May 01
Dispatch from London: Donya Coward
Posted in: Uncategorized
Adjacent to Anthropologie King’s Road is a little companion gallery. The current exhibition features the elegant “taxidermy” dogs of Donya Coward.
May 01
Dispatch from London: Anthropologie
Posted in: Uncategorized
I had a meeting here, but this door and stairwell is as much as I can show you!The Anthropologie store on King’s Road, London, is the most beautiful Anthropologie I have ever seen! My photos can’t do it justice; here are some teasers. You just have to go soak it up in person—the light and atmosphere cannot be photographed. There was even a water feature.
Thank you to Anthropologie North America for their support of UPPERCASE and other quarterly magazines! Hopefully you’ll see UPPERCASE in European stores sometime soon.
Ceramics by Ruann Hoffmann.
This book by India Flint looks intriguing.
Headbands look amazing when styled by Anthropologie.
May 01
House K by Takeshi Hamada
Posted in: Japanese houses, Takeshi Hamada
Beyond the arched entrance of this metal-clad house in Kadoma, Japan by architect Takeshi Hamada is a corner light well surrounded by windows and balconies.
Every room inside the three-storey House K faces this lightwell, with living and dining rooms on the first floor and bedrooms on the storey above.
A staircase connecting each of the floors is positioned behind glass-panel walls at the centre of the house.
This time last year Takeshi Hamada completed a house with a bare concrete gallery at its base – see it here.
Photography is by Yohei Sasakura.
The text below is from the architect:
House K Concept
A small, starkly white cuboid house built for a modest budget in a crowded residential area.
Environs and site for construction
This relatively small-sized 20-tsubo (66 square meter) property is in Kadoma city in Osaka Prefecture, a short distance from the local railway station.
The surrounding area was developed on a small scale several years previously for residential construction, and this was one of the remaining unsold lots.
The neighboring buildings are typical three-storied residences, with very little open space between constructions.
A daytime visitor to this cul-de-sac sees clusters of chattering housewives in the roadway outside the houses, and hears the sounds of children at play.
Construction design
I designed a simple white box consisting of three floors. A light well extends vertically through all three floors and the inner space is ranged around it.
Each of the rooms faces this light well, so while maintaining privacy from outside eyes, light floods the entire interior and there is a healthy air flow throughout.
#First Floor
A spacious entranceway, bath-laundry space and multi-purpose room occupy this floor, and by converting the low-ceilinged space under the stairway into an arched tunnel, the constrictiveness is relieved and a sense of playfulness is created
#Second Floor
The maximum possible floor space is a kitchen and living/dining room. The staircase was purposefully placed in the center and flanked by glass doors on both sides.
Opening and closing the doors tailors this flexible space, adjusting the volume for a variety of needs.
This design allows a maximum of area to be utilized as one continuous space, even on a small plot of land, and the inner balcony and light well increase the airy flow effect.
#Third Floor
On the top floor are two bedrooms and a large balcony. Each area is contained within the outer walls of the light well which form the box-like shape of the house, and create a gentle sense of security.
House Name: “House K”
Location: Kadoma city, Osaka, JAPAN
Construction: September 2011 – January 2012
Structure: Wooden Structure
Site Area: 65.27 sq m
Building Area: 38.68 sq m
Floor Area: 97.69 sq m 1F（30.01 sq m）2F（36.90 sq m）3F（30.78 sq m）
May 01
Dispatch from London: Venice
Posted in: Uncategorized
Actually, Venice Shone is the lovely name of this lovely person I had the pleasure of meeting at the Ray Stitch Meet and Greet in London a few weeks ago. You may recall a previous post about her work here.
In the photo above, Venice holds up the pretty print of a dress drawing that she gave me. Thank you, Venice! I’m going to hang it in my basement sewing room for some colour and inspiration.
I love drawings and paintings of things. Venice does these so very well:
Excerpts from some children’s books illustrated by Venice Shone and some curious candies.
May 01
Bauhaus: Art as Life
Posted in: retrospectives, schools An exhibition pays tribute to the human aspect of the influential school
Beginning tomorrow, London’s Barbican Art Gallery will kick off a several-month-long Bauhaus-themed exhibit—the UK’s largest in four decades—in Bauhaus: Art as Life. The 400-piece show will cover a wide swathe of topics, from art (paintings, ceramics) to society (photographs of social events), featuring major Bauhaus contributors such as Josef Albers, Paul Klee and Marianne Brandt. To make the show even more dynamic and interactive, extensive programming will supplement the show. We asked Barbican Centre’s art curator Catherine Ince to give us more insight into the new exhibit.
What’s the reason for the timing of this show?
It’s been such a long time since there was a survey of this school in this country. At this particular moment of time in terms of art education, there are some interesting changes going on—there’s a lot of debate about art schools. It felt right to be looking at Bauhaus as a historical subject but also show it still has relevance.
Tuition fees keep going up and up. It makes studying art a difficult decision to make because people are backed into a corner more and more about where they put their money for their education. There’s a strong tradition in this country of experimental art schools that are free, liberal places, and you sometimes see that dwindling a bit in the corporatization of education.
