1800 WALNUT

A Purpose in Your Life

2010-05-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Don't call on me again.
In the morning,
I will put on my paper pants
Fold my oriental wings
And fly out of the oil spill
That is the world.
No one grants wishes.
Not your father
Or the man you've thought
You've known to be.
Where am I...
I am still flying
On the incandescent clouds
Of fortitude and wandering
Perhaps for forever
Or until, at last,
All the loneliness and CFCs
Of the world
Strangles me back down
To reality.
There is no more room left in me
For the pedantic-isms of humanity's worries.
I can not tell you
I love you
When that is all you want.

Bob Dylan . Girl from the North Country . live

2010-04-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

all there is

2010-04-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

	Bob Dylan - Boots Of Spanish Leather .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

tomorrow
when you walk
through the mirrors of age
with your memory collapsed

do not let go of
the wrinkles
of my face
or that distant sound
"i love you"

what else is there?
though it may not be enough
"i love you"
still it is more
than the world.

the universe
so isolated
is nothing
but a speck of dust
that shimmers

you may not always remember
what is real
or rather why
"i love you"
i will call your name
and kiss you
on your cheek
in the paleness
of october
and cry
the maternal tears
of a thousand wars

the rivers
may not always flow
the country sun
may not always
give you just enough
the sons of the world
may never come home
your gods will die
but
i will always
be here

The Haiti Poster Project

2010-04-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

-design to the rescue.
"The Haiti Poster Project is a collaboration of artists and designers from around the world. Benefiting victims of the earthquake in Haiti."
Here are my selection of some brilliantly designed posters. Go check out the rest:
thehaitiposterproject

Aid Haiti . David Daniele

Untitled . Harry Pearce (Pentagram)

Hope . Christina Piluso (Wieden + Kennedy)

Help.Rebuild.Restore.Haiti . Cindy H. Chan

HELP REBUILD HAITI! . Justus Oehler (Pentagram)

Video | Whitney Biennial: Robert Grosvenor

2010-04-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

A Love Letter For You . Megawords Magazine

2010-04-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

This American Life: Horses in North Philly

2010-04-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

Life With Gorky . Tate TV

2010-04-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

the good red road

2010-03-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

"He said,

I love you. there’s an art

to everything. What I’ve

done with this life,

what I’d meant not to do,

or would have meant, maybe, had I

understood, though I have

no regrets."

-carl phillips (the new yorker)

The train is coming

I am late

I do not care

I will walk the tracks

And tomorrow,

I will sleep

In the bushes

Among the wolves.

The winters

Are harsh...

These people are boring.

I drink too much..

They have laws

Against that now.

I do not care

I never will.

-jan 2010

-photos by ryan mcginley

Jim Cuno and Glenn Lowry: A Conversation on Museums of Modern Art

2010-02-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

Tate Channel . In the Studio . Martin Parr

2010-02-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

Malls R Us . documentary film

2010-02-18T03:39:00.000-08:00

-America's Pastime

Konstantin Grcic: Decisive Design Exhibition

2010-02-18T03:11:00.000-08:00

"Designer Konstantin Grcic, in conversation with curator Zoë Ryan, discusses industrial design, the creative process, and his recent Art Institute exhibition, Konstantin Grcic: Decisive Design." -ArtBabble

MOUNTAINS

2010-02-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's kinda like

a subway train

at 7 in the morning

moving through its vessels

you are late

and can't distinguish

whether the merchants

are epileptic or

if its their medicine

when all of a matter of a fact

the lights go out

and all you see

is the sound of grace

dancing through the universe

Her face so familiar

you think shes your mother.

Now you can

finally let go again

of all the references

of the world

you've memorized

since you were a child

And you can finally be

once more

a trapeze artist

a dancer from the eastern shore.

You paint with words

and the rain comes down

but it is gentle

and the burden of your flight

is lightened.

You are gray

and white

and red

but never dull.

You think of days you never knew

when the country

barely contained your madness

and your eyes were red

and the women slipped on streams

who tried to talk

but you were deaf.

It goes on

but your ghost is tired

and you write in blood.

