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Jena Sais Quoi
Earlier this year in the German town of Jena, an architecture festival named 72-Hour Urban Action (72HUA) took place. The event
was part of a programme marking the centenary of the founding of the Staatliches Bauhaus, the famed German art school which
operated from 1919 to 1933. Teams of participants were tasked with designing and implementing an architectural concept for a
public realm, and were given three days to produce an installation that in some way improved the living environment. Scattered
around dense residential district Lobeda were ten small architectural projects. Team Lobeda Comets made a multipurpose circular
wood structure divided into three sections: one functioned as bench seating; another, as a table; with the third and highest section
serving as a stage for impromptu performances. Riffing on the theme Behind the Iron Curtain, Team Happy Platte Friends created
a space where locals could sit and eat food from a nearby doner kebab van. Three ‘walls’ (bookshelf-type structures) framed the
space, creating a sense of privacy in a busy, public area. Team Tangerine Dreamers established a recreational spot where people
could congregate, sit and recline. Embedded in the wood structure were mini herb gardens. This submission was popular with
local residents and won the Public Prize. Team Template built a timber structure schemed to be a paradise for insects, small
animals, birds and bats. “The Template team did some research and discovered that the threatened species often need small
spaces,” says 72HUA. “This led the team to create structures that could then be filled with dead wood and suitable plants.” This
installation was crowned the winner by a jury of noted architects and academics. 72HUA is an annual festival that began life in
Israel in 2011. This year’s event ran from 2 to 5 May.http://www.72stundenlobeda.deRising Light
Gonzaga is a pendant lamp by Italian lighting specialist Karman. Designed by
Padua-based studio Debonademeo and Karman creative director Matteo Ugolini,
Gonzaga consists of a pleated metal shade, a blown-glass diffuser, and an LED.
Its suspension system allows the lamp to be hung at an angle, directing light in a
way other pendants cannot. The product takes its style cues from Europe and Asia,
giving it an east-meets-west vibe. “The fastening mechanism that allows the lamp
to be directed as required, creates eccentric atmospheres with a late Renaissance
feel, or more intimate, cosy interiors with a hint of Japanese style,” says Karman.
Gonzaga is available in two sizes and three finishes: white- or black-painted
aluminium, or natural brass.http://www.karmanitalia.itFurniture Desirables
Among the items on display at the Milan Furniture Fair in April was Avi, an
armchair designed by Canadian Jai Jalan for Italian brand Désirée, the soft
home-furnishings wing of kitchen-and-furniture manufacturer Gruppo Euromobil.
Avi sits low to the ground, with a deep seat and a reclining pose. The armchair
is mounted on a round, bronze-painted, metal base, allowing it to swivel. “The
inviting curves resemble a cosy shell,” says Désirée. The seat cushion is filled
with feathers and polyurethane; the backrest cushions are all-feather affairs; the
upholstery is available in light grey fabric or black leather, both with removable
covers. There is also a sofa version, which comes in two sizes. The Avi range is
made in Italy, at Désirée’s headquarters in the northeast of the country.http://www.gruppoeuromobil.com