Moss

Issue #1 Summer 2013 Barcelona € 6.00 $ 4.00 £ 5.00

MOSS AN OTHER WAY TO SEE THE GREEN #1

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FLOWER VASES

PER JOHANSEN

4-11 Changing the world with a flower vase

44-47 ”MÆT” CECILIA PAREDES

THE KNITTED VASE

48-53 She’s a wallflower!

12-17 Ilona Huvenaars and Willem Derks

APARTAMENTS

DALSTON PARK

54-55 Antwerp 2012

18-19 Dalston Roof Park London

ADAM’S DOWNTOWN

PRIVATE RÄUME

56-65 photograph the shit

20-25 Jörg Sasse

CHRIS HABEL

ISABEL WILSON

66-69 Hidden vase

46-35 Textures found in nature THE PLANT PORTRAITS 36-41 Mieke Verbjilen VIELEN DANK FÜR DIE FLOWERS 42-43

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Changing the world with a flower vase 4th Biennial of Ceramics in Contemporary Art at the Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid

flower vases

moss #1 The Travelling Exhibition “Changing the world with a flower vase”, which opens Thursday, January 21, 2010, at the Italian Institute of Culture in Madrid, presents the collection of ceramic vases produced by the 4th Biennial of Ceramics in Contemporary Art starting in Albisola (Italy), an area with ancient ceramic traditions, and by internationally renowned artists and designers: Simone Berti, Alessandro Biamonti, Andrea Branzi, Linde Burkhardt, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Lorenzo Damiani, Paolo Deganello, Florence Doléac, Marco Ferreri, Alberto Garutti, Alexis Georgacopoulos, Martì Guixé, Pekka Harni, Corrado Levi, Hugo Meert, Alessandro Mendini, Donata Paruccini, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Adrien Rovero, Denis Santachiara, Paolo Ulian, Vedovamazzei, Alberto Viola, Luca Vitone.

After Madrid, the travelling exhibition will be hosted by the Pier Luigi and Natalina Remotti Foundation – City of Camogli – Genoa (10 July – 7 November 2010) and then by the mudac – Museum of Design and Contemporary Applied Arts in Lausanne (June – September 2011).

Albisola, a town on the Ligurian Riviera with a centuries-old craftsman tradition, is known as a small European capital of ceramics thanks to the historical and successful interaction between local craftsmen and artists from the international cultural scene. It was in Albisola in the 20th century that many artists and designers, the likes of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Nicolaj Diulgheroff, Bruno Munari, Arturo Martini, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Guy Debord, Asger Jorn, Pinot Gallizio and Wifredo Lam, delved into and created works using local ceramics.

The Biennial of Ceramics in Contemporary Art was founded in the area of Alibsola with the aim of creating a future for artistic craftsmanship, incorporating and combining the intangible assets of design, contemporary art and digital craftsmanship with the material qualities of the earth.

To achieve this the 4th Biennial of Ceramics in Contemporary Art promoted an edifying production network devoted to design and prototyping ceramic works, a project supported by artists and designers from the international cultural scene, ceramic craftsmen and hi-tech enterprises, critics and historians of design and contemporary art, in addition to local agencies,

7 cultural institutions and European museums.

After its inauguration at the Italian Cultural Institute in Madrid (21 January – 22 March 2010), the travelling exhibition of the 4th Biennial of Ceramics in Contemporary Art will be hosted by the Pier Luigi and Natalina Remotti Foundation – City of Camogli – Genoa (10 July – 7 November 2010) and then by the Mudac - Museum of Design and Contemporary Applied Arts in Lausanne (June - September 2011).

The 40 vases featured here are not just examples of craftsmanship; nor are they merely prototypes for domestic use. They are living representations of an idea, vases as visions of the world at the intersection of art, craft and design.

The biennial of ceramics from which they come travels to Madrid, Genoa and Lausanne during 2010 and 2011.

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moss #1 Simone Berti, Alessandro Biamonti, Andrea Branzi, Linde Burkhardt, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Lorenzo Damiani, Paolo Deganello, Florence Doléac, Marco Ferreri, Alberto Garutti, Martì Guixé, Pekka Harni, Corrado Levi, Hugo Meert, Alessandro Mendini, Donata Paruccini, Adrien Rovero, Denis Santachiara, Paolo Ulian, Vedovamazzei, Alberto Viola, Luca Vitone.

