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‘Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone’

one small seed — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:33:06 +0000

Eduardo Salles’ quirky and colourful illustrations do more than provide a good laugh. The Mexican illustrator and designer’s series entitled ‘Cinismo Ilustrado’ (‘Cynicism Illustrated’) uses satire to confront ideas of religion, politics, the environment, and popular trends in the 21st century.

One poster depicts what looks like a homeless man begging for facebook ‘likes’, another with the words: ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re looking at your smartphone’.

Salles aptly sums it all up with the poster ‘Icons that f**k up your day’: most of us know what it feels like to have one bar of wifi signal, or to wait for that double tick on whatsapp.

Another poster entitled ‘Run Pistorius Run’, depicts a blindfolded person carrying a sword and the scales of justice, running after a man with prosthetic blades for his legs. Enough said…

Here is what some imgur.com users had to say about Salles’ illustrations…

oh my what a wonderfully refreshing dose of true reality. dmj12

I don’t see a lot of cynicism in here….Social commentary is more accurate. Maybe social commentary by a cynic. Nolieolieolieoooo

sad how true most of these are… mrGrumps

What do you think? Comment in the box below…

Apple Cares About You (& Your Life Savings)

one small seed — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 08:03:44 +0000

Before you log onto Facebook today, take a look under your chair. Did you get an Apple product? Nothing? Yeah, these kinda apples don’t usually chill under chairs. While Oprah and her magic chairs might be a no-more with the show having come to an end, it hasn’t stopped Apple from showcasing why they remain in the forefront of electronics. Steve Jobs would be proud of his successor, current CEO Timothy D. Cook, on his ability to keep the momentum and general ethos of the organisation: ‘thinking differently to cultivate creativity’.

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Apple has been the focus of the electronic consumer industry for almost four decades, constantly churning out compelling and innovative technological goods. They managed to reinvent the wheel time after time through enhancing previously established products. Of course, mass marketing doesn’t hurt either as we’ve come to find. Watching Perspective, the video above, you can’t help but feel like the overpriced brand truly and sincerely cares about you, the customer.

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You will notice shifting-sentences centred on the idea of how — with the aid of its consumers [give your life savings a round of applause] — thinking out of the box brought the company thus far. Having dominated the market for years, they’ve never stopped raising the bar with their competitive advantage: an openness to change.

The ever transforming perspective that encapsulates the streamlined company has directed Cook to unveil the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus and the loosely named ‘iWatch’ at a special event on 9 September 2014. In lieu of stagnating by waiting for their competitors to test the waters, Apple dove right in and released a smartwatch — its latest released innovation in four years.

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The iPhones, unlike their predecessors have larger screens with a sleek and slim design aimed at first time buyers. Surprise, surprise, they’re not water resistant nor have that many extra features outside of an app world we’ve seen time and time again. Perhaps Android will give them more time to catch up to the idea that wet phones are as desirable as the stone ages. Be that as it may, one thing the ‘iElectronics’ consumer giant has introduced is a payment system that integrates with its smartphones.

Treading lightly was indeed never the plan when Cook decided to unleash their wearable gadget. In true Apple fashion, the iWatch is a phone with a tracking device and HD hologram display that moonlights as a watch. Okay, perhaps that’s not entirely accurate. However, we can rest assured, a host of features ranging from heart rate monitoring and making calls to animated emojis in place of HD holograms, can be found with a tap of a finger. These are definitely exciting times for Apple lovers living in an age of technological advancement. So now we wait for the products to fly off the shelves with reckless abandon.

Words by Mpumelelo Msomi

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Social Media: A (Face)book of lies

one small seed — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:51:37 +0000

Whether it’s via a computer, tablet or smart phone – we’ve all gone face-to-face with Facebook. Sometimes for hours at end… and often for no particular reason at all. We’ve scrolled past the status of that guy posting pictures of his fancy car and his great life. We’ve all gone through our ex’s profile and felt some bitter regret after seeing all the ‘fun’ her Instagram photos tell us she’s having. Then you post some comment about the wonder of life… after which you keep refreshing for any incoming Likes.

