Be Open think tank

As part of a larger ‘Social Isolation Pavilion’ at the 2020 cultural and creative design expo in Suzhou, China, local Convergent Architecture Studio (CAS) has presented an innovative installation made out of 117,539 face masks. Named Face to Face, the project is conceived as a monument to those affected by the coronavirus crisis. Having transformed from a simple piece of fabric to a symbol of resistance against the virus, the mask now represents the importance of each individual’s effort to combat the pandemic crisis. Detaching itself from the noise of the surrounding expo activities, the pavilion encapsulates the very idea of social isolation, creating a profound atmosphere much like that of a chapel or memorial. More public art installations influenced by the impact of the pandemic in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Suffering from sun allergy, SiiGii, Spanish artist based in New York, has developed an inflatable wearable lilo from latex which enables users with the same condition enjoy a day on the beach. The all-in-one bathing suit titled Floating Above Limits, is part of the artist’s wider collection S.A.D: Sun Allergy Diaries. It is designed to wrap around the head like a swimming cap to ensure maximum coverage, and features two inflatable areas behind the head and around the body in the shape of a pool float. When inflated, the user can float on the water exposed to the sun, which otherwise would be impossible due to their allergy. When deflated, the suit enables the user to walk around freely, latex providing quite a lot of mobility. SiiGii made the suit in their own studio using just glue and a hand pressure roller. “I could never lay on a float and relax in the sun,” says SiiGii. “I had to become the float.” www.siigii.com

London-based studio FormRoom has designed an Instagram-friendly immersive retail space for the Milk Train ice cream brand. Playing on the brand name, the designers chose to stick to the aesthetics of the Art Deco movement popularized amongst traditional train stations and platform iconography with its predominately monochromatic palette. The menu is printed on blackboards in white block lettering, intended to look like typical split-flap display boards that show train departure times at a station, while seating booths are numbered like train platforms. The interchangeable design elements allow the brand interior to evolve as swiftly as Instagram trends do. More design-minded ice cream shops in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Arm by Clark Bardsley Design, a practice based in Auckland, New Zealand, is not another chair. It is an anti-chair. Developed as an exploration of the constraints of wood bending, a process that is closely associated with the history of chair design, Arm is an outline of an archetypal chair produced in fine American Oak. Arm fits over any everyday seat – from a plastic patio chair to an office chair, from a tree stub to a garbage bag, thus creating a completely new chair every time. Oak for the project is cut into strips, steamed and glue laminated into curved forms, that are later machined into rounds, and finished with a brush back sander. After that, the parts are joined using rail bolts, and the legs are carefully cut in and glued in place. More chairs you wouldn’t want to sit on in our blog.beopenfuture.com

#BeOpenARCH Local studio 100 Architects have developed a proposal for the renovation of Puji Road pedestrian bridge in Shanghai, the iconic bridge over the Suzhou Creek that connects two major districts. Aiming to transform the bridge into an eventful elevated park crossing the city, the design strategy of the High Loop proposal organizes the different circulations by colors, creating a hierarchy of different rhythms and paces in which the bridge can be crossed. Bold and bright colors turn the bridge into an eye-catching elevated urban landmark.While a straight lane in lime color defines the fast track for bicycles and motorbikes, a winding magenta path encourages pedestrians to take it slow, offering views over the cityscape. As background color, cyan blue, defines the flexible spaces to linger and socialize, from viewing decks to picnic plazas and pop-up night markets. The project also features yellow urban furniture to encourage social activities, and greenery planters to separate the motored track and the pedestrian path. 100architects.com

Exocet Chair is the first furniture piece by Stéphane Leathead, designer and creative director of Montreal-based studio Designarium. This fabulous chair resembling a giant clothespin encompasses two curving slat sections revolving around an aluminum cylinder. The slats can be loosened and tightened with a handle, allowing the user to position each section as desired and giving you complete control over your chair’s configuration. Exocet Chair offers a lot of opportunity for the user to settle and relax while reading, playing or watching a movie on a tablet. More statement lounge chairs in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Design brand Nendo has partnered with Tokyo company DeNA, specializing in AI and autonomous driving technology, to create CoenCar, a series of conceptual moveable interactive vehicles for a playground of the future. The project aims to revitalize communities by making rounds through parks, or “coen” in Japanese, open spaces, kindergartens, etc. The six black-and-white objects recreate the basic motions of playground activity – climbing, spinning, swinging, sliding, jumping and resting. The car-like Agaru trundles children around, the spiky Marawu is intended for climbing, while the Suberu functions as a slide. Yasumu resembles a train, Haneru can be used as a trampoline or even a ball-pit, and Yuyeru recreates the sideway motion of swings. All ‘cars’ can interact with each other to create a different playing experience, while a dedicated app keeps each vehicle on the parents’ radars. nendo.jp

Have you ever noticed that quite noticed often food packs contain more plastic than actual food? Product design graduate Holly Grounds has addressed this issue. As an alternative to the many plastic sachets accompanying a pack of instant noodles, she has conceived a dissolvable edible wrapper that turns into a sauce as it comes in contact with boiling water. The main component of the packaging is a tasteless biofilm, made from potato starch, glycerin and water. The heat sealable bioplastic film is wrapped around doughnut shaped noodle blocks, ensuring they stay fresh. When cooked, it breaks down in less than a minute to season the broth with herbs and flavourings embedded into the packaging itself. More sustainable packaging in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Beijing-based AntiStatics Studio has used parametric design to create MaoHaus, an experimental façade of concrete whose precisely tuned perforations, when lit from the inside, reveal a triptych of Chairman Mao’s prototypical portrait. From certain viewpoints, the façade is perceptibly flattened unveiling the embedded image, while from other vantages, its curvaceous surface appears to be a flowing banner. The undulating form of the façade strikes the viewer with the fluidity expressed through the conventionally rigid material of concrete. The structure of the façade leverages the material properties of ultra-high performance concrete to create novel architectural form. More parametric architecture in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Don’t miss your chance to win €300 in our #BEOPENBetterWay Instagram open call which encourages creatives to share their visuals promoting recycling and repurposing. The entries close on August 30th. Rules: beopensocial.com Our inspiration today is Watering Branch by Korean designer Woojin Park of 1/Plinth Studio. The branch-shaped horticultural product is made of repurposed plumbing materials, making use of their interesting appearance and properties. As its name suggests, the product can be used as a conventional watering can, or double as an outstanding vase. To evoke warm memories of childhood glowing star stickers, luminous resin is cast inside. The solution is also practical, for the resin helps the piece to maintain its balance. The product is available in two sizes, being able to store 400ml or 1000ml of water. 1plinth.com