Konstantin Grcic: Designing for Today

One person that I feel has always pushed the limits of design through form, materials, and concepts is the Munich based designer Konstantin Grcic. From his early designs, like the May day lamp for Flos to his unforgettable Chair One series to his most recent 360 (both produced by Magis) which challenges the way we think an office chair should look and perform. While Grcic has received a lot of attention in Europe and more recently in Japan, he has been somewhat over looked in the USA, but that is about to change with the opening of his first American solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago Konstantin Grcic: Decisive Design which opened last week and runs until January 24, 2010.

This may be a perfect excuse to visit the Windy City in the dead of winter.

An Instrument of Today

It's not everyday that a brand new type of musical instrument is introduced to the world. However, Eigenlabs, based in Devon, has done just that with their release of the Eigenharp Alpha and Pico, instruments that combine multiple physical ultra-sensitive keys, a strip controller, and a breath pipe with proprietary software. All of this provides almost endless sound possibilities from piano and synths to cello and clarinet as well as being able to tap into second-party soft instruments. It's also possible to program the Eigenharp or double up on live sounds while you're playing. The software is in its early stages, so I'm sure there will be improvements and additional features/capabilities as time moves forward, but for now there is plenty to keep anyone busy.

It should also be noted that both Eigenharps currently only operate with Apple computers, but the company is looking to support Windows computers sometime in 2010.

Eigenharp Alpha (approximately £4000/$6600/€4400)

Eigenharp Pico (approximately £350/$575/€400)

The Pico has just made it onto my holiday wish list!

Links:

Engadget's comprehensive review of the Eigenharp

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Eigenlabs company website

National Museum of the XXI Century Arts (MAXXI)

To begin this blog, I would like to draw your attention to the new National Museum of the XXI Century Arts in Rome, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

I think this building is a wonderful example of the great things that can currently be done with form, space and materials in todays architecture. As a tribute to the museum, the building itself will be the only thing on display for the time being. It is also worth noting that even as we approach the second decade of the twenty-first century, women are still hugely under represented when it comes to architecture and design on an international scale, so it is nice that Hadid was able to get this project built.

Here is the New York Times article about MAXXI - the new art museum in Rome by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Introduction

What is the Twenty First Movement?

This blog is to be a place for people to come to find out what is happening in culturally in our modern, twenty-first century, world. It is meant to redefine terms like modern and contemporary which are so often attributed to art, music, design and writings that were created fifty or even one hundred years ago; establishing them as things that have been created in our time.

I invite you to comment and contribute your thoughts on design, art, music, writing, philosophy that is currently shaping our world.