Contemporary Applied Arts

It just kept cropping up when I asked where to see great contemporary designcraft in London: the terribly august-sounding Contemporary Applied Arts (CAA). It was on the list of the uber-smart Mike Holmes of Velvet da Vinci. It was on the list of the very tasteful Lisa Bayne of Artful Home and of the ultra-knowledgeable Jill Read of the Crafts Council (UK.) I had to go.

It self-describes (on its website) as a “registered charity set up to promote and champion British craft…the premiere exhibition and retail venue for learning about, appreciating and purchasing contemporary craft.”

Briefly, I had an image of those shops you see in resort towns, brimming with dusty, earnest work from local “makers” sold (or more appropriately, chaperoned) by dusty, earnest ladies of a certain age. But I shook off the image. Mike, Lisa and Jill wouldn’t  lead me astray, would they?

“Just a few minutes, I swear,” I told the long-suffering Pete, as we opened the door to the shop. We emerged an hour later. “That was cool,” said Pete, with unfeigned enthusiasm. Agreed. Very much so.

CAA, based in London’s Fitzrovia, promotes and sells the best of British contemporary craft, and let me say, it’s a pretty glorious place, both for what it is, and what it does.

Let’s start with what it is: a gallery of rotating themed exhibits upstairs, and stunning, gorgeous work in all the usual materials (ceramics, wood, metal, glass) downstairs. (The ability to show or sell through CAA, by the way, is not open to all makers: you have to be a Member, with an approved body of work.) Add to this physical mix is a remarkably well-informed and helpful staff that actually understands the processes and techniques of the makers. Here were some our favorites from the selection on offer that day:

Silversmithing by Anna Lorenz (sexy, delicate, tough).

Ceramics by Ikuko Iwamoto (refinement with an edge).

Cecil Jordan’s beyond-perfect wooden bowls–the uniformity in size belies the extraordinary differences in the weight–purely a function of the specific type of wood used. Extraordinary.

Sarah Kay’s masterful, sculptural furniture.

Major plus: a juicy jewelry selection, with a wide range of lovely work at all kinds of price points.

It’s all great, beautiful work: modern, warm, unusual, refined, ownable. And it’s a place where people actually shop: we counted at least three couples scouting wedding/commitment rings the day we were there.

But what we love is how they do all this. Not only is the work exciting and inspiring, but there’s a set of wrap-around services that help the larger cause by helping make handcrafted work a more integral part of consumers’ lives. In particular, we loved that there’s a wedding/gift registry service (we’re big fans of that);  and a commissioning service that helps you both find a maker whose talents meet your needs, and helps you work with them. Very smart.

We love the idea of making it easier to own contemporary craft, and there need to be more of these venues, everywhere. But Londoners already have CAA: lucky, lucky them.

Details

www.caa.org.uk
2 Percy Street, London W1T 1DD

Unto This Last

EAST LONDON: nightfall. ”You’ve to come see this,” said the indefatigable Pete as I hurried after him. “Gotta get there before it closes.” We’d been traipsing around London’s East End all day, experiencing art “high” (White Cube) and “low” (the best in graffiti), going in and out of cutting-edge indie shops and pop-ups. We were now having a forage around the gritty cool, multi-culti, only-in-London Brick Lane.

And suddenly, there it was. A store/workshop/movement called Unto This Last. The onsite workshop makes, and the store sells wood furniture, lighting and accessories. The designs are ebullient and make you smile: there’s a lightness to the work, with its cool and sculptural swoops and curves, perfectly at home in spaces both modernist and eclectic.

What’s even better (if possible) is the ethos. Inspired by (and named after) John Ruskin‘s 1860 manifesto in which he fretted that mass production would wipe out local workshops, Unto This Last uses smart, high-tech production methods to bring consumers high-quality furniture made locally at mass production prices. As they say, “We design along a single principle: less dependence on heavy industrial processes, more use of innovative digital tools adapted to the small workshop.”

This ethos – and the thoughtfulness that goes with it – leads to good things. Things are made to order, so there’s less waste, no warehousing required. And in case you’re thinking that this means you can have anything you want as long as it’s earnest beige, think again:  there are currently over 100 product lines in up to 150 colors.

