Following Business Chief's visit to DHL'sinnovation center (Troisdorf),we speak toFaizan Sheikh, CEO of Avidbots to discuss the use of automaton in the cleaning industry and its partnership with DHL.

To introduce yourself, how would you describe Avidbots? What do you offer to your customers?

Avidbots is a fast-growing robotics company. Our first product is Neo, an autonomous floor-scrubbing robot used in hundreds of commercial or industrial spaces worldwide. Avidbots Neo robots are at work cleaning floors in sites such as warehouses, airports, manufacturing sites, hospitals, schools, train stations, and malls in over 15 countries. Unlike other floor-cleaning robots that are just retrofitted ride-on machines, Neo is a purpose-built robot designed to be fully autonomous. Incorporating AI, LiDar, 3D sensors, WiFi, 4G connectivity, and specialized software and hardware, Neo is able to autonomously navigate busy areas such as airports, adapting its route on the fly to avoid people or obstacles. With 24x7 remote monitoring, Neo is always operational.

What are your company strategy and goals for the next five years?

Avidbots is growing quickly. Were selling Neo robots in more than 15 countries and will add more countries in the near future. We have many global distribution partnerships and Neo is already cleaning hundreds of sites worldwide, including Paris CDG Airport, Singapores Changi Airport, and Shibuya Station in Tokyo. In the next five years, we will continue to grow installations rapidly.

What trends have you seen emerging within your industry?

In the cleaning industry, were witnessing a revolution toward automating the most repetitive and dull tasks, such as scrubbing floors. In almost every country where Avidbots operates, from Japan and Norway, to the UAE, Switzerland, Canada,USA and Australia, its difficult to find and keep cleaning staff. Turnover for cleaning jobs is between 300-400% per year, making it costly and complex for companies to maintain cleanliness at their facilities. Avidbots Neo makes scrubbing floors far less onerous. A cleaning staff member simply taps start on Neos touchscreen and the robot goes off to work, cleaning floors more effectively than a human. Facilities managers use a web-based app called Command Center to track Neos progress via real-time video feeds and see detailed cleaning reports. With janitorial staff freed from the time-consuming task of pushing or riding a floor-scrubber around at night, they can focus on higher-value tasks such as cleaning bathrooms, dusting, disinfecting, and tidying. In the robotics industry, were seeing a trend toward building robots that solve pressing problems. Robots are now past the test phase and are becoming part of our daily lives, and the ones we will see first solve everyday challenges that companies face, such as cleaning.

SEE ALSO:

In recent years, how have you seen customer use of technology evolve?

Companies have gone from seeing robots as a futuristic idea to truly seeing the value in automating repetitive, dull, or dirty tasks. They realize robots are actually just advanced machines that can help them solve everyday challenges. In general, society has moved from a vague worry that robots will take jobs to a place of understanding that automation helps people do their jobs more efficiently, just as computers do in all aspects of life. Robots are now part of the team at our customer sites. Cleaning staff love Neo because it does a time-consuming and repetitive task, freeing them up to focus on other tasks that only humans excel at, such as tidying, dusting, and cleaning hard-to-reach places.

In your opinion do you think industries are heading towards having more robotics, as opposed to a human workforce?

We havent seen job losses at our customer sites. Instead, cleaning staff integrate Neo into the team to do the time-consuming task of scrubbing floors. Of course, the long-term trend of automation will surely result in some lower-skilled jobs being eliminated, but most of these jobs are ones few people want to do. In the cleaning industry, turnover can top 400%, so clearly most people dont want to clean long-term. However, at the same time we will see low-level repetitive tasks done by robots, we will see new jobs emerge. There will always be cleaning staff, but theyll move into higher-value roles such as tidying waiting areas and cleaning bathrooms that make public environments more pleasant for everyone.

Over the last few years have you seen an increase in demand for cleaning robots? If so what is your strategy for demand increases?

Yes, demand for our Neo floor-scrubbing robot is surging. To keep up with demand, Avidbots has its own manufacturing facility in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada where we build Neo robots from the ground-up. We also work with manufacturing partners that can scale with rising demand. As we grow, Avidbots is hiring many robotics engineers, sales people, and business and marketing staff. Weve raised $37 million in venture capital funding to support global growth.

We recently featured your cleaning robots within Business Chief, can you talk through your partnership with DHL?

