#bones

ramnath@nerdpol.ch

#Good #Bones

By #MaggieSmith

Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real sh1thole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.

diane_a@diasp.org
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Travis Barker designs skull homeware collection for Buster + Punch

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Skull Collection by Travis Barker for Buster + Punch

Drummer Travis Barker has collaborated with London design brand Buster + Punch to create the Skull Collection of homeware items, which includes a table lamp, candle holder and bowl.

Barker, who is best known as the drummer of pop-punk band Blink 182, designed the collection for Buster + Punch with the aim of bringing a motif that is common in tattoo and skate culture into interior design.

Lamp with skull pull cordTravis Barker designed the Skull Collection for Buster + Punch

"I've been obsessed with skulls forever – from the first time I saw artists like Pushead, who put skulls on the Misfits and Metallica albums, and Zero skateboards back in the day," said Barker.

"I've always loved them, they scream rock 'n' roll, they scream danger and poison. Skulls stand against everything, so to present them in a way like this and take it to a new level is special."

Skull candle holder and bowlThe collection includes a candle holder and bowl

Named the Skull Collection, it includes a table lamp, doorstop, bowl, cabinet knobs and a candle holder alongside several pieces of jewellery and a drum key described by Barker as a "super niche" piece.

Made from solid stainless steel or brass, the majority of pieces in the collection are sand cast so that no two pieces are exactly the same.

Skull door stopIt also includes a door stop

Each piece incorporates a solid metal skull. The candle holder, doorstops and cabinet knobs themselves take the shape of a skull while the domed table lamp features a skull on the end of the pullcord.

The bowl, which the designers suggested could be used to "put chips in" or "as an ashtray", takes the form of the top of an upturned skull.

[ 24 carat gold Skull armchair by Harow furniture

Read:

Harow's gold-plated skull armchair carries a $500k price tag

](https://www.dezeen.com/2016/01/13/harow-24-carat-gold-plated-skull-armchair/)

Barker hopes that the pieces will add drama to sometimes mundane homeware items.

"You never think of a cool doorstop, until there is a cool doorstop," he said.

Lamp with skull pull cordThe lamp was made in brass and stainless steel

The collection was created after Buster + Punch contributed to the renovation of Barker's studio in Los Angeles.

Each of the pieces was informed by an initial sketch of a customised drum key – a small tool used to adjust the tension of the skin of a drum – drawn by Barker.

Buster + Punch founder Massimo Buster Minale believes that the final collection reflects the brand's overall ethos.

"The range grew from a beautiful sketch Travis made of a drum key and ended up as a statement of design today – unexpected, functional, fluid and most importantly, impossible to pigeonhole," said Minale.

"In this way, it's a collection that reflects our outlook on creativity."

Previous interior pieces that have incorporated skulls on Dezeen include a 24-carat-gold skull-shaped armchair designed by French design company Harow and a chair covered in a traditional sugar-skull pattern by Fabio Novembre.

The post Travis Barker designs skull homeware collection for Buster + Punch appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #design #lamps #bowls #bones #candleholders

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Commenter calls collection of light switches crafted from animal bones "fascinating"

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In this week's comments update, readers are impressed by a collection of light switches crafted from bovine bones and discussing other top stories.

ÉCAL graduate Souhaïb Ghanmi has catalysed conversation by turning waste bovine bones from the meat industry into a collection of light switches and electrical outlets.

The Elos range features sinuous silhouettes modelled on different parts of the human skeleton, including a socket designed to resemble the head of a thigh bone that is capable of rotating in its baseplate like a hip joint.

"Very interesting idea and cool designs"

Readers are impressed. "Very interesting idea and cool designs," praised H Bray. "Just make sure the bone smell is long gone. I would hate to have my dog start chewing the wall sockets and get zapped."

"I'm in love with this," added Charles Kelso. "The material is fascinating, but the forms are incredible. The light switches, in particular, are a lovely mix of organic and minimalist design."

