale of the space encourages people to stay a while, gazing up at everything and taking in the scents of the bakery’s goods.

“On the other hand, the lighting incorporates fully controllable RGB lighting to set moods that could convert the space to a different status, being able to represent a ‘different space’ within a space, in campaigns, engagements, or talks, which is also extended by the reflections of the space in chrome fabrics, tables, and spheres [that create] another level of optical fusion,” say the designers. “This space is not solid. It is interchangeable and dynamic following what the brand has to say. Welcome to the new mood branding.”

With decor and lighting that moody, the MO Bakery almost feels like a bar or nightclub instead of a daytime-oriented café. Which begs the question: why don’t we have more cool spaces to hang out in that aren’t bars or nightclubs? Masquespacio is onto something here.

MO Bakery wanted to stand out from its competition, and it’s probably safe to say they’ve successfully done so with this imaginative interior design. Check out three previous projects that capture Masquespacio’s creative approach to design: a vivid and playful Mango teen store in Milan, Italy; a lavender-hued sunglasses store in Bogotá, Colombia; and a pastel Bun burger restaurant on Milan’s Via Dell’Orso.

The post Masquespacio’s Retrofuturistic Bakery Inspired by Flowing Liquids first appeared on Dornob.

Known as Vanitas, the genre focused on the futility of seeking wealth, power, and earthly pleasures, as it ends the same way for everyone: death. Carrington found the idea intriguing when she visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam a few years ago.

“I’ve always been attracted to the tradition of ‘memento mori,’ art that reminds us of the passing of time,” Carrington said in a recent interview. “In looking at those pictures of half-consumed food and fading flowers, I realized that one of the only things that could have survived to today was the silverware, and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to try to make something out of that?’”

Her brainstorming led her to collect cast-off tableware to create arrestingly beautiful metal floral arrangements. Soup spoons became peonies, and silver teaspoons changed into rose petals. She incorporated berry spoons and fork tines to imitate tulips, protea, and hydrangea blossoms. One piece features a suspended silver pitcher pouring out a flood of feathers and flora.

Carrington taught herself how to weld just for this project, as well as how to solder and braze. Each piece takes her roughly three months to complete. “They’re quite difficult to make,” she said, referring to the process of collecting, sorting, composing, and finally welding every item into place. “Each flower requires a different kind of spoon and each metal requires a different heating technique.”

In the same vein, she has also constructed a 17th-century-style ship from the strands of discarded pearls. In a nod to Vanitas sensibilities, its splendor is tempered with the heaviness of the precious orbs.

Carrington has a long history of assembling everyday objects in completely new configurations. She’s turned gold jewelry into spider webs, metamorphosed soda cans into classical busts of famous kings and philosophers, transformed old blue jeans into a map of the United States, and even transfigured buttons into a giant postage stamp with the profile of Queen Elizabeth II.

“Mundane objects such as knives and forks, barbed wire, pins, and paintbrushes come with their own readymade histories and associations which can be unraveled and analyzed if rearranged, distorted, or realigned to give them new meaning as sculpture,” Carrington adds.

Her artistic career began with studies at the Bourneville College of Art, after which she earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in 1985 from Trent Polytechnic. She finished her formal training at The Royal College of Art graduating with a Masters in Sculpture in 1987. Since then, her art has attracted global attention, even being used to help raise awareness about human trafficking at the 2010 United Nations conference in Luxor, Egypt. Her list of personal commissions from celebrity clientele is impressive, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, Elton John, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Tyra Banks.

Her works can be explored on her website and her Instagram page.

The post Ann Carrington’s Upcycled Sculptures Pay Tribute to the 17th-Century Art of Vanitas first appeared on Dornob.

Now, Instanbul-based jewelry company Tasarim Takarim is helping families take these treasured artworks everywhere they go by turning them into bracelets, necklaces, and other elegant metal pieces.