Avidbots is working closely with DHL Supply Chain to install Neo robots at warehouse sites in North America. Neo is uniquely suited to clean warehouses where there are many people, forklifts, pallets, boxes, and other robots constantly moving about. Being intelligent and autonomous, Neo can navigate these busy spaces with ease, avoiding obstacles and updating its path on the fly. DHL operates thousands of warehouses in 220 countries, so the skys the limit in terms of our partnership.

Image source: Avidbots

For more information on business topics in the United States, please take a look at the latest edition of Business Chief USA.

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Read more here:
Avidbots: revolutionising the cleaning industry | Technology - Business Chief

New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS): A public art installation on mental health awareness 'Moving Out to Go Within by nine Ashoka University students, under the guidance of designer Sumant Jayakrishnan will be on display at STIR Gallery here from February 2 to April 15. The installation is being promoted by the India Art Fair.

Ashoka University's Ashoka Centre for Well-Being (ACWB) in collaboration with Red Balloon's Young People for Change put together a week-long residential workshop to initiate conversations around mental health among the youth.

This workshop brought together nine young Ashoka students from diverse cultures and backgrounds to mindfully connect and explore the importance of emotional expression and self-awareness, and to build a sense of well-being. The experiential workshop was facilitated by psychotherapist and founding director of ACWB Dr. Arvinder J Singh.

The students' experience culminated into this interactive public arts installation that shared the participants' personal expression and messages of awareness on mental health, well-being and self-worth.

Read more from the original source:
Art installation on mental health awareness in Delhi - Daijiworld.com

Judging by his famous photographs of seemingly transparent midcentury modern dwellings, the late Julius Shulman might have been attracted to Sid and Teresa Scotts house in Dunthorpe.

Here, natural light is artfully guided inside through glass that wraps around a south-facing, central courtyard.

One could imagine Shulman, whose influential images of a patio-centric, post-World War II way of living ricocheted around the world, setting up a tripod at the edge of the courtyards pavers here and waiting for twilight.

Had the acclaimed architecture photographer done so, he could have perhaps captured another angle of entertaining at a house open to the outdoors.

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

But the Scotts Northwest contemporary house didnt always have elegant movement between spaces.

Although it was built in 1960 when Modernist architectures open concept of fewer interior walls was spreading into suburbia, this floor plan was really more traditional with a series of rooms blocked by walls and doors, says Sid Scott.

"We stripped away everything, made the structure stronger" and energy efficient, "and brought it up to code. Then we started over to create a connection to the outdoors," says Sid, an architect and principle of Portland-based S|EA, a commercial and residential architecture and interior design firm.

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

Teresas focus was on picturesque, water-wise landscaping. Together, they remade their home to follow the hillside topography. Glass walls, doors and windows frame garden vistas from every room.

Across a third of an acre, mature rhododendrons, azaleas and rosebushes thrive alongside new plantings of perennials showcasing seasonal colors. Irises and peonies bloom in spring and summer alongside a rocky stream that borders the property.

Its a beautiful site, says Sid Scott.

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

Remaking a forlorn property

The Scotts bought the property as is in March 2017 and gutted the house, which was in rough shape. There was a tarp on the leaky roof, says Sid.

They removed unnecessary, confining walls, installed larger windows and oriented the two existing sides of the main floor plus a seamless garage addition toward a new courtyard were there once was unkept grass.

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

Our courtyard is a wonderful activity space for dinner and events, says Sid, whose firms philosophy is People First. Design Forward.

The Scotts hosted a fundraising event at their home in 2019 to benefit the Architecture Foundation of Oregon.

Brian Libby, who writes the informative Portland Architecture blog and produces In Search of Portland podcasts, led a discussion at the event, which is part of an annual series to benefit the Architects in Schools program.

BEFORE photo provided by S|EA

Later, Libby talked about how Sid and Teresa Scott have transformed a number of forlorn Portland properties.

They really have a way of breathing new life into these spaces, says Libby. As an architect, Sid has a keen eye, but he also comes from a family in the lumber business, and I think that gives his homes a sense of warmth that can only come from the texture and color and patina of wood.

[BEFORE photo of the front of the house and carport]

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

The exterior has vertical rough-sawn wood siding in two different widths installed in a random pattern.

An original windowless shop is now a family room with giant glass panels and a vaulted ceiling.