Tara agreed: "They are so beautiful and it makes sense to have more flexibility regarding directional use. The materials are waste materials, so I can't see why it matters what the materials actually are. Waste should be used? I guess the aim is to move away from factory farming, but until we reach that day let's make use of the waste created by such industries."

"One for the vegans..." concluded Logomisia.

Do you agree with the comments? Join the discussion ›

Bee expert Paula Carnell features in today's Dezeen Agenda newsletterPutting beehives in cities is "very dangerous" to other pollinators says bee expert Paula Carnell

Commenter says they would "prefer to change architecture than cut an old tree"

Readers agree with bee expert Paula Carnell, who says architects should include wild areas in their projects, plant trees in the ground rather than in pots and discourage urban beekeeping to encourage biodiversity.

"Plant more plants, everyone," said Chris.

"Old trees are valuable," continued The Bee Keeper. "I would prefer changing the architecture instead of cutting an old tree."

"Most plants in our roof garden in Notting Hill are bee supporting," concluded Cezary Marek. "I love watching the selfless creatures working hard. No idea where they fly in from, but they always do. Seems right that we gave up on installing a beehive there."

Do you have an opinion on encouraging biodiversity amongst bees? Join the discussion ›

SOM has designed a Florida courthouse with a glass and fluted metal exterior

Reader calls design for federal courthouse in Florida "elegant, dignified and fuss-free"

Commenters are discussing Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's (SOM) design for a new 10-storey federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It features a fluted metal and glass exterior informed by classical architecture.

"Looks elegant, dignified and fuss-free," said Romeo Reyes. "Interesting how the sunlight will enhance the fluted surface of the metal cladding. It will definitely stand the test of time. If Mies could pull off design feats in the distant past that are still admired to this day, why shouldn't this one?"

Apsco Radiales agreed: "Straightforward, 1960s design with no apologies made. No fanciful claims about it saving the world from all that nasty carbon. I like it."

"It's very poor form blaming classical architecture for dull, uninspiring design," said JB on the other hand. "The architect should really put the whole thing underground."

Are you a fan of the Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse? Join the discussion ›

Radius HouseA Los Angeles home designed by Pentagon features curved walls

Commenter says Los Angeles home "captures the qualities of some of the better modernist spaces"

Readers are intrigued by a residential project in the Venice neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The building has a sculptural composition thanks to its rounded walls, which also enhance the home's natural light.

"What is really awesome about this house is that it manages to capture the qualities of some of the better modernist spaces," said Ballista, "and the enjoyment of how modernism plays with basic geometry in a fairly normal domestic scale. Really special!"

Apsco Radiales continued: "Must give credit to the construction guys. Excellent job."

"That front facade is so well-composed," concluded JZ, "but behind it is a relatively average sequence of spaces that rely on rich materials rather than spatial nuance. That courtyard is so beyond average, so nihilistically spec-grade. The image of the stair rail where the sloped cap meets the horizontal rail on the second floor makes my teeth itch."

What do you think of The Radius House? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

_Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions onour comments page._

The post Commenter calls collection of light switches crafted from animal bones "fascinating" appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #comments #design #bones #technology #plugs #materials

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SouhaĂŻb Ghanmi uses animal bones instead of plastic for minimalist sockets and light switches

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Elos plug made from animal bone powder by SouhaĂŻb Ghanmi

Waste bovine bones from the meat industry have been ground into a powder and turned into a collection of light switches and electrical outlets by ÉCAL graduate Souhaïb Ghanmi.

The Elos range features sinuous silhouettes modelled on different parts of the human skeleton, including a socket designed to resemble the head of a thigh bone that is capable of rotating in its baseplate like a hip joint.

Plus in Elos socket made from powdered animal bonesThe Elos collection encompasses sockets (above), switches and USB-charging ports (top image)

Matching light switches and USB charging ports are cast in moulds that reference the organic shape of a cross-sectioned femur but still resemble their conventional plastic counterparts.