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9 Tina Roeder Marcel Wanders Florence Doleac Alexis Georgacopulos Vedovamazzei Giovanni Occhipinti Denis Santachiara Freshwest Adrien Rovero Florence Doleac Cédric Ragot Martí Guixé Lorenzo Damiani Donata Peruccini Martí Guixé Guido Venturini

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Bulbi, autoproduzione, dal 1992 al, 2002 Vasi realizzati con lampadine fulminate e materiali di recupero. La struttura sempre diversa rende la lampadina stabile

Borderline Vase Attese Edition Vase designed for tables and bookshelf.

Project made for the biennale di ceramica nell’arte contemporanea

Heirloom by Benjamin Graindorge, 2009 French designer Benjamin Graindorge has created a series of vases with tops that loop over the flowers to frame them.

The Heirloom vases are made of ceramic in three designs: a small version with one half enclosed like a hood and two larger ones with four or eight ribs.

They come in dark blue, light blue and yellow.

GREEN LINE Bitossi Vase collection, 2009 In Beirut during the civil war “Green Line” was the name of the line of demarcation separating the two opposing factions of Christians and Muslims. The name referred to the coloring that the street mantle seemed to take on owing to the growth of shrubs and plants through the layer of asphalt.

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Tyvek Vase by Jiwon Choi, 2005 This vase by Rhode Island School of Design graduate Jiwon Choi is made from a thin curl of synthetic paper.

The vase is made of Tyvek, a lightweight and tear-resistant material produced from plastic fibres.

Jiwon Choi intended to create a package for a bunch of flowers that would be simple and light but strong enough to stand upright.

Tina Roeder (D), Bucket Vase, 2009 Entre Art picturale et ikebana, le Compose-it brouille le cadre de la perception et convie tout un chacun à créer sa toile de maître.

Edition limitée : 50 vases par couleur Matériaux : vase porcelaine, structure acier, peinture polyuréthane Compose-it / Ymer&Malta, 2004 Entre Art picturale et ikebana, le Compose-it brouille le cadre de la perception et convie tout un chacun à créer sa toile de maître.

Edition limitée : 50 vases par couleur Matériaux : vase porcelaine, structure acier, peinture polyuréthane

Weight Vases by Decha Archjananun, 208 Thai designer Decha Archjananun has made a series of vases with concrete bases to hold water and wire frames to support flower stems.

The concrete parts sit within each steel frame and weigh the pieces down to prevent them toppling over.

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osko+deichmann (D), Vase Plant No 1, 2009 For Van Hontem, the icon that best represented that fleeting childhood joy was a spinning top, a quintessential toy box gadget.

“It is beautiful, it’s global, and such a simple idea,” he says.

Snug Vases vase collection, 2009 These vases from German design duo snug. studio are assembled from flat sheets of cardboard.

The Snug Vases come as a flat-pack, ready to be folded into shape and placed over a glass or bottle of water.

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“Being there “ funerary urn, 2008 Blown glass 37 x 25 x 25 cm Initiated by glassblower Matteo Gonet, the project constisted in designing funerary urns out of glass. The project combines the urn function together with a vase. The defunct still has an active role in the household, holding the flowers.

GREEN LINE Bitossi vase collection, 2009 In Beirut during the civil war “Green Line” was the name of the line of demarcation separating the two opposing factions of Christians and Muslims. The name referred to the coloring that the street mantle seemed to take on owing to the growth of shrubs and plants through the layer of asphalt.

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Domestic 3 Vases, 2012 DIY Furniture is an ingenious system that, via a series of simple gestures, allows you to pass from plan to finished object and co-design an item you desire. From a kit drawn by a designer and systematically composed 1, 2 or 3 panels of pre-cut multi-ply birch, you can give form to a functional or decorative object of your own choosing.

Pluvio, IV Biennale della ceramica Albisola, 2009 Vaso in ceramica. Una sacca interna raccoglie l’acqua in eccesso così il vaso può essere riempito fino ell’orlo.

Il menisco d’acqua diventa la parte estetica del vaso.

LVASE, 2OO9 The intention for this project is to point out an important financial and juridical problem which is the replica of luxury brand items.

LVASE’s inspiration comes from a current urban scenary which is when illegal street salesmen suddenly wrap their exposed items into a piece of cloth and run away.

Dewar Glassware

by David Derksen a Victorian scientist’s laboratory experiments inspired Dutch designer David Derksen to create these glass lamps and vases, which have double walls like a Thermos flask.

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The Knitted Vase Ilona Huvenaars and Willem Derks The solution to the never ending search for the ideal vase

The knitted vase

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15 The Knitted Vase will adapt to the single beautiful rose or a bunch of wildflowers instead of the other way around. The flowers determine the shape and the flexible neck will seamlessly wrap itself around them. Just like the snug fit of a finely knitted sweater.

