The key word of my work is elementariness.
I look primarily for the essence of things;
I would like to invent archetypes.


Jean Nouvel



































"Like many of his modernist predecessors who worked across related disciplines, Nouvel describes himself as an ARCHITECT who also makes DESIGN. His non-architectural products derive from his architectural commissions or from alternative visions that correspond to his building design but which are linked to specific use. Regardless of the scale of the object or the architecture, Nouvel employs the same rigorous approach, imbuing the objects and accoutrements of everyday life with a lyricism that is striking and emotive yet austere and utilitarian."



(all text and images are taken from Gagosian Gallery.)
Gagosian Gallery Paris is pleased to announce an exhibition of limited edition furniture by Jean Nouvel, presented in collaboration with Galerie Patrick Seguin.
Exhibition: March 30 - May 21, 2011, Gagosian Paris







-------------------------------------






this show makes me wonder what LACMA might have been if Jean Nouvel has been chosen for the LACMA project here in L.A.

Jean Nouvel, on LACMA
"Each era should be desirable, the existing foundations upgraded. To love things as they are, to give a little tenderness to slightly unfashionable attitudes -this doesn't advocate leaving things as they are. It implies a fine analysis of each building, each extension, each bit of pollution where a diagnostic could be made, creating an environment to invent and provoke something – like chemical reactions, where adding an ingredient would transform, mutate, coagulate, color, precipitate.... "


go to his site to be absorbed in Jean Nouvel, and read more about LACMA

















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Donald Judd

.....
a space conditioned the way you looked at it.
it conditioned the way you felt about it.


"so he became increasingly absorbed with the way in which his work was installed in spaces and most particularly in museums and in exhibitions and he was very critical of the way in which many museums handled and looked after works of art..."










taken from David Zwirner Press Release
Installation view, Donald Judd, Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden,
Germany, 1989.








DONALD JUDD
May 5 – June 25, 2011, upcoming show at David Zwirner, NY

"an exhibition of works by Donald Judd drawn from the artist’s seminal 1989 exhibition held at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Germany. Brought together from international public and private collections, this will be the first time these particular works have been exhibited together in a group of this size since Judd’s 1989 installation."







-------------------------






below taken from the Tate Modern site, that has boxes of Donald Judd information:

Nicholas Serota on Donald Judd:


"I met Judd several times in the 1980s by which time he was spending a lot of time in Europe, where in some ways his work has always been more appreciated than it has been in America, and I would meet him at exhibition openings occasionally or once or twice at his own exhibitions…. he was, could be, extremely amusing though obviously, as one knows from his writings, quite caustic and dry, he had a sense of his own value but then he had every reason to….he was making important art that was probably at that time not recognised for having the quality that we now see in it and that’s enough to make anyone feel slightly at odds with the world.


From the early ‘60s when Judd began to explore the notion of a sculpture which moved across the wall or up the wall, or was placed at eye level, he was very conscious that placing a sculpture in a space conditioned the way you looked at it, it conditioned the way you felt about it, it conditioned literally the way your own body responded to it, and so he became increasingly absorbed with the way in which his work was installed in spaces and most particularly in museums and in exhibitions and he was very critical of the way in which many museums handled and looked after works of art in that sense, so as soon as he was able to he began to install his own work in spaces that he himself controlled, whether it was this building which he bought and converted, transformed, rather than converted in Spring Street in SoHo in New York or whether it was that complex of buildings which he took over in Marfa in Texas, in each case he made very very simple decisions about the way in which the spaces were organised and then progressively installed his own works in forms that were satisfying to him, sometimes it took years to get the right combination.....


read more here.. at Tate Modern

also go to David Zwirner here...












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the piss paintings of Warhol's oxidation panels
vs
the undersides of Marie-Antoinette's armchairs






























I simply can't help it
. This is how my brain works sometimes. I see the worn undersides of a neoclassical chair from 1780's France, and then my mind wanders quickly to the oxidation painting by Warhol. Who knew the underside of a chair from 1780 could have so much form and restless activity, just as Andy Warhol did in the late 1970's. Whether it is piss, or just plain old wear and tear, there is beauty everywhere.