The company was founded by two mothers: Yasemin Erdin Tavukçu, a painter and kids’ art instructor, and Özgür Karavit, a sculptor & goldsmith. The pair believes that every drawing done by a child is a “primal building stone” to their development and should be praised and treated with importance. After all, supporting the things your child creates is a great way to positively reinforce the idea that art is a powerful and life-enhancing tool — even if it is in its first stages of development and perhaps isn’t that impressive yet. But what is impressive, in the words of renowned parenting writer Marjorie Ingall, is that a child’s artwork “symbolizes a wad of cells becoming a sentient artist,” allowing you to watch them blossom and make sense of the world on a canvas right in front of your eyes.

The duo got their start after Karavit transformed her son’s drawing of a bull into a very unique silver brooch: a timeless keepsake she will easily be able to treasure forever. Today, she and Tavukçu combine their skills to replicate the work of other people’s children so everyone else can do the same! Featured often by the likes of The Huffington Post, Bored Panda, The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, and Professional Jeweler, the brand has had no problem capturing the attention of the media, which has helped them inspire other jewelry and art lovers all over the world.

They say: “If we want our children to continue to believe in themselves, and their own creativity, then we should continue to support their self-expression. Celebrating their artwork is an easy and effective way to do this.”

Your kid’s drawings can be turned into cufflinks, earrings, charms, tabletop sculptures, necklaces, bracelets, keychains, and even silver bookmarks to slide into your current reads. Simply send Tasarim Takarim a clear photograph or copy of your desired design, and they’ll make the magic happen in your choice of sterling silver or gold plated silver.

The post This Jewelry Company Turns Kids’ Drawings Into Wearable Metal Art first appeared on Dornob.

Finders Keepers?

Back in 1981, an American company known as Sea Search Armada first found the San José. Colombia quickly claimed the famous ship — along with all the cargo in it — as their own. After battling it out in court for 30 years, a judge finally decided in 2011 that Colombia had patrimonial rights to the vessel but that the bounty would be divided equally between them and Sea Search Armada.

A Fly in the Ointment

Enter the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who found the sunken ship still untouched off the Colombian coast in November 2015. More specifically, the team used a robotic submarine, the REMUS 6000, to determine the ship’s location and contents through sonar. REMUS was also able to identify the ship by taking photos of its cannons, which are engraved with some very unique-looking dolphins, at 30 feet away.

Rob Munier, the Vice President of Marine Facilities and Operations at Woods Hole, explains: “We’ve been holding this under wraps out of respect for the Colombian government,” although some think that the estimated $17 billion booty may have played a part in the company’s silence. However, The Washington Post reports that the “researchers at Woods Hole say they have no financial stake in the haul.”

The History of the San José

In the early 18^th century, the San José, a heavy triple-masted, square-rigged sailing ship, was a favorite of the Spaniards. Armed with 62 cannons, the ship departed South America in 1708, making its way back to Spain to deliver emeralds, silver, and gold from the Peruvian mines in Potosi (which many historians believe were obtained under questionable circumstances). When his attending warships were delayed, the Spanish commandant decided to leave without them, even though the War of Spanish Succession was already in full swing. Before his reinforcements could catch up with it, four English warships overtook the San José and sunk it, with most of the ship’s 600 odd passengers losing their lives.

What’s Next

Colombia has revealed plans to construct a museum and high-tech conservation lab to commemorate the San José. The country also plans to put the treasure on public display. The national government has already started fundraising to recover the bounty.

Of course, Spain has other plans. They claim that the riches rightfully belong to them since they’re on one of their historic ships. UNESCO has even entered the arena at this point, warning Colombia that they “would cause the irretrievable loss of significant heritage” if the unearthing of the San José was commercially exploited.

However this saga finally ends, it sounds like no typical treasure hunter will ever get the chance to roll around in the piles of gold and silver resting in the hull of the San José.

The post Shipwrecked 300 Years Ago, the San José Has a $17 Billion Bounty on Board first appeared on Dornob.

Ai Weiwei’s latest series is entitled “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” and can be read a comment on the structures used to separate and divide societies. The title comes from the 1914 Robert Frost poem “Mending Wall,” and all three structures in the series are constructed from vertical metal bars that resemble fencing — the likes of which could potentially be used in the building of Trump’s border wall. The installations have been placed in three key locations around the city: Central Park, Washington Square Park, and Queens.