Knitted Vase finally offers you the solution to the never ending search for the ideal vase. The Knitted Vase will adapt to the single beautiful rose or the bunch of wildowers instead of the other way around. The owers determine the shape and the exible neck will seamlessly wrap itself around. Just like the snug fit of a finely knitted sweater. Thanks to the Rapid Manufacturing technique this vase of synthetic fibre will not drop a single stitch.

Design award Knitted Vase was co-designed by Ilona Huvenaars and Willem Derks. Ilona designs form her intuition; Willem approaches his profession from a techni- cal point of view. The powerful combination of both their disciplines imme- diately proved itself and was rewarded in the Knitted Vase. In 2008 the two received the first prize for it in the TNO Design Challenge.

This innovative design, by Illona Huvelaars and Willem Derks, provides the solution. Instead of the flowers having to adapt to the vase, the neck of vase is flexible and the flowers will therefore determine the shape. It is made using rapid prototype sls technique.

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The knitted vase

moss #1 This innovative design, by Illona Huvelaars and Willem Derks, provides the solution. Instead of the flowers having to adapt to the vase, the neck of vase is flexible and the flowers will therefore determine the shape. It is made using rapid prototype sls technique.

The solution to the never ending search for the ideal vase

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The knitted vase

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The knitted Vase Design award

The knitted vase

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19 The Knitted Vase will adapt to the single beautiful rose or a bunch of wildflowers instead of the other way around. The flowers determine the shape and the flexible neck will seamlessly wrap itself around them. Just like the snug fit of a finely knitted sweater.

Knitted Vase finally offers you the solution to the never ending search for the ideal vase. The Knitted Vase will adapt to the single beautiful rose or the bunch of wildowers instead of the other way around. The owers determine the shape and the exible neck will seamlessly wrap itself around.

Just like the snug fit of a finely knitted sweater. Thanks to the Rapid Manufacturing technique this vase of synthetic fibre will not drop a single stitch.

The knitted vase

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dalston park

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Dalston Roof Park London “We want our park to be used and enjoyed by everybody”

18 Ashwin Street, London E8 020 7275 0825

You have to give a donation of £2 on the first visit, and from then on it’s free.

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Dalston Roof Park is an urban utopian oasis overlooking London’s skyline. The roof houses lengthy solar panels, which power our building and our events. So the fun we create saves on fuel, which saves the planet, which makes us happy!

This space is an ideal summer location and we invite you to share the space together. You can use our barbeque, grab a drink and lay back on our green pastures.

We actively encourage young people to engage in the management of the garden, growing allotments and running events - if this sound like you - get in touch. We’d love to hear from any budding gardeners, photographers, painters, sound engineers and more!

A rooftop in the capital’s coolest and most ridiculous neighbourhood, in East London. There’s greengrocer ‘grass’ as flooring, ironic white picket fencing, plants, herbs and veg in growbags, and furniture that looks as though it was salvaged from the street.

The view It’s about what’s happening on the roof, rather than beyond it.

Who goes there? Artists and the culturally enlightened, particularly for the open-air screenings, music performances and other events.

Best time to go - No one in East London seems to work in the summer, so any time of night or day; but the bar opens at 5pm.

Signature cocktail - Beer/wine in plastic cups.

Entry Check - the website for changing opening hours in summer months; you need to become a friend of Dalston Roof Park on the website here first, give a donation of £2 on the first visit, and from then on it’s free.

This year we bring you our best ever programme of culture in Dalston. Here are some of the things we’re thinking of staging... cinema, acoustic gigs, yoga, comedy nights, spoken word, food festivals. Can you think of anything else? Let us know!

Back by popular demand are Background Bars who will be our hosts following their incredible performance last year.

The park’s pop-up bar serves cocktails every evening after five o’clockYou have to give a donation of £2 on the first visit, and from then on it’s free.

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Private Räume by Jörg Sasse

“I’m interested in the moment in which you think you have recognised something, yet it eludes you a moment later.”

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private bath plants räume

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Jörg Sasse is a German Contemporary photographer and visual artist whose specialty is adept but subtle digital image manipulation. Born in Bad Salzuflen, Sasse studied photography under renowned photographers Bernhard “Bernd” Becher and Hilla Becher at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1982 to 1988.

Thereafter, he began taking professional photos that mainly featured display windows with multifaceted reflections and still-life pictures of household interiors.

