Archive for May, 2008
Consignment Chic
When I purchased my first home recently—a loft, of course—I knew I could not do justice to concrete beams, door-less rooms and exposed plumbing by schlepping in my old furniture from Rooms To Go, ideal as the functional furnishings were for temporary apartment living. This was the new me, the “real” me—I was going to start fresh, bringing in stylish piece after piece to layer items, forming a new look that brought forth my “vision.” It’s interesting, then, that most of my stuff has come from consignment shops—and going vintage has actually breathed new life into my loft.
Before becoming a regular at places like the The Savvy Snoot, Scott Antique Market, and Finder’s Keppers, I thought antiquing meant rummaging through old people’s musty furniture and digging through period pieces from the Louis XIV era—not exactly my idea of trendy loft living. But the more I perused magazines like Domino and Dwell, the more I realized that in order to find one-of-a-kind treasures, living room sets from Crate and Barrel were out. Scouring aisles of furniture with former lives was the new way to find what I wanted to create—not to mention better for my budget and the environment.
Along the way, I have happily discovered that a contemporary home and one filled with “finds” don’t have to be mutually exclusive—in fact, it’s actually kind of boring (in my humble, non-professional opinion). As I embarked upon this new adventure of artfully designing my space, I began looking at my blank slate and options to fill it in a whole new, innovative way. That old Asian-style coffee table that has been passed down from my grandma? I formerly wouldn’t have thought twice about taking it, but now it is appealing—and I might find a place for it in my new home, set wonderfully against granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. And my mom’s feminine, papier-mache outline of a woman’s face framed in chunky Lucite? Same thing—I keep thinking how great that would look next to my more modern dresser. Blending clean lines and contemporary looks with more unique, worn pieces has given my loft, still a work in progress, an eclectic, rich feel that I can’t wait to continue building upon.
Here are a few Atlanta area shops to get you started on your way to happy consignment shop hunting:
Pieces, 404.869.2476, www.piecesinc.com
Savvy Snoot, 404.355.1399, www.savvysnoot.com
Finder’s Keepers, 404.296.0285
Now & Again, 404.262.1468, www.nowandagain.net
Kudzu Antique Market, 404.373.6498
Scott Antique Market, 740.569.2800, www.scottantiquemarket.com
Paris on Ponce, 404.249.9965, www.parisonponce.com
Victory Vintage Home, 404.373.5511, www.victoryvintage.com
Hip, Sustainable Wallpaper?
5/28/08
It’s true: wallpaper is making a comeback. Long gone are the cheesy floral prints from your grandma’s house. Now it’s all about quirky nature silhouettes and attention grabbing patterns. Today wallpaper is not simply part of the “background.” Geoff McFetridge, designer and owner of Pottok Prints , a new wallpaper line based in LA, applies strong graphic design skills, making wallpaper cool again. LoftLife was able to speak with McFetridge and learn how wallpaper can be sustainable and rad at the same time.
LoftLife: You have had a broad career as a designer working with skateboards, toys, textiles, and even a shoe for Nike. How has designing for all of these varied products influenced your most recent venture with wallpaper?
Geoff McFetridge: Most of the papers are designs I created to use within art installations I have done over the years. Other designs came out of the varied activity of my studio. As a designer you usually do 50 designs for every one that is used, and often the one that is used is only used for a short time. I put the energy that spins off of my art projects and commercial projects into things like the wallpaper or my skateboard company, Solitary Arts .
I don’t like waste, and I like to feel like I have control over my work. So it is really important to be able to produce things on my own without having some stranger tell me it is OK to do so.
LL: When looking at your prints, I was able to see some narrative aspects in your designs. Do you see these narrative qualities in each of your prints, and if so, do the narratives reveal themselves at the end of the design process or as you go along? How conscious or subconscious are these stories while you design?
GF: The reason I began creating patterns and repeats was to do image-based designs. I started with variations on camouflage. I tried to make posters and narratives “disappear” within the patterns. The patterns are meant to be continuous posters that recede into space visually but the story or content of the images draw you in. I imagine a kid, or adult (I grew up with wallpaper) laying in bed discovering images and stories in the paper, maybe years after hanging it.
LL: What are some of the stories you hope that your prints convey or hint at?
GF: I would love the prints be a sort of window into a stoner daydream. Many of the prints sort of play with trying to make the feeling of “imagining” tangible, illustrated.
