OBJEKT©International D2

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d2 INTERNATIONAL


OBJEKT© iNTERNATIONAL Living in Style no. D2 Published quarterly by Hans Fonk Publications bv. Distripress member - issn 1574-8812 Copyright ©Hans Fonk Founder and editor-in-chief: Hans Fonk Editor-in-chief: Izabel Fonk

After the success of the first digital edition of OBJEKT©International, we are confident that our new approach of interior design will be a wide spread hit.

Corporate head office: Raadhuislaan 22-B NL-2451 AV Leimuiden - Netherlands t:+31 172 509 843 info@objekt-international.com www.objekt-international.com Honorary editor in chief USA and Canada: Alexander Sasha Josipovicz, Studio Pyramid Inc. 1232 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4V 1E4 sasha@studiopyramid.com

Our experiment goes way beyond the usual approach of interiors and interior products: it’s about experiencing the unusual and the refreshing combinations of space, art, proportions and light. The photography by Hans Fonk and the special videos by Alaïa Fonk are the bases of this enlightening approach.

I ZA BE L FO N K

Contributing writers: Izabel Fonk, Nicole Henriquez, Susan Grant Lewin, Milosh Pavlovic, Ruud van der Neut, Lorenza Dalla Pozza, Robyn Prince, Raphaëlle de Stanislas, Isabel Vincent, Dirk Wilms, Rene Wilms, Mercedez Zampoli. Contributing photographers: Iwan Baan, Travis Estvold, Satoshi Fujiwara, Hans Fonk, Alaia Fonk, Alexander Kluge, Chris Marker, C.K. Mariot, Andrea Martiradonna, Matthew Millman, Karl Neumann, Daisuke Shima, Jimmy Talarico, João Vis. Graphics: Hans Fonk Studio Art directors: Hans Fonk, Alaïa Fonk Video productions: Alaïa Fonk Illustrations: Eveline Lieuwma-Puijk

photo: Alaïa Fonk

While interiors and interior photos are more and more reflecting a safety first modus, we believe that this is the time to brake through this patron by visual combining the extreme with the influences of art, music and fashion. The digital edition of OBJEKT©International marks the start of an exciting journey that gives way to new ideas: from humble interiors to the explosion of light and sound.

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INTERIOR DESIGN ARCHITECTURE ARTS, ANTIQUES GARDENS, YACHTS

Honorary ambassadors OBJEKT International OBJEKT USA-CANADA George Beylerian Eric Booth Martyn Lawrence Bullard Tony Chi Massimo Iosa Ghini Jacopo Etro Marva Griffin Wilshire Ralf Ohletz von Plettenburg Glenn Pushelberg George Yabu Rene Wilms INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL PUBLICATION BY HANS FONK PUBLICATIONS COVER : ROCKING WELLNESS EXPRESSIONS

PHOTO : ALAÏA FONK


WHAT’S UP FOREWORD

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NON USUAL NOIR

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WELLNESS: THE NEW EXPRESSIONS

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KINKY BERLIN

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SHIVER HOUSE

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SAVOIR FAIRE

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THE REAL GLASS HOUSE

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TIPPET RISE

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LEFTY RANCH

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NARROW: THE NEW CHIC

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MUMBAI SHAKE UP

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VINEYARD VILLA

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POWER DESIGN

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CRAFTSMEN AMSTERDAM

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CLOCKWORK RUBY

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DESIGN, CAMERA, ACTION

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JEAN PROUVÉ

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FONDAZIONE PRADA

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PHOTO: RETO GUNTLI

UNIQUE EXPERIENCES Selected Retreats for Family & Friends

WWW.UNIQUE-EXPERIENCES.CH


Ateliers Frans De Roo master frame makers

NEW ADDRESS:

SCHIPPERSVAARTWEG 1A - 2211 TJ NOORDWIJKERHOUT - THE NETHERLANDS WWW.ATELIERSFRANSDEROO.COM OBJEKT USA-CANADA


N EW Y ORK C ITY B LOSSOM C OLLECTION BY

H ANS F ONK PURE NEW ZEALAND WOOL AND CHINESE SILK RADFORD @ HANRAD . COM

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IZABEL @ OBJEKT- INTERNATIONAL . COM


DUTCH BONSAI series of photo artworks by

Hans Fonk

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non usual noir

The name came from the French term “non-usuel (non-usual)” and “noir (black)”. So it was designed with black as the basic color. ‘nol’ in Tokyo is a new chapter in the specific Japanese approach to creating minimal spaces. The restaurant was designed by Koichi Futatsumata’s Fukuokaa based design firm Case Real.

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‘nol’ is a restaurant atelier with a distinct concept, located in Tokyo. Here talented chefs can work for catering preparation or for irregular dinner events. As an experimental kitchen, it is a flexible space freed from the physical restraints of a classical restaurant. Though it is compact, the goal of Koichi Futatsumata, founder of Case Real, was to create an atmosphere that suits the extraordinary dishes that will be prepared. Compared to the spacious kitchen, this restaurant has only eight table seats and is not fully open to the public . Futatsumata’s idea was to create a restaurant with a very specific touch, considering the stance and characteristics of the space. To create depth, the space was painted in a gradation from grey to dark grey. The dining area was finished with a matte, dark-toned lysine from floor to ceiling. Pendant lights above the tables were newly designed by Tatsuki Nakamura to fit the space. The shades of the lightings were finished with the same lysine material to maintain a common tone and to exaggerate the contrast between the light and the ceiling. The kitchen was mainly finished with stainless-steel, in order to create a brighter image and a space which functions like a stage in contrast to the black dining area. Designer Koichi Futatsumata founded Case-Real in 2000. His company works on interior / architecture projects and performances.


Above: the experimental kitchen ‘nol’ in Tokyo, Japan, designed by Case Real. Client: Marutaya Co. Direction: Aid Inc Design: Koichi Futatusmata, Koichi Shimohira [CASE-REAL], Yasushi Arikawa [Partner] Cooperation: TANK, Tanabe Kensetsu Lighting Plan: BRANCH lighting design (Tatsuki Nakamura) Manufacture of Furniture: E&Y Sign Design: Aid Inc Paint: Nakamura paint Photo: Daisuke Shima

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TOTAL WELLNESS

EXPRESSIONS

AlaĂŻa Fonk, independent music and fashion video director, photographer and also art director of OBJEKT International, created a total new expression of wellness. Hotels, thermae and wellness centers around the world seems to have the same visual idea about this topic: lots of white towels, baths filled with flower leaves, candles in the most extreme corners against the background of Scandinavian furniture and illuminated showers. This is supposed to illustrate the stimulation the senses in a world where the Internet and social media are chasing the mind. In the Cambridge Dictionary, wellness is the state of being healthy, while health is described as the condition of the body and the degree to which it is free from illness: the state of being well. That goes far beyond the sounds of falling waters, tree hugging or the senses of aromatic candles. It has a different meaning for every individual. The new visualization by AlaĂŻa Fonk is a good illustration of modern well-being.

