Yesterday, was the presentation of Alexander McQueen’s last collection, 16 pieces he personally tailored before his passing. Even though these are the last, the parent company of McQueen, PPR, has announced that they would keep the house open and continue the business.
I show these because they represent exactly what McQueen was famous for and everything I love, the intersection of Fashion and Art. Inspired by a range of works from Byzantine art and Old Master paintings to the carvings of Grinling Gibbons, the fabrics were created by digitally capturing entire works of art and weaving them into the fabrics. As would be expected the show was quite somber with what WWD called “solemn, funereal and even a little spooky.”
Saw this and love it! Reinhard Dienes, the acclaimed furniture designer, has designed an exclusive line of Cardboard furniture with Fashion4Home. Not only is this 100% environmentally conscious because its made of recycled cardboard but they are extremely stylish and affordable. For more: freshhome: Cardboard Furniture Can Look Good, Here is the Proof
This masterpiece of Modernism was designed by Wallace K. Harrison and Isamu Noguchi in 1947 on the Maine coast. Designed as a summer home for William A.M. Burden and his wife, Margaret Livingston Partridge Burden, in 1996 it was inherited by their youngest son Ordway Burden and his wife. In 1999, in the midst of being renovated their was a fire and all that was left was the chimney and some metal frames part of Noguchi’s design. The family was finally able to move back in in 2006. For the story and more photos visit the below link. Its definitely worth the read.
I love crossover projects. Here is some news by way of the Architect’s Newspaper Blog about Herzog & de Meuron’s latest project, the stage for Verdi’s Atilla which premiers tonight at the Met. That in addition to Prada designing all of the costumes for the performance are sure to add some interesting creative energy to the show! For more: ANB: Pritzkers Take the Stage
The design for the new US Embassy in London has been announced and it could not be more disappointing. This isn’t to say that the architect isn’t a talented architect, its the choosing of this design out of what they had to choose from that makes me question their sanity. The final four included designs from Morphosis, Richard Meier and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.
Moving from its current location in a Saarinen building on Grosvenor Square to a new spot on the Thames, the official selection is by architect Kieran Timberlake who to his credit has done some really nice work, including the Loblolly House in Maryland, buildings at Yale and Cornell and a home for the Make It Right project in New Orleans. Yet, the design for the embassy isn’t great. It is cold, corporate and very uninteresting, which I can only assume is a result of what the state department asked for.
The disappointment here lies in what this choice projects. For a building that is supposed to represent not only American strength but its creativity and culture, why choose something that speaks so much to the opposite, a lack of culture and a focus on corporate and capitalism. I certainly hope that Londoners can look past this choice…
Architecture to me has always been a very hard language to speak in. As you know if you follow my site, I love anything architecture and design but if you aren’t speaking of function then architecture has always been very hard for me to discuss. My manner of discussing and conversing architecture is through photography and sometimes film.
There are number of films that showcase great architecture in an interesting way, one being My Architect on the works of Louis Khan. That said, rarely do you find someone who is able to speak so clearly through film and illustrate the beauty of architecture as well as Alex Roman and his film The Third and The Seventh.
Needless to say that I was floored by this short film. Very rarely do you come across something you see that makes you sit back and breath easier and just feel inspired. More after the jump.
