"I used to friend with trees,
I have a call I close my eyes and wait for the echo
And you came in a hurricane,
I watched you in the dark
Never seen nothing like it"







Currently seduced by Vaughan latest interior products.

1. Twig Wall Light, 2 Arm Twig Wall Light, 1 Arm, Bronze, Left and Right.
2. Sculptural Coffee Table Bronze with Glass Top
3.. Woodville Table Lamp Bronze, Drum Natural Linen Lampshade



"Michael and Lucy Vaughan founded Vaughan Ltd in 1983 to meet the demand in the interior design world for stylish and classical lighting made to the highest standards. Having previously been dealers in decorative antiques they fully appreciated the sort of lighting that was needed.

The business has grown considerably in the last 20 years enabling Vaughan to expand from lighting into other decorative areas such as furniture, needlework and fabric which are now integral parts of the business. The overall aim has always been to manufacture the very best in terms of craftsmanship, 'good taste' and authenticity. The rate of product innovation is high and large numbers of new products are introduced every year. "


lyrics by Niki & The Dove - Mother protect

You have read this article Vaughan LTD with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-used-to-friend-with-trees-i-have-call.html. Thanks!

A conversation with Daniel Balice and Jay Ezra

"Almost all of the pieces in SYNESTHESIA, whether it be furniture or art or an object, have some kind of connection to each other- literal connections, subliminal connections, unintended connections." - Jay Ezra

"During the assembly of the show I was channeling Jean Des Esseintes, the main character in Huysmans' A Rebours. Des Esseintes is a the last living member of a noble family and becomes so disgusted with his decadent life in Paris and decides to move to the countryside to spend his life in intellectual and aesthetic contemplation." - Daniel Balice

Piero Fornasetti : Fornasetti Screen 1953
(all photos by David John)

A few weeks ago I attended the opening of SYNESTHESIA a group exhibition curated by Daniele Balice, co-founder of the Paris gallery BaliceHertling, and Jay Ezra Nayssan. The exhibition was "created from a set designer’s point of view – it is the assemblage of furniture, art and objects in an environment that has the ambition to look truly personal, but is in fact completely artificial. The show will be up until the end of August at M + B in Los Angeles.

Participating artists include Michael Anastassiades, Anonymous, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Isabelle Cornaro, Jacopo da Valenza, Lucy Dodd, Thomas Dozol, Paul Dupré-Lafon for Hermès, Terje Ekstrom, Piero Fornasetti, Guido Gambone, Martino Gamper, Eileen Gray, Hadrien Jacquelet, Lisa Jo, Alex Katz, Allison Katz, Antonio Lopez, Stewart MacDougall, Alexander May, MissoniHome, Carlo Mollino, Paul P., Ico Parisi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Charlotte Perriand, Gaetano Pesce, Pablo Picasso, Gio Ponti, ROLU and Yves Saint Laurent.


Thank you to Daniel and Jay. - David John

Lisa Jo 2011, ceramics, on Eileen Gray Chrome and Glass Occasional Table by Eileen Gray 20th Century chrome plated metal, round inset glass top

"Synesthesia is created from a set designer’s point of view – it is the assemblage of furniture, art and objects in an environment that has the ambition to look truly personal, but is in fact completely artificial." Can you talk about what his point of view is? Who is this character's space you created?

D: I am not a collector, I don't own anything and my house is basically a bed and one closet. The idea of owning things sort of scares me. However, SYNESTHESIA has allowed me to assume another identity and therefore to deal with those fears. Of course, sometimes as a gallerist, I am scared of giving away pieces that I like so much. I often don't know where they are going to end up. Sometimes I do question the sincerity of a collector. Is he/she speculating? Is he/she showing only their financial power? Does he/she really care about art?

In the specific case of SYNESTHESIA, by choosing varying artworks and various props we also tried to push the visitor to try to guess who the character could possibly be. The choice of props, artworks and designers can confuse one. One doesn’t know if the character is a woman who wears Yves Saint Laurent clothes, or a man who is dating her. He/she is religious? Why then would this person hang a portrait of Christ next to a hustler painted by Antonio Lopez? Again, all we want is to stimulate the viewer, on both on a conceptual and aesthetic level.

By creating this environment, I am questioning all those issues. The idea of the show comes also from the work of Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini. He once said in his essay "Gennariello" that making movies was his only way to combine his interest in literature (through the script), painting (through the storyboard) and the only way to play with objects: it took him months to find the right cup of tea for his last movie "Salo", a frightening "mise en scene" of torture in the fascist era. That cup is so important in the movie and it perfectly represents the taste of the little bourgeois mentality behind the raise of fascism in Italy.

