Posts from — March 2008

Alpha-Ville
Mania (2006)

Mania was originally a restaurant, converted into a residence. I love the boldness of the corregated glass used for the facade. I’ve been noticing a comeback for this material. It used to be very rare but I think there are increasingly more companies manufacturing it now.

Wow, this week has gone by crazy fast! And I’ve only shown a little less than half of the architects that I wanted to. Well, stay tuned for next week as I conclude this mini-series on contemporary Japanese architects. I’m really excited to introduce today’s architect. I really admire the work of Atelier Bow-Wow for their quirky and playful uses of space, as seen in their combined home and office below. Hope you enjoy (and of course check out their website for much much more)!

Atelier Bow-Wow
House & Atelier Bow-Wow (2005)

Makoto Yamaguchi
House in Todoroki (2006)

This house reminds me a little of the New Museum, also designed by Japanese architects (SANAA).

Jun Igarashi
Gallery in the Fields (2007)

In conducting research for the special edition of Japanese Designers 101, I was inspired by the many twists and turns that I found myself making. So for the rest of this week, and maybe into next, I would like to introduce the names and works of today’s contemporary architects. Included in this selection are Japanese architects that have particularly excelled in reinterpreting Japanese architecture while maintaining a traditionally Japanese aesthetic in their work.
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Go Hasegawa
House In Sakuradai (2006)

What attracts me to the work of Go Hasegawa is the use of the void to create a flow of space. It’s as if the architect punched a hole in places he wanted to improve communication.

These Germans really know how to have fun! Dasfilmcafe (take a wild guess) took 2 elements of coolness, the theater and cafe, and combined them into one! I thought that was a really neat concept and now can’t wait for something like that to open up in NYC. Wait, maybe there is one that I just don’t know about…

The lineup for March, just in case you’re curious: 1) Following 2) Dig! 3) Traum ist aus 4) Basquiat 5) The Graffiti Artist 6) Wolfen

Dasfilmcafe
Schliemannstraße 15

I love this image by Lisa Oppenheim. “The Sun is Always Setting Somewhere Else” is a series of slide projections that juxtapose 16 sunsets in New York with photos of sunsets taken by soldiers in Iraq. The photos are part of a group show going on at Lisa Cooley (GMAP) and will be on display through April 20, 2008.

Just a thought… in the context of our increasingly compartmentalized world (via the Internet), I think these images convey some very important messages about interconnectedness. Anyway, the entire group show is very strong and I recommend it!

These “fruit bags” from France’s La Chaise Longue are apparently taking the Japanese consumers by storm. With their colorful enamel coating they are both stylish and durable. In addition to the green apple and cherry (the 2 most popular) there is also banana and strawberry. Something tells me they won’t catch on in the States…

It was love at first sight. I felt like I had attained enlightenment. All form and shape that I had ever been searching for was so neatly packaged into this utterly simplistic lamp. City-Furniture, located in Belgium, has some really great items. I really need to check this site more often.

On the last Friday of every month, Archivist Jesse Aaron Cohen, working out of his Brooklyn apartment, holds an exhibition of old photographs and posters. However, one doesn’t have to take a trip to a gallery. Subscribers receive an email in their inbox of a themetized collection. Could email art be the next big thing? Here are some of my favorite images. Click HERE for the database of images.