Category: WOW

While a traditional wine pairing typically couples a specific food with its red-or-white match, Reverse Innovation believes that wine is best served with a good book. The Milan-based brand and product design agency has teamed up with Matteo Correggia, an award-winning winery in the rolling hills of Roero, Italy, to create Librottiglia, a range of wines with a literary twist.

Composed of three wines—two reds and a white—the Librottiglia line is distinguished by its catchy title (a clever combination of the Italian words for “book” and “bottle”) and its clever packaging. With a clean, minimalist design, a colorful graphic, and information about the grape variety, year, and region of its contents, each bottle’s label appears ordinary. Tug at the twine that is tied around it, however, and you’ll discover that the “label” is actually a tiny book! A perfect pairing for each half-bottle (375 milliliters or about two-and-a-half glasses), the novellas offer a convenient way to relax as you sip.

Reverse Innovation commissioned three authors to produce the literary accompaniments. Each piece has been perfectly paired with a Matteo Correggia wine that captures its tone and embodies its feel: singer and writer Patrizia Laquidara’s tale, La Rana Nella Pancia (A Frog in the Belly), “fits the uncommon personality of red Anthos, a dry Brachetto”; Ti Amo. Dimenticami (I Love You. Forget Me) by Regina Nadaes Marques is as “intense” as its red Nebbiolo companion, and Danilo Zanelli’s humorous L’omicidio (Murder) shares the “fresh and light spirit” of Arneis, a crisp white wine.

Wine-loving bibliophiles can find the bookish bottles on the Librottiglia website. They’re currently only available in Italian, so be sure to brush up on your Romance languages first!

Reverse Innovation: Website
Matteo Correggia: Website | Facebook | Twitter 
via [designboom]

All images via Reverse Innovation.

The awe-inspiring work of Italian artist Tindàr is more than meets the eye. Though visually captivating and created with great skill, his art is also highly conceptual. With deliberate motifs, unique installations, and meaningful materials, Tindàr comments on a range of poignant topics, including the migrant crisis, explorations of identity, and, in his Roots series, a plea for peaceful coexistence.

The natural world is a key theme in Tindàr’s oeuvre. In Roots, the artist covers pages from old books—including an encyclopedia and a manuscript—with the wildly intertwining roots of trees. Rendered in pencil and depicted in exquisite detail, the growing roots spill over the pages, concealing text and turning the individual leafs of paper into a single canvas. While all of the pieces are striking, Awareness of Religions, an exploration of faith, is perhaps the most powerful.

The Awareness of Religions triptych features excerpts from three sacred texts—the Bible, the Quran, and the Torah. The torn-out pages are seamlessly connected by the untamed roots of a single tree, uniting the three monolithic religions and representing the artist’s deepest hope: “Although the story that we write every day seems to prove otherwise,” he writes about Roots, “I like to think that something will change, that it is changing right now or has already changed, even just in the dreams of those who want to believe in these things.” Though Awareness of Religions was created in 2012, its message of peace and plea for unity are deeply resonant today.

Surprisingly, Tindàr has not always been interested in art. Though drawing is now his preferred practice, he claims he did not enjoy it as a child. Similarly, though he would eventually study Art History, he first pursued a degree in Business Management. After graduating in 2008, however, he began to dabble in the arts and, today, he finds artistic inspiration everywhere: “Sometimes it’s a leopard, other times a beggar and other times Dante’s lost profile,” he poetically describes in Aletheia. “Often it’s formless poetry that I enjoy in silence – giving it back to where it came from – nature.”

Tindàr: Website | Facebook
via [Lustik]

All images via Studio Pivot.

True artists must find a creative outlet no matter what the circumstance—including times of war. Thanks to the creative passion and steady hand of then 21-year old soldier Victor Lundy, we have a breathtaking visual record of World War II, in the form of documentary sketches. For Lundy, “drawing is sort of synonymous with thinking,” which means we are left with an intimate archive of sketches that unfold one soldier’s experience fighting on the front lines. Lundy was studying architecture in New York when, enthralled with the idea of rebuilding a post-war Europe, he enrolled in the Army Special Training Program. By 1944, with D-Day looming, the Army needed reinforcements, which meant that young Lundy would be thrown into the infantry. This shocking turn of events didn’t stunt his creativity, though.