200 years apart, a perfect match. - David John








-------------------------------


This new phase began in 1977–1978 with his "Oxidation Painting" series, an important transformational effort. This series involved urinating on canvases primed with copper-based paint. Depending on how the urine oxidized on the still-wet reddish or gold-metallic surfaces, it produced various shades of green or other colors in blobs, streaks, swirls or drops. Art critic Gregory Volk pronounces these works, such as "Oxidation Painting (in 12 parts)," "strikingly gorgeous…they have an intricate and varied visuality that one normally would not associate with Warhol."....

above text taken antique and the arts, go here....


---------------------



"This chair (one of a set of four and two armchairs) bears the stamp of the most fashionable Paris chair-maker of the late 18th century, Georges Jacob. One of his principal patrons was Louis XVI's queen, Marie-Antoinette, and he supplied her with several sets similar to this one in the 1780s, for various French royal palaces. The history of the present set is not known, but the carved decoration - including Cupid's bows with quivers of arrows, and wreaths of flowers -- suggests that it was made for a lady's bedroom or boudoir. "


text and image taken from here, from V of A museum...










piss paintings vs. neoclassical chairs
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Ned Vena @ Michael Benevento
March 31 - May 7, 2011

"Breaking down, reassembling, rearticulating and inverting the ratios and relationships of particular histories of minimalism"






Untitled/ 2009 / Acrylic and rubber on linen





"Vena’s White Paintings have their roots in motifs originating from Frank Stella’s iconic ‘Black Painting,’ Die Fahne Hoch (1958). Breaking down, reassembling, rearticulating and inverting the ratios and relationships of particular histories of minimalism, Vena’s White Paintings are composed of four quadrants of repeating right angles originating at the center of the canvas at the intersection of two perpendicular lines - a conceptual and formal thread throughout the exhibition. Using flat white Rustoleum enamel, Vena’s paintings incorporate a layer of vinyl, which is painted over before ultimately being removed, leaving behind ridges of white paint in a four-quadrant formation. For this exhibition Vena created six long, thin paintings and one large vertical work, all on canvas, gesturing towards a reflexive way of thinking about certain histories of painting and representation.

Extending from Vena’s interest in linen as a historical component of painting, Vena’s three “Target” paintings are created through a series of concentric vinyl circles – ‘crosshairs’ – stenciled onto linen with a sprayed rubber. Rather than maintaining perfect symmetry, Vena’s material process skews the center of his images, examining the mis-registration of patterns and distortion of images. His works pun the literal, gesturing towards the cannon as something to both aspire to and aim to destroy."















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good afternoon travelers,
we are planning on a some nice air ahead,
and a travel time of approximately 3 hours and 21 minutes.

no need to buckle, the sky is ours today.




































































good morning travelers,
we are planning on a some nice air ahead,

and a travel time of approximately 3 hours and 21 minutes.

no need to buckle, the sky is ours today.

(if airplanes had seats like this. i just might cry.)


1. unknown..... does it get any better than this i ask?
2. Jørn Utzon, Aurora Reclining Chair and Footstool
3. Panton for Vitra. oh yeah!
4. Marcel Breuer, 1965 chair


currently inspired by this.....











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James Siena @ the pace gallery, ny
Mar 25, 2011 - Apr 30, 2011

all work is an affirmation of being human, of being in this particular container [the body] with locomotion and holes for intake and output […]; motif and variation are placeholders, in part for the architecture of my consciousness, and ideally they are on a steadily rolling feedback loop."




























For those in New York, or passing through, James Sienna is showing new works at Pace Gallery. His abstractions have melted my mind for quite sometime. Reminiscent of the mazes I would draw in grade school, attempting to pass the time quietly. 20 years later, I'm still looking for these mind puzzles, in rugs, in parking lot structures, in floorplans, or in my coffee grounds. Abstraction and geometric puzzles, a place to pass the time quietly.
Most on enamel, his surfaces are really the draw. The brushstrokes are gentle and vivid, and need to be seen by the human eye to be fully appreciated.