J: In the beginning, Daniele and I struggled with defining a specific character that we and viewers could refer to. We soon realized thereafter that it would be best to not base it on a single person but rather draw inspiration from a number of characters, fictional as well as real. I wanted to create an eclectic environment, in terms of styles and periods, much like the apartment of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge. I also wanted to have some aspects of perversion, vanity, and ego that I related a lot to Carlo Mollino. During the assembly of the show I was channeling Jean Des Esseintes, the main character in Huysmans' A Rebours. Des Esseintes is a the last living member of a noble family and becomes so disgusted with his decadent life in Paris and decides to move to the countryside to spend his life in intellectual and aesthetic contemplation. Each chapter of the book goes in depth about his neurotic assembly/curation of his house and his objects - his vast library, his garden of poisonous flowers, his wall of perfumes…

"Villa Noailles, Outside bedroom, Hyères by Robert Mallet-Stevens, 1928."
The villa Noailles features as one of the very first modernist style buildings constructed in France. Designed in December 1923 and inhabited from January 1925, the original villa was built for Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles by the architect Rob Mallet-Stevens and exhibits the founding tenets of the rationalist movement: practicality, a purification of decorative features, roofs, terraces, light, hygiene...

When did you first become interested in Robert Mallet-Stevens, and why is his work/life of interests to you?

Daniele: The idea of the exhibition came way before I actually thought of Robert Mallet-Stevens. I always new I wanted the show to be a movie set so I started doing a research on and studying the history of set design in the movie industry. That’s when I discovered this amazing text by Mallet-Stevens in which he lists all the elements in order to make the perfect set. One of the elements is dedicated to the kind of art that should be featured in a movie set - in his opinion art in a set should be simple, rarely figurative and should not draw attention away from the actor. Being an anti-academic by nature, I did not respect his rules and, along with Jay, we just decided to set up our own environment. The final result is a set but no actor to focus on, only a character to imagine and the environment to build around his/her absence. The fact that Mallet Stevens was so interested in movie and set design also strongly motivates me to do this show and keep the idea of building a movie set until the end.

Jay: The first time I heard about Mallet-Stevens was when Daniele forwarded an excerpt from his 1926 lecture at the Theatre du Vieux Columbier. Upon further research, I found out that one of my favorite Man Ray films (Les Mystères du Château de Dé) was inspired by and filmed at the Villa Noailles, a house that Mallet-Stevens built for the art patrons Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles. It was one of those serendipitous discoveries that once learned, one doesn't know how one lived without knowing it before.

Everyone is always so quick to refer to Le Corbusier as the great architect of the Interbellum, but Mallet-Stevens was just as successful and influential as Le Corbusier during this period. Mallet-Stevens just fell into obscurity because he ordered that his archives be destroyed upon his death. Mallet-Stevens was an extraordinary holistic thinker, and as I come from a background in Anthropology, that really resonates with me. Throughout his career he was always highlighting the connections and relations between the various arts, discussing how they each influenced enhanced each other. This is most apparent not only in his writings but his history of assembling various artists, musicians and craftsman in order to collaborate on projects all together.


“Modernist bench in the style of Robert Mallet-Stevens 20th Century painted wood.” Is this the sort of work that Mallet-Stevens was making? Why did he fall into obscurity?

D: When Jay found the bench I realized at which point he understood my point of view about the show. It's not a piece by Mallet-Stevens but rather inspired by him. This object illustrates so well my interest in how layers of reference can inspire the concept behind the construction of an object.

Gio Ponti Rocking Chair 1955
Walnut, leather, upholstered cushion

Pablo Picasso, Yan Barbu (AR.513), 1963,
with Alexander May, Eye Fit, 2012 in background

Lucy Dodd "Oceanic Carnage" 2012 cotton and pigment on Breuer chair frame,
with Missoni Maset Rug

It appears the center of Synesthesia is "Lucy Dodd's Oceanic Carnage 2012 cotton and pigment on Breuer chair frame." It represents this tension, of decorative arts and design. Our symbolic actions of placing design objects on a shelf, and art on a pedestal. Synesthesia appears to be about "the character of the collector" as much as it is about the connection of the decorative to the artists. Any thoughts?

D: Lucy's piece truly reiterates my concerns regarding the relationship between art and design that you are referring to. Personally, I have begun to notice an increasing interest by artists in making design. I am not sure where that comes from, but the trend is definitely there. In my Paris gallery I am currently showing a table, glasses and plates, and a chandelier made by Oscar Tuazon and his brother Elias Hansen. It sounds like design but it's actually pure and straightforward sculpture. Very simply, I believe artists are questioning the relationship between viewers and the objects that they are creating. The idea of building something that can be touched, used, reproduced (even only theoretically) is something challenging and new. We are used to looking at art as untouchable object. We are there in front of a painting, a sculpture or a photograph; we have to be passive in front of it and just deal with it. I think (good) artists are questioning that sort of situation by exploring design as a new way to connect to their public in a more physical, concrete and pragmatic way. This being said, I also wanted to create an allegory about the idea of collecting both art and design as trophies. At the end of the day, most of the artwork sold in the market doesn’t end up in a white cube museum space, but rather in private spaces, shown as symbol of richness and power. That’s nothing new. The difference is that Popes and Kings commissioned art for a public purpose, whereas today the experience of collecting is a more private experience. And of course quite often art ends up being exhibited next to a piece of design.