-photos by salvatore bertucci & ricardo herrera, respectively

Constantin Brancusi Documentary

2010-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

"Though charming and gregarious, Brancusi was a complex and somewhat mysterious person whom few seem to have known well. His interests ranged from music to science and philosophy. A talented violinist and singer, he had an eclectic taste in music. He was also a famous cook of traditional Romanian dishes and an extraordinary handyman, building his own phonograph and fashioning most of the furniture, utensils, and even doorways in his home. His worldview, which above all valued "differentiating the essential from the ephemeral," was shaped not only by Plato but also by the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu and the 11th-century Tibetan monk Milarepa. On the one hand, he was a "saint-like" idealist, almost an ascetic. He had turned his studio into a kind of temple, and all who visited it remarked on the deeply spiritual atmosphere that the artworks lent to the space. Yet, in the teens and twenties, he was known in his bohemian circle as a pleasure-seeker and merrymaker, throwing lively parties at which he served as host, cook, and entertainer. He appreciated cigarettes, good wine, and the company of women, and he overindulged in all three. As Brancusi gained wealth, he began to drink to excess and once had to be treated for nicotine poisoning. Though he never married, he carried on a number of affairs and had at least one child, whom, in a gesture uncharacteristic of a "saint," he never acknowledged.
While his fame grew, the once gregarious socialite became almost a hermit. Because Brancusi seldom confided in others, the reason for this change remains largely a mystery... He must have realized that most of his relationships were merely professional or superficial ones. Yet, unable to forge new, deeper relationships so late in life, he had no choice but to turn inward. And, wizened by age and the continual acquisition of knowledge, it's likely that he finally decided to trade the ephemeral for the essential in life as well as in art. "

-brainjuice

The Third & The Seventh . Alex Roman

2010-01-30T11:18:00.001-08:00

"A FULL-CG animated piece that tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects
are already-built spaces. Sometimes in an abstract way. Sometimes surreal." - A. Roman
-please full screen it!

Wallpaper . Design Awards 2010: The Judges Awards

2010-01-27T00:53:00.001-08:00

Wallpaper . Life-enhancer of the year: The High Line

2010-01-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

17 January 2010

2010-01-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

THE JAPANESE COUNTRYSIDE

IS DESOLATE AND LONELY

JUST LIKE BACK HOME

I AM

SICK AND STARVING

WHICH MAKES ME REAL

I CAN NOT SPEAK

THE LANGUAGE

THOUGH IVE

KNOWN

LONG AGO

ITS IRRELEVANT

LAST NIGHT

A GIRL FROM CATALONIA

UNDRESSED HERSELF

IN FRONT OF ME

THIS MORNING

I AM PUKING OUT

MY DINNER

OF NERVES AND WHISKEY

THIS IS NOT A POEM

THIS IS NOT POETRY

--A LETTER TO MAMA

Wallpaper City Shorts

2010-01-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

-Here are Wallpaper's videos for the design awards 2010: best city

Rotterdam

Berlin

Seoul

Istanbul

Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture 2009

2010-01-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Divine Jane: Reflections on Austen

2010-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

This short film was produced for The Morgan Library’s exhibition A Women’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy

The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal

2010-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

warning! : narrated by ridiculous & ironic hipster art-student

Wallpaper . Chermayeff House: in conversation with Ivan Chermayeff

2010-01-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Raphael Zarka . Riding Modern Art

2010-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

" 'riding modern art', is a composition of eleven photographs
of skaters whose images are captured riding works of public art. his photographs emphasize the
hidden dynamism in many of the public sculptures we encounter:
'what strikes me, is that skaters prioritize a relationship with the work rather than a mechanical
relationship aesthetic. for them, all the interest of a sculpture is the variety of movements that
it recommends.' -RZ "

designboom

300tv . Bureau Alexander Brodsky Office & Studio, Moscow

2010-01-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Bureau Alexander Brodsky / Bureau Alexander Brodsky from 0300TV on Vimeo.

Downtown 81 Trailer . feat. Jean-Michael Basquiat

2010-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

El Pez

2010-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Tate Shots | In the Studio with Bruce McLean

2010-01-05T17:51:00.001-08:00

Beirut . Siki Siki Baba

2009-12-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

Of Beauty and Consolation: Richard Rorty

2009-12-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

"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.

NYTimes. The Year in Architecture

2009-12-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

"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

2009-12-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

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

Barnacle Bros.

