Hasta La Ideas

Long Island’s Sag Harbor, a quiet Hamptons escape, has long maintained a community that holds history and preservation paramount. For the last seven years, a project has been underway to meet local standards and reinvent one of the village’s iconic structures. …

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Refashioning scrap material into uniquely meaningful works of art

Accompanying a growing awareness of the wastefulness underlying the modern global economy, a new approach to art has flourished in recent years, one dealing with the repurposing and utilization of materials discarded or viewed as useless. Written by street art commentator Tristan Manco, the new book “Raw + Material = Art” delves into these techniques and philosophies by exploring the works of 38 artists using low-tech, low-cost media and methods. The selected artists provoke thought on both subject and medium, and continue to push what’s possible by working at “the raw edge of contemporary art.”

Spanning old skateboard decks to plastic children’s toys to teabags, the works highlighted in “Raw + Material = Art” have a dual purpose. In an age of digital production and computer-engineered perfection, they signify a back-to-basics approach, bringing a new respect to the cultivation of a craft. Through their choice of materials, artists also convey a message of awareness of our environment and the resources we use or abuse within it. Although often indebted to past artists, notably Marcel Duchamp, the raw art displayed in Manco’s book is a response to veritably modern phenomena.

“We take it for granted these days that art can be made from any substance or object…it is not surprising in itself if an artist presents us with a work made from unusual materials” writes Manco in his introduction. “However, even if we anticipate spectacle, we can still be struck by such a work.” The works Manco focuses on transcend mere gimmickry, working within unorthodox media without being tied down by them.

The book’s layout is fairly straightforward. Listing the artists alphabetically, Manco provides an insightful background for each alongside a generous allocation of large, color photographs. Locations range from Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo, giving a comprehensive portrait of the fittingly global expanse of a scene that deals with the detritus of globalization and mass production.

Artists include AJ Fosik, who constructs technicolor creatures out of hundreds of individually shaped pieces of plywood, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, who, often working with scrap materials such as shrink foil, salvaged wood, or flip-flops, erects large animal sculptures in public areas, and Brooklyn-based Mia Pearlman, who carves intricate “cloudscapes” out of sheets of paper.

Several artists previously featured on Cool Hunting also make an appearance in the book, including Gabriel Dawe, who creates prismatic structures out of miles of colorful thread, Ron van der Ende, whose modern bas-relief work is done in recycled wood, and Brian Dettmer, who carves intricate sculptures by carefully peeling away layers of the pages of books.

“Raw + Material = Art” is available for purchase on Amazon and from publishers Thames & Hudson.

A pair of well loved boots gets a much needed refresh at the century old workshop

American made since 1905, Red Wing Shoe Company in Red Wing, Minnesota, has earned a worldwide following for their sturdy, durable boots built to last a lifetime. Not only do they make top notch (and increasingly fashionable) footwear, Red Wing firmly stands behind their product—offering repairs and modifications to anyone with a pair in need. This unprecedented service gives well worn boots the chance to be brought back to the original workshop to be rebuilt with original equipment.

I’ve worn my boots for 13 years, and realized this fall that they were ready for a refresh. Although the leather uppers are absolutely in their prime, the years of wear and tear left the soles in a much sadder state. So, to give my beloved boots a little tlc and to get an inside look at the repair process, I sent them on a journey back to their Minnesota roots—with explicit instructions to keep as much well-earned character in the boots as possible.

In the same fashion as the boots were originally made, the resoling process is done by hand—with the aid of a few heavy duty machines. After the worn sole is removed the remaining material is sanded smooth, exposing a bit of the original leather last and preparing the shoe for their new soles. A layer of glue is applied to both the new sole and the old boot and left to sit under a heat lamp for some time to cure. The two are then joined together and held under intense pressure until bonded. The excess sole is then trimmed down to the proper shape and given a brief washing before leaving the re-assembly line. The boots are boxed up along with a fresh new insole and two pairs of laces, black and tan, and sent back to the owner.

Lacing them up for the first time this season was like seeing an old friend. As comfortable as ever, with their well-earned patina and some welcome new support. The rejuvenation process had breathed new life into my old boots without permanently changing the feel or overall appearance, just as I wanted. Of course, if you want them all polished up they can do that too.

The repair process includes anything from resoling and restitching to changing eyelets or hooks and is available for any pair of well worn Red Wings for $95. The price includes shipping to and from the repair shop, replacement laces and a round of leather treatment and conditioning.

For more details on the repair and modification process visit Red Wing Shoe Company online. And for a closer look at my boots’ journey view the gallery below.

Design studio LOLA – Local Office for Large Architecture have completed the renovation of a paper restoration centre in Lecce, Italy.

Previously divided into small, badly connected spaces, the renovation has now created dedicated zones for each process of paper restoration.

The upper level has a slatted floor you can see through and features tables suspended from the ceiling.

Photographs are by Edoardo Delille.

Here’s a bit more information from the architects:

CENTRE FOR PAPER RESTORATION

The Restoration Center is located in historical Lecce, in the midst of ancient and irregular streets flanked by buildings of small and medium size, all built in the traditional local stone. This is an office where many types of ancient paper are restored: manuscripts, books, parchments, prints, wallpapers and papier-mache statues.

The project area was previously divided into small, poorly connected spaces, which were the result of multiple renovations that had completely altered the original structure. The project’s goal was to create a room for the treatment of the papers (washing and drying), an area for scientific research, analysis and preliminary stages of the restoration work, an archive, a library, a space to wash the tools and a changing room for the staff. 
The first step was to recover the original structure by tearing down everything that didn’t have a historical or structural connection.

White was used to increase the reflection of light and the space was opened up as much as possible, trying to use existing openings and steps. The cutouts in the structure created between the walls rhythmically mark the strength of the space; the empty emphasises the full, which at the same time represents the hidden elements, creating perspective views through which are possible to read its depth. This is the language. A game of solids and voids where the local stone takes expressivity and is the absolute protagonist.

Elements were added which seem to rise and come to life by integrating with the supporting structure such as the staircases, the large tanks for washing the paper and other horizontal tanks for the conservation and cleaning of brushes and tools.
 The height has allowed us to design a floor that has the characteristics of an almost abstract environment so it wouldn’t oppress the spaces below.

We needed something light, solid but intangible, almost like a sole parasite which returned the light it was given during the evening. This creates a filter of light between the two environments that changes, as the light of day and night does. The staircase, made of local stone that protrudes from the wall and seems to float in the air takes you to this place, which almost deceives, a space in metamorphoses.

Empty spaces interrupt by box-shaped iron profiles that fold into steps, railings and balustrades of communication with the lower floor. This is a context, a little elusive, almost mysterious, where the suspended tables move and assemble together, sliding on rails placed on the ceilings.

Click for larger image

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