Speaking my language. (literally)

Porcelain sculpture by Kate MacDowell.

They are inspired by myth, art history, figures of speech, climate change, and cultural touchstones.

(from morfes.com)

Anyone been to this?

Anyone want to go to this? (with me)

Wine and Design? It can’t get any better. Well, yes it can …ahem, naked men…but this is pretty good. I think I need to make a special trip up to SFMOMA soon!

From the website:

How Wine Became Modern explores the visual culture of wine and its stunning transformation over the last three decades. Designed in collaboration with renowned architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the exhibition combines historical artifacts, architectural models, design objects, newly commissioned artworks, and enticing installations, including a “smell wall,” to probe many aspects of wine culture, among them: the globalization of wine; concepts of terroir; wine in popular media; new strategies in label, glassware, and winery design; and wine tourism.

This week I was introduced to a few new interesting ideas or words:

Limerence– a cognitive and emotional state of being obsessed or infatuated with another person and having a deep desire for reciprocation of feelings. So, a fancy crush.

Consanguinity– refers to the kinship you have with another person. Basically, how cousin-y you are with someone else.

Shibumi/shibui– First described to me as a moment/experience that is so indescribably perfect and where one knows that you won’t experience it in exactly the same way again. I liked this. The fact that we don’t have a word like this in English completely changes the way we view things. –but then– I read about it more, and a more common definition I found was in reference to a Japanese aesthetic: a simple edifice, but with subtle details. It contains a balance of simplicity and complexity so that observers continually find new meanings in the piece. Both are beautiful. And it finally inspired me to buy a book on aesthetic theory that I have been meaning to buy.

Plaçage– an old term from the French “placer”, or to place. This described the “left-handed marriages” of white French and Spanish men to women of African, Indian, or Creole descent. These women were not legally recognized as wives, but instead as “placées”.

Sprezzatura– An Italian word that conveys an effortless nonchalance which conceals difficulty of tasks and thoughts. I can only draw conclusions about image and aesthetics when I think about this word.

Stendhal syndrome– Similar to Paris Syndrome in that an overwhelming setting creates a physical reaction of dizzyness and confusion, Stendhal Syndrome reacts to art. It typically happens in Florence, Italy, but can also happen in other conditions, such as a beauty in nature. Recalling my trip to Italy in 2003, I definitely experienced this while at the Uffizi. I thought my blood sugar had lowered.

LLOVE

LLOVE is an exhibition consisting of guest rooms in Tokyo stemming from the Japanese love hotel concept. Did you know that approximately half of Japan’s sex takes place at a love hotel?

In celebration of 400 years of trade, the LLOVE exhibition brings together Dutch and Japanese design ideas. The brains behind the project is Suzanne Oxenaar, Artistic Director at the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam.

The best part: you can actually stay in one of these rooms!

“Buried” by Yuko Nagayama:

“Llayers” by Richard Hutten:

An undulating mattress by Pieke Bergmans:“Fertility” by Joep van Lieshout:

A rotating bed by Jo Nagasaka:

(photos by Takumi Ota)

Bit.fall

On November 2nd, London kicked off its 2010 Drift event featuring contemporary artwork along waterways in London and the Central Wharf from various artists.

German artist Julius Popp created tension between highly technological systems and natural elements with his installation along the river. A series of valves drop water in a precise configuration that creates words extracted from headlines for just a moment. (These images are from a previous installation and the video at the bottom shows the full effect.)

Hello, Beautiful.

I will never fathom how one can be as magnificent as Twiggy.

Happy 61st, Ms. Hornby.

Bank Note Proposal

I came across these images yesterday and was intrigued to find out more about the project. Design office Dowling Duncan create a set of bank notes for the Dollar ReDesign Project by designer Richard Smith.

I think it would be amazing to see a nation with a modern look to its currency. I love this design, but…I just don’t think Obama is worthy of the $1 over Washington.

In their own words:

Why the size?
We have kept the width the same as the existing dollars. However we have changed the size of the note so that the one dollar is shorter and the 100 dollar is the longest. When stacked on top of each other it is easy to see how much money you have. It also makes it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish between notes.

Why a vertical format?
When we researched how notes are used we realized people tend to handle and deal with money vertically rather than horizontally. You tend to hold a wallet or purse vertically when searching for notes. The majority of people hand over notes vertically when making purchases. All machines accept notes vertically. Therefore a vertical note makes more sense.

Why different colors?
It’s one of the strongest ways graphically to distinguish one note from another.

Why these designs?
We wanted a concept behind the imagery so that the image directly relates to the value of each note. We also wanted the notes to be educational, not only for those living in America but visitors as well. Each note uses a black and white image depicting a particular aspect of American history and culture. They are then overprinted with informational graphics or a pattern relating to that particular image.

$1 – The first African American president
$5 – The five biggest native American tribes
$10 – The bill of rights, the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution
$20 – 20th Century America
$50 – The 50 States of America
$100 – The first 100 days of President Franklin Roosevelt. During this time he led the congress to pass more important legislations than most presidents pass in their entire term. This helped fight the economic crises at the time of the great depression. Ever since, every new president has been judged on how well they have done during the first 100 days of their term.

Parisian Nostalgia

It made me all warm and fuzzy inside when I came across these photos of Parisian metro passengers by Sasha Paskanoi. It reminds me of a time when each day’s adventure became even more exciting the moment I remembered that I would spend a good time on the metro watching the characters step in and out. It got to the point where I would get on the metro just to be on the metro.

A different kind of Barbie fashion

I was completely stopped in my tracks when I came across Margaux Lange’s take on Barbies with her jewelry design. I love the idea of taking “unconventional” materials and creating something where you really have to look twice to figure out exactly what’s going on.

Each design is so clever, I can’t pick a favourite. (okay, maybe the last one)