Keynote address: Foreign Bodies / Jewellery as Prosthesis

This article, published in Design Research Quarterly (3:4) October 2008, is based on the keynote address given by Prof Christoph Zellweger at the DRS conference in 2008. Design Research Quarterly. Design Research Society ISSN 1752-8445</p

Christoph Zellweger 1990 -1999

The artists first personal catalog presented images of three main bodies of work made between 1990 and 1999. Introductory text: ROWE; Michael (1999); Interview: CASTRO-CALDAS; Manuel (1999). This publication used various sumptuous papers and experimental printing techniques which reflected Zellweger’s work in different media. In 2000 the publication won a D&AD, British Design & Art Direction membership award

Patterns of doing - Patterns of wearing

Following an invitation by the Design Museum in Lisbon, mude, this personal show features works in water-jet cut pressed paper and natural rubber. Reflections on complex systems, systems of behavior and processes of doing, led to the development of ornaments to wear. Unfortunately a misunderstanding lead the use of a wrong title for this show. The short but well attended exhibition was originally planned to be entitled 'patterns of doing, patterns of wearing', but this got mixed up with the title of the lecture (Foreign Bodies / Jewellery as Prosthesis) and the title for the workshop (Mapping complexity / Patterns of doing - Patterns of wearing) which was in line with the exhibition title. The Exhibition, the public talk and the workshop took place during one week. The workshop was open to professionals and students at ArCo, Centro de Arte & Comunicacao Visual. The event was financially supported by the Swiss Embassy in Portugal

Upgrade. Perspectives on corporeal design.

In our collective search for self-realisation and improvement, societies around the globe discuss the pro’s and con’s of altering, of re-designing body parts through genetic or medical interventions and they further engage in experimenting with new technologies and procedures supported by an expanding industry. In 2010 it is possible to state, that for parts of society the human body has become a luxury item and a commodity to be optimised and aestheticised with the help of surgeons, psychologists and personal advisors. Are these professional communities engaging in Art or Design practices? What qualifies a Corporal Designer? Participants will discuss and map a possible “corporal design” practice and research that assesses such relevant cultural, social and political metamorphosis happening skin deep. The workshop aims to raise a debate on new directions of social rituals, alternative socio- political scenarios and technological departures, while encouraging the development of self- reflective practice. The workshop considers the role of the designer as author, the body as a site layered with meaning and emotion and design as a critical, transformative and speculative tool. Within this setting participants will explore issues of identity, body images and different narratives around the body, responding to factual, fictional and ethical dimensions of such phenomena

Traceability of Long-Term Atmospheric Composition Observations across Global Monitoring Networks: Chemical Metrology Applied to the Measurements of Constituents in Air, Water, and Soil

High-quality and long-term comparable time series of the relevant atmospheric observations are the essential prerequisite to understand the dynamical, physical and chemical state of the atmosphere from seasonal to multi-decadal time scales. For relevant gaseous compounds such as ozone, methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO), the requirements are secured by tracing back these observations to common primary standards. Periodical audits of the system in operation and the performance of measurement sites provide additional information about data quality and comparability. The results of 48 audits conducted by the World Calibration Centre for Surface Ozone, Carbon Monoxide and Methane (WCC-Empa) at global stations of the Global Atmosphere Watch programme (GAW) from 1996 to 2009 show that most of the audited sites meet the data quality objectives for ozone and methane whereas the situation is less uniform for carbon monoxide

Domesticated

Fitness facilities for all ages have become familiar sites in many urban public spaces and in the home. Lines between public and private spheres, between work environment, living room and home office have become blurred. In Domesticated, Christoph Zellweger presents an original body of work that reflects on omnipresent social engagement in practices of self-improvement and control. Through furniture-scale objects specifically designed to encourage interaction, Zellweger scrutinises inherent everyday experiences that individuals perform in order to deal with acceptance, fears and desires. These practices discipline our bodies and domesticate our existence. In these acts of identification we find fusion between people and their material belongings, objects as extensions of the self. Domesticated sees Zellweger reflecting on the high expectations, desires and obligations that such practices and objects evoke. The imposed duty of life-long commitment to self-improvement and design, typical of material-driven societies is here put under scrutiny, with both humoristic and critical undertones. The artist confronts the viewer, highlights our complacency in conforming to these social norms and invites us to rethink

Emissionen organischer Verbindungen aus Baumaterialien

Recently, an internationally harmonized method for the characterization of emissions of organic compounds from building materials in test chambers has been developed and tested at the EMPA. Selected results from two projects indicate clearly, that the emissions not only depend on the building material but are also strongly influenced by the mode of application. It is shown that some emissions caused by wall paints are influenced by the structure and material of the wall on which they are applied. Emissions from glues depend very strongly on structure and thickness of the glued materials

Recent advances in measurement techniques for atmospheric carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide observations

International audienceCarbon monoxide (CO) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) are two key parameters in the observation of the atmosphere, relevant to air quality and climate change, respectively. For CO, various analytical techniques have been in use over the last few decades. In contrast, N 2 O was mainly measured using gas chromatography (GC) with an electron capture detector (ECD). In recent years, new spectroscopic methods have become available which are suitable for both CO and N 2 O. These include infrared (IR) spectroscopic techniques such as cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Corresponding instruments became recently commercially available and are increasingly used at atmospheric monitoring stations. We analysed results obtained through performance audits conducted within the framework of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) quality management system of the World Meteorology Organization (WMO). These results reveal that current spectroscopic measurement techniques have clear advantages with respect to data quality objectives compared to more traditional methods for measuring CO and N 2 O. Further , they allow for a smooth continuation of historic CO and N 2 O time series. However, special care is required concerning potential water vapour interference on the CO amount fraction reported by near-IR CRDS instruments. This is reflected in the results of parallel measurement campaigns, which clearly indicate that drying the sample air leads to an improved accuracy of CO measurements with such near-IR CRDS instruments

Effect of COVID-19 on acute treatment of ST-segment elevation and Non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome in northwestern Switzerland

To investigate the effect of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the acute treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation (STEMI) and Non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).; We retrospectively identified patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suspected ACS. We evaluated the number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for STEMI, NSTE-ACS, and elective PCI cases. In STEMI patients, we assessed the time from chest pain onset (cpo) to ED presentation, post-infarction left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and time from ED presentation to PCI. We directly compared cases from two time intervals: January/February 2020 versus March/April 2020 (defined as 2 months before and after the COVID-19 outbreak). In a secondary analysis, we directly compared cases from March/April 2020 with patients from the same time interval in 2019.; From January to April 2020, 765 patients presented with acute chest pain to the ED. A dramatic reduction of ED presentations after compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak (31% relative reduction) was observed. Overall, 398 PCIs were performed, 220/398 PCIs (55.3%) before versus 178/398 PCIs (44.7%) after the outbreak. While numbers for NSTE-ACS and elective interventions declined by 21% and 31%, respectively, the number of STEMI cases remained stable. Time from cpo to ED presentation, post-infarction LVEF, and median door-to-balloon time remained unchanged.; In contrast to previous reports, our findings do not confirm the dramatic drop in STEMI cases and interventions in northwestern Switzerland as observed in other regions and hospitals around the world