J: And all this time I just liked it because it was just so simply "pretty"! The statement made about the "symbolic actions of placing design objects on a shelf, and art on a pedestal" is very interesting to me because it is an observation I make quite often when in people's homes. People have the tendency to covet fine art more than decorative art because fine art serves absolutely no literal utility and perhaps the ideas of touch, use, and wear make people devalue the decorative arts. That's why I was so pleased to do SYNESTHESIA - not only because of its interdisciplinary context but also because we were able to display truly stand-out design pieces such as ROLU's Nature / Nurture bookshelf. That piece is just as much fine art sculpture as it is a functioning design piece. I really appreciate when collectors, or galleries and museums for that matter, display decorative art objects or design pieces just as they do fine art - perhaps alone in one single room, with nothing else in the eye's view. Returning to your comments on Lucy Dodd's chair, many people's reactions to it were as if it was fine art - they didn't want to touch it, they didn't want to sit on it, they literally did not want it to have a function, and they loved and valued the piece that much more, because of its assumed inutility.

Gio Ponti "Vanity from Parco dei Principi of Rome" 1960: Formica and wood, mirror in brass, with "Anonymous Japanese Marionette Head" of Carved Wood ca. 1900
carved and painted wood, brass wire

A L.A. dealer once told me that in France in the early 20th century, dealers did not separate decorative art and fine art. They would be represented in the same gallery. It seems that we are slowly returning to that, even as larger dealers such as Blum and Poe are showing ceramicists such as Shio Kusaka, etc. Thoughts?

D: Don't you think there is a lot of shallow "fine" art that is very successful and has only one purpose, which is to decorate? I believe, however, very few artists can use a "decorative" strategy in order to send a groundbreaking, and somehow political, message. On the other hand, there are designers I really find much more interesting than a lot of successful artists. If you take the work by Martino Gamper for example, including the pieces featured in SYNESTHESIA, you will realize at which point he is influential to a lot of artists on both a conceptual and formal way. I would say at some point you just feel like you want to show good things. My dream is someday to create a hybrid space, where different disciplines can be mixed up. A gym for brains!

J: SYNESTHESIA is interesting because of its replication of Mallet-Stevens' holistic attitude. I imagined him at the Villa Noailles, hosted by the Vicomte and his wife, and surrounded by all those artists such as Man Ray, Dali, Balthus, Poulenc. The architect, the artists, the musician all together picking each other's brains, sharing ideas, being influenced by each other, collaborating. Then you go into a gallery some years later and see their work without the history, the influences and all the other artists that played a part in those pieces that are on display. And that's why the preparation for SYNESTHESIA - speaking to all the dealers about each piece - was one of the most interesting aspects of the show. Show's like Synesthesia allow one to expand their knowledge and create a narrative. Almost all of the pieces in SYNESTHESIA, whether it be furniture or art or an object, have some kind of connection to each other- literal connections, subliminal connections, unintended connections. And of course there are also the connections we imagine and narrate in our heads when looking at all the pieces together. That’s much more invigorating than separating the pieces.


Any famous collectors that have personally intrigued you, and why?

D: No doubt about it: Yves Saint Laurent for his voracious need of accumulating things. His massive auction really was an incredible experience. Just a big amount of amazing historical pieces sold next to everyday objects that acquired value just because they were once owned by a successful yet controversial fashion designer. I don't think anyone would be able reach the same amount of drama around such an event.

When it comes to living collectors I have to say, I like all the ones that have a taste for risk, the ones that buy things that are rather difficult to catch at the beginning. When collectors show their muscles and their money I get confused.


Will you speak about your personal interest in different periods of decorative art? Are there any that you find yourself focusing on? Why?

D: My interest for decorative art is purely sociologic and historical. When I am interested in a particular historical moment, I study it from all facets - film, art, design, fashion or architecture produced in that era. I kind of get obsessed for a few months!

However, when it comes to Synesthesia, I wanted to mix up things from different historical moments: from all those obsessions of historical eras I have had the past years. I also have to name as an inspiration for this show Nina Yasher, the owner of design gallery Nilufar in Milan. I met her for the first time last year in Italy and fell in love with her incredible way to mix up art and design from different periods, in such a natural and brave way that breaks any possible codes: she is a revolutionary in her way, a visionary on my opinion.

J: I am extremely fascinated with campaign furniture. I have always been obsessed with dismantling and reassembling things and I adore objects that can be folded or expanded. I have been sketching some new pieces myself, in contemporary styles, a table that folds into a briefcase, a walking cane that turns into a chair. My preoccupation with this comes from my work - I spend most of my days on rather small construction sites so I am always looking for a surface to open up plans on, a chair to take a break on and that I can just carry back home with me at the end of the day. I really want to create a line of campaign furniture for the modern travelling Renaissance man - a stool for sketching in a museum, cooking equipment for a camping trip, toiletry chest for air traveling.

Also, I have been reading up a lot on post-Internet art the past few years and I am interested to see how virtual/artificial realities will make their way into the realm of decorative arts and furniture design.


