Tartan Plaid

I know tartans have been very popular lately but they've always been part of my life ( even my alma mater's mascot is a tartan plaid! seriously). Growing up we were very 'American 'and not very in touch with my Scottish heritage -but there was always an abundance of tartan plaids around especially at my grandparents. Maybe because of that I always associate them with Christmastime.

My favorite store, William Sonoma Home, is featuring some GREAT tartain plaids for the holidays. Aren't these just great, cozy little accessories for your home in the holiday or even all winter? (unfortunately the market has me in saving mode -not spending mode :-( )

Today's archidose #262

Here's a couple great shots of detail and texture.

The Telus Centre for Performance and Learning in Toronto, Ontario by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB), 2008. Photo by Lú_.



The Hedmark Museum in Hamar, Norway by Sverre Fehn, 1969. Photo by Peter Guthrie.

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Happy Halloween!

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt" Charles Schulz

LIterary Dose #35

"Supposedly the emperor [Hadrian] sent the plans for [the Temple of Venus and Roma] to the professional architect Apollodorus. Apollodorus, one of the great architects of Imperial Rome, had previously served Trajan, and known Hadrian for perhaps twenty years; the modern historian William MacDonald describes the architect as "a man of considerable consequence, a writer and a cosmopolitan citizen." When Hadrian sent him the plans for this new work, Apollodorus criticized the technical construction and the proportions of both the building and its statues. Hadrian reacted, according to later gossip, by having Appolodorus killed.

- Richard Sennett from Flesh and Stone: The Body and the City in Western Civilization (W.W. Norton & Co., 1994, p. 97)

Offshoring Audacity

[Image: Dubai's "carbon-neutral" ziggurat, designed by Timelinks].

I'll be in Chicago next week to host a panel on Saturday, November 8, as part of this year's Chicago Humanities Festival. The other participants are Joseph Grima, Jeffrey Inaba, and Sam Jacob.
More info:

Look abroad: Whole cities are planned, built, and inhabited in less than a generation. Artificial islands, indoor ski slopes, and the world’s tallest this-and-that are being constructed, not in the West, but in the Middle East, China, and beyond. The result: a sense that the West’s cities are falling behind and, increasingly, watching from the sidelines. A dynamic panel will discuss the accuracy of this assessment of today’s architectural situation. What are the urban implications of so-called offshoring audacity and how can the phenomenon be described without resorting to nationalism, nostalgia, or even uncritical celebration?

The panelists will be Joseph Grima, executive director of New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture and author of Instant Asia; Jeffrey Inaba, principal architect, Inaba Projects, and professor of architecture at SCI-Arc and Columbia University; and Sam Jacob, visiting professor at Yale University and founding director, Fashion Architecture Taste, a London-based practice. The discussion will be moderated by Geoff Manaugh, author of BLDGBLOG and senior editor of Dwell magazine.

The panel, called Offshoring Audacity, will begin at 2:30pm, lasting till 4:00, and it will take place at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street. It costs $5.
I hope some Chicago-based readers might stop by.

[Image: Park Gate, Dubai, by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture].

The overall theme for the Humanities Festival this year is "big ideas," inspired by architect Daniel Burnham's (possibly apocryphal) statement that one should "make no little plans." Since we're coming up on the 100-year anniversary of Burnham's urban plan for Chicago, not only does a "big ideas" – or "big plans" – Festival seem appropriate, but a panel about cities and urban design even more so.

[Image: New Songdo City, South Korea].

The specific goal, then, is to discuss the idea that the West has begun "offshoring audacity" – urban and architectural audacity – to places like Dubai, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, and South Korea.
The United States, in particular, seems to have ceded its role as an architectural and infrastructural innovator. Every week, a new indoor ski resort or artificial island-city or hyperbolic "green" pyramid is announced somewhere, in a non-Western nation – or the Chinese government announces a program of urban weather control – leaving the U.S. a nation of failed levees, foreclosed suburbs, and collapsing bridges.
These examples of 21st-century spatial exotica are our era's new fantasy environments – instant cities rolled out across the desert like magic carpets, with all of their plumbing and services intact.
It is architecture at its most audacious (or so we're told).

[Image: RAK Gateway, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, by OMA].

The question becomes: How can we discuss all of this without resorting either to chest-puffing nationalism (it's not true, the West is the best) or to a kind of knee-jerk Spenglerian resignation (it's true, the West is over)?
Put another way: Is there really any purpose in celebrating the newest mile-high tower or solar-powered private golf community, as every architecture blog in the world seems to think we need to do right now – or, conversely, is cynicism in the face of mile-high towers really the most interesting or appropriate response?

