Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN When folded up, the minimalist and geometric Flow Wall Desk by Amsterdam-based designer Robert van Embricq looks like a contemporary work of art hanging on the wall. However, when you unfold it and turn it on its axis, exposed brass hinges turn it from a piece of art into a functional desk where you can work on your laptop or with documents. The table has wooden slats surrounding and supporting the tabletop to create a more natural look and to also serve as a screen for more privacy. More bespoke dual-function desks in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Designers Stefan Borselius and Thomas Bernstrand designed a cozy chair/cubicle for the Swedish furniture brand Blå Station. Aptly called BOB Solo, the unique product comprises two padded screens that flank the sides of a seat. The design is described by Borselius as a "room in the room" and a "nook for privacy," providing users with space to privately and individually work. Fitted with an oak tabletop, the cubicle is perfectly suited for laptop working. An incorporated power bank provides power to electronic devices. It also features light, small shelves, coat hooks and a foldable steel table. Wheels located at the feet of the cubicle allows the workspace to be moved easily within its setting. More isolationist furniture in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Vancouver-based furniture and material design studio Franklin St. Studio integrates furniture design and invasive species management to create Good Morning Glory project. It explores how design can take advantage of the plant’s adaptive properties including its ability to grow and spread quickly, its drought intolerance, and its extended growing season. For the project, the team harvested morning glory roots from their surrounding property in early spring and relocated them using soil from the site. Using simple winding and tying techniques, the vines were trained to follow a woven pattern with thick lateral shoots that appeared mid-season spanning the frame and providing the main support. Once the project was complete, the roots were dug up and placed in the garbage to be destroyed.

#BeOpenDESIGN Designers Stefan Borselius and Thomas Bernstrand designed a cozy chair/cubicle for the Swedish furniture brand Blå Station @blastation. Aptly called BOB Solo, the unique product comprises two padded screens that flank the sides of a seat. The design is described by Borselius as a "room in the room" and a "nook for privacy," providing users with space to privately and individually work. Fitted with an oak tabletop, the cubicle is perfectly suited for laptop working. An incorporated power bank provides power to electronic devices. It also features light, small shelves, coat hooks and a foldable steel table. Wheels located at the feet of the cubicle allows the workspace to be moved easily within its setting. More isolationist furniture in our blog #BeOpenDESIGN

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced its intention to build the dubbed world’s largest spokeless Ferris wheel named Seoul Ring at Haneul Park in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Korea, on the former landfill site. The government consults with domestic and international experts in architecture and engineering to define an innovative technology, which can be used to create an aesthetically advanced spokeless design and make sure that its construction and structural integrity is safe and secure. The Seoul Ring is set to complete in 2025 and become the city’s new landmark that enhances its global position and urban competitiveness while also revitalizing its local economy. #BeOpenDESIGN #haneulpark #seoulring

#BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART This year, BE OPEN Art launches a new format of competition to support those emerging artists whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities – BE OPEN Regional Art. For the second quarter of 2023, BE OPEN expert community team has started selecting those of the artists who best represent the artistic tradition of the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Our first candidate to the title of the Regional artist and the 500 euros prize is Kamlah Kew, a self-taught artist born in Antigua & Barbuda, now settled in the UK. He has been selected the Regional Artist of the month (April) by the highest number of votes of BE OPEN Art online gallery visitors. Kamlah’s art is inspired by the beauty in human connection with each other and the Divine and is permeated with love for her Caribbean upbringing and African heritage. #BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART

#BeOpenARCH Seoul-based architectural design studio LESS Architects founded by Junseung Woo has designed ‘Volumetric Urban Space,’ a sculptural office building that responds to the context of the historical district adjacent to the Chosun Palace in Seoul’s Anguk-Dong neighborhood. The area’s narrow, interconnected streets and traditional buildings with varying textures inspired the team to create a pedestrian-friendly design that prioritizes intimacy. The design process involved a detailed analysis of the street’s quantity and quality, leading to the building’s placement at the rear of the site to create an open space that coexists with the historic building. Integrated into the historical area functionally and aesthetically, the façade is vertically divided and split by the open space, glazing, entrance and landscape to interact with pedestrians on the street.

#BeOpenNEWS Congratulations to our Eastern Mediterranean Regional Art winner! Since the beginning 2023, works by 20 emerging artists from Cyprus, Turkey, the Greek Dodecanese islands, and the countries of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Egypt were posted at the BE OPEN Art online gallery, for the public to select the Regional Artist of the Month. In January, February and March the title was given to Christina Kyriacou (Cyprus) , Jovanna Theodosiou (UK, Cyprus) and Abdelrahman Mahmoud (Egypt) correspondingly. Based on the amount of votes by the public and BE OPEN’s art community members, Jovanna Theodosiou has become the Artist of the Region for the Eastern Mediterranean. Jovanna studied Fine Art in Kingston University, UK, and currently lives and works in Nicosia, Cyprus. As a regional winner, she gets a money prize of EUR500. Several other works by other participants of the competition selected by the results of monthly public votes will be exhibited at a bespoke event that will be held in June 2023 in a cultural centre in Nicosia, Cyprus.

#BeOpenARCH Ecuadorian architects Juan Ruiz and Amelia Tapia has designed a flexible living solution that seamlessly compresses and expands to adapt to each of its user’s individual lifestyles. Named IWI, the structure consists of two light wood modules connected by a folding structure that unfolds like an accordion wrapped in canvas textile. When compressed, the module serves as a piece of furniture. When extended to a desired length, it transforms into a living space that can accommodate up to 4 people and is integrated with all necessary elements for a comfortable stay, including lighting, electrical outlets, and electrical switches.

#BeOpenARCH Wooden Cave is a suite created by Greek practice Tenon Architecture as a part of a resort hotel in southern Greece. The front half of the suite is conceived as a hard, 'protective' linear shell and is decked out with dark stone tiles that were sourced locally in Trikala. The rear half is reminiscent of a cave that has been used as a refuge and a haven throughout human existence. Made almost entirely from wood, it comprises 1,112 pieces of spruce. An algorithm-based programme was used to draw out the required shape of each timber piece before they were cut to size on-site by the architects. More curved architecture in blog

#BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART This year, BE OPEN Art launches a new format of competition to support those emerging artists whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities – BE OPEN Regional Art. For the second quarter of 2023, BE OPEN expert community team has started selecting those of the artists who best represent the artistic tradition of the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Our first candidate to the title of the Regional artist and the 500 euros prize is Yermine Richardson, a Caribbean multidisciplinary artist from Dominican Republic, who lives and works in Barcelona. He has been selected the Regional Artist of the month (April) by the highest number of votes of BE OPEN Art online gallery visitors. Yermine’s art is inspired by the traditional semiotics of Afro-Caribbean heritage such as womanhood, patterns, spiritualism and cosmology. Learn more at art.beopenfuture.com