Focus sur les différents travaux de l’agence belge Soon. Cette agence basée à Wetteren répond avec toujours autant d’originalité aux demandes des clients, que cela soit en termes de photographie ou encore en termes d’identité visuelle. Sélection dans la suite.
NINE BY DESIGN. Michael Bierut’s stencilicious logo for Ennead Architects.
What’s Ennead (“EN-ee-ad”)? A Greek-derived term for the number nine or a group of nine. A distinguished nonet of Egyptian gods. And the architectural firm previously known as Polshek Partnership. Why the name change? To mark “the culmination of a transition in organizational structure and design leadership begun more than thirty years ago,” according to the firm’s nine partners, who are eager to transcend the starchitect model (based on the identity of founder James Polshek, who remains design counsel to the firm). They are also creating Ennead Lab, a private foundation dedicated to research, education, and advocacy. Tasked with graphically defining the new, collaborative identity of Ennead Architects was Pentagram. We think Michael Bierut has outdone himself with the logo, a nine-part stencil (riffing on Stymie and Bau) that plays with themes of openness, materiality, and practicality. “They were great to work with and are very energized by the transformation,” Bierut tells us. Meanwhile, Pentagram partner Lisa Strausfeld and her team brought Ennead’s innovative spirit to life online, creating a website that puts all its cards on the table with a flexible structure and an appealingly blackboardish quality.
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Learning about “fabric pornography” with designer Sruli Recht in his Reykjavik studio
Photos by James Ryang
With Sruli Recht‘s “nonproducts” and personal preoccupations housed in shelves and resting on workbenches crafted from remnants (found around his Fishpacking neighborhood in Reykjavik), his showroom and studio is an unrestrained assortment of his surroundings. We arrived at Vopnabúríð (Icelandic for The Armory) just as Recht and his wife Megan Herbert began their work day. After a playful competition between them to throw on music first, we embarked on a studio tour.
Consuming the most space, a newly purchased laser cutter is situated in a backroom next to a host of bewildering objects. Juxtaposed with an industrial rack holding the gorgeous wedding dress Recht designed for Herbert, sits a whale’s tooth, a rolled up puffin skin and other oddities that speak to Recht’s pension for curious leathers and distinct materials. (photos in the gallery below.)
A sternly witty character, Recht expresses seriousness for his work while channeling the spirit that conceives such designs as a bullet-proof gentleman’s pocket square, a post-apocalyptic in-flight mask or a butcher shop-inspired ice bear rug. This two sides of his personality also shows up when questioned about a shelf filled with myriad rolls of fabric. With a slight twinkle in his eye, Recht explains it’s his “shelf of fetishes” and the rolls are merely “fabric pornography.”
Not only a talented fashion and shoe designer—one who cut his teeth at McQueen—Recht details every aspect of his projects, from designing the two fonts embedded on his leather goods to creating a beautifully shot (if not slightly controversial) video short for his Garrote necklace. His whole-hearted follow through on the entire process shows in everything he creates.
A constant innovator, future plans include owning a rapid prototyping machine and using digital technology to view smaller prototypes on a larger scale—a method that will save time and material.
To see more of Vopnabúríð, check out the 20 images in the gallery below.
Cone-shaped veggie peelers make food prep easy
From the makers of chef-approved graters, Microplane‘s peelers skip traditional handles for a cone-shaped palm grip. The ergonomic design not only means they’re more comfy to use, but adds functionality for righties and lefties alike.
Other features include a soft touch coating and sharp stainless steel blades help that make food prep chores easier too, and a built-in end piece removes blemishes and helps with other tasks like hulling. Their ability to zest citrus is the best option out there for a bar set-up, but we find they’re also great for all sorts of other uses. Pick up either the serrated version or the classic straight blade from Microplane for $10 a pop.
A wholesome alternative to everyone’s favorite french fry condiment
A healthful mix of tomatoes, agave nectar, apple cider vinegar and other natural ingredients puts Sir Kensington Ketchup on the map somewhere between June Taylor‘s ultra-artisinal ketchup and the fridge staple from Heinz. The Classic version of their “gourmet scooping” ketchup contains less sugar, sodium and calories than Heinz, making it an ideal alternative for the ubiquitous condiment.
But both the Classic and Spiced flavors offer a distinct consistency and taste, one closer to a perfect marinara sauce than the traditional HFC-loaded versions. Put to the test at CH HQ, both flavors were well received among a variety of dipping agents, a couple of which who sang the praises of the mildly-spiced option.
Sir Kensington Ketchup sells online for $7 a jar.
Upon closing the books on its 2010 fiscal year (which ended yesterday), the Metropolitan Museum of Art has tallied its attendance clickers and found reason to celebrate. In the past twelve months, the institution saw 5,240,000 visitors, making it the first year since 2001 that the Met has surpassed the five million mark. The annual attendance figure, which includes visitors to The Cloisters and gardens, is among the highest in the museum’s 130-year history. For director Thomas P. Campbell, the landmark attendance “sends a signal about the enduring importance of culture and cultural institutions to the public,” he noted in a statement issued by the museum, “especially during this period of recession.”
Drawing the biggest crowds were last fall’s exhibition featuring Vermeer‘s “The Milkmaid” and the current Picasso blockbuster, which focuses exclusively on the vast array of works by Picasso in the Met’s own collection. Both exhibitions exceeded 300,000 visitors, and the Picasso show still has several weeks of prime tourist season to go. Meanwhile, around 175,000 people have already taken in “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” (video below), the first Costume Institute exhibition drawn from the newly established Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Met. Sounds like the museum’s budget-conscious move to draw heavily on its permanent collection for exhibitions is really paying off.
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