Paracity

Jean-Louis Chanéac, Parasite Bedroom, (1971)

In 1971, Chanéac installed a parasite bedroom on the façade of a regular modernist residential apartment block in Geneva, Switzerland. Chanéac’s ‘parasitic sucking cells’ are mobile, evolutionary and a complete contrast to the host building’s architectural style in every sense possible.

With this work the architect wanted to experiment with a new architectural language. Avignon-born Chanéac was one of the first to experiment with spontaneous, temporary and adaptable architectural solutions. Developed as temporary and supplementary spaces, “parasitic cells are volumetric inhabitable elements which are mass-produced by industry or spontaneously built by individuals. They can be erected in a matter of hours onto the façades of buildings as a way of creating complementary inhabitable spaces”.

For the construction of this so-called ‘La Bulle Pirate’, Chanéac used synthetic materials such as laminates, resins, glass fiber, reinforced polyester and foam. The use of these materials was totally new in an era in which concrete was the dominant construction material. Chanéac applied for a patent for these multifunctional plastic cells, which could be produced in the factory, transported by road and assembled in two hours. However, he never managed to roll out the project on a bigger scale.

You can now download the digital version of the Sold Out Portuguese comics anthology Parasitas! And it’s FREE or pay what you want!

fos por (fos)

A cada dia que passa fico mais interessado e fascinado com este “novo mundo” das intervenções efémeras. A fos, realizada pelo atelier espanhol (fos), é um dos exemplos mais interessantes que tenho visto. 

Como podem ver nas imagens e no vídeo, os autores usaram cerca de 250 metros de fita cola amarela e a ideia foi tão simples como: preencher o “campo de luz” de um foco que iluminava o acesso a um pequeno restaurante que se localiza no famoso bairro de las letras, em Madrid. 

A ideia é óptima, o efeito visual é bastante atrativo, os custos são “reduzidos” e o restaurante ficou a ganhar 500%. 

Highrise of Holmes | James Wines

Tree huts at place Vendome by Tadashi Kawamata

Adventurous Artists Travel on Homemade Flotillas

Photographer Tod Seelie captures the life of artists as they travel across waterways, floating on their own uniquely designed rafts. Organized by street artist Caledonia “Callie" Curry, best known as Swoon, the project embarked on its first expedition last year. Each flotilla, crafted out of recycled and found materials, boasts its own vibrant, free-spirited personality. Like a traveling circus of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys (and Girls), the artists board their handcrafted ships and set off on an adventure.