Glass Prosthetics

Being born with a birth defect that necessitated the amputation of her legs below the knee never stopped athlete, model, actress, activist Aimee Mullins from redefining disability for herself and the world.

tedtalk from 2009

tedtalk from 1998

Therapeutic Objects

Mathieu Lehanneur is interested in the role of the designer-scientist, creating objects to keep us safe from the dangers posed by our modern environment and our modern selves.  His therapeutic objects do not change the medicine we need, but engage us in our consumption of it, keeping us mentally and physically connected with the improvement of our health.

tedtalk from 2009

"I'm always on time but a year late." 

_Erik Spiekermann

Material Ecology

Neri Oxman at Material Ecology uses design to influence her experiments with materials systems. 

She's also really unfairly beautiful.   

Metabolic Media

Learning how to create lightweight structures from studying cell structures.

via loop.pH

Inflatable Enclosures

An instructive article on the renaissance of "bubbletecture."

by DDoA

Performa

A UKentucky seminar testing the performative characteristics and limits of a materials system.

via suckerpunch

Isamu Noguchi's Playgrounds

A lesson in making sculpture a useful part of everyday life.  

via The Noguchi Museum

"Architecture that happens, that is not owned, that is accidental." _Professor Burleson