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© Alaïa Fonk

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TOTAL WELLNESS

EXPRESSIONS

© Alaïa Fonk

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© Alaïa Fonk

TOTAL WELLNESS

EXPRESSIONS


© Alaïa Fonk

TOTAL WELLNESS

EXPRESSIONS


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kinky berlin 20 OBJEKT


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Located in a former mid-19th century brewery, Pfefferberg was founded in 1990 as an initiative from local residents, bringing together social, cultural and commercial. This is the location of Kink bar, restaurant and in-house laboratory: the result of the founders Oliver Mansaray and Daniel Scheppan’s experimental and synergetic approach. Reinvesting the decaying site, Pfefferberg’s and Kink’s vision are deeply related to the immediate vicinity of Prenzlauer Berg, an area of the city long divided by the Berlin wall, where lingering sentiments of segregation and displacement are reflected in the urban structure and architectural landscape. Kink, the restaurant, bar and in-house culinary laboratory, opened in a restored industrial building, nested in the sociocultural center Pfefferberg, host to various galleries, artist studios and event venues. Building on its vast space and eight-meter-high ceiling, Kink brings together contemporary art, modular design and world gastronomy. The post-industrial setting combines classic and vintage elements with contemporary design features and objects. At its core, suspended from its high ceiling, Swiss contemporary artist Kerim Seiler’s Spaceknot (Pfefferberg), a large-scale site-specific work consisting of over 100 meters of red neon tubes, loops through the space. Rethinking the void “as his canvas,” the artist transformed a two-dimensional twisted knot into a multi-dimensional space-embracing sculpture. The contrasting glow of its interconnected segments now plays with the architectural scale of the room, thereby creating an alliclusive immersive atmosphere. Separated into three spaces, a vast main room, a gallery and a window-enveloped “Glashaus”, the different levels allow for specific functions and ambiances. The vast room fans out from its focal point, the central open kitchen and bar designed by Berlin studio Hidden Fortress combined with sitting areas as a single overlapping, merges space for staff and visitors alike. The mezzanine looks out onto the lower floor, revealing German artist Philipp Emanuel Eyrich’s wallembracing metalwork, Berberlin’s handcrafted rugs inspired by North African Berber culture, and Roche Bobois sofas. Upon entering from the surrounding beer garden, Berlin’s second oldest dating back from 1850, and through the 19th-century French wing doors, the Kink’s space breaks from the rules of formal spatial disposition, taking down barriers.

Building on the influence, exploration and fusion of international food and drink cultures, Italian chef Ivano Pirolo, most recently chef de partie at two-Michelin-starred Facil in Berlin, and Indian-born bar manager and mixologist Arun Puvanendran work together to create a selection of creative dishes and beverages.

Sharing a passion for the discovery and fusion of international food and drinking cultures, Mansaray and Scheppan built on their careers in engineering and design to launch Kink in 2019. They explain: “We don’t build walls. We tear them down. We bring together what belongs together: kitchen and bar. Not only do we create a unique space where restaurant and bar see eye-to-eye, we unite culinary and cocktail art into one cohesive experience.” Drawn to the cultural ambition of Pfefferberg, they highlight the importance of art and design as part of the space: “We cherish art that interrogates, moves and stimulates exchange. Art reveals differences and similarities.”


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SHIVER HOUSE


The re-erection in wood of Neon’s ‘Shiver House’ marked the fifth year anniversary of the project. Shiver House was previously installed in 2015 as part of the Barfotastigen exhibition on the island of Korppoo, Finland. The project was intended to be in-situ for 4 months but due to its popularity it was kept on-site longer. On the project’s second year, Korppoo, began hosting summer concerts next to the project as part of the renowned Jazz festival Korppoo Sea Jazz. The jubilee edition is constructed out of Finnish Airplane Ply. Shiver House is a radical reinvention of the common Finnish Hut (mökki). The project is a kinetic animallike structure that moves and adapts in response to surrounding natural forces. Shiver House is an exploration into the idea that architecture can be used to create a closer emotional link between its inhabitants and the natural world it sits within. In addition, the project enlightens the fact that architecture can seem alive: that it will engender a deeper and longer-lasting emotional relationship between people and the structures they inhabit. Mark Nixon of Neon, an award-winning design practice based in Margate, UK: “While the world is adjusting to the new reality of Covid-19, I feel that there needs to be a greater emphasis given to the way architecture, art, and design are used as a means of reducing anxiety, connecting us with nature and bringing people together again in public spaces. Shiver House’s architecture is in a constant state of transformation and ‘performs’ with the everchanging flows of the wind, it is an ideal way of grounding people in the present moment.” The house is made of 600 kinetic counter-weighted shingles which respond to the changing weather conditions of the site. Wind, rain, and snow cause the shingles to rotate into a closed position giving the structure the function of a shelter. The Shiver House is constantly transforming between being a functional shelter and a poetic and experiential device. Users can observe the everchanging environment as they watch the kinetic shingles modulate the internal light levels. The project is constructed around a simple timber structure, which supports a number of rows of tensioned steel wire. These steel wires are treated as batons and are designed to hold the counterweighted shingles. The shingles are constructed using a folded and cut Airplane Ply, which has been soaked in protective oil. The counterweight is constructed using a stainless-steel nut and bolt. OBJEKT

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Fondation d’entreprise Martell

THE NEW SAVOIR-FAIRE

The Fondation d’entreprise Martell (Martell Corporate Foundation) is a cultural space where centuries-old heritage and contemporary creation converge and come to life, alongside excellence and curiosity, local roots and global influences. This vivid identity is embodied by the modernist Gâtebourse building, built in 1928 in the heart of Cognac, France. It is a creative ecosystem that blends arts and culture, exhibitions and residencies, traditional savoir faire and digital explorations, visual creation and lively practices, permanent works and communal events. Launched in 2016 in Cognac, the Fondation has welcomed projects by French artist Vincent Lamouroux, followed by Spanish architects SelgasCano for the first two years during its pre-opening period. For the 2018 inauguration of the vast 900 m2 space, located on the ground floor and dedicated to immersive installations, the French company Adrien M & Claire B unveiled an interactive work entitled L’ombre de la vapeur (The Shadow of Vapor). The Foundation programmed the first edition of its MétaMusiques festival in 2019: it encompassed 72 hours of concerts and a complete listening experience that defied labels. For 2020 the Fondation has developed a program dedicated to design & craft: “Places to be”, a unique and immersive exhibition on the ground floor of the venue. It goes in tandem with the inaugural Ateliers du faire on the first floor, which will host crossover production residencies between artists and artisans. ßAt the heart of this new space, La Cène (The Last Supper) by Guillaume Bardet, the Foundation’s second furniture commission,was unveiled. “Places to be” has brought together 14 international designers around a common project: jointly reconstituting a unique living space, made up of 11 rooms each conceived by a designer. This enigmatic mission is like the famous game Clue, where each room becomes part of a unique atmosphere. The exhibition intends to reposition design as a quotidian functional environment rather than as a group of museum-worthy works. “Places to be” values design as a discipline, as a cross-section of arts and industry, intended for the creation and manufacture of useful objects, spaces or images. The only information the invited designers had access to ahead of time, was the dimensions of their respective spaces. Each space consists of a circular metal tank, varying from 2.5 to 3.5 meters in height and two to five openings. Unknown to each other until the first day of assembling their work, these creatives developed their individual aesthetic universe without knowing

