‘Looks Like Music’, an installation at MUDAM Luxembroug by Japanese designer Yuri Suzuki, is one intriguing look at colour and music. Yuri created the Colour Chaser, a small robot that “detects and follows a circuit – a black line traced in marker pen – interspersed with coloured reference points that the device translates in sound”. In other words, a user can draw a black line, add whatever colour scribble tickles their fancy and this kick-ass robot will read that RGB colour data into music. The exhibition at MUDAM Luxembroug allowed visitors to create a large-scale piece of collaborative art and sound. In an interview with Dezeen, Yuri said, “I am dyslexic and I cannot read musical scores. However, I have a passion to play and create new music and I always dream to create new notation of music.” This installation is a brilliant showcase of how colour, technology and music can intersect. Perhaps one day, a band will yell “this needs more turquoise!” while recording their album? Just imagine how beautiful the sheet music would be…

(spotted on dezeen; photographs/video via yuri suzuki and MUDAM Luxembroug)

I just spotted prototype shots of a simply beautiful weather app called ‘Brisk‘ and it has put a stop to all my complaining about the sad weather icons that dominate technology. Designed by Eddie Lobanovskiy of Two Solid, the app works like a regular thermometer with temperatures moving up and down bars. It looks like there will be local forecast and detailed weather info too. Of course, I am most smitten with the gorgeous colour coded bars depicting heat levels. Instinctual and clever. I can’t wait to see how Brisk will develop. Colour coded weather is just better…

(sign up here if you want to know when Brisk makes its way to the App store)

If you’re like me, you might have double digit browser windows open at any given time. Don’t even get me started on the number of tabs I manage to create. The dramatic minimizing of browser window to dock on a Mac has always intrigued me and Emilio Gomariz explores this effect in his fascinating video, ‘Spectrum Cube’. Layer upon layer of perfectly organized browser windows form a beautiful study of colour and a dynamically shaded cube. How great is that end bit when all of the squares minimize together? After seeing this, I will never look at browser windows the same way again!

(thank you joseph)

How spectacular is this cover for Novum Magazine by German design studio Paperlux? The colourful triangle pattern is beautiful in its own right but the ingenious printing technique that creates moldable facets and insane texture is extraordinary. The ‘making of’ video shows the sculptural paper piece in motion as well as a glimpse into the technology and methodical design required to create the cover. Colour, texture, pattern, printing brilliance and paper sculpture? Not sure it gets better than that.

(spotted on/images via graphic exchange and paperlux)

I have already babbled on and on about the vibrantly colourful and innovative RGB Wallpaper by Milan studio Carnovsky. Overlapping primary coloured illustrations create a beautiful multicoloured print in everyday light but when a red, green or blue light (RGB colour) is shone upon the room’s paper, only one of the three overlapping patterns is visible and the other two are hidden. When I spotted their new installation ‘La Selva’, I fell in love all over again. Adorning the walls of Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, a café and exhibition space in East London’s Shoreditch, the wallpaper takes on a whole new chic look as part of an interior design. Doesn’t it look great next to a chalkboard menu? The theme of ‘jungle’ works brilliantly as its textured vegetation, daunting beasts and exotic creatures create three mesmerizing layers for each colour of light. If you happen to be London, La Selva is on view until September 21st, 2011. It looks like Carnovsky has created limited edition prints as well. Pick me up one please?!

(spotted on design boom)

The On This Day Calendar looks like a geometry and rainbow-happy wall calendar with room for regular ol’ reminders but magic lurks among those handsome shapes. Each day features a black, heat-sensitive square that reveals a historical fact when touched. Once the square cools, the trivia fades away. I’m pretty sure this would brighten any morning and probably make you the hit of the office (if you don’t mind line-ups to fondle your calendar that is…)

(images via luckies)

While there is traditional beauty in black, stainless steel and wood handle knives, I am finding it hard to resist Kuhn Rikon Colori Paring Knives. Love the Kuhn Rikon Mini Cleaver and rather clever Watermelon Knife too. Designed by Swiss designer Philipp Beyeler, they feature unbelievably sharp, non-stick Japanese high carbon steel and ergonomically designed handles. See? Brightly coloured tools and gadgets can have technical chops too! Oh the palettes that could be created with a colourful knife and some vivid fruits and vegetables…

(photographs via kuhn rikon, williams-sonoma, cookworks and sur la table)

Are these beautiful abstract paintings by a colour-loving modern artist? Nope. They are photographs of alcohol! Florida State University research scientist Michael Davidson had the intriguing idea of shining polarized light through crystallizing drinks on lab slides and using his old-fashion 35mm camera to take a photograph of the alcohol under a microscope. This process magnified the drink over a 1000 times and the results are spectacular. The brainchild has now become a merchandise mecca called BevShots that uses the photographs to make high-quality art, scarves and so forth. The colourful patterns translate beautifully to fabric, don’t you think? Incredible to think that our favourite cocktails are made up of such insane colour.

(thanks for the inspiration Taylor!)

(alcohol shown from top: rosé, tequila, irish pale lager, gin, margarita, white russian, scotch, black russian, cola)
(photographs via time magazine and bevshots)

Ever wonder what the first colour photographed looked like? Well wonder no more! Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell is responsible for creating this intriguing image of tartan ribbon in 1861. By photographing the ribbon three times through red, blue and yellow filters, Maxwell could combine the images into one full-colour composite. A milestone moment for the art and technological evolution of photography. Oh and a pretty striking image in its own right!

(thank you for the inspiration mélanie)

(photograph via national geographic)

I have been staring at “Monument to Change as it Changes” by artist Peter Wegner for over two days but I still can’t stop gasping aloud. Honestly, I am overwhelmed by how brilliantly clever and mesmerizingly beautiful this piece is. What a showcase of colour, engineering and imagination. Installed as part of the new Stanford Graduate School of Business, the piece utilizes flip-digit technology much like European train stations used to announce arrivals and departures. The plastic pieces move like tiny rolodexes and were meticulously programmed to create specific colour patterns. The idea is a monument to constant change – a perfect metaphor for what is faced in the business world daily.

* This piece’s true beauty is in its motion. Take a look at this video for a glimpse of the spectacular moving colour! Peter’s other fantastic installation for the campus is featured at the beginning but the colour section starts around the 1.00 min mark.

(additional information: 2,048 flip digit modules, 80 colours per module, finished size 8′ x 32′)

(photographs via peter wegner, video via the los angeles times)

I am mesmerized by N SKY C, a website that showcases the average colour of the New York City sky every five minutes via a block of colour. Hover over the block and you see a webcam snapshot of the sky in that five minute period. Created by web designer Mike Bodge from the viewpoint of his Noho and East Village facing desk, the website is a beautiful representation of weather, sunsets, sunrises and the transitions of a day. I love that each day can be summed up in its very own colour palette.

(found via new york magazine)

When I first laid eyes on the Plumen light bulb, it was love at first sight. Tackling the neglected world of of energy smart light design, Plumen are the world’s first designer energy saving light bulbs as well as true sculptural works of art. An environmentally conscious product with spectacular style? That really is the holy grail of design! While they work in lamps and light fixtures, I particularly like the look of Plumen bulbs bare. Those photographs above of the glass beauties hanging from colour cords made my jaw drop. Can you imagine a room or restaurant full of vibrant cords and gorgeous Plumen bulbs? How about clustered together in a colourful chandelier? Spectacular design you can feel good about buying!