Page 21 - International Architecture & Design Sotheby's Summer 2016

designphile techno file
NEW MOONYour outdoor gathering seems ethereal, with
globe-shaped lights dotted around your terrace or
floating dreamily around the pool. They flicker like candles or shift the mood by automatically changing colour. You owe the magic to
Globe portable LED lights from France’s Smart & Green. Measuring 50 centimetres in diameter, these orbs are waterproof, shock-
resistant and rechargeable—one six-hour boost lasts from eight to 20 hours. You can choose from three modes: static white, red, blue or green lights; automatic cycling through unlimited colours; and candle effect. The Globe’s 52 LED lights (16 white, 36 colour) are said to have a lifetime exceeding 50,000 hours—so you get maximum lighting effect without excessive energy use.
With an optional remote control, you can turn the lights on or off, and change modes and intensity, ensuring exactly the right ambience. $309, distributed in Canada by Eco Chic, eco-chic.ca —Peter Giffen
STAR GAZING
Since their heyday in the 1950s,
drive-in theatres have been in decline, a victim of rising real estate costs and changing technologies. Still, people seem to have a strong nostalgia for the experience, with communities running free open-air movies and film buffs setting up screens in their backyards.
“People love their screens. You see them in coffee shops on their mobile devices,” says Mark Garrett, vice-president of sales at Open Air Cinema in Utah. “So it’s great when you can bring everyone around the same screen—an outdoor one that’s 10 times larger than their TV.”
Open Air offers complete outdoor systems that include giant inflatable screens, high-definition 1080p projectors, powerful outdoor speakers and Blu-ray players for streaming Netflix, YouTube and the like.
Depending on the size of your yard and your audience, Open Air home systems range from a nine-foot-wide system (US$2,900), which can accommodate up to 30 people, to a 20-foot one (US$5,200) that can host as many as 500 outdoor cinephiles. Or you can go with Pro or Elite, which have screens of up to 40 by 22.5 feet and can entertain 3,000 (US$50,000). Garrett points out that a number of systems have been shipped to parks and recreation organizations in Canada, as well as to private homes.
Open Air also offers CineBike (US$3,500), a portable, bike-powered outdoor movie system suitable for health fanatics who want to burn serious calories as they munch popcorn.openaircinema.us —P.G.
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PHOTOGRAPH, BOTTOM: LAURIE LAMBRECHT