PREMIER ISSUE 2014
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASH GUPTA
NYC
Parrish Art Museum Celebrating Art and Architecture On
the East End
Messana O’Rorke Learning to Enjoy the Walls Ash Artist Gupta Profile
Tim Forbes Sri Lanka Madmaus Budding Bushwick Casa del Agua Yoshi Kosaka The Gathering Hotel Americano
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Warrent Satt Creative Director
Mark Barnard Publisher & Founder
Camden Leeds Art Director / Designer
Editor Jack Raplee
Art Editorial Rosalind Welsh Joseph
Designer Roberta Hall
Writers Carla Rover, Portia McGroarty, Julia Smith Epsteiner, Elizabeth Hazard, Vita Duva, Elizabeth Daley, Tom Williams, Richard Koegl, Elizabet Zhivkova
Photographers Ash Gupta, Adina Doria, Andrea Dematte, David Leslie Anthony , Elio Leonardo Carchidi, Stoney Darkstone, TJ Manau, Renuka Retnaswamy, Henrik Adamson, Bruce Smith, TOMAAS
Front Cover Photographed by Ash Gupta for 838 Media Group Stylist: Naila Styling Makeup: Robert Bryan Hair: Jennifer Baker Produced by Alex Barakat Photo Assistants: Christopher Santiago, Tuhan Bedi, Danielle Krett, Gabriella Carpello Model: Julia Sklar / Wilhelmina LA Models
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Contents
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Art Celebrating Art and Architecture On the East End 16 The Budding Bushwick Art Scene
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Persuit Drink the Agua 94 Finding Hog Heaven in the Garage
24 More than Fifteen Minutes of Fame
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Design Tim Forbes and the New Heresy of Art
Less is More
36 Learning to Enjoy the Walls 48 Into the Woods with Frank Lloyd Wright 54 Studio Drift
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Lifestyle
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Fashion Strangers in the Courtyard 110 Ash Gupta Artist Profile
Travel
112 The Gathering
Cultural Odyssey Sri Lanka
124 Second Skin
66 The Wonderlust Hotel
136 Visage
70 Hotel Americano
144 Illusion 152 Tragic Quest
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160 Shiny Spotlight
172 The Force
Designer Profile & Interview: Christopher Lee Sauvee
190 Borneo
82 How the Other Half Gives
198 Men in Black
84 Androgyny, Technology, and Fashion Collide on the Lower East Side
“The Force” at Lincoln Center On June 18, Adobe unveiled its Creative Cloud Mosaic on display at Lincoln Center in New York City. Amongst the images used in this 15’x 30’ piece was an image shot by fashion photographer, Tomaas in collaboration with No.3 Magazine. The Tomaas image is from a fashion story titled “The Force” which is featured in this issue of No.3. For more information on the Creative Cloud Mosaic, visit: http://adobe.com/go/mosaic tomaas.com
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Celebrating Art and Architecture on the east end by Elizabeth Hazard
The Parrish Art Museum, a long-held artistic treasure on the East End of Long Island since 1898, underwent a grand rebirth in 2012 when the museum built a new 34,400 square foot space in Watermill. Designed by the talented Swiss architectural team of Herzog & de Meuron, the museum’s new home has celebrated significant milestones and accolades since opening its doors just under two years ago. This summer the institution continues its artistic legacy by presenting an eclectic array of programs, exhibits and events celebrating the world’s most talented artists while expanding its collection and growing its membership. In January the museum received the Design Award for Best Museum by Travel + Leisure magazine in its tenth annual International Design Competition. The previous year Wallpaper magazine bestowed upon it a 2013 Design Award for Best Public Building of the Year. In 2012 The Wall Street Journal listed it as one of the best new museums. Critical accolades abound for the new building itself, but the museum made sure there was purpose behind the architectural undertaking. When laying the groundwork for the design of the new museum, it was important for the organization to pay tribute to the rich heritage of the area and community surrounding the building. Terrie Sultan, the Director of The Parrish Art Museum, spoke about this. “The core values of the Parrish are inspired by the artistic life and natural setting of Long Island’s East End. The design of the new building beautifully underscores this in every way. It reflects the vernacular, agricultural architecture of the farming community, and references the artists’ use of converted barns for studios. This was very purposeful. The simplicity of the structure, the skylights in the galleries, and the reinforcement of the relationship of art to nature, inside to outside, were all concepts that the architects embraced.”
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photo Hufton + Crow
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With the architecture gaining praise from the critical press, it seems only fitting for an art institution that strives to embrace and celebrate the creative endeavors of those talented artists who make the East End such an creatively-rich and diverse area. “What is so surprising and special about this area is the depth and breadth of the artist community, from those with well-established international careers, to mid-career and emerging artists,” says Sultan. “Our goal in everything we do is to reflect this unique circumstance, to illuminate the importance of artists and artworks connected to the area within the larger context of art history.” This commitment to the area’s artistic community is what provides the foundation for the exhibitions and programs that the museum presents daily. This year is dubbed the “year of connections” at the museum. “This thread runs through the new permanent collection installation, the special exhibitions, and all the various programs — the music, talks, and workshops — that we produce. Our goal is to make connections among artists and audiences, and this is what drives our ideas for the future,” Sultan says. Two exhibits of note for this upcoming summer season are Jennifer Bartlett: History of the Universe–Works 1970-2011, which is the artist’s first full-scale
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photos Hufton + Crow
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solo museum exhibition and William Glackens, his only museum exhibit since the mid-1960s. “Both artists are well-deserving of this exploration of their work,” says Sultan. “We are very proud of our work in developing these projects and sharing their respective creative contributions.” Sultan says that what the museum is most proud of, however, is the spike in new membership the organization has gained since opening the new building. “More than any other benchmark this growth demonstrates a level of commitment from our audience — they have seen the new architecture and grounds, have experienced the permanent collection, special exhibitions and programs, and have voted to become an integral part of the institution long term.” Along with increased membership and an increase in visitors, the museum also acquired 173 new gifts of art to add to its permanent collection. Ranging from paintings to sculptures, photographs and works on paper, many of the new works are by artists new to the Parrish Collection. Sultan recognizes how grateful they are for these new pieces. “The number and quality of the gifts of artworks from a number of collectors and artists has been extremely gratifying, and has allowed us to give back to our visitors in even more exciting and transformational ways.”
photos Sunny Khalsa
The Parrish Art Museum continues to look towards the future in their new space. The upcoming summer calendar is packed with a wide array of exhibitions, programs, talks, and concert series celebrating art in its many forms. Nestled in an area that multiplies with occupants in the heated summer months, The Parrish Art Museum provides a little something for everyone looking to savor the artistic riches of the East End.
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photo Hufton + Crow
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The BUDDING BUSHWICK ART SCENE Featuring Rafael Fuchs by Vita Duva
Amidst the desolation and rising smog of the Northeastern most part of Brooklyn’s industrial development abides a cramped, yet burgeoning artist community; one that has not only existed for some time, but adamantly continues to grow. This hard-edged art district is Bushwick. Recognized by its residents as any ordinary working class neighborhood, Bushwick mirrors that of an incubator. Tight, but bold art galleries, warehouse-turnedstudios and private spaces, and graffiti-like street art peppers the neighborhood. These hubs stretch from Bogart to Halsey Street and everywhere in between. While bounded to the North by the especially trendy and highly priced, East Williamsburg, Bushwick measures up in comparison as a ruffian subordinate with its lights out.
It has been said that the art center is run by faddy, tickled 30-something-year-olds who not only live inexpensively, but who goal beyond mere cash flow. Then again, as the times have changed, so have the faces of Bushwick. And with credit to Bushwick’s smooth accessibility to Manhattan via the L train, old, familiar faces from around the neighborhood continue to converge, and connect with new ones. Bushwick draws in an eclectic mix of bohemians and art enthusiasts – all of which create one bombastic art party as the days turn to night. It is in Bushwick where young, emerging artists of today are able to come together as one, sharing with each other their own passions.
