It was almost thirty years ago when the Australian Islamic Mission assigned Candalepas Associates the task of designing and building a mosque in southwest Sydney, the Punchbowl Mosque. 

The building, now completed, is just one of the magnificent projects designed by the studio of award-winning Australian architect Angelo Candalepas, and is the demonstration of a perfect and massive use of concrete and forms. 

What stands out when entering the Punchbowl Mosque is the fantastic play of light and shadow created by sunlight, which penetrates through a huge skylight, and bounces off the surfaces. It is fascinating to note that this dark light effect is not due to the use of different colours or materials, but simply to the 99 mini domes that have been created in the concrete itself. 

The shape of the dome was taken up again because it has always been part of traditional Islamic architecture, which is why the 99 names of Allah were inscribed within them. It is a magical place where the ancient culture of a population meets modern architectural techniques. 

Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte is the name of design and product design studio that created Legs, a collection of long-legged steel furniture that has been imagined by anthropomorphic forms, like a sort of “creatures invading the house”. The set includes five models consisting of a chair, a table, a stool, a hanger and a ladder and is all made of tubular steel painted black.

Overall, all the pieces in the collection seem to give the impression of being three-dimensional sketches. As the artist states:

“As you approach, you begin to notice that their limbs extend to corners of the room that you left unfurnished and were quick to forget”.

Pieces were presented during this month’s Stockholm Design Week in the context of Belgium is Design, a promotional platform for brands in the Belgian design world.

Visit studio’s website for discovering other works.

Sometimes, when we look at graphic design works, they can seem excessive. The retouching, the combination of different elements sometimes exceed the limit that our imagination can bear. Phonsay‘s artworks, on the other hand, are skillfully balanced and measured, achieving a minimal, surreal and surprising result. 

Born in the small town of Savannakhet in Laos, Phonsay then moved to Australia, first to Sydney and then to Melbourne and can be defined as an all-round artist, practicing different forms of art, from painting to photography, ending with digital art. 

In his graphics he succeeds in encompassing all his ideas and values, representing the animal world and nature and drawing inspiration especially from his Buddhist education and the teachings on balance and harmony.

Discover more on his Instagram profile.

I don’t know about you, but every time I come across a work of art by a great artist I imagine how it was the path that led to its realization, what was in the mind of the painter, sculptor or designer when he came up with the idea for the work. 

The Brani & Desi architecture studio, inspired by the works of Piet Mondrian, has created an apartment that seems to best represent the artist’s mind, or at least his imagination. 

On all the surfaces are folded lines and geometric shapes that have made famous the works of the Dutch artist, of course the classic colors blue, yellow, red and the inevitable black and white. The perception of space changes according to the point of view, sometimes it seems to be drawn in 2D, other times it seems to have no end. 

Brani & Desi have a style that will never cease to amaze us.