Funestration

Bliss Nor-Am's architectural windows and doors are stunning. Their design aesthetic reminds me of Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House- clean, simple and functional.    Love it.

Art Imitating Nature

How fabulous is this terrain in Arizona's sandstone Coyote Buttes? It reminds me of Heatherwick's staircase installation in SOHO. What a trip.

Slow Dancing

Harvard Yard is best known for being a convocation conduit. This week however, it's adding "art installation" to it's CV. New York artist, David Michalek is featuring his work Slow Dancing across the red brick hem of the open space. Projected across several large screens, he casts footage of dancers from the around the world in "hyper slow motion". Genius.

roots of a city

Mitch Epstein is currently featuring his photographic essay of New York City's "Great Trees" at the Sikkema Jenkins Gallery in Chelsea. The juxtaposition of man versus nature rendered these 2 images as my favs.

Cool Hunting

www.coolhunting.com is a tantalizing website devoted to the amalgamation of travel, art and architecture. Josh Rubin, the site's founder (and esteemed Ted Talks member) harvests the globe for far-flung inspiration. Daily posts will capture your imagination and trap you in the cognoscenti of the design world.

Sunshine State of Mind

Spring Break...enjoy.

wisteria

I was toodling through the Meatpacking District when I stumbled upon this beaut. In a couple of weeks the climber is going to be a profusion of purple but for now, it's sinuous architecture is a delight.

Episodic Curiousity

Tierney Gearnon's photography straddles all three lanes on a moral highway. Dare to check into her website for the fast lane or enjoy her feature in The New York Times Magazine for those who like to coast on the far right. The mix of landscape, Plexiglas and children featured in her work makes it uniquely funky.

Company's Coming

I get an architectural kick out of watching cities structurally resuscitate once winning their bid to host the Olympic Games.
This ritual reminds me of my mother preparing for one of her extreme dinner parties. (Floral arrangements grow from thin air, dance tents erupt in the backyard, oyster shukers prepare their ice beds on the patio, musicians rehearse in the living room, candy dishes are extolled of cashew dregs while the caterers go bananas in the kitchen.) There is a huge degree of work involved to master the fine art of entertaining.
In London's case, the scale is exponentially extruded. The world is coming to visit. Their improvements campaign to bolster their urban infrastructure is well underway. On my radar is Heatherwick's Olympic Cauldron (yet to be unveiled) and the King's Cross Station renovation by John Mcasian + Partners (above).

Ideas Worth Sharing

www.ted.com has replaced the ambient drawl of Yellow Ledbetter types which typically stream through my kitchen. The premise of the website is "Ideas Worth Sharing". I dialed it up and selected Architecture/Landscape Architecture from the search menu as my "theme". With the gracious bandwidth of it's cerebral content, I felt as if I had returned to the crimson halls of college.
Delivered by leaders of the profession, I was connected with a syllabus of lectures to refreshingly audit. I started with Daniel Libeskind's lecture on "17 Words of Architectural Inspiration" and then enjoyed Thomas Heatherwick's chat "Building The Seed Cathedral"(my latest crush).
Fantastic.

Catering to the Designer

Jungsik is a contemporary Korean restaurant in the West Village. The artistic design of the food is unbelievable. The Landscape Architect in me fell for this dish "Four Seasons".


Meanwhile, to satiate my architectural undertones, Jungsik also has an exhibition space that features cultural art. Currently on exhibit is Daksahl- circular architectural motifs that are customarily conveyed in Korean cooking. Their detailed language is stunning.

2 Harrison Street
New York, New York