Scott says, The home told us what it wanted to be.

[AFTER photo of the new courtyard]

BEFORE photo provided by S|EA

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

[AFTER photo of the family room with a large picture window that once was a workshop.]

BEFORE photo provided by S|EA

[BEFORE photo shows no windows in the front]

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

Hidden from the street

Overgrown shrubs and blackberries once obscured the property. I went to the building department to get a permit and the guy at the counter pulled up a photo and it was funny that you could not even see the house, recalls Sid.

The split-level dwelling was easy to ignore for another reason: It looked like an unsurprising single story. Inside, however, original architect Daniel McGoodwin had designed five subtle elevation changes to accommodate the property, which gradually drops 20 feet from one corner to the other.

[AFTER photo of the family room more open to the kitchen]

BEFORE photo provided by S|EA

[BEFORE photo of one of the claustrophobic rooms]

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

[AFTER photo of the living room and colorful landscaping]

BEFORE photo provided by S|EA

[BEFORE photo of one of the claustrophobic rooms]

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

[AFTER photo of the light-filled dining room]

BEFORE photo provided by S|EA

[BEFORE photo of the dining room and kitchen]

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

The elevation shifts start at the front door. Three steps lead to the main living level. Below, the vaulted master suite and bedrooms are linked by half flights of stairs.

The lowest level was an unfinished basement that the Scotts integrated into the remodeled home.

We put windows in and connected it to the north yard, he says.

AFTER photo by Pete Eckert

Teresa had boulders natural to the property moved to gardens bordering the sunny courtyard. Dogwoods, Mexican orange blossoms and Spiraea shrubs as well as grass-like, flowering Liriope and carex were selected for year-round color, fragrance and texture.

As a bonus, they require minimal maintenance and watering, she says.

With views now extending to the hills, this 60-year-old house, once closed up and concealed, just keeps going, says Sid.

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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Architect's remodeled 60-year-old Portland home is picture perfect (before, after photos) - OregonLive

Listen to this podcast using the embedded player below, or use the link to download (right-click to save) or to listen using your system's media player. On mobile devices simply click the Download this Audio File link below and your devices player will automatically play the file.

What are some must-sees on the ISE 2020 show floor? Where should you take clients out to dinner? What Amsterdam attractions should you visit? All this and more on todays episode of AV+.

The phrase pro AV doesnt do justice to all of the integration crowd, so we atCommercial Integratorwanted to create a podcast that speaks to all of those areas (and more!) under the umbrella of commercial tech integration.

The host, web editor Adam Forziati, has a background in radio and is looking forward to providing listeners with an entertaining, informative audio forum for all topics affecting the industry.

We plan to release a shorter, single-topic episode once every week or two on Fridays (just like this episode). But at the end of each month, well also drop a longer, in-depth episode of the AV podcast with features like Editors Desk, CI Monthly News Spotlight, CIs Project of the Month, and more.

We hope youll share your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #AVPlusPod !

Original post:
Your ISE 2020 Guide in Audio Form: What to See On & Off the Show Floor; Where to Eat; Pro Tips - Commercial Integrator

Your home is meant to be a safe place where you and your family can live happily and healthily. An intrusion can steal away that feeling of safety and have a lasting negative impact. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to increase your homes security and reduce the likelihood of a break-in.

Here are three effective home security tips and guidelines you probably never thought of:

While it pays to have high-tech security measures installed throughout the home, such as an alarm or cameras, some of the most effective methods are the least technical. In addition to using sensors and alarms, consider adding blocks or rods to prevent them from sliding open from the outside.

By securing your windows, you reduce the incidents of crimes of opportunity, especially with windows on the ground floor. Adding a simple dowel rod can prevent the window from sliding open, even if a potential intruder manages to unlock it.

While a traditional dowel rod works wonders, you can also get adjustable implements that allow you to fit the lock to different sized doors and windows. This solution is ideal for both vertical and horizontal sliding windows, as well as sliding doors. Furthermore, as these are easy to remove from the inside, they dont present a safety risk in the event of a fire.

Optimizing your home security starts outdoors. Things like motion sensor lights and yard lights that eliminate dark corners make a huge impact when preventing intruders. As break and enters tend to be a crime of opportunity, eliminating that opportunity is key.