18 Grattan St. by © Rafael Fuchs
Founder of the contemporary art gallery, Fuchs Projects, photographer Rafael Fuchs is one example of why Bushwick’s engineered art scene is and will continue to flourish. It is another daunting, bitter cold night in March, but Fuchs shows no signs of despair, despite the distressed pair of gray jeans he is sporting. Clad in an air force blue button up and a loud pinstripe jacket, Fuchs welcomes his onlookers with open arms as the opening night of his exhibition, “LandLords” is underway. Inspired by encounters with Hasidic landlords, of which Fuchs refers to in his artist’s statement as “bitter experiences,” “LandLords” plays with the idea behind one’s moral boundaries. The gallery walls are covered with collage pieces connecting different, and unusual elements from a crowd of giggling Hasidic women to voluptuous, bare-naked ladies. Pointing to the piece of interest, Fuchs asks, “Whom, of the two, is freer?” Controversy aside, tonight is what Bushwick regulars refer to as, “Beat Night” - the slew of adjacent galleries at 56 Bogart Street stay open late, offering cold cans of craft beer, while an art crawl takes full stride. But, it is Fuchs’ heart-warming and inviting spirit that loosens up the crowd. Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, Fuchs earned his BFA at the Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem. After spending one year in Paris, Fuchs made the trek to the United States during the 1980’s. He eventually settled in Bushwick. While Fuchs currently exhibits his layered art all around New York City, he recognizes that it makes the most sense to show his work in Bushwick. “My work is relevant to where I live,” he says.
“My work is relevant to where I live,” –Rafael Fuchs
And rightly so, as a “20-something” patron stops in to the gallery to shake Fuchs’ hand, and praise him for his work. “Man, I was just there yesterday,” he exclaims with a grand smile, pointing to one of Fuchs’ pieces. “I recognize these buildings.” Rafael Fuchs portrait by Natan Dvir
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The Corner Across” by © Rafael Fuchs
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Tiwimuta by © Rafael Fuchs
The Way We live by © Rafael Fuchs
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Girl With Scarf by © Rafael Fuchs
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More than Fifteen Minutes of Fame by Carla Rover
Before Andy Warhol, advertising, the arts and American pop culture was a panoply of sameness; derivative, inoffensive, eschewing the slightest hint of the inquisitive, the vulgar or the unexpected. Warhol’s paintings and films – a deft blend of social satire and semiotic wit –redefined how the rarified world of criticism saw painting and culture, inspiring generations of artists, filmmakers and advertising creatives to merge the mundanity of quotidian life with the artful and unspoken. Warhol, says museum director Eric Shiner, “took anomalies and turned them into paradigms,” ennobling the cast-off themes of outsider art while presenting the broadest spectrum of Americana as relevant to critical theory. The Warhol Museum is celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and is taking steps to become more inviting and educational for a wider base of visitors. Director Eric Shiner spoke with No.3 Magazine about the museum’s legacy, mission and the changing world of contemporary art. There have been some changes at the Warhol. You’ve opened up the museum more to pedestrians, flooding it with natural light and using music and window displays. How does your use of physical space reflect The Warhol’s approach to the institutionalized representation of contemporary art? The Andy Warhol Museum – Skulls installation
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Eric Shiner: We are trying to create an interactive environment. We are knocking down that age-old idea that one has to be very quiet, very well-behaved and introspective in a museum. We’re definitely not that kind of museum – it makes sense for us to invite our visitors to have these handson, interactive activities. We believe this will make them appreciate Warhol all the more. We do realize that people want to have one-on-one interactions with the artwork and we have quiet moments as well but we don’t want to have only the quiet moments. We are in the process of redoing our galleries so that they flow in chronological order – starting on the top floor with work from his college period through the 50’s. Then as one descends to the lower floors, they move to pop art and beyond. We will continue to make those galleries dynamic and we will switch out the artwork very often. This allows our visitors to see first-hand how he developed as an artist, as it happened chronologically and I think that makes much more sense for the work of a single artist. Contemporary art has frequently taken a beating from external critiques, either for its perceived lack of cultural and thematic weight or its excess. What is the curator’s role in creating a comprehensible public narrative? ES: The big questions have always been “Why is this art?”, “Why is contemporary art so hard? – I don’t see any value in that whatsoever. To me, art is about storytelling – and it is the artist’s story. Our job as a museum and certainly as curators is to help tell that story. As a curator I think about the story unfolding within the piece as well as how people will look at it in sequence as well as the conversations that will emerge from it as people look at it and look at each other literally across the gallery space. We as humans just want to plug in to a story when we walk into it and that’s exactly what we are going to help visitors do. Andy certainly divided his story into chapters and sentences and we are simply putting that story together into a book.
The Warhol’s approach seems to be one of openness – the lack of jargon is quite salient in the museum’s approach to its presentation of narrative and artist biography for example – can you explain? ES: We have our language in our academic world and that’s great, but for the public it must be a very different thing. It can still be smart, indeed it has to be, but it still has to be accessible and that is the most important thing. Art, then, can be intellectual but not off-putting, accessible but not vapid, social but not forcibly homogenized. How does that work? ES: Contemporary art comes from our contemporary age – from artists who are out there working, struggling, reacting and processing experience – certainly they do not live in a bubble. Art is socialized. It is not at all separated from the social context, but when art is institutionalized all of a sudden there is a disconnect. There is a certain valuation, it is herded together and you stand off to the side and watch. You may think you know what it means but you’re not sure so you go off and learn more. The problem is I think that not many contemporary artists entice people to want to learn more. Label copy, which is very important, sometimes becomes a one-sided discussion of what the work before you is. We never attempt to do that in our museum. Our label copy is a conversation starter. I have always thought that galleries and museums should present starting points for conversations and that this can really positively affect social change. I know that is what artists want to do, and I believe it is our responsibility to start those conversations. Art certainly does have power – political and social – but the sculpture standing in the middle of a gallery does not have any power in itself unless people there experience it and take something away, then go and do something to make the world a better place.
“Contemporary art comes from our contemporary age – from artists who are out there working, struggling, reacting and processing experience – certainly they do not live in a bubble.” – Eric Shiner
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The Andy Warhol Museum – lobby, photo © Abby Warhola
How do you see Warhol’s early visions of American society fulfilled now in current pop culture? ES: In many ways the Andy Warhol diaries – which began with Andy calling Pat Hackett every night and recounting what had happened that day – laid the groundwork for Facebook’s idea of our sharing our every thought and emotion online for the world to see. When people come and stand in front of Chelsea Girls I always tell them that in my opinion this was the first generation of what we know as reality TV – the idea of a voyeuristic fly-on-the
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The Warhol Store, The Andy Warhol Museum, photo © Abby Warhola
wall watching what was going on in these rooms in the Chelsea Hotel. Andy was 25 years ahead of reality TV, if you count MTV as the start. Many people call Andy a sage or a psychic. I just think he was a really great mediator in terms of being able to take in what he was seeing in the culture and reinterpret it and present it, knowing that what he was working on was important enough to etch into his body of work and make it a lasting part of him. He had his finger directly on the pulse of America more than perhaps anyone.
