Sonic Trace’s La Burbuja Showcased at Dwell on Design 2012

By Javier Cabral KCRW generated quite the design buzz this last weekend at the Dwell on Design exhibition. Sonic Trace, a project of KCRW & AIR (Association of Independents in…

By Javier Cabral

KCRW generated quite the design buzz this last weekend at the Dwell on Design exhibition. Sonic Trace, a project of KCRW & AIR (Association of Independents in Radio), was there to personally showcase the 30 submissions received for the sound booth design challenge, with a focus on the winning design submitted by Hugo Martinez and Christin To of Mat-ter: La Burbuja or Bubble.

“It’s really humbling, totally unexpected and a distorted reality” commented Martinez, the immigrant designer born in Huetamo, Michoacan when asked about his feelings towards his accomplishment of being the ambassador for KCRW at the lauded event.

All of the submissions were shown Friday, Saturday and Sunday via a projected slideshow on the white, KCRW booth wall. They were also compiled in an oversize folder, making it easy for spectators to flip through them and gawk as much as they liked. You can see those same images on Flickr.

And gawk they did: “Is it built yet?” “Where will the first location be?” were among the questions repeated by spectators, intrigued to find KCRW exhibiting design at DOD.

Sustainability and luxury — sometimes both at the same time — and spherical mimicry were the resonating themes of the show. There were bubble tents, bubble gazebos and yes, a bubble sound booth.

Toto and Kohler were duking it out for the luxury toilet of the world title, their booths were located almost directly across from each other too. Airstream retrofitted trailers held perhaps the most prime real estate, right up front and center as soon as you walked in. Fleetwood’s custom luxury sliding windows and doors set up looked like a surrealistic glass house but a surrealistic glass house protecting you from UV Rays without the use of dark tinting. The whole back section was reserved for experimental, sustainable, landscape design. To AstroTurf or not to AstroTurf, that is the question…

Stay tuned in for updates on La Burbuja and details on the unique stories it will produce.