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New graphic novel is set in Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals in Switzerland

2019-10-31T18:27:00-04:00

Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals, the hotel and spa in Switzerland, was designed intentionally devoid of clocks so that visitor's sense of time would be suspended and immeasurable. Completed in 1996, there is a legend about a mountain in the village of Vals that is said to have a mountain that periodically swallows people.

In his debut graphic novel, Swimming in Darkness, cartoonist Lucas Harari builds on this modern mythology. The new publication centers around an architecture school dropout named Pierre, who, after a breakdown, travels to Vals to visit Zumthor's baths, which were the subject of his unfinished thesis. Upon his arrival, Pierre discovers secret rooms within the Therme Vals and attempts to uncover their hidden truths.

This psychological thriller drops the reader into Zumthor's work and uses it as a vehicle to explore this young protagonist's existential predicament. Concerning the work, Lucas Harari said:

I visited the thermal baths of Vals as a teenager and the place str...

A look back at the 60's "Minnesota Experimental City", the brainchild of South African futurist Athelstan Spilhaus

2018-11-06T13:43:00-05:00

In proposing his prototype 21st-century city, Spilhaus correctly diagnosed many of the shortcomings of the 20th-century one. He cottoned on early to concepts such as air pollution, even speculating that it was changing the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Minnesota Experimental City has been documented in the film The Experimental City. Watch the trailer below...

D'oh! The Simpsons house reimagined in 8 different architectural styles

2017-11-10T16:09:00-05:00

The Simpsons is America's longest-running TV comedy and one of the most astounding successes in television history, having grossed Fox sums of money measuring in the billions and winning over 23 Emmys as well as a Peabody Award. Now in its 29th season, the show takes place in the stereotypical suburban setting of Springfield, meant to be a kind of Everytown USA which works in part because every state seems to have an actual Springfield. In fact, only 34 states do, but Springfield's vague location has become somewhat of a running joke in the world of Homer and his fans.

The show strings together storylines—ornamented with political and social commentary, celebrity guest appearances, and sharp, jagged humor—that poke fun at the lifestyle of middle-class America. Crucial to this success, is the city of Springfield, and its endless bounty of strange residents, that have provided the perfect stage for the Simpsons family and their misadventures.

The Simpsons themselves are a typical mid...

If "Ren and Stimpy" had a line of furniture

2016-02-23T17:59:00-05:00

Kahn’s material irreverence and cheeky sense of humor have already amassed him a following, with commissions from luxury clients like Dior. [...] Kahn’s creations, which range from inflated chandeliers to slouching concrete side tables, bring to mind the playfully haphazard aesthetic of ’90s Nickelodeon cartoons

Looking for more ... nontraditional furniture? Check out:

For those in New York City, Kahn has an upcoming show, "Return of Saturn, Coming of Age in the 21st Century", at Friedman Benda (515 W. 26th St.). The show runs February 25 - April 9.

An illustrated history of Canberra, the Australian capital designed by American architects

2014-09-25T20:13:00-04:00

Cartoonist and journalist Eleri Mai Harris tells the story of Canberra's creation by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin (who also happened to be married to one another, and worked with Frank Lloyd Wright).

Read the piece in full, gorgeous watercolor on Medium: The Utopian City That Wasn't: How two American architects won a competition to design Australia’s capital in 1912

A cartoon encyclopedia of Tel Aviv's buildings

2014-01-13T15:22:00-05:00

Israeli designer Avner Gicelter gives loving homage to Tel Aviv's array of architectural styles in his illustrated "TLV Buildings" project. In the continuing series, Gicelter faithfully represents each building's facade in simple, colorful, almost 8-bit renderings, sometimes retaining small individuating elements such as rooftop gardens or balcony banners. Presented in isolation from their urban context (although titled with their address), the buildings receive equal respect and altogether could form a simple reference guide for Tel Aviv's architecture. Gicelter hopes to update the series weekly with a new illustration.

Truth, Jawlines And The American Way: The Changing Face Of Superman

2011-12-01T19:01:37-05:00

Superman has gotten a makeover — well, another makeover — two years ahead of turning 75 years old in 2013. As the first and most widely known representative of the spandexed set, Superman remains the popular face of that uniquely American creation, the superhero. But America has changed a lot since 1938. And as it did, that face changed, too.

MVRDV Wins Competition for China Comic and Animation Museum in Hangzhou

2011-05-06T19:23:00-04:00

Hangzhou urban planning bureau has announced Dutch firm MVRDV winner of the international design competition for the China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM) in Hangzhou, China. MVRDV's winning design refers to the speech balloon: a series of eight balloon shaped volumes create an internally complex museum experience of in total 30,000m2. Part of the project is also a series of parks on islands, a public plaza and a 13,000m2 expo center.