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This is how social media has affected our lives. Everyone does it, and so do we. It’s all heightened reality. Yeah, the guy might have a new car that is fancy – but he doesn’t share how he had to work 12 hours a day in a shitty job to get it, and during that process he lost his girlfriend because he was never home. We are trying to live up to ideals that are not realistic. That exist only because of a status update or an image with no context.

It’s become a social norm to send ‘LOLs’ without physically laughing, or smiley faces without being happy. It’s a façade that we indulge in because it’s human that we want to be liked… to be noticed and accepted. Showcasing ourselves – or our lifestyles – as something they’re not makes us feel like we fit in… But is this a bad thing? Who knows. Spending so much time and energy ‘living’ as someone you could not be confident being in ‘reality’, dreaming bigger dreams, or just feeling a sense of confidence… Well, this might at some point cultivate into reality! If it does, well good for you. Just do not say ‘LOL’ to someone. Ever!

Seeing as you spend most of your time on social media, comment your thoughts on this addictive craze bellow or hit us up on twitter @onesmallseedSA

Words: Matthew Alexander

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For more cool videos on one small seed click here or here

The Sound of Nature: A Vinyl Made of Wood

one small seed — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 07:01:56 +0000

Life is made up of a series of ones and zeros – these sets of data are fundamentally what connects us. Especially when they form a symphony and tell a story like no other. Bartholomäus Traubeck makes a record player that can interpret the data in tree wood into music!

Bartholomäus Traubeck

Human beings have communicated and expressed themselves through music for many years. We’ve judged situations by the sound they make and somehow – through a series of electrical nodes – we have translated those sounds into emotions.

Bartholomäus Traubeck is the creator of a converted record player that can interpret the data from tree rings into music. The record player uses a PlayStation Eye Camera as well as a stepper motor, which is attached to a control arm and Ableton Live then relays the data. Interestingly, the sound produced can vary depending on the colour of the tree as well as the amount of grooves and rings. Each tree has its own individual sound, almost like a fingerprint.

The music produced from the interpretation is extremely chaotic and random, yet somehow in the chaos it all comes together.

What do you think of Bartholomäus Traubeck’s idea? Let us know in the comment section bellow or tweet us @onesmallseedSA.

Words: Matthew Alexander
Images: Bartholomäus Traubeck

Bartholomäus Traubeck

For a bottle that can trap sounds on one small seed click here.

Ying Gao’s Moving Couture

one small seed — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 06:15:43 +0000

Designer Ying Gao brings together science and fashion to create a spectacularly original design, like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Gao must have been doing some light reading when she stumbled across Paul Virilio’s essay Esthétique de la Disparition translated as The Aesthetic of Disappearance. Fast-forward to the end of the essay and two original and vastly different dresses have been created. Both dresses are white with a few frills and other decorative touches. At first glance they look like average dresses, but pause, take a second, and realize the dress is moving. We’re not talking about blowing in the wind either, the dress moves on its own. It appears that the wearer of the dress has an awkward breathing pattern at first but turn off the lights and the dresses have a slow ebb and flow pattern.

image: v2.com

The concept of the new dresses are based on the contradictions of appearance and disappearance, shocking because no one could disappear in a sight-activated dress. Although you won’t want to stop staring at these masterpieces, the more you blink and look away the more the dress comes to life… So forget staring aimlessly at someone across the room because the dress will give your wandering eyes away! Sewn with photo luminescent thread and eye tracking technology the fabric is activated with a simple glance. We may not understand all the technical terms associated with how it works but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this is seriously cool.

image: mocoloco.com

Images courtesy of: thecreatorsproject.com, v2.com, mocoloco.com, facebook.com

#FYI: Floating Bathtubs and other cool shit

one small seed — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:35:55 +0000

At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week. Stay tuned for weekly material

Prahran Hotel, Melbourne

image: trendland.com

Looking for a funky fun bar atmosphere to live in for a couple days? The Prahran Hotel in Melbourne, Australia has renovated an old bar and outfitted it with trendy circular booths resembling a wine rack from the outside.

Carbon fibre bathtub

image: splinterworks.co.uk

image: splinterworks.co.uk

images: splinterworks.co.uk

Splinter Works’ bathtub takes floating in the bath to a whole new level. If water isn’t buoyant enough for you, this suspended ‘vessel’ will have you floating midair in water! Made from carbon fibres, the sleek design makes it hard to resist slipping in deep and defying gravity for awhile.