The Warhol 117 Sandusky St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 (412) 237-8300 warhol.org
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Tim Forbes and the New Heresy of Art by Carla Rove
Abstract art in the digital age, has rejected its boundaries and emerged as lawless, dynamic and personal, mimicking the ubiquitous nature of the Internet by leaving its imprint everywhere in pop culture. Award-winning Canadian sculptor Tim Forbes has fully embraced the “New Heresy” of contemporary abstract expressionism; art which seduces rather than alienates is nonetheless relevant; art which courts emotion rather than scorn is not, in itself, superfluous to the modern canon. Forbes’ work includes sculpture, painting, line drawings and photography which defy the traditional limits of each genre — each piece reflecting a diverse, engaging semiotic tapestry with a vibrant, emotive core. Contemporary art, according to Forbes, is a way of processing a visual world of constant change, rather than a sacred discipline laden with a hierarchy of procedural rules and critical edicts. Art’s role, Forbes believes, is to liberate the viewer’s senses rather than train their eyes to see according to the dictates of a curator. “Art,” says Forbes, “has always served as the stream-of-consciousness of human communication since the time of the cave dwellers.” That passionate belief in the social necessity of art and its value beyond the whimsy of popular culture has inspired Forbes’ work for decades
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Tim Forbes with Power | Bronze on Fiberglass | Photo Alex Meyboom
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Sharing his time between Toronto, New York and Nova Scotia, Forbes was born in Halifax, and studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before opening his own studio when he was only 24. Forbes gained national recognition as a communications designer for blue-chip companies, creating campaigns and crossplatform marketing strategies for many of Canada’s largest companies. He later earned acclaim as a respected strategist for film and television production houses, with 300 samples of his work being acquired by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for a permanent archive called “The Tim Forbes Special Collection.” Forbes’ work is also included in the Canadian National Archives. One of Forbes most famous sculpture series, HUMAN, was released in 2006 to critical acclaim. “HUMAN was about the exploration of the emotional archive,” said Forbes, “… an archaeological dig of the human condition.” Forbes states that his willingness to admit an emotional element into his creation process translates into an “immediate visceral reaction” within viewers, whom “immediately want to touch the work.” Forbes often insists that patrons touch the work in order to allow them to complete their experience of the piece which Forbes believes, necessitates a tactile connection. Forbes has worked since in mediums ranging from print to hyper realist photography.
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Forbes’ trademark is a visual exploration of the irrational line — patterns which slowly unfold, mirroring and contradicting themselves, revealing multiple layers of positive and negative space — in two- and threedimensional representations. Yet Forbes believes that regardless of art’s form, it can be classified, even from ancient times, as a method of communicating the significance of human existence within a certain stretch of history. That use of art, which according to Forbes was the motivation for everything from cave drawings to the Florentine renaissance, is a permanent part of the human condition which has now become more personal. Forbes’ individual imprint on history has evolved from his first accolades as a creative to a large body of work with a global appeal to critics and collectors. One of the most prolific visual artists in Canada, Forbes plans to launch future projects in New York and Europe. “I think as an artist,” Forbes says, “that statement (made by ancient and classical artists) ‘someone was here’ becomes ‘I was here.’”
Photo Tim Forbes
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Tim Forbes with Eclipse | Chroma Fiberglass | Photo Alex Meyboom
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Design
Work, life, work—life, work. This is how Brian Messana vocalized the pair’s everevolving synergy as the two calm, cool and collected men slipped perfectly into the hip Marlton Hotel sofa. Brian Messana and Toby O’Rorke have been partners since college — from boyfriends, to collaborators, to cofounders of acclaimed architecture firm Messana O’Rorke (MO’R). They each come from very different backgrounds but nonetheless align in their design aesthetic. Brian grew up climbing all over construction sites. Toby, however, didn’t realize his ardor for architecture until experimenting in art school with mediums ranging from ceramics to fashion. He gravitated toward building because of the possibilities and functionality. “It seemed like you could design anything,” Toby recalls. And he proved himself right. Individually, Brian and Toby tangled and tossed in affairs with styles such as “awful postmodernism” — but as a pair, they have always been drawn to simplicity.
LEARNING TO ENJOY THE WALLS by Julia Smith-Eppsteiner
The two gentlemen founded MO’R in New York City in 1996. Their practice lives at the “nexus of architecture, contemporary culture and current technology” constantly evolving and pushing to, “enhance the quality of life at all levels of exposure.” “We’re not bull shitters,” Toby says. “We don’t embellish our lives and we don’t embellish our work.” Brian compares their partnership to the game of poker, explaining that they are constantly challenging each other, upping the ante of their product. This challenge all begins with trust from the clients. “It’s not just liking it; it’s people trusting us,” Brian claims. Elaborating on the timbre of their client relationships, he explains: “For us it’s more about transformation than renovation. People come to us because they want a transformation.” It’s like a life-cleanse: a shift to the minimal. They shared how their clients are typically surprised at how they have to step up to the quality of living that their new home suggests.
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“They get in there and say, ‘This is for me?’” Toby says. Specifically bankers and other professionals who are far from the design world, are astounded by the detail of it all. Brian describes this as the client’s ‘aha!’ moment, realizing that in order to fully appreciate the space, they need to edit their furniture and get organized. Toby mentioned that sometimes you have to let go of the art on the wall to enjoy the wall; sometimes your things just don’t have a place anymore and perhaps you say “goodbye” to the family portrait you never really loved. You now have the facility of a design space that allows you to live a much more uncluttered life. Brian responds to his clients’ ‘aha moment’ with an internal “Congrats. You’ve graduated. You get it.” When asked about the way in which fashion, the news, and technology influence MO’R’s work, Toby keenly explains their philosophy. “Indirectly it all comes into play,” he says. “Though I think architecture is much more permanent than that. And so it occupies a realm that’s much more intrinsically pure. We’re not looking for the next trend or the next light fixture — or the next, you know, kitchen finished piece of tile.” “Our investigations are always a constant cycle of process.” For example, something they designed fifteen years ago, they might revisit in 2014, and re-interpret. “We don’t think about these spaces as interiors, as in sequencing rooms. It’s much more about sequencing life, sequencing how you occupy a space.” Intrinsically pure. This might be why they are asked to design breathtaking vacation homes like Phoenix House, Box House and Vieques (all pictured). The purity of the lines, material and light comprise a truly transformative quality for these secondary homes in Phoenix, AZ, Shelter Island, NY, and Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, respectively. These clients came to Brian and Toby looking for a place to disconnect, to “calm.” “It’s all about the fresh air, a getaway … being outdoors,” Toby says. At Vieques private home, they were inspired by the history and culture around them. Three-fourths of the island used to be an army base and all the bunkers were made of concrete, so they decided to use concrete as their main material for a contemporary home. A mote and high walls were designed for protection and privacy. “Like a castle,” Toby adds.
“All of our work is about public privacy,” Brian says. They talked about Box House as a magnet or C-shape, with the wall facing the road, and toward the ocean: all glass. The home sits on a two-acre lot on Shelter Island next to neighbors and civilization, but is visually blocked by luscious greenery. “This couple is quite insular so it was perfect for them,” Toby notes. The conversation kept circling back to a few concepts — what seems to ground them in their work: simplicity, longevity, and a sensitivity to human experience. “If you look at large-scale projects, they have some sort of lasting element — longevity,” says Brian. “Or else they’re just paper architecture; notwithstanding.” “I love architecture,” Brian concludes. “I love how the architecture as an object and architecture as space, just, makes people feel. And what it can do to people’s lives — how it impacts them. “ And what else can we ask for? This is what it’s all about — feeling.
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Into the Woods with Frank Lloyd Wright by Julia Smith-Eppsteiner, photos by Robert P. Ruschak, courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Flowers and trees are budding and so are the rhododendrons of famed Fallingwater, blooming pink and white. Are hash tags and LinkedIn updates clouding your mind lately? Let Frank Lloyd Wright bring you back down to earth. Let the stream leave you with peace of mind. And perhaps embrace the thigh-burner workout disguised in the beautifully suspended staircases of this remarkable edifice. Wright visited Bear Run for the first time in December, 1934 to design a small vacation home for the Kaufmann family, the result of which was this wonderful architectural gem. Fortunately, the property has been preserved for the last fifty years by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and has remained open for all of us to call our home for at least couple of hours at a time — or longer if you attend an event at the renovated nineteenth-century barn at Fallingwater.
