The latest exhibition by artist Jårg Geismar, COME CLOSER - life inside the car, concentrates on the inside, not outside, of cars. Le Corbusier, Edward Kienholz and Andy Warhol all worked with the body of cars in exhibition spaces but as Geismar explains, “The focus of cars is usually on the exterior as it’s easier to grasp. Children play with cars. Everybody has a memory of the outside of a car - the form, colour etc. There are many examples of artists working with the outside of the car like Keith Haring, Ange Leccia, Wolf Vostell and Erwin Wurm to name some. But about the inside, there are not so many . . . ”

So Geismar’s work focuses on the inside - different scenes of people’s experiences and situations inside cars. Describing the exhibition on display at AUDI FORUM TOKYO from 7-13 September, the German artist born in Gotland, Sweden says, “It’s only on for one week. It’s incredibly dense. I’ve never prepared so much for such a short exhibition period.”

The performance, artworks, photographs, drawings and stories in the exhibition all have the same common theme - memorable and unique experiences or thoughts that occur while people are driving (or being inside) cars. For example, a mother talks with her teenage daughter about relationships and ‘girl talk’, two businessmen discuss a deal in the back seat with a chauffer, a car lover cleans the car from the inside, an opera singer sings out the window. “Cars can be so many things,” the artist explains. “Social meeting places, driving cinemas, problem solvers or status symbols.”

Asked what inspired the project Geismar responds, “It’s the fascination about human beings and machines. In the 80’s I started working with cars using projectors, and mainly with blank projections. After working in different spaces, I got interested in site-specific room installations. I was searching for other spaces - moving spaces for my installations. Then one day in the 80’s I read about ‘the car as a social sculpture’ by Le Corbusier and this led me to install the first projection car - ‘Breathing Cars’ - at the Kunstmuseum Dusseldorf in 1985.” This work then inspired Geismar, a guest professor since 1997 at The Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Gent, Belgium to do similar works, like cutting apart car bodies and using them as little cinemas for projections.

This current exhibition is a continuation of the artist’s work - ‘Elegant Moving’ - a projection/film installation that was shown inside the AUDI R8 at the German Embassy in Tokyo in 2008. “But COME CLOSER isn’t only about projection,” he says. ”It’s about the experiences and memories people have inside the car. Many decisions, which affect many lives, have taken place inside cars. The audience has to ‘come closer’ to see what is happening.”

So what is Geismar’s favourite memory inside a car? “The car to me is a driving cinema. I’ve been enjoying this since I was a child. It gives you another view about your surroundings and perspectives of life. Also, when I was a child in Sweden we lived on an island. We’d leave the car to be on the ferry during the trip and when we arrived, we went back inside the car and continued our journey. This experience of going in and out of the car, and in the boat, is my other favourite memory.”

And what does this world-renowned artist see as the future of cars? “More multifunction - flying and swimming - as well as greater environmental friendliness. And in ecological terms, there’ll be surprises in shape and form.”

So next time you’re stuck in traffic, remember to pay attention to what’s going on inside, as well as outside, the car. Come closer.

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

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In praise of shadows is an exhibition on new European lightning curated by Jane Withers. It will be running during the London design festival, September 19–27 at the V&A.

In Praise of Shadows showcases works by 20 European designers who imaginatively explore not only the potential of low energy lighting and alternative energy sources but also the way we think about light and darkness.

The catalyst for ‘In Praise of Shadows’ is the EU directive to phase out low-efficiency light bulbs (from September 2009 through to 2012). It is rare that a design issue affects us all as directly as the switch to low energy lighting and as well as stimulating experimental design the changeover is provoking controversy and confusion around environmental

issues. And yet this should be an opportunity to do more than just change a light bulb, it’s a chance to explore new thinking about lighting and sustainability.

In Praise of Shadows aims to add spark to the debate by raising questions not only about how we use energy for lighting but also how we illuminate our lives – challenging the modern obsession with ‘brighter is better’ that has held sway for the last century.

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The Wool Works exhibition by Craftwork at Exposure Gallery comprises of two large-scale hanging textile artworks. They are made from natural wool and aluminium. In making these works, Craftwork mainly focused on building bridges between the disciplines of art, craft, design and fashion. The works are completely hand made and Craftwork twisted approximately 2 Kilometers of raw wool slivers by hand which were then knotted and bound into place with aluminum tubes to create each work. Wool Works will be on show during the London Design Festival this september at Exposure Gallery and they are also showcasing one of them at the Red Bull Fashion Factory where fashion brands such as Vivienne Westwood and PPQ will be holding their shows during London Fashion Week.

Some months ago, I drowned into the toughest buying decision: Where to live. My budget was enough for a tiny apartment in the center or one somewhat bigger in the outskirts. Greater size meant also bigger surfaces to be cleaned and greater spaces to warm up as well as longer everyday commutes. The tiny option offered a convenient subway station nearby, sunny days through its one and only window and bike rides to get around. So I went for the small spot in the heart of town, without realizing the one-shared-closet nightmare I’d started.

Not enough room makes your choices smarter. While sorting the garments, I easily realized that a vast majority of them were almost unworn while the rest, smaller in number though more special, those pieces I really felt comfy in, would easily fit in the half-closet which was assigned to me. Almost ashamed, I packed the rest and gave it to the charity while promising to change my consumption habits.

Summertime. What are the season’s musts? - who cares at all? I know myself. I love moving under the warmth but have extremely sensitive feet that end up wounded, covered in blisters if I dared to sport plastic sandals during a 20km walk. So I decided to put all my pennies in the one and only purchase of the season, the Acne sandals. Top-notch materials, improved design for an even better fit, felt comfy immediately and could report the success to the hand behind it as they employ local designers. One pair for a whole season and the ones to come: That’s what lacking space made with this once renown fast-fashion junkie.

