I like this trend of eco-friendly lookalikes. There are so many of them nowadays. The ceramic Greek Cup. The "not a paper cup" ceramic paper coffee cup with travel lid. The ceramic paper plates. And now, the leather paper bag. I love it. So funny. Found on Popgloss today.

Ceramic Paper Plates, via DesignBoom

Peppermint Candy Cane Marshmallow & Bonbon Oiseau jewelry
[image from Cannelle et Vanille]

I have been thinking about this all day. I read this post on Bonbon Oiseau's blog this morning. And clicked through to Cannelle et Vanille to see what the shoutout was all about. I must quote here, because Aran of Cannelle et Vanille says it best. What a beautiful story. And such beautiful products by Deb and Aran. I am so inspired.

This is the story about another blogsphere friendship that developed over some matcha diamant cookies. It's about the lovely and super talented Deb and her delicate jewelry Bonbon Oiseau and my interpretation of what her pieces represent.

I have admired Deb's work ever since I found her blog "Your Destiny is Stone Golden" a few months ago. We started exchanging emails and as time went on, we decided that one day we would collaborate somehow. Deb asked me if I could photograph her work. Her necklaces are very delicate and almost angelic. I didn't know if I would be able to capture her essence, until I decided to pair them with something that I made. Suddenly, marshmallow entered my mind.

So here is my ode to you Deb, my ode to your fabulous work with some peppermint candy cane marshmallow.

David Byrne, Playing the Building, 2008 [detail]
Pictured, the organ and connecting wires. Each key and stop is hooked up

to a sound-making device that is fastened to a different part of the building.

When founding Talking Head, David Byrne, invites you to come play a building, how could you turn him down? Even if you do have to sign a waiver before entering the space...

If you love fleeting art happenings in New York City that connect the viewer with the space in unforgettable ways (for instance, The Gates, 2005; the site-specific installations for the Whitney Biennial at the Armory, 2008; The Waterfalls by Olafur Eliasson that begins in ten days), then by all means, make the pilgrimage, queue up, and do as the sign says: "Please Play."



David Byrne, Playing the Building, 2008
presented by Creative Time
Battery Maritime Building
10 South Street at Whitehall Street
(to the left of the Staten Island Ferry)
New York
May 31 – August 24, 2008
hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, noon-6pm
FREE

The queue to play the building goes out the door.
The attendant seated to the right applauds each performer.
A nice human touch.


One performing duo.


And here, a trio.


Take a turn at the organ, trace the wires, isolate the sounds, examine the
cavernous space, listen to the performances. There is so much to take in,
all at once, piece by piece.

[image: dcist.com]

The Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery, designed by London-based Foster + Partners, was recently featured in the June 2008 issue of Achitectural Record. In an article by Martin Filler entitled "New Museums: The good, the bad, and the horribly misguided" he describes the glass-roofed courtyard as "one of the most pointless fads in recent museum history" where the "growing compulsion to glaze over museum courtyards everywhere smacks of suburban commercialization."

What do you think? Is the new courtyard a "gratuitous display of engineering virtuosity" as Filler puts it, or an exquisite juxtaposition of classic and modern?

The cavernous expanse of the 7th Regiment Armory is quite breathtaking.
It is amazing that such a quiet and peaceful expanse exists on Park Avenue and 67th.
If you walk the entire length to the other end (Lexington Avenue), you will
be rewarded in more ways than one:
Mungo Thomson's Silent Film of a Tree Falling in the Forest,
2005-06, 16mm film, color, silent; 7 min
is playing in a little room.


There are quite a few time-specific events to go along with this site specific extension
of the Whitney Biennial which runs from March 6-23.
Admission is free.
Be sure to visit the Whitney Biennial Website and start planning
what you want to see.


My dad said that he used to watch the tennis matches here, around 40 years ago.
I would imagine that if you tried to play tennis here today,
you'd get a lot of bad bounces.

Read more about the Armory's Drill Hall here.
The Armory's notes say that it "is now the oldest extant 'balloon shed'
(a barrel vaulted roof supported on visible arch trusses) in America
and is considered one of the first non-railroad buildings
to employ this type of structural system."


In one of the darkened rooms (they were all dark and moody really),
an unexpected surprise:
Olaf Breuning, The Army, 2008, mixed media.
Company Room M.

The Whitney Biennial notes read: "Identical Chines teapot bodies
and different heads represent a dysfunctional army."


Olaf Breuning, The Army [detail]
This installation reminds me of the excavated Chinese army shown here.
Instead of terra cotta, the soldiers are composed of teapots which sit on top of
Chinese embroidered slippers. Quite whimsical indeed.
One of my favorite 'soldiers' sports a light-up Chinese Scholars Rock for a head.


