Friday, June 4, 2010

DYMAXION




I am so fortunate these days to be invited to many remarkable events. Last night we went to the Champagne Reception and Screening of the film about Lord Norman Foster.
After the screening we had a fantastic 4 course dinner at the Michelin Star Restaurant Marea

"How much does your building weigh Mr. Foster?"

The film is an Art Commissioners Film, produced by his wife Lady Elena Foster. 
The Documentary took about three years of filming from all over the world and again reminded us of what this man has achieved during his ongoing career. I feel humbled, he is Howard Roark in persona. (From The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, this novel is one of my all time favorite).

The title of this Documentary actually referrers to a question from Lord Foster's greatest mentor Buckminster Fully early on in his career. A question that brilliant Lord Foster of course had the answer for a week later.

Buckminister Fully (1895- 1983) was an American Architect, Author, designer, inventor and a futurist. A remarkable man with an incredible mind.

He is most known for his Geodesic Domes:

Buckminster Fuller, US Pavilion for the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal, 1967, Image courtesy the Estate of R. Buckminster Fuller.

And especially for his thoughts about a Dome over Manhattan:



Mr. Fully was an Environmentalist a long time before it was popular:

"Hailed as "one of the greatest minds of our times, R. Buckminster Fuller was renowned for his comprehensive perspective on the world's problems. For more than five decades, he developed pioneering solutions that reflected his commitment to the potential of innovative design to create technology that does "more with less" and thereby improves human lives."

As it says under his Biography for the Buckminster Fuller Institute that operates under his legacy to find Breakthrough solutions to our future. 

One of his greatest inventions was the Dymaxian. A car solution that he came up with (Isamu Noguchi helped on this project as well) as early as in the 1930's. Unfortunately the car was hit by another car on its way to the Chicago World Fair in 1933. The accident damaged the prototype and killed the driver and the project lost its investors. It was an aerodynamic car that could have changed the the whole history of our fuel vasting cars.



6 comments:

  1. how fun! - i love being invited to events too! .. soooo fun!

    *Happy Weekend*
    Erika
    ~Tiptoe Butterfly~

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  2. That dome is amazing..and 4 course meal- nice! :)

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  3. Buckminster Fuller really was the man, wasn't he?

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  4. I can only imagine having a brain capable of such genius. Wowza!

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  5. Kjaere vene for en fyr!: ) Fiin lesing!

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