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Quote of Note | Alanna Heiss on FOOD

Stephanie Murg — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:22:30 +0000

“Early on a call went out to the entire team to help spread the concrete on the new floor of the restaurant. But the amount Gordon Matta-Clark had ordered was significantly more than was needed, and the concrete truck wouldn’t stop pouring. A great metal chute ran from the truck through our open window. The river of concrete kept flowing–what was in the truck had to come out of the truck. Concrete began to rise over our ankles, well above the level where we thought the floor should be. We shoveled. We tried to make piles we could break up later. We pushed cement high into the corners of the room, we tried to pile it up onto the walls, but it flowed back down onto the rising floor. Outside, the truck driver smoked his cigar and looked bored.”

-Alanna Heiss, curator and former director of PS1 Contemporary Art Center and a director of Art International Radio, shares a memory of the legendary Soho restaurant FOOD in the Frieze New York 2013 catalogue. As part of Frieze Projects, the fair is presenting a special tribute to FOOD in the form of a temporary restaurant where each day a different artist is invited to cook.

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Quote of Note | Lena Dunham

Stephanie Murg — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:15:59 +0000

“I’m just so fascinated with what the approach to theme will be–is it about a punk attitude? Is it about the specific time period referred to as punk? I think there are a lot of mysteries to be unveiled. And we can use it as an excuse to spit inside the museum…just inside a cistern of some sort, any old Greek cisterns we might find.”

-The delightful Lena Dunham on her expectations for last night’s punk-themed Met Gala. She attended with Erdem Moralioglu, who designed her dress, complete with upper back-bearing “tattoo window.” The two had a transatlantic fitting via iPad. Added Dunham, “My dog ate a safety pin during the fitting, which is punk.”

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Let’s Play #ArchitectBandNames!

Stephanie Murg — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:02:12 +0000

Crank up the LEED Zeppelin, design fans, because Twitter is abuzz with a most delightful hashtag: #ArchitectBandNames. Who wouldn’t want to listen to Edward Durell Stone Temple Pilots or jam out to Jeanne Gang Gang Dance? Enjoy some of our favorites from across the twitterverse:

Chaka Kahn #architectbandnames

— ARCHITECT magazine (@architectmag) April 23, 2013

Favorites so far: R.E.M. Koolhaas, Lana Del Ray Eames, The Holl Steady, Death CAD for Cutie. #ArchitectBandNames

— Gary Hustwit (@gary_hustwit) April 23, 2013

The McKim, Mead & White Stripes #architectbandnames

— Mpls Institute Arts (@artsmia) April 24, 2013

Skid Row, Owings & Merrill #ArchitectBandNames

— UnBeige (@UnBeige) April 24, 2013

Aha Hadid; Neutra Milk Hotel; Charles Rennie Macklemore; Adolph Loos Lobos; #ArchitectBandNames

— jimdatz (@jimdatz) April 24, 2013

continued…

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Quote of Note | David Tang

Stephanie Murg — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:21:33 +0000

“The Riedel stemless wine goblet is foul to look at and fouler to drink wine from. Calling it a ‘goblet’ is an insult to me as a good Catholic altar-boy who is used to gleaming silver grails at Mass. If you are so antsy about wine glasses having stems, you should get some old ones without stems–especially those with a square crystal base. The idea that you should worry endlessly about glasses of red wine being knocked over is typically one of those irritating middle-class anxieties best consigned to oblivion. If a glass of red wine is knocked over, then it’s knocked over. We will just have to clean it up. Blotches on tablecloths and carpets are the marks of stylish nonchalance and confidence.”

