May 01, 2011

bambu and Earth Day in Japan

We are recently back from a visit to Tokyo.  We made our plans with mixed feelings.  Had enough time passed since the earthquake?  Was it a good time to go?  Was it safe?  Are the people ready for visitors? The answer in all cases is Yes. People are slowly getting their lives back in order.  While the physical signs of the earthquake are not seen in the city, the terrible catastrophe is felt by everyone. Japan never fails to exceed our expectations. In places around the world, ofter the city people of a country are breezy, busy, important, and have little time for you, while you often get more gracious welcoming from people outside the main city (think Paris, think New York). Not true in Tokyo. We found everyone we interacted with to be hospitable, polite, and wonderfully helpful. And given the recent events, amazingly resilient. The quick snapshot below nicely captures the wonderful harmony of Tokyo. The man-made coexisting with nature. The sleek and modern, shiny and metal, hugging nature and framing nature. There is a certain reverence for nature that shows itself in so many different ways in Japan. [caption id="attachment_2280" align="alignleft" width="800" caption="tokyo harmony"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2257" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="bambu Japan team"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2258" align="alignright" width="450" caption="Ariel Office Tokyo"][/caption] read more

Categories: Admiring..., Like Minds
March 22, 2011

Tracking Sustainable Materials – London exhibition- bambu Veneerware

'Keeping Track of Sustainable Materials' An important exhibit is now on display at the IOM3 Institute in London. The interactive display and  material exhibition explores the relationship between sustainability, materials, and knowledge transfer. Curated by PhD researcher, Sarah Wilkes, the exhibit features over 16 companies. bambu was selected to present the company's product, All ... read more

January 23, 2011

Small Bambu – Sculpture ….from Pebbles…made from Scrap

Scrap Story Part Two. It's a scrap sandwich! We reported previously from the pages of bambu, the installation of used chopsticks in Shanghai here. Here's another scrap story. First, Big Bambu and now, Small Bambu. Big Bambu was an installation art piece by the Starn brothers from Brooklyn. They constructed a fabulous structure of bamboo atop the Museum of Modern Art. We covered ... read more