Book Canvasses

image: yatzer.com

image: yatzer.com

image: yatzer.com

image:
yatzer.com

Every once in a while a book has the ability to transport readers to a different world filled with inspiration and intrigue. Russian artist Ekaterina Panikanova felt so inspired by her favourite childhood books that she decided to transform them into canvasses for her paintings.

Typewriter Sparrows

image: thisiscolossal.com

image: thisiscolossal.com

image: thisiscolossal.com

Typewriters have found something useful besides collecting dust in museums. Artist Jeremy Mayer uses assembled typewriter parts to create swallows and as an added bonus the wings of the birds can actually move. All of the materials used to create the birds come directly from typewriters and are not glued or melted together at all.

Human Nesting

image: designboom.com

image: designboom.com

image: designboom.com

Cleveland, Ohio residents can take a reading break to channel their inner bird inside this giant nest made out of 10,000 palette boards. The structure has a full-sized door allowing people to walk in and pick their perch for some reading time.

Wat Rong Khun Temple

image: lostateminor.com

image: lostateminor.com

image: lostateminor.com

Chalermchai Kositpipat has dedicated his life to perfecting the Wat Rong Khun temple in Chang Rai, Thailand. The temple is intricately decorated to represent all facets of life, including paintings of Michael Jackson and historical events such as the planes hitting the World Trade Center on September 11th.

Montgomery’s Midnight Clock

image: kickstarter.com

image: kickstarter.com

Devin Montgomery is taking the magic out of books and bringing it to life with his latest creation. The Midnight Clock is a fun way to get the adventure of your favourite books started before you even open the book. The clock houses your book of choice and requires a special code and unique way of unlocking the dream world inside.

Fusion Wallet

image: kickstarter.com

image: kickstarter.com

image: kickstarter.com

The aptly titled Fusion Wallet by Thomas Johnson fuses wood and metal for a solid design, bringing together fashion and function in one compact package.

images courtesy of: trendland.com, splinterworks.co.uk, ekaterinapanikanova.com, jeremymayer.com, lostateminor.com

#FYI: Drawing in 3D and other cool shit…

one small seed — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:44:49 +0000

At one small seed we believe in the power of unique ideas and novel concepts. Ranging from technology, design, art and music, we’ve compiled a collection of crazy, fascinating, funny and bizarre findings that we think would be of interest to you. Here are some of our favourite finds this past week… Stay tuned for weekly material!

3Doodler

3Doodler, image: the3doodler.com

It’s a pen that can draw in the air! 3Doodler is the world’s first and only 3D Printing Pen. Using ABS plastic (the material used by many 3D printers), 3Doodler draws in the air or on surfaces. It’s compact and easy to use, and requires no software or computers. You just plug it into a power socket and can start drawing anything within minutes. Lift your imagination off the page!

source: The 3Doodler, YouTube

Google Glasses

image: google.com/glass/start/

Google Glass are high-tech spectacles featuring a revolutionary digital interface that enable its wearers to not only view the world through Google’s eyes but also automatically photograph all that they see. Sounds crazy? Well, it’s pretty simple, according to Google.

Say “take a picture” to take a picture. Record what you see, hands free. Even share what you see, live. Directions are right in front of you. Speak to send a message, or translate your voice. Get the notifications that matter most. Ask whatever’s on your mind and get answers without having to ask.

All video footage captured through Glass. Welcome to a world through Glass. See more, here

source: google.com/glass, YouTube

Dead Drops: File Sharing in a Public Space

Dead Drops ‘How to’ – NYC from aram bartholl on Vimeo

Dead Drops, image: screen shot

Started by Berlin-based artist Aram Bartholl in 2010, Dead Drops is an anonymous, offline, peer-to-peer file-sharing network in a public space. USB flash drives are embedded into the walls of buildings and curbs that are accessible to anybody in the public space. Everyone is invited to drop or find files on a dead drop. Plug your laptop into a wall, house or pole to share your favourite files and data. With the exception of a readme.txt file explaining the project, each dead drop is installed empty. Dead Drops is open to participation. If you want to install a dead drop in your city or neighbourhood follow the ‘how to’ instructions and submit the location and pictures.

source: Dead Drops, Vimeo

Slow Motion for Real Life

The Decelerator Helmet – A slow motion for Real Life from Lorenz Potthast on Vimeo

Decelerator Helmet, screen shot

In an increasingly hectic, over-stimulated and restless environment the calls for deceleration are omnipresent. In many cases, the inconceivable amount of information and influences in our everyday lives leads to an excessive demand.