-Sir David Tang, responding to a reader question concerning Riedel wine tumblers, in his most recent “Agony Uncle” column for the Financial Times

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Watch This: Liz Magic Laser’s Armory Show Focus Group

Stephanie Murg — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:15:01 +0000

Over the years, the Armory Show has shifted its expectations of the year’s commissioned artist from creating a few fresh works to showcase in the catalogue and as benefit editions to “helping to create the visual identity of the fair.” (Fortunately, wildly talented graphic designer Reed Seifer has been there to do the heavy lifting.) And so the selection of performance-inclined Liz Magic Laser as this year’s Armory Show poster artist was cause for eyebrow raising, even before the press release that promised she would “activate the fair’s heritage as a site of innovation and discovery,” a phrase that evoked a portrait of the artist as a young gumshoe, raising an oversized magnifying glass to her eye. Laser went the inside baseball route (hey, it worked for Argo) and hit a home run. Embracing the sleek corporate efficiency of the megafair, she embarked on an market research odyssey, staging a series of focus groups composed of collectors, curators, art pros, and journalists, to help her strategize what she would create for the fair, from limited-edition works to tote bags. Watch and enjoy:

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Font Heresy! Vatican’s Comic Sans Sendoff to Pope Benedict XVI

Stephanie Murg — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:41:18 +0000

An e-book issued by the Vatican to commemorate the papacy of Benedict XVI (who Barry Blitt has depicted relaxing on a hammock on the cover of this week’s New Yorker) reminds readers that the “the Pope’s ministry is a guarantee of obedience to Christ and to his Word,” even if that Word is set in…Comic Sans. That’s right, design fans, the 265th pope is going out not with a bang but a typographic whimper. Benedictus XVI, which now greets all visitors to the parchment-look homepage of the Vatican as it muddles through the virtual side of Seda Vacante, is a collection of 60 photos of the pope on the job–palling around with John Paul II in the pre-Twitter era, consulting scripture, kissing babies, walking along bucolic lanes, and brandishing a variety of weighty golden objects–all annotated in godless Comic Sans. Adding to the typographic heresy is the prominent digital watermark of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, that appears on most of the photos: it is set in Papyrus.

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Barbie Lists Dreamhouse for $25 Million

Stephanie Murg — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:44:05 +0000

Today in unreal estate news, Barbie is looking to sell her Malibu dreamhouse. The listing of the fictional pink palace–a bargain at $25 million–is Mattel’s way of launching “a year-long global brand campaign” that will follow Barbie on a worldwide hunt for new digs (may we suggest Vilnius?). “It wasn’t an easy decision for Barbie to put her Dreamhouse on the market, but this move marks an unprecedented opportunity for her fans to get an inside look at her dreamy home,” said Lori Pantel, VP of global marketing for Barbie, in a statement issued today.

Mattel tapped L.A. broker Josh Altman, who you may recall from Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, to handle the fictional sale. Despite the abundance of hot pink scrollwork and Victorian flourishes, the listing describes the three-story manse as “clean-line[d]” and “contemporary.” Elsewhere, real estate euphemisms tout the Dreamhouse as “innovatively scaled” and with “a truly unobstructed view of the ocean” (it has only three walls). And while $25 million is steep for a one-bedroom, where else are you going to find custom Pantone 219C hardwood floors? Adds Altman, “This is the only home in Malibu with a self-flushing toilet and fireplace that crackles even when it’s not on.”

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Quote of Note | David Tang on Cars

Stephanie Murg — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:48:42 +0000

“On [car] colors, I have always heard that green is unlucky. The British racing green is also often confused with the modern metallic green that seems to be favored by accountants. A good friend of mine, who controls a multinational conglomerate, forbids any of his companies to carry out transactions with a country whose flag has got green in it. So no Zimbabwe, and half of the countries in Africa–nor Ireland nor Italy. It is, surprisingly, a rather smart rule. On cleanliness, I hate the images of the father washing the car, with his young son drying with one of those yellow suede cloths, in the drive of their semi-bijou residence. This is such a haunting image that I have never worried about the state of cleanliness of any car. When I got married, I left the church with my bride in a filthy Hummer full of mud that had been accumulated from three days of shooting.”

