zaha hadid bratislava city center

Let me say, I love Zaha Hadid. I would love to own one of her working sketches. I love the forms she creates and the way she pushes the boundaries of architecture. Most of all, I love her attitude. (Her quote, "Would they still call me a diva if I was a guy?" speaks volumes about architecture, a profession made up of divas. Almost all of them men.)

What I'm not sure I'm in love with is her work for Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Sure, it is captivating to admire, particularly in rendered form. But there is nothing human scale about it and the materiality reads as quite harsh to me, despite the ample green space. I think it is great as a museum space, and possibly as a working space, it just doesn't feel like the heart of a city to me. Scheduled to be completed in 2013, I hope the reality of the people living and working in those circular towers brings life to the amorphous space.

Images via Designboom. From Zaha Hadid Architects.   

tumblights 2/11

1. Unusual Sports Courts, a book by Ward Roberts via The Fox Is Black
2. Church turned into community art via designboom
3. New York City’s redesigned parking signs via designboom

Enjoy these? Find more daily at percentblog.tumblr.com. And even more stunning images on my pintrest. 

read more: design literally change the world

"Design can help by making it easier to live up to our aspirations: by making stairs a more accessible and enticing option than escalators, for example, or creating open spaces where people want to gather instead of being trapped in their cubicles. By shaping the objects, interactions, and environments we live around and within, design literally changes the world."
- Ingrid Fetell, quoted in an wonderful, longer piece by Erin Loechner , Design for Mankind

BRIKA spotlight

I don't think I can stop smiling. I'm absolutely in love with everything about my 14 day only sale on the amazing BRIKA. Each piece I did for them is one of my favorite pieces ever. I love the way they photographed my jewelry and their layout for my Makers page.

BRIKA is members only, so make a user name and find me and other amazing makers. Plus, today, February 6 only get free shipping on orders over $40 with the code BEMINE. Shop percent jewelry on BRIKA here!

rue issue seventeen

creativity explored

On Thursday I attended a wonderful art auction benefiting Creativity Explored sponsored by Serena and Lily. I had first heard of Creativity Explored through work at CB2 and so was excited to support.

Creativity Explored is a San Francisco based nonprofit studio and gallery whose purpose is "to provide people with developmental disabilities the opportunity to express themselves through the creation of art. Additionally, we provide studio artists the opportunity to earn income from the sale of their artwork and to pursue a livelihood as a visual artist to the fullest extent possible." 

While I did not win the piece I bid on, it was a lovely night supporting a wonderful organization. Original art from Creativity Explored artists can be purchased at the Creativity Explored gallery, on their website, and from Serena and Lily. You can also purchase textiles with prints of Creativity Explored work at CB2 which are all currently 10% off*.

*Disclaimer: While I do work at CB2, all views here are my own. 

read more: placemaking

"Involving the intended users of a public space in that process helps the resulting design to be responsive to the community’s needs—including the inherent need of all communities for people to connect with each other. Any organization can pave a plaza, but it’s not a place until people are using it."
- Brendan Crain for Project for Public Spaces, in response to Jim Russell's blog post