Biomega Designs New Bikes For Puma

Copenhagen-based bicycle company Biomega has designed 5 new bikes for Puma. Designed for urban commuters, the new bike line combines European design with US riding styles, resulting in a completely new Trans-Atlantic bike paradigm.



Each of the five bikes is available in either all white, all black or tri-color options and special features like folding and integrated handlebars which distinguish these from others on the market.




DISKO


The PUMA Disko Bike mixes BMX features (handlebar, sloping top tube), city bike features (upright seating position), folding bike features (folding functionality), and 24” wheels (in between a BMX 20” wheels and a city bike 28”).

The PUMA Disko was developed for city dwellers and requires little maintenance. It incorporates BMX handlebars to hold the body in an upright, heads up position for better navigation. The bike folds at the top tube, reducing it by 50%, to fit in tight spaces such as underground transit systems, the trunk of your car or a small city flat.



The PUMA Disko also features an integrated locking system as part of the bike’s structural framework, intended to both safeguard the bike from theft and simplify the commuting process by alleviating the need for a separate lock.



A double loop of heavy gage wire replaces the down tube of the bike’s framework and hooks onto the bottom bracket of the seat tube. The built in locking mechanism utilizes a pin release system, which frees the wire enabling it to be wrapped around a stationary object and secured back into the bike. $970.00 buy it here

PICO


The PUMA Pico Bike mixes BMX features (handlebar, sloping top tube, 20” wheels), mini-bike features (low elongated top tube, upright seating position), carrier bike features (optional front carrier), and folding bike features (optional folding functionality).



The PUMA Pico comes with or without an innovative front carrier integrated in the handlebar for the quick and dirty drop of grocery bags. The design references a BMX, but holds the body in an upright, heads up position for city navigation.



The bike comes with or without a folding system integrated in the top tube, reducing it by 50%, to fit in tight spaces such as underground transit systems, the trunk of your car or a small city flat. $695.00 buy it here.

NEVIS LADY


The PUMA Nevis Lady Bike mixes city bike features (handlebar, 28” wheels), cruiser features (laid back seating position), and carrier bike features (optional front carrier).



The PUMA Nevis Lady comes with or without an innovative front carrier integrated in the handlebar for light transport of your daily needs. Developed for city dwellers, the Nevis features a traditional cruiser handling style. The geometry holds the body in an laid back, heads up position for navigational position. $725.00 buy it here

NEVIS MAN


The PUMA Nevis Man Bike mixes city bike features (handlebar, 28” wheels), cruiser features (laid back seating position), and carrier bike features (optional front carrier).



The PUMA Nevis Man comes with or without an innovative front carrier integrated in the handlebar for light transport of your daily needs. Developed for city dwellers, the Nevis features a traditional cruiser handling style. The geometry holds the body in an laid back, heads up position for navigational position. $725.00 buy it here

FUNK

The PUMA Funk Bike mixes city bike features (dual brakes, free wheel mode, 28” wheels) and track bike features (handlebar, aggressive seating position, fixie mode).

The PUMA Funk comes with track bike handlebars. The geometry holds the body in an forward, leaning position for aggressive urban commuting. The design references a track bike, but uses aluminum for lightness and includes brakes for security.



The bike comes with a back wheel that can be reversed to switch between a single speed free wheel and fixie. $860.00 buy it here.

The story behind names and colors:

The Names

The latest PUMA Bikes are named after islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This method is grounded in the Trans-Atlantic inspiration behind the bikes’ design, where smart and practical European design meets laidback, urban American style.

Disko Island is a large island in Baffin Bay, off the west coast of Greenland.
Funk Island is a small island northeast of Wesleyville, Newfoundland, Canada.
Nevis Island is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located southeast of Puerto Rico.
Pico Island is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores.

The Colors
Flashy against the gritty city. PUMA Bikes boast bold color combinations. From lemon yellows to funky fuchsias to ocean-glass turquoises, the colors are likewise inspired by vibrant island color. They fit the Trans-Atlantic theme and defy the expected.


all images and information courtesy of PUMA.

When Computers And Classics Collide: Sebastian Brajkovic's Lathe Furniture

SEBASTIAN BRAJKOVIC

Last Spring, Carpenters Workshop Gallery had a showing of Sebastian Brajkovic's collection of work, entitled Lathe. The exhibit consisted of a series of several chairs and one aluminum table, all of which combine classic furniture design with computer inspired 'stretching' to create a modern interpretation of antique style furniture.

The work is so innovative and unusual that one of the pieces from the exhibition, Lathe VIII, has even been entered into the prestigious permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

"They are called Lathe because of the apparent rotating effect of the design. In fact the word Lathe comes from the Latin word used to convey the idea of milk being stirred. My very first thought with making this design was actually a practical one. I wanted to create more space on a singular chair by “extruding” the seat’s surface area." says Sebastian.



The artist continues "This extruding idea came from a Photoshop function where you can pick a row of pixels and extend them as long as you want. This modern computer method aided me to devise new ways of sketching as a contradictory partner in my design process. In this paradoxical sense, using antique forms was the next logical step."