What allows all the smart production, cool design and affordable prices? The use of digital design tools, CNC routers, smart software and smarter processes. Software optimizes how each birch ply composite sheet is used: smaller accessories (earrings, pendents, candleholders, bowls, coat stands) are cut out of excess wood. And processes are constantly being refined to make sure that local manufacturing keeps its viability.

Just as smart as what goes on in the workshop is the fact that you can see what goes on there. It’s not just great entertainment, but it better connects you to what you’re buying, and gives you a story to tell your friends…which in turn brings them in.

Whether you call it artisanal manufacturing, or micro-manufacturing, we hope it’s a great trend that becomes more enduring, more widespread. From Unto This Last in London to places like OHIO Design in San Francisco, we think it’s one trend worth supporting.

PS: The additional upside for the environment (but downside for you, if you don’t live in London): they only deliver to London.

Details

Brick Lane Workshop

230 Brick Lane

London

020 7613 0882

Battersea Park Workshop

Arch 72 Queens Circus

London

020 7720 6558

All images courtesy of Unto This Last

Velvet da Vinci

When it comes to places where we can spend money on ourselves or our nests, we’re really pretty spoiled for choice. And that means that we can be–no, should be–picky about where we choose to drop our hard-earned cash. The retail world’s awash with people who open stores on a lark, or because of numbers on a spreadsheet, or because they need the tax write-off. Their stuff can be fun, but we think it feels better to reward–invest in, really–those brave, optimistic, visionary retailers, shop owners, “retail gallerists” (whatever you call them) who care about the art and craft of retail, who care deeply about the products they’ve picked and can tell a good story about them.

These stores do exist, whatever city you’re in. Find them. Support them. Share them. (Have a favorite? Let us know.)

But there are also those rare stores that are actually important–as in, if the store were to disappear, the world of design, craft, and style would be less interesting, or simply put: less good.

These stores (many of which are galleries too) matter because the people behind them give a damn. They’re about ideas and not just “stuff”. Their taste and design sense are impeccable. They’re deeply and intimately involved with the people who supply said stores. They know that they’re at the forefront of design and take that knowledge seriously, leading their market and not just pandering to it.  They play the role of connectors and convenors, bringing together people through events and shows. They punch above their weight: they make trends nationally, despite having just a single outpost or two.  And they’ve got staying power: how else would they exert such a pervasive influence on the design world?

In the worlds of contemporary design/craft, there are a few but (sadly) not terribly many in the US. I’d say Moss in New York, maybe Thomas O’Brien’s Aero Studios. In LA, perhaps Larry Schaffer’s OK and the wonderful A+R. In Europe, the list is a little more robust: Colette in Paris, 10 Corso Como in Milan, perhaps Mint, Few and Far, and even Conran’s in London.

To this list, I’ll add Mike Holmes’s and Elizabeth Shypertt’s Velvet da Vinci in San Francisco. It’s the go-to source for collectible contemporary art jewelry and metalcraft from around the world and, increasingly, other forms of delectable work (the day we were there, they had up some magical wooden and textile mobiles.)

Mike and Maaike

The store is broad: their website lists about 100 artists (several of whom have been profiled here) whose works they carry. They’re imaginative, bold and witty: their shows include Anti-War Medals (artists respond to the war) and Tiaras Will Be Worn. And in 2011, they celebrate their 20th year in the business. They’re unexpected and un-stuffy as well: their gallery/store prominently features a gloriously hand-built bike, an example of metal craft at its beautiful and functional best.

It’s their spot-on taste – refined, but not remotely precious – that really matters here. Mike and Elizabeth share an infectious excitement about contemporary craft: material, forward, smartly designed, and modern work. (The work they carry isn’t just meticulously crafted: it’s beautifully designed and well thought out.) They know and cultivate local emerging artists. They scour the American Craft Council and other shows (but are extremely picky). They know what’s going on at the schools, and know what’s going on in the contemporary craft scene in Europe and around the world. They’ve got the credibility and charm to pull in fabulous work. (And the fact that they have a memorable name can’t hurt, either.)

Helen Shirk

Chess Set by Lynn Christiansen

Finally – and this may be their real secret sauce –they have an incredible generosity of spirit. They care about the future of contemporary craft and they genuinely care about the artists they work with. Most importantly, they recognize that this is a community they’re serving and nurturing (both makers and collectors), and not just a series of credit card transactions they’re engaging in (though there are plenty of those, too.) They…. just get it.