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photos: C.K. Mariot

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anything about the neighboring spaces. Each imagined a fully-formed environment in their respective spaces, from furniture to objects, which visitors would be able to use. Current health constraints will not allow this use in the first instance. Imagined by Nathalie Viot, developed by Laurent Geoffroy and produced by the teams from the Charentaise company Chalvignac, the scenography of “Places to be” was made up of gigantic circular stainless steel tanks connected to one another through cut-outs in the partitions. Unexpected and monumental, this metallic structure evokes both the surreal landscapes of the Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico and the packed-together silhouettes of Tunisian dwellings in Tataouine, which George Lucas selected as the background for certain scenes in the Star Wars saga. Places to be therefore answers to multiple challenges. For one, it’s the first group exhibition at the Foundation; moreover, it asks artists to create livable but unprecedented "places to be” amidst an exhibition space for visitors. This cross-disciplinary exhibition creates continuity with the previous installations: Par nature by Vincent Lamouroux, the Pavillon Martell by SelgasCano and L'ombre de la vapeur by Adrien M & Claire B. Bringing together different creative spheres, Places to be unveils spaces and objects fashioned from wood, glass, ceramic and textiles, all produced in the Ateliers du faire workshops, to be inaugurated this year on the Foundation’s first floor. The Foundation called on 14 international designers of seven nationalities, each of them used to working with different techniques and materials: Clément Brazille (Switzerland), Yuan Yuan (China), Valentina Ornaghi & Claudio Prestinari (Italy), Jerszy Seymour (Canada), Anima Ona (Germany), matali crasset (France), Jenny Feal (Cuba), Céline Thibault & Géraud Pellottiero (France), Porky Hefer (South Africa) and Wendy Andreu (France). The Fondation d’entreprise Martell was launched in October 2016 and has been overseen by Nathalie Viot since January 2017. Maxime Heylens joined in September 2017 as Head of Cultural Development and Partnerships. The team was completed by Juliette Nosland, Manager of the Public Sector and Events, in June 2018. Headquartered in the former Maison Martell bottling factory, the Foundation benefits from a privileged location close to the Charente river, within the heart of the city of Cognac and the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. Its modernist-style building stands out from the typical Charente architecture and becomes a unique signpost amidst the landscape. The Fondation d’entreprise Martell will eventually encompass nearly 3,200 m2 across different spaces, which will open to the public in several phases. The inauguration of the entire complex is expected in 2021.

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Wan Tea House Chengdu, China

The Chinese city of Chengdu has been glorified by thousands of poems. Here, in this specific place, Nong Studio created the new Tak Wan Tea House that tells its own story of Chengdu.

Tak Wan Tea House is adjacent to ancient Daci Temple in the city, therefore, the designers featured Tang Architecture and Bashu native architecture elements for reference to construct the entire form. Traditional craftsmanship has been used in a modern language in perspective of mixture of west and east.

Inspired by the craftsmanship of double layer bambooweaving from Juanqin Zhai, the Forbidden City in Qing dynasty, Nong Studio not only used its language to redesign the windows but also combined it with hightech laser carving optical glass and mirror effect film to reinterpret in a modern approach.

The shop front now features a roof-structure of black wooden bucket beams and six blue-and-white porcelain columns hand printed of cloud and dragon motif by Chinese artisans.

The interior is rigidly axisymmetric, the ceiling outline came from shapes of pediment from the Sichuan traditional archways. It is supported by curved black wood beams, which defined intimate semi-private space along both flanks of the hall. The terrazzo flooring color are formed by natural lapis lazuli and inlaid with Chinese traditional cloud shape made of solid brass, pay homage to superb enamel craftsmanship of cloisonnĂŠ. The wall backdrop adorned with hand-painted wallpaper, was inspired by moon gate and fairy-crane motif from Juanqin Zhai as well. More details, bespoke furniture and intelligent lighting system, has been all profoundly considered to create an exquisite and irreplaceable experience, which can tell its own story in Chengdu.

photos: Chasing Wang


“Chengdu, carved out by Heaven millions of years ago, presents before the eyes a picturesque view of myriad beautifully decorated households.” poet by Liba i Tan g Dynasty

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philip - glass house - johnson

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For over 75 years Philip Johnson (1906-2005) was a leading figure in American architecture. Initially he worked as a curator at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York and went on to design an awesome series of large and small edifices including the AT&T Building (now Sony Plaza) in New York and the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. During his lifetime, his most important building was rarely seen, apart from in photos. It is the Glass House (1949) in New Canaan, Connecticut, where he lived for 50 years.

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photos: Hans Fonk Previous pages: The large open space in Philip Johnson’s Glass House is harmonizing with its natural surroundings. The round structure houses the bathroom. On the right Philip Johnson (photo: Davidson Bruce) These pages: The Glass House which belonged to the architect Philip Johnson in New Canaan, in Connecticut. The area teems with houses built by Johnson and his contemporary, Marcel Breuer.

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Left-hand page: the first site-specific work by Donald Judd (1971). Judd could be termed the figurehead of Minimalism. In exchange for a work by Frank Stella, he created a taut concrete circle in a response to the transparency of the Glass House. This was the first time in history that artistic use was made of building materials. Judd’s intention was to create a bridge between sculpture and architecture. Right: bronze tree trunk lying on a base, also in bronze, links the Sculpture and Painting Galleries (entrance in background). It is a work by Julian Schabel.

