This weekend, at NYC’s Mark Miller Gallery, an enthusiastic and clever bunch of middle-schoolers shared their visions—and plans—for the future of the city. The exhibit, which will run through March 9 and is sponsored by the…
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Much like the city’s compact urban landscape, Amsterdam’s creative history is also densely formed, and even a quick visit to the Dutch capital can be extremely inspiring. Interestingly, you often hear Dutch people say they strive to act “normal”—yet it’s their dynamic way of viewing the world that has continued…
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It’s been two months since “Red, Yellow and Blue” opened in NYC at Madison Square Park, and every day it continues to leave a gaze-worthy impression on passerby who are unsure how to approach the spilled,…
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As spring tries to battle off the last bouts of winter in NYC, we are all anxious to get back to our favorite outdoor spots and explore some new ones. Just in time to answer that itch is Benajmin Swett’s newest release, “New York City of Trees”. The writer…
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Four highlights from our guide on what not to miss in South Africa’s Mother City
Cradled by a striking 360-degree panorama of a horseshoe-shaped mountain range and the sparkling sea, Cape Town is one of the most gorgeous places on Earth. South Africa’s Mother City has historically been a harbor destination, beginning with European merchants who would stop off on their way to the Indies through to today, where it remains a Riviera-like draw for a host of international tourists. That’s changing, though, as progressives like Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo, Taj Hotel General Manager Michael Pownall and a myriad of thoughtful artists and designers reshape people’s perception of the town center. Home to the nation’s Houses of Parliament, Cape Town’s urban area is much more than its notorious Long Street—the city’s main drag reminiscent of Bourbon Street. Together in post-Apartheid Cape Town, a melting pot of nationalities has generated a meaningful downtown community and exciting place to visit. As the World Design Capital for 2014, many creative developments are sure to come.
To help navigate the bustling town center and beyond, we’ve added 10 jumping off points to our CH Local edition dedicated to Cape Town. Here are four highlights.
The Woodstock Foundry opened in March 2012 as a bright and airy space intended for mixed creative use. Besides the working foundry, the three-story building also houses several design stores and studios, including O.live’s, Dear Ray Jewelry, Selah, The Lobby Hair Shop and West Street Cafe—a great place to stop and relax over a glass of Pinotage or Viognier. On our visit, we had a chance to check out the remarkable Southern Guild exhibition, “Recollect”, which featured a myriad of works by notable South African designers, such as Porky Hefer, Heath Nash, Haldane Martin, Bronze Age and Laduma Ngxokolo.
For a look at South Africa’s emerging contemporary artists, be sure to stop by the WHATIFTHEWORLD gallery a block away, housed in a crisp white Cape Dutch style building. Currently on view is “Truth Lies Here”, a solo show by Cape Town-based artist Dan Halter, who explores the “integration and disintegration of the fabric” of his native Zimbabwe.
From the well-designed kitschy decor to the equally quirky yet super friendly staff, Royale Eatery is already a great place to grab a bite in Cape Town, but the burgers make it a must. Vegetarians will delight in an extensive menu of meat-free options, which includes patties made from lentils, marinated tofu, black beans, falafel or a mushroom. Burger connoisseurs can also choose from a selection of meats including pork, pure beef, ostrich and lamb. If you don’t start with a Classic Royale (or the recently added Burgerac burger), the best bet is to go with one of their house concoctions. We recommend Jenga Jeng’s BopBop burger, a beef or chicken base topped with pickles, tomatoes, red onions, homemade mustard-mayo and “Mama’s Son of Bitch chili sauce”.
Located at the start of Long Street, dinner at Royale (be sure to book a table in advance) is a great way to start a night. Then head upstairs to The Waiting Room—a lounge that doubles as Royale’s waiting room in the evening and a place to catch live bands or dance to DJs later on—or stroll over to Rafiki’s about a half-mile away on Kloof Nek Road for some drinks on its expansive veranda.
Centrally located in the heart of downtown Cape Town, the Taj Hotel opened up in 2010 as an opulent antidote to the glossy hotels sprinkling the tourist laden harbor. Its convenient proximity to the more intriguing urban offerings is just the tipping point. The Taj Cape Town boasts amazing views of Table and Lion’s Head mountains and the sprawling city below—including the historic Town Hall and Houses of Parliament. Nothing is left for want at Taj, and while geared toward the business-minded side of design, the rooms provide a tranquil atmosphere dotted with Indian-inspired furnishings. Various rooms on the Wale Street side include a bathtub with a glass wall, allowing you to take in the majestic views going while soaking in Molton Brown bubbles.