2009-12-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

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

Vol de Jour . by Karl Lagerfeld

2009-12-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

VIA Design 3.0 Exhibition, Paris

2009-12-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

Walrus TV . David Choong Lee

2009-12-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

Vodka Pavillion by Bureau Alexander Brodsky

2009-12-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

- a house of windows

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

2009-12-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-12-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

"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)

Isa Genzken

Cesar Trasobares

Jim Lambie

Amy Sillman

Elmgreen & Dragset

Gabriel Orozco

Peter Liversidge

El Anatsui

Deitch Projects

Rosson Crow

the full NYTimes article by Rosenberg
another Times review by Damien Cave

Taste of Philly . Andrew Keenan-Bolger & Benj Pasek . Lonely Contest Entry

2009-12-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

Le Corbusier . Villa Savoye by 300tv

2009-12-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Le Corbusier / Villa Savoye from 0300TV on Vimeo.

Shenzhen & Hong Kong Biennale

2009-12-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

Snow Bull Station by Rigo 23

Snow Bull Station by Rigo 23

Walking Chairs by Sou Fujimoto

Walking Chairs by Sou Fujimoto

Creature by Triptyque

Creature by Triptyque

Footprints in the Square by MAD

LOT-US PROBES by LOT-EK

With the Wind by Jiakun Architects

Built to Wear by Ball Nogues

Built to Wear by Ball Nogues

People’s Roulette by FRANCESCHINI and ALLENDE/Futurefarmers

Demolition Relocation by Liu Xiaoliang

Demolition Relocation by Liu Xiaoliang

Demolition Relocation by Liu Xiaoliang

for better coverage go to dezeen and designboom or the official website

Wallpaper . Konstantin Grcic in conversation with Alice Rawsthorn

2009-12-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Wallpaper . Arrowtown Club House, NZ

2009-12-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ken Adam . Cold War Modern

2009-12-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

Dieter Rams . Cold War Modern

2009-12-05T17:10:00.001-08:00

Design Matters . Debbie Millman interviews Stefan Sagmeister

2009-12-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

"Stefan Sagmeister (1962- ) is among today’s most important and influential graphic designers. Born in Austria, he has lived and worked in New York since 1993. Renowned for album covers, posters, installations and his recent book of life lessons, Things I have learned in my life so far, Sagmeister brings a fresh perspective to the role and work of a designer. In this podcast interview with Debbie Millman, he discusses his year away from his New York-based design practice, his personal time in Bali, as well as discussing his new, in-progress documentary film, Happiness."

TED . James Kunstler . Dissecting Suburbia

2009-11-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

COOLHUNTING . Baltimore: A word-of-mouth guide

2009-11-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

COOLHUNTING . Oakland: A word-of-mouth guide

2009-11-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

Walrus TV . David Choe

2009-11-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

Tate Videos . Pop Life

2009-11-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Alison Gingeras on Pop Life

Damien Hirst Twins

Jeff Koons Rabbit

Fantastic Mr. Fox . Behind the Scenes

2009-11-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

-out now

COOLHUNTING . Window Farms

2009-11-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

László Moholy-Nagy Retrospective

2009-11-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

Exhibition at
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Germany
Until 02.07.2010

daily icon

Dieter Rams [UPDATE]

2009-11-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

Dieter Rams . Less and More Exhibition
Design Museum London . Until 03.07.2010

hypebeast

Interview

Rams talking about the T1000 radio

speaker

calculator

Dieter Rams - Principles on Good Design

1. Good design is innovative.
2. Good design makes a product useful.
3. Good design is aesthetic.
4. Good design helps us to understand a product.
5. Good design is unobtrusive.
6. Good design is honest.
7. Good design is durable.
8. Good design is consequent to the last detail.
9. Good design is concerned with the environment.
10. Good design is as little design as possible.

Design for a Living World . Abbott Miller

2009-11-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

Latest Footage of the High Line

2009-11-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

Billykirk . leathermakers

2009-11-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Billykirk from The Scout on Vimeo.