The truly unique aspect about this home is the integration of the building with its environment, inspired by Japanese architecture: the harmony of man and nature. The waterfall is not just there to view from the window, but to live with. This is a celebration of the natural world, the home blending seamlessly with the woods of Pennsylvania. The cantilevered terraces hover above the water, displaying clean lines that contrast gorgeously with the jaggedness of nature. Wright crafts organic design with copious windows and walls of glass that warm the sunlit space, as well as elements like the west terrace hatch that allows the sylvan sounds to flow inward.
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Balancing the luscious green exterior is the southwestern design of the interior. The Ruschak living room sweeps with dark chestnut floors and deep sunset-toned pillows and rugs, fur throws crowning the already cozy feel. The streaming song of the waterfall can be heard from inside the daisy-filled study and guesthouse. Be sure to purchase tickets to Fallingwater this season because this architectural wonder is always a destination for many travelers searching for beauty — especially when the sun comes out to play.
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Studio Drift Designing Natural Wonder by Elizabeth Daley
Imagine it’s springtime and dandelions are in bloom. Instead of carelessly plucking a fuzzy flower from the ground and blowing on it to make a wish, imagine removing each wispy seed one at a time and reattaching every pod to an LED light with super glue. Blow on the light; wish as many times as you like. That is Studio Drift. The Dutch design partners, Lonneke Gordjin and Ralph Nauta have made a name for themselves and for Studio Drift, following the whimsy of the natural world to meticulous artistic conclusions. Their work often features light or motion, elements they use to infuse their projects with life. “To us, light adds an extra layer and you can also play with emotion when you work with light,” Gordjin says, “with movement and with light you can bring character to an object.” Ongoing projects such as their dandelion lights have been installed in high-end boutiques and museums around the world. Studio Drift co-founder Gordjin says she drew inspiration from her childhood spent observing changing seasons during her bike rides to school across the Dutch countryside. “I was really zooming into all these little plants and I was always looking up what plant is what.” She says dandelions were particularly special: “I used to have a rabbit and it was the first plant I could feed to my rabbit.” Fast forward a few decades and Gordjin encountered Nauta at design school in Holland. While he also grew up in the forest, Gordjin says he was entertained, not by the natural but the supernatural — he loved science fiction. Their work may be seen as a partnership between technological fantasy worlds and nature. However, in order to approach the natural perfection to which they aspire, they devote meticulous
attention to detail. “In art, there’s not really as much focus on execution but for us it’s very important,” says Gordjin, differentiating her work from that of traditional artists, who often revel in accidental discoveries emphasizing that Studio Drift focuses on precision. For their work “Shylight,” where lamps covered with parachute fabric rose and fell, collecting air and appearing like glowing jellyfish, Gordjin says she and her partner had to communicate with engineers to get the lamps to ascend and descend at different times and at different paces in order to accomplish a particular vision. For their project “Flylight,” the duo had lamps illuminated to mimic the flight patterns of birds. In addition to focusing purely on nature, Studio Drift uses their work to bring attention to pressing environmental issues including waste disposal and renewable energy. Their most recent work, “The Obsidian Project: Revaluation” uses synthetic obsidian made from chemical waste to form a sculptural black mirror in which viewers can reflect. “The mirrors are symbolic of the potential of the meeting between technology and creative thinking to produce a solution to the world’s problems. As we look into their sensuous curves, the face of our own chemical responsibility reflects back to us,” reads the artist’s statement. Another work, “Oillight” was created to draw attention to the Earth’s rapidly shrinking oil resources and the impact lack of oil will have on our daily lives in the future. “Few people realize that not only electricity and gasoline, but also oil-based plastics such as nylon are directly connected to the oil price,” according to the artists’ statement. Using a 3-D printer, Studio Drift generated miniature oil barrel shapes. “The price of the
STUDIO DRIFT Atelier and office:
56 Flylight
Asterweg 20 B1 1031 HN Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel. +31 20 840 6993 studiodrift.com
Design
Left: Fade Out chair in timber, acrylic and paint by Nendo, on show at the Museum of Art and Design, New York. Nendo.jp. Right: Magica chair in white and clear plexiglass by Davide Conti. davideconti.it.
object, which is shaped like a cluster of little oil drums, is fixed. Its size however is relative: it depends on the current price of petrol that is needed for its production,” according to the artists. As the price of oil rises, the size of the piece is reduced. However, the heart of Studio Drift may lie in their “Ghost Collection.” In the collection they explore a classic philosophical question: can objects posses an inner life? Is a chair; just a chair and nothing more? What results is a collection of translucent furniture imbued with visible
skeletons — what one might fantasize seeing if a chair were X-Rayed in some science fiction realm. “We look for what is possible in the future, but we don’t want it to be cold hard aggressive or scary, we want it to be very close to us,” says Gordjin. “We don’t want to be better than nature, because that’s just not possible.” For Studio Drift, the best work is made when exploring the struggle between nature and technology, and when the struggle is over, harmonization between the two elements creates the work.
Laser-cut plexiglass Ghost chair
Travel
The Arabs referred to the island as Serendib, derived from a fairytale of Three Princes who were always making discoveries of great things they were not in search of, hence the origin of the word “serendipity” – the facility of making fortunate discoveries by accident. Ceilão was the name given to the island by the Portuguese when they arrived in 1505, and later the English translated it to Ceylon. In 1972 it finally became Sri Lanka, a Sanskrit word meaning “resplendent island”.
Cultural Odyssey SRI LANKA by Richard Koegl
My vehicle came to an abrupt stop, and then I heard the driver ‘shush’ and put his finger to his lips: twenty plus elephants were crossing the road just in front of us, as quiet as tip toeing through the night, unaware that they were being watched, in awe, and as fast as I came upon them, they disappeared into the tropical bush, the sound of gentle crashing slowly disappearing into the distance. It all happened so wonderfully fast. These elephants are one of three recognized sub-species of the Asian elephant, a healthy population of over 5,000 currently on the island. “We live harmoniously with the elephants and respect that this is their place” said Chari, my Buddhist guide, a spiritual and enthusiastic young man with the almond eyes of a wizened sage, and with expressive, delicate fingers and hands like a celestial dancer, eerily identical to the carvings one sees on the spectacular temples that dot the landscape.
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I had not come to this earthly paradise by accident, quite the contrary. The island recently ended a thirty-year civil war in 2009 and since then has been steadily rebuilding infrastructure, particularly in the north where the civil war took its toll. This morning I had come to see the royal, ancient city of Polonnaruwa, one of an incredible seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka and the second most ancient of the island’s kingdoms. What remains today of this 12th century city are magnificent buildings and monuments of exquisite design, layout and construction. Buddhism came to the island from India in the 3rd century BC and the sublime monasteries at this site are among the most splendid anywhere in the world. The sudden vision of four huge Buddhas carved from a grey, granite rock face rendered me speechless. Gal Viharaya or “rock temple� is a miracle of artistic statuary. Carved in the open air by Sinhalese artists, this shrine consists of a seated, sitting, standing and an astonishing 46-foot-long reclining Buddha, all perfect in execution, detail and composition. It was here in the 12th century that a congregation of monks purified the Buddhist priesthood. A subsequent code of conduct was drawn up and was later inscribed on the same rock face. As the birds sang, a calm awareness embraced me, and the tranquility of this place reverberated in its silence. Still satiated in gratitude for the experience, I discussed the enrichment of Buddhism on the island with Chari as we slowly made our way along very good, new roads to Ulagalla, an exquisite hotel buried off a side lane in the middle of nowhere. Formerly a private mansion, this hidden gem has been meticulously restored and now
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comprises 20 individual guest chalets or villas, spread out over 58 acres of paddy fields and lush, tropical vegetation. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, this extraordinary place pampers at every turn. This is one of several new properties on the island that caters to a new traveler, intent on experiencing the plentitude – past and present – which the island has to offer. The next day I journey to UNESCO World Heritage Anuradhapura, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world dating from the 4th century BC, and up until the 11th century, one of the most creative and stable centers of political power and urban life in the South Asia. There is not a western tourist or traveler in sight, but small groups of locals and saffron-robed monks make their way along dirt paths, through the spectacularly carved ruins, shaded by the tropical evergreens that flutter and sway in the warm breeze. Aside from the temple ruins, Sri Lanka’s landscapes are jaw-dropping seductive, manicured and wild, and among the most bio-diverse in the world. Besides elephants, there are leopards, monkeys, crocodiles, and an innumerable species of birds. Even whale watching off the southern coast. I end up back in the nation’s capital Colombo, a now thriving, cosmopolitan and trendy city of about half a million inhabitants, and a fantastic collage of decaying colonial buildings, swaying palms, ancient temples, modern high rises, and everywhere someone going somewhere, in that hurried yet laid-back island way of life.