The Central Park installation is called “Gilded Cage” and consists of a cylindrical structure that has been painted gold. The cage has also been equipped with a turnstile and bears a circular opening in its roof. There’s a tension between the openness of the structure — in terms of both the wide spaces between the bars and the opening to the sky — and the enclosure it creates, which could potentially be perceived as claustrophobic by the observer. The gold paint was a deliberate choice on Ai Weiwei’s part, and one made in hopes of enticing Donald Trump himself to the cage. The president’s love of all things shiny and glitzy is well-documented, and Trump Tower is just minutes away from the installation.

The second installation slots directly in under the arch in Washington Square Park. It has an opening in its center that visitors can pass through, the arch of which is covered in a seamless, undulating metal that forms two human silhouettes and contrasts with the silver bars making up the rest of the structure.

For the Queens installation, Weiwei wrapped an existing silver sphere (which was erected for the 1968 World’s Fair) in a low-lying mesh to create a fence, preventing the children who usually use it to play from accessing it and highlighting the division that occurs when such structures are put in place. The project was funded via Kickstarter, and Ai Weiwei hopes it will create awareness of the negative effect barriers have on the people and places into which they are installed. The series will be on display from October 12th of 2017 to February 11th of 2018, and it will be accompanied by a group of smaller works located around New York City.

The post Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Ai Weiwei Unveils Protest Installation in NYC first appeared on Dornob.

The resource center, a series of towers that twist and contort around each other and are to be clad in Gehry’s trademark silver skin, was designed to echo the mountainous terrain surrounding the site and will be stepped and staggered at several points, requiring observation from many different angles to get a true reading. The landscaping will be designed by Bas Smets, who will be responsible for the creation of a new public park within which the redevelopment will sit. Construction of the project is well underway, with some of the existing railroad buildings already having been successfully converted into art and exhibition spaces. These warehouses have been stripped back to their former glory and renovated in part to accommodate the brief’s various requirements.

The entire project is being led by Swiss collector Maja Hoffman, the executive director of LUMA Arles and director of the LUMA Foundation, whose vision for the complex united Gehry and other big-name artists, critics, and curators such as Tom Eccles, Liam Gillick, and Hans Ulrich Obrist. Hoffmann says, “I chose to develop this project in Arles because I want its inhabitants to be the first to benefit from it. This explains why I asked that we create the conditions in which companies from Arles can actively take part in this project alongside us, first for the construction of the site, second for its production and functioning. We have international standards but local roots.”

The site will remain open during construction, and guided tours are still being run daily. Gehry’s contributions to the complex are due to open in stages, which will allow the cultural center to remain active even during their realization, something which will no doubt be of local benefit. Local craftsmen are also being employed to work on the project, and by the end of the year, the center will have created the equivalent of 11 new full-time jobs. One of the complex’ main goals is to sociologically, intellectually, economically, and physically immerse the world of art in a modern context. The idea behind LUMA Arles is to create an environment that encourages discourse and the meeting of minds from diverse sectors and fields to generate artistic responses to current situations. The project is expected to reach completion in the spring of 2019.

Hoffman believes the project will “[allow] us to look at the bigger issues cities face all over the world and to foster a sense of individual and collective responsibility in addressing them.”

The post Frank Gehry’s LUMA Complex Underway in France first appeared on Dornob.

SPIRITUS is a collection of technologically-advanced activewear that stays dry, reduces muscle soreness, boosts energy levels, and counteracts unpleasant body odors so you can stay fresh even after the most strenuous of workouts. Designed specifically with young professionals in mind, the range’s revolutionary “PROFORMANCE” fabric allows active people to seamlessly transition from gym to office environments while feeling motivated, empowered, and still professionally groomed for a successful day’s work.
The company strongly believes that your workout gear should be working out with you, or putting in as much effort and hard work as you are. It developed SPIRITUS to provide a level of comfort and confidence that would allow anyone to keep moving with peace of mind, regardless of their body type or physical ability.