What role does Bauhaus play today?
The visual, aesthetic influence is still very prevalent. People are interested in the modernist social project and revisiting some of those slightly utopian aspects… There was a lot of tension in Bauhaus; it wasn’t always this happy community that all did the same [thing] together. There was energy and change and people working together or working against each other. It’s a socially oriented attitude that I think still has a lot of relevance for people. A lot of the imagery we’ve drawn out in the show is trying to shine a light on some of those human aspects of Bauhaus as well.
How is this show different than MOMA’s 2009 show, “Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity”?
Theirs was a very comprehensive historical survey. We’ve taken a similar chronological narrative but tried to draw out key themes that are interesting to us; particular turning points in time or the people—their intimate personal relationships—and some of that zany stuff. The human dimension.
During the process, what discoveries provoked you as a curator?
We selected a number of works made as gifts between students and masters, and they’ve been particularly wonderful to come across. Some of those works are pretty powerful—they’ve got a really interesting narrative behind them. For me, it’s been fun to bring textiles into the show. We’ve particularly tried to foreground the work of women at the school. They’ve always made up a high percentage of the student body but generally were pushed into the weaving workshop. There were few women who stepped outside of that and managed to forge a different territory. We’ve got some incredible weavings.
We had one private collector who recently discovered a Marianne Brandt teapot that has never been seen before, so that will be the first time it’ll be on public display here [in the UK].
What’s the goal behind the huge list of scheduled events?
It’s about drawing out some of the themes from the show that we want to expand on or thinking from the Bauhaus that still has relevance. Because we’re a cross-arts center, we wanted to reflect on some of that.
What are some highlights from the show’s calendar?
We have a film week. Film wasn’t really embraced as part of the Bauhaus, but there were a few students who were particularly interested in the potential of film.
We’ve got several descendants of Bauhaus artists coming to talk, such as Peter Fischli. Fischli’s father Hans was from the Bauhaus, and Peter will be talking about growing up in the Bauhaus environment and how it’s affected his own art practice. We [also] have Gunta Stölzl’s daughter, who’s going to give a history of her [mother’s] life and work she did in Switzerland after she left the Bauhaus.
We’re having a big party on June 23. There was a lot of partying and carnival that happened at the Bauhaus, so in the afternoon you can come and make kites because annually they had a kite festival.
“Bauhaus: Art as Life” will be on display at the Barbican Gallery from 3 May through 12 August 2012.
Barbican Art Gallery
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London, UK
EC2Y 8DS
May 01
Sunset Triangle Plaza: Los Angeles’ First Street-to-Plaza Conversion
Posted in: Uncategorized
What does it take to change the mind of a city? Concerted effort and pilot projects that prove the concept, says Streets for People‘s Margot Ocanas and Anna Peccianti, and Frank Clementi of Rios Clementi Hale Studios.
The Sunset Triangle Plaza is Los Angeles’ first street-to-plaza project. It was created by Streets for People (S4P), an initiative of the City of Los Angeles City Planning Commission in partnership with the County Department of Public Health. Designed by Clementi, this one-year demonstration project closed down a redundant street where Sunset and Griffith Park Boulevards meet and opened it up for pedestrian use. The plaza opened two months ago to much excitement.
I finally went over to check out the plaza at an event produced by design-enthusiasts Design East of La Brea (deLab), who have given me more reasons to venture on the east side of town.
Although Los Angeles has seen its share of road closures for the immensely popular cycling celebration CicLAvia and Los Angeles marathons, these events are small scale one-day events not year-long proposals. At first glance, the 11,000-square feet area doesn’t seem like much—the plaza bears all the familiar markings of public space: potted plants, cafe tables, chairs and sun umbrellas. All furnishings were deliberately movable, so people feel empowered to make use of the space, says Peccianti, who used to work with New York’s Department of Transportation. But even with small changes, the project needed demanded a series of meetings between the departments of transportation, public works and highways and building and safety. “Designing a street to be not a street is anti-thetical to how the LA system was built,” explains Clementi.
May 01
The Common Pursuit
Posted in: accommodations, cottages, lifestyle Alternative accommodations for the discerning traveler
Created by London-based graphic designer Hannah Woodcock, The Common Pursuit is a new travel site designed to inspire your next holiday. The simple format currently features 72 accommodations varying in location and style, but all are centered around the comfortable aesthetics of “understated or alternative luxury,” says Woodcock.
The Common Pursuit is the upshot of Woodcock’s obsession with finding the perfect hideaway that “has a mix of character and unique style.” Her fixation began after staying at the Love Shack, a sustainably-designed cabin in England’s Lake District. The mix of rugged charm and high-end mid-century furniture was “everything I wanted a holiday rental to be and complimented the location perfectly,” she comments. Inspired by her long weekend retreat, Woodcock began bookmarking other places she wanted to stay, gleaning intriguing accommodations from a variety of news sources like Monocle or the Sunday Times, design websites like Architizer and Remodelista or travel-focused sites like Design Tripper and Further Afield.
