pomp apartment

.... <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7469776238_c8fdcc8e04_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7469776238_c8fdcc8e04_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 681px; height: 906px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7469773098_29f3fef849_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7469773098_29f3fef849_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 679px; height: 1022px;" /></a> images: 1. <a href="http://www.timelessliving.be/Pages/index.php">Timeless Living</a>, more here. 2. Indipendenza Studio : Sunny Side Up "Fredrik Værslev’s first solo exhibition in Italy. In his latest body of work, Fredrik Værslev has turned his attention to an often overlooked, yet all-pervasive component of the visual grammar and basic iconography of suburbia. Grammars and iconographies that the artist continues to rigorously scrutinize and also to vividly immerse himself in. These new paintings make immanent the diagram, look, and temporality of the canopy. In suburban residential areas canopies shelter, hide, promote, embellish and mark houses, row houses, duplexes, apartment buildings and blocks. Alien canvas-like patches, shells and surfaces attached to an architecture that is often prefabricated, canopies are accessories that both serve as arbitrary outside décor as well as highly functional prostheses that facilitate certain operations carried out by these buildings. Anyone familiar with suburban communities know that these canopies also form assemblages in and by themselves; patterns, fabrics, colors, formats, and striations - and that these, in turn, engage in competing compositions. Which ornamental-facilitating canopies are able to elevate their houses, owners and neighborhoods to a position that solicits and communicates good taste, money, and social status? And which ones perform the inverse actions? Ugly, untidy and tarnished ones - or those simply in bad taste - can negatively affect huge residential areas both socially and financially. " <a href="http://www.indipendenzastudio.com/exhibitions.html?exh=36&page=press">(more here)</a> <a href="http://www.indipendenzastudio.com/exhibitions.html?exh=36&page=press"></a> --------------

.... images: 1. Timeless Living , more here. 2. Indipendenza Studio : Sunny Side Up " Fredrik Værslev ’s first solo exhibition in Ital...

5:48 PM

"a form of truth"

In the sleepy West Of the woody East Is a valley full Full o' pioneer We' re not just kids To say the least We got ideas : To us that' s dear Like capitalism Like communism Like lots of things - frank black, pixies <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7455325792_4fb42483ef_c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7455325792_4fb42483ef_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 573px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7455358154_e62ab30a6d_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7455358154_e62ab30a6d_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 709px; height: 491px;" /></a> “I do in-depth research, buying fittings and moldings from the period in order to establish a framework that conveys a form of truth, but avoiding anachronisms,” Dirand says. “I don’t want volumes and objects that are there just to be beautiful. Beauty fades fast—what one retains is how beauty fits into the context. For many years I refused to draw inspiration from the past, but today, after making my share of mistakes and breaking free from my own taboos, I no longer rely on any formula, starting from zero with every new site. It seems so obvious to me now: the spaces, countries, cultures and clients are all unique. And yet ultimately they are all interconnected, like the chapters of a novel drawn from past experience—from life.” - Joseph Dirand <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7455271944_db33d6998a_c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7455271944_db33d6998a_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 533px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7455272338_6c83fb56b8_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7455272338_6c83fb56b8_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 557px;" /></a> "a form of truth" the firms: 1. Andersson-Wise 2. Joseph Dirand 3. Andersson-Wise 4. Darryl Carter ------

"a form of truth"

In the sleepy West Of the woody East Is a valley full Full o' pioneer We' re not just kids To say the least We got ideas : To us tha...

