Tuesday, March 30

THE FUNCTIONALITY OF GRAY









[Images from Eileen Gray, TASCHEN]

Monday, March 29

LEONARDO DREW

A couple weeks ago we were in Greensboro and were lucky enough to attend the opening/ artist's lecture at the Weatherspoon Art Museum for Existed: Leonardo Drew. It's always nice to hear the voice behind the work. What was also nice, we think, is that he wasn't there to divulge all of his deepest, darkest secrets or dwell on his less-than privileged upbringing- he was all about 'looking ahead'. In fact, he was funny about the whole idea of doing a retrospective. On the whole, he didn't care much about his old works, he had no idea where most of them were but he knew what he had personally learned from making them, and that was good enough for him. It was refreshing. This attitude is also reflected in the method of naming his works chronologically by their date of completion- #1,#2,#3.....it's simply a record, the viewer should make/take from it what they want. I mean, it's not hard to see a number of pronounced themes in his work, but in Leonardo's opinion that is for you to find, not for him to tell you.


#94

#90


#123

#25




Saturday, March 27

DISCUSSION NO. 2

What We Talk About When We Talk About
George Esquivel


I spent a good part of 2009 researching cordwainers and their craft. George Esquivel is a shoemaker that I had come across and that Heidi and I keep revisiting. We like his quiet role in the fashion world, of which he has recently become a part. He seems to be a pioneer in the movement from fast-fashion and freakish consumerism towards artistry, tradition, and quality.

He has a small team that handcrafts beautiful shoes using leather procured from the tip-top tanneries in the world. 

We love his dedication. 
And his shoes.
 
He has an interesting story--from spending his childhood in hotels to constructing a $70K bespoke and bedazzled shoe. Read about it here.

George's bespoke shoe shop in Los Angeles.

Lasts.






For New York Fashion week, George created shoes for Maria Cornejo's first menswear collection and also collaborated with Loden Dager's fw2010 runway show. Both are incredible labels to team up with.


Other honorable cordwainers and their bespoke shoe shops: 
E. Vogel Custom Boots and Shoes in our very own New York City, two skips and a jump from dear Opening Ceremony.


 Emma the Shoemaker in distant Melbourne.

Thursday, March 25

Tuesday, March 23

RED HOOK

So we have fallen in love with our new neighborhood. Ok, so we don't live in the heart of Red Hook... more on the the border with Carroll Gardens, but still. The one thing that every single person says when you mention Red Hook is something along the line of, "oh yeah, great area but soooo far away". There may be some truth to it, but that is probably why it is as great as it is. If it were easily accessible there would be ten story new 'lofts' lining the water and chain coffee shops lining the streets. So thank you, MTA, for keeping the subway a comfortable distance away.

Some interesting facts...
-Red Hook is named for the red clay soil and the point of land projecting into the East River.
-In the 1990s LIFE named Red Hook as one of the "worst" neighborhoods in the United States and gave it the prestigious title of "the crack capital of America"
-Red Hook is the only part of NYC that, on land, has a full frontal view of the Statue of Liberty (which is oriented to face France)
-Rappers Hell Razah and Shabazz the Disciple, of the hip-hop group Sunz of Man, are from Red Hook

Here are a few of our favorites if you decide to make the trek:
Fairway
Alma/ B61

Pictures coming!


PATTERNS







Monday, March 22

WASSILY


Two distinct experiences prompted Wassily Kandinsky to change careers and become a painter in MΓΌnich.

One, he saw Monet's Haystack series at an Impressionist exhibition in 1895 and was intrigued by how the focus was entirely on color and composition rather than subject matter.


Two, while attending a Wagner concert in 1896, he observed how music could elicit such a strong emotional response without connection to any recognizable subject.


He decided painting should be as abstract as music.



His woodblock prints are our absolute favorite.

Friday, March 19

Tuesday, March 16

PLATE B

Typeface

French graphic designer and typographic genius, Robert Massin, roused the design world in the 1960s by dramatizing typeface, introducing what we now call expressive typography.


These images are from Massin's book of Eugene Ionesco's play The Bald Soprano. Each character has his/her own typeface. No word balloons necessary. Every subtle incline, elongation, or slant of the text expresses the certain nuances and inflections of the spoken language.



This play is loaded with truisms --like a jolly, absurdist version of Jenny Holzer's truisms ...with no LED.



Fantastique !

Thursday, March 11

DISCUSSION NO. 1

What we talk about when we talk about
John Lurie


So we're on a John Lurie kick. Ever since trotting over to Chelsea's Fredericks & Freiser gallery last November to see Lurie's art exhibition, we've revisited his Jim Jarmusch films and his TV show Fishing with John-- and reveling in his downtown-cool persona and dashing good looks.

Lurie's artwork is perfect. Some pieces resemble quirky Dadaist drawings, others follow bizaare Surrealist compositions, and others take after Basquiat sketches--but all are marked with his sardonic humor and smirky titles.


His painting entitled Davy Crockett Has Lost His Fucking Mind.



Another one. Bird Has Absolutely No Face.



A still from Jarmusch's film Down By Law with Tom Waits and Robert Benigni. Of note: Waits's gold-toe pirate boot that he wears is our next shoe-making project.



John Lurie is perhaps at his best in this episode of Fishing with John, where he hosts Tom Waits on a fishing trip in the Caribbean. Expect an ample serving of Lurie's biting wit, Waits's incomprehensible growls, and male camaraderie complete with poker, booze, and of course fishing. Other episodes from this short-lived series from the 90's include Lurie sharking with Jim Jarmusch and ice fishing with Willem Dafoe. Yay!