CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 14, 2014

Nine of the best rain-inspired designs on Dezeen

www.dezeen.com: Two unusual umbrellas were popular this week as the rainy season made itself felt across large swathes of the Northern Hemisphere, so we've collected together some of the best rain-related designs from the pages of Dezeen.

22 comments:

AAKennar said...

All of the designs I liked. BUT, The massive copper water droplets was pretty awesome. Another article said the entire installation weighted 2.4 tons. But just was amazing to watch that video to see everything moving in sync. Also all I could think about was all of the little motors, drums, gears and sheaves in the in the ceiling. Just so much equipment up there just hanging out for this one effect. Just mind blowing the logistics of programing that and installing all of that equipment. Did they set it up somewhere else first, I wonder. That would have helped a lot in the programming or did previz programming. Just mind blowing on how everything worked and smoothly. I would have loved to have seen it in person. Maybe they reinstalled it somewhere else and I could go see it.

Nikki LoPinto said...

The copper water droplets were jaw-dropping. If I worked at the building they were installed in I would probably have a difficult time pulling myself away from staring at them. I loved how they looked so effortless, flying up and down almost at will. I've seen a few installations like this, but nothing as fast--it would be a really nice addition to, say, a hotel building or even a large airport. The other designs were also very interesting; I especially liked the umbrella that could flatten at will. I've always struggled with stuffing a clunky umbrella into my already full bag. I feel as if it would be a huge contribution to the umbrella market, and I would certainly buy it if I saw it in a store.

Olivia Hern said...

it is so interesting that something as simple and ubiquitous as rain could spark so much creativity in these designers. I particularly liked the round pop-up umbrellas, but I can't help but wonder if they sacrificed practicality for convenience. Looking at those girls with the bright umbrellas, I can't help but think that they don't look big enough to keep anyone dry. Maybe if someone was standing still in windless rain fall, but thats not really a realistic scenario. I wonder if it would be possible to edit the design to have more rain cover without sacrificing it's easy transportation.

Sasha Mieles said...

I loved all of the designs and they are so fascinating! I have personally been in the Rain Room when it was installed at the MoMA in New York. It was beyond my imagination to be walking in the rain and yet be completely dry. The copper rain drops were also extremely cool. The amount of time and effort to create such a systematic installation piece must have been incredible. It's amazing how such simple ideas can be so entrancing to people.

Monica Skrzypczak said...

I absolutely loved pretty much every single one of these designs. The copper drops were my favorite; they were so mesmerizing and they almost looked like they were alive and part of the same creature. Amazing.
I also really liked the rain room. It's really cool how they made it work with the cameras tracking were people were and changing where the rain fell. It would be like walking with a glass dome over your head stopping the rain- except there is no dome.
The one I didn't really like was the drop umbrella. While it is cool how it collapses, I think the shape it makes when out is not very practical. It's pretty small and it goes up and in right over the shoulders- in my experience one of the places you want your umbrella to be the widest.

Jess Bergson said...

These designs were really breathtakingly beautiful. I especially loved all of the umbrellas that were showcased in this article. When you think of an umbrella, pretty much the same image comes to everyone's minds. This article shows some really unique and beautiful umbrellas that are not just practical items, but are also works of art. I especially love the origami umbrella. Umbrellas are actually a lot like origami since they fold in and out to create flat and 3 dimensional shapes. Creating an umbrella that is inspired by origami is pretty genius. A lot of the other umbrella designs are just as unique and creative.

The rain inspired art was also very cool. The copper droplets were an awesome spectacle. I can just imagine this being in some sort of high end window display and stopping passerby's in their tracks. It is amazing how something that is so heavy in reality can look so light and free.

Sydney Remson said...

This article really had so many great things in it. When I read "rain-inspired designs", I didn't even consider umbrellas. I thought all three of the umbrella designs were really cool and clever. The "Sa umbrella" is the most visually appealing to me, but the "Drop umbrella" looks like such a useful design. Along the same lines as the Sardines wellington boots, easily stored rain gear is a great idea, because rainy weather tends to be inconsistent.
I would have loved to have the chance to see the Rain Room in person. From the pictures, you really can't tell how amazing the design is, but in the description is explains that the room uses cameras to detect human movement, so you actually stay dry in the room. And of course the Kinetic Rain installation is incredible. It's awesome that it's in an airport too, where so many people are going to have the chance to see it when they weren't even looking for it.