The Glass House is an icon of architecture on account of the modernist transparency in which it abounds. With four sheet glass walls and a simple steel frame, it merges seamlessly into its breathtaking setting of charming grassy slopes, sturdy old trees and a 19th-century stone wall. In this house, Johnson felt at one with nature. It was also the place where he received guests, including Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect who was 40 years his elder. It was rumored that, when visiting the Glass House for the first time, Wright asked, “Philip, am I inside or out? Do I take my hat off or leave it on?” If one wishes to appreciate Johnson’s importance for American architecture, it is useful to conceptualize the glass skyscrapers that characterized present-day cities. In the 1930s New York was experiencing a craze for Art Deco, which was very far removed from the taut structures designed by Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius or Le Corbusier. 1932 was the year in which New York hailed its first skyscrapers: the Chrysler and the Empire State Buildings. It was also the year in which Philip Johnson curated the legendary MoMA International Style exhibition. The title of the exhibition refers to the book Johnson co-authored with Henry-Russell Hitchcock, the leading American architectural historian of his day. The much-debated, visionary book immediately catapulted Johnson to prominence as one of the foremost figures in American architecture. And he continued to fulfill that role until his death in 2005. However, in 1932 Johnson was not yet an architect, only resuming his studies in the 1940s after his successes at the MoMA. He graduated in 1943 from Harvard University, leaving his comfortable position at the MoMA to try his hand as an architect. Whereas, at the museum he had been surrounded by people of a like mind (Professor Barr shared his view of architecture as art), he encountered an entirely different mentality at Harvard. Lectures were given by Walter Gropius who had founded the Bauhaus in Weimar. Philip Johnson had visited it in the 1920s and was not particularly friendly with Gropius. He accused him of considering the functional aspect more important than the artistic. The following is a notorious quote from that time: “I would rather sleep all night in Chartres Cathedral and walk down the street to the john than spend the night in a Harvard house with back-to-back plumbing.” But his admiration was all the greater for the artistic Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, in whose work architectural grandeur always transcended comfort. Mies’s influence is particularly apparent in Johnson’s early work. The house he built for himself in 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is completely based on the Miesian Court Houses—a new concept for urban living. With it, Johnson created a loft-avant-la-lettre, with one wall in glass overlooking a small walled garden. Ash Street, as it would later be called, was the precursor of the Glass House, which is a distinctive mixture of pure International Style and Johnson’s personal taste. It is no mere architectural concept, but was to serve as a home. It is interesting, not because of the blend of Miesian and classical architectural principles, but particularly on account of the way the design engages with the natural surroundings. “Trees are the basic building block on the place,” was Johnson’s motto. OBJEKT

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Left: the bedroom in the house Philip Johnson is enclosed entirely in glass. The cupboard serves as a division between that room and the living space. Right: a corner of the bedroom in the Glass House. Minimalism avant la lettre, with furniture designed by Mies van der Rohe.

Despite the patently obvious influences of Mies van der Rohe, Johnson did not consider himself to be Miesian. Which is strange, when you realise that much of the furniture in the house was designed by Mies. However, all becomes clear when you discover that Mies was disappointed with the Glass House. Not on account of the similarities, but actually the dramatic differences. To start with, the symmetrical façades and the brick floor, which he did not care for. He really disliked the cylindrical central core which housed a fireplace and a bathroom. Mies even refused to spend the night there, which in turn upset Johnson. Still, it did not put Johnson off and one of his most telling adages was: “The day of ideology is thankfully over. There are no rules, only facts. There is no order, only preference: there are no imperatives, only choice or taste.” He evidently continued to stand by his assertion, as can be seen from the structures dotted around the estate. Moreover, the estate is reminiscent of a diary, if only because Johnson continued to add buildings with clockwork regularity over fifty years. First there was the Pavilion. It stands beside a lake and was designed to be admired from the main building higher up the slope. Only when seen from closer by it is clear that the fanciful structure is quite small. It is a playful reference to the clever architectural interventions of cathedral builders in olden days who dramatized effects and made them more distorted using scale and perspective. Francesco Borromini, the architect of the Baroque church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome, was a particular favorite of Johnson’s. The Painting Gallery and the Sculpture Gallery followed in1965 and 1970, almost twenty years after the principal building. The Sculpture Gallery stands on a slope and has pitched glass roofs. The irregular, stepped construction makes for unexpected impressions and calls forth an unusual spatial experience. Later on, Johnson would elaborate further on the geometrical distortions he used here. The building is a splendid framework for the superlative artworks that Johnson collected with his life partner, David Whitney. The works, together with the gallery in which they are displayed, constitute a dramatic lesson in Modernism. There is work by Elie Nadelman, Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman, Frank Stella, and even a Nicolas Poussin from 1648-49. However, the most important artwork is in the garden. It is a site-specific work by Donald Judd (1971). Judd could be termed the figurehead of Minimalism. Here, in exchange for a large object by Frank Stella, he created a taut concrete circle in a response to the transparency of the Glass House. Ten years after the Sculpture Gallery, Johnson built himself a Library/Study. A remarkable structure in which he once more examined light, space, and scale. The property is on a slope which means that the ground plan is rectangular, but the building itself is cubeshaped. The pure geometrical lines are interrupted by a cylindrical volume in the corner which serves as a light well. Daylight pouring into the library gives it an almost spiritual character. His last work, the red Gate House, also challenges set geometrical patterns—this time Johnson has gone quite far. Although the building is intended as a visitors’ center, it has a visually disorientating effect. It is a silent witness to Johnson’s growing fascination with spatial experiments and sensational effects. Today the Glass House can be visited as a museum. Johnson had painstakingly prepared the transference of the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. However, during restoration of the site, he realized he was becoming increasingly fond of ruins. For instance, he praised the decay of the New York State Pavilion which he built for the 1964-65 World’s Fair: “There ought to be a university course in the pleasure of ruins”, was his conclusion. 38 OBJEKT


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These pages: the open living area with furniture designed by Mies van der Rohe. The painting, Burial of Phocion, (16481649) is attributed to Nicolas Poussin. The sculpture Two Circus Women is by Elie Nadelman and dates from 1930.

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TIPPET RISE

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It was a unique artist collaboration involving architecture and engineering firm Cushing Terrell and artist Patrick Dougherty. The project replicated a late1800s, one-room schoolhouse at which Dougherty realized a sitespecific sculpture.

photos: Karl Neumann, Jimmy Talarico, Travis Estvold

The idea for the project was very simple: replicate a late1800s one-room Montana schoolhouse to provide a relatively protected interior space for housing a sculpture made of saplings. The purpose of the project was to inspire internationallyrenowned Patrick Dougherty, who would then design and create a site responsive sculpture. Cushing Terrell architecture, founded in 1938 by Cushing and Terrell, was contacted to design the building as the backdrop for a sculptor’s on-site commission at the 12,000-acre-spanning Tippet Rise Art Center, located just outside Fishtail, Montana, USA. Situated on a working ranch, the project had to be constructed with minimal disturbance of the landscape. This involved maintaining a small job site footprint and using eco-friendly solutions such as corncob grit blasting for weathering the exterior wood.