"Creating a neutral environment where pieces of art and furniture of differing values and time periods are set beside each other also experiments with our perceptions of value and worth of objects."

J: A truly beautiful eclectic space doesn’t mean that it has to be visually pleasing It means that it messes with people’s perceptions and of value and forces them to look upon the new not with fear or rejection but with intrigue and hunger. It forces them to take a second look at the old and reconsider it. It trips people up. Why is the Picasso ceramic in the ROLU bookcase? Who is Hadrien Jacquelet and why is he beside Antonio Lopez, Paul P., and Carlo Mollino? What is “worth” more – the original vanity table by Gio Ponti or the deconstructed Carlo Mollino chair that was reconstructed by Martino Gamper?

Alexander May Eye Fit 2012 vase with amethyst crystal

I'm particularly interested in Alex May's work. Does he have a show coming up at Galerie Balice Hertling?

D: Alexander May is a very young artist I met last year in New York and decided to show right away. His practice involves sculpture, drawing, painting and performance. His main interest lays in building alternative forms of language: some of his work are text-based pieces based on the deconstruction of the text itself. What really I find relevant in his work is his strong approach to the issue of language and its meaning today. Lots of artists have been working on the same issue on a more conceptual way, but in his case he can add a more physical approach to this topic. His first solo show will take place in September in our Paris gallery, and will feature a series of new paintings and sculpture.


Daniele are you opening a gallery in NY this year? What part of town, and tell me more about the space?

D: I actually already opened the New York gallery in September 2011 with my business partners Alexander Hertling and David Lewis. This is sort of a child dream coming true I have to say - I still can't believe it happened. The space is located in Hell's Kitchen, in Midtown, a block away from Broadway and Times Square. The decision looked quite odd to a lot of people, but for me this area stays somehow real; it's touristic and quite hard at the same time. We are the only gallery in there for now (although in September 2012 things will change with arrival of two spaces). The gallery is located in the Film Center building - an amazing art deco building, with a crazy entrance hall and colorful floors. The building hosts small movie production companies, actor agencies, Broadway dance companies, recording studios – which makes me realize - I have once again fallen into the realm of fiction.

ROLU Nature / Nurture (after Otto Herbert Hajek) 2012
walnut finished with Brie wax and pink, red, and blue laminate

Synesthesia : Curated by Daniele Balice and Jay Ezra Nayssan 29 Jun - 31 Aug 2012

M+B : 612 North Almont Drive : Los Angeles, California 90069

You have read this article daniel balice / jay ezra / m + B / pablo picasso / yves saint laurent with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-conversation-with-daniel-balice-and.html. Thanks!

(almost) Perfect Containment

Darrly Carter
vs
Micahel Heizer





(almost) Perfect Containment -
There is a delicate & fine (beautiful) line between (new) traditional interiors and 60's minimalism. A dedication to reduction and clarity in color and form.


1. Interiors by Darryl Carter, via Veranda Magazine

2. Michael Heizer, via David Zwirner, NY. 1960's and 1970's.

"The awareness of space and form articulated in Heizer’s paintings and earthworks is further pronounced in his sculptures, or “object sculptures” as he refers to them, in which scale, mass, gesture, and process are explored. The Minimalist shapes which he employs reference objects and architectures of ancient cultures; however, an extreme reduction of form underlines the artist’s interest in the spatial function form has within the “emptiness” of space. His preoccupation with the elementary forms of the square, rectangle, and circle, which reappear throughout his practice, come to full fruition in his sculptural works such as Vermont, 1977. Made using grey granite, this work is comprised of circles and their equivalent segments or fractions, arranged together in such a way that the harmonious relationship between the parts and the whole is emphasized."

You have read this article darry carter / michael heizer with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/almost-perfect-containment.html. Thanks!

Sgrafo vs. Fat Lava

"Ceramics and Porcelains made in West Germany, 1960-1980"
Curated by Nicolas Trembley
@ Alex Zachary Peter Currie, 16 East 77th Street, NY

"In a way I still don’t know anything about German ceramics and have always wondered why I went into it so deep (apart from the paradigm exercise on Collecting.)"





"Whether it is a question of Sgrafo vases, of Raymond Loewy's "Form 2000" for Rosenthal (1954), or of the improbable "Fat Lava"glacis of the 1970s, postwar German ceramics attest to a surprising stylistic inventiveness and diversity.

Through these creations, both well-known and anonymous designers knew how to capture the impulses of a society in the middle of reconstruction and desirous of looking to the future. Mixing references to Op art, the geometry of a Verner Panton, or the vegetal style of the hippie wave, these objects follow a path of exaggerated shape unique in the history of forms.

In this sense they simultaneously incarnate the inevitable bombacity that menaces design, and its aspirations to autonomy as a quasi-artistic practice. It is this crossing of intentions and this body of supposedly ordinary objects that this publication explores, with a text by the specialist Horst Markus, and an interview with the designer Ronan Bouroullec.

