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poetry camera writes and prints poems about the people and objects it captures

Poetry Camera writes poems on its own using AI

Poetry Camera makes and prints poems about the people, objects, and surroundings it photographs using AI. Reminiscent of an instant camera, there’s a large, protruding camera lens on the boxy frame, which scans the subject. Below it, there’s a slit where the receipt-like paper prints out the poems that the AI Poetry Camera digitally pens. The design looks comical with the sizeable shutter button and viewfinder, but there’s also a nostalgic sense about it, knowing that it gives the user stanzas on a piece of paper rather than projecting them on a screen.

The AI language model that the Poetry Camera uses is from Anthropic named Claude 4. It’s the reason the device can write poems almost instantly using literary language. The user can choose the type of AI-generated poem they want, from haiku, sonnet, and limerick to alliteration and free verse, using the built-in knob. So far, the images and poems aren’t stored digitally on the Poetry Camera, meaning that the only copy the user has is the printed receipt.

all images courtesy of Poetry Camera | photo by Kaylee Pugliese/RISD

Device needs wifi connection to work

Kelin Zhang and Ryan Mather, the masterminds behind the Poetry Camera, have a ‘microfactory’ in New York where they assemble the device by hand. It’s a small team because they want to individually piece the parts together to add their personal touch to the end result. The frame is made of vacuum-cast plastic housings, and the device runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with a Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3. There’s a catch, however. The device can’t work without a WiFi connection. It relies on it to make the language model work and start churning out AI-made poems.

The team says that the Poetry Camera that writes poems on its own doesn’t train the AI model it uses. About Anthropic’s Claude 4, they also add that they ‘care to pick reputable AI model providers that do not train on your data.’ For those who are crafty, they can build the device on their own, as Kelin Zhang and Ryan Mather make it open-source. In case the user isn’t so handy, they can just order the Poetry Camera, start taking pictures, and wait for the device to write and print the poems on a piece of receipt-like paper.

there’s a slit below the lens where the receipt-like paper prints out the poems

sample AI-generated poem by the device

view of the redesigned camera with a knob that lets users choose the type of poem they want

view of the poem printed on a receipt-like paper | photo by Sam McAllister / Anthropic

first test assembly with the new mainboard

project info:

name: Poetry Camera | @poetry.camera

design: Kelin Zhang, Ryan Mather

research: Anthropic | @anthropicai

language model: Claude 4

files: here

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modular housing by cierto estudio makes space for equity and shared life in barcelona

Cierto Estudio introduces inclusive living model in Barcelona

In the heart of Barcelona, where the city’s historical fabric meets the innovation-driven 22@ district, architecture firm Cierto Estudio brings a radical vision for collective housing to life with The Room Community, part of the larger Illa Glòries redevelopment. As Building A within a four-block ensemble designed by multiple architectural teams, the dwelling introduces a new model for modular, inclusive living. Comprising 51 units surrounding generous common areas, the design supports adaptable living, social equity, and sustainable practices. ‘We are incredibly proud of the Illa Glòries project. It represents a new model for urban living, one that prioritizes community, sustainability, and the well-being of its residents,’ says Cierto Estudio. 

What sets The Room Community apart is its full-spectrum approach to care, both social and environmental. From its cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure and passive climate strategies to its robust green infrastructure, with more than 60% of the plot being landscaped, the building meets NZEB standards while mitigating the urban heat island effect. At the social level, the project is conceived from a gender perspective, with strategies that support caregiving, safety, and shared responsibility. Wide, south-facing communal walkways double as balconies and connect homes to a rooftop garden, a shaded climate refuge and social platform that strengthens neighborly ties.

images © Jose Hevia, unless stated otherwise

dismantling the nuclear family through open, fluid typologies

Winning an international competition in 2017, Cierto Estudio, a practice founded by six women architects, proposed a housing typology that dismantles conventional domestic hierarchies. Their design challenges the nuclear-family norm, offering homes that are neutral in function yet rich in possibility. The layouts are fluid, with rooms of equal size and value, encouraging occupants to define how they live. Kitchens are no longer hidden or confined to traditional gender roles; instead, they are reimagined as open, social areas, visible from the entrance and integral to daily life. Sightlines stretch diagonally across apartments, while intersections between spaces create physical and visual continuity, allowing autonomy and collectivity to coexist.

Cierto Estudio unveils collective housing project The Room Community

The Room Community rethinks visibility as tool for spatial justice

The name of the project, The Room Community, hints at its spatial philosophy, centered on a modular system of square rooms, rotated and interconnected to create typologies without hierarchies. The central junction in the floor plan serves as a main organizing element, supporting adaptable configurations for diverse and evolving household structures. With no room dominating and no single function being fixed, the idea of home is elastic, evolving with the people who inhabit it.

