ArchiQuotes.info - Sayings Worth Quoting, Quotations Worth Sharing | Architecture | Quotes | Architects

Earlier this month, Brooklyn-based architecture practice SO-IL were heaped with praise for a temporary tent erected for New York's first Frieze Art Fair. The 23,000sq m structure, punctuated with pie-shaped wedges that allowed it to snake along the waterfront at Randall's Island, certainly earned its recognition.

But a building completed in Seoul a few weeks earlier - and designed to stand a lot longer than the five days of the Frieze tent - deserves rather more. It is the third gallery for Kukje, a pre-eminent contemporary dealership with its own 'art campus'. And it opened with an exhibition of work by Paul McCarthy.

The works of both McCarthy and Idenburg go together well. 'The armour that wraps around my building makes it soft and hard,' says Florian Idenburg, who cofounded the practice with his wife Jing Liu, 'and there's something of that in his work too. Edgy and kinky.' Next up, the gallery will host 'Personages' (from 23 May), a solo show of the work of Louise Bourgeois.

Idenburg's gallery is the biggest box he could fit onto the small site, with stairs that meander in and out of the building. Concrete, with polished concrete floors, it is clad in a skin of bespoke metal mesh, made in a village in northern China that specialises in working with metal thread. The 500,000 stainless steel rings had to be individually blasted with glass beads to achieve their silvery colour, and then washed at the local carwash. Altogether they weigh more than 4,000 kilos.

'The mesh is important - it makes the building feel lighter and more object-like,' says Idenburg, who also clad the New Museum in New York (completed in 2007) with a metal carapace when still employed by SANAA. 'When the sun shines and it casts a big shadow, it can look like a silvery cloud.'

Chances are that most people will have read Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations as a humble paperback, the typesetting and layout of the pages remaining invisible to almost everyone bar dedicated type nerds.

This was a determining factor when GraphicDesign&'s Lucienne Roberts and Rebecca Wright were deciding on the format for their first title. 'Page 1: Great Expectations' explores the relationship between layout, typography and how both affect the way we read.

Essentially a comparative exercise,

Page 1: Great Expectations centres around page one of the novel. A cast of 70 designers and typographers - including APFEL, Fraser Muggeridge, Research Studios, Sam Winston and Wallpaper's very own Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers - have each produced typographic interpretations of the text. Great Expectations was chosen for its familiarity as a piece of text, and because of protagonist Pip's references to the lettering on his mother and father's gravestone in the novel's opening chapter.

The results of Page 1 are thoughtful and often surprising. Some of the contributors have remained steadfastly purist, approaching the text as if it's the first of a whole book; others have treated it as display text, or deconstructed it completely.

Many of the designers have considered how Dickens might have treated the novel had he published it now, through the likes of search engines, e-Readers, clip art and QR codes. All the treatments emphasise something different in the text, each of them subtly revealing more about it to the reader.

The version that perhaps resonates the most - given the current state of affairs - is Neil Donnelly's, which apes a typical British tabloid front page. Dickens would definitely have seen the funny side - Great Expectations was originally serialised in newspaper format, and he was certainly no snob. 'This cheap edition of my books is dedicated to the English people,' he wrote in a discarded dedication to an inexpensive serial edition of his works, 'in whose approval, if the books be true in spirit, they will live, and out of whose memory, if they be false, they will very soon die.'

That Dior’s new book pays homage to the wonders of fine jewellery is, in itself, a delight. That it focuses specifically on the work of its head jewellery and watch designer Victoire de Castellane, is even more so. This beautifully filled tome is one that all lovers of jewellery, fantasy and fabulous adornment have been waiting for.

Dior Joaillerie, published by Rizzoli, dedicates almost 400 pages to Castellane’s tenure at the maison. Since arriving at the Place Vendôme, where she launched Dior Fine Jewellery in 1988, Castellane has changed the way we look at fine jewels, with her skewered vision of what they can be.

'I didn’t set out to shock, seek a tabula rasa, or start a revolution,' she said. 'I wanted to be sincere in my work to rekindle the magic of jewellery and make it more feminine.' Her apparent notion of femininity is what makes much of Castellane’s work so compelling: a heady mix of realism and fantasy, her jewellery it is at once bright and pretty, imperfect and a little strange. And, fundamentally, it’s funny too.

The 'Nuit Blanche' bow is a fine example: it is slightly dishevelled, the idea being that it reflects the story of how an evening party unfolds, as opposed to how it should start. There’s also an undisputed dark side to her ring, earring and necklace designs. For the 'Belladone Island' collection, Castellane created a range of flower-inspired pieces. Yet, one glance tells you that these are not of the floral and scented variety. Instead, their clashing hues and misshapen organic forms warn of their poisonous nature.

