Selfportrait.map by Bill Outcault and Lilla Locurto, explores the process of unfolding and creating 2-dimensional projections of the 3rd dimension using full body scanning technology which collects a complete image maps of their full bodies along with thousands of associated Cartesian coordinate points. In an animation and a series of images, the fragments of the scanned bodies become gestural strokes, arranged and distorted through their own cartography software.

via Journal of Arch. + Comp.

more images at MIT | Pamela Auchincloss

Here are some great resources on the internet for designers and architects to find fabrication materials.

Material Explorer | Materia’s detailed material spec + search site.

Ecospecifier | Product search according to sustainability type.

Design Insite | Browse product and material cross references.

Material Connexion | Innovative material online database and showroom locations.

demi | Sustainable materials.

indes | Sustainable materials.

via Worldchanging

Oooooooh, sooo futuristic! To celebrate the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open, the ultra-luxurious Burj Al Arab Hotel has built the world’s highest tennis court on it’s helipad.

More images from sky news and Burj Al Arab.

via we make money not art | This is London

Chris Jordan’s photography captures the climate of American consumption with Reggio-esque beauty and revelation.

More images from the
Paul Kopeikin Gallery (LA) on view until March 12, 2005.

Related : Edward Burtynsky Photography

via Space and Culture

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I’m still waiting for the day when there are flying cars all over Manhattan and sky bridges connecting skyscrapers all over the city at the 70th floor. David H. Szondy’s site, Tales of Future Past collects classic depictions of the world we live in today from the past. Unfortunately, the story of our future city hasn’t advanced much. Hollywood still dreams of flying cars, transportation pods and sky bridges.

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Here’s a series of fast motion videos by Roger P. Hangarter of plants germinating, swaying, snapping, dying, etc. Each is quite revealing as it displays the subtle yet precise motions unseen to the casual viewer.

Plants In Motion

Elephant Dung Paper has a small selection of paper products made out of 100% dung. The low-tech ultra-sustainable process begins with collecting the dung, consisting of mostly fiber, then some thorough washing, add some color, sift, dry, sand, cut, done. There’s no bleaching or additive, just pure elephant dung. mm. mmmm…

via core77

Richard Wool, at the University of Delaware, has a proposal to use the yearly 5 billion pounds of wasted chicken feathers in the United States to make an assortment of commercial materials from circuit boards to light weight carbon fiber.

The Forest Products Laboratory is also looking into using chicken feathers as an alternative to MDF (medium density fiberboard), which is currently made by a process of mixing wood fiber (wood cells), resin, and heat. (EcoComp report pdf)

via Washington Post | Wired

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The BBC has a report on several potential storage solutions of the future ranging from 2 or 3-dimensional arrays and nanoscaled solutions. The one that really catches my attention is Dr Török’s multiplexed optical data storage which takes the current laser technology and adds the ability to sense the angle of the deflected laser. In other words, the information is no longer read simply as the discreet states of ones and zeros. Each point has the potential to hold an infinite set of states depending on the sensitivity of the angular detection. Beyond the capability to densely store enormous amounts of information, this technology could lend itself to transforming our method of computation from discreet to analog where there are an infinite states between one and zero. Understanding and performing analog computations would open doors to understanding intelligence and push computation in a new direction.

via BBC

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Erik Demaine’s explorations into folding and mathematics have produces some astounding results that may inform future fabrication techniques. The majority of today’s fabrication industry has been streamlined into production from flat stock. Demaine’s methods of folding to produce intricately curved, non-deformational surfaces could provide answers to fabricators seeking to move beyond flat sheets without having to invent a completely new mode of fabrication.

More from Dermaine’s site.

via NY Times

Related : Morphogenomics

Thanks, Neil.