Ai Weiwei, one of China’s leading conceptual artists, recently installed his piece, Sunflower Seeds, into the interior of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.  While at first glance all of the seeds look nearly identical, the exhibit actually consists of 100 million porcelain seeds that were each individually sculpted and painted in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen, which is known as the “porcelain capital” in China

When the exhibit was first installed, visitors were invited and even encouraged to walk, touch and  lay down in the seeds but last week they announced that the exhibition is now no longer open for human interaction due to the dust created when visitors walked on the seeds.  Either way,  I think the connotations typically associated with the term “Made in China,” is brought into question.  The exhibit is up until May 2011 so if you are in London in the next seven months be sure to check it out.

*Photographs from the Tate and The Guardian

This is one of those collaborations that just makes sense. Herman Miller asked Yves Béhar and his studio fuseproject, to design an affordable chair that was both beautiful and functional, while also having regard for the environment. Béhar, who calls San Francisco home, took inspiration from his city’s greatest landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge.  The SAYL work chair is everything you would expect from Herman Miller and more.  The final product contains no PVCs, is 76% recyclable and comes in at just $399, which is significantly less than Herman Miller’s infamous Aeron Chair.  I hope to be seeing more of these around.

I am in love with these animals designed by German artist, Renate Müller.  Created nearly 30 years ago, they were first used for balance training and orthopedic exercise by psychiatric hospitals and clinics throughout Germany. Each creature is handmade and has an internal wood structure that is covered in jute and peppled leather, which is then stuffed with fresh wood shavings that take Müller nearly a day to complete.

This fall, the TriBeCa gallery R 20th Century will host the first North American retrospective of her work, “Renate Müller: Toys and Design.  The retrospective will showcase some vintage pieces as well as more than 60 new ones.  The artist will be in attendance at the exhibition opening Tuesday, October 12, and will lead hands-on demonstrations at a special Family Day on Saturday, October 16.

*via T Magazine