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With few interior lights and no mechanical or plumbing systems, the project has a negligible impact on its environment and a relatively passive inhabitant of the ecosystem. The most difficult task for this project was determining the level of protection needed for the sculpture while creating a building that looked as if it was battered by a century of weather. Dougherty created ephemeral sculptures out of native saplings, so long-term deterioration of his work was assumed. However, he requested the design team to determine a way to protect the interior from water infiltration to maximize the longevity of his creation. This seemed not particularly difficult, but when replicating a more than 100-year-old, deteriorated schoolhouse, the task became significantly more challenging. One element the team wanted to preserve was the look of a deteriorated roof allowing natural light to filter into the interior through gaps in the skip sheathing. This was achieved by sandwiching acrylic sheets between two layers of planks in a seamless application invisible to the untrained eye. A secondary challenge was creating interior and exterior finishes matched to those of nearby historic Stockade Schoolhouse. The first step was documenting the details of Stockade, noting layers of paint and elements of detailed deterioration such as subtle discoloration from differential rates of water damage, ghosted “memories” of sinceremoved built-in shelving, and rows of rusted nails once holding shingles. The second step was reviewing full-scale mock-ups with the client and contractor (JxM & Associates) to determine the best “recipe” of finish techniques. The final step was a hands-on approach to construction administration, walking through subtle details and tweaks to the finished recipe with Tippet Rise staff, while JxM worked on each element. The bulk of the project spanned six months. Dougherty started the installation of his art work beginning on the Fourth of July weekend in 2019, lasting three weeks.

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Nestled between the Snake River and valley proper, with panoramic views of the Tetons to the west and north and Gros Ventre mountains to the east, Lefty Ranch speaks directly to the pond it borders, as well as the big timber and historic corrals that dot its 35 acres. It was designed by CLB Architects from nearby Jackson, Wyoming, USA.

LEFTY RANCH

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These pages: the living room with chairs and sofas by Holly Hunt and a coffee tables by Noguchi. The large canvas on the wall is by Theodore Waddell, titled ‘Ruby Valley Angus’ and the ‘Samantha’ sculpture is by Julian Voss-Andraea 52 OBJEKT


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This page: the custom designed interiors of the living spaces, kitchen and bedrooms. The large light sculpture above the dining table is by Dale Chihuly. Right-hand page: the stone ramp leading up to the entrance of the house.

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The history and splendor of Wyoming’s natural environment factor heavily into the design of Lefty Ranch. On approach, the house can be discovered through a sea of trees before carrying visitors over a bridge and onto the property. While most ponds in Teton County require a 50-foot buffer between home and water, this man-made body of water has the freedom to forego that restriction. The interplay, which flows from the living area to a partially covered porch and eventually to the water’s edge, spotlights the deliberate connection between the home and its surrounding environment. The structure itself was crafted around an unconventional residential program. Rather than breaking the home into a series of smaller components housed in distinct pavilions, everything at Lefty Ranch is linked under a single roof that cradles an interior courtyard. The shape is reminiscent of a horseshoe, entirely consistent in its roll from south to west. Inspired by a series of existing corrals along the northern edge, the house represents not only the history of the property, but the region as a whole. Here, the simple shed form has been mimicked and abstracted, providing deeply carved overhangs that create shelter. The private program is comprised of offices, a gym, and the home’s lone bedroom. The living room features a move known affectionately as the ‘pull tab’— a hole cut into the ceiling to provide patterns of light that trace the room during daylight hours. This design choice doubles as a formal move, where views from the south elevation provide undulating ridges and valleys in the building’s profile. Locally quarried limestone transitions from the exterior to an indoor fireplace, while the remaining materials palette (white oak, cedar siding, and glass) presents an elegant and restrained composition. With attention to setting and history, CLB has conjured a contextually inspired architectural structure that eschews coastal trends in favor of the singular voice of the modern American west.

Project team Architect: CLB Architects Architecture Project Team: Eric Logan, AIA, Kevin Burke, AIA, LEED AP, Jennifer Mei, AIA, LEED AP, Bryan James, AIA, Justin Dhein, Leo Naegele Landscape Architect: Hershberger Design Builder: Peak Builders Photos: Matthew Millman More than two decades CLB architects was founded in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we have evolved but our essentials remain unchanged. The Jackson studio is led by principals Eric Logan, Kevin Burke and Andy Ankeny. In 2017 they opened a full-service design studio in Bozeman.

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These pages: the Lefty Ranch in Wyoming’s natural splendor. The house was specific designed for this location by CLB Architects. 56 OBJEKT


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NARROW is the new CHIC

production: OBJEKT USA=CANADA photos: Hans Fonk The dining room walls of this long and narrow house in Toronto, Canada were cladded in Coleand–Son wallpaper designed by Martyn Bullard to create the feeling of a Topkapi mystique. The bench was upholstered in a cork fabric by Holly Hunt and the Istanbul rug is by Elte. The art above the credenza is by Alex McLeod. The redesign and renovation of the house was done by Studio Pyramid from Toronto. 58 OBJEKT


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The location is the Annex quarter of the Canadian city of Toronto. The architecture

is dominated by classic English influences. The houses are relatively narrow and have small front and back gardens.

The average height is three floors. Studio Pyramid Inc. from Toronto, alongside Ridge

Construction, took care of updating and upgrading one of these typical houses.

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Architect Milosh Pavlovicz of Studio Pyramid: “In this project we have employed a sophisticated strategy for detailing, bringing old walls new shine. We have conjured a house that was reborn both in its materials as well as in its functional organization within the historic brick walls of the 1900s Victorian architecture. It was enlarged with a newly, zinc cladded, modern extension on the back.” The overall exterior and interior design was organized around a functional axis that StudioPyramid has drawn through the house. From North to South, the space was created from private and introverted to more open and attainable for suppressed and controlled wilful chaos. The heart of the house is the new steel stairway with sward-like treads, which wind their way up to the attic. A large skylight forms the end of the staircase and provides plenty of daylight. Through stairway’s open design, light falls all the way down, creating interesting perspectives between the individual floors.


Left: the master bedroom with a Maxalto bed and Molteni bed side table. The antique chandelier is from Murano and the wallpaper behind the bed is by Kelly Wearstler.The artwork ‘The Illusionist’ is by Louise Scott. Above: the master bathroom with a wallpaper by Degournay and mother of pearl tiles by Elte. Beside that: the back addition is peeking through the 19th century original gates of the walled backyard reminiscent to the Ottoman era and was juxtaposed to the old Victorian façade. The blue green stucco was mixed with a zinc cladding, glass railings and original Ontario red bricks.

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This page: overview of the living room from the staircase in the center of the building.The 20 meters long ground room has the original stained glass windows on the façade and Pallucco floor lamp by Fortuny. Right-hand page: the three story cantilevered metal staircases is inspired by Dusty Springfield’s song ‘Windmills of your Mind’.The suspension light in the atrium is designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Flos. 62 OBJEKT


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“Unlike the Bauhaus ‘Less is More’ p r e c e p t. I b e l i e v e ‘Y e s i s M o r e ’ i s o u r i n c l u s i v e a p p r oa c h t o architecture and design. It is crucial to get everyone’s input to the extreme and meet a l l o c c u pa n t s ’ n e e d s . With so many different p e r s o n a l i t i e s a n d way s o f l i f e , this driving force can develop i n t o s o m e t h i n g e x t r a o r d i n a r y. ”

THE MUMBAI SHAKE UP

R a h u l M i s t r i , f o u n d e r a n d p r i n c i pa l o f O p e n At e l i e r M u m b a i , I n d i a .

production: OBJEKT International Left: Rahul Mistri, founder and principal of Open Atelier Mumbai, India, who designed this apartment high-up in the Mumbai air. Beside that: the artful feel in the ubiquitous bedroom space designed for the daughter of the house. Light fixtures curated within the wall cladding system creates a center of focus like the twinkling star, within the layout.