"James Siena
is known for his unique process, creating intricate geometric abstractions driven by predetermined self-imposed sets of rules, or “visual algorithms.” By establishing a basic unit and action and repeating it ad infinitum, Siena allows the unpredictability of his self-generated system to govern the final outcome of his complex picture plane, while still maintaining the presence of the artist’s hand. The exhibition features twenty-three new glossy enamel on aluminum paintings, and thirty works on paper; together, the painstakingly crafted works demonstrate that even a small change to an initial variable produces vastly different end results.

As Siena’s repeating patterns, sequences, curves, loops, and interlocking combs entwine and unwind, his abstractions become matrices for investigations into liminality and mutate into biomorphic forms.

Siena once explained that “all work is an affirmation of being human, of being in this particular container [the body] with locomotion and holes for intake and output […]; motif and variation are placeholders, in part for the architecture of my consciousness, and ideally they are on a steadily rolling feedback loop.”





works and text above by james sienna, sourced from the pace gallery


in sequence:
1. triangle sequence path (second version), 2011 graphite and ink on abacá paper
2. Two Sequences, 2009 enamel on aluminum







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YHBHS interview with Vincent Dubourg

...


"The creations of Western Societies are more and more threatened, deconstructed. Whereas the action of men tend to go against Nature, I want to build a link with it, open a dialogue."




















Vincent Dubourg, "Console Rupture"






Vincent Dubourg recently showed new works at London's Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London. Art and design are constantly being blurred in the works of Vincent Dubourg. "Inside" is on installation at the CWG gallery until May 28th, and is not to be missed for all those in London, or passing through. Thank you Vincent for taking the time for this interview.... (all images courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery.)















Here is a desire to know the origin of shape in order to remove
it from its context and deconstruct its form. the destruction is necessary for
the CONSTRUCTION of a NEW ORDER.
- Vincent Dubourg





What is this new order being constructed, & what does it feel like? What motivates you to create these works?


My approach is instinctive, just as Nature itself. I am not willing to deconstruct; the action of Nature on our everyday life inspires me in my work. It is Nature who "deconstructs" with force what we build. I am very interested in this force and especially in its consequences ; what happens when Nature steps in. The beauty of Nature always fascinated me.



What sort of furniture do you have in your home, and why?

My studio is my home. It is like a tree house constantly rebuilt, I always recreate a new architecture.


Are the works personal, or about nature?

I consider myself as a mediator between the natural elements that have inspired me for a while now and the Individual or the Society, in its western model. Nature constantly changes and renews itself, and the results of this change are our heritage and we must preserve it and live with it. The creations of Western Societies are more and more threatened, deconstructed. Whereas the action of men tend to go against Nature, I want to build a link with it, open a dialogue.



If you did not design sculpture for a living, what else might you do?

I don’t know…I already feel like I am always changing ! Barman maybe ! (Laughs)



When I approach your current work currently on view at the CWG in London, there is a movement, almost a battle of forms & lines. With the devastation in Japan these work seem especially relevant. Are you works being pulled apart by nature, or being supported by natural systems?

Natural elements blow us with their strength. Nature has its own language, it creates its own selection. I observe this language and Nature’s way of constantly reshaping the world. The violence of the natural elements’ impact inspires me, new doors are opened. While creating a rupture, it leads the path to the new and it is an opportunity to discover another dimension, a brand new universe of creation. (Doors I Doors II) Violence is constantly around us, in the medias, and my work is an answer, with the same force but with poesy.

There is in the evolution of my work throughout the years, a growing force, a tension and movements which accelerate. My inspiration used to be very down to earth, whereas today it is much more lunar. The new series of works currently exhibited at the CWG in London witness this change.

My future creations will go even further, with more movement and closer links with architecture.



You studied applied arts at Corvisart, Paris, Industrial design at Pivaut de Nante and furniture design at the School of Decorative Arts, Paris. Any particular designer that influenced how you perceived furniture could be?

I am not a designer, I have no interest in design. I consider myself as a sculptor and the works of Giacometti et Chillida have always fascinated me.
























