Exhibitions | Mountain Dale, One Acre Plot

Paul Jacobsen’s mobile dwelling

Finally a true "art in the land" exhibition not too far from New York City. One-Acre Plot is not only about casually placing sculptural objects in the landscape ---as the majority of outdoor art shows-- but truly interacts with the landscape. In the words of the curators Josh Druckman and Andrea Hill:

"Agrarian livelihood has historically depended on patience, observation, resourcefulness, physical struggle and a give (labor) and take (harvest), all which create a stake and long-term relationship with land. Majestic Farm is a 77-acre property in Mountain Dale, NY comprised of pasture, woods, livestock, garden, pond and barn. Stewarded by Brett and Sara Budde who wrestle daily with the realities of their vision, the farm is considered in this exhibition as a site of laborious intervention. Local Sullivan County artists and New York City based artists will make truly site specific work that is responsive to Majestic Farm or to facets of the agrarian principles in short-term residencies hosted by the farm."

One-Acre Plot is on view through July 10th. At the conclusion of the show, the property will be open to the public on appointment.

Majestic Farm

134 Majestic Road

Mountain Dale, NY

Michael DeLucia chain-link fence sculpture

Mark McNamara

Camminando........................................ | NYC :: Good Morning Sunshine!

It has become an habit in this hot and humid May to set up the alarm clock at 5am and make my way to the Central Park Belvedere. NYC streets at 5am offer a total different urban scape from the usual: very few cars and runners, still the background noise of the city starting its day. Entering the park I hear the usual concert of birds greeting the transition from darkness to light. It always amazes me how sounds can be associated to places ---I believe it is referred to as sound ecology.

My walkabouts take me through the Shakespeare Gardens and finally I arrive to my destination. Witnessing the sun rising is like being part of a ritual, one of the greatest rituals in the universe, which never misses to fill me with a sense of awe, while I quietly admire the beauty, experiencing what Giuseppe Ungaretti described:

M’illumino

D’immenso.

An for several minutes, I am queen of the castle. Good morning sunshine!

Performance ......................................... NYC | John Giorno "Lorca, Please Help Me" at Nicole Klagsbrun

Camminando........................................ | NYC :: Sun Rising at Central Park

Vernissage + Camminando | NYC, Chelsea + Hudson

Sun setting on the Hudson Waterfront

This evening I am finally feeling better and took my usual walkabouts---the phone tells me that I walked 7.6 miles.

In Chelsea I encountered the opening of Carsten Nicolai's moiré at the Pace gallery. Moire' patterns presented in many media and scale.

On my way back views of sunset along the Hudson, with the usual ship wreck ---if anybody knows the history please let me know.

Carsten Nicolai at the Pace Gallery

Thoughts | Words, Semantics and Arrongance

Yesterday I received an email from a PR person of a well known manufacturer exhibiting at the ICFF. She was upset because in my post I mentioned her firm product defining it "interesting but not new". She wrote that the product was new in the manufacturer line. Her email impressed me for two different reasons:

1. the lack of interpretation in the semantics of the word "new" I was referring to the overall meaning of the word new in the context of product design, not specifically to her manufacturer line
2. the language she used and arrogant tone of her letter

I removed the mention, and started wondering...and I feel quoting Francesco Guccini L'Avvelenata:

"Ma s' io avessi previsto tutto questo, dati causa e pretesto, le attuali conclusioni..."

PS Guccini in his lyrics writes of "quattro soldi"; I even don't get those from this blog....

Events NYC | Opening Night at the A&D Building: the Art and Design of Cooking

The A&D Building ---Architects and Designer Building--- hostedyesterday the annual Opening Night.

Many of the showrooms from the 58th Street building solely dedicated to interior design, opened to the public from 6 to 9 for an ongoing series of cocktail receptions flooded with White Cosmopolitan and Prosecco.

The majority of showrooms ---with the exception of B&B Italia--- presented kitchens, with an high-tech interpretation of cuisine in minimalistic stainless steels appliances and glass tile counter-tops.

The art of cooking was often illustrated by chefs preparing delicious hors d'oeuvres right on-site, as at the GE Monogram, where flat panel CCTV and video projection screen displayed in real time enlarged details of the cooking.

The epicurean atmosphere was completed by the enjoyment of views of the Bloomberg tower across the street.

More views of the Bloomberg Tower (Beacon Court)

The entrance of Davis and Warshow Showroom

Chef Heather at Bilotta Showroom

High-tech cooking: live video at the GC Monogram Showroom

Bamboo and Outdoor furniture at B B Italia

Design Fairs | NYC, ICFF at the Convention Center

Spring is in full bloom, so is ICFF, the 22nd annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

I have always enjoyed the fresh and innovative ideas, research on new materials often presented by the ICFF exhibitors, especially when compared to the usual stiffness and staleness of the recent current architectural projects in NYC.

The usual presence of established manufacturers --- such as Bernarhdt Design, Herman Miller, Kohler, Wilsonart --- is accompanied by a multitude of designers and schools, including Parson, the New School for Design, Pratt Institute, Yale School of Architecture. Particularly interesting among the design school is Art Future Design School from Russia, presenting furniture created from common Russian iconic objects, as matryoska.

"Green" and nature are the again the buzzwords in materials and design, often just used as cliché and quite questionable. Where is the sustainability of reclaimed wood imported from Asia ---what about transportation? And what is natural and sustainable in the recreation of trees, branches and flowers in steel and plastic?

Quite interesting ---although not new--- is the Canadian Molo line of products realized in non-woven polyethylene material, trade name Tyvek©. From modular walls to LED lighting this extremely lightweight material offers a very interesting vocabulary of forms.

Finally I found particularly of interest ---probably as related to my upcoming book on architectural geometry (to be published by Bentley Institute Press)--- the MGX by Materialise: functional and sculptural object realized in 3d-printing.

One missing element from the green + sustainability shebang: the human body.

Well, enough words; below a few images .

Tyvek© Walls and Lighting by Molo

3d Printing in Lighting Fixture by MGX by Materialise

LG Seating

LED Lightinh by QisDesign