-Sir David Tang, who first visited Monte Carlo in “a completely clapped out [Citroën] Deux-CV,” in his most recent “Agony Uncle” column for the Financial Times

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Conan Rounds Up Least Viral Videos of 2012

Stephanie Murg — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:53:08 +0000

“Best of” lists are a dime a dozen at this time of year, but only the most discerning cultural critics dare to voyage into “worst of” territory. Conan O’Brien and Team Coco prove themselves up to the task in this roundup of the least viral videos of 2012. No “Gangnam Style” here, moving image fans, but you will find five less than scintillating and refreshingly trendproof gems such as the aptly titled “Reading.” And remember: virality is in the eye of the beholder. Andy Warhol would have taken these over PSY and “KONA 2012″ any day.

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Frank Lloyd Wright’s Favorite Salad Dressing Recipe Revealed

Stephanie Murg — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:04:09 +0000

Looking to add an architectural zing to your holiday meal? Simply grab the nearest greens and drizzle them with dressing favored by Frank Lloyd Wright, whose low-slung buildings give new meaning to “hidden valley ranch.” Whipping up a batch of Taliesin Dressing is as easy as combining three cups of Mazola oil with three cups of vinegar, adding one tablespoon of sugar and six cloves of garlic (mashed), stirring in the juice of three lemons, and salting to taste. Extra credit if you wear a cape whilst preparing or serving your salads.

This recipe appears in Taliesin Diary: A Year With Frank Lloyd Wright, recently published by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The book marks the first publication of a diary by a Wright apprentice. One Priscilla J. Henken kept it during her year at Wright’s home and studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin (after which she returned to New York City and resumed her job as a high school English teacher), and the book includes notes, essays, and contemporaneous photographs. Of one November 1942 day spent in the kitchen preparing dinner for the entire compound, Henken described the results: “the tenderest roast beef I’ve ever eaten, with oven browned potatoes, carrots, lettuce with Taliesin dressing, 4 squash pies, good hot coffee.” The meal was a hit. “Everyone complimented me, to say nothing of second & third helpings. When I came into the room, they all applauded,” she wrote. “Mr. Wright said I was a girl of all-round talents–cooking, proofreading, etc. From a genius–that’s a feather in my cap!”

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Quote of Note | John Waters on Christmas

Stephanie Murg — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:22:22 +0000

“My family opened stockings in the morning and then we’d have breakfast before we could see the tree and all the presents. I have a great picture of me on Christmas morning that I’m very fond of. I was about nine years old and I’m holding a hand puppet in one hand and in the other hand the album The Genius of Ray Charles, which I had asked for. I think that photo really shows me as a child and also the adult I turned out to be.

My parents would always get me the stuff I asked for. I used to get cartons of Kools in my stocking from them. I’m not kidding. And my parents were sane parents! Back then nobody thought smoking was bad, nobody ever told you that….And even in my Easter basket, I remember getting a carton of Kools surrounded by black jelly beans. My mom knew I liked black jelly beans and was being a minimalist. I wish I had a portrait of that. That would have been a great, great picture.”

-John Waters in an interview with Paper magazine. The filmmaker, artist, and author kicks off a 16-city tour of A John Waters Christmas today with a show in Poughkeepsie, New York.

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What Do Oprah and Gabriel Orozco Have in Common?

Stephanie Murg — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:58:46 +0000

Tequila. The television mogul and the Mexican artist share a love for Casa Dragones. The tequila “made especially for sipping” landed on Oprah’s latest list of Favorite Things. “I truly appreciate people who are excellent at what they do, and the folks who handcraft this incredibly smooth tequila are masters,” enthuses Oprah, between endorsements for handmade jam and organic chai masalas (and alongside, it should be noted, yet another tequila). “Forget the lime, skip the ice, and just savor it like fine wine.” Meanwhile, Gabriel Orozco has partnered with Casa Dragones for a special bottle (pictured) engraved with a motif based on “Black Kites,” his 1997 checkerboard “skull-pture.” The 400 limited-edition bottles, yours for $1,850 apiece, also include the artist’s signature.

Should Oprah and Orozco ever find themselves sipping tequila together, they could also bond over their mutual fondness for the iPad. The Apple tablet has all but replaced the artist’s trusty Leica. “I like to use my iPad to take photos because of the big screen,” said Orozco last week during an on-stage chat with art historian Benjamin Buchloh at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, where his “Asterisms” project is on view through January 13. “It feels like a Hasselblad, somehow.” Oprah has said that she never goes anywhere without her iPad, although she has recently become enamored with the new Microsoft Surface. She tweeted as much yesterday–from her iPad.