Workshops for Modernity: Bauhaus 1919-1933 . MoMA

2009-11-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

ongoing at the MoMA until Jan. 25

review by Candace Jackson at WSJ
review by Nicolai Ouroussoff at NYT

as so much as i know: that which i am not

2009-11-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

THOUGH I KNOW
THE SEAS WILL TAKE ME
LONG BEFORE I NEAR
THE SHORES OF MY HOME.
STILL
I MUST LEAVE TO GO.
WHERE THE ABSURDITY
OF MY WILL DESIRES.
THE STILLNESS OF THE LAND
ARE ADMITTINGLY AT TIMES ALLURING
BUT EVEN THE ROOTS OF REDWOODS
ARE NOT FIT FOR AN ANCHOR
AND IF YOU TRAVERSE ME
BROTHER DO NOT BE OFFENDED
THE VESSEL OF MY LIE
IS ONLY FOR
THE NECESSITY OF MY SANITY:
THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF MY EXISTENCE

Tokyo Designers Week 2009

2009-11-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

wallpaper

Alvar Aalto

2009-11-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Saynatsalo Town Hall

Finlandia Hall

PBS: Art 21 . season 5 trailer

2009-11-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

The whole season is now up on PBS's website.
Artists included are 1. William Kentridge, 2. Doris Salcedo, 3. Carrie Mae Weems, 4. Cao Fei, 5. Mary Heilmann, 6. Jeff Koons, 7. Florian Maier-Aichen, 8. Paul McCarthy, 9. Cindy Sherman, 10. Yinka Shonibare MBE, 11. John Baldessari, 12. Kimsooja, 13. Allan McCollum, and 14. Julie Mehretu.

TED . Daniel Libeskind . 17 words of architectural inspiration

2009-11-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

-A well rounded talk by Libeskind on architecture, work, art, democracy, and yes, compromise

Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man

2009-11-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

"Advertising adds value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. Rory Sutherland makes the daring assertion that a change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider real value -- and his conclusion has interesting consequences for how we look at life."
-This is hilarious and witty. A look at giving products intangible values and putting optimism in your work(because we all need it today).

TED . Stefan Sagmeister . The Power of Time Off

2009-11-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

"Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali."
-and Sagmeister is serious. He was offered to do design work for Obama's 2008 campaign but turned it down because he was on his sabbatical

Death to the Tinman . Ray Tintori

2009-11-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

-this short satirical film is another take on the Wizard of Oz

girls in the tech center

2009-10-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

as much as i love
cigarettes and coffee
in the morning lunchtime and the evening
as much as i love
fall in new england
solitude and peace
the individual color of leaves
as much as i love
the pace of new york city
the screeching metro
the culture of arts and literature
that makes us
undeniably american
as much i love wool sweaters
and screaming profanity
as much as i love
throwing empty bottles off of
philadelphia's fathomless rooftop
you know as well as i know
that i will never
love you
as much as
i love the love you have
for the things that i love
but thats okay...
you will always be somewhere on my list

Bjarke Ingels . TED

2009-10-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

David Chipperfield Exhibition . Design Museum, London

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

-go to dezeen for his podcast

Design Museum
Shad Thames,
London SE1 2YD

dezeen

more pictures at wallpaper

Seth Kinmont . Coolhunting

2009-10-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Burton: Manufacturing Snowboards

2009-10-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography

2009-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

"The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography in the School of Art was founded in 1985 by The Cooper Union and friends of the late Herb Lubalin. Its mission is to focus on the preservation of design history through both hard copy and electronic means. The Study Center and its archive are important central resources for the students and faculty as well as the professional public and the general public." - CR

-The Center has recently moved into the new Cooper Union building and an exhibition is coming up. This shit is so good!!

Opening Reception

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 6 – 8pm
The Cooper Union
41 Cooper Gallery

Ad for Sudler & Hennessey ad agency

Cooper Union logo

The U&lc draw

'Tissue' for Lubalin's PAS Graphics logo

Sketch for U&lc cover

Film for same cover

An original manual for Die Neue Haas Grotesk, amended with the typeface's new name - Helvetica

creativereview

speakup

Compass in Hand: Selections from the Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection

2009-10-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Mark Rothko . Tate Modern

2009-10-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Interview with Sergio Rodrigues

2009-10-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

Coconut Records . Any Fun . music video

2009-10-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

jason schwartzman . mark gonzales . chloe sevigny

Frank O'Hara . To The Harbormaster

2009-10-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

(O'Hara ,right, talking to Allen Ginsberg, middle, and Vincent Warren, left)