How Does it Work?

The collection’s PROFORMANCE fabric has been lined with thermo-reactive minerals, which fuse infrared and silver technologies by recycling and converting body heat into infrared energy and returning it to the user’s muscles. This promotes blood circulation, energy recovery, and cell regeneration after a long workout, as infrared light has been scientifically proven to increase tissue oxygen levels, improve cell vitality, and help regulate body temperature.
The trademarked, innovative material rids itself of moisture and dries up to 35 percent faster than traditional sportswear, while its pure silver fiber eradicates odors and keeps it fresh and clean. SPIRITUS also boasts a UV Protection Factor (UPF) rating of 35, meaning you’ll never get that burning sensation when you’re out jogging in the sun, and your optimized body temperature will allow you to deliver your very best athletic performance every time you exercise. As if all of that weren’t enough, SPIRITUS is also trendy and comfortable, so you can wear it under your work clothes or as part of an urban ensemble, eliminating those panicked rushes in the gym’s changing rooms once and for all!

Who Came Up With the Concept for SPIRITUS?

After two years of grafting, devising, designing, and producing, two American fabric tech companies, a team of textile experts, and a textile manufacturer brought the culmination of their efforts to life: namely, the PROMFORMANCE sportswear collection, which consists only of premium, sleek, and simplistic all-black clothing to keep the focus on function.
The company XT2 provided the silver fiber for the activewear, while Celliant provided the infrared technology. SPIRITUS co-founder Kevin Dinh claims that the clothing has been designed to suit every body type while supporting their movements when they’re performing physical activities — the perfect combination for more self-conscious exercise enthusiasts. The result of all this collaboration is a fashion that functions by effectively utilizing technologies that are more commonly known for their use in medical fields!
Every design in the collection was conceptualized and developed in Australia, while the fibers were created in America and then manufactured in Asia.

How Can I Get Involved?

The company has recently announced that their products are now available for crowdfunding on Kickstarter, so head over to their page to see what inspiring ideas you can become a part of!

The post SPIRITUS: Innovative Activewear for Fresher Workouts first appeared on Dornob.

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Flat-pack furniture usually comes with one of two problems (if not both): either it requires a great deal of assembly (see: Ikea) or is heavy and hard to move around (also see: Ikea). This curious-looking aluminum chair is a one-piece object that is easy to move around at will yet sturdy as well, thanks to industrial-inspired grooves that line its legs, seat and back rest.

Dubbed the Pressed Chair, this elegant industrial work by furniture designer Henry Thaler starts with a thin cut aluminum sheet (only a few millimeters thick). Critically, the metal is warped to provide rigidity when the legs and back are folded into position. Much like a steel I-beam or corrugated cardboard box, shape is as important as inherent material strength in accomplishing maximum ends with minimal means.

While it is hard to say whether you could fold it back up at the end of the day, for one-way delivery these flat-pack chairs make a great deal of sense. They can nest and stack – imagine how many you could pack into a thin and relatively lightweight box (or the number that could be stuffed into a shipping container).

Since it is a solid-material design, recycling them would be much easier as well – no need to break the furniture down into component parts, since it is constructed from top to bottom of a single material. How could it get any simpler? There is a stool variant as well.

About the designer

“Harry Thaler is a designer whose work reinterprets fundamental design typologies by combining high quality and traditional craftsmanship with innovative shapes and materials. Trained as a goldsmith, whose background has a strong influence on his design process, he earned his MA in Design Products from the Royal College of Art (2010). In the same year Thaler opened his own studio in London and developed the Pressed Chair, which immediately became very well known. “

“Thaler works with international companies such as Nils Holger Moormann, Pulpo, Davide Groppi, Monocle, Leaos and Olev Light. His field of activity also includes the design of indoor and outdoor spaces as well as projects in the field of architecture. “

The post Ultralight Flex Chair: Flat-Pack Aluminum, Strong like Steel first appeared on Dornob.