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“The residence delineates the extensive application of luminosity, commodiousness and opulence. Elements adopted in the curation of space render calm, soothing and peaceful surroundings coupled with resplendent and splendorous furnishing. It reflects emotions, aspirations and prosperity. The aura of the space reflects the idiosyncrasies of people occupying the dwelling.” According to its designer Rahul Mistri, of Open Atelier Mumbai, it is an exemplary evidence of humane distinction.

The 2900 sq.ft. luxurious apartment is situated at the 38th floor an upscale building in Mumbai. The four-bedroom apartment for a family of four plus grandparents. is divided into various zones and resonates a sense of an über luxurious lifestyle. Design elements harmoniously depict the tale of an extravagant setting. The eclectic design approach involved curated furniture, designer light fixtures, art-inspired installations, and the application of timber and marble. The owners dreamt of creating a space emotionally attributed to their family roots and traditions. Jewelers by profession they planned on bringing in the elements of luxury and preciousness in various forms.

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Their ideologies and the designers’ conception found common grounds over luxurious setting involving luminous elements. Products sourced out from different parts of the world depict the primary conception. Every space is translated towards its functionality and individual desire. Light filters throughout living, dining & kitchen area with full height glazed windows overlooking Mumbai skyline. The kitchen with the island counter as an informal dining space merges in with the living and formal dining area. Art installations, light fixtures and contemporary furniture all blend in to produce an elegant experience.


Right: the playful ceiling in the daughter’s bathroom. Beside that the master bedroom with the large outdoor terrace. Bottom: the living, dining & kitchen area have full height glazed windows overlooking the Mumbai skyline. Luxurious interplay of materials in the shades of white, brown and beige welcomes one into the great room of this opulent dwelling situated amidst the sky, sprawling at a height of 38th floor in one of the magnificent buildings of Mumbai.

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UNDER THE SPELL OF THE ITALIAN VINEYARDS Villa Geef, as it is called, was born in in the outskirts of Sondrio (SO, Italy) within a lot that was used as a place to relax for employees of an electric company. It was occupied by a building and playgrounds. The area however had great potential due to its size and the surrounding mountain landscape and the typical vineyards of Valtellina. Although the new owners of the site wanted to build a multistory villa, the project developed by Damilano studio Architects focused on a single ground-floor villa for both the comfort and the relationship with the landscape. Its now opening all its views to the vineyards and the private park.

production: Izabel Fonk photos: Andrea Martiradonna Left: the single ground-floor villa Geef in the natural surroundings of Valtellina, Italy. Right-hand page: the dining room with the reflection of the nature on the table by Rimadesio. The lighting is by Antrox and the chairs are by Cassina.

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Lighting throughout the villa and the exterior is by Ingo Maurer, Flos, Penta Light, Antrox and Ares. The living room sofa is by Edra and the chairs are by Cassina. All sliding doors and tables are by Rimadesio and the floors are by Fiemme. The ‘wet’ floors are by Porcellanosa. Bathtub and shower in the master bathroom are by Brera, the water closet is by Gessi, the shower is by Kaldewei and the water-fittings are by Fantini Milano. The wall finishing in bathrooms is by Wall&Deco.The bed in the master bedroom is by B&B Italia.The wooden chair on the terrace is by the Campana Brothers.

The project was developed by Duilio Damilano, founder and principal of Damilano studio Architects in Milan, Italy. Born in Cuneo on 1961, he openened in 1990 his own architectural firm. He designed the single floor Villa Geef, that develops into two different areas joined by the covered porch in line with access to the lot. On one side are the garage and the annex for the guests and the other side is the owners' residence. The project was defined by its minimalism and the purity of the lines and the organic concept in the choice of materials. The design was inspired by the terraced vineyards typical of Valtellina's mountainous landscape. The architect: “The idea was to create a horizontal building without precluding the surrounding landscape both from the outside and from

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the inside. Transparency was the main guide-line supported by the role darkness and light. Shadows define spaces (as for Alvaro Siza). Another fundamental aspect was to push the five senses. This is why we paid close attention to olfactory plant essences, dark and light chromatic effects, surface materials as in this project the dry stone.” The clients sought us because they knew our published works and loved the minimal architecture. We have led them from the severity of minimalism to communion with a more organic language. Asked about the relationship luxury and design and how this has changed over the past decade, he answered: “Sometimes they coincide and sometimes no. Today design is widespread but the great masters of the past remain the main reference points.”


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The Grand Hyatt hotel is located in the ancient city of Xi-an. The interior is designed by H. L. Lim and his LTW Designworks from Singapore and Beijing. Drawing from the rich history of Xi’an as one of the four great dynastic ancient capitals of China, the design concept for the Grand Hyatt hotel was inspired by the famous centuries old Silk Road, linking the east to the west with the exchange of culture, religion and trading of goods. The Silk Road conjured the image of camel trains crossing the desert with the ever-changing sand dunes creating beautiful forms. The copper rich color of sunset in the desert, formed the inspiration for the design. At the ground level of the hotel, the faceted exterior is carried through to the lobby interior via a sharply angled glass facade. This language is further expanded through an organic wing-like form on the wall behind the reception counter. It is composed of curvilinear rows of interconnected vertical white slats, rising ten meters in an undulating fashion, creating a dramatic 3-dimentional backdrop to the reception counters. Moving away from traditional design of hotel reception, the reception counters at the Grand Hyatt Xi’an are designed to look like a sculptured integrated light fixture, emulating the ever-changing shape of the desert. The lobby’s shuttle lifts are wrapped in matte copper screens with laser cut imagery of an overlapping desert mirage of Chinese palaces from a bygone era. The concept is carried through to the guestrooms, expressed through a palette of sun-bleached millwork against desert sunset color furnishing, with relief painting portraying a desert mirage. Interior designer H. L. Lim: “In my vision interior design is a form of expression and communication. Just like painting, sculpture, poetry, photography, fashion, film making etc, it is an expression of a certain personality with considered functionality. The aesthetic within a building contains specific characteristics in conjunction with a neighbourhood’s personality and cultural heritage. For me, there are essentially two approaches in design.“ He continued: “The first is that the designer has developed a certain style or look, which is recognizable as his signature design approach.

