Tuesday 11 October 2011

Flower show garden delivering message on global poverty

 

What a great innovative way to promote the important work of World Vision!

A world in perfect balance can only be seen in the reflection.

The International children’s charity World Vision UK teamed up with award-winning garden designers Flemons Warland Design to deliver a powerful message on global poverty through their garden at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. A large, reflective pond forms the garden’s centre piece, punctuated by two domes made from turf.

The first dome, above the water, represents children who have access to essentials including food, healthcare and education. The second, inverted dome sinks below the water to represent children who have not.

A world in perfect balance can only be seen in the reflection.

The World Vision Garden is framed by a series of screens, giving visitors different views from every angle. At times the garden is totally obscured, at times partially and only one view allows visitors to see the full reflection. Based on the Japanese concept of ‘ma’, the spaces between the shapes and surfaces are just as important as the physical elements of the garden.

John Warland, of FlemonsWarlandDesign, said:  “The idea for the World Vision Garden developed quickly and reflects the influence artists like Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Richard Wilson have had on my work.

“In these relatively austere times in the UK, it is easy to become introspective and focus on preserving one’s own assets and lifestyle. But everything in life is relative, especially when compared to the millions of children who are living in poverty.”

Justin Byworth, Chief Executive of World Vision UK, said: “World Vision believes the way to change a child’s life is to change the world in which they live, which is why we work closely with communities to achieve sustainable development. I hope that visitors to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show will be interested in finding out more about our work, including how families are learning improved gardening and growing techniques to feed themselves, and how they can offer a child in the developing world a chance to grow to their full potential.”

{Images via Telegraph; text source: Royal Horticultural Society}

Tagged with , and
Posted in Uncategorized with
No Comments »

 
—·—
 
Monday 25 July 2011

Bike love

 

inspired by Cadel Evan’s win of the  Tour de France, I’m bike dreaming today.

‘Bike 2.0’ by Danish designer  Nils  Sveje

Nils  Sveje’s design ‘Bike 2.0’ won the 2010 Seoul Cycle Design Competition. The contemporary remake combines modern technology ~ instead of a chain, the bike has a pedal-powered internal generation that is wired directly to the rear motor. Instead of shifters, it has two wireless rings on the handlebar, which make turning, gearing, and controlling the bike much easier. It features a stepless gearbox and a regenerative coaster  brake. And the Intelligent Cadence Levelling Feature keeps the rider pedalling at a consistent speed and intensity (which can be adjusted via the handlebars). Bike 2.0 has the added bonus of being ecological, as seen with its intelligent energy usage mechanism, which, among other things, controls the rate at which riders charge the bike’s batteries. Its aluminium frame has built-in lighting. The bike’s   technology, aesthetics, and concepts prove that Bike 2.0 is a  glimpse into the future of bicycle design.

Jelly Bean Bikes ~ colour your ride

Custom made Jelly Bean Bikes :: You’re in the saddle when it comes to choosing colours for the bike’s frame, grip bars, seat, seat post and stem, chain, crankset, front and rear wheels. And to make sure your combination clicks you can test ride some bikes at their Melbourne warehouse or see what other bike enthusiasts have styled. Start with a very simple, yet sleek, single speed/fixie design and then you can click around to view different color configurations or choose one of their pre-designs. Then choose your size and free or fixed gear. Cost $500 AUD.  Jelly Bean Bikes

 

Lagomorph designer bicycle is an expensive mix of style and sustainabilityLagomorph Design‘s Black Walnut bike 1Black Walnut bike is a perfect green transportation alternative.

The designer, Lagomorph has used American Black Walnut wood for making this bicycle. This wood has a unique feature of “stability and shock resistance” making it the manufacturer’s preferred choice among other comparable woods.

Tagged with , and
Posted in Uncategorized with
No Comments »

 
—·—
 
Wednesday 25 May 2011

nature girl

 

she drapes herself in fabric the color of the earth and sky so she blends with the landscape as she walks barefoot, careful so as not to disturb the life that calls the ground and trees home.  she gathers petals and leaves that have fallen and uses them to adorn her hair and body, soaking in their energy.

she lives by the sun, loves by the moon, dances with the stars,

sings with the wind and grows with the trees.

BLDG 25 Blog ~ Building 25 is where the magic of Free People happens. In the Navy Yard on the edge of Philadelphia a cluster of renovated warehouses sit alongside the Delaware River, and in one of them a group of young, fashionable, creative people – mostly women – delve into the details of living the life of the Free People girl. We sort through fabric swatches, take photos, share ideas, video, art, food and culture, and travel the world in search of inspiration to create fashion that reflects our creative, independent, impressively-bold and free-spirited FP girl.

{Images & source: Free People blog}

Tagged with , , , and
Posted in Uncategorized with
No Comments »

 
—·—
 
Tuesday 24 May 2011

as Sweet as Honey

 

Louis Vuitton strikes gold with their stunning store windows, dripping gold & bee’s ~ featuring golden starbursts and dripping liquid gold, forming a pool of precious honey on the floor.

This spring {northern hemisphere}, Louis Vuitton is celebrating the first batch of honey produced from the three beehives installed on the roof of its Parisian head quarters back in 2009.

In April 2009, Louis Vuitton installed three beehives on the roof of its Parisian HQ on the rue de Pont Neuf.

Its first batch of honey is now ready for spring, celebrated through creative displays at many of its store windows worldwide till May. It is a nod to biodiversity. As Louis Vuitton tells it: ‘35 per cent of food resources in the world are insured by nectar- and pollen-gathering insects.’

Through 2010, 200,000 bees gathered 75 kg of nectar for Louis Vuitton.

The honey won’t be sold: it will be given to friends and family of the company.

Called “As Sweet as Honey”, Louis Vuitton shop windows worldwide feature bags and shoes dripping with the sweet stuff and surrounded by bees, inspired by the global need for sustainable development, of which nectar and pollen gathering insects play an important role.

The campaign has been in the works since 2009 when three beehives were installed on the roof of the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris. Throughout 2010 more than 200,000 bees gathered 75kg of nectar, from which the golden honey was produced.

Be drawn in by these dripping golden honey bursts

with shooting golden bees and LV logo/icons bursting all over.

As Sweet as Honey :: Louis Vuitton shop windows feature bags and shoes dripping with honey.
These installations are surrounded by bees, which highlights the global need for sustainable development, of which nectar and pollen gathering insects play an important role. The campaign has been in the works since 2009 when three beehives were installed on the roof of the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris.

    Honey honey ~ Sweet indeed.

    Passing by the LV shop of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne & the Gold Coast,

    I keep noticing the beautiful window display ~ a honey inspired installation.

    Photos by Stephane Muratet for Louis Vuitton.

    {Images via Lucire & Freshmess}

    Tagged with , , , , and
    Posted in Uncategorized with
    2 Comments »

     
    —·—
     
    Newer Entries »