Smart & Stylish Modular Housing. The House Arc By Bellamo Architects.

The House Arc is a modular off-the-grid housing solution where the pieces are shipped (ideally, fabricated locally) to the site and erected by the user or community. The future goal of the House Arc is to house people in devastated areas after catastrophic events and replace housing that was not built to withstand such forces.





The House Arc could be utilized in locations where natural disasters have displaced people, such as Haiti and New Orleans. Hopefully, organizations dedicated to finding the most affordable off-the-grid modular housing solutions will consider the House Arc.



The first House Arc was permanently installed on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2010 (a time lapse video of that construction can be seen at the end of this post.) Large windows provide natural light, maintain views, and funnel in ocean breezes to cool the interior while the shading trellis limits heat infiltration.





The raised structure allows air to flow underneath for cooling, functions with the site terrain, and maintains the permeability of the site.




The House Arc’s simple and modular design allows it to be assembled extremely quickly. Construction assembly is much like building modular furniture with a kit of parts and an easy-to-follow, graphic installation manual requiring no special training.



Time lapse video of the House Arc being constructed in Hawaii:


Bellomo Architects

Doll Limb Art and Altered Barbies. The Wonderfully Weird Work of Deborah Colotti.

above: The Body Bureau by Deborah Colotti

above: A Lawn of Legs by Deborah Colotti

A few of my favorite textiles, installations, assemblages and altered Barbies by artist Deborah Colotti of Sebastopol.

Deborah describes herself and her assemblages as follows:
"I am angry. I am hopeful. I am cynical, yet full of humor. Whereas my working environment is surrounded by vast natural vistas for peaceful appreciation, my studio is loaded with objects and references gathered for their qualitative symbolism, as well as their emotive and aesthetic appeal. My mind roams around seeking connections between the absurd and the commonplace that I then pare down to essential personal and social symbols. As I arrange and rearrange the objects layered meanings are revealed and developed."

Assemblages/ Sculptures:

The Hunters:

A Slice of Boyhood:

Spinal(and detail):

A Tree of Limbs:


Installations:



above: wireframes with doll limbs for installations Lawn of Legs and Circle of Legs.
Circle of Legs:

Mannequin Territory:


Christie Tweet:

Christine Tweet (detail):

Jaws and Barbs:



For many years, she has toyed with the Barbie icon. In 1996, she began the ongoing series "the Barbs". To date, she have created over 150 interpretations of Barb in the real world. Here are some of my favorite from her Barbs collection:

The Barbs

A Gun of Barb's:

Barbie Virus 3:

Leggy Goggles:

Barbie Legs Mirror (straight):

Barbie Legs Mirror (bent):

Poop'd Barbie:

Harem Boy with Bra of Nails:

Barbie Trinity:


Her textile works integrate obsolete and broken items from her own household (especially toys), hand-me-rounds from her family, and discards from her friends.

Textiles

Ladies:

I Am An Animal:

Mom and Another Birthday Cake:

Conversations with father:

See more of her work at her website

The Modern M. Liminal Grand Piano by NYT Line and Philippe Gendre for Fazioli.

The music of shape and the design of sound are created in the M. Liminal model, designed by NYT Line and Philippe Gendre for Italian piano makers Fazioli.
 Just as consonance and dissonance are organized in music, M. Liminal's shapes and colors are combined in asymmetric but orderly designs.





Inspired by the sea, the shape of the side evokes the profile of a wave while the black-silver color that of a dolphin.
 The red of the soundboard and black of the cast iron frame filter through the transparency of the plexiglas music stand.











The M. Liminal in situ:


About Fazioli


The Fazioli Company has produced grand and concert-grand pianos since 1981, when the company was founded by pianist and engineer Paolo Fazioli. Each instrument is individually handcrafted combining high quality materials with the finest workmanship and technology.

The Fazioli factory is located in Sacile, 60 Km (35 miles) northeast of Venice in the northeastern part of Italy. The area is renowned for an ancient and prestigious tradition in woodworking.

Fazioli

Fazioli Pianoforti s.r.l.
Via Ronche, 47 - 33077 Sacile (PN)
Tel. +39.0434.72026
info@fazioli.com