By harnessing bone's natural properties as an electric and thermal insulator, the collection finds a renewed purpose for this age-old material, which was traditionally carved into tools or fired to create bone china.

Three organically shaped light switches by SouhaĂŻb Ghanmi next to cross-sectioned bones The fittings are made from bone powder mixed with a bio-based binder

Ghanmi hopes that his project can help to break our reliance on fossil plastics while making a dent in the more than 130 billion kilograms of bone waste produced by slaughterhouses every year.

"This mineral material, which has no commercial value today, has been used for the manufacture of domestic objects by various peoples throughout history," he told Dezeen.

"In the past, bone was the equivalent of plastic, and nowadays plastic is one of the biggest ecological problems. It is therefore obvious to me to return to this primitive material to apply it to our daily lives."

Phone resting on an Elos USB phone charging portPhones can rest on the protruding baseplate of the USB port while charging

Ghanmi came up with the idea for the collection after staying with his father's family in rural Tunisia during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, when a ritual animal is sacrificed and its meat split equally between family, friends and those in need.

The festivities allowed Ghanmi to witness first-hand the vast amount of biological waste – such as hooves, hides and tendons – that is generated in the process of slaughtering an animal.

"My uncle used to recover the bones after the festivities and make knife handles out of them," Ghanmi remembered. "Thanks to him, I became curious about this material, which before I considered as waste."

Rotating sockets modelled on hip bones by SouhaĂŻb GhanmiThe sockets can rotate to protect cables from wear and tear

In Canada and the US – one of the most meat-fed countries in the world – farms and slaughterhouses generate more than 31 million tons of inedible animal by-products every year.

A large part of this ends up in landfills or incinerated, releasing greenhouse gases during decomposition or combustion.

Just over half, around 16 million tons, is processed into useful products by rendering companies. Here, the bones are cleaned, dried and crushed to make fuel, fertiliser, animal feed and gelatin.

[ Packaging made from animal skin

Read:

ValdĂ­s SteinarsdĂłttir turns animal skin and bones into food packaging

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/01/27/valdis-steinarsdottir-food-packaging-vessels-animal-skin-bones/)

Ghanmi sourced the bone powder for his Elos collection from one of these rendering plants and mixed it with a bio-based binder.

As part of his research, the designer experimented with multiple different binder options, including bioresins and different glues made using bovine nerves and bone collagen.

"As I'm currently working on it for a possible development, I'm afraid I can't share specific details of the production," he said. "However, the aim is for the material to only use bones itself and for it to be durable and recyclable."

Elos light switch with an organic rounded shapeThe light switches are modelled on the shape of a cross-section thigh bone

After being mixed with a binder, the material is cast into the desired shape in a process not dissimilar from the one used traditionally to create switches and sockets, which are compression-moulded using urea-formaldehyde (UF).

This thermosetting plastic does not remelt when exposed to heat, making it suited to use in electronics but at the same time exceedingly difficult and uneconomical to recycle.

In a bid to offer a circular alternative to this, Ghanmi is working on optimising the durability and recyclability of his bone composite so that it can be crushed back into a powder and formed into new products.

Socket by SouhaĂŻb Ghanmi with an integrated cable reelThe protruding baseplate can also act as a cable reel

Certified for safety and performance, he says bone could be used to substitute plastic components in lighting and electronics, which would help to drive up the demand for animal by-products and create an increased financial incentive for keeping them out of landfills.

Alongside switching to regenerative agricultural practices and reducing meat production overall, this could ultimately help to create a more responsible way of farming livestock.

With a similar aim, Icelandic designer ValdĂ­s SteinarsdĂłttir has previously created vessels from animal bones and collagen that dissolve in hot water, while ceramicist Gregg Moore created tableware for a nose-to-tail restaurant in New York using waste bones from its kitchen.

The photography is byNoé Cotter.

The post SouhaĂŻb Ghanmi uses animal bones instead of plastic for minimalist sockets and light switches appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #products #design #materials #technology #highlights #bones #Ă©cal #studentprojects #plugs #graduates