THE ACTUAL PRIVATE COMMISSIONED STAIRCASE in KNIGHTSBRIDGE / London





The staircase. How long did this process take from beginning to end? What was the initial idea? When I look at the staircase, I'm fixated on the structure under the steps, it reminds me of "The City of Lost Children." I'm not sure whether I am looking into the future, or a broken‐down past.

In total, one year and a half. The initial idea was to build a house around the staircase. You are just right. It is both a projection into the future and a look at a broken and tortured past. There are therefore two readings, and the second one is allowed by the structure under the initial staircase. It creates a second staircase, which gives the impression that one could climb underneath, live the other way round, an alternative path.




What materials are you currently interested in working with, and why?

I don’t create in relation to the materials. It is not the material which brings me to the idea. Therefore the materials I work with are very diversified.



















details of Console Rupture and Staircase







"The Carpenters Workshop Gallery extends the boundaries of design by uniting and transcending the contested categories of conceptual/functional and design/art in thought-provoking exhibitions. Its focus is to promote and foster the careers of contemporary designers through exhibiting unique and limited-edition works in solo and group exhibitions and at international art and design fairs. These shows introduce the public to the latest design aesthetics, enriching and enlightening the contemporary design landscape and discourse. "

Mayfair: 3 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4HE






thank you Vincent Du Bourg, and Stephanie Gabriele, and Célia Levavasseur.....
all images courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery.













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Commune & Reform Gallery

....
a chat about interiors/craft/california


when furniture became buildings,
when rugs became paintings,
when rooms became stories.

when interiors become community.











COMMUNE: Nichols Canyon, California 2010,

Stan Bitters fountain/wall, David Cressey pots....
image from COMMUNE




Last Friday, I had the opportunity to hear Roman, Steven, and Pamela from COMMUNE, and Gerard from REFORM Gallery speak about their work, and their individualized paths as interior designers, collectors, and gallery owners.

Commune expressed their dedication to working California artists. Supporting and seeking those in our community to extend the conversation about craft, art, and interiors, as well as hopefully passing down these crafts to other generations. COMMUNE has used Alma Allen, the mind-blowing sculptor in Joshua Tree, (who used to have a store in Venice), for almost every project, as well as Stan Bitters, a California ceramicist, for many projects. Also recent collaborations Decorative Carpets, as well as with Adam Silverman and HEATH.

Commune spoke about the POWER of handmade/crafted pieces utilized for their interiors, and the power these objects can have and their ability to shift the energy in the rooms in which they reside. Their work is able to seamlessly integrate notions of high and low, and other ideas that at first seem to contrast, but upon further glance, appear confident, and relaxed.

Gerard O'Brien spoke about Arthur Espenet Carpenter's, "Wishbone Chair", 1988, as well as David Cressey, Stan Bitters, J B Blunk ( the recent show at Blum and Poe), Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman (on view now! go!) , and the legendary California Design shows. Gerard spoke about the idea of objects being sourced from a PLACE, and commented how the "Wishbone Chair" appears to have sprouted from the wet forests of Marin. Hows that for terroir? Stan Bitter's works appear as raw earth carved from the hillside when incoporated into the Nichols Canyon ourtdoor patio. (see above image) It was obvious from this conversation, that Gerard has a focused and strong commitment to telling the stories of these artisans. Together, REFORM and COMMUNE are doing something pretty fantastic.

Have you been to REFORM GALLERY's reading room on MELROSE?

In response to a question from the audience, Gerard commented on the past of decorative arts in galleries, and the blurring between the two. The thought of art + decorative arts not being so compartmentalized is a thought that thrills YHBHS. Thanks for a fantastic talk about art + interiors.




when furniture became buildings,
when rugs became paintings,
when rooms became stories.

when interiors become community.




































top image: Arthur Espenet Carpenter's "the wishbone" chair" via Phillips de Pury
Bark Painting, J B Blunk Acrylic on re-claimed redwood bark Circa 1991 via REFORM gallery