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Quote of Note | Dinos Chapman

Stephanie Murg — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:16:45 +0000

“You know the big Leonardo show that came here? I’m so embarrassed to admit this, but I was looking at the drawings, and I got really angry that I wasn’t doing them. So I went home and I started making drawings, and the next day I thought, ‘I can’t believe what I’ve just done. I’m competing with Leonardo.’ You can’t compete with him. I just thought, ‘Oh, my god. This is a really bad sign.’ But it’s funny because things like that should make you angry and want to work better.”

-Artist Dinos Chapman in an interview with hairstylist Eugene Souleiman that appears in the October/November issue of Interview

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SO-IL Wins Best Metaphorical Costume at Storefront for Art and Architecture’s ‘Critical Halloween’ Bash

Stephanie Murg — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:05:22 +0000

(Photo: Naho Kabuto)

Cotton Balls. Man on the Moon. Picket Fence. Mayonnaise. You probably recognize these as some of Benjamin Moore’s palest paint colors. Brooklyn-based architecture firm SO-IL saw their potential as Halloween costumes. Principals Florian Idenburg (dressed as Gray Owl) and Jing Liu (as Marilyn’s Dress) led a group that included Indian White, French Manicure, Antique Lace, and American White to victory at Storefront for Art and Architecture’s “Critical Halloween: On Banality, On Metaphor” costume competition, held Saturday in Brooklyn.

An estemeed jury that included Princeton School of Architecture dean Alejandro Zaera Polo (dressed as a cosmonaut) and Charles Renfro (as a voting booth) awarded SO-IL the award for best metaphor of the night. Snarkitecture nabbed best urban metaphor for their sartorial ode to the Manhattan Grid, while Shan Raoufi and Greta Hansen received art props for their delightful On Kawara-style costumes (each sported a black sign in the artist’s signature typeface with Halloween’s date followed by their birth year). You can check out some of the most memorable costumes thanks to Domus, which is running an online competition through November 11. The winner(s) will receive a one-year subscription to Domus.

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How Design Books Played Pivotal Role in Steven Heller’s Marriage Proposal to Louise Fili

Stephanie Murg — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:32:08 +0000

(Photo: UnBeige)

Among the highlights of this weekend’s inaugural Designers and Books Fair was Debbie Millman’s on-stage conversation with Steven Heller and Louise Fili. Perched on a Florence Knoll two-seater in an auditorium at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the pair discussed everything from the difference between a logo and a brand (“about $500,000,” according to Fili) to the joys of miniature mannequins (“I love these things,” enthused Heller, who credits the couple’s 2002 book on the subject with nearly pricing him out of the mini-mannequin market. “These are sculptures of commerce, raw commercial art.”). Millman’s well-constructed questions touched on many aspects of their nearly 30-year union, including Heller’s marriage proposal. It will come as no suprise that books played a critical role in his popping the question.

Picture it: summertime, Italy, the early ’80s. Fili and Heller were staying in Tuscany, and kept bumping into two of their design-savvy friends, Paula Scher and Henrietta Condak, who were staying nearby. “It became this game, because we were all on a search, out to get the best stuff in Italy–the best books–before anyone else did,” explained Fili. One day, she and Heller arrived at Florence’s Centro Di with just 30 minutes to spare before the bookshop closed for lunch. They noticed that Scher and Condak had also just walked in. “I saw the look on Steve’s face, because he knows this is not a good thing, when he has competition,” said Fili. “So he had to get away from them as fast as possible and get to the books.” A bit of small talk ensued: How’s the trip? What’s new? Heller saw an exit strategy. “Oh, we’re getting married,” he told Scher and Condak, before making a beeline for the books. “He left me to explain,” said Fili. “I didn’t even know what I had to say about it yet, because I didn’t really have any details.” But all’s well that ends well. Added a grinning Heller after Fili had told the tale, “I got the books and I got the dame.”

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