Lundy, who is now 92, recalls his inability to listen during lectures. “I was busy sketching,” he admits. During his time in the infantry, he continued to sketch in his pocket-sized notebooks. The drawings, which were created between May and November 1944—when Lundy was wounded—take us from his initial training in Fort Jackson to the front lines in France. The vivid images show everything from air raids to craps games for cigarettes. A sense of longing for home is a recurring theme in his sketches, which include detailed drawings of his bunk as well as particularly dream-like drawing, titled Home Sweet Home, that shows a soldier lounging on a hammock. 

Lundy, who went on to have an acclaimed architecture career, donated his eight sketchbooks to the Library of Congress in 2009. The sketchbooks have all been digitally archived and are now available for viewing online. Lundy’s gift is a precious one, as in this age of continued war and terror it is more important than ever to learn from our past history.

Victor Lundy

Part of the Atlantic Wall, Quinéville 6 men from L Co. hurt here, 6 killed. (September 21, 1944)

En-route to Europe. Promenade Deck. “And you know, we were far from even thinking of combat. They didn’t tell us. We didn’t know what was going to happen, once we landed. …—you know, the day it happens they tell you.” (September 2, 1944)

Bill Shepard. (June 6, 1944)

“Pat” (T/Sgt. Patenaude) zeroing in with the 60 mm mortars in front of the 3rd platoon. (November 1, 1944)

France. Cracking the Zeigfried [i.e. Siegfried] line, air raid over Germany Seen on a morning hike. ”…we would see that in Normandy but also when we were in combat, at least two times, and boy, did that cheer us up on the ground.” (September 13, 1944)

Sunday. (May 14, 1944)

Before pay day—shooting craps for cigarettes. (June 1, 1944)

One of the 4-men German patrol who didn’t get back. (November 1, 1944)

June 1, 1944 – Home Sweet Home

View from my bunk. (August 28, 1944)

Café where the 2 French girls bought us 4 bottles of cider, Quinéville. (September 19, 1944)

Shep. (May 10, 1944)

Ted Lynn. (June 9, 1944)

House where Kane & I got the roast chicken & cognac. (September 16, 1944)

Camouflaged German gun position, beach in Quinéville. (September 19, 1944)

En-route to Europe. “… I remember getting on the deck and here were these guys, and that’s just what they were saying, Son of a bitch!” (August 27, 1944)

Troop Train. (August 25, 1944)

Bourg de Lestre. (September 19, 1944)

Ready to go. (September 7, 1944)

France! #7 When in our first camp (B-53) in France near St. Martin d’Audeville.

Library of Congress: Website | Facebook | Instagram
via [Messy Nessy]

All images via the Library of Congress.

Melting against sky and sea, Alessandra Rossi‘s translucent Untitled Coral is camouflaged against the Australian landscape. This touching sculpture of a girl with downcast eyes was created for the Sculpture by the Sea festival. This well-regarded festival, now in its twentieth year, displays over 100 sculptures along the Australian coastline from Bondi to Tamarama. Rossi, an Italian artist now based in Freemantle, created this stunning artwork that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is significant.

Using 3D printing technology to create the figure from translucent acrylic material, Rossi’s piece drains of its color as it moves upward. At a distance, the sculpture appears smooth, yet upon close inspection the sharp, pixelated edges become clear. From afar, the spectator sees what seems to be a sweet child. Upon closer inspection, the youthful figure appears to transform into an almost menacing robotic figure. Suddenly, her identity has changed, reflecting how identity has become warped due to technology. The pixelated effect betrays this layer of significance, as the artist explains that the piece can we viewed “as a metaphor for the patination and discoloration of emotion engendered by the digital era.”

Rossi’s man-made object also grapples with a man-made problem—climate change. The color draining from the sculpture is a metaphor for coral bleaching, a phenomenon that occurs when water temperatures rise due to climate change. As coral is submerged for an extended period of time in water that is too warm, it becomes stressed and expels the algae that both gives it color and 90% of its energy. Once the algae is expelled, the coral slowly begins to starve, revealing the white skeleton inside, as its flesh turns transparent.

It’s an issue especially important in Australia, where 93% of 3,000 individual reefs have been touched by bleaching, and almost a quarter of coral over the entire Great Barrier Reef has been killed by this bleaching event. Coral bleaching changes the entire ecosystem surrounding the reef—a catastrophe that not only touches the fish who eat coral, but also the birds that eat the fish, and even the humans that rely on the reef for food and income. In this context, Rossi’s work becomes a harsh reminder of how that which disappears, often is not easily replaced.

