2010 European Capital of Culture

As the 2010 European Capital of Culture- Istanbul a global city that spreads between the two continents, offers lots of cultural, historical and social activities and alternatives. I find Istanbul intriguing, chaotic and enigmatic; a true special blend of the east and the west. The last time I was in the city, I visited three popular spots : Kanyon, Beşiktaş fish market and Istanbul Museum of Modern Art.

 
Designed by the Los Angeles-based Jerde Partnership, a shopping mall in the middle of an industrial neighborhood, Levent, Istanbul, Kanyon does have a 21st century vibe. Its splashing water at the base of the "canyon", its swooping curvilinear architecture and the greenery within the gray stones do attract not only many kind of shoppers for its brand name stores but also people like me just to get a close feel of its futuristic architecture.  

 


 Another diverse neighborhood in istanbul, Beşiktaş has a new fish market which is built on a triangular site. This contemporary concrete shell and steel structure is designed to preserve the fish market's original presence and its welcoming feeling. Being a preservation and revitalizing project within the bustling community, the structure respects the sense of community among the merchants and also considers the demands of the growing urban setting.

Another busy district of Istanbul, Karaköy along the Bosphorus is the home for the city's first of its kind modern museum, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. It is located on a dock in a converted warehouse with a splendid view of the Marmara sea from its restaurant. The permanent collection includes modern and contemporary arts produced in Turkey.

 

 

Meet Chick

The story of a little chick and his love of meatballs.

He has a bauhaus aesthetic and love for all things round.

He likes simple meatballs beacuse he's simple.

He flies Finair because they serve meatballs.

He watches Mario Batali on the food network in hopes of seeing a new meatball recipe!

Follow the adventures of Chick on his new blog Chick Likes Meatball

and be sure to check out his Chick Swag.

Th

Modern Tea Towels

With the weather starting to change, I am starting to dream of the lazy afternoons of baking and cooking.  Here are some wonderfully architectural and clever towels from Girls Can Tell  to add to your collection.

 

 Classic Holga 

 

Tandem Bike

 

Beer Lovers

 

 

The Sheer Kitchen...

With a futuristic design, the Sheer Kitchen by Gatto Kitchens is surely a conversation starter. 

 
The upper half of the sphere of the Sheer Kitchen automatically rises and attaches to the ceiling, where it provides lighting and ventilation. The lower half contains a circulator work top, a double sink, four burners (including a lava stone burner), three bottle coolers, a pullout table, two electric outlets for small appliances, and storage space for rolling trolleys. However, a freestanding wall unit contains the refrigerator, an oven, cabinets and four folding chairs. The best part of it all, the kitchen is made of partially lightweight and durable carbon fiber so that you can take the kitchen with you when you move. Enjoy !!!

Modern Marvel

All was a flutter yesterday afternoon and into the night at the New York Design Center’s What’s New, What’s Next, a virtual, in-the-flesh celebratory open house with programs by editors from top design and shelter publications, dealers, curators, authors and designers about every imaginable topic. Yours truly was present for the New Curators Event where bloggers were situated in showrooms on the 4^th floor, and invited to yap, post, + tweet away about products, findings and news from the day’s events.

                 Frank Lloyd Wright Chair commissioned for Drexel family from 1955 

I am convinced that my gig was the swellest, perched in the extraordinary Weinberg Modern, a newly opened showroom of incredible vintage modern findings, furniture, accessories, books and outsider art. So many incredible things, and by names rarely seen: Tony Paul, David Cressey, Alvin Lustig, Maurice Martine, Josef Frank, and atypical pieces from familiar names: Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, Brandt, Ponti, Nelson, Vignelli, and myriad others. I could barely contain my excitement.

                Sirrah AM-AS Series Table lamp from the 1970's found in Italy 

Owner/founder Larry Weinberg, is a font of information. It was fascinating listening to stories of his hunt process, venturing to estate sales, antique shows, yard sales at 3 AM no less in pursuit of illusive finds. His first piece: a Noguci table for $24 in Delaware. His collection of Robert Lustig paintings and 20^th art by unnamed artists is simply superb. Plus, he is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and dogs are welcomed too.

               Herman Miller Sculpture 

Please, if you find yourself afoot and near East 33^rd Street, I strongly encourage a visit. Or, if you must, please go online to www.weinbergmodern.com. 