Believe it or not, you can improve your home security with some savvy landscaping hacks. One of the most effective ways to deter criminals from breaking into your home is to plant well-kept thorny bushes under your windows. Things like roses or juniper tend to pack a nasty surprise if someone tries to climb through a window.

When landscaping, use gravel and loose stone whenever possible, as these tend to be noisy and hard to navigate while sneaking around. Avoid trees that could be used to access second-floor windows or balconies, as well as trees that block the view of the house from the road.

Most people follow a pretty standard set-up when installing security features in the home. For example, many people install the keypad next to the front or back door. From a logistical standpoint, this makes sense; its convenient for when you enter and leave the house. However, its also convenient for intruders who want to find and disable said alarm.

Place your keypads away from doors or windows where your activity could be viewed. Consider putting it further down a hallway or in the kitchen. Its also worth having another keypad in the master bedroom so that if a situation arises in the middle of the night, you can trigger the alarm.

The same theory applies when hiding your valuables. As the master bedroom tends to be the first place burglars look for valuables, place them elsewhere. Some great hiding places include in potted plants, in canisters in the pantry, or in false bottomed books and clocks.

Conversely, avoid commonly searched areas like the freezer and bathroom. If you use a safe for your belongings, invest in one thats installed into the wall or bolted down. While you should never use a portable safe for valuables, its a perfect decoy burglars are likely to grab it and go, thinking that theyve found something valuable.

The average burglary takes place in under 15 minutes from start to finish. The more complicated you can make the process, the safer your home will be.

By trying these three unusual tips, youll protect your home, belongings, and most importantly, your family.

Read more from the original source:
3 Home Security Tips and Guidelines You Never Thought Of - TechSpective

Marvin

Whether you are itching for a full renovation or just looking to spruce up your home a bit, the International Builders Show (IBS) is the place to start. With hundreds of vendors ranging from well known paint brands to door hardware theres a lot to see and be inspired by. These are our picks for the newest innovations for your next home upgrade.

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1Indoor-Outdoor Countertops

We all dream of truly extending our homes into the outdoors with materials that mimic what we love indoors. The new Outdoor Collection by Caesarstone is weather-resistant, bringing the company's durable, non-porous, high quality quartz to any outdoor environment. The company tested the material extensively in a variety of conditions including harsh sunlight, high heat and temperature fluctuations to ensure color and integrity of the material stayed intact. The flexibility of quartz makes it perfect for all al fresco entertaining spaces from rooftops to outdoor kitchens.

2Window Nook

Open floor plans have taken over the conversation when it comes to home design, but we are also craving cozy spaces to recenter ourselves. The new Marvin Skycove is a fully constructed (i.e it shows up ready to be installed, not pieced together on site), projecting glass structure thats essentially a new take on a bay window. Whats significantly different here is the box-like shape and open glass on top that allows for full panoramic views. It also comfortably fits an adult on its integrated benchmeaning reading time can easily morph into nap time.

3Designer Paint

Everyone knows one of the easiest makeovers a coat or two of paint to instantly change the personality of a space. Launching in April 2020, Sherwin Williams's new Emerald Designer Edition Interior Latex paint is their most premium paint product to date with the smoothest and most uniform finish (meaning, the color you choose will be the only color you see on the wallno peek through colors from past paint jobs). The new collection will comprise 200 hues in five designer collections, including the brightest whites yet.

4Wetroom DIY

If youre a true DIY-er then youll be jumping for joy for the newest innovation from WilsonartWetwall. This easy-to-install tongue and groove panel system allows for quick installation in wet spaces no grout necessary. The styles available mimic natural wood and large marble slabs and the panels can be used in spaces with excessive moisture, including bathrooms, laundry rooms, and mudrooms. Theyll be available this spring at Lowes.

5Automatic Pass Through

Andersen Windows & Doors recently upgraded its window passthrough with an automatic feature. A keypad inside the house allows you to open, shut, or pause the window without having to use any elbow grease. The result is an easy way to entertain from the inside out for any alfresco occasion.

6Smart Lock

Tired of seeing the keypad on your front door and longing for the olden days of that thing called a key? The Emtek EMPowered SMART Lock Upgrade uses a variety of integrated featuresincluding voice command and remote accessto provide a sleek door pull full of technology. This key OR keyless entry gives the whole family piece of mind knowing they'll always be able to get in the door.