I wanted to be sure to reach you;
though my ship was on the way it got caught
in some moorings. I am always tying up
and then deciding to depart. In storms and
at sunset, with the metallic coils of the tide
around my fathomless arms, I am unable
to understand the forms of my vanity
or I am hard alee with my Polish rudder
in my hand and the sun sinking. To
you I offer my hull and the tattered cordage
of my will. The terrible channels where
the wind drives me against the brown lips
of the reeds are not all behind me. Yet
I trust the sanity of my vessel; and
if it sinks, it may well be in answer
to the reasoning of the eternal voices,
the waves which have kept me from reaching you.

Milton Glaser . Video on Drawing & Essay Entitled : Ambiguity and Truth

2009-10-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

MILTON GLASER DRAWS & LECTURES from C. Coy on Vimeo.

Ambiguity & Truth
Brand Identity Conference, AIGA, NYC
June 21, 2004
“Make it clear.” This fundamental assumption of communication would seem to be an attainable goal. Objectify the audience, understand their desires—appeal to their interests, eliminate the extraneous and presto “effective communication.”
Well, maybe not.
Some months ago I came upon a book by Leo Steinberg called the Incessant Last Supper, based on what may be the greatest single work of western painting, Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper. I’ve always loved the painting and have been looking at it for over a half-century beginning with a penny print I bought in kindergarten. In 1951, not many years after World War II, I visited it for the first time. It was in terrible shape, covered with mold and dirt and darkened by centuries of wear and bad restoration – Nevertheless the genius that Leonardo had invested in the work showed through and could not be denied. I had occasion to visit Milan frequently because I was doing a lot of work for Olivetti, at that time one of the most progressive of all European industrial concerns. In the eighties they initiated a complete restoration of the painting. Sadly, Olivetti is no longer an extraordinary example of how a corporation could be a good citizen as well as a profitable business, in fact it no longer exists. On one of my visits to Italy, they arranged for me to visit the painting in the process of being restored.
An attractive middle aged matron in a brown business suit was concentrating her attention on the face of Christ, high above the floor on a scaffold that had been constructed next to the painting. I say painting instead of fresco because, as many of you know, the Last Supper was an experiment in using untested pigments and binders that Leonardo was interested in. This is one of the reasons the work has fared so badly since it was first created. Dr. Pinin Brambilla Barcillon, who had the incredible responsibility of restoring the work single handedly, motioned me up the scaffold alongside her, inches away from the head of Christ, the centerpiece of the painting towards which all forms converged – I cannot describe my emotions as I realized the privilege of seeing Leonardo’s work from a vantage point that few will ever have.
The head was a pointillist composition of tiny dots and fragments of color that desolved into an abstraction as you got closer. Dr. Brambilla sat behind an optical instrument that illuminated one square inch of the painting’s surface at a time (a day’s work) as she looked through a magnifying lens – Her primary tools were a scalpel, a cotton swab, soap and water. Layer by layer she was cleaning away the dirt, waxes, varnish and over-painting of centuries. I tried to imagine what might be going through her mind, considering that if she took one extra swipe with her swab, the world’s most precious patch of paint could be irreversibly gone. As it was, only half the original pigment of Christ’s face existed once the various retouchings had been carefully removed. After revealing the real Leonardo fragment Dr. Brambilla would float in a thin neutral film of watercolor around it to unify the image.
As I looked at it, I realized that re-creating the image in the mind, out of the bits and pieces that remain, makes the work even more evocative than it might have been originally, a point I want to get to a bit later. I’ve returned to re-visit the sublime masterpiece at ground level many time since then and I urge all of you to do the same since the painting and the space it defines are unreproducible. The first thing you’ll observe is that your preconceptions about Leonardo’s style are challenged—it is not dark and defined by dramatic chiaroscuro: on the contrary it is more like an impressionist painting full of fragmented cerulean blue, white and pink. Despite all of this I never understood why the work was so compelling until I read Leo Steinberg’s remarkable book.
At this point some of you must be asking “Am I at the right keynote? What does this have to do with marketing or communication?” Bear with me.
The painting is a demonstration of how the brain works and a revelation of how belief conditions our senses of reality. It is not an attempt to illustrate one moment in time. That apparently was too simple for Leonardo. If you approach the work with the idea that it illustrates the words ‘one of you shall betray me’ all the figures in the painting assume poses that clearly respond to those words with shock honor and revulsion. One of the principles of Renaissance communication was that the position of a figure revealed character and emotion.
On the other hand if you shift the message you hold in your mind to the institution of the Eucharist, “Take this and eat: this is my body,” the meaning of the apostles’ gestures change before your eyes in response to this first call to communion. Think of it, two completely separate ideas in two different moments in time being simultaneously conveyed.
click text for rest