Whether staying in the hotel or not, we recommend having a meal at Mint, the ground floor restaurant serving up consistently delicious fare. Try the traditional Indian breakfast, or, if you’re staying at the hotel be sure to order the utterly fantastic jalapeño chili poppers—still deep fried but a more delectable take on the classic American bar snack.
Anthony Gird and Michael de Klerk make Honest Chocolate right in the back of their Cape Town shop, dutifully stirring, molding and wrapping it all by hand. The duo’s raw, organic cacao confections have become quite legendary both in town and abroad, and they continue to finesse their range, which currently includes mouthwatering bonbon truffles, infused chocolate bars packaged in paper designed by Capetonian artists, and the ultimate chocolate spread for toast or fresh fruit.
Whether you prefer dessert before or after a meal, there are two choice spots for lunch nearby on Bree Street. Birds Boutique Café is great for a super fresh sandwich or savory bowl of pasta, or try Clarke’s for a refined greasy spoon—the croissant-like buns on their burger are worth stopping by for alone.
For more great jumping off points, check out our full CH Local: Cape Town guide.
With contributions from Cape Town designer Craig Pickard
Photos by Karen Day
A collaborative ensemble of musicians brings the symphony to NYC parks
The String Orchestra of Brooklyn (SOB) is committed to an inclusive approach to music-making, opening up their expert ensemble to a range of site-specific musical experiments and collaborations with musicians from around the greater New York area. Due to the orchestra’s smaller size and rotating cast of volunteer musicians, they are able to explore a more obscure repertoire and adapt to different venues. “What sets us apart from other orchestras is our versatility and willingness to try anything that’s out there,” explains executive director and founder Eli Spindel. “We have the flexibility to take risks and follow our musical curiosity wherever it might lead.”
In late 2011, the SOB collaborated with American Opera Projects, presenting Philip Glass’ Kafka-based opera “In the Penal Colony”. Many music lovers are familiar with Glass’ magnificent “Satyagraha”, but the SOB opted to bring the more obscure “Penal Colony” story to life instead, gaining the orchestra a spot on The New York Times’ Best of 2011 list.
The SOB will again team up with The Fort Greene Park Conservancy for the annual Parks Concert Series where city-dwellers may escape to enjoy a free evening of music in Fort Greene Park. The 2012 lineup will feature works by Fela Sowande, Noel Pointer, and Beethoven, taking place on 21 July 2012 at 6 p.m. in Fort Greene Park.
The SOB will also be collaborating with ISSUE Project Room on String Theories 2012. String Theories has commissioned four composers—Anthony Coleman, Eric Wubbels, Spencer Yeh, and MV Carbon—to create performances on a scale larger than what is typically possible. The composers push the boundaries of the string repertoire through extended techniques, innovations in notation and improvisation, and new approaches to writing for large ensembles. Specifically, each of the performances focuses on a playful awareness of the orchestra’s physicality. “It will definitely get a bit rowdy,” Spindel says. “The resulting musical textures will be new to much of our audience.” String Theories 2012 will happen this Saturday, 17 March 2012 at 8pm in St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn.
Keep up with the orchestra’s ever-changing repertoire and performance schedule on their blog.
Profane grammatical stylings, an inside look at NYC’s elevated park, an insane beer can collection and more in our look at the best tomes of 2011
The digital era isn’t stopping writers with a clear purpose for a printed publication, and readers are just as eager to get their hands on a bit of paper that will stimulate their mind and sit well on their shelves for another read another day. Below are the top five books on Cool Hunting that made an impact on 2011.
The first retrospective book on the 20th century’s film title master, “Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design” shows the legendary visual communicator’s full spectrum of work, spanning his graphic wizardry to album and book covers, typefaces, packaging, retail displays, a hi-fi system, toys and a postage stamp.
A modern parody of Strunk & White, in “The Elements of F*cking Style authors Chris Baker and Jacob Hansen address everything from common questions like “What the hell is a pronoun?” to conundrums like “Does not using paragraphs or periods make my thesis read like it was written by a mental patient?”
The founders of NYC’s park in the sky recount their ten-year journey in “High Line: The Inside Story.” The intimately detailed book offers valuable insight on all of the planning and production that went into creating the beloved elevated park, as well as photos of the stretch before it became an urban gem.