9:21 AM

Flection

"Throughout art history, the depiction of folds and drapery to create three-dimensional space in a work of art was of primary importance, and how well executed they were was a testament to an artist’s ability." <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7437911816_eb8a61fd22_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7437911816_eb8a61fd22_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 696px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Michael Delucia, 2012 </div> Flection 22 June — 1 September 2012 Hedge Gallery is pleased to present the upcoming show “Flection”, curated by Sabrina Buell. This group exhibition features works, many of them new and exhibited for the first time, by Michael DeLucia, Liam Everett, Anna Sew Hoy, Ruth Laskey, Arik Levy, Sam Orlando Miller, Clare Rojas, Hugh Scott-Douglas and Sara VanDerBeek. Throughout art history, the depiction of folds and drapery to create three-dimensional space in a work of art was of primary importance, and how well executed they were was a testament to an artist’s ability. With the rise of modernism and abstraction in the 20th century, such pictorial efforts became irrelevant and practically obsolete. Lately, however, contemporary artists who employ the visual language of abstraction have re-incorporated the representation of folds and drapery into their practice. The surfaces of these works, whether flat or sculpted, rough or sleek, become planes imbued with depth and conspicuous complexity. But whereas in the past this pictorial technique was an attempt to heighten the realism within a work, the artists in this exhibition employ the technique to deepen, quite literally, their abstraction. Working in different media and with varied processes, together these artists offer multi-faceted works that turn the art historical tradition of folds and drapery on its head. Hedge was founded by Roth Martin and Steven Volpe to present objects of exceptional quality that articulate their own historical moment and connection to significant cultural and craft traditions. Hedge represents the work of Erna Aaltonen, Ernst Gamperl, Christopher Kurtz, Arik Levy, Tony Marsh, Sam Orlando Miller, Ritsue Mishima, Paul Philip, and Aaron Silverstein, among others, and stands for the value of bringing authentic, rare, and accomplished work to public view. (all text taken from Hedge) <a href="http://www.hedgegallery.com/#/home/"> go to HEDGE</a> --------

Flection

"Throughout art history, the depiction of folds and drapery to create three-dimensional space in a work of art was of primary importan...

9:50 PM

a store visit with Badia for Remodelista

"The owners have been importing furniture, lighting, and rugs from Morocco for the past 20 years, and the showroom features room after room of artisan-made, handcrafted works." <a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/7420310770_db57c51b7d_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/7420310770_db57c51b7d_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 464px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7420309998_74749811a9_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7420309998_74749811a9_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 699px; height: 863px;" /></a> Go ahead, and get lost. One of the best parts of interior design is searching for the works that will eventually become part of a home. I've been in Los Angeles for over 12 years now, and I continue to discover new neighborhoods, streets, markets, and importers for the very first time. Remodelista, a leading design site, recently included my photos in their week long focus on Moroccan design. If you missed the article,<a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://remodelista.com/posts/las-moroccan-emporium-badia-design"> take a look at it here.</a> In addition, our firm, <a href="http://discinteriors.com/DISC/HOME.html">DISC Interiors </a>has been included on their design directory. <a href="http://remodelista.com/architects-designers/firms/disc-interiors">Take a look here. </a>Thank you Remodelista! "The first time I visited Badia, I was amazed at the vast amount of Moroccan goods they carried. The owners have been importing furniture, lighting, and rugs from Morocco for the past 20 years, and the showroom features room after room of artisan-made, handcrafted works. If you decide to make an excursion, be sure to take note of the exact address, as the storefront is easily missed (keep an eye out for the large metal decorative doors marking the entrance)." - David John <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7420309626_819582593a_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7420309626_819582593a_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 773px;" /></a><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7420465050_9ee80c6023_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7420465050_9ee80c6023_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 467px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7420310376_241f805ef1_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7420310376_241f805ef1_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 918px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7420368018_475015d85d_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7420368018_475015d85d_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 615px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7420311058_33c14df6a6_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7420311058_33c14df6a6_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 940px;" /></a><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/7420464204_d77445027c_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/7420464204_d77445027c_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 466px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7420311532_e29d3e9cbd_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7420311532_e29d3e9cbd_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 1019px;" /></a> Badia Design Inc. 5420 Vineland Avenue North Hollywood, CA 91601 -------------- ------------------

a store visit with Badia for Remodelista

"The owners have been importing furniture, lighting, and rugs from Morocco for the past 20 years, and the showroom features room after...