-------------------------




"COMMUNE was founded in 2004 as a collective focusing on enhancing life through design. We come from all over the world to share a vision and an aesthetic sensibility in everything we do. Our intent is not to dictate, but to facilitate through unconventional thinking and creative solutions. Our design process is a collaborative effort. Whether the project is a commercial space, a retail environment, a restaurant, a residence, packaging, corporate identity, or a website we approach it holistically. Our diverse backgrounds allow us to see the same project from many angles and to offer solutions that reflect this open-eyed attitude. "




REFORM GALLERY
is
6819 Melrose Ave,
Los Angeles CA 90038








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if in doubt, look to the grid
aka
buildings eventually become furniture

























































if in doubt, look to the grid
aka
buildings eventually become furniture


1. Carlo de Carli, 1941
2. Pierre Jeanneret and A.R. Prabhawalkar
3. Converso, Mod Poster Bed






"Pierre Jeanneret (2 March 1896, Geneva - 4 December 1967) was a Swiss architect who collaborated with his more famous cousin Charles Edouard Jeanneret (who assumed the pseudonym Le Corbusier) for about twenty years. Their working relationship ended when Pierre joined the French Resistance and Le Corbusier did not. However, they collaborated once again and famously after the War, on the plan and architecture for the planned city of Chandigarh in India."









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Gaetano Pesce, 2008

8
arm floor lamp

54 arm veiling lamp






























I'll admit. I can't stop thinking about Gaetano Pesce. His speech last year at the Hammer Museum was one of my highlights of last year, and his show at the Italian Cultural Center was surreal-ly greatness. Plastics, Resins, lamps, tables, all melting into a discussion about politics, personal freedom, and a conscious choice to be an individual in a consumer driven culture. On days when I feel lost, one quick glance at a multicolored Pesce object always makes me feel better. Thanks Gaetano.








Pesce lamps sourced from
Nilufar, Milan... go here for more..
You have read this article ceiling lamp / floor lamps / gaetano pesce / italian design with the title March 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2011/03/gaetano-pesce-2008-8-arm-floor-lamp-54.html. Thanks!
"The observer can devote himself
completely to contemplation."















Björn Dahlem Focus imaginarius (Aus fernen Welten)
@ Kerstin Engholm Gallery, Vienna

"The vitrines remind us of the cabinets of curiosity of the late renaissance and baroque, in which rarities and curiosities from mostly faraway countries were assembled without scientific standard or considered classification system. Björn Dahlem’s artifacts make the observer wonder. They evoke amazement, a feeling that was suppressed by the ascent of rational explanatory models and soon only understood as awkward naivety.

Dahlem’s poetic constructions made out of pebbles, gold varnish, flower vases and discarded measuring instruments resume with that the historic collections of ivory carvings, artistic clocks, ostrich eggs, crystals, astrolabes and unicorns, both formally and with regards to content. However, the visual metaphors used in the vitrines do not seem to refer to a specific historical period, nor to the present or the future of themselves. Other than earlier room occupying installations, the observer can no longer enter these secluded spaces. They are like a hermetic opponent, which is visible but atmospherically separated and seems enigmatic.
The observer can devote himself completely to contemplation."










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"Whether you want it or not, a style is just a craze.
And fashion does not come up from humble backgrounds."

-Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, 1920's and 30's











Jean Besnard for Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Unique table lamp,
c. 1930

Glazed earthenware, silk. Underside incised with ‘JB’.
go to the DESIGN catalog here from Phillips de Pury...



"Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann was born in Paris on August 28, 1879 to Alsatian parents that owned a painting and contracting firm. Ruhlmann spent most of his youth learning his father's trade during which time he made contact with several young architects and designers. These contacts would be Ruhlmann's first look into the world of furniture.

In 1907 upon his father's death, Ruhlmann took over the family business. Around 1910, a newly married Ruhlmann had his first experience designing furniture for their new apartment. This was also the first year in which he exhibited his furniture publicly. In 1919 he founded a separate interior design company with Pierre Laurent; the company designed everything from wallpaper to rugs, light fixtures and furniture.