When her list of bookmarks grew as long as the requests from friends for advice on where to stay, Woodcock decided to put it all together and put her recommendations online. “I am hoping the idea is a common pursuit for a lot of people, and they help it grow,” she explains. “I have no intentions for the website other than to inspire and share, so if people would like to suggest places, or send feedback, they can email me or comment on the Facebook page.”
Spanning a Brooklyn duplex to a seven-person cottage in Croatia, Woodcock’s growing list has you covered. See these digs and more at The Common Pursuit, where you can also find independent booking information.
May 01
Our interview with the honorary designer and co-curator of the NYC-based art and design showcase
by Matt Domino
BOFFO was founded in 2008 as a means of fostering artist collaboration and inspiration in the design world during a time of financial and, for many young architects and designers, spiritual crisis. Nearly four years later, Faris Al-Shathir and Gregory Sparks, BOFFO ‘s founders, asked designer Andrew YES to be the honorary designer and co-curator of the first BOFFO Show House, running from 15 May through 4 June at NYC’s Madison Jackson building.
To create custom designs specifically tailored for the space YES has been working closely with various designers and architects. The show itself will sprawl across four duplex condominium units with each separate unit expressing a theme—Work, Nature, Future, and Play. YES will also present some of his own designs and work at the BOFFO Show House. Some of which will include Persian Helmet Lights, which are draped with chain mail and would seem to fit at home in a medieval gathering hall; a Van Eyck Mirror that alludes to the legendary Arnolfini Portrait and is framed with recycled wood and hand-made Flemish suede; a 62″ Fossil Meeting Table inspired by the equality implied in King Arthur’s round table and made of grey marble with real mollusk fossils embedded in its matrix; and Surreal Pillow Balls, which are Andrew YES latest creation.
We recently talked with YES about the BOFFO Show House, his ongoing work with Mr. Al-Shathir and Mr. Sparks as well as his aspirations as a rising designer in New York.
What is your primary thought when designing an item? Functionality? Overall design?
I see functionality in every piece I create. Some things that we think are not functional actually have a deeper function in our psyche. Materials and art inspire me. I think about who will enjoy the design, and how it will improve the lives of people experiencing it.
What piece of yours that will appear in the show is your favorite?
I’d say my “Pillow Ball” collections, which are spherical, down-filled pillows made in sets of three. The set comes with pillows in diameters of 9″, 12″, 15″ and clients can personalize larger sizes if they want. Collection themes include: Batiks, Cosmic, Tapestry, and Surreal. I feel that each different theme has a color or texture that will find a match for each different person.
How do you decide on a color scheme when you design something?
Colors are determined by the pieces of art and design that I find in my clients spaces, as well as the energy of a space and the light. Yellow and happy colors have always been big colors for me.
How did you get involved with BOFFO?
My work caught the attention of Greg [Sparks] and Faris [Al-Shathir] during the 2009 BOFFO artists residency in an old Bible factory in Brooklyn Heights. This year they invited me to develop the first BOFFO Show House for which I am also curator.
How does your work fit into the BOFFO aesthetic and story?
BOFFO’s modern, multifaceted, and young spirit resonates with my work.
Can you describe what each different section of the show (Work, Nature, Future Play) means to you?
I thought that the common denominator for every New Yorker’s apartment was embodied in those four themes. “Work” is designed with creative and physical work in mind. “Nature” is meant to be psychedelic and vibrant and full of surprises. “Future” features sacred geometries and “alien” light. “Play” is designed as a super cool space that is still in progress and features a bedroom for someone with a sense of fun, of daring.
What result from the show would satisfy you?
Prove one more time that BOFFO is a germinator of great talent. I want to see everybody to succeed.
May 01
Tonight: Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club presents Tom Burkleaux of New Deal Distillery
Posted in: Hand-Eye Supply
Join us Tonight at the Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club in lovely downtown Portland, Oregon as Tom Burkleaux of New Deal Distillery shares harrowing tales of his adventures in artisanal spirits!
Spirits as a Journey without a Map: Rediscovering Craft without Guidance, Musing of a Cranky Distiller
What does it means to discover a lost craft? Does it matter how we do things, or just the result?
A question answered in three parts:
1. What is an artisanal company?
2. Learning a new craft in the wilderness
3. Working with spirits
Tom became interested in spirits as a consumer in the 1990’s, when it was simply the ’90s, not yet a dream. In 2001, He wondered why couldn’t spirits be made here? In an attempt to answer this question, and driven by the joy of making things, He started New Deal Distillery. Licensed in 2004, New Deal was an early pioneer in craft distilling. It wasn’t until 2007, that other distilleries began to appear and help create what is now South East Portland’s Distillery Row. Now, in the last few years, the rest of the world has taken notice of Oregon as a center of artisan, small-batch spirits. Beside being a distiller, Tom’s been a few other things including student, machinist, postal worker, cook, soldier, ship yard worker, academic, barista, and programmer.
Tuesday, May 1st
6PM PST
Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR, 97209
Not in the greater Portland area? No problem! Join us live on our broadcast channel – the show begins at 6pm Pacific.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.