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The artist’s early works were displayed by various European galleries in Germany, France, Belgium, and Switzerland. However, in 1994, Sasse stopped taking his own photographs, and began manipulating other pictures. The first photos he worked on were city and landscape renderings from friends and acquaintances. The artist scanned these images into his computer and began to edit the details. Afterward, he would create films of the edited images and reproduce them as new prints. Some of his popular early prints included 8144 (1988), showing beachside lamps glowing brightly in the backdrop of the evening.

The artist held his first solo exhibition in 1989 in the Kunstverein Region, Heinsberg. At the time, his style was heavily borrowed from the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf school of thought, promoted by Bernd and Hilla Bercher. This is easily identifiable by the inclusion of industrial structures in his early works, similar to those of his teachers. After switching to his new style of image manipulation, the photographer became quite popular, holding exhibitions across Germany and Switzerland, as well as at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1997), thebLehmann Maupin Gallery in New York (1997, 1999, 2000, and 2001), Mai 36 in Zurich (1998, 2002, and 2004), and Musée de Grenoble (2005). In 2007, a collection of his prints appeared at the Museum Kunst Palast in Dusseldorf, Germany. His work is documented in various publications, the most recent being d8207 by Walther Konig, Cologne. In 2003, Jörg Sasse was awarded the Cologne Fine Art Prize.

His other accolades include the Deutscher Künstlerbund, or Association of German Artists Award, (1996) and the Centro Tedesco di Studi Veneziani in Venice (1997). The artist lives and works in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Trophies, heaters, stairs, upholstered sofas, strip doors, oven cloths, plastic animals – at first glance these motifs seem to have no connection whatsoever and are not very spectacular.

What exactly is being shown here? And for what purpose? Was is behind these interior scenarios and objects in a mysteriously deserted setting?

Portrayed using unusual perspectives and details, the everyday items are not always recognisable at first glance. With his hermetic combina-

25 tions of photographs, JĂśrg Sasse challenges the viewers to look more closely. A searching glance and decelerated observation is needed in order to expose analogies and correlations, to allow levels of meaning and visual planes to be recognis able, and to gain an insight little by little. At the same time, it is not possible to specify or categorize them. By going beneath the surface of things and rearranging them, JĂśrg Sasse playfully and very humorously reveals the subtle impact of the visual level.

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The exhibition at C/O Berlin shows two main works that comprises of 512 images by JĂśrg Sasse

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isabel wilson

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Welcome to Isabel Wilson home

“I think I have always been drawn to textures found in nature�

Textile Designer, Apartment & Studio, Williamsburg, New York

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isabel wilson

moss #1 Isabel Wilson 1986 Born in Houston, TX Lives and works in New York City. Grew up in Texas, studied textiles at The Rhode Island School of Design and Taideteollinen Korkeakoulu Aalto University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland, and now lives in New York City. Isabel also runs the textile design studio REED, which she founded in 2011.

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By exploring the world and dissecting it into measured fragments, compiling collections becomes an act of seeing. To artist and textile designer Isabel Wilson, collecting what she sees and what she likes is not just a passion, but a necessity. Her apartment and studio are both filled with a rich archive of assembled butterflies, sea shells, foam creatures and other carefully catalogued elements, of which traces echo into her colorful paintings and fabric designs.

It is one of these warm and misty mornings when we met Isabel in her apartment in Williamsburg, a classic white brick walled Brooklyn loft, which she shares with her roommates and two turtles. From here we venture on to her place of creation, the studio, where the RISD educated, Texas implant shares her thoughts on her family, textiles, and collection.

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When you were a child, which kind of textures awakened your curiosity to create?

I think I have always been drawn to textures found in nature. I spent all of my time growing up outdoors exploring and looking at stuff very closely. I remember drawing little patterns on everything. I was really influenced by stories like The Grimm Fairy Tales and Peau d’ane, this 17th century French fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. It was later made into a film directed

by Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve as the princess. In the movie, her father, the King, makes her a series of dresses: one the color of the sun, one the color of the moon, and one the color of good weather. When I was little I was totally obsessed. I drew mermaid princesses with huge hair, puffy sleeves, and billowing skirts. They all had different dresses filled with intricate wild patterns. Then there was the tom boy stage where I drew large exes over all the girly drawings and would tag my older sister Katy Lucy’s name on everything. There was also the fort stage, the book making stage, dog tags, pogs, trolls, tie-dye…

The need to collect runs in the family for sure.

My dad was an inventor and an avid collector of unusual treasures. His office was literally stacked high with slide drawers that he compulsively catalogued all of his many collections.