LL: How do you decide what color will work best for the print, the story and the conveyed emotion of the print?
GF: I am learning over time what works both “graphic-ly” and within someone’s living space. I have been designing and hanging wallpaper for eight years, and I have been able to see what works on a large scale—and what fails as well. The art shows are a great proving ground for how I want the designs to work.
I don’t just look at them on a computer monitor or as a sample. All of the designs have gone into production two or three times, so I can fine-tune how they work on the wall. It is not a cost-effective way to do it, but I find it is the only way.
LL: Do you attribute any specific style or influences to your wallpaper designs? If so, what are some?
GF: I love Alexander Girard and Josef Frank . Seeing Girard’s work was a life changer.
LL: Most people don’t think of wallpaper being recyclable (I sure didn’t before doing my research!). But you have taken the effort to work with a manufacturer that runs a non-toxic operation, and you personally see every roll, sample, and print that leaves your studio. Plus, each pattern is hand-silkscreened using water-based inks and no preservatives. All of these are unique to wallpaper production, I feel, and these days eco-centric and personal details seem more popular with the crazes of organic apparel, repurposed furniture, etc. Needless to say, it seems details are important to you in a finished product. Why do you think these types of details and attention also matter to the wallpaper consumer?
GF: All those things that you mention are the only reason we produce the paper. I have no passion for mass-produced or wasteful products, and I don’t know many people who do. We create designs that we would have in our home. The businesses I admire and products I like are all the product of someone’s personal passion. When we get the samples back from our printer we are so stoked, and if things are not done right we have no hesitation to make it right. If we did not have a passion for the product all of this would be a chore.
The advantage of being a small company is being able to produce things in an eco-sensitive and thoughtful way. It is nice that we can make a product locally, well, and by hand at a time when everything is being made overseas “toxic-ly.” Of course it is not cheap, but for our customers it is worth it.
LL: I find most of your patterns to appeal to an adult mentality as well as a child’s playfulness. What are some of the patterns’ elements that create the cross-over between both adults and children?
GF: I think that a lot of the narrative in the patterns may be more clear to adults right away, where for a child it may take a few years of living with the design to find all the details.
LL: On your website, you say the patterns don’t “. . . just look like art—it looks like something a more daring person might want to use in their home.” How can people who aren’t necessarily “daring” but maybe more eclectic still find appeal in your wallpaper?
GF: Well, I am not sure. Old houses look great with wallpaper. Small bathrooms look great too. I have friends that have taken small pieces and framed it as well. I have found that people are often surprised how normal paper looks once it is installed. I would say it is generally 40% less bizarre than you think it will be. (Yes, that is an absolutely accurate bit of data.)
LL: Right now, your wallpaper is only available in LA and online. Is there any hope that we can soon see your line in some national design stores?
GF: We would love to have our paper in more shops. Wallpaper specific shops especially. We have not done the legwork yet to find some great retailers. I am sure they are out there.
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
ICFF 2008: Highs and Lows
5/22/08
LoftLife dispatched editors Cate West Zahl and Kyra Shapurji to the Javits Center in Manhattan to scope out the 20th Annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair , which ran from May 17 through May 20. Although it was Cate’s and Kyra’s first time to the fair—judging by the quality and variety of the design on display—it definitely will not be their last. Here’s their review:
KS: After my friends and I take a trip or go to a party, we always review our “highs” and our “lows” . . .
CW: I’m a big fan of “highs and lows.” It’s my favorite way to decompress an experience. Let’s do it.
HIGHS
KS: I’m not going to lie: my first “high” has to be the feel of the plastic “Press” badge dangling around my neck; my first “Press” badge, a great ego-booster. And because we attended ICFF on one of the last press days, people were especially anxious to hand us press kits. They eagle-eyed our pink “Press” badges from miles away.
CW: Being in the same room with the “virtually real” people responsible for the plethora of design blogs that I read on a daily basis, just knowing that they really existed, and that they’d been to the same booth and had already blogged about it, was a cheap thrill for me. It seems so silly, but I was a little starstruck!
KS: Accidentally learning we both have a “secret, SECRET” (and soon to be not so “secret, SECRET”) soft spot for Battlestar Gallactica . One exhibitor showcased bright, primary colored chairs that seriously looked like they were whisked off the set of BSG . I heard some guys make this remark, mentioned it to you, and you immediately got my reference. So say we all.