Image via Yoseph Setiawan

Image via Clyde Yee

Image via Yoseph Setiawan

Image via Grace Sui

Image via Brian Thomas

Image via Tony Wakeham

Alessandra Rossi: Website
via [Colossal]

To many people, a penny isn’t worth the time that it takes to pick it up—but not for DIY enthusiast Tonya Tooners. After gathering and sorting a staggering 13,000 pennies ($130), she arranged them into a stunning design on a floor in her home. From afar, you wouldn’t realize they were coins—Tooners’ attention to detail and patterning give them the appearance of tile.

The decor project was a tedious undertaking. “I started by measuring the area [of the room] and finding the center,” Tooners described on Imgur. Afterwards, she drew an axis as a guide and started gluing the coins in a diamond shape—purposely using different-colored pennies (alternating between heads and tails) to provide a striking visual contrast. Once Tooners got to the edge, she created a border—an addition that gives it a distinctly vintage feel. Aside from the pennies, Tooners used 10 bottles of Elmer’s glue, grout, wood filler, and “expensive epoxy” to make her dream a reality.

Laying down all of the pennies was, by far, the hardest part. After the long process was over, Tooners used grout and epoxy to finalize all her work. All told, she revealed to Reddit that the project took her a few months; but with these results, the time spent was worth it.

Here’s how it all started…

After gluing all of the pennies, Tooners applied grout and epoxy to seal the coins.

Tonya Tooners: Reddit
via [Imgur]

In the late 1970s and 1980s, paramedic Chris Porsz spent hours walking around Peterborough, a city in eastern England, snapping the photos of the everyday passerby. From punks to policemen, the amateur photographer captured portraits of life that were endearing and honest. Now, almost 40 years later, Porsz—known as the “paramedic paparazzo”—has returned to his project, this time acting as both savvy sleuth as well as picture taker.

Porsz has dedicated the last seven years to tracking down his former subjects and convincing them to strike that same pose from so long ago. “I don’t think anyone else has tracked down so many strangers and recreated photos in this way before,” Porsz told Metro. It took “tenacious detective work, meticulous planning and, often, unbelievable coincidences,” but the results are a fascinating look at how people have changed—how they’ve grown up, split apart, and of course, changed their sense of style.

Porsz’s update was not just a reuniting of subjects and photographer, but often, a reunion for the people who appeared in the photos—some had not seen each other for decades. Reflecting on this, Porsz told Daily Mail, “It has been enormously satisfying to do so many reunions and seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they met up with old friends again. I’ve felt very privileged.”

Together with writer Jo Riley, Porsz has compiled photos and stories into a book aptly-titled Reunions. It is now available through his website.

Chris Porsz: Website | Facebook
via [Design You Trust]

Imagine stumbling across a vibrant and energetic town where all the walls, window frames, stairs, and even roofs are painted in bright, intense colors and dynamically-detailed murals. Sounds like something out of a dream, right? Well, this visually electrifying place really exists—it’s a town called Guatapé, in the Antioquia Department of Colombia. Photographer Jessica Devnani happened upon this wonderful discovery while backpacking through Colombia and marveled at its beautiful colors, cobblestone streets, and tremendous views.

The paintings on the walls hold a variety of meanings. Some are used to indicate local businesses or beliefs of the residents, while others are cultural images of the community’s farming heritage. Many murals were also produced as simply eye-pleasing patterns or from sheer artistic inspiration. “Apparently it started with families painting images along the sides of their homes. This little town was an absolute pleasure to meander through and photograph,” Devnani shares.

Guatapé is also famous for El Peñon rock that towers at 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) above sea level. It is the town’s most-visited site, and by climbing atop visitors are rewarded with 360 degrees of the surrounding island scenery. “Being up there,” Devani wrote, “really makes you appreciate how beautiful our planet is.”

You can see more colorful photos of Guatapé—as well as the gorgeous views from El Peñon rock—on Devnani’s travel blog, Pink Plankton. Living and working internationally, she has traversed six different continents and “her camera has accompanied her every step of the way.”

Jessica Devnani: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Vimeo | Linkedin

My Modern Met granted permission by Jessica Devnani.

