Hasta La Ideas

Artists transform NYC’s rooftop water towers to raise awareness about conservation

With less than 1% of all fresh water on Earth safe for human consumption—a number that works out to around 200,000 km3 of water—the truth about the world’s available supply is frightening. To draw attention to the urgency of water conservation, the not-for-profit Word Above The Street is working with an array of artists who will wrap 300 of NYC’s beloved water towers in a museum-in-the-sky mission aptly dubbed The Water Tank Project. Curated by Lisa Dennison, Neville Wakefield and a host of other industry buffs, artists already signed on for the 2013 endeavor include Ed Ruscha, Tim Maguire, Tony Oursler and Mark Sheinkman.

After the three-month stint in NYC, Word Above The Street plans to take the project around the world to cities like Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Mexico City and beyond. Those living outside of NYC or the project’s future locations can still experience the art through the nonprofit’s forthcoming app and other online media.

Supporters can back the project by shopping at Whole Foods in Manhattan on 1 March 2012, when 5% of sales will benefit The Water Tank Project, or by donating online through Paypal. Keep up to date with the project by following TWTP on Twitter.

Hand cut, organic, human-grade dog treats baked in NYC’s West Village

Keeping Cool Hunting mascots Otis and Logan well rewarded in recent weeks has been NYC’s very own Bocce’s Bakery. Driven by wellness and sustainability, the small batch dog treatery uses only “human-grade” ingredients—antibiotic-free beef, hormone-free white meat chicken, wheat free flour—for their all-natural dog biscuits. What started as a humble project for a beloved pet has evolved into a professional business, although the hands on, oven baked cooking process has yet to change.

Otis and Logan devour the treats in seconds, delightfully licking the hard wood floors for every last savory taste. Hit flavors included chicken cordon bleu, beef bourguinon, fish and chips and PB’n’J, which is made with a short and simple list of just three organic ingredients—oat flour, blueberries, peanut butter. These few items, along with all others used by Bocce’s Bakery are locally sourced from upstate NY and the tri-state area whenever seasonably possible.

Bocce’s Bakery biscuits are offered in seven distinct flavors, each with heaps of healthy ingredients your four-legged friends will love. Available through Bocce’s Bakery online and a long list of loyal stockists for $9.50 a bag.

photos by Josh Rubin

The publisher’s secret shop in NYC

by Perrin Drumm

In 1985, Luke Ives Pontifall was your average high school overachiever—the kind of guy whose regular classes weren’t enough to keep him busy, so he sought more stimulating after-school activities. Born out of tedium Thornwillow Press is a small publisher that produces finely crafted, handmade, limited-edition books. What began in Pontifall’s parents’ proverbial basement now thrives in Newburgh, NY, a town just across the Hudson from Beacon, home of the Dia.

Down the street from George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in Newburgh, a host of master craftsmen and engravers create custom monograms, ciphers, calling cards, bookplates, logos and coats of arms. Letterpress printers work on 24 antique and modern printing presses—the oldest press dating back to the 1800s—and the bindery still uses historic binding equipment.

Thornwillow is classic every sense of the word, from their approach to the collections they print. Their latest release is “Andrew Jackson: The Hero”, a selection of documents compiled by Wendell Garret, whom you might have seen appraising furniture on “Antiques Roadshow”. Thornwillow publishes plenty of presidential paraphernalia, like Barack Obama’s inaugural address, as well as poetry by James Merrill and short fiction by John Updike. They’ve also produced a $2,495 edition of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and a $13,000 alphabet of William Wegman’s dogs.

New Yorkers don’t have to travel out to Newburgh to browse their titles—they have a location tucked away at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan. The Thornwillow outpost blends in with the other reading rooms, and many regulars have been known to pass by several times on their way to get the famous Bloody Marys at the King Cole bar before discovering the offerings within. The Library Gallery at the St. Regis is a cozy 20′ x 20′ room open 24 hours a day. A librarian is available Tuesday – Saturdays and by appointment, but you can drop in any time, night or day, and browse luxe volumes like Fabrice Herrault’s $1,450 “New York City Portfolio” or the $685 copy of “Cinderella”, until you find something you like. Also for sale is a selection of box stationery, books, letter and paper desk accessories and one-of-a-kind antiques in the Cabinet of Curiosities.

The Library Gallery at the St. Regis

2 East 55th Street

New York, NY 10022

Frank Yamrus’s self portraits take inspiration from a midlife crisis

Debuting a series of self portraits at NYC’s Clamp Gallery today, Frank Yamrus returns from a photographic hiatus after several years of soul searching from out behind the camera. “I Feel Lucky” marks the photographer’s response to his mid-life crisis, reproducing significant moments from his life in an exploration of faith, relationships, mortality, photography and health. Reveling in the changing lines of his face and facing demons of his past, Yamrus creates a thoroughly personal examination of his life to date.