CW: Clearly the furnishings and products were amazing. But I almost appreciated even more the various ways in which each company displayed their products. In my eyes, it made all the difference. The objects I remember the most are the ones set up in a creative and artistic way. It was obvious who thought of their booth as art—and who didn’t.
My favorite display was by Lindsey Adelman Studio : she simply took chalk and drew loose sketches of her amazing hand-blown pendant lamps on white paper, blew them up, and used it as wallpaper. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
KS: Handing out our TWO copies of (recently launched) LoftLife magazine was a “high.” We were finally able to hand out the physical “real deal” and say “here we are!” I felt proud to hand over our beautiful book to two carefully chosen “winners.”
CW: I loved seeing the prototypes up-close. It was really neat to see stuff, such as an egg carton lamp or a resin-dipped chair, that was making its debut into potential existence at the ICFF.
KS: Another “high” would have to be the proximity of so many people wearing high designer/European shoes among such high designer/European furniture. I enjoyed seeing all the fancy-shmancy footwear that went along with the European furniture.
LOWS
CW: That brings me to my first “low”: footwear, in general. I chose to wear (and I believe you, Kyra, did as well) camel suede flats with so little support, I might as well have been barefoot. That, combined with all the cool Europeans walking around everywhere with their awesome shoes, all which seem to achieve the seemingly impossible (i.e., they are both comfortable and good looking without being hippie clogs), made me a little bitter.
KS: And then, of course, walking in the sudden downpour from Penn Station to the Javits Center was a “low.” Every avenue was like a wind tunnel. The rain was slashing at our eyes. Neither of us were prepared in our attire, and both of us lacked umbrellas. There went our carefully planned professional outfits and our matching camel suede flats.
CW: I never do well in super-big fairs or conventions. Of any kind. (I have the tendency to get overwhelmed and experience a full-on panic attack!) So the absence of intimacy was tough. I had a hard time concentrating, or knowing where to go next.
KS: I kinda’ wished that as “Press,” we’d been given one of those handy-dandy, eco-friendly totes that so many others were carrying around. It would have been nice to have, instead of lugging around multiple sheets of collateral materials, press kits, and business cards. I also secretly wished the randomly placed smoothie stands would have offered us one of their tasty treats for free.
CW: We forgot a camera. That was a “low.”
KS: Maybe that’s for the best. Last thing I needed were more visual reminders of the smorgasbord of fine home furnishings and accessories I’d be unable to practically display in my own little space. I came away from all that sensory experience wanting to do so much to my apartment, but I know I won’t be able to change it anytime soon. All the pretty little lamps and chests I don’t even have the space nor the funds for, at this time in my life. Some day my furniture prince will come . . .
Looking for a Home with Wheels?
5/20/08
To say I think the Mini Cooper is cute would be an understatement. I’m a girl, so I attribute diminutive adjectives to the few cars that visually appeal to me. And I think I secretly fell in love with the model after I saw Charlize Theron outwit thieves in her sleek, adorable car in The Italian Job .
If you’ve been itching to get your hands behind the same stylish set of wheels and figure you aren’t going to win one on The Price Is Right anytime soon, you can get one for free when you accept Tivoli Properties’ most recent incentive: purchase a unit within the $229,000 to $1 million plus range at either Tivoli’s Aqua condo tower in Midtown or the Duo complex in Castleberry Hill and you’ll be given the keys to a brand new Mini Cooper Convertible , in addition to a new home. This creative selling stunt by Tivoli is an attempt to sell the last of the units between the two properties. I’m curious to know if there’s a restriction on the color choice (I personally have coveted the Mini striped with the Union Jack Flag). Now if only I was in the market (and the range) to buy a new home…
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
LoftLife Looks For Collage Credit
5/18/08
LoftLife has been always been interested in the BeltLine project, so we were anxious to hear from one of the design firms collaborating on the project, Urban Collage, a small (they boast only 12 people) company focused on being unique. We spoke to UC’s Dennis Maddsen about their “it’s never ‘the same old same old’” design philosophy.
LoftLife: On a personal level, as a designer, what triggered your passion for design? A memory, a specific space/building, etc.?
Urban Collage: My most vivid memories come from growing up in a suburban development. On one hand, I loved exploring all the half-built houses throughout the neighborhood, and trying to envision what they’d look like when they were completed. On the other hand, I felt an incredible sense of isolation living in the suburbs, especially as a child.
