Eric Demay

Pick up this week’s edition of the New Yorker and there’s an excellent and exhaustive article about architecture’s superstar Zaha Hadid. Covering the story of her latest project—the Museum of 21s Century Art in Rome (MAXXI)—it also explores where she has come from and how her views of architecture have been challenging the status quo since the 70/80s and are still, today, as fresh. The accompanying audio slideshow gives you the gist of it.

And 1000pts if you can guess the name of the photographer behind the photographs of the MAXXI museum. Watch out, bragging ahead: I got it right.

For Patrick, Francis and other design brains: Ten Reasons to buy the BLDGBLOG book. I have a weakness for books that encompass more than single subject—or a single subject which is approached and treated in many numerous ways—and who celebrate that spirit instead of shunning the idea and streamlining the whole thing way too much.

I know magazines are supposed to fulfill this precise approach, neverhteless, I feel that many should take note, cause it ain’t happening.

Jim, you’ll like this one: An interesting analysis of how the main characters in Fight Club are simply Calvin (Ed Norton’s character) and Hobbes (Tyler played by Brad Pitt) who grew up.

Within the safety of the panel, Calvin is perpetually six years old, terrible things can never happen, and no matter how crazy a stunt he pulls, everything always returns to status quo. Because of this, our hero is free to do as he wishes, free to chase his dreams as wildly as he desires, never having to worry about tomorrow because there essentially will never be one—unless it’s part of a continuing storyline. This makes the reality of Fight Club all the bleaker, because it depicts what happens when you take someone weaned on dreams and limitless possibilities and jam him into a cramped cage confined by rules and regulations. It probably only took poor Calvin a few years in the adult world (or growing-up world) to fully make the sad change.

Obviously “uptight, grade-obsessed Susie Derkins lost her way” and thus Marla Singer was born.

Sad news to the design web community: japanese online design magazine Pingmag “will be taking an extended hiatus, and will not be updated for the foreseeable future.” It saddens me because we’re always better having insightful articles [online] rather than vapid glossy pages [in print]. I have linked to PingMag many time over the years, and there’s still more than enough content to discover in the archives. •

Written in exactly a 1000 Words: A Manifesto for Sustainability in Design By Allan Chochinov. Excellente liste. J’trouve que plusieurs de ces idées s’appliquent tout autant à tout être humain travaillant, générant des projets, possédant du pouvoir décisionnel. Des idées comme “Stop Making Crap” ou “Systems Before Artifacts” se transposent et sont parfaitement valables dans plusisurs champs d‘étude. Votre seule lecture obligatoire de la semaine. •

#72 is a colorless Colors issue devoted to blindness. Best of all, they have released audio readings of the articles. With some imaginatively gorgeous descriptions: sour apples are silver, the sounds shadows in the wind… •

Vous vous souvenez de cet article paru sur Hippopocampe que j’ai écrit comme “cadeau” à Nicolas Langelier afin de l’aider à compléter sa liste-chronique des 10000 choses qui sont vraies? Il l’a utilisé pour sa dernière chronique: Dix mille choses qui sont vraies #9 933: Au Scrabble, les joueurs se plaignent toujours des lettres qu’ils ont pigées. •

The 51 best (Smartest, Prettiest, Coolest, Funniest, Most Influential, Most Necessary, Most Important, Most Essential) magazines. But Vice ain’t there. Top one is Esquire to which I recommend checking out their cover collection (all from 1933). •

Lowlights from my failed hidden-camera show. •