http://www.miltonglaser.com/

Tama Art University Library . Toyo Ito & Associates Architects

2009-10-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Toyo Ito & Associates Architects / Tama Art University Library from 0300TV on Vimeo.

Nike . London to Paris . by Grace Ladoja

2009-10-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

LONDON TO PARIS from Amazing Grace on Vimeo.

Sneakerness Vienna 2009 Video Recap

2009-10-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

SNEAKERNESS Vienna 2009 from sneakerized on Vimeo.

ATTENTION PHILADELPHIAN DESIGNERS

2009-10-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

Milton
Glaser: To Inform and Delight + Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of
Julius Shulman (double header tonight at drexel 6:00-9:15)

more info at drexel

Q+A after Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight

repost of Julius Shulman: Visual Acoustics Trailer

DESIGN WEEK PHILADELPHIA

2009-10-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

-a bunch of corny philadelphians talking about design

for all of design weeks events click here

The Biggest Lemonade Stand . Coolhunting

2009-10-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Frank O. Gehry Since 1997 . exhibition

2009-10-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

currently showing at the triennale design museum milan

"introduced by critical essay by germano celant, the book retraces all the projects created
since 1997 by the architect who won the 1989 pritzker architecture prize. most of the material
has not been published before, and includes drawings by hand, office designs, 3-d works,
models, and photographs of the finished works: from the walt disney concert hall in los angeles (1989-2003) to the corcoran gallery in washington dc (1999-2005), and the experience music
project in seattle (1995-2000), through to the beekman street housing complex in
new york (2003-2009)."

designboom

walt disney concert hall, los angeles, 1999 -2003
scale 1:50
image © designboom

walt disney concert hall, 1999 -2003
image © designboom

walt disney concert hall, 1999 -2003
image © designboom

DZ bank building, berlin, 1996 -2001
scale 1:20
image © designboom

DZ bank building, berlin, 1996 -2001
image © designboom

DZ bank building, berlin, 1996 -2001
image © designboom

DZ bank building, berlin, 1996 -2001
image © designboom

the ray and maria stat center for computer, information and intelligence sciences, massachusetts institue of technology
scale 1:200
image © designboom

the ray and maria stata center for computer, information and intelligence sciences, massachusetts institue of technology
image © designboom

the ray and maria stata center for computer, information and intelligence sciences, massachusetts institue of technology
image © designboom

the ray and maria stata center for computer, information and intelligence sciences, massachusetts institue of technology
image © designboom

the ray and maria stata center for computer, information and intelligence sciences, massachusetts institue of technology
image © designboom

the ray and maria stata center for computer, information and intelligence sciences, massachusetts institue of technology
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
design process model
scale 1:500
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
design process model
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
design process model
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
design process model
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
design process model
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
design process model
image © designboom

the jay pritzker pavillion, chicago
bandshell final model
scale 1:200
image © designboom

the jay pritzker pavillion, chicago
bandshell final model
image © designboom

the jay pritzker pavillion, chicago
bandshell final model
image © designboom

the jay pritzker pavillion, chicago
bandshell final model
image © designboom

the jay pritzker pavillion, chicago
bandshell final model
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
final competition model
scale 1:250
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
image © designboom

atlantis sentosa, sentosa island, singapore
final competition model
image © designboom

guggenheim abu dhabi museum
abu dhabi
scale 1:200

Graphic Design Theory? by Helen Armstrong

2009-10-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

-Armstrong's article on design is exactly what the title says. She emphasizes that graphic design can be as theoretically complex as say... architecture. Here's an excerpt:

"Graphic design has often looked to architecture as an intellectual model. We long to infuse our work with the same kind of dense theoretical knowledge and the same kind of broad ranging, legendary critiques. But we’re not architects. We’re graphic designers. Our role is less defined. We cross between print and web, 2-D and 3-D. Our work is easier to produce and more ephemeral. This fluidity, coupled with a discipline-wide pragmatic streak, makes it difficult to establish a defined body of graphic design theory.