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Wanderlust: Where Travel Takes Place Between Rooms by Elizabeth Daley
You could stay at a cozy bed and breakfast, but the point of travel is to experience the unfamiliar. At Wanderlust Hotel in Singapore, the concept of roaming is taken to the limit, with rooms designed by various agencies, delivering a feeling that is as boutique as it is unique. Located in Singapore’s Little India neighborhood inside a former school, the four-floor hotel boasts 29 rooms, each with something different to offer. There are 10 Pantone rooms, each decorated in a different hue, eight Mono rooms with designs inspired by paper and Pop Art and nine “whimsical” loft rooms with various themes including Bling, ASCII, Space, Tree and Typewriter. Two deluxe rooms, one with a clear glass bathtub, round out the collection. The rooms are small, but the design is big--Waderlust was voted Singapore Tatler’s best boutique hotel in 2013.
The hotel turned each of its floors over to various design groups and allowed them free reign. As a result, the ground floor is described as “Industrial Glam”–a juxtaposition of the surrounding area and contemporary design, brought to fruition by Asylum. The second floor, “Eccentricity,” is designed by :phunk Studio. It features color on everything–from the walls to the rainbow corridor and outdoor deck with customized mosaic-tiled jacuzzi. On the third floor, “It’s just Black and White” by DP Architects. Level three features a black corridor and contrasting Origami and Pop Art themed white rooms. On level four you will find “Creature Comforts” by Furious. Visitors can get cozy with friendly monsters in each room and “enjoy a fantasy-filled experience,” according to the hotel. Reservation prices vary from $135 to $209 per night, depending upon when you book. The eclectic dining room, “Cocotte,” serves up French cuisine in generous portions, so be prepared to share. Complimentary valet service is provided between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and an openair parking lot is located one block from the hotel.
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Wanderlust Hotel 2 Dickson Road Singapore 209494 Tel: +65 6396 3322 Fax: +65 6298 2211 Email: WLH-Res@unlistedcollection.com wanderlusthotel.com
Travel
Hotel Americano by Vita Duva
As distinct as a Jimi Hendricks’ guitar riff, Chelsea’s little boutique hotel plays a tune its very own. This contemporary take on minimalism bravely tucks guests away from the jarring hustle of New York City; making Hotel Americano, one of Manhattan’s true travel treasures. Designed by Mexican architect and Principal of Ten (Taller de Enrique Norten) Arquitectos, Enrique Norton, the West side hotspot rests in the heart of the Chelsea Riviera and its gallery district. Nestled between the always-hip High Line and the Hudson River, the hotel’s surroundings comprise quite the artsy backdrop. At first glance, the exterior of the sleek steel building at 518 West 27th St. puts on a hard-bodied act, but as its visitors venture into the interior, the aesthetic tones down, taking on a Japanese, serenity-inspired aura. The hotel may be chicly pulsating, but it’s the conceptual design and clever presentation that turns this hotel from a “nice place to say” into a Big Apple Garden of Eden. Boasting one-of-a-kind views of the High Line (and yes, that does include a “bird’s eye” one) the four-star hotel has 56 rooms including seven suites with striking city views, soaking tubs and gas fireplaces. Each room, from the Uptown Studio to the Downtown King is modeled after a Japanese Ryokan, complete with
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an iPad featuring in-room controls (including surround sound) and a guest directory, a flat screen TV and free Wi-Fi. Not to mention, vacationers can also conveniently order in from the hotel’s bento box room service using the iPad. Nevertheless, visitors also head to La Piscine, the hotel’s heated rooftop lap pool, elegantly framed by comfy cabanas and sun-drenched lounge beds, for some flavor. La Piscine also offers para picar and cocktail service via the rooftop Mediterranean grill, The Grill at La Piscine – or guests can dine in at the hotel’s restaurant, The Americano, as Executive Chef, Tony Venegas tickles his guest’s taste buds with his unique take on, “Latin fare with a French flair.”
For those travelers on the move, take advantage of the hotel’s guest bicycles, and pedal south along the Hudson River or cruise the cobblestone streets and explore the historic meatpacking district. There is a destination for everyone at Hotel Americano. And while Hotel Americano bills itself on being a hotel built around the iconoclasms of modernism, this establishment also prides itself on breaking from these modern traditions. Hotel Americano is a place for those looking for a smart and sharp voyage to the wonders of Manhattan.
Hotel Americano 581 West 27th Street New York NY 10001 Tel: 212 216 0000 www.hotel-americano.com
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Spotlight
Designer Profile & Interview: Christopher Lee Sauvee
Mickey Mouse meets the Icons of Design by Elizabet Zhivkova
The emerging scene of New York designers is quite broad, though not everyone is lucky enough to capture the attention of big publishers in the Big Apple. Endorsed by Vogue, ELLE, New York magazine, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Details and WWD, Christopher Lee Sauvee has established the fashion brand MADMAUS. Playful and fun, silly in a smart way, smart in an simple way, Sauvee’s graphics make a strong visual statement. Combining pop art, Disney glam and the work of late fashion icons, he creates strong visual graphics and prints them on t-shirts and pillows. The marriage of the familiar Mickey ears with famous icons, pokes both fun and respect towards them at the same time. Entertaining and glamorous, they appease fashion-elites and fashion lovers around New York City and soon all around the world.
How do you integrate pop art into fashion? Christopher Lee Sauvee: I have always been into popular culture. Growing up in the 1980s was an important part of shaping my interests and aspirations. I love the fact that pop art is a commercial art. I love commercial. Love both.
“I love the fact that pop art is a commercial art. I love commercial. Love both.” -Christopher Lee Sauvee
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Who are the faces behind the strong visual graphic? How do you select your icons? CLS: I select icons from rebel culture. I love how they can become a cartoon character themselves. I always use Mickey Mouse as a starting point, and then continue the look, by mixing genuine beauty marks, pop culture and commercial graphics.
Spotlight
What is the ultimate icon for you? CLS: I am obsessed with monarchy, so the Queen of England would be the ultimate icon for me.
Your designs are poking fun at fashion-elites and they all love it. At first, weren’t you afraid your work will have a negative connotation amongst the elites? CLS: Not really. During the recession all of my friends were loosing their jobs, including me. I believe fun helps people in hard times. At that time I as working with Diane von Fustenberg. I sent an email joke to my colleagues, it turned out that they really enjoyed it and suggested me to start making these joke emails into t-shirts
Your new hit t-shirt ‘’Wintour is Over’’ with Anna Wintour’s face is all over the network. What is your next project you are working on? CLS: Faberge asked me to create a giant big egg for Eastern. Now I have a giant egg construction in the middle of my home. It will be sold trough Christie’s for a charity children educational cause.
Mickey Mouse phone and make all of my business calls through it. I have a Mickey Mouse tattoo on my arm as well. Mickey Mouse is the biggest icon of world.
What is the hardest part of the process of production? CLS: Working with so many different people, factories, time management and keeping everyone constantly happy and satisfied.
What is your fashion signature? CLS: Ears. 100% cotton Brooklyn production and most important Limited production.
What was your first visual graphic and which one is your favorite one? CLS: My all time favorite one is the SLS pattern. Fashion and punk into one. Couldn’t be better.
