Imaginative Architecture. The Fiction Series by Photographer Filip Dujardin.

above: one of Filip Dujardin's architecture composite photographs

Fast Company ran a post the other day on their Co.Design site, inspired by the wonderful design blog, Dezeen, about the work of Victor Enrich. Enrich is a Spanish photographer who photoshops together various pieces of architecture together to create surreal buildings shaped like french fries and guns, an example of which is shown below.


above: Victor Enrich's Defense, a gun shaped building, is one of the images in Co.Design's article.

This instantly reminded me of the work of Belgium commercial photographer Filip Dujardin, who basically does the same sort of digital collage, only in a less whimsical or humorous fashion and with a better eye for composition.

Since many of my readers also browse FastCo. and Dezeen, I thought they might like to see another - and in my opinion, better- version of similarly constructed photographs.

Shown here are the 22 images (including the one at the top of the post) from the Fiction series by Filip Dujardin.






















all images courtesy of the photographer

Filip Dujardin

Manifest Destiny! A Rustic Cabin Is Mounted On The Side Of A Downtown San Francisco Highrise.

Manifest Destiny! is a temporary rustic cabin occupying one of the last remaining unclaimed spaces of downtown San Francisco --- above and between other properties.



The project is a commentary/critique on the unwavering perseverance of San Francisco’s early settlers. During the mid 19th century, as the eastern United States became over-crowded and expensive, the West offered limitless possibilities for those willing and able to make the journey. The drive to seek new possibilities and establish a better life at any cost is the conceptual motivation for this project.





The tiny cabin can be seen affixed to the side of the Hotel des Arts, floating above the restaurant Le Central like an anomalous outgrowth of the contemporary streetscape.



Using a nineteenth-century architectural style and vintage building materials, the structure is both homage to the romantic spirit of the Western Myth and a commentary on the arrogance of Westward expansion.

The Building of the Cabin and Installation:









The interior space of the house can be seen day and night through the curtained windows, a lonely beacon in the city's dense landscape, and an incongruous, haunting vision from below.




The installation will remain in place and be slowly transformed by the elements through October 2012.



Manifest Destiny! is a temporary site specific installation in San Francisco, California by artists Mark Reigelman and Jenny Chapman with Structural engineering by Paul Endres. The project was commissioned by Southern Exposure and funded by the Graue Family Foundation. It is on view through October 28th, 2012.

images and information courtesy of artists Mark Reigelman and Jenny Chapman

Container Homes That Open In 90 Seconds. Push Button Houses by Adam Kalkin.

Architect Adam Kalkin's Push Button homes are fascinating. A shipping container that unfolds with the push of a button in 90 seconds to reveal a living space complete with a bedroom, a bathroom, kitchenette, and living area.

The first Push Button House was originally displayed at Art Basel Miami in 2005. Built in a standard shipping container, the home, by architect Adam Kalkin, expands like a flower blossoming to reveal a modern and minimal living space.











Kalkin’s concept uses hydraulic power to lift and lower the sides of the shipping container, expanding the usable living space.



photographs by Peter Aaron.

The Push Button House was adapted by Illy for use as a temporary café at the Venice Biennale in June of 2007, and at the Time-Warner Center later that year (images courtesy of Tree Hugger).






His Push Button House 2, a revised version of his Push button House 1 was documented in the 12 minute short, shown below, by Snag Films.

Push Button House 2:


Part performance piece and part sculpture, the Push Button is an engineering and artistic feat that captured the attention of both the artistic community and public as a bold, yet playful vision on the intersection of art and technology.

This award winning short film has been featured at over a dozen international festivals including AFI Dallas, Newport Beach Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and featured preview footage at the Museum of Modern Art.

Adam is also the owner and designer of Quik House, a series of purchasable and customizable prefab shipping container homes.



Kalkin’s Push Button Houses are one of many shipping container concepts and homes that he has designed. See all his amazing work here.

Images courtesy of Adam Kalkin and Peter Aaron