8:38 AM

"Villa Otto Wild" by Kathrin Geiges

"An old house, an empty villa which was about to be broken down. It was probably my enthusiasm for ancient objects that brought me to this inspiration. " <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/7409271430_a752e5cbf5_h.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/7409271430_a752e5cbf5_h.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 670px; height: 939px;" /></a> "Villa Otto Wild" : a guest post by Kathrin Geiges for YHBHS "When buildings start to tell a story... So here I am. Alone on my own. With the key in my hand in front of an unfamiliar door to a vacant house. For a hundredth of a second I shudder and I'm playing with the thought of returning… That’s the beginning of my story. But let’s start in sequence. I had this idea floating in my head that screamed out to be realized. An old house, an empty villa which was about to be broken down. It was probably my enthusiasm for ancient objects that brought me to this inspiration. The idea was born and I was already facing my first problem. Where do I find an empty villa? As a kid of the social media generation, I referred myself to Facebook and put all my hope in my 300 friends. "I am looking for an ancient villa, house or storage building, which is soon to be broken down .... does anyone have an idea?" I typed it in as my status and waited impatiently for an answer. Facebook should surprise me positively. And so it did. "There is a Villa in Muri. Unfortunately I don’t know if it’s still standing or not. So you’d better contact the community first" commentated a friend. No sooner said than done! I picked up the phone and called the Building Department. The telephone conversation took place without any problem and a split second later, the community worker handed me over the key to the Villa Otto Wild. What a moment! “So here I am” I told myself and read the sign on the door "Otto Wild". All I knew at that time was, that Otto Wild lived behind that door until 2006. Now it belongs to the community of Muri. The house has been empty ever since. That was all. That's all I knew. With a weird feeling, I grabbed the door handle and put the key into the keyhole. After several attempts I finally opened the massive door, then something magical happened to me. I could not believe my eyes. From that moment I felt like I am in a movie. Every room, every floor I entered was tidied up and just amazing. I expected nothing and gained everything ! Beautiful old furniture, lamps on the floor and curtains still hang there. It was like I can feel the soul of this wonderful building. Something that is still in here and keeps the beauty of this mansion. It was something really special, that I haven’t experienced so far. I cannot describe it in words, but I think you can it see on my photos. And the whole time I felt like Otto Wild would come home any moment... - Kathrin Geiges <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7409179730_e078657a25_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7409179730_e078657a25_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 631px; height: 953px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5113/7409180878_d6c35d2924_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5113/7409180878_d6c35d2924_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 633px; height: 955px;" /></a> Kathrin Geiges: "born in the nineties, currently doing a preparation year in arts and applying for studying photography at an arts university in Switzerland. I am impressed by people’s stories and see myself as someone who has to document individuals around me with photographs." <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://kathringeiges.ch/index.php?/photography/villa-otto-wild/">contact Kathrin Geiges here. </a> all photos and text by by Kathrin Geiges ----------------

"Villa Otto Wild" by Kathrin Geiges

"An old house, an empty villa which was about to be broken down. It was probably my enthusiasm for ancient objects that brought me to...

10:48 AM

a conversation with Steven Harrington for FvF

"Elements of 80’s postmodernism and airbrushed playfulness are blended with a simple ”feel good” California 60‘s vibe. It’s hard not to smile when looking at his work." <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7395149340_0bcac93010_c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7395149340_0bcac93010_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 466px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7075/7395149670_9c3aa68905_c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7075/7395149670_9c3aa68905_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 467px;" /></a> I recently interviewed Steven Harrington for Freunde von Freunden.. The entire interview and photos are on the site,<a href="http://www.freundevonfreunden.com/interviews/steven-harrington/"> here. </a>All photographs are by<a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://ailineliefeld.com/"> Ailine Liefeld. </a> The sun was already becoming intense when we met up with Steve Harrington at his studio near Atwater Village in Los Angeles. The exterior of his studio is painted in a matte black charcoal, a simple modern structure on a semi-residential, unremarkable street. Harrington wears many hats as an art director, a designer, and an artist. It’s often times hard to see where one division starts and where one ends, though. His passion and dedication to create is apparent, and definitely deserves the received attention and respect he has gotten for his work over the past years. Steven Harrington’s art work can be hyper-colorful, while seemingly drawing influences from the street artists on Venice Beach. Elements of 80’s postmodernism and airbrushed playfulness are blended with a simple ”feel good” California 60‘s vibe. It’s hard not to smile when looking at his work. His art has been shown in American and European galleries, and he has recently collaborated with Generic Surplus, designing a shoe along with a loose narrative based on the “crystal skulls.” We traveled by car up into the hills of South Pasadena, a nearby suburb of Los Angeles to Steven’s home. While each winding turn took us higher, the views quickly became more epic with each curve. Steven’s home is tucked away from the road, a hidden retreat of sorts, filled with friends’ artwork. It’s the perfect home to watch a Californian sunset. On the way out, I found a quote handwritten by his girlfriend on a small piece of paper, taped to their mirror. It reminded me of the conversation that Steven and I just had, relating to the ideas of creation, death, along with “the crystal skulls.” It stated “Real authentic change emerges only from a place of deep focus and intention.” Well said. - David John <a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5343/7395148540_30500cc538_c.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5343/7395148540_30500cc538_c.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 466px;" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;">the studio of Steven Harrington <div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.freundevonfreunden.com/">FvF</a> is an international interview magazine that portrays people of diverse creative and cultural backgrounds in their homes or within their daily working environments. Our content aspires to present multifaceted personal perspectives including impressions of cities, various art scenes and international urban living. 0-------------- </div></div>

a conversation with Steven Harrington for FvF

"Elements of 80’s postmodernism and airbrushed playfulness are blended with a simple ”feel good” California 60‘s vibe . It’s hard not t...