[Image: Contemporary architecture's well-rendered visual overload, parodically assembled by OMA].

There's an interesting exchange in Joseph Grima's new book Instant Asia: Fast Forward through the Architecture of a Changing Continent. There, Qingyun Ma describes the trajectory of the Chinese architect as one of concentration: You start off huge, designing million-square-foot office complexes – if not whole cities from scratch – before gradually being established and respected enough in your field simply to design a house, say, or a single storefront.
With this in mind, is the steroidal grandeur of today's Chinese architecture simply the visible articulation of a different professional arc? Start fast – start big – then concentrate?
Are these architects building resumés, not cities?
On the other hand, if many of these towers continue to be designed, engineered, and built by western firms, are we actually witnessing a kind of bizarre projection of the West's own subconscious needs onto the blank slates of other nations? I'm reminded here of Marcus Trimble's quip that China, with its replicant Eiffel Towers and fake chateaux, has become a kind of architectural back-up harddrive for the French.
Are developing nations being used as blank spatial slates upon which the West will rewrite its own architectural history?
This also brings to mind Martin Heidegger's under-appreciated comment that American gigantism – Koolhaasian Manhattanism – is simply a grotesque reflection of intellectual tendencies within the trajectory of Europe itself. The U.S., he wrote, was a "concentrated rebound" of European thought, the camouflaged return of its own monstrous offspring.
Is this what we're now witnessing, then, taking architectural form abroad?
Or, conversely, is the presupposed difference here between the West and the Rest so impossible to maintain or to define rigorously that nothing's being "offshored" anywhere – because there's no outside to offshore to?

[Images: Waterfront City masterplan, Dubai, by OMA. It's worth reading counter-discussions of this project by Nicolai Ouroussoff and Lebbeus Woods, respectively].

In the end, then, how are we to judge these claims to architectural monstrosity made by 7-star hotels and indoor ski ranges – buildings that supposedly demonstrate alternative futures, or space on maximum overdrive?
Are these places really that extraordinary – or are they a kind of imaginative cul-de-sac, a sign that architects have resolutely failed to design a more interesting spatial future?
Have we mistaken sheer scale and algorithmic excess for formal bravery?
Has "audacity" in architecture really been "offshored" to other nations, after all – or is audacity something that architecture has lost altogether?
Where should we look to find the truly audacious?
Stop by the panel on November 8 to hear these and other questions discussed: Offshoring Audacity.

Mirrored Walls

I've been thinking about mirror a lot lately. What do you think of a room that is mirrored? My mind goes instantly to those suburban dining rooms which are tragically mirrored...Or the city apartments that were mirrored back in the 80s - Oy Vey.
However, I think these images posted are pretty fab, don't you think? Look at the famous mirrored bathroom in Miles Redd apartment above, or this living room by Bunny Williams below.Remember I talked about mirroring my backsplash in the kitchen HERE? I keep returning to that idea. So -yah, or nah?

Tod & Billie Musing #3 (aka Today's archidose #261)

American Museum of Folk Art - Tod Williams Billie Tsien & Associates, originally uploaded by Scott Norsworthy.

The American Folk Art Museum in New York City by Tod Williams Bille Tsien Architects, 2001. The project was featured on my weekly page in 2001 and 2002.

Previously:
Tod & Billie Musing #1
Tod & Billie Musing #2

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Beau Brummel: this charming man

I recently watched a wonderful dvd "Beau Brummell: This charming man" about the life of George Brummell (nicknamed Beau for obvious reasons). This movie was a BBC Television drama made in 2006 and based on the biography by Ian Kelly. You've probably all heard of this famous man, but aren't sure why.

The handsome James Purefoy (from 'Rome') plays the Regency England dandy who changed male fashion. In an era when men relied on powders, wigs and perfumes in order to appear well groomed and fashionable, Brummell's comparatively simple regiment of common-sense elegance and frequent washing was revolutionary. Matthew Rhys (from brothers and sisters) co-stars as a conniving Lord Byron while the delightful Hugh Bonneville plays the prince and future King George IV.