Weinberg Modern 

New York Design Center

200 Lexington Avenue, Suite 420

New York, NY

Monday – Friday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm

646.291.2059

 

 

Murakami in the Wonderland of Versailles

Takashi Murakami has been around for a while bridging the gap between the low and high art, synthesizing the east and west influences, and producing the -kawaii- cute cartoon characters with bright colors and big smiles for his prints and paintings.

 
 
 An exhibition, which has recently opened, by Takashi Murakami in the Chateau de Versailles, has joyful and witty pieces which contradict with the sophisticated and elegant rooms of Versailles. An earlier post  focused on the photoshop colors of the pictures from the exhibition.)

Murakami sees himself like a Cheshire cat in this marvelous setting, wandering around the chateau with a grin on his face. Murakami explains:

“Just as French people can find it hard to recreate in their minds an accurate image of the Samurai period, the history of this palace has become diminished for us in reality.
So it is probable that the Versailles of my imagination corresponds to an exaggeration and a transformation in my mind so that it has become a kind of completely separate and unreal world. That is what I have tried to depict in this exhibition.”

The literary nonsense genre of the Alice in Wonderland summarizes the outline of this exhibition: a fantasy created by Murakami in a world of elegance, style and high art.

 

  

   

"Good Design"

 

German Industrial designer, Dieter Rams’ ten principles to “good design”-

Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.

Having worked as head of design at Braun for 30 years and also designing furniture for Vitsoe, his approach to "good design" continues today and has influenced many, including Apple.

Less and More, a retrospective of Rams' work was carried at The Design Museum in London 2007-2010.

~via dwell 

Tires Rock...and Roll

Tire by Roy Lichtenstein 1970 image source: ElissaSCA

Rob Pruitt 2010

Pattern and Degradation Opening reception at Gavin Brown's Enterprise and Maccarone, New York image source: VernissageTV Didier Didier

Tires are in.

Ever since we had the car tires balanced 3 weeks ago and found out they had weather cracking, it has been nothing but tire research and obsessive e-gathering of info by Tom. Including tread designs and compounds, you tube videos of tires being tested in Sweden near the Arctic circle, images of tires so zoomed in they fill the entire screen. When we opened up the NY Times art section last week and saw the huge picture of Rob Pruitt's new gallery show in NYC I was as Tom puts it "surprised to see that someone else saw the art in tread design" or as I put it "amazed to find his same recent obsession made manifest in the NY art scene." The tire has been used often in modern art. I found Lichtenstein's portrait of a Tire. I like it, even though Tom says it's old tech. When I think of tire that's the image that comes to mind, a big outdated symbol of power! It's been nothing but tires tires tires everyday, I don't think I've ever been so keenly aware of tires, everyday we go out we stop to look at people's tires, they must think we're vandals. As Tom puts it, "black and commonplace and taken for granted, hissing beneath your car seat is a work of art!"

Literally there's hundreds of tires going by outside our window right now, we hear tires, we see tires, I'm sure Tom dreams about tires, and smells them too. We also just heard, involuntarily, John Lennons' I'm Just Sitting here making the wheels go round and round(no doubt with tires mounted!!) Snow treads, summer treads, rain treads, treads that wear fast, treads that last! With tires black is the new black! You may recall BMW's ad for a car freak, using the tire tread as brush. Set up on a giant canvas the Z4 powerslides across the surface to create a unique work of art. Their campaign was dubbed "an expression of joy" I think it's an expression Tom is all too familiar with!!

Acero - House 4

This residential project is a grandiose example of architecture grounded in the conceptual realm. With dramatic forms and huge voids, one cannot help but be dwarfed by both the structure and the vast manicured landscape surround.  Paradoxically, when enclosed within the residence, one is embraced by the surprising scale and warmth of the interior spaces as defined by the art and sculpture within. Bold gestures and an inventive use of planes demarcate the space and scale down and break up the internal order. This residence is ultimately a collectors dream!!

 

 

 

     

 

   all photos from + mood courtesy of A-cero  

   
 

2Modern Design Brief

Brains of designers working hard lately.... Is it me or is there an exciting amount of good design these days?

I spotted this on Cool Hunting but you can check out the whole enchilada over at the designer's site, Knife & Saw. You should really just check out the whole site...Brains on overload over there....

Finally! Because it's something I have always hoped to see - shopping carts repurposed into good design. Found on Dornob. 

Grain Edit featured a piece from Semigood Design..the ironic part is that it's Allgood Design!