Published with the support of Galerie Andrea Caratsch, Zurich; CEC, Centre d'édition contemporaine, Geneva; and FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, Reims." (text from here)







"Last year, I was invited by the Centre d’Edition Contemporainae in Geneva to propose a show. I said, “Let’s show those vases. I have 150 now. It should be enough, then the story’s over.” The show was a success and even Artforum wrote an article about it. Now the show is going to Frac Champagne-Ardennes in Reims, and we published a little booklet with Jrp-Ringier, with contributions from Ronan Bouroullec. I sent it to Kreo Gallery and Didier called me back. “Nicolas, I told you, when you have enough vases, we can do a show.” The show is scheduled for June.

In a way I still don’t know anything about German ceramics and have always wondered why I went into it so deep (apart from the paradigm exercise on Collecting.) I found the answer recently. I offered a vase to my father for his 70th birthday. When I gave it to him, I was in his office in the French provinces. He opened the box and said, “That’s great. It looks like one of my Raku Asian ceramics.” I was like, “What? What Asian ceramics?” When I looked at the shelves in his office, I saw hundreds of ceramics — a colletcion I’d totally forgotten…"

text by nicolas trembley, taken from Apartamento 07

You have read this article alex zachary / collecting ceramics / german ceramics / modern ceramics / new york ceramic shows / nicolas trembley / peter currie with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/sgrafo-vs-fat-lava.html. Thanks!

Garde, Los Angeles

Felicia Ferrone
+
Vincent VanDuysen

above: work by felicia ferrone, photography by david john

Last Spring, I photographed and wrote about a new Los Angeles design store focused on the home called GARDE for Remodelista. (view the article and photographs here). It was during my initial visit that I met Scotti Sitz, the owner of GARDE. Her curation and collections continue to evolve, and so have our conversations concerning architecture & interior design. Scotti sent me a note about new work arriving this past week at GARDE: Vincent VanDuysen's ceramic and sandblasted oak containers ("when objects work"), and Felicia Ferrone's Revolution Collection. Simply fantastic to see this work finally being represented in Los Angeles!

Volume Gallery in Chicago was my first introduction to Felicia Ferrone's work (Volume 2 in 2010.) "Her minimalist sensibilities are evident in the formal simplicity of the Revolution Collection, as is her passion for reinterpreting conventional designs, offering fresh solutions that enrich our everyday environments." She has reinterpreted the champagne flute / shot glass for this collection, embracing the form, the liquid, and the moment of celebration.

GARDE is also representing the Belgian company, Peter van Cronenburg, "a high-service company with its own foundry that delivers high-quality hand-made architectural hardware." Looking forward to using their hardware on an upcoming interior project.

- David John

above: vincent vanduysen's ceramic containters
below: felicia ferrone's revolution collection

more:
Vincent Van Duysen Architecture
Felicia Ferrone

(all photos by david john)

You have read this article david john / david john writer / felicia ferone design / los angeles design / scotti sitz / vincent van duysen with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/garde-los-angeles.html. Thanks!

Flexform: new york

"The inventive design work architect Antonio Citterio
led not only to collections of small armchairs and accessories
but also to a range of large sofas."





"Flexform entered the world of products made and designed in Italy just when the extraordinarily innovative cultural era of "Italian Design" was dawning. It did so in 1970 with a collection of items created by such great names as Joe Colombo, Cini Boeri, Sergio Asti and Rudolfo Bonetto. Flexform has grown since then, expanding into a complex family run group of enormous creative talent, establishing a hallmark style which can be seen in its products and in its research and business. The inventive design work architect Antonio Citterio led not only to collections of small armchairs and accessories but also to a range of large sofas."

NY: 155 East 56th Street. New York NY 10022

You have read this article cini boeri / flex form / joe columbo / rudolfo bonetto / sergio asti with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/flexform-new-york.html. Thanks!

Martin Brudnizki

"His trademark philosophy of ‘minimalism deluxe’
relates to a clarity and precision of detail set amongst
top quality materials and furnishings. "


































































"With his sophisticated, modern and efficient interiors showcased throughout the world, Martin Brudnizki is one of the foremost interior designers in the industry. Born in Sweden, Brudnizki moved to England in 1990 to study Interior Architecture and Design at The American University. After working for renowned architects and designers, he established Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (MBDS) in 2000. Located in London, the Studio has expanded to over 40 employees and includes a New York satellite office opened in late 2009 to meet growing international demand.

The success behind Brudnizki’s work rests in his considered approach to every project. His trademark philosophy of ‘minimalism deluxe’ relates to a clarity and precision of detail set amongst top quality materials and furnishings. Combined with utmost respect for a Client’s brief and the unique character of the area or street in which a project is located, the Studio is able to ensure that the finished product not only sits well within its environment, but also meets the needs and expectations of the Client; a winning combination which has translated perfectly to projects ranging from high-voltage glamor locations to affordable local restaurants to private homes.

You have read this article Martin Brudnizki with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/martin-brudnizki.html. Thanks!

