Public Art Programs

Ideas That Matter Recognizes Charity Ball

By Delphine Hirasuna | May 9, 2014September 4, 2014

“Charity Ball” is one of the many innovative nonprofit programs supported in part by Ideas That Matter, a grants initiative developed by Sappi Fine Paper exclusively for those in the design business. Knowing that designers are frequently asked to donate their services to create promotional campaigns (print and digital) for nonprofit causes, Sappi came up with a grant program to help defray production expenses for public awareness and fund-raising materrials. Since it was founded in 1999, Ideas That Matter has funded more than 500 programs for a total of more than $12 million worldwide for nonprofit programs that benefit communities, the environment, the planet, quality of life and human health. Charity Ball is just one of those programs. July 11th is the deadline for applying for a 2014 Ideas That Matter grant. Read how to apply by clicking on the Sappi Ideas That Matter link in the sponsor’s column at left.

Photography

Chanel’s Tribute to Erwin Blumenfeld

By Delphine Hirasuna | September 7, 2012September 4, 2014

One of the most famous fashion photographers of the 20th century, Berlin-born American Erwin Blumenfeld took more photographs for Vogue Magazine than anyone else before or since. His style was classic yet innovative and experimental. Among his most memorable photographs is the January 1950 cover for Vogue, which captures the essence of model Jean Patchett’s beauty through just her eyes, lips and beauty mark. Blumenfeld’s photograph served as the inspiration for Norwegian fashion photographer Solve Sundsbo’s new video for Chanel’s Rouge Allure lipstick line. Sundsbo removed everything except model Barbara Palvin’s luscious lips, green eyes,eyebrows and fingernails. The effect is flirtatious and alluring. Although the voiceover is hard to hear, it’s advice from Coco Chanel: “If you are sad, if you are heartbroken, make yourself up, dress up, add more lipstick and attack. Men hate women who weep.”

Interior Architecture

Innovative Solutions for Flexible Spaces

By Delphine Hirasuna | May 21, 2009September 4, 2014

molo

Molo Design is tearing down rigid beliefs about what walls should be. The Vancouver, Canada-based creative firm , founded by architects Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen, has come up with an innovative family of soft architectural products made from paper and non-woven textiles. The core of molo’s collection is softwall and softblock, a modular space shaping system that allows users to form a wall or partition off an area without need of nails or construction tools. Like party decorations made out of honeycombed crepe paper, molo softwalls are based on a honeycomb cellular structure that can be expanded or compressed at will.

“When we originally designed softwall, we were looking into a solution for making homes smaller and flexible,” explains MacAllen. “The idea was that a home could consist of one main space that could be divided into smaller, more intimate spaces when required.” The pair began experimenting with lots of small paper models and discovered that the structure of honeycomb itself gives paper amazing strength that could be scaled up to large sizes.