Or does it?

Graphic designers have written about the ideas behind their work since the inception of the profession. Consider F. T. Marinetti, László Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer, Josef Müller-Brockman, Karl Gerstner, Katherine McCoy, Jan van Toorn and, more recently, Jessica Helfand, Dmitri Siegel and Kenya Hara. This body of work is small compared to architecture and fine arts, but it is passionate and smart.

Texts about graphic design fall under different categories of “theory.” Some analyze the process of making. Think Bauhaus experiments, methodologies that fall under the umbrella of International Typographic Style, and contemporary explorations labeled “design research.” Some texts examine the ideas behind the visual work. Authors “read” designs or design texts and put them into a wider historical/cultural context. And some apply outside theoretical discourses to the field of graphic design—deconstruction, semiotics, gender studies. Many seminal texts, of course, blur such catego rizations.

Through my research I work to emphasize the value of our own theoretical base and inspire others to read and write more. Working on a recent book project got me thinking about a range of issues that face the profession today. Theory can help us address them."

AIGA

Dean Rogers . Death Drive

2009-09-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

-the exhibition is at Wapping Project, London (Oct 4 - Nov 1)

"an exhibition of photographs by Dean Rogers that shows the places where nine of our cultural heroes were killed in car crashes... Rogers took the images on the anniversary of the deaths, at the exact moment they occurred, and in the precise position the car was before impact. Whereas some of the final photographs are rendered atmospheric by darkness, many reveal the rather banal landscape witnessed by the subjects in the final seconds before their deaths."

Jackson Pollock, August 11, 1956

James Dean, September 30, 1955

Marc Bolan, September 16, 1977

Helmut Newton, January 23, 2004

Albert Camus, January 4, 1960

Princess Diana, August 31, 1997

creativereview

Ari Marcopoulos :: A Survey of 30 Years at Berkeley Art Museum

2009-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

"In 1979 Dutch born photographer Ari Marcopoulos migrated to New York City, quickly submerging himself in the downtown art scene. Sill in his twenties, Marcopolous found work printing photographs for Andy Warhol, and then as a studio assistant to photographer Irving Penn. He credits these early experiences with teaching him that anything is worth taking a picture of, as well as the importance of technical skill and a simple approach. These dual virtues are clearly evident throughout the body of work on view in Within Arm’s Reach, Marcopoulos’ first U.S. mid-career museum survey, which opened this week at The Berkeley Art Museum."

-Images and description via The Art Collectors

Promo for SHOWSTUDIO (NSFW)

2009-09-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

for more info go to SHOWstudio

Blu . Mural at Deitch Studios

2009-09-29T20:07:00.002-07:00

BLU in New York from Charles le Brigand on Vimeo.

Mike Giant . Walrus TV

2009-09-29T20:07:00.001-07:00

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman . Trailer

2009-09-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

Visual Acoustics from wes on Vimeo.

John Berryman Interview & Dream Song 14

2009-09-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

(John Berryman interviewed by Al Alvarez in 1967, Dublin)(He reads Dream Song 14 at 4:25)
Dream Song 14
Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so.
After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns,
we ourselves flash and yearn,
and moreover my mother told me as a boy
(repeatingly) "Ever to confess you're bored
means you have no
Inner Resources." I conclude now I have no
inner resources, because I am heavy bored.
Peoples bore me,
literature bores me, especially great literature,
Henry bores me, with his plights & gripes
as bad as Achilles,

who loves people and valiant art, which bores me.
And the tranquil hills, & gin, look like a drag
and somehow a dog
has taken itself & its tail considerably away
into the mountains or sea or sky, leaving
behind: me, wag.

Video Wallpaper* future 30, Rotterdam Biennale

2009-09-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ron Arad . No Discipline . shot by coolhunting

2009-09-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

COMBO by BLU & David Ellis

2009-09-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.