Becki Liu said...

Oh my goodness... Some of these things are soooooo cool. I've seen an article about the copper water droplets in the airport before so, yeah it's cool, but I think the best one is the water printer!!!! THAT WAS AMAZING! It's such a simple concept but when you see it, it's unbelievable. We do that with Led lights or sticks and stuff but seeing it with water. There's something emotionally exhilarating about the fact that it's with water. It's absolutely breathtaking and I wish I could have been there to see it and run through it and gape at it. I also like the umbrella that folds up but I don't like the size of it and the shape definitely makes it kind of impractical... It will barely keep anyone dry!

Unknown said...

It's awesome that so many different designs can come from such a simple subject. The fact that people constantly take a second look at what we already have is awesome as well. The redesigning of umbrellas is truly fascinating and I'm sure it'll lead to a really great idea. However, the design that I find to be the most compelling is the full body "umbrellas". The way that these suits form to the body and remove a lot of the sense of humanity that goes with the individual is remarkable. The suits make the wearer appear as though their from a separate world or time.

simone.zwaren said...

This is a cool article, like that there are a bunch of different mediums presented on this list. On a side note the sculpture in the airport is really impressive, America should have more airports with art like that. It reminded me of another article that was posted a while ago that had the same concept, but instead of tier drops there were small balls that would travel through the air on small cables. The movement was computer controlled so everything was perfectly synchronized. I also don’t know why the two dinky signs are in this, I don’t find them stimulating in any way like the other designs displayed. The Umbrella design was actually the one that caught my eye for the longest. I never come across designs like that on the street, which is a shame because it looks like not only an attractive design, but also light weight and the water looks as though it splashes away from the user and not downwards.

Albert Cisneros said...

I read this article on denzeen last week and I loved it! The only piece that I didn't like was the line of clothing that was designed for a world in which rain never ceases. It seemed a little absurd to me, and wholly impractical. I've always been fascinated with rain; the sound it makes, its frequency as it falls from the sky, and the feeling it has on the body when I am exposed to it. It's so simple, yet so vital to life. The Rain Room is SO AMAZING. To be able to program a room so that the water does not hit the viewer base on sensors that tell the room where the person is, just WOW. That is so cool and fascinating. I wonder how wet the viewers actually get. I would love to experience some of these projects!

Sabria Trotter said...

All of the art installations were extremely cool, but what I was really struck by, was all of the new ideas, dedicated to making umbrellas more user friendly. Fro decades we have been struggling with umbrellas being difficult to dry, store and folding under the pressure of the high winds that often accompany storms. I find its sort of strange that while people have come up with some small fixes for the multiple problems with this very common object, we haven't moved very far away from the traditional design and materials. Hopefully some of these new umbrella ideas will be found to be more useful and catch on in society.

Zara Bucci said...

These designs are so interesting and incredibly innovative. I never knew so many ideas could be embedded in one simple that that is in most times- overlooked. In most cases, I hate the rain. However, this made it seem like the most beautiful thing in the world. I feel as though this would be best displayed in a large setting, maybe an airport or large museum. In all, more people need to see this and better appreciate the beauty in the little things.

Nicholas Coauette said...

Each of these designs were intriguing on their own, but of course only one held my full attention and that was the absolutely gorgeous copper rain droplets. The way they moved, the way the light reflected off of them, it was so fluid and seamless. It was incredible. I was mesmerized and entranced and had truly never seen anything like it before. It is awesome to think that so many designs can be brought to life just from something so commonplace and ordinary: the rain. Some of the other designs that revolved around umbrellas were pretty cool too, but most of them seemed to just try and tackle different ways to store and use the umbrella, rather than a different look for the tool that already works just fine.

Unknown said...

I really enjoy Julius Popp's work and I was glad to see it included. I checked out his other water installations and they are beautiful. I wish they had included a video of the Rain Room because it is stunning to watch. There are a few reasons I think we are fascinated by rain. It is out of our control and even though we know about the rain cycle it's not something we can grasp or see the mechanics of. It falls from the sky, from oblivion, from a place most of us will never touch. Also the kinetic quality of rain and the way light interacts with it gives it more points.

anna rosati said...