Katrina Balling and John Jacobsmeyer (of Ball and Chain) comprise a match made in creative heaven. With a shared interest in nature and a unique array of artistic talents, the married couple collaborates to create stunning pieces of jewelry for their shop. Established on Etsy in 2007, the eccentric shop offers jewelry inspired by both knick-knacks and the natural world. In addition to owning the shop, Balling designs, crafts, and photographs the pieces, while Jacobsmeyer predominantly serves as the engraver of the shop’s distinctive and enchanting woodgrain rings.

While Balling’s comprehensive background spans fine art, sculpture, and surface design, she started experimenting with jewelry design as she planned her wedding in 2006. Like many brides-to-be, the self-proclaimed “artist by night and designer by day” desired a unique, one-of-a-kind affair. Rather than commissioning custom-made jewelry for the event, she decided to craft it herself—and the rest is (natural) history!

Ball and Chain’s assortment of jewelry (which includes necklaces, earrings, and rings) exhibits an eclectic array of quirky inspirations, from glistening fool’s gold and bewitching geodes to the textured tree bark of their woodgrain rings. Designed by Balling and imaginatively inscribed by Jacobsmeyer, the exquisite collection of forest-esque rings are the couple’s most collaborative project. “My eye for pattern and his engraving skills and inventive mark making marry together in these rings,” Balling explains on Etsy. With intentionally crooked lines, rough cuts, and swirling knots, the rings realistically mimic the aesthetic of wood to present a literal take on natural beauty.

To pick out your own timber-inspired ring and see their other delightful curiosities, Ball and Chain’s jewelry is currently available through its Etsy shop .

Ball and Chain: Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr
via [So Super Awesome]

All images via Ball and Chain.

Conceived thirteen years ago by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall has had a tumultuous history that has seen delays, litigation, and rising budgets. Better days are now on the horizon, with a grand opening concert planned for January 11, 2017. When the first musical notes are played within the hall, they’ll have 10,000 acoustic panels ensuring perfect sound quality.

In advance of the first concert, the public plaza located 120 feet above ground level—between the historic brick base and sleek new glass construction—has opened. Free to the public, the plaza was conceived as an outward compliment to the insular world of the concert hall beneath it. The plaza is accessed by a 269-foot-long, curved escalator and affords panoramic views of the city and harbor; its opening is a triumph for all involved, as it marks the beginning of a new era on Hamburg’s cultural landscape. The sculptural glass structure—fitted with 600 curved glass panes—curves upward to asymmetric peaks, like frozen waves. Its windows illuminate beautifully in the evening, as it seems to glow from within.

In addition to the concert hall, the complex houses a restaurant, luxury apartments, and a five-star hotel complete with a fitness center and restaurant, making it a true hive of activity. With the final price tag cashing in at around $870 million—ten times the original budget—the world will be watching to see how the incredible journey of this architectural masterpiece ends.

Herzog & de Meuron: Website
via [Arch Daily]

All images via Iwan Baan

We’ve been conditioned to look at the world in one, highly distorted, manner due to the prevalence of the Mercator projection. Gerardus Mercator’s vision of the world was revealed in 1569 and has become the widely accepted version of the planet, yet it contains enormous flaws. For one, both Antarctica and Greenland are represented as much larger landmasses than what is accurate, while Alaska is shown to be as big as Brazil, even though Brazil is nearly five times its size.

One clever Japanese designer, Hajime Narukawa, has spent years studying an innovative solution for a new world map. To resolve the flaws, he has created the AuthaGraph map, a perfectly proportioned rendering of our planet that functions both as a bi-dimensional map and three-dimensional globe. You can make your own piece of geographical origami by printing out the AuthaGraph and folding it into different shapes, all of which show a proportional representation of land and sea. Antarctica, for instance, is shown proportionally and its positioning surprisingly shows how close the continent is to Africa. 

The AuthaGraph website explains the complex process of creating the proportional map. “This rectangular world map is made by equally dividing a spherical surface into 96 triangles, transferring it to a tetrahedron while maintaining areas proportions and unfolding it to be a rectangle. The world map can be tiled in any direction without visible seams.”

Accuracy and innovation helped Narukawa and AuthaGraph win the coveted Good Design Award, beating out more than 1,000 submissions. Narukawa notes that while an accurate map may not have been greatly important in the past, a new world view is increasingly necessary in light of climate change and global power shifts. The AuthaGraph world map poster is available for international purchase online for ¥7,480 (about $73) plus shipping via Alexcious.

AuthaGraph: Website
via [Spoon & Tamago]