Jony Ive to Form Indi Design Company with Apple as Client

Shantel Harris -
C a l i f o r n i a ,   U S A - 

Jony Ive and Tim Cook at the iPhone XR launch

Apple announced that Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, will depart the company as an employee later this year to form an independent design company which will count Apple among its primary clients. While he pursues personal projects, Ive in his new company will continue to work closely and on a range of projects with Apple.

“Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I’m happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future.”

Design team leaders Evans Hankey, vice president of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, vice president of Human Interface Design, will report to Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. Both Dye and Hankey have played key leadership roles on Apple’s design team for many years. Williams has led the development of Apple Watch since its inception and will spend more of his time working with the design team in their studio.

“After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process and culture at Apple that is without peer. Today it is stronger, more vibrant and more talented than at any point in Apple’s history,” said Ive. “The team will certainly thrive under the excellent leadership of Evans, Alan and Jeff, who have been among my closest collaborators. I have the utmost confidence in my designer colleagues at Apple, who remain my closest friends, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Apple’s design team, recognised with countless design awards, brings together creatives from around the world representing multiple disciplines, including user interface, industrial design, graphic and font design, haptics and sound design.

Tweet

Swarovski Showcase Latest Innovations at Euroluce 2019 in Milan

Fez Escalante -
M i l a n ,   I t a l y - 

Swarovski is pleased to open their immersive nature themed exhibition at Euroluce 2019, the international lighting fair which presents the most innovative solutions in the field of light for interiors and exteriors.

Swarovski’s exhibition at Euroluce 2019 has been divided into four sections inspired by the elements of nature: air, water, earth and fire – all of which are integral components in Swarovski’s crystal manufacturing. The exhibition explores the relationship between light and darkness. At the heart of this elemental maelstrom lies the “fifth element”, the purest expression of absolute beauty: Swarovski’s largest bespoke installation Anima Mirage, inspired by the search for the soul of crystal.

Within the exhibition, Swarovski will showcase new designer collections from Swarovski Crystal Palace including additions to Tord Boontje’s ‘Luminous Reflections’ series, and ‘Cyanometer’ from Swarovski Designers of the Future winner Marjan van Aubel.

In addition, new designs from Swarovski’s contemporary collection, that embrace elevated minimalism, including a collection featuring Swarovski’s iconic and exclusive ‘Vibrant’ bead crystal, and the commercial launch of the ‘Infinite Aura’ collection, and Swarovski’s Schonbek collection, synonymous with classic designs handcrafted to the highest quality, will introduce two new authentic and traditional product families.

Markus Langes-Swarovski, member of Swarovski’s Executive Board states:

Marjan van Aubel [left] and Tord Boontje [right].

“Swarovski strongly believes in the architecture, lighting and interior segment and the powerful relationship between crystal and light. With Euroluce only being the starting point, we are eager to further explore this exciting industry and are set to provide fresh impetus over the months to come.”

Tweet

Australia's NGV in Melbourne: Liquid Light, 500 Years of Venetian Glass

Avi Cohen -
M e l b o u r n e ,   A u s t r a l i a - 

Venini & Co., Murano manufacturer Italy est. 1921
Fulvio Bianconi designer Italy 1915–96
Handkerchief (Fazzoletto) vase 1949

Venetian glass is famous throughout the world for its vibrant colour and crystalline clarity, elaborate design and unmatched craftsmanship, honed over hundreds of years by local artisans on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy.

Liquid Light: 500 Years of Venetian Glass draws upon the National Gallery of Victoria’s extensive holdings of Venetian glass, ranging in date from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, including the NGV’s especially rich material from the nineteenth-century revival period.

In displays exploiting the characteristic brilliance and vivid colour palette of Murano glass, the exhibition traverses five centuries of style – from Baroque to post-modernism – through a display of glassware, including elaborate champagne flutes and goblets, bowls and vases, tableware and decorative objects.

Highlights from the exhibition include an opulent Serpent-stem goblet from the early seventeenth century, replete with intertwining dragons that coil around its stem, and a bottle-shaped Patchwork vase by Fulvio Bianconi, c.1950, created by masterfully fusing blocks of coloured glass into a kaleidoscope of colour.

