1800 WALNUT: December 2009

12.24.2009

Beirut . Siki Siki Baba

12.22.2009

Of Beauty and Consolation: Richard Rorty

"This is one part of a series of interviews with philosophers, writers, scientist and other kinds of intellectuals about the relationship between beauty and consolation. In this part, part 23, the famous American pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty is being interviewed."-google

This video is narrated like Rorty's personal memoir. The tragic sentiment and clarity of the dynamics of beauty is undeniably real... and of humane genius.

12.21.2009

NYTimes. The Year in Architecture

"What all of these projects share, besides being splendid architecture, is an ability to infuse a drab, lifeless neighborhood — whether it be a derelict postwar area at the far edge of Rome’s historic center or a generic new development outside Copenhagen — with a sense of joy. Like much great architecture, they create a sense of place — of collective identity — where there was none." -NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF

Here are the 7 buildings selected by the times as the masterpieces of this year:

Maxxi Contemporary Art Museum, Rome
Zaha Hadid

Copenhagen Concert Hall
Jean Nouvel

World Games’ Main Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Toyo Ito

The High Line, New York City
Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro

new academic building at the Cooper Union, New York City
Morphosis

Beekman Tower, New York City
Frank Gehry

New York Times

Mary Heilmann . Inspiration

This is a very interesting video on Mary Heilmann's inspiration and art process.
Check out her intriguing musings.

Barnacle Bros.

"we specialize in the bizzaro projects that nobody wants to deal with"

Vol de Jour . by Karl Lagerfeld

VIA Design 3.0 Exhibition, Paris

here are selections from the design exhibition at Centres Pompidou, Paris
click here for the rest of wallpaper's coverage

Costes by Philippe Starck, 1982

Arc by Pascal Mourgue, 1983

Dole Melipone by Philippe Starck, 1982

Ray Nolde by Philippe Starck, 1983

Theophile by Marc Berthier, 1984

Sala by Pierre Clairefontaine, 1985

Hiro-Hito by Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti, 1988

Palmer by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, 1988

La Lune by Andree Putman, 1990

Profil by Jean Nouvel, 1989. Now produced by Ligne Roset

Butterfly by Delo Lindo, 1992

Elements by Mathieu Lehanneur, 2006

La Pliee by Marie-Aurore Stiker-Metral, 2007. Now produced by Ligne Roset

Bois Mousse by Francois Azambourg, 1999

Right in Tension by Saleem Bhatri, 2004

Etagere Pour Livres by Philippe Nigro, 2005

Street Etiquette . Genesis of Style Teaser

Walrus TV . David Choong Lee

Vodka Pavillion by Bureau Alexander Brodsky

- a house of windows

vodka1

vodka3

Review of the decade: Jonathan Glancey on architecture . The Guardian

Here are the top ten buildings of the decade compiled by Jonathan Glancey of The Guardian.
They are listed in his own respective orders though he has not given them priority.
A link to his review will follow.

Millennium Dome, London, 2000
Richard Rogers Partnership and engineers Buro Happold

Blur, Expo 02, Yverdon-les-Bains, 2002
Diller + Scofidio

Serpentine Pavilion, London, 2002
Toyo Ito and engineer Cecil Balmond

30 St Mary Axe, The Gherkin, London, 2003
Norman Foster

European Southern Observatory Hotel, Cerro Paranal, Chile, 2003
Auer and Weber and engineers Mayr and Ludescher

Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, 2008
Herzog and de Meuron X Ai Weiwei

St Pancras station, London, 2007
Alastair Lansley

Best noughties buildings: Le Viaduc de Millau, Aveyron

Le Viaduc de Millau, Aveyron, 2004
engineer Michel Virlogeux and Norman Foster

Neues Museum, Berlin, 2009
David Chipperfield
-this museum was actually redesigned and with an enormous burden of limits and constraints, hence the top 10

Burj Dubai
Adrian Smith and Bill Baker (SOM)

slides with details
review by Glancey

Art Basel Miami Beach 2009

"Art Basel Miami Beach is a delicate organism. It requires sunlight, optimism and an abundant supply of collectors with open wallets. And while there’s generally plenty of the sun around here, the other two elements were in short supply last December, to the point where some wondered whether this fair could survive. It has, by adapting to the new environment." -Kara Rosenberg (NYTimes)