It made cities all that more fascinating to me. On the occasions we’d visit Chicago or Boston or Minneapolis, I remember how captivated I was by the hum, the movement, the vibration, and the mystery. The combination of all the different people with different stories, and they were all moving through the same place and sharing a point in time. It was incredibly exciting to me as a child, and it still is today.
LL: How would you describe the mission and the philosophy behind Urban Collage?
UC: I’m glad you used the word “philosophy,” because I think that’s more appropriate than something like “dogma” or “principles.” Our philosophy is that every project, every place, every client, is unique. Certain lessons and tactics may work in certain cases, and in others we might have to reinvent the wheel. We know that there are some basic goals, like making a place that improves the quality of life for those who inhabit it, but the means to achieving those goals can be myriad. Many of the cues and clues come from the place itself: its history, its character, its people, and its issues. I guess one of the ways this shows is if you look through some of our products. While they all have an Urban Collage “feel,” they are all very different in appearance and content. We let the project guide the solution.
LL: Why does Atlanta make sense to base and grow your company in?
UC: Historically speaking, the two founders did their grad work here (at Georgia Tech) and worked for Corporation for Olympic Development (pre-Olympics), so that provided the initial impetus for being based in Atlanta. But in practical terms, the Atlanta region is a truly amazing laboratory for urban design. There are so many elements that provide a fertile field for planning.
First and foremost, it’s a growth region. Atlanta’s population has exploded and will only continue to expand. Related to that is the issue of transportation. As the automotive network suffers under increasing strain, more and more communities will be (and already have been) looking for design solutions.
Another facet is the diversity. There is an incredible range of communities in and around Atlanta. Not just in terms of demographic make-up, but also in terms of local history, context, attitudes toward growth, relationships to transit, amounts of development opportunities. We’ve never felt, going into a project around here, like we were ‘doing something all over again.’ Around here, it’s NEVER “the same old same old.”
LL: Urban Collage is playing a significant role in the BeltLine project, but what specific ideas and concepts has your company brought to the project?
UC: We’ve been lucky not just to be a part of the project, but to be a part of the multiple stages of the project. We started out on the feasibility phase (the very first look at asking “Could this really work?”) in a partnership with several other local firms. From there, we worked on the Redevelopment Plan, the nitty-gritty of how land use might change, what the transportation projections are, how the parks and trails would work, etc. Now we’re consulting with ABI on the actual implementation. From a specific standpoint, Urban Collage has brought a continuity of vision. By being involved, deeply involved, in the project from the first phase to the current standing, we’ve provided a level of “institutional memory” for the effort. Planning isn’t confined to maps on paper. It is often also the laying out of a process, and with a project as big and complex as the BeltLine , we’ve ended up serving a role almost like a shepherd.
LL: What are some Urban Collage elements that separate and make you unique from other design firms?
UC: One thing is our size. Another thing is our composition. Though we’re only a dozen folks, almost all of us have a design background. We can handle a lot of projects, and a lot of large projects, because we can all back each other up. It also makes for a very collaborative atmosphere. Mostly, I think what sets us apart, especially in this field, is that we are a pure “urban design firm.” We aren’t engineers or landscape folks who also happen to do planning.
LL: Your company works on many projects throughout Atlanta (as well as other cities), so what have been some of the most challenging and the most rewarding project you have worked on over the past 11 years?
UC: Well, if you ask each of us, you’ll get 12 different answers. Our higher profile projects, like the BeltLine and Peachtree Streetcar, obviously are very rewarding, but for me personally it’s been some of the less heralded work, especially in the suburbs. In the urban design arena, the intown revitalization is considered very sexy – redoing warehouse buildings as lofts and creating funky districts – and the exurban greenfields get a lot of the press – Seaside Institute and all its brethren – but I think some of the most compelling work in the future will come in areas that are most often overlooked.
America has spent 50+ years building the suburbs, and a move to “New Urbanism” or similar trends is not going to completely undo that. There are millions of houses and miles and miles of strip centers that aren’t simply going to be abandoned. We often joke, we need to have a branch office called “Suburban Collage.”
LL: What have you noticed as one of the biggest changes in landscape and/or design over the past 11 years in Atlanta?