Each drawer had a carefully rendered label that he drew by hand with his Rapidograph pens and inside there could be anything from paper clips, rare gems, humorous newspaper clippings, special tools, even stale gum.…

So is making textiles something that you found through your working process?

I have always been seduced by meditative work and textiles is inherently detail oriented. I enjoy zoning out and threading a loom more than anything. I just got a microscope that takes photographs. Most recently I’ve been collecting butterflies and moths of all shapes and sizes from all over the world, mostly Madagascar. I love to look at their patterns under the microscope and it is crazy how feathery and bird-like they look when you get super close. On just one wing there can be 10 different pattern designs.

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What kind of joy do you get out of your process vs. seeing the textiles that you have created? Are these two things different kinds of enjoyments?

I’ll never forget the first time I got one of my designs printed on fabric. It is a great feeling to see something that you painted on a 2D surface suddenly transform into a 3D entity that moves and flutters and can suddenly be used in all sorts of different ways. The original idea becomes something totally different. Though seeing the textile come back from the printing mill can sometimes be a gamble. There are so many factors that are out of my control at that point because I do not physically print the textiles myself.

The designs are usually digitally printed onto a roll of fabric, so that physical separation from what I’ve created at that stage has become a part of my process out of necessity. Sometimes my design comes back and the colors are totally off. It can be frustrating to have to color correct, but quite often I’ll just run with it. I like the element of surprise and the challenge of bringing it back to something that works.

How does it feel when designers take your fabric and turn it into something three-dimensional?

It is never what I think it will be. That can be a good thing, and sometimes it is less so. The designer acquires my fabric, takes it, and cuts it up for his or her own design, which can be all kinds of things, maybe a dress, a jacket or upholstery.

I have been doing this long enough now that I see prints that I have designed all over the place, whether my name is on it or not. There is a romance in seeing my print on a stranger. There it is and there it goes. That’s it, you know?

It seems to be the American way of designing, to be always planning ahead and even considering the consumer over one’s own creative desires.

I believe when designing anything, whether it is textiles, apparel, or furniture, it is important to remember who your client is. There are some incredible designers who absolutely never design for themselves or even according to what their personal creative desires are because they have developed a brand that people go to for a

33 certain semblance. If you change that aesthetic then the consumer is misdirected. I think this idea applies to designers all over the world, not just America.

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moss #1 “It was so amazing and fun to work with different artists and really engage with the public in a visceral sort of way. I’ve put together a few shows since then in and around New York that sprout from this same idea. There is a show at This Must Be the Place on September 5th, one at the Chinatown Arcade on Bowery September 12th, and another group show in a barn in Little Compton, Rhode Island in October. I’m with Robert Smithson in that I believe that artists themselves are not confined, but their output can sometimes be.

I hope to collect and create work that is engaging and cherished, but never restrained.”

35 Spending all day thinking about textiles, how do you like to dress?

To be honest, I don’t like to think about what I am wearing too much. Growing up in Texas, I always wore a uniform to school and I prefer to stay in that state of mind. I have a few favorite outfits that I wear as my own uniform. Most of my closet is filled with my own fabric designs and pieces my grandmother has passed down.

My grandmother was a painter too and was a pretty wild dresser herself. She would run around town with my mom to the opera, symphony, bridge parties, tea or whatever, wearing matching leopard print pant suits, floral trench coats, bright kelly green tennis jumpers, lots of pattern, always great pattern. She had an extensive collection of art, Hermes scarves, Isfahan Persian rugs, and textiles of all kinds, which she liberally decorated her house with. I guess she was a major influence on my fashion sense.

When you perceive your surroundings do you visually collect things?

Yes. I think it’s essential to take in your surroundings, to collect and build a unique visual library.

I collect things to allow myself to express the truth about my unconscious mind. I find that my collections inform my work and remind me of what I’m attracted to. For example, when I was in Vieques last spring I found these incredible pieces of weathered coral all over the beach.

They were so buttery and speckled. I placed the pieces of coral on the table and fit them together like a puzzle. When I came home, I discovered the same shapes in a painting I had made a week or so prior.

This is a bit of a different question now, but the activity of collecting goes along with what many people do in their blogs, doesn’t it?

It is nice to have the digital log to navigate your train of thought. I enjoy looking at my friend’s streams to see what they have been reading or most recently been influenced by.

“It was so amazing and fun to work with different artists and really engage with the public in a visceral sort of way. I’ve put together a few shows since then in and around New York that sprout from this same idea. There is a show at This Must Be the Place on September 5th, one at the Chinatown Arcade on Bowery.

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36 Can you tell me a bit more about the collaborative effort? How important is that to you?