“My First Dictionary” uses cleverly corrupt definitions to teach big kids the facts of life. Inspired by “The Giant Picture Dictionary for Boys and Girls,” first time author Ross Horsley’s humorous take is perfectly accented by charming Norman Rockwell-esque illustrations taken from the original 1977 children’s book.
After documenting the astonishing assortment of cans found in his step-dad’s Midwest basement, San Fracisco-based designer Dan Becker created “Beer” along with fellow designer Lance Wilson. The book handsomely captures a beer can collection that spans seven decades and 32 countries.
The founders of NYC’s park in the sky recount their ten-year journey with intimate detail
The road to creating one of New York’s most beloved parks was not unlike the unruly terrain that High Line: The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky,” chronicles the behind-the-scenes of the epic ten-year restoration project.
The densely-detailed—though “not comprehensive”—account begins with an interview from David and Hammond, who remember their initial encounter with each other at a community board meeting and, subsequently, the seemingly-infinite number of challenges they came up against in trying to save the 70-year-old rail system. A journalist described the two as “a pair of nobodies,” and, indeed, they had no prior experience in parks and recreation. Hammond admits, “I didn’t understand the complexity of what we were getting into…we would need to become versed in urban planning, architecture, and City politics, raise millions of dollars, and give years of our lives to the High Line.”
The raised tracks once carried a cargo train known as the Lifeline of New York, which delivered food to the refrigerated warehouses of the West Side until its last run in 1980. In the years that followed, many ideas were put forth on how to use the abandoned space, with several attempts made to offset the demolition proposed by many politicians. David and Hammond formed Friends of the High Line in 1999, but, for a decade, struggled against naysaying opposition groups like High Line Reality, numerous development problems and the economic crash in 2008. In overcoming it all, David and Hammond have created a park that stands for so much more than a respite from the urban jungle.
Today, the High Line is home to more than 200 species of grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees, hosts more than 300 public programs each year, from stargazing sessions to yoga classes, provides a setting for site-specific art installations and receives at times 100,000 visitors in a single weekend.
With the forthcoming relocation of the Whitney Museum to the park’s southern terminus and the adjacent Hudson Yards development on the horizon, the High Line spans an important area of NYC’s rapidly evolving urban environment. “High Line” is a thorough and enlightening read for any city resident, park enthusiast or person seeking a little inspiration. “I hope the High Line will encourage people to pursue all sorts of crazy projects, even if they seem, as the High Line once did, the most unlikely of dreams,” says Hammond in the book.
Copies of the 256-page “High Line” book sell from Amazon and Macmillan.
Legendary industrial sculptor makes landfall on a NYC island
There’s no experience quite like wandering among the massive outdoor installations at Storm King Art Center, recognized as one of the world’s leading sculpture parks for fifty years. Now, with a spectacular Mark di Suvero show, the institution’s newest and first off-site exhibit, installed on Governors Island through this fall, NYC visitors who can’t make the trek up the Hudson to Storm King can get a taste.
The largest outdoor show by the artist in New York City since the 1970s, we recently visited the free exhibit on the 172-acre Island to see the 11 pieces from 70s, as well as several sculptures created specifically for the occasion that have never been seen before. Constructed from industrial materials such as I-beams and salvaged steel, this event sees Suvero’s works closer to their skyscraper cousins. The significance of the NYC skyline in the background, absent the Twin Towers, is impossible to ignore with the jutting angles of the steel beams conjuring up the well-known images of the events of 9/11.
All well-positioned in the landscape, visitors can walk around pieces, view them from every possible angle and even touch them. As per the artist’s request, mallets available on-site with allow viewers to hit the sculptures themselves, producing sounds that resonate through the landscape.
Themes of manmade materials vs. nature resonate in di Suvero’s imposing Constructivist sculptures. The precarious yet perfect balance of limbs creates a harmony between earth and sky, as well as between the work and negative space. Process becomes significant (he uses heavy machinery to move and meld together different kinds of steel) as you take in his awe-inspiring works.
When navigating the exhibition, the Storm King app comes in handy. Or, you can just rent a bike and explore freely, like we did—either way, it makes for an introspective experience. Check out the gallery for more photos from our trip.
All images by Karen Day, Nicholena Moon and Greg Stefano
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.