"The strategy was to provide the required division of space
with minimum interference with the existing structure and maximum
perception of the overall volume. "

















1. Tribeca Loft by Fearon Hay Architects. "The strategy was to provide the required division of space with minimum interference with the existing structure and maximum perception of the overall volume. The insertion of steel framed, glazed volumes with raised timber floors provides elevated sleeping platforms within the loft space. The glazed volumes are accompanied by blank, white, volumes containing bathing, service and scullery functions. These service components are arranged in a linear sequence in the centre of the space. Both of these insertions are carefully placed amongst the existing structural elements of columns, beams and corbels, freeing the structure and the perimeter of the loft from division. Further layering and configuration of the space is offered by layers of operable fabric screens and sliding panels."

2. Casamidy, Hacienda table

3. Zeus table: Spessart oak, Zeus Design Vincent Van Duysen 2006 Thickness as distinguishing mark, aesthetical rigor as primary characteristic for this table designed by Vincent Van duysen for Poliform

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Jennifer Parry Dodge : Ermie

"I think my lack of training presents interesting challenges at times,
but I also think it’s an advantage. Not knowing the rules, I have less fear.
If I knew all of the things I “should” be doing, I think I’d actually accomplish less."
- Jennifer Parry Dodge

a collaboration between Jennifer Parry Dodge and YHBHS

Last week, a conversation between Jennifer Parry Dodge, textile designer based in Los Angeles, and myself was posted on Sight Unseen. Read the full conversation here. In addition to our conversation, Jennifer and I collaborated on a project which stemmed from our early meetings. Each time I spoke with Jennifer, I became more obsessed with her patterns, and the stories behind them, and her dedication to fearless experimentation in her studio.

We decided to make some casual floor pillows for the home, which have been for sale at Product Porch in San Diego, and directly through us. (get in touch!) The print that was chosen for the floor pillows is based on pixelated images of a runway show, in which Jennifer altered. It's perhaps her way of "seeing" the world around her that I connect with so deeply, a chance to begin again, and again. Pure creation.

Thanks Jennifer! - David John

Jennifer Parry Dodge is a Los Angeles–based designer, whose beautifully printed textiles are often the result of photographs or scans of vintage textiles that have been manipulated in Photoshop. Her online store Ermie, named after a great-aunt Ermengarde who encouraged her creativity, encompasses a collection of works ranging from braided embroidered belts to watery cool crepe de chine garments made from her own textile creations. In addition to creating textiles, she maintains a blog that documents her transforming fascinations with color, textures, food, the desert, and her trips abroad.

The first time I met Jennifer over coffee in downtown Los Angeles, I was immediately struck by the intensity of the colors in her work — colors that vibrated in the California sun, and intensified as the sun grew stronger.

“Each pattern or print that I design has a history, however brief, of how it came to be. I’m sure the meaning for me differs from that of the viewer/ wearer/ user, but I hope some of the story comes through.”

One design, she explained, was a pixelated image of a fashion runway show. She photographed the screen then worked in Photoshop, pixelating the images, creating a new sense of color and rhythm. Another textile she showed me was inspired by a photograph of a shadow on the bedroom wall of her Highland Park home. Jennifer was born and raised in Iowa. She attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts Printmaking in 1995, and eventually moved to Los Angeles where she currently lives with her husband Tomory Dodge, a painter." --David John







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You have read this article ermie / floor pillows / jennifer parry dodge / YHBHS collaboration with the title July 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://gigibytes.blogspot.com/2012/07/jennifer-parry-dodge-ermie.html. Thanks!

"decorative emptiness"

"Formal intelligence, though, doesn’t save these works (Frank Stella)
from decorative emptiness and irrelevance."

"Emptiness can sometimes start to look more full and P E R M A N E N T" - Roberta Smith,NYT








1. New Works: Frank Stella at Freedman Art "In a way, Mr. Stella now occupies a position similar to that of Kandinsky late in his career: He changed the history of art with his early work, but kept on moving, to the dismay of many. Donald Judd and Dan Flavin, his Minimalist fellow travelers, stayed true to their school. Mr. Stella has stayed true to other things, abstraction as a vibrant life force, for one, but also the admirable conviction that artists should strive not to repeat themselves and that the main basis for artistic development lies in the evolution of form. Perhaps empty forward motion, or a facsimile thereof, is better than the empty repetition into which so many artists subside as they succeed and age. Also, emptiness can sometimes start to look more full and permanent, as happened with late Kandinsky. In any event, it is possible to admire Mr. Stella’s continuing drive and ambition without being as yet convinced by its latest manifestations. " - Roberta Smith, NYT review

2. Fondazione Giuliani, Rome, "Scott Burton, curated by Oscar Tuazon

"I guess I tried to become Scott Burton. I don’t know how other people do it, but that’s how I do it. Which was strange. A demon came into my head. Suddenly I was alone inside that demon’s house. I tried to build pedestals, I tried to build tables. I thought very literally about becoming another person, I was wearing a Beau Dick mask. Dick makes masks in the Kwakiutl ceremonial tradition, objects designed to serve a function—but an idea of function expanded to include hallucinatory states and dreams. Call it psychic utility, I don’t know what to call it but I know what it does. I’m sure that Dick tries on the masks while he makes them, the way Martino Gamper tests the feel of a chair, by occupying it, testing it out with his body. Which is something you can’t say about painting. Bea said “painting as a medium might be inherently suspect,” and I tend to agree with her."

