This morning Manchester was filled with 8,000 Little Clay Men, the miniature figures depict the hurried journeys made by rush hour commuters in the city.
Made as part of the Future Everything festival, the ceramic commuters were created by artist Lawrence Epps. We spotted Little Clay Men all around the Northern Quarter this morning!
Many people have been tweeting their pictures on Twitter with the hashtag #littleclaymen.
For more information about the festival taking place between 16-19th May visit www.futureeverything.org.
At 2012 Milan Salone design show IKEA included a ‘disposable’ digital camera in their press kits.
Made out of cardboard the camera can hold up to 40 images, runs on two AA batteries, has a built in memory stick and can be synced to a computer via the USB.
There is talk that the cardboard camera will be available for sale in IKEA stores soon.
Designer Werner Aisslinger presented Chair Farm, a chair growing inside a greenhouse, at Ventura Lambrate in Milan.
Part of an exhibition of design from Berlin called Instant Stories, Chair Farm takes the form of a plant grown in a metal chair mould.
Once the plant has reached maturity it is released from the mould, offering design-users a chair that is made with as little resources and as reduced amount of waste as possible. It is a further development in Aisslinger’s three-component master-plan: sustainable production, new materials, and an outstanding simplicity in design.
NoChintz loves the new Forever Manchester video, produced to show how Forever Manchester is a charity with a difference and how they do charity the Mancunian Way!
As supporters of Forever Manchester we think its a great way to bring attention to the charity and raise awareness on the great work they do. Spread the word by sharing the video!
Forever Manchester aims to work with people who are enthusiastic about Manchester, and want to support their local community. They raise, Manage and distribute money to support local people and groups trying to make a positive change in their neighbourhoods, throughout Greater Manchester. Over the past year Forever Manchester have awarded £2.7 million in grants to 872 community groups and project across the local area.
Urban Splash recently celebrated the launch of their published book ‘Transformations’, a look at the property developer’s work over the last 20 years.
At the launch, held at The RIBA Hub in Manchester, Urban Splash Co-founder Tom Bloxham said: “The city has changed so much since I moved here 30 years ago, when all that existed was dark, satanic mills.”
“No one was motivated to develop anything and the city would empty after 6pm so the change in attitudes in the 1990s, the succession of some very forward thinking city council leaders, ambitious developers like us, ASK, Artisan – and architects and designers who shared our ethos – began taking on some of the challenges that Manchester had to offer.”
‘Transformations’ also includes some of our work for Urban Splash including show homes we have designed for the Park Hill, Saxton and Longlands developments.
Read the excellent review of the book from The Times here.
Transformations is now available to buy in bookshops and you can order your copy directly from RIBA.
Kenneth Cobonpue is a Filipino furniture designer famous for his unique designs using natural and indigenous materials such as rattan, buri, bamboo and abaca.
Following on from studying Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in New York, Kenneth studied Furniture Marketing and Production at the Export Akademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
His 2012 Cabaret collection of sofas and armchairs consist of a steel framework in which fabric tubes are woven to create a structural pattern which serves as the base, back and sides supports of the seating designs.
His designs have been used in Hollywood films like “Ocean’s Thirteen”, “Made of Honor” and “Spread”.
We have just completed designing and furnishing a new show home to market four unique properties on Chorlon Green. Formally an old school built by the Church of England, the property dates back to 1879.
Converted into four-bedroom townhouses by a private developer, NoChintz were appointed to create a show home that would enhance the already impressive spaces that have retained key original features including the pitch pine roof beams, old fire places, brick and stone walls as well as the original windows.
The look was created by mixing vintage finds along with high-end designer pieces. A nod to the classroom, and some playful touches have remained true to the spaces history, whilst showcasing the family friendly home.