9:44 AM

A conversation with Charles de Lisle

"The forms are all very internal and bold for me, sort of these Darth Vader/Ellsworth Kelly alter egos I think. " <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7179409231_b302082120_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7179409231_b302082120_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 467px;" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"> "I was really interested in the method of carving with chainsaws to build natural forms with really robust man-made textures." - Charles de Lisle 2012 </div><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5038/7364636338_7b87435059_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5038/7364636338_7b87435059_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 467px;" /></a> I distinctly remember discovering the interiors created by Charles de Lisle a year or so ago. His work is the result of 25 years of working within the art of ceramics, metalwork, custom furniture, product design, decoration and interiors. His "handwork" is evident, allowing him to create residential and commercial spaces that are inviting, timeless, thoughtful, and poetic. In his widely published project,<a href="http://cdlworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/MG_9524.jpg"> the William Wurster Ranch</a> in N. California, Charles created a perched brass/rope branch chandelier over a light blue laminate and ply table which energized the whole space. In this<a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" href="http://cdlworkshop.com/2009/08/04/decorator-showcase/"> interior space for the SF Showcase</a>, his modernist forms push and pull the interior dimensions, recalling elements of Josef Frank, Stanley Kubrick, and Adolf Loos. (It also appears as if the forms of "the chainsaw chairs" were first revealed in this space.) His sense of color, earthy textures, vibrant patterns, and materials are strictly his own. In 2011, Charles de Lisle introduced a collection of furniture & lighting at SF20/21: San Francisco 20th Century Art and Design Show. This week, June 11-17, at Design/Miami Basel, he is showing his chainsaw chairs and mirrors via <a href="http://www.hostlerburrows.com/">Hostler/Burrows Gallery.</a> In addition, he recently completed the interior for a cafe in Mexico City. In our conversation, he explained how he found himself "surprised about the how Mexico city has this feeling of potential, very different than here in the states. " Thank you Charles. - David John <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7179409937_0dd12b8654_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7179409937_0dd12b8654_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 699px; height: 699px;" /></a> What was the starting point for these new works? I started working on furniture just for the sake of exploring forms and materials. My background was in ceramics and I was missing the immediacy of "making" versus designing. This form was initially made up in upholstery, and morphed into wood at a time where I had met an artist who assisted Northern Californian sculptor JB Blunk 30 years ago. We began talking about working on some projects together as I was really interested in the method of carving with chainsaws to build natural forms with a really robust man-made textures. This work is all about the moment and the individual piece. We search for wood, then let the shape, dimension and character of the specific cut help determine the final form. Not a new idea by any stretch, just where I happened to be. Where did you source this wood from? The chairs are comprised from one, 17 foot long redwood slab that was salvaged from a grove in Sonoma county where George Nakashima pulled material for his redwood tables in the 1970's. The black finish is shoe leather dye, made in the Bay Area, and is the same satin method JB worked with as well. It saturates the grain in a intense and deep black, which allows the hand and mark-making to be seen in the reflection of the light on the surface. I'm interested in both the story that the making references, as well as a new story that happens by combining different visual languages. The forms are all very internal and bold for me, sort of these Darth Vader/Ellsworth Kelly alter egos I think. We are working on other characters right now, benches, dressing mirrors, tables, we will see what kind of family they grow up to be. Why are you motivated to make objects? Does it mean something specific to you? I'm not sure what object making means to me, other than it is an outlet for expression. I've always been a maker of things. I think in the sculptural format, and I have this ability to engineer parts in my head then realize with my hands, or via drawing. I love the act of "taking away," a sense of carving, editing, and deconstructing. This combination of engineering and dismantling interests me, and I believe it comes through in the forms & styles I gravitate towards making. <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7179399037_ab263e6d13_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7179399037_ab263e6d13_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 702px; height: 970px;" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"> "Inspired by the traditional Mexican "tree of life" bas-reliefs I had seen in old haciendas. Ours was made in plaster by the grandson of one of the last sculptors in the city to create and repair the relief work in the old churches." </div> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7364626992_3c486e7b6d_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7364626992_3c486e7b6d_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 704px; height: 527px;" /></a> You recently completed a project in Mexico City, the Bistro Maximo. What area of town? Mexico DF, Colonia Roma at the corner of Zacatecas and Tonala How do you go about designing an international