"Burton’s work is characterized by invisibility—perversely banal, inconspicuous, ugly, painful on the genitals, masochistic—and a kind of brutal self-recognition, painful realism. Brancusi came up with a name, ‘pragmatic sculpture’ that Burton liked to use, but Burton was a lot harder on himself than Brancusi ever was. Whereas Burton was a true nihilist, Peter Fend remains, for some unknown reason, an incurable optimist, the only person I can think of who still believes, fervently, in the revolutionary potential of an artwork to transform the world. What they share, apart from a masochistic love of failure, is a visionary and inspiring ideal of art as invisible, ubiquitous, elemental. Alive in the world. And, like Ferrara’s drawings, resolutely partial, incomplete—instructions awaiting action." - Oscar Tuazon

3. Alighiero Boetti , Zigzag 1966 at MOMA Throughout his career, Boetti experimented with a wide variety of processes, materials, subjects, and styles, and he often incorporated chance and invited collaboration. Nonetheless, his work was guided by a consistent set of philosophical principles, often conceived in opposing or differing pairs. Notions of order and disorder, duality and multiplicity, travel and geography, time and space, and intention and chance permeate Boetti’s projects, finding expression in conceptual works made using the postal service, brightly colored embroideries created with the help of Afghan artisans, and large-scale drawings that deploy mathematical systems and formal operations of chance or spell out his ideas in poetic puns.


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left chasing night moon tonight

once I could see. now I am found out, I've been set free,
nothing ever seems to bother me, & time is passing by,
but leaves no thrill under the moon
- choir of young believers





images for the night moons:

1. Axel Vervoordt interior
"This grand seigneur of the design world, who has stationed himself and his talented team in a 19th-century former distillery complex near Antwerp, Belgium, has captivated admirers with his poetic sensibility since 1968. First coming to prominence as an antiques dealer, Axel Vervoordt is now a highly influential interior designer as well. The subtle rooms that are his claim to fame—spartan to some eyes but warmed by smooth plaster walls, hearty linen, and aged wood—exhibit a tranquillity that can be traced to his appreciation of Japanese Zen restraint. Vervoordt also produces a private-label collection that includes overscale slipcovered sofas and a chic slate-top table—the latter sparked by furniture depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings. "
(text taken from AD Magazine)

2. "The Lover's Boat" by Albert Pinkham Ryder (1847–1917)
"Self-taught American artist. Rejected by the National Academy of Design at twenty, he trained with a minor artist, William Edgar Marshall, and was then admitted. Travelled in Europe in 1877, 1882, 1887 and 1896. A visionary painter, he chose subjects from Shakespeare, Byron, Poe and Wagner. He painted some 170 pictures, many of small dimensions, and is considered one of the pioneering figures in American art. Sadly, much of Ryder's work has not survived because the unstable and unconventional materials he frequently employed deteriorated. "

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a conversation with Galerie Utopie

"The designers and artists, represented by Utopie were at the beginning of a success, showed their pieces all around the world, connoisseurs and international museums invested in their art - almost nobody knows them today as this production is totally drowned in a huge ocean called "Design." - Edouard Bernard

Edouard, of Galerie Utopie, Paris, surround by Jean-Louis Avril works
in the storage room for Galerie Utopie

"A sliver of the sun will surely appear with time."

Some YHBHS conversations take months to unfold and reveal themselves. In the midst of a Los Angeles winter 2011, I received an email from Charlotte about Galerie Utopie in Paris, and their selection of 60s/70s/80s objects, furniture, art, and graphic documents. I wrote to Charlotte weeks later, inquiring if she would like to converse about Galerie Utopie. She wrote back, "I keep in mind and think about the idea of the conversation for YHBHS almost everyday. I talked about the idea of the conversation between me and Edouard and he's happy with this idea, as he's almost happy with all the ideas actually. I will speak with "Edouard my partner, he is the head and mind of Utopie as I'm only the legs!"

I later asked Charlotte about herself, to which she replied, "I was born in the middle of the eighties, grew up in the Pyrénées mountains, and I'm now Parisian and fashion editor since couple of years. I met Edouard 2 years ago in his past galerie, by chance. And we became friends, by chance."

And so, it is the middle of summer here in Los Angeles, 6 months after our initial conversation began. This is Charlotte's conversation with Edouard about objects, contemporary art, and more. Looking forward to visiting them on my trip to Paris, where our conversation will continue. - David John

above, anonymous lamp
below, Boris Tabacoff armchair

utopie: (plural utopies)
utopia: imaginary society in perfect harmony
utopia: unattainable ideal


David John: Charlotte, how did you meet Edouard?