UC: The biggest change I think we’ve seen has been the general embrace of progressive design principles, especially (again) in areas outside the urban core. People no longer fear the “D” word (Density) and transit is no longer a foreign concept (Have you seen how many commuter buses come into town from the surrounding counties?). For some, it’s simply an acknowledgement of the economic realities. More people are coming, and we have to plan for them, and plan intelligently. For others, it’s a part of the “green” movement. A sprawling, unplanned metro area wastes resources and harms the environment.
LL: What do you hope to see in the future for Atlanta’s urban landscape?
UC: I always say that being an urban designer is not for those who have trouble with delayed gratification. It can take years, or even decades to see the results of your handiwork. That said, I think we’re already starting to see visions of the future of Atlanta. The BeltLine is starting to take shape (even if the line itself hasn’t yet been implemented, it’s amazing to see how many new projects have gone up just based on where the BeltLine will be), the move towards green building and LEED practices has been growing in strength, and walkable, sustainable communities are popping up both inside the perimeter and outside the perimeter, from places like Midtown to Suwanee. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I think the actual fabric of metro Atlanta’s neighborhoods is changing, and it’s really going to have a positive effect on how all of us live our lives.
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
Bugs, Bourbon, Beeswax, and More…
5/13/08
Last Friday, I made the trek to the latest BKLYN DESIGNS with my once-stylish now wind-blown umbrella. The event—the biggest in its six years—featured numerous products and exhibitors enamored (this season) with refurbished wood, nature patterns, and eco-centric themes. But of all of the 70 exhibitors spread out around four DUMBO locations, the three design companies that were the most memorable, most unique, and the most excited about their designs are:
Nicholas Furrow’s installation at the event was hands down the most interactive. I’ll admit that I was initially attracted to his lighting installation because of his use of vinyl (each fixture was housed within concave walls of vinyl and their sleeves), but beyond these confines, he invites the viewer to use more than just their sense of sight. Paired with each light fixture was an audio recording, only about a minute long, that explained the technique and aesthetic behind each piece. Furrow’s “Honey Jar, 2007” made the greatest impression on me because of its faint beeswax scent that created a triple sensory experience of sound, scent, and sight.
Strainer Pendant Lamp; 8″ x 12″ x 12″
Materials: wire mesh strainers, coat hooks
#2 Uhuru Design
These guys were the very first people I spoke with at the event, and I was intrigued by their use of materials for their newest furniture line, “Küpe,” outdoor furniture that uses repurposed bourbon barrels from a distillery in Kentucky. I was pretty psyched to meet a fellow Midwesterner, but what really won me over was Uhuru’s craftsmanship that reassembled individual barrel parts and still maintained the historic distillery characteristics in the color. The pieces’ functionality made me want to pour myself a stiff one and take a seat, away from and out of the day’s windy, torrential rain.
Materials: reclaimed bourbon barrel staves, truck springs
I have always been drawn to creepy, crawling things, so I couldn’t resist checking out SSD’s new bug-like, furniture collection. The line, “Childhood Memories,” has nostalgic qualities for the company’s creative director, Rui Docouto, who used to play with insects as a child. Each piece, such as the “Mimic Chair” and “Formiga” lamp work functionally yet have a strong artistic design, so that each seems like a piece The MOMA Design Store would stock. There was a lot of serious eco-centric sales talk going on from the exhibitors, but SSD seemed like they had the most fun with their new line, and that energy helped to brighten the damp, cold weather.
Materials: round steel tube, metal sheet back
LoftLife Sheds Some Light on Lightroom
Lightroom is a multi-faceted design company based in Atlanta, and offers services in architecture, website design, print design, and identity design. Impressed and intrigued by its architectural portfolio (including the design of its personal office space) listed on their website, LoftLife was keen to hear from the lead architect behind the company’s vision, William Carpenter. Striving to create “a thoughtful and collaborative process” and to “act as a catalyst to bring clarity to vision and identity,” Lightroom understands the concepts we at LoftLife love best about spatial design. Taking time away from his drafting table, LoftLife enjoyed a quick Q&A with the savvy designer.
LoftLife: What triggered your personal passion for architectural design? Was there a specific memory or building?
William Carpenter: I went to a High School Career day at Parsons School of Design in New York. Richard Meier led a breakout session. He was wearing a white suit and a red bow tie. I did not like his clothes but I liked the architecture he presented. At the time he was building the High Museum in Atlanta.