Details:

Velvet da Vinci

2015 Polk Street, San Francisco CA 94109

Phone 415.441.0109

 

 

DesignCraft Heroine: Klari Reis

It’s funny how stereotypes work.

Say the word “artist”, for example. What comes to mind is often someone a bit tortured. And if they’re not the bitter and starving type (the most obvious cliché) then they’re these slightly seedy, cynical, arrogant, self-promoters who spend their lives making up for having been the kid no one wanted to sit next to at lunch in elementary school.

Well, Klari Reis is not tortured (no more than the rest of us). Nor is she seedy, cynical, or arrogant.

But she is her art: smart, exuberant, expansive, boundary-pushing, and profoundly optimistic.

She’s probably best known for her petri-dish installations (one of which comprises 365 petri dishes) that both directly depict and are inspired by the beauty in biology and micro-organisms.

Her trademark though is color: and it’s not just the choice and delicious, unexpected combinations. It’s the mix of intense, vibrant pools of color (courtesy of painstaking layering of pigments and dyes) with texture, which can only be described as luscious….as in glossy, candy-like, and viscous. You touch it (it’s hard not to) thinking it’ll be fluid. (It isn’t.)  And even on some of her more recent work, which includes some slightly more muted colors, the effect is still mesmerizing.

The shine comes courtesy of a mysterious epoxy polymer (the source and exact composition of which she won’t divulge). To work with it, she dons a tyvek suit and major-league respirator in her studio loft in South of Market San Francisco.

Mystery…Danger…Art…Beauty. How can you resist that?

With difficulty: her work has been exhibited around the world (the galleries that represent her are in Switzerland and London), graces the walls of hotels and restaurants, and is included in both private and corporate collections (including those of biotech companies, naturally).

Thumbnail bio: A BA from UC Davis (trained as an architectural designer), a brief stint at an architecture firm….and then an MFA from the City and Guilds of London Art School. She graduated, got representation and never looked back.

Where’d the idea of using epoxy polymers come from? I was painting and covering early paintings with a resin-like material for the texture it gave. But then when I was working at the architecture firm I worked on a project in which we used the epoxy polymer. I was drawn to the shine of it, its luster and started experimenting and working with it.

And the whole idea of the petri dishes? Really from my own experience. I was being treated for Crohn’s disease in the US and then also when I was studying in the UK. I was trying to understand the effect of the very different treatments I was getting, and when I was in the London, the doctors at St. Thomas’s were good enough to let me into the process, and let me look at cells through the microscope. I got interested in it from there. Are you a big fan of science and pharma? I don’t have strong feelings about pharmaceuticals as either good or bad….but I see the future of science in general as extremely positive and exciting.

What draws people to your work? The work is accessible but it’s also profound. There are lots of levels to it. With the color, shine comes a certain decorative element. But for some people, there is meaning in the science that inspires it.

You’ve done commissions for pharmaceutical companies based on their own discoveries. How is that? How close do you come to reality? Most of my work is inspired by the science. But it can be a challenge when you have CEOs who’ve worked on the drugs all their lives…where is that balance between reality and inspiration? It can be hard!

What are you working on these days? I’m working on maps as well. (Gorgeous!) Why maps? What’s the connection to what you’ve done before? I think I was always interested in shapes. And I like the link of anatomical and topographical systems.

What do you love the most about what you do? I just love working. I wear a big respirator, which makes it all feel like a scientific experiment. I close the curtains, put on the jumpsuit, and just do it. It’s meditative. Before I got curtains, I could hear people commenting below as they looked up from the street. It was pretty funny.

And how long do you work in your jumpsuit and mask? Oh, at most 4 hours at a stretch. Then I have to walk out. But then I have a crease around my face from the mask. People think I get a lot of massages.

Image Credit: SF Journal of Life and Sciences

Do you listen to anything as you work? I listen to fiction and non-fiction audiobooks. Right now, I’m listening to Steve Martin’s “Object of Beauty”. And dance music: Lady Gaga, The Killers.

Why do you think you’re successful? The team of people I work with, of course, they’re amazing, incredibly energetic. And I think that people are responding to the fact that the work is positive, and about positive thinking. That’s really what I started out with and it’s where I still am. It was originally was about drugs and all that but it’s about making my life more positive. I don’t know, a lot of artists are all about pain… I know. People love to put their pain in work….Why do they do that? (No clue.)

