Architec Tradure

Category: culture and design.

27FebLife-size dolls

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London Life. Concept: Scarlet Projects and Matt Higgs

Laforet Museum presented a snapshot of London life as seen through the eyes of 10 of the brightest new stars on the London scene. A mixture of young designers, architects, club promoters, stylists, models and artists, came together to present their own particular style, and give us a glimpse into their personal and distinctive view of London life.

Each person was represented by a life-size doll, packaged like a Barbie Doll, and dressed by themselves in their own selected clothing. Their lifestyle was presented through the packaging – with accessories as well as personal information about them, detailing their favorite things and places. A tv monitor incorporated into the packaging played a personal video diary.

Posted by Cati Vaucelle @ Architectradure
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September 3, 2025
01JulWhat’s next for fitness centers?

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I read an issue of Art in America -featuring the amazing work of Janine Antoni on the cover and discovered a past work of Antal Lakner: home transporter (from the passive working devices series).

Skewering a vain leisure society that “labors” pointlessly on exercise equipment, Lakner designs workout machines like the “Forest Master” (a saw) and the “Home Transporter” (a wheelbarrow). Each is accompanied by a didactic photo of a worker using the prototype tool.

I find this work actually very marketable as a neat idea for making fitness centers more fun! I know it is not the point and the work is remarkable, but it is also an amazing interface design for transforming fitness centers. Instead of trying to hook up a rowing machine to a virtual boat in a video game, why not connecting the actions with meaningful activities!

Posted by Cati Vaucelle @ Architectradure

Technorati Tags: art, body, culture, fitness, design, vision, inspiration

September 3, 2025
09OctEnter the Barbie world

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Barbie Cafe

After the Barbie Cafe in Shanghai, China by architect Hayes Slade designs the first ever Barbie Flagship for Mattel. The 35,000 square foot store holds the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of Barbie dolls and licensed Barbie products, as well as a range of services and activities for Barbie fans and their families.

Mattel wanted a store where “Barbie is hero”; expressing Barbie as a global lifestyle brand by building on the brand’s historical link to fashion. Barbie Shanghai is the first fully realized expression of this broader vision. Mattel worked with BIG, the branding and design division of Ogilvy & Mather, to develop creative concept, identify project location, explore featured activities and identify creative partners.

The central feature is a three-story spiral staircase enclosed by eight hundred Barbie dolls. The staircase and the dolls are the core of the store; everything literally revolves around Barbie.

The staircase links the three retail floors:

The women’s floor (women’s fashion, couture, cosmetics and accessories).

The doll floor (dolls, designer doll gallery, doll accessories, books). The Barbie Design Center, where girls design their own Barbie is on this floor. This activity was planned by Chute Gerdeman Retail and designed by Slade Architecture.

The girls floor (girls fashion, shoes and accessories). The Barbie Fashion Stage, planned and designed by Chute Gerdeman Retail, where girls take part in a real runway show, is also on this floor.

September 3, 2025
16JunThe Printing Dress: You are what you tweet!

Asta Roseway and Sheridan Martin Small researchers at Microsoft designed the printing dress!

You are probably familiar with the old saying, “You are what you eat” but how about, “You are what you tweet?” What if this concept were incorporated into garments of the future? Would you censor yourself, knowing you would reveal your statements to the world around you? The “Printing Dress” is an artistic piece that explores the notion of wearable text and its potential impact on the future of fashion, as well as our social identity. Built almost entirely of paper, the dress enables the wearer to enter “thoughts” on to its fabric and wear them as public art. By selecting materials and technologies that draw on the past, present, and future of communication media, we encourage viewers to reflect on the path that has brought us to ubiquitous digital communication and to contemplate its forward evolution.

September 3, 2025