The Decelerator Helmet offers an experimental approach to an essential subject of our globalised world. The technical reproducible senses are consigned to an apparatus that allows the user to perceive the world in slow motion. The float of time as an apparently invariant constant is broken and subjected to the user’s control. The idea to decouple the personal perception from the natural timing enables the user to become aware of his own time.

source: lorenzpotthast.de/deceleratorhelmet

Dennis P Paul‘s Instrument For The Sonification Of Everyday Things

An Instrument for the Sonification of Everday Things from Dennis P Paul on Vimeo.

The Sonification of Everyday Things, image: screen shot

This is a serious musical instrument. It rotates everyday things, scans their surfaces, and transforms them into audible frequencies. A variety of everyday objects can be mounted into the instrument. Their silhouettes define loops, melodies and rhythms. Thus, mundane things are reinterpreted as musical notation. Playing the instrument is a mixture of practice, anticipation, and serendipity. The instrument was built from aluminium tubes, white POM, black acrylic glass, a high precision distance measuring laser (with the kind support of Micro-Epsilon), a stepper motor, and a few bits and bobs.

The unwritten processing, along with a custom programmed translator and controller module, transforms the measured distance values into audible frequencies, notes, and scales. It also accurately controls the stepper-motor’s speed to sync with other instruments and musicians.

source: dennisppaul.de, vimeo

Filament Mind

Filament Mind from yongjulee on Vimeo

Filament Mind, image: screen shot

Filament Mind is a human, information-driven installation designed to visualize the collective curiosities and questions of Teton County Library visitors through a dynamic and interactive spatial sculpture. It’s inspired by the concept that our civic spaces should be intelligent and responsive, communicating as much to us as we do to each other, enabling a form of intra-environmental social interaction between our thoughts and the material of our built environments. Read more, HERE

source: Vimeo

Audio Book

image: behance.net/gallery/Audio-Book/7291561

Audio Book is an up-cycling project utilising used browsing copies of books discarded by book stores. It explores the amalgamation of the analogue with the digital by word-playing the two words ‘AUDIO’ and ‘BOOK’. This is a contributing piece for the Browsing Series project where browsing copies of books are given a new lease of life.

source: behance.net

.fluid: A reactive surface

.fluid – A reactive surface from Hannes Kalk on Vimeo

.fluid, image: screen shot

Imagine surfaces start to communicate with you. Your mobile gets goose skin when your lover texts you. Your Wi-Fi controller changes the look and feel of its surface according to different gaming situations. Your sofa gives you a short massage as a warm welcome when you return home from a hard day of work. Your laptop feels dried out when its battery status is getting low.

.fluid is a concept study of an interacting, changing surface. While getting input from the hands of its spectators, its surface changes from liquid to solid, from plain to three-dimensional symmetric patterns. It provokes you to get in touch with it, to play with its open interface, and to collaborate with other people to find out how far you can push it.

This object was the result of the two week project »Talk to me – Form follows mood« supervised by Prof. Andreas Muxel at KISD (Köln International School of Design).

source: cargocollective.com/hnx, Vimeo

What do you watch? What do you Like? What’s going viral among your creative circle? Send us your ideas to sarahclaire[at]onesmallseed[dot]com and help us in sharing the inspiration!

Orchard Library by HMC Architects

one small seed — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:28:27 +0000

© David Wakely
Officials at Orchard School in San Jose, CA, United States chose to improve their outdated campus library. Improving student access to technology, providing adequate space for a growing book collection and creating a central focus for the school were the organizers primary goals.

© David Wakely

The result is a modern building that is attractive for both students and teachers, as well as eco-friendly. The project is currently registered with the United States Green Building Council for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. LEED is an internationally recognized mark of excellence providing building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. The Orchard school library utilizes a high-performance exterior building envelope, interior day lighting, natural ventilation, photovoltaic panels, upgraded mechanical systems, green-certified interior furnishings and finishes, water-saving plumbing fixtures, and careful siting and orientation to reduce solar heat gain all to achieve a high level of sustainable design.