Also, meeting Alan Alda while I worked for Norman Jaffe in Bridgehampton. Norman threw me in to the water without a life preserver (so to speak). He was testing me and sent me to a meeting with Alda. I was 19! I remember asking him what he wanted his house to be like and enjoying the idea of designing something to a real client. Norman passed away and I really miss talking to him.
LL: How would you describe the Lightroom’s mission?
WC: The mission of Lightroom is “creative services for creative people.” We believe in multi-disciplinary design. In a typical day we work on designing films, furniture, buildings, grocery lists, websites and graphic design. We want to change the very nature of architectural practice by expanding the normal way an architect works. Think about it– a website is like a building– emotions, compositions, space, experience, branding etc..
LL: Why does Atlanta make sense for your company’s home base and growth?
WC: We love Atlanta and the south. My father is from Mississippi and my mother is from Brooklyn. Atlanta makes sense because it has doubled in size in ten years. People here love modernism– but you have to find them.
We have also been involved in creating a high school design competition (see aiaatlanta.org and a great design conference–see breather.org)
LL: Your company developed its own home office. How is Lightroom’s aesthetic represented in this personal space?
WC: Well, our offices were once my personal live/work loft. I loved it because I rarely had to drive. But now we have grown and it’s our office. We believe an office should inspire the people who work there and the people who visit whether it is the UPS man or a future client.
LL: What are some future projects you would love to see Lightroom involved in?
WC: We want to design a museum where we can design the branding, website, graphics, architecture, interiors and exhibits. Also, we want to be involved in designing a restaurant in New York and a home in Dubai, and currently we are busy proposing a museum for the work of Harry Callahan.
Pictured left is Lightroom’s own home office on a shady street in Decatur, GA.
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
The Endless City: A Book Review
5/7/08
10% of humanity lived in cities in 1900. 50% lived in cities in 2007. 75% will be living in cities in 2050. Last month, the visual masterminds at internationally renowned publishing house, Phaidon Press put out an astonishing and vital book for all design conscious and urban-minded people: The Endless City, edited by Ricky Burdett of the London School of Economics (LSE) and design curator Deyan Sudjic. This 512-page tome has an encyclopedic scope combining diagrams, graphics, and charts on issues related to immigration, employment, social exclusion, globalization, and sustainability with remedies for the future and eye-opening figures.
The book is a four-year culmination of conferences, meetings, and collaborations among the members of Urban Age Project, a group of 40 architects, planners, designers, and academics, lead by Burdett and Sudjic and backed by the LSE and Deutsche Bank’s Alfred Herrhausen Society. To help readers through the heavy material, the book is categorically broken up into six case studies (each with distinct agendas, introductions and a combined glossary-index) of New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg, and Berlin, the top cities that hold the most unique urban challenges.
A rooftop in Johannesburg, a city with 3.2 million residents. Photographed by Guy Tillem
With over 1500 color illustrations and 500 black and white illustrations, the book is visually stunning, but in reading some of the accompanying text, the grandiose tone of some of the essays come off pretentious and alienating. This element seems hard to escape and only natural when essays are written by former secretaries of state and other such distinguished contributors.
I was thankful for the full-page photographs and the detailed maps that I assume would help bring other readers such as myself back to the book’s accessibility. As an urbanite myself (I call NYC home), I was attracted to the book for explanations on why so many like myself are gravitating to the fast-paced hubs of the world. With more answers to my question that I had hoped, the book is thorough by all means and devoted to explicating the vital importance of urban landscape and its denizens.
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
Defying Death with Architecture and Theory
5/05/08
A neon color palette. Walls made of metal and translucent polycarbonate. A sloped ceiling intersects a bumpy, stumbling floor.
These might sound like elements of a fun house, but they’re actually part of a residential environment designed by two conceptual artists with a strong theory combining architecture, design, and novel notions on longevity.
“Bioscleave House (Lifespan Extending Villa)” by the singularly-named Arakawa and his partner in life, Madeline Gins, is a four room and central free-form living space that houses the pair’s artistic, architectural, and poetic vision of life and art, a philosophy they call “reversible destiny.”
Basically, the two have made it their mission–through paintings, books, and now architectural projects–to defy aging and its consequences. The “Bioscleave House,” located in Long Island, cost more than $2 million to build and is to date the couple’s first completed architectural work in the United States. By using a 40-color palette, oddly angled light switches and outlets, and windows at varying heights, the artists have forced people within the space to use their bodies in unexpected ways to maintain equilibrium, which will, theoretically, stimulate their immune systems.