Do you plan to collaborate with different pop artist in the future?
Another project I am working on launching MADMOUS parties with Patricia Filed, which are going to be held every month in Marquee (289 10th Ave). Mad mice dressed in couture.
CLS: Right now I am doing some comic collaborations. I am also a creative director of Under Armour (www. underarmour.com) as well.
Besides the Eastern project, and the party one, I love accessories. I plan to develop a line with accessories, bags, make up bags etc. In that way I will make MADMAUS more female oriented.
Do you plan to move your graphic work to the stage of product and interior design?
Your visual graphics are very strong. How did you come up with the concept of Mickey Mouse ears? CLS: I lost my grandmother two years ago. She was my closest person. She was very supportive and I deeply love her. When I was younger, she took me to Disneyland. She was really obsessed of Disney’s magic and the character of Mickey Mouse. I still keep her
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CLS: I did a whole pillows series for GUILD. Home decor has always being intriguing for me.
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How the Other Half Gives by Portia McGroarty make-up by MUA Robert Bryan
The story of philanthropist, actress and all-around entrepreneur Lily Lisa is one that will leave you feeling good about the wealthier population in society. Known to many as Lucky Lily, this woman lives to give.
who spend their holidays giving back, Lily spent this past Christmas feeding the homeless at the iconic Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, an experience she says, was more fulfilling than opening presents.
After reading a heart-breaking story of a California woman who couldn’t afford the life saving surgery she needed, Lily immediately sent the woman a check to help save her life. If that wasn’t enough, she also brought flowers to her bedside and has continued to visit her regularly as she continues to recover. Lily says she is lucky because she has been given the wonderful opportunity to help people in ways that are more important than money. For her, donating one’s time is the most valuable gift one person can give to another.
Coming from a long line of Chinese business people, Lily learned at a young age how to succeed in the corporate world, and it is that keen business sense that has made her philanthropic endeavors so valuable to the people she comes in contact with. She realizes that no matter the state of one’s financial situation, in today’s fast-paced world people need a plan to achieve their dreams, and she is here to help them do it. One of the many ways Lily helps those around her is by assisting them in creating business plans so they can better connect with the appropriate people in the business world.
The kind of woman who uplifts and inspires everyone around her, Lily begins each day by acknowledging with gratitude the many ways she has been blessed before even getting out of bed. Originally from Hong Kong, Lily Lisa was named 2013’s “Woman of the Year – Asia” at We Care for Humanity’s annual Global Officials of Dignity Awards in recognition of her work with the charity organization. We Care for Humanity is a non-profit organization that aims to elevate underprivileged individuals across the world by providing free educational programs on issues of financial literacy, beauty and empowerment, fitness and wellness, and health and nutrition. Also in 2013, she was awarded the Certificate of Congressional Recognition by U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) for her philanthropic endeavors. While she does not work with one specific charity organization, Lily makes it a point to be of assistance to all who cross her path. Like many Good Samaritan’s
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Lily is also in the process of making a film with Big Screen Entertainment, a project she says will focus on the power of love and the many ways we can come together to heal humanity. Her message is simple, “If everybody would do a little bit, we can help a lot of people.” Although she is a woman of many hats, Lily’s desire to help others is the light that guides her every endeavors.
Lily’s Awards • •
We Care For Humanity’s G.O.D. Award for “Woman of the Year – Asia” Certificate of Congressional Recognition from U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu
Lily is one of the advisors on the committee board of the IFSM competition, as well as one of the event’s beautiful red carpet hosts.
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Androgyny, Technology, and Fashion Collide on the Lower East Side by Portia McGroarty
A pioneer of progressive fashion, Judson Harmon has created a world where high-end apparel intertwines with cutting edge technology at ØDD., a unique New York boutique. Situated on Ludlow St. between Houston St. and Stanton St. on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, ØDD. is a fashion industry game-changer where patrons discover a seamless juxtaposition of sleek androgyny, artistically inspired designs and innovative apparel. The store’s name itself serves as a proud declaration of support for diversity encouraging human beings to exercise their freedom to be unique in a way that exonerates gender from the fashion equation. Always on the lookout for groundbreaking items, ØDD. owner Judson Harmon has taken the idea of the typical retail store and turned it into a venue that showcases some of the world’s most avant-garde designers and exclusive pieces. With bare bone white walls, little decor and simple lighting, the store’s intentionally minimalistic design allows these mesmerizing garments to take center stage without the flashy distractions of unnecessary furnishings.
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A progressive venue where the body meets technology, ØDD. offers a unique collection of tech-apparel garments including 3-D printed clothing and accessories. “We have a 3-D printed, fiberglass bolero jacket by Iris Van Herpen that has become quite the attraction at our store,” says Harmon. “Each Iris Van Herpen piece has a scan-able tag that links you to a video showing you how it was made.” This innovative collection is exclusive to ØDD. in the U.S., so if you live outside of New York, and you’ve got to get your hands on your own Iris Van Herpen garment, it’s time to find your way to Manhattan or settle for shopping online. As for their tech-inspired accessories, ØDD. features Brute, a jewelry line of 3-D printed molds from New Yorkbased designers Yasin Ozdemir and Jeffrey Hawk. ØDD.’s addition of interactive art instillations within the store creates a multi-dimensional experience for shoppers which is both engaging and fun. One such instillation, a permanent staple at the front of the store, and created in collaboration with visual artist Jason Akira Somma, features a half-male-half-female mannequin with a security camera in their androgynous mascot’s forehead. With vintage CCTV’s (closed-circuit televisions) outlining the walls of the store, the feed from the camera inside the mannequin is sent to a distant computer where a long exposure effect is added to the live feed and then fed back through the surrounding CCTV’s in a way that gives shoppers a subtle surprise. “It’s our version of a fun-house mirror and an icebreaker to lessen the seriousness of the luxury retail environment. Our next installation will be installed at the end of May and that’s all I can say for now,” says Harmon. With a beating heart of high-fashion androgyny, Harmon’s revolutionary way of designing seeks to remind and inspire members of the human race to pursue individuality with out limitation.
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As a fashion designer, Harmon, whose line carries the ØDD. moniker as well, considers his clothing line as “a bridge between the tailored man/woman, and the avantgarde.” Harmon, who started the store at just 19-years-old, is a renaissance man whose talents extend far beyond business. While his professional endeavors include titles like art curator, fashion designer, and international super model, they are but mere pieces of the Judson Harmon puzzle. “As a designer, and every other title I carry for that matter, my hope is that I can inspire other young people to act on their inspirations a lot sooner in life.” From his successful modeling career to his work as a designer, Judson Harmon has quickly become one of the most talented fashion luminaries of the 21st century. With eyes peeled for the future, it is practically guaranteed that everything you’ll find at ØDD. is an expression of art and innovation that will make your wardrobe pop. ØDD. carries a long list of eye-popping garments from New York exclusive brands including ROMBAUT, KRISVANASSCHE, Vivienne Westwood GOLD Label, Cedric Jacquemyn, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Gaspard Hex, SIMONN, and Y/PROJECT, as well as brands like Henson, and Kofta, which are exclusive to the United States and the Western Hemisphere. In the end the message is this, Polo shirts and Sperry Top Siders do not make you a trusty nautical seaman, red bottom Loubitin stilettos won’t make you rich, and a leather jacket covered in safety-pinned patches from bands you’ve never heard of will never make you punk; you define fashion, it can never define you.