You’ve chosen to be represented by galleries in London and Switzerland. Is most of your work sold abroad? About 60% is sold abroad. Have you noticed a difference (between Europe and the US) in the way people look at or appreciate your work? I have. In London, people there just buy art more often. It seems to be an integral part of their every day lives. It’s more democratic and supported by the government. People just buy. It’s more of a priority than having a massive home. But really, the work really goes everywhere. One piece I just did is going to South Africa.

Who’s your market? It usually goes into contemporary homes. And it tends to go to gay men and families with children. It’s kind of wonderful.

What big lesson did you learn in the last year? Oh…when the work was shipped to Art Miami, some of the pieces were damaged – there were indentations from the shipping. I was trying to figure out what to do. So we went and bought a ton of wax and car polish to see if that would fix the problem…but then I thought maybe I could use heat since I use heat to create the art in the first place. So I got the hair dryer from the hotel, and was at the fair blow drying the work. I looked like a lunatic, sitting up on a ladder blow drying. (Performance art.) Did it work? Absolutely.

Who would play you in the movie of your life? Oh no. Can I get back to you on that? I don’t know, maybe Olivia Wilde, I like her.

What things inspire? Architecture, urban planning, shiny things. And lately I’m obsessed with red and orange and the combination of the two.

Image Credit: Klari Reis

And what things define you?

• I think the fact that I like to surprise people. I’ll wear black a lot but maybe put on red shoes or a fluorescent yellow coat.
• That I can be silly though I’m naturally even keel.
• My art collection at home: I have work by a lot of local artists…I got to know them when I was working at Hang Gallery back in the day. I love the work of David Fullerton and David Shrigley. I just bought a piece by him. What’s the work like? Line drawings with text, with British humor; it’s kind of slapstick art. And I love the work of a metal artist: David Buckingham. And Micheal Cutlip’s collage work. And Siddarth Parasnis art-he’s at Dolby Chadwick. Is there a theme to what you buy? Not really. I just buy small things I love!

Best gift you’ve received? A handmade bracelet from my boyfriend.

And the best gift you’ve given? That’s hard. But I’ve given a lot of art! My mom’s got a lot of my work, which I’ve let her pick out….of course, sometimes it’s work that I hate….

Well you’d be the only one who hates it! Thanks, Klari.

Details

www.klariart.com

Hot Press, Cool Events: February edition

Welcome to our expanded Hot Press, Cool Events. We’ve been hearing from you for some time now that you’re wildly sophisticated travelers who need to get a little DesignCraft fix when you’re on the road. (Or maybe you just want to know what’s going on where…) So we’ve hand-picked events from coast to coast and Europe as well (starting in the UK for now). Also note that we’re going to be doing one larger MONTHLY listing with updates (especially for local events) on the Handful of Salt Facebook page. So if you’re not already a “fan”, become one now, and stay in the loop for news and local events.

As usual….if you have an event, opening, etc, let us know!

Northern California

Family Tree: Fine Woodworking in Northern California

Jan. 21 – Mar. 13, 2011 @ The Petaluma Arts Center, Petaluma

Handmade or “studio furniture” has been a strong presence in California since 1945. To celebrate this movement, curator Kathleen Hanna has traced the lineage from pioneers Bob Stockdale, Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Arthur Hanna and J.B. Blunk to the present graduates of the wood furniture design program at California College of the Arts. This exhibition features 25 artists whose work has influenced California’s contemporary fine woodworking movement. Also on exhibit will be faculty-selected works by students from the Furniture Design Program at California College of the Arts. Throughout the exhibition will be weekend demonstrations, lectures and events.  http://petalumaartscenter.org/2010/family-tree-fine-woodworking-in-ca/

ANZFER FARMS/MONDAY SPACES Presents GRID

Jan. 29 from 6-9 pm @ Monday Spaces, San Francisco

Charles Shedden is a Brooklyn-based artist making drawings, handmade books, and interactive works. The opening reception is at Anzfer Farms‘ Monday Spaces gallery and showroom, which features the work of our favorite DesignCraft heroes and Raissa Bump jewelry and knitwear. www.MondaySpaces.com