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Previous pages: Power Design at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Xi-an, China. The interiors of the hotel were created by H.L.Lim. These pages Below: H.L.Lim and on the right a hallway with the artistic elements that are scattered throughout the hotel. photos: Hans Fonk


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Previous pages: the reception counter with the organic shaped wing-like form on the wall behind. These pages Left: the entrance to one of the restaurant of the Grand Hyatt in Xi-an. Below: one of the suites of the hotel. Next pages: the entrance of the hotel with the faceted exterior carried through to the lobby interior via a sharply angled glass facade.

An approach which the designer and client wish to replicate. Nothing is wrong with that, but I guess I would have retired early or changed profession by now, if this were the only way.” “The second is that the designer possesses the creative skill of realizing a design brief from the client. He will uphold the principle and desire to create a totally unique design every time. Depending on the location, taking into account the historical and cultural heritage and using as much as possible the materials and crafts which are locally available, in order to instil the all important sense of place to the project. This also reduces the carbon footprint, something that all responsible designers should devote energy and time to in the process of their work.” “My partner in LTW, Teo Su Seam and I have worked together for 26 years and our design approach would fall into the second category. This is the main reason I have been able to stay on in this very inspiring profession for the last 45 years and do not have any desire to retire, at least for the time being,” according to the designer.

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To achieve this, the owners turned to artist Stef van de Bijl, who brought in more local craftsmen such as illustrator Aart Taminiau and steel designer Joram Barbiers. Together, they implemented original and imaginative design elements for which they often repurposed vintage materials befitting the theme. With their collective expertise and craftsmanship, they have given antiques and curiosa a contemporary and practical function within the hotel. Amongst the unique elements are an old canoe serving as a ceiling lamp, a wardrobe made with the emergency exit door of a Fokker F28 jet airliner, and reclaimed aluminum shoe-stretchers from the 1940’s getting a second chance in life as wall mounted reading lights. The impressive canal houses at the Singel share a rich history. Roelof Swaen, deputy to legendary Dutch sea admiral Michiel de Ruyter, constructed the oldest of the three buildings in 1652. His ‘Huis de Swaen’ (The Swan) was initially a ferry house but turned into a hotel in the nineteenth century. An original stone plaque on the sidewall of the building, shows a swan, referring to its historical name today. In 1917, an Amsterdam local man with the name Brouwer bought Huis de Swaen and opened his Hotel, aptly called Hotel Brouwer. Exactly 100 years later, the Brouwer heirs sold it to the current owners, the Zandbergen family. The Zandbergen family took on the challenging task of turning the national monument into a luxurious boutique hotel. Challenging is an understatement, as the original 17th-century architecture had to remain intact in accordance with the requirements of Amsterdam’s monument care. They also stipulated that in some places in the hotel, the original features or elements had to be brought back. Some of these include authentic bedsteads, a so-called ‘Keulse goot’ (a 17thcentury indoor gutter), and Delft Blue tiles. The rich history is also reflected in the monumental staircase, the exposed beams and eaves, the original wooden floors, and the intimate and narrow hallways. Michelle Zandbergen, daughter of the Zandbergen family: “Amsterdam has a wonderful history of craftsmanship, we want to bring that cultural heritage to life by not only creating a beautiful hotel but also by letting the guests touch and feel the craftsmanship that is behind it. To achieve that we have combined the raw, authentic crafts that define this city with a modern, luxury boutique experience.”

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craftsmen society

Spread over three historical properties, the hotel offers fourteen distinct rooms. Each room is given the name of the various craftsmen, such as the Boat Builders Signature Suite, The Instrument Makers Single Room, and the Bike Builders Deluxe Double Room. Together, the three buildings are listed as a national monument dating from 1652. During the extensive redesign, authentic elements were either preserved or meticulously restored. Any new design elements respect the distinct historical character and charm and pay homage to the hotel’s name. Period delft blue tiles, bedsteads, monumental floors, and the original staircase pair perfectly with beautiful antiques, vintage finds, modern materials, and clever reuse of craft related items the designers introduced to offer the comfort of today.

amsterdam authenticity

After a year of extensive renovations, a landmark 17th Century building on one of Amsterdam’s oldest canals has reopened its doors as Hotel The Craftsmen. The 14-room boutique hotel celebrates historical Dutch crafts with cleverly designed themed rooms. The Craftsman is a combination of the luxury and comfort of a boutique hotel, and a unique design, rich history, and craftsmanship.


photos: João Vis

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Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet

CLOCKWORK RUBY

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The Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet immerses visitors in the Swiss manufacturer’s cultural past, present and future universe. A space of live craft and encounters entwining contemporary architecture, pioneering scenography and traditional savoir-faire, the Musée embodies the Manufacture’s free spirit and devotion to the perpetuation of Haute Horlogerie in the Vallée de Joux, a remote valley in the Swiss Jura Mountains.

In 2014, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) won the architectural competition Audemars Piguet hosted to expand its historical premises. The firm designed a contemporary spiral-shaped glass pavilion to complement the company’s oldest building, where Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet set their workshop, technically a start-up of the old times, in 1875. The Musée Atelier’s spiral-shaped pavilion, designed by BIG and realized by the Swiss architecture office CCHE, seamlessly rises from the ground on walls of structural curved glass. This architecture symbolizes the blend of tradition and forward thinking at the heart of Audemars Piguet’s craftsmanship, while honoring its deep-rooted origins in the Vallée de Joux. The designer’s high-concept spiral, offers a perfect setting for the masterpieces of technique and design which have taken shape here, year after year. Traditional workshops, where some of the Manufacture’s most complicated timepieces are still perfected today, have been included in the museum’s spatial experience to bring visitors in close contact with Audemars Piguet’s craftspeople. The showcases spanning over two centuries of history display more than 300 watches, including feats of complication, miniaturization and unconventional designs. These watches of exception tell the story of how modest nineteenth-century artisans from an isolated valley at the heart of the Swiss Jura produced creations that caught the eye of metropolitan clients and continue to captivate watch enthusiasts today across the world. The Manufacture’s complicated masterpieces are located at the center of the spiral, where the architectural intensity is at its highest. The astronomical, chiming and chronograph complications that have been at the core of Audemars Piguet since its establishment are orbiting around the ultra-complicated Universelle pocket watch from 1899. Inspired by the solar system, the spherical showcases of this section evoke the astronomical cycles of time at the heart of watchmaking. The watch exhibition ends on a rich collection of Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore and Royal Oak Concept. The new Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet now offers a broad perspective of the Vallée de Joux and of the history of watchmaking. photos: Iwan Baan


photos: Iwan Baan

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“With the new Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet, we wanted visitors to experience our heritage, savoir-faire, cultural origins and openness to the world in a building that would reflect both our rootedness and forwardthinking spirit. But, before all, we wanted to pay tribute to the watchmakers and the craftspeople who have made what Audemars Piguetis today, generation after generation.” Jasmine Audemars

Audemars Piguet’s Chairwoman of the Board of Directors

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design, camera, action!