7Indestructible Floors

If you're looking for a flooring solution that's no fuss, you'll become quickly obsessed with Lumber Liquidators AquaSeal 24 line. The collection has the look of hardwood floors with the durability of laminate flooring and extra water protection. The easy to install flooring has a smart locking system that prevents liquids from going through the plans, giving you up to 24 hours to clean up any accidents or spills. Another bonus: the material is resistant to scratches and gouges made by boisterous family and petsso you can really have that dance party!

8Modern Redo

Lovers of modern homes rejoice! The Royal Building Products Cedar Renditions line is the look of beautiful cedar with none of the maintenance associated with it. This moisture-proof material is easy to install in a variety of outdoor applications and comes in eight finishes.

9Built-in Wireless Charging

Available in four finishes, the Legrand Radiant Wireless Charger holds and charges Qi-enabled smartphones in a clear cradle. The multifunctional unit additionally offers a USB port and 2 standard AC receptacles so you can manage all of your home's needs.

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Best of IBS: New DIY and Renovation Products for 2020 - HouseBeautiful.com

With three key projects under the spotlight, we hear more about Spantherm the innovative insulated precast concrete ground-floor system that is being adopted by a growing number of housebuilders and developers

Spantherm is an insulated precast concrete ground flooring system. By producing high performance insulated structural concrete units offsite, Creagh has redefined the speed of installing a fully insulated ground-floor. This is the next generation of structural flooring systems, designed as the efficient alternative to labour-intensive beam and block installations.

Spantherm thermally efficient flooring has been utilised at a housing development in Warmington, Peterborough. The new development is being built by NRI Civils, who choose Spantherm as it is designed specifically for use at ground-floor level in residential and small-medium sized commercial projects. They opted for the work to be completed by Creaghs expert fitting team, requiring no labour from them and saving them time onsite.

Adam Moody, contracts manager for NRI Civils, said: We chose Spantherm because one of the things that we are looking for as a business is to improve efficiencies, reduce costs, reduce labour and time onsite and when youve got a difficult site, where youre struggling for storage, thats exactly where Spantherm is perfect.

Housebuilders are increasingly exploring the opportunities for new ideas to reduce labour onsite and boost efficiency in the build and it makes sense that they start with the ground-floor. Spantherm is installed in just minutes not days.

The initial appeal of Spantherms insulated precast concrete is clear, as a typical floor on a detached house or a pair of semi-detached homes is fitted onsite in less than two hours. Once in place and grouted, the floor achieves its full structural capability within 72 hours; however, building activity can commence on perimeter walls within 24 hours.

The team have been absolutely fantastic with the support we get, adds Adam.

Anything that we need to discuss with them, they are always on hand, so we have a great relationship. We will definitely be using Spantherm again to help our optimum goal of achieving better efficiency and reducing costs and labour times.

Spantherm has also been used to great effect at a housing development in North Muskham, Nottinghamshire, where a new homes development is being built by Geda Construction. With no additional site works or laying out required, a typical 90m floor can be installed in just 90 minutes and provides level base without camber for timber frame or block construction.

Installation is not affected by adverse weather conditions and secondary screeds with extended drying times are not required. Spantherm is designed to reduce cold bridging at wall/floor junctions making an important contribution to Part L performance. Spantherm is available in three performance options designed to boost your buildings performance within SA and can achieve U-value as low as 0.11W/m2K. It is also a fabric first solution, integrating structural concrete with expanded polystyrene insulation. The tightly butted units lock in the thermal performance efficiently across the slab.

Geda used Spantherm to push the project along as its one operation that just makes it so much quicker and easier to facilitate onsite, said Shaun Wormall, site manager for Geda.

We are impressed on the installation of the slabs and the time that it saves us onsite. From a site management point of view, its been really good, Creagh has been very responsive and the production timescales and installation has been quick and painless. We would definitely use Spantherm again, brilliant product, well-managed and well-run.

Spantherm is also being utilised at a new housing development in Stapleford, Nottingham, and the developer is delighted with the results.

Malcolm Flinn, director of Stapleford Oaks, states: I chose Spantherm because its labour saving, has made life easier for me, and its quick, efficient and clean.