The exhibition will showcase the Venetians’ technical prowess through considered displays of the famous cristallo body, known for its transparent, watery fineness, as well as lattimo, a milky, white glass coveted for its resemblance to porcelain, and vetro a filigrana – glasses decorated with fine white threads twisted into elaborate patterns.

Though the secret formula for Venetian glass was heavily guarded on Murano, its qualities were emulated by major European glasshouses, particularly in the Netherlands. Through exquisite displays of ‘façon de Venise’ glass, the exhibition will celebrate the indelible impact and legacy of Venetian glass on glassblowing world-wide.

Venetian glass experienced a major revival in the nineteenth-century as Venice became part of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy. The unification sparked the restoration of traditional Italian industries, including the Muranese glass industry, which enjoyed a resurgence in connoisseurship and supremacy.

In 1871 a large collection of Venetian glass was acquired by the NGV directly from Venice by the proconsul to the Kingdom of Italy, and a further group of works was acquired in 1874, from the manufactory of Antonio Salviati, the father of the Venetian glass revival. Further important groups of nineteenth-century Venetian glass entered the Collection from the Italian displays at the 1880–81 Melbourne International Exhibition.

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV said, “The first examples of Venetian glass entered the NGV Collection nearly 150 years ago. This exhibition will celebrate not only the breadth and beauty of the glassware in the NGV Collection, but also the rich legacy of the art form from the sixteenth century to today."

Liquid Light: 500 Years of Venetian Glass will be on display from 8 March 2019 – 13 April 2020 at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia. Entry is FREE. Information is available from the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE

Tweet

The Century Project for Seattle Space Needle

Shantel Harris -
S e a t t l e ,   U S A - 

Seattle Space Needle

Olson Kundig Design Principal Alan Maskin has led the Century Project, a historic renovation of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle.

Maskin’s design is, in all ways, about expanding views. Removing walls, barriers and floors and replacing them with structural glass created a dramatically updated visitor experience.

With 196% more glass than before, Maskin’s new design gives the Space Needle’s annual 1.3 million visitors a physical and emotional experience defined by awe-inspiring views of Puget Sound, the city of Seattle and the Space Needle itself.

Space Needle glass floor

Olson Kundig’s transformation of the landmark tower is focused on revealing the ingenuity of the original structure, parts of which, including the mechanics of the revolving floor, will be made visible for the first time. Improving the visitor experience was a primary design directive, with the revolving glass restaurant floor being a key component. This new transparent floor will provide a 360-degree rotating window that guests can walk on, revealing a new view down the Needle’s steel superstructure to the Seattle Center campus below.

Tweet

World's First Autonomous Shuttle Bus

Hirokazu Watanabe -
T o k y o ,   J a p a n - 

Gacha robotbus. Photo: Sensible 4

MUJI and Finnish autonomous driving company Sensible 4 have combined their expertise to create an elegant robotbus, first in the world to function in all weather conditions.

The vehicle will be displayed to public in its premiere March 2019 in Helsinki. For this shuttle Sensible 4 provides the autonomous driving technology which ensures the vehicle with superior positioning, navigation and obstacle detection performance thus allowing autonomous driving throughout the year regardless of the environment and conditions. While MUJI provides the vehicle its famous design and user experience.

After launch, the Gacha shuttle bus will be driving and taking passengers in three Finnish cities as part of real-life traffic (also be seen MUJI store, opens Nov 2019 in Helsinki). Sensible 4 and MUJI are finalizing plans for the first Gacha fleet which is expected to roll out in 2020. The aim of the collaboration is to develop autonomous shuttle bus fleets for mainstream use and to provide real transportation services for the public already in 2021. Currently, Sensible 4 is looking for suitable industry partners whom would be interested in producing the buses as well as investors to accelerate the company growth.

Weather plays a critical role in opening the market for autonomous buses or robotaxis. Currently heavy rain, fog or snow are preventing autonomous vehicles from driving as the existing technologies are mostly being tested and developed in warm climate conditions. Meanwhile Sensible 4 has focused in technology test and validation under the arctic Lapland conditions giving the company a unique advantage over the other self-driving technologies. Naturally all autonomous vehicles need to be able to drive in various weather conditions, before they can be commercially deployed.

"We are developing these vehicles so that they can become part of daily transportation service chain. Autonomous vehicles can't become mainstream until their technology has been insured to work in all climates", says Harri Santamala, CEO of Sensible 4.

Tweet