Honestly, whether I am designing a complicated custom textile for a clothing designer friend or putting together a group show, I absolutely love collaborations. It is often the least lucrative, but is by far my most favorite way to work.

Last summer my friends in Houston and I put together an art show in this abandoned doctor’s office and told everyone it was this new gallery called Letter F. The show was called Check Up in reference to it’s setting and each artist got a different room to do whatever they wanted in.

We set our own limits to the exhibition and there was not one curator. We sent invites to all our friends and it ended up being a huge hit! We had some super talented musicians play at the opening and closing parties, hundreds of people came, and we ended up selling everything. My friend Garret and I made an awesome piece together. We took this giant tumbleweed and suspended it in the air with three huge industrial fans. It spun in the air in a perfect swirl for hours without anything but the equal air pressure from the fans. Anyway, after Check Up, we kept having art and music shows all over Texas in abandoned buildings, friends’ back yards, under trees, under bridges.

Nature is infinitely built from pattern. Sometimes I take photographs of what I see and then I turn those images into digital fabric prints. Or often I will work on one large painting for months, taking photos along the way as it changes layer upon layer. Later, I will work on those photos in photoshop and develop a whole collection of prints by rescaling, warping, messing with the tools, my favorite tool is called the magic wand.

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Prints for: Lichtenberg, Winter 2012 American Eagle, Winter 2012 Degen, Winter 2012 Biscuit, Winter 2012 Orage, Summer 2013 Anthropologie, Summer 2013 Nicole Miller, Summer 2013 Blue Illusion, Spring 2013 Lee Jeans, Spring 2013 Jonathan Simkhai, Winter 12 Erin Barr, Winter 2012 Tucker, Winter 2012 Dolce Vita, Winter 2012 Nicole Miller, Winter 2012 Lauren Gold, Winter 2012 Ammara, Winter 2012 Bealls, Winter 2012 Crate & Barrel, Winter 2012 Impact, Winter 2012 Kain Label, Fall 2012 Christopher and Banks, Fall Pily Q, Resort 2012 Parke and Ronen, Fall 2012 Kenneth Cole, Winter 2012 Tucker, Winter 2011 Jupa, Fall 2011 Bodkin, Fall 2011 Moret, Fall 2011 American Silk, Fall 2011 Ammara, Summer 2011 Kain Label, Summer 2011 Christopher and Banks, Spring 2011 PVH, Spring 2011 WR 9000, Spring 2011 French Fries, Spring 2011 Knits for Asher Levine, F/W 2011 KE$HA, Billboard Awards 2010 Nicole Miller, F/W 2011 Dolce Vita, F/W 2011 West Elm, Winter 2011 Thakoon, Winter 2011 Calvin Klein, Winter 2011 Tucker, S/S 2011 Marc Jacobs, Fall 2011 20H, Fall 2011 J F & SON, Fall 2011 Narciso Rodrigues, S/S 2011 Odegard, Winter 2009

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The Plant Portraits of Mieke Verbjilen

”Can’t imagine a life without plants.

It’s a nice way to start the day”

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Perched on a vintage desk, an unruly rhipsalis looks like he’s in a mischievous mood

39 Celebrating the reciprocal relationship between plants and their humans, a Belgian photographer captures the joy that even the smallest succulent can bring.

Belgian artist Mieke Verbijlen “can’t imagine a life without plants.” “Plants are different from things,” she says, “because you have to take care of them... It’s a nice way to start the day, watering the plants and seeing how they grow.” It is this special bond, so evident in her portraits, that sets Mieke’s work apart. So full of life and character, her images capture, not only the beauty and lush variety of plants, but also their rich personalities.

You can see more of Mieke’s work on Mieke Willems, a blog she shares with her friend, Veronik.

Mieke Verbkilen 1984 belgium lives and works in antwerp

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Mieke’s own pileas looks jolly in the morning sun.

If you’re craving one (we are!), a Pilea Peperomiodies

She may be airy and delicate, but this feathery geranium is climbing to new heights.

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plant portraits

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Green plants have cell walls with cellulose and characteristically obtain most of their energy from sunlight via photosynthesis using chlorophyll contained in chloroplasts, which gives them their green color. Some plants are parasitic and may not produce normal amounts of chlorophyll or photosynthesize. Plants are also characterized by sexual reproduction, modular and indeterminate growth, and an alternation of generations, although asexual reproduction is common, and some plants bloom only once while others bear only one bloom.

