What is so wonderful about the film, “INFINITE SPACE”, in celebration of specifically John Lautner’s architecture, is the appreciation for silence. In so many cases the complexity of architecture requires that, art like, attention where the viewer is asked to observe critically. Only in this moment is architecture achieved it’s true palpable vision.

What is special about so many of the documented site’s are their public recognition. Modernism and architecture in general continues to play an instrumental role in the movie business and Lautner’s architecture is no exception.

ABC. Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Website

Hulu - Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Website

Ty Pennington Style - Website

I find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn’t know what ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition is all about or who, Ty Pennington, the star team leader is. Although I’ve attached “The Ward Family” video above, this post is dedicated to the show itself.

There just aren’t words to justify how special this program is. I can’t imagine what it must mean for the people they help. It’s pay it forward on a grand scale. It would be interesting to see how many people are affected by this gesture of kindness.

It’s reassuring to the humanitarian in my heart that GOOD DOES EXIST. Beyond what it can do for a single family or neighbor, it’s a reflection on this great nation and its community. I believe people want to be good and do good. It’s unfortunate when you see so much willpower from those you least expect and how difficult they struggle to provide. So many of us have so much to be grateful for and appreciative of, but so few of us are taking major leaps in the effort for others. This is a movement of selflessness, hope, inspiration and change.

What I love most about this show is, how real the people are. They aren’t foreign to our ways of life or CGI animations. These are our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, friends, children and loved ones. It’s one of those pure moments in life that consume your emotions. A reflection that is so easily lost in our chaotic routines. It’s an exceptional and liberating journey into the soul. 

Regardless if you are a veteran, novice, or simply a fan of futbol / soccer, this film is a life changing experience. A heart wrenching and warming film about the Homeless World Cup. This story is a journey through the world’s heart and your own. Discover lives across the globe seen through the eyes of the poverty-stricken.

An emotional movement about: Hope, Dreams, Adversity, Passion, Addiction, Kinship, Family, Poverty, War, Crime, Intrigue, Goals, Friendship, Trust, Honor, Sacrifice, Etiquette, Companionship, Competition, and LOVE. 

Overcoming ones personal battles on and off the field. A film of self discovery from the characters perspective and your own.

Brilliant Simplicity Tour Recap from Eve Dilworth on Vimeo.

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I’ve had the privilege of viewing Brilliant Simplicity at ECCO Design Studio. The video is comprised of environmental technologies and advancements in areas of architecture. The film features the works of the winners and runner-up candidates from The Next Generation Design Competition.

Immediately following the film you are engaged in what I can only describe as, “Necessary Conversation”. Each event will yield its own benefits, but I guarantee it will be inspiring. I feel adamantly that it’s the responsibility of the architect and designers to implement these educations into practice. However, there must be committee’s to lobby and create policies and/or industry standards for these types of technologies.

As an architectural designer, I speak for the design community in saying, that our variables are too many to make these ideas a mandatory means of practice. In regards to municipal codes, budgetary restrictions and client’s wishes to name a few.

My analogy at the event was:

As a consumer of (let’s say) a “CAN” of soda, for example.  We buy the “CAN” and we have the option to recycle it.  Much like the architect with this knowledge can use these ideas or not.  But sometimes people recycle and sometimes they don’t.  Same as an architect with an idea.  And most, if not all the time, recycling isn’t a solution, but rather a means to an end for a bigger problem.  And on a scale of each household doing something occasionally, the difference to the problem really isn’t that great, but it is a start, don’t get me wrong.  But if we directly contacted the manufacturer of the “CAN” from the beginning and the “CAN” became something altogether different, than haven’t we swayed the difference dramatically with one small, but large, move.  So the “CAN” may all of a sudden become decomposable or embedded with seeds to reharvest land.  So to reiterate my initial thought, is that we need to target our national and local standardization laws and the production of these technologies to make a real difference.

When you think about any end result it starts with liability.

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‘“When we do an unusual show or project in [New York] United States they ask, ‘Have you done this before?’ The client in China asks me, ‘Are you sure this has never been done before?’”

It is important for me to discover different attitudes and voices regarding design from across the globe. It’s also instrumental to explore beyond our own comfort zones and industries for new discoveries. The interpretation on a project for one architect or designer is completely original from someone else’s, especially from another cultural background.

It’s truly a magical moment when someone does something unexpected and pushes innovation to that next level. When quantitative research and execution culminate to create something beautiful, that is the very moment a new discipline emerges.

Also, watch full episodes on Instant Netflix [if you have an account].

Regardless if you are a lame art spectator or an art enthusiast, this program is filled to the brim with purpose. It’s an education outside the classroom environment and a tool many will implement within.

Art :21 delivers a unique perspective into the world of art. In the sense that you’re introduced personally to the artist’s and entertainingly forced to understand the art.  The precision of editing techniques and topic choices illustrates a clear progression. 

Often people don’t spend the time learning about art to fully appreciate it’s meaning. And in art settings it’s difficult to focus on specific pieces.  In a way the art is lost in translation.

I’m confident that this medium will inspire, alleviate curiosities, and evoke something beyond expectation. It’s a nice change from the saturated media of trash and chaos that consumes too many hopes and dreams. Don’t be fooled by “BAD” television and find those outlets that encourage you to be more, to be the best you.

As funny as this clip is, it worries me that people honestly believe that the Climate Crisis [Global Warming] is any less real because of snow. The two, as related as they are, don’t determine scientific relevance to the issue.

Enjoy!

This mini documentary is just under 20 minutes and a little dated, but the principles remain as fundamental today as ever before. It reveals the world of garbage, waste and recycling in a simplistic way that we can easily overlook.