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Drink The Agua When it rains, Casa del Agua Pours by Elizabeth Daley, photos by Jaime Navarro - Rocio Serna
At Casa del Agua in Mexico City a good day is a rainy day, founder Bosco Quinzaños explained. If you want clean drinking water, you just have to look to the sky. Quinzaños owns a water-bottling establishment in a country known for its dirty tap water. However, with a little help, he and his team are able to turn local rainwater into the purest form of H20, proving it’s possible to create clean drinking water almost anywhere. “The point that we want to transmit is that the city could be 100 percent sustainable if we relied on rainwater,” Quinzaños said. Mexico City gets approximately 1,000 liters of rain per square mile per year, but most of it goes down the drain. The tap water in some areas of Mexico is so dirty that people won’t even use it to bathe their children or brush their teeth and American travelers may vividly remember drinking Mexican tap water thanks to its unpleasant aftereffects. For this reason, residents and visitors often rely on bottled water, primarily sold by large corporations like PepsiCo or CocaCola and hauled across vast expanses, creating large carbon footprints.
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At Casa del Agua, water is produced in small batches in a process that begins when rain hits the facility’s roof garden. It then goes through a complex filtration system involving, rocks, distillation and ionization among other techniques. At the end of the process, high quality purified water is poured into glass bottles emblazoned with the Casa’s black ink designs and sold to visitors who may refill the 600 ml bottles. While some purchase the three-dollar bottle for its design, others buy it for the concept. “It rains frequently in Mexico City, and we are trying to show that there is a way to use rain water for its highest purpose,” Quinzaños said, “its essentially the most important thing you can get, therefore it has to be the most beautiful and the most well packaged,” he added. The facility’s sleek two-floor minimalist design no doubt adds to the water’s appeal.
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Visitors to Mexico City can stop by Casa Del Agua at Puebla No. 242, Col. Roma Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. to buy bottles of water or enjoy the roof garden with a glass of water or a cup of tea. The facility offers guided tours at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and hourly on weekends from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. http://casadelagua.com.mx
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Finding Hog Heaven in the Garage by Portia Leigh
Master motorcycle builder, U.S. National Motorcycle Champion and avid collector, Yoshi Kosaka started Garage Company in Inglewood, Calif. simply as a direct result of running out of space. With an in-house motorcycle museum filled to the brim with hundreds of impressive and unusual bikes, obscure parts, and an array of memorabilia, Garage Company’s 18,000 square foot space is a motorcycle mecca that will send most first-timers into a state of sheer intoxication. “Mostly everything is for sale,” says Kosaka. “But the very rare, very hard to come by things where only one or two exist in the world, those are not for sale.” According to Kosaka, his passion for motorcycles began when he was an eight year-old youngster living in Tokyo. “In Japan most houses don’t have garages; people just throw bikes away on the street… So I started taking the scraps home and putting them back together.” Fast forward 50 years and nothing much has changed, except now people like David Beckham, Steven Tyler, Denzel Washington and the Ferrari racing team hand pick him to build their bikes too… no biggie. Kosaka built David Beckham’s bike completely from scratch. “It looks like a Harley but from the 40’s; everything custom, everything brand new,” Kosaka explains. “We made a special engine and patina… very rusty. He doesn’t like shiny things.”
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Today Kosaka is an internationally respected and highly sought after bike builder. But If you told him back in his early days that he’d become a motorcycle luminary, he might have told you it’s just a hobby, not his career. His “career” was in a well-paid position in Japan’s high-tech engineering industry, a lucrative profession that afforded him a healthy and ever-increasing motorcycle collection. After dedicating countless hours to his insatiable “hobby”, Kosaka inevitably ran out of space. With nowhere to keep his greased treasures, it was time to move on. ”Something made me feel like California was big… And there seemed to be a lot of activity with cars and motorcycles, so I thought it would be better,” he recalls. Once in California, his motorcycle collection began growing at an exponential speed. “In Japan there aren’t very many American or European bikes…. but then I moved here and there were Harleys and Triumphs, I got so excited… compared to the price in Japan they were almost nothing!” After the home garage had been filled to the brink, bikes began overflowing into the front yard of his home in Venice, Calif. As a result, his wife did what any sane loving woman would do. She found her motorcycle maniac a proper space for his toys. “So I put the motorcycles there and a lot of people started coming because it looked like a shop, but it was my private garage.” He says. “And then I got a bigger place and more and more people started coming, so I started opening on the weekends so they could come look.”
Persuit
Kosaka’s hobby turned into a full-fledged business in 1989 when he opened Garage Company. Business was booming and he was able to continue amassing his extensive collection. Unequivocally modest, Kosaka says, “I’m not a real collector. I just can’t stop, that’s the problem!” Whether he’s perusing swap meets, auctions or bike shows Kosaka loves snatching up obscure parts. However, like most steadfast collectors, a certain kind of bike holds his heart. “Vintage Bikes — every bike has a different character, engines look different, sound different, vibrations are different, and they even smell different. New sport bikes are a lot of plastic, on some new bikes, if you cover the name, you can’t tell what it is because they all look the same,” he says. “But an older bike, if I see the backside, I can tell right away what year; which model. Vintage bikes have more personality and more passion and that is why I’ve always focused on them.” In addition to its massive retail space, Garage Company also offers a long list of services, as well as custom built motorcycles made by Kosaka himself. So whether you’re a café-culture obsessed hipster, a grease-enthralled gear head, or an “anything goes” motorcycle buff, Yoshi Kosaka’s Garage Company is the untapped paradise you’ve been looking for.
“Vintage bikes have more personality and more passion and that is why I’ve always focused on them.” –Yoshi Kosaka
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Lifestyle
LESS IS MORE Exploring Modern Minimalism with Life Edited by Carla Rover
Life Edited, the five-year-old lifestyle blog, helped shift erudite minimalism from the plates of molecular gastronomists like Ferran Adria to the purview of the world at large. According to the seminal design movement and its accompanying blog, created by Graham Hill, and its editor, David Friedlander, not only can life be a moveable feast, it can do so in a space of unremarkable size. We spoke with David Friedlander about Life Edited’s vision and the global presence of purposeful reduction.
Can one live “small” and “happy” without living a monastic, colorless existence? Friedlander: We have a phrase we throw around a bit, which is “the luxury of less.” It’s the idea that having “less, but better” stuff has its own luxuriousness. There’s the luxury of having less to buy, maintain and take care of, giving more time for relationships, great experiences and other things that really make us happy. There’s the luxury of having more money in your pocket because you’re not buying stuff you don’t need. There’s luxury in knowing that your consumption patterns aren’t directly harming the earth. I think in the next few years, there will be an exodus from the prevailing assumption that excess is best. This movement is driven by economic realities (people aren’t making as much as they used to), environmental realities and, most importantly, from personal experiences – realizing that having more stuff than you need actually detracts from your happiness instead of adding to it. Some have said that minimalist, conscious living doesn’t really work for people who have to think about things like time, money and families. How do you respond?
DF: Modern minimalism would seem like a normal reality for our grandparents and great grandparents while it would look like pure excess to people 200 years ago. These were all people who worked, raised kids and did all sorts of things. Minimalism, in my opinion, is just about identifying the things you find most important, then creating a life around those things. Conversely, it’s about eliminating the stuff that isn’t important. Will this look different for a person living in the country than it would for one living in the middle of the city? Of course. Will it look different for a single person than a family? Sure. Everyone has priorities and needs. The key is to be honest about what those things are then shed the things that aren’t. And frankly the whole “I can’t do this because I have kids” thing is simply not true. I have kids and will attest that this way of life can be achieved.
Your work allows you to get a view of cultures and innovations around the world. What are 3 exciting lifestyle concepts that you’ve recently viewed? DF: First of all, for fear of being redundant, the concept of minimalism, especially in the contemporary sense of the word, is really exciting. I think it goes one step beyond environmentalism, which can feel a bit oppositional to me. In other words, my greenness is opposed to your pollutedness. Minimalism is really a choice and doesn’t have any guidelines except, “Do I need this? Will it improve my life?” Secondly, piggybacking on number one, the tiny house movement is pretty great. It’s almost like a bridge between the psychological and tangible aspects of minimalism. Tiny houses tend to be under 200 sq. ft. – these proportions don’t allow any extraneous possessions.