Precise numbers are difficult to determine, but as of 2010, there are thought to be 300–315 thousand species of plants, of which the great majority, some 260–290 thousand, are seed plants (see the table below).[2] Green plants provide most of the world’s molecular oxygen and are the basis of most of the earth’s ecologies, especially on land. Plants described as grains, fruits and vegetables form mankind’s basic foodstuffs, and have been domesticated for millennia.

Plants enrich our lives as flowers and ornaments. Until recently and in great variety they have served as the source of most of our medicines and drugs.

Craning toward the light, a figtree graces the apartment of Mieke’s friends Charlotte and Miljan.

Algae comprise several different groups of organisms which produce energy through photosynthesis and for that reason have been included in the plant kingdom in the past. Most conspicuous among the algae are the seaweeds, multicellular algae that may roughly resemble land plants, but are classified among the brown, red and green algae. Each of these algal groups also includes various microscopic and singlecelled organisms. There is good evidence that some of these algal groups arose independently from separate non-photosynthetic ancestors, with the result that many groups of algae are no longer classified within the plant kingdom as it is defined here.

Plants, also called green plants (Viridiplantae in Latin), are living organisms of the kingdom Plantae including such multicellular groups as flowering plants, conifers, ferns and mosses, as well as, depending on definition, the green algae, but not red or brown seaweeds like kelp, nor fungi or bacteria.

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plant portraits

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They undergo closed mitosis without centrioles, and typically have mitochondria with flat cristae.

The chloroplasts of green plants are surrounded by two membranes, suggesting they originated directly from endosymbiotic cyanobacteria.

Archaeplastida, whose name implies that the chloroplasts or plastids of all the members of the taxon were derived from a single ancient endosymbiotic event.

Precise numbers are difficult to determine, but as of 2010, there are thought to be 300–315 thousand species of plants, of which the great majority, some 260–290 thousand, are seed plants (see the table below).[2] Green plants provide most of the world’s molecular oxygen and are the basis of most of the earth’s ecologies, especially on land. Plants described as grains, fruits and vegetables form mankind’s basic foodstuffs, and have been domesticated for millennia. Plants enrich our lives as flowers and ornaments. Until recently and in great variety they have served as the source of most of our medicines and drugs.

Mieke’s own pileas looks jolly in the morning sun.

If you’re craving one (we are!), a Pilea Peperomiodies

The plants that are likely most familiar to us are the multicellular land plants, called embryophytes. They include the vascular plants, plants with full systems of leaves, stems, and roots.

They also include a few of their close relatives, often called bryophytes, of which mosses and liverworts are the most common.

All of these plants have eukaryotic cells with cell walls composed of cellulose, and most obtain their energy through photosynthesis, using light and carbon dioxide to synthesize food.

About three hundred plant species do not photosynthesize but are parasites on other species of photosynthetic plants.

Plants are distinguished from green algae, which represent a mode of photosynthetic life similar to the kind modern plants are believed to have evolved from, by having specialized reproductive organs protected by non-reproductive tissues.

Bryophytes first appeared during the early Paleozoic. They can only survive where moisture is available for significant periods, although some species are desiccation tolerant. Most species of bryophyte remain small throughout their lifecycle. dments.

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moss #1 “My favourite thing to do at home is to take care of the plants, listen to music and browse the books�

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“Vielen Dank für die Blumen” Rath-photografie.de

Vielen Dank

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Assistent: Emmanuele Contini Photo: Oliver Rath

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Per Johansen “MÆT” Are you full? ”MÆT” consists of reproductions of foods which are claustrophobically placed in various synthetic plastic containers”

per johansen

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per johansen

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per johansen

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per johansen

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Cecilia Paredes

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Cecilia Paredes Landscape Series

She’s a wallflower!

Artist ‘disappears’ by painting her body to match the colourful backdrop

Blue Landscape, 2007

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Cecilia Paredes

moss #1 Cecilia builds objects mainly using discarded natural elements and with her work, re creates another language. She also does performances using make up, body painting or any other resource to create her anthropomorphic images, transforming herself into animals, plants or landscapes.

These acts are registered on photography, creating her photoperformances.

She is interested in using art to explore the boundaries of nature. As a photographer, she often uses her own body as a medium for presenting a dialog between the spirit and the natural world.

Dreaming Rose, 2009

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Cecilia Paredes

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Cecilia Paredes

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Nocturne, 2009

Elusive Paradise, 2010

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Bed of Roses, 2009

Cecilia Paredes

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Cecilia Paredes

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Both Worlds, 2011

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Apartaments Antwerp 12 Mieke Verbjilen

Koen Christine Thomas

Apartaments

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Apartaments

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Koen Antwerp, 2012

Christine Antwerp, 2012

Thomas Antwerp, 2012

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Adam’s downtown

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Adam’s downtown LA loft

”I want to photograph the shit out of your place.