Castellane’s bold, vibrant and narrative style is beautifully and carefully translated by the expert metal workers, enamellers and gem setters with whom she shares her studio at Dior, which only goes to show that those who make her creations derive as much pleasure from them as those who wear them. 

Travellers heading from London to New York can now experience the transatlantic trip in sublime comfort aboard 'Miss Sunshine' (as Virgin Atlantic’s new A330 aircraft has been dubbed) in the much-awaited Upper Class Suite.

The airline’s in-house design team joined forces with London-based studio Pengelly Design for the seating and with VW+BS for the bar and interior elements. The super-shiny, futuristic space comes complete with Swarovski Crystal embellishments, mood lighting, and a hefty dose of the Virgin colour palette.

Four years in the making, the sleek suites feature elegant leather seats that each conveniently have their own aisle access, beds that are longer than any other airline’s, frosted Perspex passenger divides for light and privacy, and easy access storage solutions. Meanwhile a gleaming bar, which is separate from the cabin, provides a space to mingle with other passengers.

In keeping up with our digital age, the team has ensured we will never have to go without. A programme called AeroMobile, allows passengers to use their own mobile phones in the air. Even better, the new entertainment system is smartphone, tablet and USB compatible, giving passengers the choice to read, watch or listen to their own media.

The re-designed cabin will also soon be available on the Mumbai service, from October this year. Meanwhile, the Virigin team is currently working on resizing and tweaking the Upper Class Suite to fit their 787 Dreamliners, which is due for delivery in 2015.

This year is set to be a good one for Tel Aviv. Not only has it seen the renovation and construction of three major cultural institutions in the city (The Tel Aviv Cinematheque, Habima National Theatre and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art extension by American practice Preston Scott Cohen), but things were made official when Mayor Ron Huldai named 2012 Tel Aviv’s ‘Art Year’.

Next on the city’s agenda is the popular Open House event, Houses from Within, for which some of architecture's finest doors will be thrown open this weekend. 'This year we will have some 150 different events, with about 30 private homes, 40 public buildings, 50 walking tours and around 30 activities, such as bike tours, office held exhibitions etc,' says curator and architect Alon Bin Nun.

With over 100 homes open to the public free-of-charge, the event is set to show off Tel Aviv’s unique architectural mix, including old, new and renovated work by local and international architects. It also features special treats, unique to this year’s event. 'We have a tour led by world-renowned Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan in the Cultural Plaza - which he designed between the main concert hall - the national theater and a museum, as an homage to the orchards and sand dunes of early Tel Aviv,' says Bin Nun. 'Also, the French ambassador's house in Jaffa is open this year for the first time. It is a beautiful International Style building in the heart of Jaffa’s Arab section, an area otherwise made up of rural vernacular Arab houses. The story behind the house is quite extraordinary. It was designed by Jewish architect Izack Rapeport for a wealthy Arab in the 1930s. The house was later sold to the French government.'

Part of the worldwide Open House family that includes similar events in London, New York, Barcelona, Dublin and Rome, House from Within is now on its sixth year and is set to attract over 80,000 visitors during the weekend-long event. Spanning new build houses, chic urban lofts and conversions, synagogues, public buildings and urban spaces, this event has something for everybody.

...

While the arrival of a retiring space shuttle to New York City was heralded with great fanfare, artist Tom Sachs was busy putting the finishing touches on his own version of a four-week mission to Mars. From a launch pad on Park Avenue, no less.

It may not be on another planet, but the vast space that Sachs has chosen - the 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall within the Park Avenue Armory - serves as the perfect venue to host 'Space Program: Mars'. Jointly organised by Park Avenue Armory and arts organisation Creative Time, the exhibition runs until June 17. A 13-man launch crew worked three years to realise a 30-day shuttle mission to the red planet, creating 'bricolage' versions of everything from a hot nut machine to a functioning Mars rover.

'Everything is exposed; there are no hidden imperfections,' says Sachs. 'This space program is about the interaction we have with our finite natural resources.'

And the take away? A NikeCraft gift shop with a limited edition, five-piece capsule collection developed by Sachs and Nike, built specifically with space travel in mind. Priced $385 to $700, some of the pieces in the the Tom Sachs: NikeCraft collection are constructed from actual space-suit material, while others are made from yacht mainsails and car air bags.

Products range from the Mars Yard Shoe, a sneaker with a vintage-style orange and tan upper and futuristic space-style soles, to a lightweight Marsfly jacket with 360 customized reflector markers, a Chester Trench with a silver lining featuring the periodic table of elements and the Airbag, a duffel bag featuring a paracord that can double as a tourniquet.