His early designs reflected the Art Nouveau influence popular in France at the turn of the century. Later his influences could be traced to architects and designers creating innovative furniture in Vienna around the time of the First World War."






















"These photos are from post cards that were made originally to showcase the individual pieces that were on display at the Paris Exhibition of 1925. "
more here...






Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
(28 August 1879 – 15 November 1933)
read more about him here...
You have read this article art deco / art deco interiors / Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann / french design / interior design with the title March 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2011/03/whether-you-want-it-or-not-style-is.html. Thanks!
investigation of form
and materials.










































investigation of form
and materials.



1. Philippe Hiquily, beaten brass seat chair.
"Starting from 1960, he created furniture. The creation of bronze began around 1980. They were exposed for the first time in 1986 at the Galerie Patrice Trigano in Paris.
The sculptures of HIQUILY are characterized by a pervasive eroticism, that translates into a smooth universe filled with elements borrowed from nature (antennas, horns, insect legs ...). The search for formal balance is obvious. " taken from here...


2. Folkform lamp:
"Stockholm-based
FOLKFORM is a design studio owned and run by industrial designers Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist. They work on their own independent collections as well as with clients."













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YOUTH FOREVER

it's not what you lost, but it's what you find.

2011 vs 1720 (pick the flowers, young children...)







































it's not what you lost, but it's what you find.



images.
1.
ERIK WYSOCAN
(A Vase of Flowers and Two Plums on a Marble Tabletop, A Vase of Flowers and Two Plums on a Marble Tabletop)
2. "Painted on all surfaces with exquisite floral still lifes, this extremely rare cabinet on stand epitomizes the highest quality among painted furniture in Holland and England of this period."
via Koller Auctions. Unknown cabinet maker.... 1700 1720 circa




partial lyrics by ellie goulding.
















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A conversation about
California Artist Craftsmen


perhaps I'll see you here?
(more info go here)











David Cressey Pro-Artisan for Architectural Pottery - Glazed





Commune Design & Gerard O'Brien:
A conversation about California Artist Craftsmen

"A conversation with Commune Design founders and Gerard O'Brien of Reform Gallery about California’s tradition of artist and craftsmen and their great influence on the modernist movement as well as Commune Design Projects."


(looking forward to hearing this conversation...)
art and design walk, next saturday....







go to COMMUNE's site here...
(image taken from REFORM, Gerard O'Brien's store on Melrose...)


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You have read this article avenuewh / commune / gerard o'brien / reform gallery los angeles with the title March 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2011/03/a-conversation-about-california-artist.html. Thanks!
‘Neutra Practice at 85 weekend’
"Richard Neutra founded this firm in 1926
while he was still living in the Schindler House."








Neutra's drawings.





I received a letter today from Dion Neutra today regarding the upcoming events of the 85th year of Neutra Architecture. There are some events coming up right around the corner for all those interested in Los Angeles architecture. Hope to be posting some of the events as it gets closer, and highlighting some of them such as the home tours, auctions, and videos.
Take a look and reserve here!




Neutra Practice at 85 weekend

April 8-10, 2011, Los Angeles, CA



"Richard Neutra founded this firm in 1926 while he was still living in the Schindler House. Shortly thereafter, came the birth of his second son, Dion. At about this time, he was working on his first major project the Jardinette Apartments (1927) in Hollywood.. A couple of years later, the Lovell Health House (1929). After a distinguished 40 years, he joined his architect son, in as partner and vice president in 1965. Dion has carried on the firm since his father’s death in 1970, now himself for an additional 40 years. This is what we celebrate on this occasion. Join us!"


Thanks Dion for passing out way!


Reserve your spaces now here.....

2440 Neutra Place, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Phone/Fax: 323 666 1806













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YHBHS interview with Ben Blanc

...
"The bottoms where the interesting things start emerge and if you keep coming to the surface to check email, etc... you’ll never get there. Its the stuff that’s worth keeping that lives down there."

- Ben Blanc






photo by Stephanie Alvarez Ewens







What is behind your obsession with objects? What do your objects say about you, or the culture?