Charlotte: "I used to walk often in a small street in the posh neighborhood of Champs Elysees and Faubourg Saint Honoré, in Paris, on my way to work almost two years ago. I discovered a gallery I've never seen before showing children furniture from the 60's and 70's. I was really curious to see more, but it was closed each time I found myself in front of the window.

I was a bit afraid to reach out via the email address to make an appointment to see the gallery when it was open, as I was afraid to meet an old gallerist with an only wish to sell his art pieces at an expensive price, thanks to this area known for this snob way of life.

I took the risk. I went there with all my prejudices to finally meet Edouard, who was 30 years old, looking and smiling. He was speaking with love and enthusiasm about all the pieces shown at his gallery, which was then named Edouard Edwards (his first name and the surname of his partner bracketed together).

I was agreeably surprised. I went there a couple of times then, joined him and his partner at their last opening show. As this time we didn't know that it would be the last exhibition at the Galerie Edouard Edwards. For some reason, the space of the gallery was not available anymore, and Edouard Edwards closed this past summer.

Summer. Time for holidays.

September, time to find a new way to keep the gallery alive. A name found, Utopie, no space yet but internet as an alternative and the wish to continue and for me to start the adventure. Edouard, the mind and me, the legs; I designed the website for him, with patience and without any knowledge about the internet or website specifics. It's not perfect but we will try our best to make it better.

A work in progress. - Charlotte

above: an anonymous luminaire from Galerie Utopie
below: Olivier Mourgue flower lamp

The conversation between Charlotte and Edouard


Charlotte: Why did you choose this name, Utopie ?

Edouard: It's a short word, cheerful, with positive/negative meanings in the same word. It was for me the perfect summary of the period I'm showing, full of success and disillusionments with one common axis: the arrival of new materials in the furniture industry and design.

This name is a wink to the magazine called "Utopie" created and edited by Hubert Tonkas in 1967, where town planners, architects and sociologists were involved and who pleaded for a "sociology of the city".


Why do you collect those pieces ?

Edouard: These periods, from 1965 to 1985 are faraway from us, and really close in the same way. We need to have a look and understand this crosscurrent production and creation, against the ambient classicism of the time, talents from these periods are totally forgotten nowadays. Contemporary to their productions, the designers and artists, represented by Utopie were at the beginning of a success, showed their pieces all around the world, connoisseurs and international museums invested in their art - almost nobody knows them today as this production is totally drowned in a huge ocean called "Design."


What is the piece from your collection which you are most proud of ?

Edouard: I would say, not any specific one. I will be proud of these pieces that I collect when the whole furniture production where they are from will be, once and for all, shown at more scientific and serious exhibitions with clear-sightedness.

But if I still have to name just one, it would be my cardboard chair of Celloderme designed by Jean-Louis Avril. I found it on Rue St Honoré in Paris during a rainy night 10 years ago. I was 22 years old and this was the trigger!


Imagine the Edouard Edwards Gallery as a sinking boat, hurry up ! Which are the pieces from the collection you are saving to go to Utopie ?

Edouard: Edouard Edwards Gallery was a rowboat that came alongside the beach but it never sunk. But let's imagine the winners :

-A Marc Held desk A Boris Tabacoff armchair
-A Jean-Louis Avril "Lune" lamp, and my
-Taon Derny motorbike designed by Roger Tallon in 1957

Roger Tallon Taon Derny motorbike





Marc Held desk

Charlotte: Let's make a list with utopist ideas for 2012, a beginning at least.

Edouard : -To open a gallery that will not be a simple gallery, -To clone the real connoisseurs and collectors as they are becoming more an more rare, - To ask to our kind french sponsors and establishments to buy more with their eyes than with their heard guidance.

Chairs by François Arnal for Atelier A

David John: "To clone the real connoisseurs and collectors as they are becoming more an more rare." Why do you think they are becoming more rare?

Edouard: I think today, people are buying art as everything else, it's a merchandise, it's a way to be known as scholar, powerful and rich beings with good taste. In reality, Art in general, but especially the field of Contemporary Art has taken a shape of a shopping mall where no one buys with any real knowledge.

Actually, it's quite an obviousness as there is no art critic anymore, almost !


David John: Are there any other design stores or museums in Paris you can recommend?

Charlotte: Christian Sapet, 7 rue Alexandre Bachelet, 93400 Saint Ouen. And the Musée de la vie Romantique & Musée de la Chasse & Musée Bourdelle as well as the database of Centre Pompidou website.

a Limousin document from Galerie Utopie, see more documents here.

Utopia Gallery aims to represent the mood of an era, three decades of prolific creation, the year 60/70/80. The choice of significant objects, but also more sensitive they are from the furniture, graphics, automotive and more broadly of art. Specialist of the following artists, Jean-Louis in April, Marc Held, Marc Berthier, Etienne Fermigier Boris Tabacoff, Sara Holt, Space Group ...

visit Galerie Utopie here.



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