An increasing number of builders in Great Britain are switching from traditional beam and block builds as its significantly reducing labour onsite.Using Spanthermincreases productivity and enhances health and safety onsite. It minimises waste and vehicle movements are reduced, all contributing to overall environmentalbenefits.

I would use Spantherm again because the block and beam method takes so many more men and machines onsite, and takes a lot longer to lay. It also leaves a lot of work for the bricklayers to do at floor level. With Spantherm we are in and building off it almost straight away stated Malcolm.

For more information visit: http://www.creaghconcrete.co.uk or email: SpanthermGB@CreaghConcrete.com

You can watch the NRI Civils, Geda Construction & Stapleford Homes testimonial videos at: http://www.creaghconcrete.co.uk/products/spantherm

Creagh

Tel: +44 (0) 1636 552 212

spanthermGB@creaghconcrete.com

http://www.creaghconcrete.co.uk

Twitter: @creaghconcrete

Please note: this is a commercial profile.

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Hassle-free insulated precast concrete flooring - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

New Mexico State Universitys department of art has installed a Parent Nursing Pod on the first floor ofDevasthaliHall.

The Parent Nursing Pod, distributed by the Vermont based companyMamava, is an air-conditioned space with two bench-like seats and a pull-out table. There is also a set of outlets. The pod arrived atDevasthaliearlier this month before the spring semester startedand was constructed in the building.

According to the Facilities Sustainability ManagerAllison Jenks, the pod cost roughly $18,000. While there are three designated nursing rooms on campus, located in Gerald Thomas Hall, Zuhl Library and the Business Complex, Jenks said having the pods on campus as well is really important because lactating mothers cannot schedule specific times to nurse.

The pod is temporarily inDevasthalias a supplementary program to the New Mexico State University Art Museums opening exhibitLabor: Motherhood In Art In 2020that will open on Feb.28.

The concept of [the pod] being here is integrated into the whole of what were trying to do with this exhibition, which is to show that through institutional education of why its important to understand the labor of artists and mothers in this society and in this world, Marisa Sage,director of the University Art Museum said.

Once the exhibit has concluded its run in the museum on May 28, the pod will be moved from its current residence inDevasthalito a more permanent location in the Corbett Center Student Union.

Located right inside the main entrance ofDevasthaliHall and the University Art Museum, one can gain access to the pod with theMamavaapp that will unlock the pod viaBluetooth or with a keycode. A physical key is also available at the front desk of the department of art office directly down the hall from the pod.

Sage said while the art department was writing grants forLabor: Motherhood In Art In 2020,the idea of the nursing pod was written into the grants. However, not enough funding was provided to cover the pod. During a conversation withUniversity ArchitectHeather Watenpaugh, Watenpaugh had expressed that plans were already being made for such a pod to be put in Corbett Center.

I think I told Heather [Watenpaugh] about the exhibition, and that we were hoping to get a lactation pod and or a nursing room. She told us Oh, thats really interesting, were working on this project right now to try out one of theseMamavapods and its going to go to Corbett, she said.

Sage proceeded to tell Watenpaugh that she found the idea to be amazing,and that while the grant funding was unable to cover a pod of their own, Sage was able to write moving fees in order to move the pod from Corbett Center toDevasthaliHall for the run of the exhibition.

We can go forward, like potentially we could fundraise so that we could get our own nursing parent room inDevasthaliHall, Sage stated.

The Parent Nursing Pod is available for use from 8a.m.to 5p.m.Monday through Friday, and from 10a.m.to 4p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Excerpt from:
Parent nursing station installed in Devasthali Hall - The Round Up

Selfie Museum founders Igor Benchak, left and Alex Kurylin,pose for a portraits inside their new spacein Post Alley. (Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut)

Even though it's called Selfie Museum, it's designed for people taking all kinds of pictures, hopefully of each other, interacting, says Benchaks business partner Alex Kurylin (who once operated a chain of escape rooms in cities including Seattle).

With this concept, the Denver-based duo jumps on the bandwagon of a new generation of profitable and popular Instagram factories.

In the saccharine Museum of Ice Cream in New York and San Francisco, visitors can dip themselves into a swimming pool of rainbow sprinkles. At the Color Factory in Houston, large blinking letters on a sign spell out You Are Magic. Wine-tasting meets selfie-making and a lot of pale pink backdrops in Manhattan'sRos Wine Mansion, while in The Museum of Pizza in Brooklyn, you can strike a pose amidst gooey drops of cheese. And at Candytopia in Philadelphia, the ball pit is filled with marshmallows. You get the picture. And the picture is the whole point.