project? I was very lucky to be having lunch on my first trip to Mexico in a small retreat in Yelapa, where what was being served was unbelievable. I became friends with the chef and his girlfriend and we realized we all had the same obsession with food, rented a car for a day and went off in search of local eats in the western mountains. Months later they called and had been looking at spaces around La Roma in DF and asked if I would come down and help. From there we combined our individual talents and learned how to build the restaurant together. Did you spend a lot of time there? Every month or so I would head south to work on the space. I traded my time for the chance to visit the city and learn from a natives perspective. First impressions of Mexico City? Mexico City has a great sprawl that still feels both local and super-urban simultaneously. It's one of those fantastic cities that shows its wear on the surface... You can clearly see each moment where the economy or the culture flowered through its{still intact} buildings : Hacienda, colonial, 1940's deco, 60's modern, and now, contemporary. There is also this interesting mix of the dryness of the surrounding desert, and the humid, dense tropical that permeates your senses… I love visiting. Any favorite spots to visit while there? The Luis Barragán house I've toured twice and still find it unbelievable. The Jose Vasconcelos Library is a great, And I really have become dependent on early breakfast at Fonda Las Margaritas. Is there an aspect of Luis Barragán's work that appeals to you? The Barragan house really resonates with me: the subtle light, the color palette, and it's overall dynamic quality. Each room had a path and a way that the light and the architecture led you through a very focused experience, more so than a house just to live in. This house seems to have been made for contemplating. The pink, mango and gold colors in the entry hall, hands down is one of the most amazing combinations I have witnessed. The big handmade lamps and table-scapes of artifacts, the simple low furniture, an appreciation for ceramics. All things I love to see. <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7364627258_bf48e30307_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7364627258_bf48e30307_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 699px; height: 933px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7179399413_6f347691af_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7179399413_6f347691af_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 469px;" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"> the Bistro Maximo, Mexico City, interiors by Charles de Lisle </div> Did you connect with a design community while in Mexico City? Somehow I haven't yet dug into the design world there as I have been distracted with connecting with contemporary art or finding myself surprised about the how city has this feeling of potential, very different that here in the states. Everyone there seems more eager to talk or try something new, or be excited about opportunity. Design and food culture seems to have room for creativity. The materials that were used for this project? Everything was made by hand, the menu was to be local and fresh, so the idea was to mirror that and create a local styled space that reflected something traditional and Mexican, but would also feel fresh. We found the simple form of Mexican farm chairs we came across and came up with a modern version with pared down details. The napkins were made on hand-looms in Oaxaca, the dishes all from a small second generation ceramics shop in the city, traditional concrete floors, black painted trim. We collected from our travels both vintage items for the restaurant and great contacts for craftspeople to work with. The floor tiles. Were they made in Mexico? Are they Concrete? The green gingham floor tiles are concrete and were custom colored at a Mexican factory specializing in this old Moorish style. Super bright and graphic referencing these colorful screen-printed metal tables found in the market food stalls and fondas. Where did you shop for the Italian lighting? I was introduced by a friend to Claudia Fernandez, a Mexico City artist, who has a showroom of vintage furniture and lighting in an amazing old colonial house. She and I both have a similar, strong affinity for Italian design. Most of the fixtures are 1960's Lightolier. Where is her shop? Oh god...I can't remember. It was pouring rain my first trip there...! My office might have the address at my office. Tell me about the the tree? It was inspired by the traditional Mexican "tree of life" bas-reliefs I had seen in old haciendas. Ours was made in plaster by the grandson of one of the last sculptors in the city to create and repair the relief work in the old churches. Instead of holding saints, we decided on gold pinstriped church candles. He cast and carved all the parts in a studio on his roof, and then assembled and finished at the site. I admire how you use a single candle in a few different interiors. Thanks ! I think the walls above those shelves at Maximo are super black from soot now. I love that too. <div style="text-align: center;">----------------- </div> "Charles de Lisle's experience spans the last 25 years working within the art of ceramics, metalwork, custom furniture, product design, decoration and interiors. Following 10 years as principal and partner of the firm De lisle, Philpotts & Staub, Charles founded his own office the Charles de Lisle Workshop. He continues to assist his clients produce inspired, award-winning residences, hotels & restaurants." <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://cdlworkshop.com/">visit Charles de Lisle Workshop...</a> ----------------

A conversation with Charles de Lisle

"The forms are all very internal and bold for me, sort of these Darth Vader/Ellsworth Kelly alter egos I think. " "I was r...