'Beau' Brummel (1778 - 1840) established fashion that exists today of men wearing understated, fitted dark suits with pants instead of knee britches adorned with an elaborately-knotted tie. He was known to take 5 hours to dress (while being watched by admirers, CREEPY!) and said that it was best to polish shoes with champagne (ever tried that??). He met the Prince Regent while serving his time in the military in the Tenth Light Dragoons. Through this friendship, he soon was promoted to captain by 1796. He resigned shortly afterwards and took up a house in the fashionable Mayfair in order to stay in London. He shortly burned through his rather large inheritance by gambling and shopping. After loosing the patronage of Prince George ( he called him fat to his face - ouch!), he no longer had a get out of jail free card or anyone to pay his debts. He had to flee to France in 1816 to escape debt collectors who threatened his life where he used his friendships once again to get a job as consulate in Caen. Here he died penniless years later in 1840 from complications due to Syphilis in a madhouse, not a pretty way to go.
An 1805 caricature of Brummell - compare him with James Purefoy in the movie belowWe all owe a debt to 'Beau' as he went against the times and promoted daily grooming: brushing your teeth, taking a daily bath and shaving. He also advocated pants for men and a more natural style (no wigs, powders and perfumes - those were left for the ladies!).

Hugh Bonneville as the Prince in the previous 'fashion'

This movie is very well made and entertaining filled with great acting and nice eye-candy. Definitely check it out!!

REVIEWS: Nancy Banks-Smith writing in The Guardian said the film was exquisite to see and very easy to enjoy, stating that, it was one of those plays where the director of photography and the costume and set designers, who normally bring up the rear, led the whole parade. She also compliments Hugh Bonneville for his frighteningly feasible Prince Regent. She concludes that, the Georgians had a natural beauty in their lives which makes ours seem ugly.
Jodie Pfarr writing in The Sydney Morning Herald describes the film as an engaging costume drama romp, which provides a fascinating account of the relationship between Brummell and the prince. He calls the show, Queer eye for the straight guy 18th-century style, and concludes that the moral of the story is all can be fine and dandy until you tell someone they're fat

Visit the website for the movie at the BBC HERE including some clips from the movie.

Storefront 961

This summer the Storefront for Art and Architecture closed for restoration of its famous facade, designed by Steven Holl and Vito Acconci. Since its opening in 1993, the venue has been popular for its hinged panels on the facade and tapered space, as much as for the varied exhibitions the non-profit holds.


[Storefront for Art and Architecture interior | image source]

I'm a fan of the space and the exhibitions. The project's been featured on each of my web pages. And while I've yet to see the newly restored facade, I couldn't help post something in the meantime. So here's the a ground floor plan of the space, taken from a PDF on the Strorefront's web page.

Slow Decay

[Image: By Yvette Molina, 2008; oil on 7" convex aluminum disc. Via Johansson Projects].

Opening at Johansson Projects in Oakland this week is a show by artists Katy Stone and Yvette Molina "that considers the ephemeral thrills and underlying decrepitude of the natural world" – it is "a nature walk through a mysterious and delicate landscape, where organic beauty blossoms in the midst of slow decay."

[Images: All works by Yvette Molina, 2008; all are oil on 7" convex aluminum discs. Via Johansson Projects].

These gorgeous paintings here, using layers of oil paint and glazes, are all by Yvette Molina, depicting "hazy forest scapes."

Dior, the talent

While I can barely do him justice, especially in such a short post, I would like to just talk briefly about Christian Dior as I'm currently reading his autobiography from 1957. Dior believed that accessories MADE the outfit. After coming up with the initial sketches of a dress, he would then go on to chose the accessories right away, even before seeing the finalized dress! He worked with Roger Vivier often for shoes, such as this cheetah printed silk show above. Notice the beautiful details such as the rhinestone button and beautiful catch.

This is a detail photograph from 1954 of his dress called ' Moulin Rouge'. He wrote that he wanted to make women happy and gave his dresses fun, exotic and happy names.

This sketch by Gruau shows Ispahan from 1947 for the magazine 'Adam'. From the start of the Dior salon, it was a huge success. He wrote that after 1 year of business, it was such an established brand that he would hear people talking about it as if it had been around since the turn of the century! All he ever wanted was a tiny, small exclusive salon -he never expected or wanted all of the publicity and growth of his company.

Entry to the boutique. Housed in a grand but sedate mansion /townhouse at 30 Avenue Montaigne - he wanted it to be a simple take on tradition ala the style of 1910: Everything in shades of gray and white.

Cachotier from 1951 - I love this very architectural dress with the ruched gloves. It must be so uncomfortable though!

A dress from Fall / Winter 1954 -this shows the finished product on the right and the process on the left. Primarily known for his evening gowns, Dior was in the group of the moneyed classes who were throwing grand balls after WWII to forget the horrors and atrocities they witnessed -society wanted fun! Dior provided the dresses.