© David Wakely

© David Wakely

Dating back to the 1850s, Orchard School is one of the oldest operating schools in Northern California. Its library, located at the heart of the campus, connects the elementary and middle school areas. Because of that ideal central location, a renovation and expansion of the 3,000-SF space made more sense than new construction elsewhere. Using the centralized location to advantage, the design team planned for opposing elementary and middle school entries to the library, thus defining a spatial organization that acknowledges the distinct identity of each group.

© David Wakely

With its location tucked between stucco-clad, flat roofed 1990s-era buildings, designers and school officials knew they needed to distinguish the library from its surroundings. The expanded and renovated library responds to this challenge through the use of a metallic composite-panel façade with zinc plate accents and abundant glass, giving the library a striking aesthetic reflective of its position in the heart of Silicon Valley. The angular, sloping windows emphasize the building entries and focus interior vistas obliquely toward view corridors. They taper the building’s scale in response to its smaller users, and effectively block the unattractive view of an adjacent building’s blank rear wall and mechanical equipment, yet maintain a continuous sense of connection with the landscaped plaza outside.

Inside, the dramatic full-height glass brings natural light deep into the expanded 6,000-SF space, a drastic departure from the obstructed views of its predecessor. A natural wood screen, locally crafted from FSC-certified wood, helps to define space and provide boundaries without compromising supervision. With the circulation desk installed in the center of the space, librarians are now able to survey students while greeting anyone coming and going. Dark existing instructional spaces for elementary and middle school classes were relocated to corners filled with natural north light; the renovated existing space, with no access to windows, now houses stacks for the 18,000-volume collection, along with a new technology lab for up to 36 students.

© David Wakely

The library has been hugely successful in creating a focal point for this rambling campus, providing new instructional opportunities, and attracting student, staff, and community users; as a bonus, its natural light and spatial quality have made it the most popular spot on campus for after-school faculty meetings and training sessions. The Orchard Library is a testament to the passion and creativity of all those involved in its creation, especially the talented people at HMC Architects.

© David Wakely

Clearly an architectural marvel, the Orchard Library sets new precedent for educating grade school children. The library incorporates state-of-the-art technology to teach the future generation life in their modern world. Students benefit from an improved sense of community, access to technology and the profound sense that adults care about their education. Crumbling facilities send the message to students and teachers, even parents, that education is not important. The Orchard Library, in contrast, provides a shining example of a community where adults take early childhood education seriously. These adults–parents, teachers, architects and administrators–have put their money where their mouths are to improve the lives of the next generation.

© David Wakely

Source: King , Victoria . “Orchard Library / HMC Architects” 23 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 30 Jan 2012. http://www.archdaily.com/201366/orchard-library-hmc-architects/
Photos: David Wakely
http://www.davidwakely.com/

issue 5 online

one small seed — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 11:08:44 +0000

Open publication – Free publishing – More art

ISSUE 05 FEATURES:

ARCHITECTURE: INSTANT HOUSING
ARCHITECTURE: FROM RURAL POVERTY TO CREATIVE COMMUNITY SPACE
PHOTOGRAPHY: WARWICK SAINT
PHOTOGRAPHY: POINT OF VIEW – JONATHAN TAYLOR
PHOTOGRAPHY: STREETHEART – BRETT RUBIN
PHOTOGRAPHY: THE KAROO
FASHION: THE DENIM INSTITUTE
FASHION: EMO CHIC
FASHION: PASCHOAL RODRIGUEZ
FASHION: CREATURE COMFORT
GRAPHICS: MASTER BEAR-WRANGLER
GRAPHICS: DISTURBANCE DESIGN
GRAPHICS: SOME KIND OF MIND
GRAPHICS: DIVINE INSPIRATION – DYLAN JONES
ART: BUFFY BRAVE ART
ART: ATTACKING FROM WITHIN
FILM: CROSSING LINES – GREGG WATT
TECHNOLOGY/DESIGN: HELLO COMPUTER
MUSIC: MTKIDU
MUSIC: TEAM SPIRIT – MAX NORMAL
MUSIC: SWEAT.X
MUSIC: LOVE JONES