The thinking goes that if comfort is a precursor to death, then people kept on guard, with a tentative relationship to their surroundings, should stay young. A more recent testament to their philosophy is a building in Mitaka, Japan where elderly residents are sometimes forced to “snake” across a floor. Remarkably, these put-upon residents claim they do feel healthier after such inconvenience.
Another project (which mirrors the philosophy of the house on Long Island) consists of nine loft-style units in Tokyo where a wide color spectrum, poles for balance, and unsure footing mimic the “Bioscleave House.” A view of the nine death-defying lofts in Tokyo, Japan.
A view of the nine death-defying lofts in Tokyo, Japan.
Arakawa’s and Gins’ theories aren’t for the lazy, the wary, or those seeking comfort, but they are intriguingly zany and have been embraced by more than a few.
For more insight on how to defy death, immortality, and youthfulness, visit the couple’s website Arakawa and Gins . There you will find a link to the most recent NY Times article on their Long Island project and even learn some reversible destiny mantras.
Posted by Kyra Shapurji
Art You CAN Afford
Collecting art can be daunting. The choice to invest in something for the sole purpose of beautifying your space (not to mention life) is a hard one to make, especially when your mortgage needs to be paid. If you are like me, you tell yourself that you’ll begin collecting art when you’re older, richer and have more time.
Intaglio and screenprint; 18 x 24 inches
Turns out there’s no reason to wait. Due to the growing amount of prints and other mixed media pieces available online, collecting art is easier and more affordable than ever before. Original, fine prints are especially smart to invest in as they cost significantly less than paintings, drawings or other one-of-a-kind pieces.
Why are prints less expensive? Unlike a painting which is a unique entity unable to be perfectly recreated, the printing press allows for the potential production of several thousand recreations. The existence of these “multiples” decreases the overall value of the work, lessening the price.
Over the years, printmaking has developed into a progressive art form. Artists are choosing various techniques including woodcuts, lithography, silk screening, dry point, mezzo tints, and intaglio, to make modern pieces, many of which are larger than the typical poster size. The good news is that these prints can be purchased online for surprisingly low prices. Listed below are a few resources to help get your collection started.
Digital print and collage; 30.25″ x 22″
The International Print Center of New York is a non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of fine print collecting. Artwork can be purchased from the website, including Amze Emmon’s intaglio screenprint entitled Temporary Shelter , pictured at the beginning of the post.
Two slightly more edgy resources include the newly established 20×200 blog/web store and the buyer friendly gallery found on The Lower East Side Printshop’s website.
Archival pigment print; various sizes
The print pictured left, entitled Color Study #4 by Dustin Amery Hostetler, is an example of one of the pieces of artwork 20×200 selects each week to sell. They keep it simple, featuring one new photograph and one work on paper each week. Their goal is to create a place for people to buy and sell current artwork. The prices range from $20 to $200.
The Lower East Side Printshop is another not-for-profit print workshop equipped with a state-of-the-art printing studio and a plethora of opportunities/fellowships for artists seeking to use this medium. There is a “Collect” section of the website where featured works by in-house artists are sold.
The Washington Printmaker’s Gallery houses a more serious group of artists dedicated to using traditional techniques of printmaking. Here, the prints for sale are exclusively “artist pulled”, meaning each fine print is an original work of art, not a duplicate of another work. In other words, the entire process, including pulling the print, has been planned and brought to completion by the individual artist. The print is usually labeled in such a way that indicates this.
The Washington Printmaker’s Gallery houses a more serious group of artists dedicated to using traditional techniques of printmaking. Here, the prints for sale are exclusively “artist pulled”, meaning each fine print is an original work of art, not a duplicate of another work. In other words, the entire process, including pulling the print, has been planned and brought to completion by the individual artist. The print is usually labeled in such a way that indicates this.
Intaglio print
If it is local work that you are after, head to Atlanta Printmakers Studio, a print studio and arts organization founded in 2005 to help foster the progression of printmaking in the contemporary art world. They have a studio downtown on Metropolitan parkway where exhibits are often held. Featured works can be bought through the online gallery. Pictured right is an untitled piece by Madeleine S. Carolan
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