This is such an interesting series of rain-inspired artwork! Although there was no aesthetic through line witching the article, it is really cool so see how an element of nature can inspire such a cast array or both artistic and practical creation. I must say, however, that my favorite piece is the kinetic rain. It reminds me if the work from my favorite kinetic sculptor, Reuben Margolin. However, the piece in the article is in a way even more significant because it gives life to an inanimate object with the intention of not only imitating, but recreating one of nature's wonders.

Unknown said...

I love these designs, especially the metal droplets of water like many others mentioned, but what really blew me away was the Rain Room, a space designed in which visitors could freely walk around a room of heavy rain and not get wet. To me that design in particular sounds amazingly cool as simulates a pattern of rain to immerse you while simultaneously allowing you to deconstruct the sensation of rain as the visitor is removed from their most intimate sensory experience of it; touch. I find this concept astounding and I'm extremely impressed that the designers figured out a way to bring their idea to life as I'm sure the technology needed to track the visitors motion and to shut of the flow of droplets in certain areas was extremely in depth and complicated. I'd love to see prototypes and concept images of this design and the other rain inspired designs alike to see what problems these designers faced how they overcame them, and how they were able to keep the integrity of their original idea as their designs evolved. Although the finished products are astounding it would be great to see the process they went through.

Emily said...

These are all quite beautiful. I've always thought rain to be inspirational. Not only are people designing better rainwear and accessories, but also beautiful art. The Bitfall piece is really gorgeous in its design and the fluidity in which it moves, too. The shiny drop shapes are hypnotic to look at. The rain room sounds like so much fun. I enjoy being in rainy weather (usually just watching it from inside, but occasionally splashing around while it pours), and this would allow people to experience rain without having to deal with the aftermath of being cold and wet.

Thomas Ford said...

Some of these designs were really incredible. I loved the copper raindrops in the airport, and I think it would be fascinating to just be waiting in that terminal and look up and stare at it.It's such a great idea, and the movements in the video were so relaxing and fluid. I also thought that the rain room was a really cool idea, and I would have loved to see it. I think that type of interactive/immersive art is really cool, and thee way that it uses technology is awesome. I also really liked the project involving a future where is never stops raining. I wasn't a huge fan of the rain gear depicted in it, but I think that the idea behind it was really interesting and though-provoking. Also, the what was the weather yesterday thing was fantastic. We're checking our phones so often, especially i the winter, to see what temperature it's going to be in the next hour, and I think that that piece is a really good way to make fun of that.

Carolyn Mazuca said...

These are all really cool. Rain is really beautiful in sight and sound and I think these designers found ways to compliment elements of humans in rain. I appreciate the diversity of things that were inspired by such an expected natural process. I think the design that was most captivating for me was the rain room. The thought of walking into a shower with out getting wet is mind boggling even with the brief explanation of its operation that the article provided. I would definitely be interested in experiencing this myself and playing with the camera and water technology.

Unknown said...

I maybe totally missed point in this comments, but it looks like there's something I should add up to my winter break program. those raindrops are extremely beautiful. I'm fascinating with the technologies their use to make them moves so smoothly without feeling like looking at heavy metal balls hanging and floating around. Singapore always gets all the cool stuffs. I enjoy keeping myself updating on their new "toys" since those giant trees and Marina Bay Sands. They have done a really great job trying to create the all the fantasies in that little island to attract people from around the world to come and enjoy their world, and make lots of money. they also try to be the center of entertainment in Asia, theatre included.
A little bit about the umbrealla, I noticed these passing months I read a lot about constructions and works that using the idea of origami as their inspiration. This is interesting to me because I never noticed how things that I have been lived with since I was young can become an inspiration to many things and easily blended with technologies when it is actually some paper folding techniques that has been living for hundreds of years already.

Fiona Rhodes said...

Though all of the designs are cool, the water droplet installation was by FAR my favorite of the bunch. The simple, elegant shape of the droplets allows it to fill the space while still having a calming effect, something that I think is valuable in an airport space. I wonder how much variation there is in the programming, and how often, if ever, they add new things or vary the pattern.