GLOW Above

The Space Between Us is an immersive installation created by Janet Echelman at the third installment of GLOW, the free all-night art event in Santa Monica. Suspended billowing aerial nets float above a sculpted sand form below. A powerful reminder that space can be defined by the most minimal of means and that space can be simultaneously fluid and enveloping.

Facade Light

Sepitalia is looking at bringing their polycarbonate facade systems to the US market. The panels are made of eoextruded polycarbonate and are UV resistant. Will the future bring a new wave of plastic facades?

 

 

Sticks

 

 

Sticks by Extremis can be used in interior or exterior applications. Available in white, 'wood', green, and black, Sticks is an interesting alternative to bamboo or other screen elements. Sticks come in 4', 5', 6', and 7' lengths and can come with integral LED base lighting.

Physical Graffiti

I found this unexpected piece of street art last week on 11th Street in Santa Monica. The knit sleeves are attached to a chain link fence with barbed wire strands at top -- perhaps a commentary on an oddly derelict part of the city that will likely change dramatically with the arrival of the Expo line. Why is it that the best street art is usually the most unexpected?

More Softwall

Softwall

Molo's Soft Collection is a modular wall sustem consiting of an unbleached kraft paper and polyethylene non woven tile honeycomb that can expand to over 15'. This temporary enclosure was assembled at Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center.

On in Santa Monica

A reminder that there are unique moments of poetry all around us in the built environment if you take the time to see them. This internally illuminated signage is 'ON'.

sugarfish succulents

Boxes of succulents adorn the entry gate to the new Sugarfish in Santa Monica. The latest outpost of the Sushi Nozawa brand replaces Taka Sushi and was designed by Dex Studio (also responsible for Sugarfish Downtown, Sugarfish Brentwood, and the venerable Venice Beechwood.)

Low Flow

The Flow bench is produced in an eco-composite soy based urethane by LA based Arktura. The firm which specializes in high tech fabrication is producing graphic panels for the new Santa Monica public beach restrooms currently under construction as well as the the Bruce Mau designed Big Blue Bus Shelters, 365 of which will soon be coming to the city.

Pixels for Everyone

From the de Young Museum to your place! Pixels is a new product introduced by USG. Custom perforated graphics can be applied to metal ceiling or wall panels. The surfaces can be backlit or treated with acoustical insulation to achieve NRCs up to .70.

Ribbons

The texture in this surface in this storefront display is composed of ribbons of craft paper pinned back to the wall surface.

Glow Redux

Shades of Santa Monica's biannual Glow festival appeared on the 3rd Street Promenade this week in the form of a glowing wireframe model of a new Land Rover Car. The installation coincides with hanging of this year's Christmas lights which can be seen in the background.

Luminous Passage

Luminous Passage is a 200' long construction designed by Hadrian Predock &n John Frane as part of the Glow, the biennial, all night event that trasforms Santa Monica Beach into a playground for temporary nocturnal art. Consisting of a cable system supporting electroluminescent wire, the installation creates a porous bridge from the Bay Street boardwalk extending to the edge of the shore.

Uplight

A superorder column clad in cast in ribbed cast in place concrete marks the entrance to the Santa Monica Public Library, designed by Moore Ruble Yudell. The column is uplit from landscape lighting below, creating a dramatic effect against the night sky.

Reflecting on Architecture

This photograph was taken during a construction tour of the new Beverly Wilshire project in Beverly Hills. The alternating color shapes are reflections of the new building as seen across the alley. The two colors of exterior glass have nearly identical visible light transmission and are only subtly noticeable on the building's interior but create a distinct pattern on the exterior.

On the Verge

This 2x8 Installation at the recent Dwell on Design conference in LA features painted scrims and LED panels suspended above the winning entries for the student design competition. The LED panels were provided by IOS Light. The panels can be used illumination of shelving or independentlyand consist of a glass panel, LEDs arrayed along one or both edges, and an internal mesh to diffuse the light. The can range between $60-250/sf depending on configuration. Panels greater that 12" in depth require leds at both edges.

Got Milk?

The Teknion Showroom in Santa Monica, design by Vanderbyl Design, features white lattice panels that appear from afar to be painted MDF but are actually water jet cut panels composed of recycled milk cartons.

Check Please

The check carpet at the leasing office of 1600 North Vine is a throwback to Hollywood glamour of the 1930s. Together with the red carpet at the living room of the W Hotel which shares the same block, a subtle reminder to watch where you step in the new Hollywood.

Heart on the Vine

Spotted this heart in the parking lot of the former Big Lots and the future home of the Acadamy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Museum on Vine Street in Hollywood. Curious to see the heart so carefully guarded by chain link and barbed wire.

Out of the Shadows Hollywood

Located just outside the entry to the new W Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, this art installation by German artist Christian Moeller is fabricated from anodized aluminum and uses shadow density generated by projecting horizontal tabs to create an image of hands pushing out into space. Christian Moeller is Professor of Design/Media Arts at UCLA. The work was funded jointly by the Community Redevelopment Agency and Gatehouse Capital, one of the joint developers (with Legacy Parnters) of the new $600 million Hollywood and Vine Mixed-Use Development.