Many of the themes from the series are explained in a brutally honest essay that accompanies the exhibition book. Yamrus admits hitting a creative wall in the years leading up to this show, feeling consumed by his photographic work. Accompanying this shift was the marked change in his appearance, from his jowls—which he associates with his father—to his expanding midsection. Rather than shirking these shortcomings, Yamrus prints them in high definition for the world to see.

Sexuality is a recurring theme in the photographs, building off the success of his “Rapture” series. Critical moments like Yamrus’s last female relationship; moments with Frank, his partner of 30 years; and his thoughts on parenthood are among the featured moments. While he isn’t a parent, Yamrus recalls a pregnancy scare with an old girlfriend and his role as an uncle as influential factors on his personal development and his transition to maturity.

The images play between reality and fiction, at once playfully spontaneous and highly staged. True to the experience of memory, his constructions are partly informed by past events, filled in by his own imagination. Spurred by the difficulty of aging, the collection becomes a celebration of his life to date, full of instances that reaffirm and validate his many stages.

Clamp Gallery

16 February – 24 March, 2012

521-531 West 25th Street

New York, NY 10001

All images courtesy of Frank Yamrus and the Clamp Art Gallery

Supple leather and Japanese plaids comprise the sleekly edgy collection from this year’s Ecco Domani winner for Sustainable Design

The 2012 winner of the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation’s coveted award in Sustainable Design, Brooklyn-based fashion designer Titania Inglis uses smartly sourced fabrics as the foundation for her thoughtful collections. Half Chinese, half Scottish, Inglis grew up in upstate New York before studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven—a school known for teaching innovation through sustainable materials—and then at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Inglis explains, “As I see it, designing sustainably means trying to make those choices with the minimum possible impact on the environment and the maximum possible benefit to society.”

Inglis’ impeccable craftsmanship is the upshot of both extensive training and innate perfectionism. “In the end the collection was seamless,” says her Fall/Winter 2012 collection stylist, Christian Stroble. “I was very impressed with her dedication and fine eye for detail. I loved the blend of ’90s grunge with an updated minimal edge.”

In a collection that calls to mind episodes of “My So Called Life,” plaid skirts made from a recycled Japanese cotton and linen blend and vegetable-tanned leather jackets offered up a sophisticated punk aesthetic, which were accented by knee-high combat boots and jewelry designer Bliss Lau‘s beautifully constructed shoulder holsters and belts.

We checked in with the designer after her runway show at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center in NYC last week.

What are some of the challenges involved in using sustainable textiles?

The biggest challenge is finding high-quality textiles that are sustainably manufactured. I’ve scoured the New York garment district and traveled to Tokyo and London in search of the most beautiful, low-impact materials, and when I find something I like, I’ll base an entire collection around it. This season, the collection came from the plaid I used, which is a recycled cotton and linen blend from Japan with a tiny herringbone texture, and the leather, which is a vegetable-tanned leather from France. I’ve already squirreled away my key fabrics for Spring 2013, but those are still top secret!

How would you describe your approach to design?

I like to approach sustainable design as a challenge rather than an obstacle, so my process each season starts with an assignment I give myself. For Fall/Winter 2012, I thought back to my high school years in the ’90s, when I was the only girl at my school who refused to wear a plaid flannel shirt, and combined that era’s slouchy nonchalance with structures inspired by medieval armor to create a clean, tough, sophisticated evolution of the grunge look.

What attracted you to Bliss Lau’s work?

It was the utterly innovative nature of Bliss’ work that attracted me, in combination with her dark, elegant aesthetic and minute attention to detail. It’s very hard to design something entirely new, and yet she’s created a body of work so unique and so incredibly beautiful that the vocabulary doesn’t yet exist to describe it—her body pieces fall somewhere between clothing and jewelry, and wearing them is a transformative experience.

What kind of person do you see wearing your clothes?

I like that you said “person”; I definitely see my clothes as androgynous, and a lot of guys have been asking for a men’s version of the plaid button-down in the new collection. I’d love to add menswear to my line once I have the resources to expand a bit.

The woman who wears Titania Inglis clothes is elegant, independent-minded, and practical; she chooses them for the interesting design lines, balanced proportions, and subtle details, and because they’re versatile and easy to look sharp in. When my clothes are sexy, it’s with a tough edge; and the same goes for their wearer.

Photos by Ruediger Glatz