Now open at the Boston ICA: Swoon. The exhibit is titled “Anthropocene Extinction.” The ICA website’s description of Swoon reads:

In both her art and her own life, Swoon is deeply engaged with social and humanitarian projects. During the 2009 Venice Biennale, she and a crew of 30 other artists and friends sailed SWOON boats made of reclaimed materials through the canals of Venice—creating new purpose out of what was cast aside. Her latest endeavor, the Konbit Shelter Project, is a sustainable building project assisting Haitians who lost their homes in the devastating 2010 earthquake. Working alone or in collaboration, Swoon’s work is often about forming a community in order to practice what she refers to as a “real world” engagement.

More looks after the jump.

Check out this fantastic series by Matthew Cusick entitled “Transamerican.” Cusick creates intricate portraits and other domestic scenes using maps as his medium. More looks after the jump.

The Tumble Lamp series, designed by Dino Sanchez, are a series of 9″ lamps made of solid ash, meant to sit upright or “tumbled” on their side. The clean, minimal design allows for integration into almost any setting or room in your spot.

More images after the jump.

This gigantic orange elephant was created by Javier Requejo. The  elephant is made of polypropylene tied to a metal frame. The project took 8 months to complete.

More looks after the jump.

Architect Andrew Berman was able to create his dream project when he designed and built this free standing work space in Long Island. The client’s requirement was that she needed to have somewhere peaceful where she could keep her books and work. Watch the video after the jump, as Berman described the idea and the process.

Now open at the Pompidou Museum:  CYPRIEN GAILLARD-UR.

The largely awaited private showing, showcasing a voyage over the past five years of the world’s changing, degrading sceneries of past and present from his iconic Polaroid boxes to a Mesopotamian tribal head from 710 B.C.  curated from the Louvre’s Archives.

Cyprien Gaillard UR

Le Centre Georges Pompidou

September 22nd 2011 – January 9th 2012
11h00 – 21h00
Espace 315

Video after the jump.

Following the current trend of streamlining the cooking and culinary experience, Dutch design studio OOOMS recently debuted the Puzzleboard, a cutting board employing a simple design that increases its functionality.

via supermarket

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders launched a collection for British retailer Marks & Spencer for the London Design Festival. The collection of accessories for men and women, confectionary, cosmetics, homeware and decoration is meant for holiday purchasing, and was created to excite and surprise customers this Christmas, offering a range of individual and inspiring Christmas gifts. From dezeen:

This is the first time M&S has worked with a single designer to create a collection that spans a range of product areas encompassing food, clothing and home. Marcel was selected for his international reputation, as one of the world’s most influential product and interior designers his work is shown in some of the world’s most important collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco and the V&A in London. Synonymous with cutting edge design, Marcel co-founded the internationally renowned interiors brand Moooi and has worked with a host of global design brands as well as working on architectural and interior design projects.

More images after the jump.

The Anthropologist is a site put out by clothing and homewares label Anthropologie, but you’d never know it by looking at the site. The clean, minimal template is used to showcase and celebrate the works of artists. The Urban Land Project by photographer Tim Simons is one of the artist projects featured on the site.

Urban Land is a series of photographs, taken by Simmons, blown up in scale and plastered on billboards along some of L.A. and Philadelphia’s busiest highways and intersections. The images shown are close-ups of the texture and detail of the city’s land, and are meant to make viewers take a second look at their own surroundings.

More images after the jump.

Finally, a reason to look forward to laundry day, instead of dreading it. Lee Wei Chen has created a laundry arcade game that completes the wash/dry cycle according to the gamer’s ability to clear levels. More looks after the jump.