Rather than isolating individual units, the building opens them to shared courtyards and balconies in a contemporary reinterpretation of the corrala typology, a traditional Spanish housing model characterized by multi-story buildings with dwellings facing inward toward a common courtyard or gallery. These communal spaces make way for spontaneous interaction and collective oversight, aiming to reduce gender-based violence by increasing visibility and mutual vigilance. 

designed as Building A within a four-block ensemble led by multiple architectural teams

what public housing can be when design leads

Commissioned by the Institut Municipal de l’Habitatge i Rehabilitació de Barcelona (IMHAB), the development represents a forward-thinking approach to public housing in a city facing growing affordability challenges. In a moment when housing is increasingly commodified and standardized, Illa Glòries signals what can be achieved when public institutions back thoughtful, community-oriented design. The collaboration between teams, including Cierto Estudio, Bayona-Valero, Cantallops-Vivente, Haz Arquitectura, and others, creates an urban block that is diverse and coherent at the same time. Alongside homes, ground-floor commercial spaces and pedestrian connections make the neighborhood more vibrant, knitting the new development into the dynamic rhythm of Barcelona. 

comprising 51 units surrounding generous common areas

the design supports adaptable living, social equity, and sustainable practices

south-facing communal walkways double as balconies and connect homes to a rooftop garden | image © Marta Vidal

the central junction in the floor plan serves as a main organizing element | image © Marta Vidal

a contemporary reinterpretation of the corrala typology | image © Marta Vidal

the name of the project, The Room Community, hints at its spatial philosophy

no room dominates, and no single function is fixed | image © Marta Vidal

kitchens are no longer tucked away or gendered spaces | image © Marta Vidal

the layouts are fluid, with rooms of equal size | image © Marta Vidal

project info:

name: The Room Community – Illa Glòries

architects: Cierto Estudio | @ciertoestudio 
location: Plaça de las Glòries, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Barcelona, Spain

site area: 5,000 square meters
total built area: 35,000 square meters

design team: Marta Benedicto, Ivet Gasol, Carlota de Gispert, Anna Llonch, Lucia Millet, Clara Vidal with Mariana Gomes

collaborator: Franc Llonch
client: Institut Municipal de l’Habitatge i Rehabilitació de Barcelona (IMHAB)
construction company: SACYR
wood structure assembly: Velima
CLT supplier: Xilonor
landscape architects: Beatriz Borque + Miquel Mariné
structural engineering: Bernuz-Fernández Arquitectes S.L.P.
MEP engineering: Eletresjota Tecnics Associats S.L.P
environmental consultancy: Societat Orgànica +10 SCCL
acoustic consultancy: Àurea Acústica S.L.
construction management: Ángel Gil
photographers: José Hevia, Marta Vidal | @_martavidal

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manuel alvarez diestro’s photo series reimagines urban expansion through fabric landscapes

Manuel Alvarez Diestro captures Seas of Construction

In Seas of Construction, photographer Manuel Alvarez Diestro documents urban development across China and South Korea through a visual study of construction sites. The photography series focuses on large-scale temporary coverings, green and blue fabrics draped over terrains, that serve both functional and aesthetic roles during the construction process. These coverings, typically used to stabilize soil and reduce dust, appear in the images as expansive, textile landscapes. Their vivid coloration and scale resemble the earthworks of 20th-century land art, transforming utilitarian materials into visual metaphors within the natural and built environment.

Photographed in remote or peripheral areas beyond city centers, the sites are often transitional spaces, landscapes caught between states of erasure and emergence. The fabric surfaces take on the appearance of abstract topographies or undulating seascapes, suggesting the anticipation of new urban forms beneath.

construction site in Seoul, South Korea | all images by Manuel Alvarez Diestro

Fabrics draped over construction sites resemble seascapes

The Seas of Construction series first started taking form on Hainan Island, where photographer Manuel Alvarez Diestro noticed fabric laid across construction sites near palm trees resembled ocean waves, drawing parallels with travel calendars featuring idyllic tropical coasts. From this point, the visual metaphor of a ‘sea of construction’ began to define the conceptual lens through which the work evolved.

In recontextualizing these temporary interventions, the series presents a reinterpretation of the built environment and the materials that shape it. The photographs invite viewers to consider how urban growth is not only a structural process, but also a visual and symbolic one, where fabric becomes a medium of transformation.

construction debris covered with green fabric in Seoul, South Korea

green fabric covering land in Hainan, China

construction site in Seoul, South Korea

construction site in Seoul, South Korea

construction site in Shanghai, China

sea of green fabric in Seoul, South Korea

a vast territory covered with green and blue fabric in China

green fabric surrounds new towers in Beijing, China

mountains of stones covered with black fabric in Incheon, South Korea

project info:

name: Seas of Construction

photographer: Manuel Alvarez Diestro | @m.a.diestro

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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jacky tsai illustrates world’s first fully art-painted rocket launched into space

First Fully Artist-Painted Rocket Successfully Launched Into Orbit

A collaborative project between contemporary artist Jacky Tsai and Chinese aerospace company LandSpace has resulted in the successful launch of the world’s first fully art-painted orbital rocket. The Zhuque-2 Enhanced (ZQ-2E Y2), measuring nearly 50 meters in height, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China and crossed the Kármán line, officially entering outer space. 