The various types of lighting in the rooms are amazing in themselves, and worth
the price of admission, which by the way is FREE.
Have you ever come across a hanging candelabra-style chandelier such as this?


Or a chandelier made expressly for a column? I love this shape.


Or a chandelier like this one?
There are more than 6 of these unique chandeliers in the main hall.
The exposed filament bulbs give off a dim orange light
which does not come across in the photo.
You must see them in person.
Originally the fixtures were gas-powered, adapted for electrical current in 1897.


Ellen Harvey, 100 Biennial Visitors Immortalized, 2008.
Sunday, March 9, 2008, to be exact.
I could have been #27, but I didn't want to wait in line...
I probably should have waited in line.


Bozidar Brazda, Our Hour: Radioff [detail], 2008, Mixed-media installation.
I like the striking juxtaposition of this piece...


...installed in this room.

Company Room Ioriginally designed in the Renaissance Revival style in 1880
but "modernized a few years later in the Art Nouveau style.
Original mahogany and rosewood lockers feature carved rosters of the company
member’s names. The room has an Art Nouveau balcony of entwined wrought iron
vines and leaves with a newel torchiere." ~from the Armory notes


Armor at the Armory.


DJ Olive (Gregor Asch), Triage [detail], 2008, Mixed-media installation.
Company Room L.

We walked up to the 3rd floor to view this white tent furnished with army cots
from a balcony. Sitting in the tent you have no idea
there are 7 moose heads just above.

Don't miss a rare opportunity to explore the fantastic architecture and restored design details of the 7th Regiment Armory on the Upper East Side as they are juxtaposed with contemporary art installations from this year's Whitney Biennial. Stay tuned: later today I will be posting my photos and observations.

I think I have found a kindred spirit who sees the amusing doubleness in all things. Chema Madoz from Spain. [by way of haha.nu]

This is an interesting image. You can find it on elsewheres.com on a set of 'street art coasters' that are handmade in LA. I guess I like anything with birds and scissors. But the juxtaposition makes for a compelling image.

the juxtaposition of patterns really appeals to me

a slightly more traditional look

downright British and downright amusing

again, the patterns are great.
this one is almost Magritte-like

I was so excited by these paintings by Riyaz Design this past weekend at The International Asian Art Fair that I just wanted to share them with you. These East-meets-West contemporary takes on traditional Indian miniature paintings are by Alexander Gorlizki, an English artist, and Riyaz Uddin, a master Miniature painter from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The two met in 1997 and together formed Riyaz Design.

"Alexander wanted to combine the superb technique and sensibility of Indian Miniatures with a more modern approach to painting and design: to introduce new subject matter, compositions and colour palettes as well as new narratives. He tried to imagine the Surrealist painter René Magritte working centuries ago in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar.

"When Alexander met Riyaz he found an artist who was old enough to have developed amazing levels of skill and concentration — he had been painting for 13 years — yet was young enough to be willing to experiment and even subvert his own tradition."

It helps to know a bit about traditional Indian miniatures so you can see how and where Gorlizki's and Riyaz's unique examples depart. You may want to take a look at this link or this example at Prahlad Bubbar Ltd. from London. At the Fair, Prahlad Bubbar's miniature paintings were museum quality. Now mind you, when I worked at at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, it was in Japanese Art, not in Indian miniatures. But I picked up certain information from the curator and the conservators. Prahlad Bubbar had very beautiful pieces indeed.


[images from riyazdesign.com]

The Bar at Gilt [photo: patrickjouin.com]

You must take a trip to Gilt, if not for the $25 drinks, then to study the jarring yet pleasing juxtaposition of Gilded Age and ultra modern. The Buckminster Fuller-like pod, designed by French design talent, Patrick Jouin, inhabits the space in a most major way. But experiencing is believing. Suffice it to say, this daring decor is worth the trip. Although the trip may set you back a few dollars...

I think you will enjoy Mr. Jouin's Website too. Be sure to luxuriate in his stunning textured surfaces. And browse his oeuvre of very clever products. Here is a little more about the designer by way of a New York Times article.


Gilt
455 Madison at 50th St
Villard Mansion,
New York Palace Hotel
212.891.8100

a view of the New York Palace [photo: web]

Check out the crazy squash court they built in Grand Central. Today is the finals, by the way, and probably the last day to check out this futuristic cage plopped down in the middle of GCT's Beaux Arts elegance. Personally, I like the juxtaposition very much. Here is another nearby example. I will have to devote a post to this one later.