12:03 AM

Shiro Kuramata

"He knew that you can chase novelty, but that originality is something you have to find inside yourself, within the ordinary rather than the extraordinary. " - John Pawson on Shiro Kuramata <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7355746630_f24cd2d44c_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/7355746630_f24cd2d44c_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 699px; height: 757px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Shiro Kuramata Unique cabinet, ca. 1983 from the office of Tetsu Konagaya, President of Livina Yamagiwa, Tokyo <a href="http://www.phillipsdepury.com/auctions/lot-detail/SHIRO-KURAMATA/NY050112/68/6/1/12/detail.aspx#">taken from Phillips de Pury DESIGN June 15th Auction, here. </a></div> "My first encounter with Shiro Kuramata was on the pages of Domus. It was 1968 and I was nineteen. For the first time in my life I found myself looking at work which I could recognise, which set something resonating inside me. Some years later, when I was living in Japan, I opened a copy of one of Kuramata’s books in a Tokyo bookshop and experienced that powerful sense of rightness again. With the audacity of youth, I decided to call the master at his studio and introduce myself. Perhaps he was polite, perhaps he thought he must know me, perhaps it was because I was foreign – which at that time still made one a little special - whatever the case, he suggested we meet for coffee. And so a period of architectural stalking began. I was never a formal apprentice. I simply spent as much time as possible in his studio – a cramped studio opening off a modest courtyard in an obscure part of Tokyo - watching Kuramata work, browsing through his books, breathing the same air. I remember reading an interview with one of his staff. Asked about the circumstances in which he had been taken on, the architect explained that he had been visiting an exhibition, when he “ran into Mr Kuramata in the elevator and became engrossed in conversation”. That was how it was. "He taught me the value of discipline and poetry. He was full of both himself. His capacity for hard work seemed boundless; his determination to get things right absolute. For him design was something which happened inside the head. Sketching was a way to record the outcome of a process which had already essentially taken place. “Once a pen sketch is made”, he explained to his staff, “it sits real deep inside oneself and dismantling it later can be difficult”. Another favorite phrase was, “It can be changed until the first nail”. He was, unusually, an architect who was more interested in space than form. This was as true of his furniture and objects as it was of his interiors. He found ways of making fixed forms seem fluid, of making substance appear substanceless. Light, which itself has no form but can create the illusion of form, was the perfect medium for Kuramata. He also worked extensively with transparent materials, with glass and with perspex. Where I like to work with stone and wood, his preference was for synthetic materials whose perfect surfaces gave the impression of something which had spontaneously materialised in space. It allowed his work to retain the cerebral, abstract quality of thought and appear hyper-real at one and the same time. More than anyone else before or since, Kuramata could take the familiar and wrap it in strangeness, making it lyrical and sensuously beautiful. He understood that novelty and originality are different. He knew that you can chase novelty, but that originality is something you have to find inside yourself, within the ordinary rather than the extraordinary. One of his great gifts was is in taking the everyday and transfiguring it into something which was new to our eyes but familiar to our souls." - John Pawson on Shiro Kuramata <a href="http://www.johnpawson.com/essays/shirokuramata">taken from here.</a> -----------------

Shiro Kuramata

"He knew that you can chase novelty, but that originality is something you have to find inside yourself , within the ordinary rather t...