Thanks.”

As for the rest, I try to choose things I love. I generally enjoy old, handmade and well designed pieces.

I set aside spaces for things that are sentimental. Kind of shrines in a way.

I guess I feel a home should be as beautiful and unique as you are!

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Adam’s downtown

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Adam’s downtown

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Adam’s downtown

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Adam’s downtown

moss #1 Hello, my vintage vultures. Today, I’m taking you on a fantastic tour of a Downtown Los Angeles home.

This rad place belongs to Adam Pogue aka mrpoguemahone.

He’s a super talented fella. We met through blogging and after following his home adventures on instagram, I messaged him out of the blue one day and said, “I want to photograph the shit out of your place.

Thanks.” Haha. My heart is simply aching for all his DIY and upcycled projects, like his indigo patchwork sofa. It reminds me of Japanese Boro textiles from the 19th century. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love that everything in his home feels like it’s made with love. Every piece feels incredibly personal because Adam finds ways to add his personal touch to it, like knitting a quilt for his record player. Why didn’t I think of doing that to mine? That’s so good. I left his home utterly inspired. I admire his DIY skills and I applaud him for not being afraid of using walls as a canvas to create art, and also bringing the outdoors in. Can we say, Jungalow?!

Adam’s home is fun,

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whimsical and filled with art and soul. I can’t get enough of it.

I would like to have my housewarming there. Ha! Anyway, enough chatter from me, I’ll let Adam fill you in on his creative stories. Take it away, Adam!

Adam’s downtown

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Adam’s downtown

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65 I moved to Downtown LA three years ago and have never met my landlord. I responded to a craigslist ad that had been posted for a while. He gave me the code to the lock box and I would come here at different times of day, or night, and just hang out. I moved from a duplex in Boyle Heights that was kind of classic LA. It had an original Batchelder tile fireplace and built-ins and pocket doors, which were amazing, but I felt like I needed to respect those details and create space around them. I ended up wanting a space that wasn’t so specific, so I loaded my Scion Xb and headed over the bridge.

The space has gone through several transformations in the last few years. For a time, I had an IKEA bookshelf separating the “bedroom” from the rest of the space.

I replaced that with curtain panels that I sewed together and dip-dyed. They’re not a solid separation, but they create an intimate space that feels separate.

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Adam’s downtown

moss #1 I also created the rolling ottoman and benches for the TV and under the windows. The ottoman is upholstered in dyed black canvas and has a washable quilted top (I have two cats).

The benches are 10’ x 12’ dark stained doug fir on plumbing pipe frames. They used to be stacked with books on the lower level and the TV on top, but I wanted a bench, so I separated them. The wall behind the TV is stucco on masonry.

I’m not so comfortable with hanging things in masonry, so my boyfriend (at the time) had painted a beautiful chevron pattern, which I recently repainted.

I got the couch in an “as-is” section of a local shop like 10 years ago for $150. It’s huge and comfortable and I like the shape of it, so when it needed an update (and re-upholstering was too pricey) I ended up patch-working over the original upholstery. It took me a year of random hours with scrap fabric and spare time to cover most of the visible surfaces. I recently started re-covering the recovering.

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Adam’s downtown

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I also ended up painting the credenza and replaced the legs with wheels so I can easily roll it away for projects, or gatherings, that require more space. I originally made the hanging above the bed as a knotted fleece rug and the sconces on either side are upside-down plant pots with rope-wrapped wiring.

I found the glass coffee table and my workspace shelving at St. Vincent de Paul’s (amazing thrift store) for $85 all together. The desk and the bench (between the “bedroom”) I got at a vintage shop, and used The Brick House refinishing method. And the plants! Some I’ve had for years, but most are from clippings. The stacked plants in the living room are attached to a drainpipe from the roof through the apartment

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Chris Kabel

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Chris Kabel Hidden Vase 2011

Hidden Vase research with Frank Bruggeman (flowers) and Mathijs Labadie (photos) Digital Print 40 / 57 cm Hidden Vases Various objects, chromed stainless steel frames Sizes variable

How to make a vase disappear

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Chris Kabel

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This project started as a research on how to make a vase disappear, based on the way a chicken waterer works. With the help of Frank Bruggeman this concluded in a photographic registration of my initial research for the Plant Journal, a Spanish magazine about plants.

Then a small collection of one-off vases was produced, based on the initial research.

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Chris Kabel

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Chris Kabel

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