An ad from 1960 for shoes by Vivier for Dior. Drawn by Gruau of course.

Dior made the cover of Time magazine in 1957 -the year of his autobiographyThe models of the house of Dior from 1957. I love the model with alabaster skin and red lips in the black dress! So chic. Her name was Lucky! A sketch by Dior for the 1951 collections. Such expressive lines, evocative of Gruau.

All images from the book 'Dior' by Universe of Fashion by Marie-France Pochna; forward by Grace Mirabella. You can find this great little book online HERE very inexpensively used.

The Atlas of Hidden Water

[Image: From the "atlas of hidden water." Check out the original PDF or simply view it
larger].

An "atlas of hidden water" has been created to reveal where the world's freshwater aquifers really lie. "The hope," New Scientist reports, "is that it will help pave the way to an international law to govern how water is shared around the world."
This prospective hydro-geopolitical legislation currently includes a "draft Convention on transboundary aquifers."

[Image: The "hidden water" of South America].

"What the UNESCO map reveals," New Scientist adds, "is just how many aquifers cross international borders. So far, the organisation has identified 273 trans-boundary aquifers: 68 in the Americas, 38 in Africa, 155 in Eastern and Western Europe and 12 in Asia." One of these is the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, whose waters are nearly a million years old.
According – somewhat oddly – to the International Atomic Energy Agency:

The ancient system’s massive reserves, estimated at 375,000 cu km of water (equivalent to about 500 years of Nile River discharge), are confined deep inside the earth’s underground chambers – staggered, tiered, and pooled beneath the sands of the Sahara Desert, oasis settlements, wadis (dry riverbeds that contain water only during times of heavy rain), small villages, towns, and large cities.

If the surface landscapes there are already so beautiful, how exciting would it be to explore those underground staggered tiers and pools...
A more detailed map is due out in 2009 – meanwhile, several more can be downloaded here.

The immersive sculpture of linked voids

When you pull back the curtain of Manhattan, what do you find?

[Image: Photo by Andrea Mohin for The New York Times].

The so-called "birthmark of the World Trade Center" has been removed from the earth of New York City. These "colossal cast-iron rings," as The New York Times describes them, were "the last visible remnant of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad" that once crossed through the World Trade Center site.
In an excavatory act that would seem to combine the best conceptual aspects of Rachel Whiteread, Michael Heizer, and Gordon Matta-Clark, what was once a tunnel – an underground space of air – has been strangely inverted, transformed into an object, freed from its terrestrial context.
Perhaps leading to the question: What if Michael Heizer had retired altogether from the art world – only to get a job, under an assumed name, as an engineer on the New York City subway system? What strange resonances might that mobile underworld now take?
An immersive sculpture of linked voids beneath the city.

[Image: Photo by Fred R. Conrad for The New York Times].

Meanwhile, as the construction work at Ground Zero continues, the whole site has become a massive archaeological site, exposing an earlier phase of planetary history.
Also from The New York Times:

A fantastic landscape in Lower Manhattan – plummeting holes, steep cliffsides and soft billows of steel-gray bedrock, punctuated by thousands of beach-smooth cobblestones in a muted rainbow of reds and purples and greens – has basked in sunlight this summer for the first time in millennia.

This monumental carving was the work of glaciers, which made their last retreat from these parts about 20,000 years ago, leaving profound gouges in the earth and rocks from the Palisades, the Ramapo Mountains and an area of northern New Jersey known as the Newark Basin.

Plumbing these glacial features and souvenirs has been critical in preparing the foundation for Tower 4 of the new World Trade Center, being built by Silverstein Properties. The concrete footings from which its columns rise must rest on firm bedrock. Engineers need a clear understanding of the rock’s contours.

These "contours" form "an abstract canvas of swirling, concentric rings," we read, which help to reveal "a period far more ancient than the glaciers, about 500 million years ago, when the edges of the colliding North American and African continental plates got shuffled together."
Ground Zero has thus become a kind of horizontal stargate, a terrestrial windowpane pulled wider and wider in the landscape of Lower Manhattan.

[Image: Photo by David W. Dunlap for The New York Times].

In any case, what about those colossal cast-iron rings? Now that they've been pulled from the earth, they've been warehoused: "These have been taken to Hangar 17 at Kennedy International Airport, where large-scale trade center artifacts are stored."
But might I suggest that they be shipped upstate to Dia:Beacon, instead?