Olivia: Merge: New York City in the Grand Canyon
Photgrapher Gus Petro digitally manipulated photos to imagine what New York City would look like inside the Grand Canyon and Death Valley. Exploring two opposite feelings, “New Your City, where, it seems like, everyone wants to live, and Grand Canyon/Death Valley, which are unlivable,” he explains. The resulting collection, Merge, is futuristic, but not as surreal as one would imagine.
Eujin: Dmitry Anisimov
Just discovered the relatively unknown Russian photographer (he has a Flickr and Behance with very little background information) Dmitry Anisimov the other day. His portraits all have that exquisite color palette that I am betting he shoots exclusively in film. Hint hint: borders!
Kelsey: First Solo House
Solo Houses is a project started by Christian Bourdais in 2010 with the idea of commissioning a dozen vacation homes by leading architects, including Sou Fujimoto and Johnston Marklee. The homes were to be less than 200 meters square; built on a site two hours south of Barcelona, in the Mattaranya region of Spain; and reasonably priced. Now, Chilean firm Pezo von Ellrichshausen Architects has just completed the first Solo House, and it's a beaut: a floating platform that rises above the tree line, atop a monolithic concrete base.
Cortney: Pink Concrete
A team of material innovators in Mexico—Joel Sosa and Sergio Omar Galván--are working to create pink transparent concrete. They claim its 30% lighter than normal concrete and allows 80% of the light through, but due to patent issues, they are still working out ingredient details and this new material is only in prototype status.
Diana: The Impossible Cool
A very simple Tumblr with stylish black-and-white photos of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century with little more than a quote or name to identify each. I totally dig it.
Anna: Animal Bodies
This is one of those silly fun-at-the-office things that has always been there, right in front of our faces and finally someone thought of doing it. I'm totally making Aaron into a chipmunk later today…
Megan: Coffee Cups by Brooklyn Fare
When I was snobby barista in Boulder, CO we prided ourselves on correcting tourist customers when they ordered coffee using Starbucks specific lingo. Yeah, we were elitist and people actually liked it. These coffee cup designs from Brooklyn Fare bring back memories and bring on giggles. All in good fun and pursuit of good coffee.
Emma: USB Warmer Mitten Gloves
These fuzzy fingerless gloves are USB-heated; they come with a cord that plugs into your computer so that you can keep your hands warm while typing. Keeping warm isn't always a major concern during July, but it's been pretty chilly in San Francisco this week, and the Dwell office is air-conditioned enthusiastically. For those of us too embarrassed to bring a Snuggie to work, these glove might be a nice alternative.
Amanda: Book Covers by Ellen Raskin
Illustrator Ellen Raskin (1928-1984) designed over 1,000 covers over the span of her career, though she hardly limited herself to cover creations alone. Raskin was far more involved in the entire process of book-making, and she was a prolific writer, educator and lecturer on the subject of children's literature. Her work was recognized in 15 major art awards and exhibitions, and her writing also won prestigious accolades, including the Newbery Medal for distinguished writing. Peruse Bennington College's Flickr page to see more examples of her work.
Aaron: Umm Hello?
Looking for a little architectural inspiration? I often turn to Umm Hello? one of my favorite tumblrs. Buildings, art, interiors, and hey, even a picture of 400,000 gold bars at the Bank of England. Dwell fans will even spot the odd picture from our pages!
Julia: Recycled Rotary Phones
Do you remember rotary phones? The sound they made when you dialed and the curly cord that got wrapped around everything? They seem so ancient now. Artist Jean-Luc Cornex came up with a very clever use for these old phones. He turned them into a flock of sheep and created an installation at the Museum of Telecommunication. What a creative and brilliant idea.
To see last week's picks, click here!