The Selfie Museum doesnt beat around the bush when it comes to its core theme. Even the bathrooms double as a backdrop. In the restrooms everything is Pepto-Bismolpink, from the roses on the walls to the wig on the makeup table, not to mention the walls and the table themselves. It looks very good in pictures, Kurylin says. No matter what you wear, if you have pink backdrop, you'll look good.

People bring suitcases with different clothes so they can change for a different installation, Kurylin explains. They have different outfits, dresses. This would be a changing room, but theres also a lot of photo opportunities.

Continue reading here:
Welcome to Seattle's new Selfie Museum, where you are the masterpiece - Crosscut

MIAMI BEACH To say that the art in David and Isabela Grutmans home bombards the senses is an understatement. Over the last 15 years, Mr. Grutman, 45, a restaurateur and club owner, has amassed a sizable collection of head-turning pieces. Many are sculptures, but paintings, street art and installations in bold colors also figure in it.

Ive always really been into emerging art, but now that Im older, I also like to buy artists that are more established, said Mr. Grutman, who owns Papi Steak and LIV in Miami Beach and Swan (with Pharrell Williams) in Miami. But I never buy works for investment purposes. They have to resonate with me. Mr. Grutman said he connected with art from the 1980s and 90s, when he grew up.

He and his wife, Isabela Grutman, 27, a model, own works by several Miami-based artists including Dante Dentoni, an Argentine artist known for his Lego installations.

The couple have pieces by the Portuguese street artist Vhils, including a floor-to-ceiling plastic foam statue in their family room, and work by Kehinde Wiley, the Nigerian-American portrait painter acclaimed for his portrait of Barack Obama, now in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.

Mr. Grutman discussed collecting at the couples home, a Miami Beach bi-level where they live with their two children, Kaia, 2, and Vida, 9 months, as well as two dogs and two cats.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

When did your love of art start?

Art has appealed to me for a long time because Im a creative guy, but Miamis Wynwood Arts District inspired me to start buying my own works. I was going there more than 10 years ago before there was much development in the neighborhood and thought the arts movement happening there was really cool. It made me want to a build a collection I loved.

I became so obsessed with Wynwood that I proposed to Isabela there, and we got married inside Wynwood Walls [an outdoor gallery featuring international graffiti artists].

Where do you find your art?

Luckily, I live in Miami where Art Basel happens and discover tons of artists there who I have become friendly with. Many of them come over when theyre in town for the fair.

Your living room has more than a dozen art pieces in different mediums. Does one stand out?

Probably the canvas by Kobra. Hes a Brazilian street artist now painting on canvases, and I happened to get one of his early canvas works. I love the Amazonian influences and colors in it. Isabela, being Brazilian, has definitely gotten me more interested in Brazilian artists.

When you find artists you like, do you buy multiple works?

For sure. We have lots by Peter Tunney, the godfather of the street art movement in Miami. I love the colors he picks, the phrases he uses and how he puts it all together. I love the phrase Do what you love, and I told him to use it in a piece for me. He did, and its now probably my favorite artwork in our family room.

Tell me about the Lego installations in your living room and kitchen.

Theyre by Dante Dentoni, who is from Miami and getting national attention now. His work uses tons of color, and he likes Legos as a medium. I have a Lego installation of LIV [one of his clubs] and a bunch inspired by popular culture when I was growing up including the piece with Hulk Hogan and the one with N.W.A.s Straight Outta Compton album cover. Legos are fun you want to play with them.

Alex Yanes is another Miami installation artist that youre a fan of.

Yes. He sculpted the giant robot that surrounds the video game console thats the cornerstone of our kitchen and built the pink wood elephant hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the staircase. Its whimsical, and, like many of his works, has a retro feel.

Do you collect photography?

We own photos by Terry ONeill: pictures of Steve Martin, Raquel Welch and Michael Caine. I am taken with the way he captures talent whether hes shooting them in character or in real life.

Has your taste changed since youve had children?

I used to buy more explicit art, but now I dont. Its more kosher, the kind of stuff Id want them to appreciate.

Originally posted here:
Where Street Art Comes Indoors and Legos Climb the Walls - The New York Times