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Third, I am not a technological utopianist, but I love some of the things technology and cloud computing make possible. It has really untethered humanity in many ways. We don’t need to be at our desks to get work done. We’ve gotten rid of our filing cabinets, CD collections and many other things. It’s allowing us to live lighter, with less stuff. While I think it’s very easy to abuse technology, its benefits are still pretty huge. Learn more about Life Edited at lifeedited.com
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Strangers in the Courtyard photography by Ash Gupta
Stylist: Naila Styling Makeup: Robert Bryan Hair: Jennifer Baker Produced by Alex Barakat Photo Assistants: Christopher Santiago Tuhan Bedi Danielle Krett Gabriella Carpello Models: Kendal Katarina, Julia
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Ash Gupta Artist Profile by Carla Rover
Ash Gupta’s celebrity is as unforced and organic as it is indisputable; Gupta is the photographer of choice of many celebrities, but his renown is born of his ability to merge the worlds of fashion, beauty and art into a singular aesthetic note with global resonance. Gupta is famous for his brilliance, rather than relentless self-promotion, “You will hear most photographers, most artists, tell you that they see beauty everywhere, around every corner, in every face, in every shadow, every trace of light, says Gupta. “I cannot. I see the odium borne of chaos that life provides. I rearrange the pieces, hold them in hand, mold and shape.”
Although Gupta works in an exclusive realm of celebrity photographers, he has become a champion of unknown artists, spearheading the t838 program which mentors emergent artists in a range of mediums, including film, theatre arts, photography and print . “This is what I am, this is what I give, says Gupta. “(One becomes) Ddstilled into the soft, quiet beauty of the moment. It is to be the eye of the beholder, taking what is not there and stripping away what is not.”
View Ash Gupta’s work at 838mediagroup.com
Gupta’s editorials featuring celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lawrence and Inconvenient Truth Director Davis Guggenheim have appeared in publications such as Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair Italy, Photography and GQ.
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THE GATHERING photography by Adina Doria
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Adina Doria re-imagines the West Coast school of photography effortlessly, bringing the emphasis on the human subject to an orgiastic level as the image itself becomes subsumed beneath the weight of the model in character. Yet this is a liberating rather than oppressive weight. Doria’s images confront without relent, banishing simple judgment as we are forced to reckon with our own unsettling reactions as a mirror of what we hesitate to see. Doria’s emphasis is on the hidden traits which emerge as one is drawn into the landscape of the photograph. Her subjects seduce without subtlety and yet each image projects a sense of dignity which is at once both regal and mesmerizing.
Doria’s most recent work, “The Gathering,” created an iconic portrait of young Hollywood which celebrates the vibrancy of street culture without falling to cliché. “It was my favorite shoot to date,” says Doria. “No one wanted to leave at the end.” The atmosphere recalled, according to Doria, Warhol’s Factory; a pervasive, enigmatic synergy created a sense of community among the crew of 20, models and the photographer. “Doria’s ‘The Gathering’ is an homage to an era of embryonic pop culture, when legends and dabblers mingled and forged a new genre of photography. We cling to the Andy Warhol era as if it is past,” says Doria, “but it is still happening, it is still going on.”
Videographer / Photo Assistant: Nikolai Krivchikov Motorcycles: Yoshi’s Garage Company Stylist: Monique Vatine Hair Stylist: Diana Lucia Make Up: Taylor Tompkins & Dominique Lerma Elite Visions: Robert Baek and Everett Lee-Sung Models From: LA Models, Next Model Management, Envy Model Management and PhotoGenics LA Models: Koreen Odiney - Tabitha Grayston // LA Models Models: Nick Lacy - Martin Mica - Colin Bowman // Next Model Management Models: Andy Brox and Chris Schellenger // Envy Model Management Models: Armon and Nico // PhotoGenics LA *Special thanks to EliteVisions: Robert Baek and Everett Lee-Sung Garage Company, Inglewood, CA 90302 RR British Car Clinic, Santa Monica 90404
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gold top and skirt Viktor n Ralf
SECOND SKIN |
photography by Andrea Dematte
Model: Gabriella Owens @ Wilhelmina Hair Stylist: Christina Silvia @ FordArtists Wardrobe Stylist: Luiza Renuart Makeup Artist: Jennifer Cruz for Creative Management @ MC2
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Black liquid latex paint top
pattern shirt Anna Sui necklace Alexandre Ercovitch
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black dress Tripp NY green earrings Betsey Johnson
black bow Vintage
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cuff Alexandre Ercovitch
blue skirt Dolce Gabbana belt Alexandre Ercovitch
skirt Viktor n Ralf
VISAGE photography by Henrik Adamsen
Julie Danlev
Fie Langhøj
Krist铆n Larsd贸ttir Dahl
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Sissel Friis
Hannah Strøbek
Laura Schwab Holm
Louise Hebbelstrup
Camilla Lehmann
ILLUSION |
photography by David Leslie Anthony
Make-up: Anthony Gordon, Exclusive Artists Hair: Jarrett Iovinella, Exclusive Artists Models: Veroni Leijnse, ID Model Mgmt., HMM-LA Laine Rogova, 2B Models, HMM-LA Kirsten Rinck, Arquette Agency Dieke Hampsink, IMG Models, HMM-LA Autumn Kendrick, Chantale Nadeau, HMM-LA Jennifer McManis, Muse-NY, HMM-LA Jessica Collette, L.A. Models, Arquette Agency Production: KMA Productions All Dress designs created by Simply Dresses Make-up products, all by Chanel
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TRAGIC QUEST |
photography by Tj Manou
Model: Claudia Serven Makeup & Hair: Teal Druda Styling: Juanita Londono
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brocade dress Annie’s Antiques, rose hat Cindy Cee, thigh hight boots Report Signature, neckless ms_ scandal, vintage jewelry
lace top and skirt MS_Scandal, necklace Bien Bien, hat Cindy Cee
Lace Dress: ms_scandal, Corset: Seraphim Flims, Pearl Necklace : ms_scandal, Head piece: Cindy Cee
lace maria dress Abigail Bridal Couture, head piece Beautiful Day, vintage jewelry, fur coat Beulaha
dress Xtaren Vintage Jewelry
SHINY |
photography by Stony Darkstone
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Model: Lulu Lockhart Hair & Make-up: Little Orange DoP: Gullachsen Shot at The Barn Studios www.thebarnstudios.weebly.com
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THE FORCE |
photography by tomaas
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Photographer Assistant: Chris Hayden Stylist: Carlton Jones http://carltonjonesnyc.com Stylist Assistant: Marcusl Braggs MUA: Sabrina Ziomi www.sabrinaziomi.com Hair: Niko Weddle www.nikoweddle.com Post Production: Elena Levenets & TOMAAS Model: Marta Krylova
one shoulder dress w/sheer overlay Jose Duran, necklace Hadria
tie dyed cape Jose Duran, skirt Erin Barr
lace dress Femme d’Armes ring Laruicci
crown Surgar Scout, dress Titania Iingles leather gauntlet sGeorgine
jersey dress Lauren Bagliore
silk dress Lie Sang Bong
lace cape and dress Houghton
BORNEO |
photography by Bruce Smith
Model: Amber Arbucci Make Up And Hair: Natasha Daniel www.natashadaniel.com Styling: Melanie White Smith Swimwear: Sunseeker Swimwear www.sunseekerswimwear.com www.brucesmithphotographer.com
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MEN IN BLACK |
photography by Renuka Retnaswamy
Models: Martin Mica , Brandyn Farrell, Katherine Michele, Paizley Slone and Brendan Bade from NEXT LA Retouching: Christopher Laughter and Renuka Retnaswamy MUA: Beth Aurora/ Esther Styling: Renuka Retnaswamy
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Photo Michel Gibert. Special thanks : Juan Antonio Sánchez Morales - www.adhocmsl.com - www.lafabriquealettres.com - TASCHEN. *Conditions apply, ask your store for more details.
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