While on vacation, I got sick. Neither stomach flu, nor traveler’s diarrhea but IBS was my diagnosis. No longer can I eat as much as others so, I never throw away anything but treat myself with finer specialties to enjoy slower, while spending the same bucks. Less fruit but organic, less meat but fresh, less fish but from the shore nearby. Same fight in a whole different arena, take less but the best.

Bored of dump files and lost calls, I really needed to change my phone. I know how my life is. I do not drive as often as I get to walk in strange places. I listen to music daily and check the mail on the way home, without mentioning my marathon training. Obviously, I needed an iPhone. Leaving buzz aside, it suits my everyday better than any other device, crystallizing all my needs in one. Not cheap at first sight, while worth each penny on the long run.

The craze about “the last, the new, this season’s” ended. Feels too 90s, too unsustainable, too unconscious, too out, whereas my mother’s after-war scarcity learnt care about quality, endurance and dread of the throw-even-when-functioning-to-buy-a-new-‘cause-it’s-cheaper business model (i.e. printers and ink) is cooler and aligned to the transformation we need.

Some might argue that, without consumption, there’s no way to economic recovery. However, I keep wondering about the recovery we’d like to have. The news recently reported Japan, Germany and France as countries exiting recession: Is this governmental aid based fast sortie supposed to handle the erosion of time? Not at all, this looks like a mirage to me.

This is not a hopeless message but a patient one. Like a marathon, the sustainable recovery goes through inside-out change of all of us, as individuals, in the same direction: Isolated dots joining together, drawing an arrow to success.

The crunch proved that our choices as small consumers count more than what we ever imagined. Just as a simultaneous sea of defaults on subprime mortgages triggered this nightmare, just as we went from consumers to predators armed with limitless credit cards, it’s in our hands to pave the way to recovery.

Step by step, small changes can, like snowflakes, be packed into a huge ball to throw downhill, that grows while rolling and smashes, filling everything with a new clear reality: A world full of nothing but conscious- and happiness.

Let’s less best.

This is a post by the David Report contributor Claudia Muñiz García.

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Ralston & Bau is working together with Fretex (norwegian salvation army) to create re-designs made out of their old products. To re-use objects putting them in a new context, makes not only a sustainable impact, it also gives new live to objects that tell a story.

During the last ReDesign Summer Camp Ralston & Bau made their first redesign series; Tekannelampe (tea pot light) & Ståltrådlysestake (steel wire candle holder). All products are handmade in house.

The “Tekannelampe” is made out of old tea pots, garden pottery, bowls and lamp shades. The cable flows out from the spout, while the handle invites to carry the lamp around.

The “Ståltrådlysestake” is made out of old lamp shades. Only strong lines describe the shape, seeking simplicity.

Creative Grab Bag is a collection of work from artists, illustrators and designers from around the world. Author Ethan Bodnar created over 30 unique tasks and gave each contributor a task that was different from their typical work. The book contains images of each artist’s creative task, typical work, and a biography with a short reflection on their creative process.

Together, they capture the spirit of exploration and innovation and challenge readers to break out of their usual work.
The book includes both well-known and up-and-coming creatives.

INDEX:Award 2009 People’s Choice Voting opens worldwide at 13:00 GMT Thursday August 20.

· When a voter arrives, she or he should hit the “Connect with Facebook” button on the INDEX:Award site so the vote “goes viral”.

· Then join Index for their live-stream of the the awards show on the 28^th (starting 18:00 GMT).  You’ll be able to watch in real time and chat simultaneously about it with your Facebook friends.

Arkitekturmuseet, the museum of architecture in Stockholm, is to show several bridges designed by Erik Andersson Architects as part of its main exhibition for the Autumn, Fokus infrastruktur. The exhibition, which starts in October, focuses on recent, outstanding examples of Swedish infrastructure. Erik Andersson Architects will participate with models and photographs of the new motorway bridges on Road 73, commissioned by the National Road Administration and completed earlier this year.

Bohento is the newborn catching everyone’s eye in the Spanish fashion scene. Those attending their presentation back in February 2008, during the opening of El EGO de Cibeles - the young side of Madrid’s Catwalk - were astonished by a new flair for dramatic simplicity and an architectonic balance of texture, volume and shape. “A tearing eye on the shallowness of life” that takes a step beyond, leaving behind old-fashioned Spanish stereotypes to channel atemporal quality to enlighten daily looks for a long while.

The brand’s seams hide two promesas: Pablo de la Torre and Cuca Ferrá. Artists prior to seamstresses, as unveiled by their mixed backgrounds: Pablo “leverages his fashion degree upon an education on architecture and graphic design (…)” while Cuca “draws inspiration from Fine Arts to her love for leather (a material in which she specialized her fashion training on)”

Both are multifaceted diamonds that combine Bohento with solo endeavors. Pablo focuses on haute-couture that span from hats to dresses for selected customers (sold under his own name) while Cuca investigates new posibilities, techniques and materials while engraving and teaching painting.

Delicacy is a charm on their visual branding. The pale shaded typographic logo is seasoned with equally minimalistic photography that recreates a girl next door in an empty space with a turned off  Tv. The lack of bespoken luxury, explicit erotism and pretentiousness speaks loud to the subconscient - could be you, it’s your story to tell - so the clothes become the person’s accessory rather than prevailing its identity.

This turns the unsustainable “so last year” into a rational “so me”. It’s still to see it the message doubles success, during their consecutive opening of next EGO’s catwalk, S/S 2010 to be held next September.

This is a post by the David Report contributor Claudia Muñiz García.

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