The Random Ramblings of a Graphic Designer

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When the old is preserved and the new fits into it seamlessly until the two are inseparable, indistinguishable and in perfect harmony. 

Loft MDP by: FFWD

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Beauty hidden in contrast, veiled in sadness, covered in curiosity has the power to stop time. 

Artwork by Rone. 

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by Ouchhh

This is one of the many things that happen when science and art overlap (in a dome shape).

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This is 27-year-old Mohamed Younes Idress. He is a high jumper that could not make it to Rio due to an injury. Artist JR saw to it that he was there anyway... in quite an epic fashion. 

Image source: JR’s instagram 

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This is the Cathedral Nuestra Señora Del Pilar. 

53 years ago Don Justo Gallego Martinez started building it, by himself, from salvaged materials after he survived tuberculosis. The 90 year old continues to work on it, brick by brick to this day. 

He had no training in architecture or construction - no plans exist for the cathedral. Yet, here it is, brick by salvaged brick. 

Although Justo has dedicated this to his faith in religion and spirituality, I see it more as a dedication to dedication itself. 

Hear the story firsthand, or read about it here. 

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This is Tesla, sitting casually sitting in front of his generator, fearless, as nitrogen lights up around him like the veins of lungs. 

If only we could have matched him in his fearlessness. If only we appreciated his genius. If only we marvelled instead of shrink away and pull him with us. Maybe we can fight for that now. 

Here is a full article of 10 rare images of Tesla and an article that sums up the reasons he should be in all the history books. 

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Sad, beautiful, touching.

The collapsing ice caps chimed in as well. It was like they had their own song to sing.

View the video and listen to the music. 

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I remember the first time I saw this phenomenon. We were on a day trip on the island of St.Maarten. The tour guide was an energetic older man. His enthusiasm was contagious as he handed out snorkelling gear to the eclectic group on the boat. I strapped it on the mask and headed in. 

As a scuba diver, this was not my fist time looking at a reef. I couldn’t wait to explore the coral and the fish. From what the guide had told us, it would be spectacular. Instead I got into the water and noticed it seemed dirty. Not dirty, but muggy. Millions of small particles floated around me, like ash after a fire. 

And the reef, what I could make out of it, was white. White and disappearing and delicate, like the edges of burt paper. 

My heart sank. We were in a graveyard. I was looking at death and floating in the repercussions of a sick planet. 

This is the first time I’ve seen that pain represented. 

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To find out more about Courtney and the project, visit www.ourchangingseas.org. Or visit her personal site at www.courtneymattison.com.

All images © Arthur Evans for the Tang Museum

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This is what happens when the solution becomes the design. 

Paul Masi of Bates-Masi Architects wanted to give space for the natural expansion and contraction of the cedar siding along his residence. The clip was developed for that purpose, but in it’s usefulness there is also a natural simplicity that has been used all over the house, quietly keeping everything together. 

I use the word ‘quietly’ on purpose, since the acoustics also play an important part in the design. 

Hat tip to the elegant ‘problem’ solving. 

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Artisian Moss by Erin Kinsey as found on My Modern Met. 

It’s beautiful and it is sad and it hopeful all in one. 

Beautiful because it is the diversity of nature and the visual manifestation of evolution. Sad because we no longer live directly with it, but instead it is confined to a regulated shape, becoming ornament, losing part of its purpose. Hopeful because at least we once again want it around us, appreciate the beauty and maybe that’s the first step to a true connection.

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Your Body is a Space That Sees is a cyanotype celebration of women in astronomy by Lia Halloran.

This is what happens when science is expressed through art. 

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Tension. We humans don’t tend to like it. Yet it captivates us, pushes us, makes us want to push the damn vase further back onto the shelf so it doesn’t fall and break. 

But we can’t. Our only option is to trust it. Trust the balance, the math, the design. And eventually, we can enjoy the simple beauty and elegance. 

‘Tumble vase’ by Falke Svatun. 

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It’s one thing to recycle. It’s another to find the beauty in what has already been ‘used’ and bring those elements together to create something entirely new. What I find most intriguing about the SPA+ Architects project is that they took obviously rustic elements - doors, windows, textiles, and managed to bring these together to create a modern home. It is deliberate, cohesive and just downright gorgeous. 

Just as an example of said genius - take a look at the concrete ceiling. Instead of just a slab, the ceiling has a triangular cross section (...it zigzags). This was most likely an acoustic decision since the last thing you want to hear in your home office is everything. Then look at the floor of the living room. Again... they could have just used slabs. Instead, they subtly brought in the same geometric form. 

That’s what I call design deliciousness - beautiful and functional. 

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‘The Secret Life of Trees’ by Dina Brodsky

That notion - of lives lived in secret between the cramped veins of the bark and the space between the leaves - it makes a wonderful kind of sense. Yet it is secret only because we don’t usually look. Maybe it takes an artist to carefully and caringly depict all the grooves, all the light and unexpected twists for us to notice all the secrets always being told.

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Breathtaking much? Slightly obsessed with the work of Sam J. 

I’m a modernist, or so I think, until I see shots like this. They simultaneously make me question my innards and thank God that some unnamed corrupt institutions invested in architecture. 

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Bromley Caldari Architects transforms the strongest geometric form into a residential masterpiece. Design drool. 

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photo by: joel sossa found on 'my modern met'