British design store Habitat has just opened a new 'laboratory of ideas' above its branch on London's King's Road. Titled 'Platform', the gallery will be a springboard for creative innovation and thinking, hosting thought-provoking exhibitions, discussions and talks.

The new venture is not about pushing product. 'The works on show won't necessarily be sold by Habitat in future,' says Platform's curator (and Wallpaper* editor-at-large), Suzanne Trocmé. 'The emphasis will be on process rather than finished pieces.'

First up is Framed, an exhibition of photographs by architect John Pawson that make up his new book, A Visual Inventory. Lining the gallery's walls are portraits of the places, patterns and forms that have inspired his built works. 'Through his snapshots, we see how he thinks, not what he does,' says Trocmé.

Future programme highlights include the satisfyingly named 'Brit Pot', which will look at the designers that are reinvigorating the UK's ceramics industry. Among the works in the show, launching on 14 July, will be a new collection by Max Lamb, titled 'Crockery', for which he has worked with clay for the first time. And, in the build up to September's London Design Festival (Trocmé has been one of its curators since 2009), Platform will also be launching a call for entries for an exhibition of designs from the Commonwealth.

The gallery intends to host informal Wednesday night 'lates', opening its doors from 6.30pm to 8pm for people to drop in for chats, creative confabs, and a glass of wine. Just last night artist Duggie Fields dropped by, as did Robert Pulley (Principal of West Dean College) and Jacky Lambert (chair of the University of Oxford's China Centre), for some lively conversation.

Launched by Terence Conran, Habitat revolutionised the British furniture market when it opened in 1964, but times have been tough of late, with the brand closing swathes of its stores last year and being purchased by a new company. So it is pleasing to see it embarking on a new, forward-thinking venture and acting as a catalyst for creative thinking.

Richard Avedon’s talent – aside from crisp, high-definition portraits that prefigured the high-res age – was his gift for drawing spectators deep into a personality. It is nearly impossible not to feel a visceral reaction to his subjects, whether the feeling is respect or revulsion. His work elevates the guilty pleasure of people-watching to a high art.

Imagine, then, living within an Avedon print – which is precisely what it feels like to experience Gagosian New York’s latest exhibition, for which the gallery has literally been papered with Avedon characters. In Richard Avedon: Murals and Portraits, the Gagosian goes one step further, pulling Avedon’s most compelling creatures from the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s, a period when public figures were always either revered or reviled and nothing in between. Everything was black and white.

At the time the murals were unprecedented in scale. Today their power has hardly lessened, despite our having come to expect art with high impact. Avedon’s multi-panel murals span between six and 11 metres, executed in his characteristic, high-definition, model-on-white-background style. And his subjects – poets, artists, radicals, even Nixon cronies – deliver. There’s Ginsberg scandalising 1960s New York in an embrace with his partner Peter Orlovsky. Vietnam War administrators juxtaposed with American napalm survivors. Abbie Hoffman flipping us the bird.

Interspersed are smaller portraits, no less powerful, that make you feel as if you can read minds - or disturb you that you can’t.

After almost two years of intense building work, The Photographers' Gallery is ready to celebrate its newly renovated and extended HQ at the crossroads of Soho and Oxford Street in London.

The existing brick and steel-frame warehouse building, accessed via the serene Ramilles Street, a few steps down from the bustle of Oxford Street, was redesigned by award-winning Irish architects O'Donnell + Tuomey. The architects extended it upwards and sideways to create much needed, high quality and airy display areas for what is now the largest gallery in London dedicated to photography. The extension also helps support the building's load in a more efficient way.

The new parts are visible, dark-rendered and jut slightly forward towards the street. Towards the top of the building, three levels of clean, minimal, high-ceilinged galleries make for an ideal exhibition space. Beneath these is an office level and a large education and events room (which will include a camera obscura). The ground level hosts a café, while a generous cut of the ground floor slab gives access to a bookshop and print sales area in the basement.

Wood details - such as the untreated hardwood timber façade elements and the oak flooring - are carefully placed throughout, as are a series of large openings that bring in plenty of light. Those openings span floor to ceiling and offer carefully framed views out towards the surrounding urban landscape. In contrast, apart from those few periscope-like openings, the gallery rooms feature no windows, allowing for the very best climate controlled exhibition display halls.

Meanwhile, plans for exhibitions to spill out on the street and take over the nearby building's back walls are in development, with new work being commissioned for an outdoors program. The Gallery is also hoping to get the street pedestrianised in the near future. 'The whole ambience will change,' says director Brett Rogers.

Officially opening on the 19th May with a spectacular exhibition of celebrated Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky's large-format industrial landscape work, titled 'Oil', The Photographers' Gallery is our new favourite cultural destination in Central London.