3:19 PM

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

"There are moments, days, during which it is possible, so to speak by surprise, to capture fragments of everyday life which correspond exactly with the reality of our sensations." - Carlo Mollino <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7166950115_cf290545a8_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7166950115_cf290545a8_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 701px;" /></a> Mirror :Light diffusing plexiglas, solid surface, transparent film, one-way smoked mirror, LEDs. Galerie BSL edition of 8 + 4 AP. </div> A few months ago, I became fascinated with <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://youhavebeenheresometime.blogspot.com/2012/01/noe-duchaufour-lawrance-designer.html">Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance's work, and posted a completed residence.</a> Noe designed the interiors of the avant-garde showroom, Galerie BSL in Paris for Director Béatrice Saint-Laurent. Next week for Design Miami/Basel, Galerie BSL will exhibit a solo show, entitled "Naturoscopie. With these latest works, "the designer is resolutely committed to go beyond a literal transcription of nature to rekindle the impressions and sensations that we all feel in facing certain natural phenomena." Step into the void, fellow travelers. - David John <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7166949937_39ebe462b3_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7166949937_39ebe462b3_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 467px;" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"> Coffee Tables : Light diffusing plexiglas, smoked plexiglas, solid surface and medium, printed plexiglas mirror, LEDs. Galerie BSL edition of 8 + 4 AP. </div> ‘Naturoscopie’ - Solo show Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance <a href="http://www.galeriebsl.com/">Galerie BSL</a>: G12, Design Miami/Basel, Basel Naturoscopie III – "Two coffee tables and a mirror. Each of these objects functions like a photographic black box, a developer of images and emotions. The perception of a landscape, of a changing sky, a sunset or an aurora borealis is supported by the partial, moving and coloured vision of a photograph printed on aluminium and concealed inside. What is important here is not the image itself, but the impressions contained in a past moment, in a souvenir kept alive thanks to the object which houses it and the lighting system implemented. The Led spots alternately dance across the printed surface. The photograph is never totally visible. The experience of the object thus becomes progressive, leaving the spectator free to project himself into his own sensory memory. " Galerie BSL "Established in Paris in the Haut-Marais, Galerie BSL presents one-off and limited-edition pieces that explore the shifting borders between contemporary art, design and architecture, thus modeling and nurturing new frontiers in design. The gallery commissions and showcases both established names and emerging talent working in today's international design scene, including Nacho Carbonell, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Charles Kalpakian, among others. Rare vintage 20th century lighting and designer jewellery produced for the gallery complete this avant-garde and exclusive world. Directed by Béatrice Saint-Laurent, Galerie BSL was an honoree at the ‘Best of Year’ awards 2010 selected by Interior Design magazine (United States) for the originality of its concept, as well as its interior design by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. " photography by Ulysse Frechelin --------------------

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

"There are moments, days, during which it is possible, so to speak by surprise, to capture fragments of everyday life which correspon...

11:39 AM

Lluís Lleó

"a compelling desire to release fresco painting from the confines of architecture and bring it to life as a three-dimensional, experiential object." <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7163644787_42c313793a_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7163644787_42c313793a_b.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 872px;" /></a><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7163645041_293c88bd37_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7163645041_293c88bd37_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 561px;" /></a> <a href="http://r20thcentury.com/"> R 20th Century</a> will be premiering the work of Lluís Lleó in Design Miami Basel 2012. "Lluís Lleó (b. 1961), is a self-taught, fourth generation painter who grew up immersed in the classical history of painting from ancient times through the 20th century. His father, Joan Lleó, influenced Lluís’s particular interest in fresco painting by giving Lluís early exposure to his studio work and to the spectacular medieval frescoes in museums as well as in the rural churches and chapels throughout the Spanish countryside. By definition, a fresco painting is intrinsically part of a building—the water-based paint is chemically bonded into the wet plaster. Much of Lluís Lleó’s work references this tradition, while at the same time exhibiting a compelling desire to release fresco painting from the confines of architecture and bring it to life as a three-dimensional, experiential object. Many of his pieces combine painting, design, architecture and sculpture in one exquisitely minimal and elegant form. As curator Pilar Parcerisas wrote, Lleó “does not apply painting to architecture, but he transforms painting into architecture.” In his work, Lleó unites a very classical approach to painting—as well as his almost innate talent for the art form—with his uniquely contemporary ideas about how art can be experienced. Lleó’s masterful, almost playful, manipulation of form, volume and light offers the viewer a sense of discovery and wonder. Born in Barcelona, Lleó lives and works in New York, NY. His work is included in museums and collections worldwide." <a href="http://basel2012.designmiami.com/">Design Miami/ Basel </a>is the global forum for design. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce. Occurring alongside the Art Basel fairs in Miami, USA each December and Basel, Switzerland each June, Design Miami/ has become the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design. Design Miami/ is more than a marketplace for collectible design, where the world’s top galleries gather to present museum-quality exhibitions of 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting and objets d’art. all photos by Sherry Griffin/R 20th Century. ----------------------

Lluís Lleó

"a compelling desire to release fresco painting from the confines of architecture and bring it to life as a three-dimensional, experie...

