Our Channel is where you can learn more about life at H&W – see what inspires us and encourages us to share our thoughts. It usually concerns the world of design, but not always. Channels work best when there’s a back and forth, so please feel free to jump in.
Canadian artist, Brian Jungen, forces us to stop and take a closer look at vernacular objects. He’s best known for using everyday materials like running shoes, golf bags and plastic chairs to create objects that reference totem poles, dance masks and whale skeletons. In his piece Water Hemlock (2008), Jungen drills a bead-like pattern into a plastic orange gasoline can as a sardonic version of a beaded object from first nations’ artistic practice. Read this month’s Orange.
Why do we call the bird shown here "Robin Redbreast?” Clearly, the plumage is orange. The term originated in the 15th century when it became popular to give birds human names. Orange, as a colour, was not adopted into the English language until the 16th century, when the fruit called an Orange was introduced. Read this month’s Orange.
Spring is finally here (supposedly). We see two reasons why you should want to wear these striking orange beauties. Firstly, nature is coming back to life and so should you – walk through those rain puddles with confidence and style. And, secondly, give all of your fellow "social distancers" something to talk, text and post about. Keep well. Keep smiling. Read this month’s Orange.
In 2015, Vancouver-based artist Rebecca Bayer and artist/architect Matthew Soules created an installation called City Fabric. Using 800 lineal feet of orange construction netting, the pair stretched the material between concrete piers of the Burrard Street Bridge. Typically the eye-catching netting indicates dangerous construction zones, but here, with its intersecting transparent lines, the orange fabric takes on a new life. Read this month’s Orange.
This is a Fish-Box-Sledge by Studio Rogier Martens of Utrecht, Netherlands. The base of the sled is made of beech plywood with stainless steel runners and has been constructed to hold a standard Dutch fish crate. Just so you know, not all fish crates found in the Netherlands are orange – but we fully understand why they were attracted to this colour. Bundle up the small fry and go out for a ride! Read this month’s Orange.
For many Russian children growing up in the 1960s, this was the first toy they ever owned. They called their version of a roly-poly doll (which wobbles back and forth on a weighted base) a Nevalyashka doll – that’s Russian for “untopply.” They were manufactured in a military plant outside of Moscow and became an instant hit. This orange model really rocks! Read this month’s Orange.
Every two years, Desert X, an outdoor exhibition, presents a collection of art installations throughout California's Coachella Valley. SPECTER, a florescent orange monolith, was created for Desert X 2019 by Los Angeles-based artist Sterling Ruby. This brazen, reflective form stands in complete contrast to the surrounding earth tones of the serene natural landscape. Ruby wanted to establish an optical illusion that left viewers questioning "what was missing from the scene." Read this month’s Orange.
This is the Ayakita Dam in Japan. Constructed in 1960, it's a fine example of an arch dam built in the Brutalist architecture style. Arch dams are known to be effective designs to withstand earthquakes. We like their choice of orange for the dam’s command centres and attached orange flood gates. Read this month’s Orange.
Soon you will be able to quaff your freshly squeezed orange juice from a cup made from the discarded orange rinds. This new technology adds a polylactic acid to ground orange rinds to create a bioplastic that can be formed by a 3-D printer into recyclable cups. The machine has market-tested very well and the manufacturer is feeling the squeeze to get them to market ASAP. Read this month’s Orange.
After ten years of growth, the North American RV industry says sales are starting to slow down. Fifty years ago, this was the RV to own. It’s a 1969 Volkswagen 21 Window Bus. And yes, it has 21 windows! Many vans back then were covered in sunbursts, flower stickers and peace symbols – but we prefer this pristine, persimmon orange and tan classic. Now that’s a sweet ride. Read this month’s Orange.
