Things Come Apart
(Bicycle, 1980s; Raleigh; Component count: 893. Photo reproduced with the permission of Thames & Hudson.)
In Things Come Apart Tod McLellan exposes the inner working of 50 objects and 21,959 individual components as he reflects on the permanence of vintage objects built several decades ago—sturdy gadgets meant to be broken and repaired—versus today’s manufacturing trend of limited use and function followed by quick obsolescence. (Colossal)
2 weeks ago
Suburbia gone Wild - Ltd edition Book
Martin Adolfsson’s great “Suburbia Gone Wild” project is becoming a book this year and would benefit from your help. For a few more days, you can support the project via Kickstarter and get a limited edition of the book, posters, limited edition prints… If you are not familiar with the project, check out the piece we had in the Ownership issue of MAS Context.
4 months ago
Movies, Memorabilia and Metallica
Kirk Hammett, the lead guitarist for the band Metallica, was 6 years old when an older brother got a model of Frankenstein and painted it, to Mr. Hammett’s dismay, in a rainbow of psychedelic colors.
“It was the late ’60s in San Francisco,” Mr. Hammett said. “But that’s not how Frankenstein looked. I begged my mom to buy me a model. I painted it the way I wanted.”
That artistic choice was the start of Mr. Hammett’s lifelong obsession with horror memorabilia. Decades after his first acquisition, Mr. Hammett, 50, has amassed a vast collection that includes horror movie posters, toys, dolls, games, costumes, masks, original artwork and other mementos. Last month, Abrams released “Too Much Horror Business,” a 228-page coffee-table book that highlights hundreds of those pieces. (New York Times)
5 months ago
A Guide To North Korea’s Eerie Architectural Propaganda
Pyongyang Architectural and Cultural Guide examines the architecture of North Korea, a nation under such tight state control that it’s tough to distinguish architect from client. The guide was released earlier this spring by DOM Publishing and edited by its founder, Philipp Meuser, a Berlin-based architect who’s worked in locales as far flung as Kazakhstan, Sarajevo and Bosnia/Herzegovina and India. (Fast Company)
11 months ago
Damn Good Advice (For People With Talent!)
Really enjoyed this recently published guide by George Lois.
1 year ago
Unplanned L.A.? Think Again
(Photo by David McNew / Reuters)
When David Sloane was asked to write a book about urban planning in Los Angeles, he balked. One person’s take on such a big and dynamic city would be far too limiting, he thought. So instead, he gathered dozens of authors to write nearly 30 essays on the city’s planning history, its current challenges and its future. (The Atlantic)
1 year ago
Cobquecura, alma forjada en piedra
If you are in Barcelona this coming Thursday February 9, make sure to attend this book release at the COAC (Col·legi d’arquitectes de Catalunya).
“Cobquecura, alma forjada en piedra” is a 30 year investigation of the town of Cobquecura, Chile, by architect and good friend Rodrigo Diaz Alarcon.
In 2010, Chile was struck with a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake, and the epicenter was the town of Cobquecura. The town was virtually destroyed, with 95 percent of the infrastructure left in complete ruins. Rodrigo documented the aftermath of this earthquake and compiled his earlier drawings into a complete investigation of Cobquecura.
While containing a documentation of the town the book is also a meditation on the essence of the Chilean landscape, people and culture.
1 year ago
Mountain
Sandy Hill, a lifelong mountaineer, takes up the relationship between man and mountain in a gorgeous new book. (Cool Hunting)
This book looks fantastic. All of the proceeds from the book’s sales will be donated to the American Alpine Club Library. You can pre-order now through Amazon.
1 year ago
Architecture in your Hand
I am really happy to share this project by our friends and MAS Context contributors dpr-barcelona:
“Architecture in your Hand” it’s the new dpr-barcelona’s publishing project. A new approach of how books can take advantage on the use of digital technology, the network organization and the production, distribution and use of knowledge, all together outlining a new suggestive landscape to learn.
The ever growing number of mobile devices, the diffusion of the boundaries between public and private space, the subversion of the traditional publishing structure and the new forms of learning; are somehow the start point of this publishing project for architecture contents.
Considering that the main goal of a book is to store and transmit information added to the potential of networked learning, we have imagined that this concept can be expanded and spread. As being transmitted through a new basis, this information should be structured following a different mobile logic: enhancing immediacy, brevity, and simplicity.
When atomizing the contents, we are sharing capsules of knowledge for the user to learn, share and interact with the city.
This publishing project goes beyond the concept of an app. We are developing an API (Application Programming Interface). A wider structure consisting of three interconnected main branches:
BLOGS: Curated by forward thinker bloggers and architects in fields beyond conventional practice.
CITY: Interaction with the surrounding urban environment using geolocation tools and augmented reality.
BOOKS: Publication of “mobile-books”
In a next stage the contents will be arranged by the user, and even print on demand in order to make a very personal compilation of the learning experience. The platform will provide the contents and the user will be the editor in chief.
The first two books of the series Architecture in your Hand are U-Fields and SitRoom.
You can follow more updates on twitter at @archinhand
1 year ago