This marks the first instance of a complete rocket body being treated as a unified visual artwork and deployed in a successful space mission. The design, themed around the Chinese legend ‘Chang’e Flying to the Moon,’ features continuous painted compositions depicting Chang’e, the moon palace, and celestial figures. These elements were executed using aerospace-grade paints and techniques, developed in close coordination between the artist and engineering teams. Jacky Tsai reimagined the myth through bold visual language and vibrant colors, blending Eastern narrative with contemporary aesthetics.

all images courtesy of Jacky Tsai

Jacky Tsai applies aerospace-grade paint across the entire rocket

Unlike prior examples of decorative treatments or mission insignia applied to rockets, this project involved a fully integrated surface design across the entire launch vehicle. This unprecedented initiative presented both technical and visual challenges. To realize the vision, artist Jacky Tsai worked closely with engineers to apply aerospace-grade paint and advanced production methods, ensuring the artwork remained vivid and intact under extreme launch conditions. ‘To witness my artwork launched into space on a real rocket is one of the most emotional moments of my career. Through this project, I hope to send our shared dreams and imagination truly into the cosmos,’ Tsai said.

Segments of the painted rocket body were recovered post-launch following stage separation, serving as tangible evidence of this pioneering art experiment. The project stands as a formal and material intersection between visual art and aerospace technology. This launch represents a new point of convergence between creative disciplines and space exploration, expanding the framework through which rockets may be viewed not only as engineering systems but also as cultural artifacts.

Jacky Tsai’s artwork transforms the entire rocket surface

artist Jacky Tsai worked closely with engineers to realize the surface design

aerospace-grade paint remained vivid and intact under extreme launch conditions

project info:

name: the world’s first fully artist-painted rocket
designer: Jacky Tsai | @jackytsaiart

company: LandSpace

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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floating polycarbonate roof by sp(r)int studio protects iceland’s stöng ruins

sp(r)int studio designs shelter for stöng ruins

Set within a volcanic expanse in southern Iceland, a recent project by Sp(r)int Studio brings a nuanced response to the Stöng ruins, one of the country’s most significant archaeological sites. Excavated in 1939 and protected since 1957 by a modest shelter, the Viking-era longhouse in scenic Þjórsárdalur stands as a rare and remarkably complete remnant of early Icelandic domestic architecture. The restoration builds upon this legacy, extending the site’s function and form and remaining attentive to the surrounding terrain.

The new intervention introduces a spatial framework that protects the ruins without enclosing them. The studio preserves the original 1957 structure, cladding it in untreated larch that will weather naturally with the climate. A translucent roof of polycarbonate floats above the exposed ruins, diffusing light across the excavated stonework and dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior. The result is a structure that shelters without overpowering, prioritizing legibility and atmosphere over monumentality.

images © Claudio Parada Nunes

adapting to iceland’s volcanic Topography

The site geography of the Stöng ruins informs Sp(r)int Studio’s intervention. Rather than imposing a singular gesture, the architects design the structure to unfold across the valley floor, adapting to changes in elevation and framing natural contours. Carefully laid paths, a footbridge, and a new entry platform stitch together the disparate elements of the site, subtly choreographing the visitor’s experience while limiting physical intrusion on the landscape.

From the raised entrance, visitors are led onto a viewing platform that hovers above the longhouse remains. This shift in elevation positions the ruins in their full spatial context, granting clarity without encouraging contact. The intervention privileges alignment between visitor and view, and between architecture and terrain.

the Stöng ruins sit within a volcanic valley of southern Iceland

Light, Material, and Permeability

With its Stöng ruins shelter, Sp(r)int Studio’s design language remains sparse and deliberate. Larch cladding and polycarbonate are joined by concrete footings and steel connectors, each expressed with care and intention. The structure allows air to pass through and light to shift across the surfaces, sustaining the atmospheric conditions that have shaped the ruin for centuries. Glazed apertures and roof openings are positioned to capture views of specific artifacts and architectural traces, offering points of orientation and pause.

By emphasizing porosity and restraint, Sp(r)int Studio brings a sense of continuity between the original dwelling, the previous shelter, and the new construction. Nothing is obscured. Instead, the layers of intervention remain legible, forming a cumulative archive of preservation efforts across time.

a translucent polycarbonate roof hovers above the Viking-era longhouse remains

The renovation treats the 1957 shelter as an artifact worth conserving in its own right. Rather than replacing this earlier structure, Sp(r)int Studio extends its relevance by adapting it. In this way, the project foregrounds preservation as a living process which is neither finished nor frozen. Each design move seeks to extend the life of the site, resisting erasure in favor of architectural continuity.

This approach to heritage architecture emphasizes adaptability and engagement over interpretation. The architecture leaves room for temporal shifts and environmental variation, rather than imposing a fixed narrative. This way, the project becomes an open framework through which the past can be accessed without being finalized.

Sp(r)int Studio preserves the original 1957 shelter and re-clads it in untreated larch

elevated walkways and platforms guide visitors while protecting the excavation

framed apertures direct views toward key archaeological details in the ruins

project info:

name: Stöng Ruins

architect: Sp(r)int Studio

location: Iceland

area: 385 square meters

completion: 2024

photography: © Claudio Parada Nunes | @studiocapn

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