His artistic process starts by deconstructing historical pieces of furniture, in particular seventeenth-century chairs, then through a combination of wood carving, bronze casting and hand embroidering, he reconstructs an entirely new vision, as you can see from the pieces below.

Lathe I:



Above: Lathe I, 2008
H 85 L 114 W 114 cm
Bronze, embroidered upholstery
Edition of 8


Lathe II:



Above: Lathe II, 2008
H 100 L 102 W 62 cm
Bronze, embroidered upholstery
Edition of 8

Lathe III:


Above: Lathe III, 2006
H 94 L 74 W 67 cm
Bronze, hand embroidered
Edition of 8

Usually the materials or forms I use are from products that already proved themselves as worthy. Like the lathe chair series for instance, the forms are used from old chairs, these old chairs lay easy on the eye because they are recognizable, in a way they are accepted. If I want to explain a chair that looks like its moving, it will explain itself better when you recognize the old and familiar chair in it.
---- Sebastian Brajkovic

Lathe V (in various color versions):









Above: Lathe V, 2007
H 94 L 94 W 54 cm
Bronze, hand embroidered
Edition 8

Lathe VIII (shown below) adopts the idea of the traditional love seat, which is created by connecting two baroque-style chairs by an extruded backrest. The elaborate embroidery on the upholstery of the backrest is a significant element of this work. The regular overlapping of the outline across the entire width of the backrest creates the impression of movement which is reminiscent of super slow-motion shots á la Matrix. Brajkovic accordingly seems to integrate the moment of morphing, the element of time as a fourth dimension, into the object.






Above: Lathe VIII, 2008
H 105 L 140 W 85 cm
Bronze with nitric-acid burned patina and needle stitched embroidered fabric
Edition of 8

Made of aluminium, the Lathe Table is quite literally created by being turned on a real lathe. In this incarnation however, the chisel carves aluminum directly instead of the traditional wood. The evocative sense of movement is conveyed in the spinning lines of the quasi vortex, offering the past impression of a moment of great movement and now stillness. Inspired originally by a child’s spinning top, whizzing around at high speed, it has the same illusion that once at its optimal speed it is no longer moving but standing up straight. The highly polished surface is a product of the lathe turning technique which polishes as it carves the metal. He explains that whereas the Lathe Chairs are more like painting, in that modifications can be made during the production process, the Lathe Table is a one step process which is an honest and direct application of the Lathe concept.

The Lathe Table:





Above: Lathe Table, 2008
H 30 L 119 W 119 cm
lathe turned aluminium
Edition of 8

About the designer:
Sebastian Brajkovic was born 18th September 1975 in Amsterdam from a Dutch-Indonesian mother and a Croatian-Italian father.

After completing a course in cabinetmaking at school he applied for both the Rietveldt and Designacademy being torn between an art and design education. He chose the Designacademy with a view to make art that wanted to be design or visa versa. He studied under Gijs Bakker, Hella Jongerius and Jurgen Bey. He continues his studies in philosophy at the University of Utrecht. He carried out an invaluable internship at Jurgen Bey's studio. In June 2006 Brajkovic graduated with the "Lathe Chairs" and "Home Grown" projects.

The above pieces, if not yet sold, are available for purchase from:
The Carpenters Workshop Gallery,
3 albemerale street, london w1s 4he

special thanks to Spazio Rossana Orlandi and Dezeen for some additional images.

For Budding Designers, MoMA Kits For Modern Kids (And Their Parents)

Chronicle Books has introduced an innovative and uniquely playful new line of children's products created in collaboration with New York's Museum of Modern Art. Through original formats and eye-catching design, these irresistible books and kits are designed to inspire and foster creativity that lasts a lifetime.



The Modern Playhouse and Modern Family are DIY kits with modular pieces and removable vinyl clings so you can create numerous variations of your own modern home and family.

MoMA Modern Play House



Includes: 6 nesting boxes, 8 mix-and-match furniture pieces, 12 removable vinyl clings, and endless possibilities. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

MoMA Modern Play Family


This hip press-out family includes 5 people, a cat, a dog, a doghouse, and over 150 mix-and-match vinyl cling clothes.



A part of the MoMA Modern Kids collection. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Chronicle Books also made this cool stop-motion video to showcase the creative possibilities of the new MoMA Modern Play House and Modern Family:



Of course you can buy these at the online MoMA store BUT as part of the promotion, you can purchase these kits directly from Chronicle books with free shipping and 30% off if you use the code MoMA at checkout here.

Ray Kappe Beach Front Home On the Market For $13.5 Million

FOR SALE: 1600 The Strand, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Built in 1985 by well-known architect Ray Kappe of Kappe +Du architects, the 5200 square foot, 3 bedroom 6 bathroom beach front home, known as the Scheimer Residence, on California's Manhattan Beach Strand has recently gone on the market for the first time since the house was constructed.