Famed Blues Artist Inspires Success Against All Odds: Memphis Slim Collaboratory

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Famed Blues Artist Inspires Success Against All Odds: Memphis Slim Collaboratory
Avant-Garde Cupiditas Table Controllable by Smartphone or Tablet
Imposing White Silhouette Visually Contrasted by Green Courtyards: Casa Kopche

Posted: 17 Jun 2014 04:41 AM PDT

Famed American pianist, blues singer and composer Memphis Slim’s lifelong work and personality was celebrated by re-imagining his boyhood home as a music collaboratory, a place for musicians to come together and work in collaboration. Rehearsal rooms, a recording studio and a computer lab ensure the spaces are prepared for any ideas, while workshops and career training opportunities extend the reach of this creative space to the community it serves.

This is what the architects had to say about their finished project: “Peter Chapman, the famed blues singer and pianist better known as Memphis Slim, drew attention for his punishing performing schedule and unorthodox lifestyle. Extreme poverty characterized much of his life, but also created a personality which was uncommonly resourceful. His life embodied the paradox of his music: hard times and rough experiences were transformed into an upbeat and lively musical energy, the essence of triumph.”

Spreading over 2,100 square feet, the music collaboratory photographed by Ken West can be found at 1130 College Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Lighting up and inspiring the whole neighborhood, this modern display of materials embedded into the original history has a positive cultural effect as well as an aesthetic one. A brainchild of brg3s Architects, the vibrant contemporary construction honors its inspiration’s gift to the world: “The collaboratory design takes elements of the original house and celebrates them. Carving out sections of the re-built exterior façade reveals the reclaimed wood framing of the structure. The fenestration creates long views through the structure to the interior spaces, opening up to the community. Enlarging the original home's porch- where Memphis Slim entertained soul legends Rufus Thomas and Isaac Hayes – forms an exterior stage for the collaboratory. The cedar rain screen relates to the original materiality of the home's lapboard siding, and the use of vernacular materials throughout the project celebrates the neighborhood's character.”

Envisioned as a reinterpretation of qualities seen in a low-income neighborhoods - strength, resourcefulness, surviving overwhelming odds - Memphis Slim's boyhood home was transformed into an architectural statement inspiring musicians to achieve their dreams within any given circumstance.

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Avant-Garde Cupiditas Table Controllable by Smartphone or Tablet

Posted: 17 Jun 2014 01:12 AM PDT

The Cupiditas Table by Amarist is a lush furniture piece created to awake emotions and define unique atmospheres through its exclusive materiality and avant-garde design. Cupiditas, meaning “desire” in Latin, is the result of a perfect equilibrium between craftsmanship and contemporary art. With its pure lines and minimalist design, it perfectly blends art and functionality, sculpture and furniture.

Made out of Alabaster, a unique translucent stone, the Cupiditas Table can be illuminated from its core with LED RGB Wi-Fi technology and controlled through your Smartphone and Tablet device. This technology allows you to change the light color and intensity in order to create the desired atmosphere for your social events or your emotional status. Each piece is individually made and handed in with a gold platted badge with the client’s name engraved. Check out the impressive photo gallery below and let us in on your ideas regarding this cutting-edge design! [Photos and information provided via e-mail by Amarist]

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Imposing White Silhouette Visually Contrasted by Green Courtyards: Casa Kopche

Posted: 16 Jun 2014 11:21 AM PDT

The contemporary Casa Kopche in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico was designed by Grupo Arquidecture as a private family residence. The 434 square meeter house displays a clean geometry and an imposing white silhouette, visually contrasted by green courtyards. Aiming towards a perfect indoor-outdoor connection, the design team managed to create wide living spaces, filled with natural light and opening up towards relaxing surrounding views.

A stone wall marks the main entrance, while providing a protective screen to the inner courtyards, a defining element for the overall design: “The project stands a clear zonification by separating social area from private area to generate courtyards and gardens that are enjoyed by all spaces of the house. The use and management of apertures is essential: wide open to the hall and narrow to the bedrooms, allowing both spaces to have outside participation without exposing the privacy of the family“, the architects explained. Enjoy discovering the array of decorating tricks employed in this modern Mexico house and let us know what you think! [Photos by Tamara Uribe Manzanilla]

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