I think the obsession goes back to the need for clarity. My objects are a way of consolidating all the visual, and cultural material that is coming at me on a day to day basis. It can be crazy overwhelming. What ever that input is always returns as output. I have to be very careful and curate what I allow into my life because inevitably it will come back out in the objects. It’s something I really didn’t fully understand before. Its nearly impossible to separate the “junk info.” from the useful info, so I just work to try and keep the junk out. There’s something about this process and the physical objects that result that I obsess about. When I get it right, the objects are very clear place holders for these moments and are useful in providing some sense of this clarity.



Design philosophy?
Clarity of intent. Its so important to immerse yourself in something you find interesting. I heard someone say once “You have to go down deep...way deep, like a deep ocean submersible and when you get there you have to spend some time at the bottom.” I can’t remember where I heard this but its stuck with me for quite awhile now and I find it quite useful. The bottoms where the interesting things start emerge and if you keep coming to the surface to check email, etc... you’ll never get there. Its the stuff that’s worth keeping that lives down there.


What is the difference between "art" and "objects" to you? Art for me is the act of designing/making. Objects are the physical manifestations of the process.


The graphite light? Is this a prototype, or made in an edition?
It was made as a one-off piece. The idea behind it was to create geometric volumes through the use of simple line to represent the iconographic idea of a lamp. I find the visual flattening and un-flattening of this held space very interesting.





























Do you fabricate this yourself? Yes, sometimes I fabricate the work, sometimes I work with outside sources. Really it’s a project by project decision. If the piece is about the “craft” then I fabricate it myself. In the case of the graphite light I made a model which was then scaled up and fabricated by a metal shop. This specific piece for example for me is not important how it was fabricated, the visual push and pull of space in relation to the user is what I find interesting.


What's the design scene living in Providence? Do you ever just get designed out? The city does proclaim itself to be the “creative capital,” its a fantastic stew of artisans, designers, makers, etc... Its a great place to work for sure. I’d say its driven more by the artisan though than design. Design is definitely being played out right now in a huge way and can be a bit suffocating at times so its nice to work in a community of both artisans and designers. I’m able to move in and out of each and in the end the environment pushes my work in new directions.


The you desk created. More of an object to be desired, or to be utilized? Are your objects sculptures first? How important is function to you?
Both... I find that line between pure desire and function really interesting. I’d say yes though, more and more my work is leaning toward sculpture, but function is such a lovely entry point into objects.


Any artists that you feel an affinity to, and for what reason?
Most recently I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at the Rauschenberg’s combines. His push and pull of space with material has always fascinated me. Bruce Nauman and Richard Tuttle are very interesting and I think Anish Kapoor is a fantastic source of inspiration.


Your Midwest background, how has this influenced how you work?
My work doesn’t reference the Midwest, but I was born there and it just feels like it’s a hugely important piece of the puzzle. One of those moments of clarity I’m on the hunt for I guess....







upcoming show in Boston for Ben Blanc
Location: Louis -- 60 Northern Avenue Boston, MA 02210
Opening Date: April 21st 6-9PM




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photo by Stephanie Alvarez Ewens





Ben Blanc, founder of Ben Blanc Studio, is a designer and artist well versed in both craft design and production. His works have been exhibited at Salone Internazionale de Mobile in Milan, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia, Edith Gallery in Koln, Germany, Ohio Museum of Craft, the Max Lang and CITE Galleries in New York. His works have been featured in numerous design publications including the New York Times, Dwell, Metropolitan Home, MacAddict, Monument, Casa, and Elle Décor.












go to his site for more works....






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You have read this article ben blanc / interview with ben blanc / YHBHS interview with the title March 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2011/03/yhbhs-interview-with-ben-blanc.html. Thanks!
forms and functions will change eventually.
white turns to grey turns to black, eventually.



























































forms and functions will change eventually.
white turns to grey turns
to black, eventually.




1. Luciano Fabro, Volare (Flight), 1988 Marble
2. Lynda Benglis
3. Louise Nevelson



















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You have read this article art / becomes sculpture / white turns to grey turns to black with the title March 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2011/03/forms-and-functions-will-change.html. Thanks!
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