Public Eateries

Feb 3 @ 4:15 at Coup d’Etat, San Francisco

Go behind the scenes and listen to architects and designers Cass Calder Smith, Stephen Brady and Charles de Lisle talk about the thinking and process behind the design of major restaurants like 25 Lusk, Barbacco, Spruce, Cafe Des Amis,House of Shields, and Canteen.  It’s Thursday, February 3rd at 4:15pm at (the delicious, delovely) Coup d’Etat. RSVP…Seating is limited, the buzz is huge, so RSVP soon. 111 Rhode Island Street , San Francisco CA 94103. info@coupdetatsf.com

Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave

Feb. 5 – Jun. 5, 2011 @ the Legion of Honor, San Francisco

Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave is a painter by training, but textile and costume are her muses. Working in collaboration with leading costume historians and young fashion designers, de Borchgrave crafts a world of splendor from the simplest rag paper. Painting and manipulating the paper, she forms trompe l’oeil masterpieces of elaborate dresses inspired by rich depictions in early European painting or by iconic costumes in museum collections around the world.  The Legion of Honor is the first American museum to dedicate an entire exhibition to the work of Isabelle de Borchgrave.  http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/legion/exhibitions/pulp-fashion-art-isabelle-de-borchgrave

Outside In

February 11 @ First Amendment Gallery (San Francisco)

Graffiti art: So often do we walk past society’s tattooed walls without noticing the meticulousness, beauty and required technical skills of this often under-appreciated art form.  That being said, 1:AM Gallery presents Outside In, a collection of urban artists bringing the stylized art form of graffiti to the gallery.  1:AM gives you an up close and personal look at street art, while giving you the opportunity to bring a piece of the street art culture back home with you.  http://1amsf.com/future-exhibitions/

Hot Glass, Cold Beer

Feb. 12 @ Public Glass, San Francisco

Public Glass hosts European glass artists Bjørn Friborg and Fredrik Nielsen for its first HOT GLASS COLD BEER of 2011. Based in Denmark and Sweden respectively, Bjørn and Fredrik last appeared at Public Glass in 2009, where they wowed the crowd with their rock-and-roll, envelope-pushing style of glassblowing. For a donation of $25, guests can select a one-of-a-kind, hand-blown drinking glass that will be filled with their choice of beer, wine or soft drinks all evening and at the end of the night, the glass is theirs to keep.  http://publicglass.org/

Southern California

Zandra Rhodes: A Lifelong Affair With Textiles

Oct. 3, 2010 — Apr. 3, 2011 @ the Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California

Mingei International Museum collaborated with Zandra Rhodes and her studio to organize this exhibition of haute couture garments from the 1960’s through the 1980’s. The pieces reveal her process and worldwide influences.  http://www.mingei.org

Design Preis Schweiz | Interstitial Exhibition

Jan.  28, 2011 – Feb. 4, 2011 @ A plus D (Architecture and Design Museum), Los Angeles

Swiss design is known for rigor, beauty, and function. The traveling biennial exhibition comes to A+D Architecture and Design Museum Los Angeles, and features design in communications, textiles, products, furniture and fashion, all by Swiss designers working in Switzerland or abroad.  Sponsors are: Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council, Swissnex San Francisco, Consulate General of Switzerland Los Angeles, Switzerland. See www.aplusd.org/

East Coast

Nordic Models + Common Ground (Art and Design Unfolded)

Oct. 29, 2010 – Mar. 09, 2011 @ the Scandinavia House, New York

The American-Scandinavian Foundation continues to celebrate its centennial year with Nordic + Common Ground, an exhibition featuring new Nordic architecture and design, curated by the hot Norwegian architecture firm, Snøhetta (recently chosen to work with SFMOMA on their expansion). Selecting the work of 35 artists and designers who hail from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, the firm’s principal Craig Dykers highlights the impact that Scandinavian designers are making worldwide. www.scandinaviahouse.org/

Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffman, Koloman Moser, Dagobert Peche: Birth of the Modern: Style and Identity in Vienna 1900

Feb. 24, 2011 – Jun. 27, 2011 @ the Neue Galerie Museum for German and Austrian Art, New York

Major works by fine artists Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele will be on view, as well as furniture by architects Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos, and decorative artists Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. There will be a special emphasis on fashion, with loans of key clothing and accessories from the period. The exhibition will also explore the overlap with new attitudes towards gender and sexuality that surface in Viennese literature and psychology at the time. http://www.neuegalerie.org/

By Local

Feb. 4 – Mar. 26 2011 @ the Pittsburgh Glass Center (Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery), Pittsburgh

This exhibition, dedicated to showcasing the work of Pittsburgh glass artists, highlights the talent, aesthetic variety and technical mastery existing in the local glass community. Participating artists include Judy Charlson, Brian Engel, Jason Forck, Arthur Guilford, Drew Hine, Adam Kenney, Michael Mangiafico, Gillian Preston, and Heather Joy Puskarich. The exhibition continues through March 26, 2011.http://www.morganglassgallery.com/shows/by_local_11.htm Opening reception Friday, Feb. 4 from 5:30 to 9pm.