10:35 AM

Spatial Environment

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the sacred wunderkind You took me behind a dis-used railway line And said "I know a place where we can go Where we are not known" <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQWvMUzTgIk">(T.T.T.T.)</a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7333642770_d55ddfa25c_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7333642770_d55ddfa25c_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 652px; height: 490px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7333589466_60a83d7d69_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7333589466_60a83d7d69_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 651px; height: 897px;" /></a> Ambienti Spaziali: "a complex labyrinth of glaring luminosity in which the viewer loses all sense of direction and time and ends against a wall cut by a single slash." 1. Lucio Fontana Ambienti Spaziali May 3 - June 30, 2012 @ <a href="http://www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/lucio-fontana--may-03-2012">Gagosian, NY</a> "Fontana's fascination for the advancements of science and technology during the twentieth century led him to approach art as a series of investigations into a wide variety of mediums and methods. As a sculptor, he experimented with stone, metals, ceramics, and neon; as a painter he attempted to transcend the confines of the two-dimensional plane. In a series of manifestos, beginning with the Manifesto blanco (White Manifesto) of 1946, Fontana announced his goals for a "spatialist" art, one that could engage technology to achieve an expression of the fourth dimension in a radical new aesthetic idiom that melded the categories of architecture, sculpture, and painting. A sculptor trained in classical techniques, Fontana was initially known for grand and innovative sculptures produced for trade fairs and exhibitions promoting the ideology of Fascism in Italy. But these early examples already contained a rationalist abstract language that pointed to an awareness of the most daring rationalist architectonic experiments of Edoardo Persico and Giuseppe Terragni." 2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Biedermeier-Bauhaus-Sigrid-Sangl/dp/0810957086">Biedermeier to Bauhaus</a>, by Singrid Sangl "From the Renaissance to the early 20th century, curator Sigrid Sangl traces the complex but characteristic interior design styles found throughout Germany, literally opening the doors to a variety of exceptional interiors. Most of the featured residences—townhouses, royal palaces, artists’ studios, and rural retreats—have never before been photographed. Barbara and René Stoeltie’s sumptuous full-color images, many specially commissioned for this book, convey both the grand scale and the distinguishing details of each style: 16th-century wood-paneled parlors with furniture in matching inlaid patterns; elaborate Baroque wall paintings inspired by exotic plant forms; sturdy, stalwart Biedermeier tables and chairs; the sinuous, ornamental curves of Jugendstil; and the simple, streamlined functionalism of the Bauhaus. " ----------------------

Spatial Environment

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the sacred wunderkind You took me behind a dis-used railway line And said " I know a place where...

11:11 PM

Barragan vs. Mangold : "The Quiet Revolution"

"try me, senseless today. before daylight they came. falling, not to get up. before, nothing could change. <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7315244118_d83c70305f_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7315244118_d83c70305f_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 690px; height: 969px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7315171624_b85b16343e_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7315171624_b85b16343e_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 499px;" /></a> "try me, so tender. the last time it's so nice to get there. try me, so tender. bet you don't foget to wonder too. a balance has taken so long." 1. Luis Barragan House, Tacubaya, Mexico City 1947 ... "Through a combination of International Style and traditional Mexican architecture and materials, Barragan created a modernism not of industrialized Europe, but of pre-industrial Mexico, not of sleek steel and glass but of warm, natural materials; not of the modernist "machine for living" but of spaces that respect human needs. - "Barragan" Armando Salas Portugal photographs, Rizzoli 2. Julia Mangold Untitled, 1994 Waxed steel 100 x 205 x 15 cm Private collection, USA. <a href="http://www.barthacontemporary.com/jmangold/works/steel_wall_sculptures.html">Bartha Contemporary.</a> ... "Striped to a bare minimum Mangold’s sculptures and works on paper reflect on a visual language associated with early American Minimalism as well as European concrete art, however rather than merely relying on a limited notion of romanticised modernism or an hard edge aesthetic the artist’s works evolve through a refined play on human scale and the deliberate confrontation of precise forms and sensual surfaces. It is the artist’s inherent ability to unite these two seemingly opposing traits, which in turn lend the works an extraordinary sense of presence." <a style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLTtNXkVy3s">all lyrics by sea and cake, "everyday"</a> ----------------- --------------------

Barragan vs. Mangold : "The Quiet Revolution"

"try me, senseless today. before daylight they came. falling, not to get up. before, nothing could change. "try me, so tender. ...

9:25 AM