I recommend reading Cradle to Cradle by, Mr. William McDonough & Mr. Michael Braungart, for a modern perspective in regards to similiar issues. With little controversy surrounding our wasteful problems, Mr. McDonough is a pioneer and a visionary in the fight against real world problems. This read unveils the corporate lies and human naiveness that encompasses our slow suicidal conditions.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson [1962] was referenced in the documentary. It deserves credit for being the first book to raise social awareness for related issues and leading to our now much celebrated, Earth Day.

HGTV designer and author, Shannon Quimby thought so and proves it in this video. My favorite part is when she talks about this kind of project being second nature. So that, her children will just think that this is how it works.

Read the full article HERE

Dr. Rachel Armstrong speaks here on TED about the idea of science metabolized with architecture to create a living micro-structure. It’s an architecture that lives and self repairs. It’s a science that is as innovative as the ideas that we can conjure.

It’s baffling, rather appalling, that we still use destructive / archaic technologies for the majority of our experiences. Experiences, in the sense of the world around us and all that encompasses that space.

I have faith that our salvation lies in part with the work of each other. We aren’t as separate and disconnected as we may think. It’s our focussed energy and effort that culminate to create our perceptions of reality. If we have a will or a common goal of actively participating in this role I believe we’ll live a more peaceful and fulfilled life.

Joshua Prince- Ramus from REX Architecture introduces the WYLY Theater in Dallas, Texas. This project earns the credibility amongst the highest degree of architectural visions. Using existing technologies, architect and client derive on a theater that becomes multiple spaces with a push of a button. Limiting the labor needs and cost, thus aiding to net growth. Creating spaces that allow for multiple functions, thereby bringing in revenue that would not have existed. These are only a few of the many achievements attributed to the WYLY project.

I urge you to watch the video in it’s entirety [18 minutes 42 seconds]. But if you just want to see the cool part…fast forward to the last 3 minutes and watch the time lapse segment.

Have you ever felt like architecture is a lot like art, in the sense that you see it and know that it’s remarkable but don’t understand “WHY”? There are exponential factors in the reasoning behind this and we try as humanly possible to address those, but in the end sometimes it just doesn’t make much sense. The factors are so many, the influences usually triple, that when the project ends you have a mess of the true intention. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS!

This following video left me with a renewed sense of faith in the capabilities of the design industry. It adheres to fundamental perspectives and is unwavering to that elementary principles. In addition, you have honesty from the architectural team, a trusting relationship with their client and an understanding  that the end result will be conceived throughout the project timeline. By the completion of the project you have addressed the clients needs, thought constructively about each construction decision and anticipated the functions of the building in relationship to it’s end use.

It’s so difficult for any firm to fully understand each individual client from the beginning. I appreciate what Joshua Prince-Ramus and members of REX Architecture have accomplished in establishing their own identity. When you’ve achieved that, then the client understands the process. This is essential to the relationship which will endure time and boundaries. This way the client doesn’t get a flashy concept filled with voids and lies. Instead they communicate and come to understand the project limits and goals. Which then allows for the client and architectural team to begin formulating answers to a complex equation. It’s a degree of professionalism lost in many firms. It’s this sense of taking responsibility or liability for their actions that produces a project to this caliber.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Enter a world where CG animation, Architecture, Photography, Fashion, Art, Orchestrated music and pure brilliance come together in absolute splendor. Alex Roman has created a visual masterpiece. He demonstrates an accomplished understanding of all these art forms at their most premiere level.

Beyond the visual stimulus that provokes an emotional reaction, Alex Roman captures the harmonies of human creation and the spectacle that only nature can produce. It’s a performance of fluidity and a symphony of genius. The film is at a production level that I believe Louis Kahn himself would be inspired by.

THE BETTER WORLD - Shopping Guide

WORLD’S GREENEST HOMES is a program on the Discovery Channel that is worth watching. I know how you must feel, because I feel it as well…

What difference does this “1” item that I buy REALLY matter?

The truth is that it does matter. It may seem like a trend and cliche, but it’s not some liberal hippie thing anymore, it’s a lifestyle choice. And it takes a lot of effort and consciousness to make any kind of a difference.

Society had the same response to recycling when it started, now it’s mandated in some parts and second nature for most at this point. The truth is that we create too much, waste too much and we don’t personally witness the ramification’s of this process.

The charts and graphs seem almost worthless at this point. Statistics the same. It’s a problem that is too large for us to comprehend. But we don’t have to be naive and unprepared. It’s programs like this that bring awareness, but also bring SOLUTIONS.

I urge you and myself to research our products. Use less. Think about the longevity of things you buy, but also the things that are disposed of. Don’t stop at the product itself, but what are the materials, where was it manufactured, how was it distrubuted, what are the lifecycle processes, and most importantly…IS THERE A BETTER DECISION I COULD MAKE.

Always inspired by the videos found on TEDTalks. This short 4 minute video diagrams an old technology, outlet circuit breakers, and reveals something amazing.

Imagine a world without electrical fires?

Imagine a world without thousands of reported burn injuries from outlets?

Imagine a world of reduced wasted electricity?

Imagine a world reinvented?

At COP15, Copenhagen - United Nations Climate Change Conference Mr. Al Gore speaks regarding many issues. Amongst these and possibly most importantly a TREATY.

Unfortunately I haven’t found a full length video, so this youtube source is 1 of 6 clips. It’s difficult for me to advise watching one over another, they all contain useful facts and information that is critical to witness. Although, I have to say that the last segment, Clip 6, is a powerful summary to an unprecedented series of speeches.

There is no justice this post can serve to demonstrate the power and significance of           Mr. Al Gore’s speech. I urge you to watch and share this with as many people as you can reach.

COP15, Copenhagen - United Nations Climate Change Conference

RepoWEr America

Al Gore Website