The aesthetics of the Milanese design du Ciarmoli and Queda are the focus of a narrative journey that speaks the language of the seventh art and brings together the lexicon of design and the language of cinema. After ushering in this combination in various previous projects, it now entrusts its new concept A Vision of Contract to a short film: the first contract collection of Italian design that can be customised online. This interpretation of the hotel & contract market as seen through the codes of Simone Ciarmoli and Miguel Queda draw on the specialist production skills of Uno Contract. Creativity meets enterprise: the company’s CEO, Mauro Tabaro, has fully embraced the vision of Ciarmoli Queda Studio, who, besides providing the original idea, will also be in charge of artistic direction and design. Further impetus will be brought to the project by the commercial skills of the online marketplace Artemest and the Metaphores fabrics, a company that belongs to Hermes’ textile division, chosen by Simone Ciarmoli and Miguel Queda. In 2016, Ciarmoli and Queda were the first to adopt the conceptual lens of auteur cinema to speak of design. The collaboration with Matteo Garrone saw a short film by the latter being a focal point of the installation Before Design: Classic, commissioned by Milan’s Salone del Mobile and dedicated to classic “made in Italy” taste as a timeless, transversal category of living. Presented in Dubai, Tokyo, St Petersburg and New York, Before Design: Classic. Tradizione nel futuro made the duo into Italian design ambassadors OBJEKT 91 throughout the world.


IF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, THERE IS NO REASON TO EXPLAIN. IF THEY DON’T, THERE IS NO USE EXPLAINING. JEAN PROUVÉ

Design Miami/ recently launched the Design Miami/ Shop, an online marketplace that brings exceptional twentieth and twenty-first century design directly to collectors in partnership with leading design galleries, 365 days a year. Design Miami/ is the global forum for design. Occurring alongside the Art Basel fairs in Miami, Florida, each December and Basel, Switzerland, each June, It has become an important venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing, and creating collectible design. The site includes over 800 pieces from 52 international galleries, from works on paper starting at US$100 to exceptional historic works like a 6x6 Demountable House by Jean Prouvé listed at US$1,500,000 represented by Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris, France. 92 OBJEKT

Design Miami/ digital


photos: the Demountable House by Jean Prouvé depresented by Galerie Patrick Sequin, as part of the Design Miami/ on-line initiative.

In response to an order from the French state, at the end of the World War II, Jean Prouvé began designing temporary houses for the homeless in Lorraine and Franche-Comté resulting in his famous 6x6 Demountable House. Fine-tuning his already patented axial portal frame, he saw a quick, economical and adaptable solution as an urgent priority. The area of 6x6 meters laid down by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Town Planning, and later enlarged to 6x9 meters, was partitioned into three rooms immediately habitable on the day of assemblage. This meant that these country families did not have to move while building was going on. Designed to be rapidly assembled on the sites of destroyed homes and, if need be, demounted and moved elsewhere, these veritable architectural feats were made up of light, prefabricated components of metal and wood. Steel, subject to strict quotas at the time, was reserved for the bent steel skeleton, into which were inserted simple, standardized wood panels. Jean Prouvé would later develop and reapply this constructive principle to durable and lasting reconstruction. Founded in 1989, Galerie Patrick Sequin is located in Paris’s Bastille district in a space, designed by Jean Nouvel. Since its opening, the gallery has brought the talents of French designers such as Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret, Le Cornusier and Jean Royère into the international spotlight.

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Finite Rants

Fondazione Prada


Fondazione Prada went online with the project “Finite Rants”, curated by Luigi Alberto Cippini and Niccolò Gravina. Commissioned by Fondazione Prada to filmmakers, artists, intellectuals and scholars, eight visual essays comprised in “Finite Rants” are published on a monthly basis. The first authors included German director and writer Alexander Kluge, Japanese photographer Satoshi Fujiwara, French director Bertrand Bonello, and Swiss economist Christian Marazzi. As stated by avant-garde director Hans Richter in 1940, the film or video essay is a form of expression capable of creating “images for mental notions” and of portraying concepts. Starting from Richter's ideas, some later theorists identified specific traits in the video essay, such as creative freedom, complexity, reflexivity, the crossing of film genres and the transgression of linguistic conventions. “Finite Rants” aims to test the versatility of the visual essay in expressing thought images and demonstrate its relevance in contemporary visual production. According to the two curators, “this project will further develop Richter's intuitions starting from the assumption that, due to the natural evolutionary condition of the cinematographic fact and its contamination with forms of information, visual material and capillary distribution of Image Capture supports, today more than ever it is necessary to search for what can be defined as ‘Formatless Dogma’, in support of a visual production without restrictions". Following a process of creative collaboration between the authors and Fondazione Prada, the visual contributions featured in “Finite Rants” analyze social, political and cultural issues that have emerged in the present time and are normally addressed by the media with a documentary approach. Through the creation, editing and post-production of raw, heterogeneous and diverse images and visual materials, the authors are able to express personal visions and poetics that involve the viewer in an active and reflective role. “Finite Rants” is part of a historical moment of crisis of the traditional film industry and the proliferation of digital tools that record reality with an apparently neutral and mechanical method. The project enlightens the current dynamics of production, distribution and reception of images, trying to invent new ways of writing or rewriting reality from a subjective and deliberately partial perspective, practicing a marginal and hybrid genre like video essay.


Previous pages: Finite Rants: photo by Satoshi Fujiwara, Alexander Kluge. Following a method that its authors compare to an alchemical process, Satoshi Fujiwara and Alexander Kluge’s visual essay Warewolves Playoffs activates an experimentation that crosses the boundaries between cinema and photography. These pages: La jetée by Chris Marker, 1962, video stills. The aesthetic and theoretical roots of “Finite Rants” can be traced back to this experimental work by Marker. Defined by its creator as “photoroman”, La Jetée is described by its voice-over as “the story of a man obsessed with an image of his childhood”.

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Satoshi Fujiwara and Alexander Kluge’ Warewolves Playoffs, 2020, Video still. Fujiwara and Kluge's video essay the images are decontextualized, deconstructed and stratified to create a dark atmosphere far from the standards of traditional cinema.

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One of Hans Fonk’s main achievements is OBJEKT©International, the authoritative and bespoke title for the upscale urban modernist with a passion for interiors, art & antiques, modern design and outstanding architecture. Thanks to the general concept, unexpected topics, the selection of designers, and quality of the photos, OBJEKT©International has gained the highest authority in its field. The magazine was first published end of 1991. OBJEKT©International is distributed in over 80 countries worldwide. OBJEKT©Asia is distributed in China. OBJEKT©USA-CANADA is distributed in USA and Canada.

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UNIQUE EXPERIENCES Selected Retreats for Family & Friends

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