TENacity

Feb. 4 – Apr. 17, 2011 @ the Pittsburgh Glass Center (Hodge Gallery), Pittsburgh

For 10 years Pittsburgh Glass Center has been growing a community of glass artists. PGC’s newest exhibition, “TENacity”, will showcase the talents of glass artists in the region. Artists will reflect on events from the last 10 years ranging from 9/11 to the election of the first black president in the U.S. and create new work based on a historic event. http://www.pittsburghglasscenter.org/gallery/hodge-upcoming.aspx

Loom and Lathe: The Art of Kay Sekimachi and Bob Stocksdale

Feb. 5 – Sep. 11, 2011 @ the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts

This exhibition of fiber art and woodturning showcases the long and distinguished careers of Kay Sekimachi and Bob Stocksdale. Married for over thirty years, each supported the other’s work, while becoming renowned in their separate fields. Reception February 27, 2011 2-5 pm  http://www.fullercraft.org/exhibitions.html

Furniture Divas: New Work by Contemporary Makers

Feb. 19 – Oct. 30 2011 @ the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts

Curated by Meredyth Hyatt Moses, “Furniture Divas” presents the contemporary work of a dozen women in the field of studio furniture. The exhibition celebrates the contributions of these women to studio furniture and provides a snapshot of contemporary developments in the field. “Furniture Divas” celebrates the following artists: Vivian Beer, Polly Cassel, Gail Fredell, Jenna Goldberg, Barbara Holmes, Kristina Madsen, Sarah Martin, Wendy Maruyama, Judy Kensley McKie, Alison McLennon, Sylvie Rosenthal, Rosanne Somerson, Wendy Stayman, Leah Wood, and Yoko Zeltzerman-Miyaji.  http://www.fullercraft.org/exhibitions.html

United Kingdom

Lab Craft: Digital Adventures in Contemporary Craft

Jan. 10-Feb. 19 @ the Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth UK

Lab Craft features 26 makers who combine the hand, mind and eye, technical mastery of tools and materials and aesthetic sensibility, with cutting-edge digital technologies such as rapid prototyping, laser cutting, laser scanning and digital printing. It explores the use of technology as an extension to the capabilities of the human hand. http://gallery.plymouthart.ac.uk/index.php

Lights On: Visual Art Exhibition

Jan. 21, 2011 – Mar. 13, 2011 @ Siobhan Davies Studio, London UK

In this installation, light comes to the fore, showing its great potential in shaping our perception of space. Curator Nuno Coelho presents work that intervenes within the public spaces of Siobhan Davies Studios by creating light installations in different areas of the building, taking full advantage of the darkness of the winter days. The exhibit presents the works of six emerging designers with very distinct approaches, Eelko Moorer, Freddie Yauner, Henny van Nistelrooy, Jesse Visser, Jordi Canudas and Mathias Hahn. http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/events/current/lights-on.html

Breath Taking: Revealing A New Wave in British Glass Blowing

Jan. 22 – Mar. 19, 2011 @ Bilston Craft Gallery, Bilston UK

Breath Taking presents blown glasswork by 22 UK makers, including 17 new commissions and five exemplary pieces from the Crafts Council Collection. The selected makers all illustrate a contemporary and lyrical approach to this age-old process through the presentation of exciting new works, many of which are conceptual and non-functional forms that breathe new life into a traditional practice. www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/bilston/exhibitions/04479.html

The Brit Insurance Designs of the Year Awards

Feb. 16 – Mar. 15, 2011 @ the Design Museum, London

“The Oscars of the design world” showcase the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world. Last year’s winner, was the Folding Plug by Min-Kyu Choi that revolutionizes a humble, but essential, piece of everyday equipment.

See last years category winners, nominations and comment on the designsoftheyear.com blog. