Danish artist Carl Krul has enacted a series of works on board simply titled "Plate" followed by the edition number of the series.  Of these works, all were done in single sittings and videotaped from above. Viewable on Krull's website, these videos detail the artists trial and error process from beginning to end, and depict  the drawings in a fast-forward format. These videos allow a glimpse into the process of creating some very provocative figural illustration.

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Here are some images from UK designer There Is. What strikes me as most interesting about these layouts are their unique approach to communication. The message is described by a dialogue between what is stated with written text, and what the imagery relays to us by means of its inherent material.  Just lovely.

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Dieter Rams has influenced material culture and the world around us more than many of us realize. Here are some examples pooled from the Dieter Rams Flickr Photo Stream showing some of his mid-century objects, which exhibit a remarkable timelessness. Consider the influence of these products on Apple's design, and you are sure to find more than a coincidental similarity, I suspect.

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Imagine if that scratch in your auto paint automatically repainted itself. This may be just a few steps away. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart, together with colleagues from Duisburg-Essen University, have created a process manifesting in an electroplated material impregnated with small capsules of the surface finishing. If elements on the surface are scratched, these microscopic reservoirs release more of the finish allowing the surface of the material to regenerate.

Items can currently be created in a small range of electroplated metalic finishes ranging from copper, nickel and zinc coatings. The next set of research and experimentation lies in embedding two-part mixtures like epoxies and resins. "The challenge lies in not damaging the capsules when producing the electroplated layer...", says Dr. Martin Metzner, Head of Department at IPA.

It may be a year or two before we can see the full consequences of this breakthrough technology but the idea of the alternate uses inevitably excite and demand the creation of new applications.

Discovered at boingboing.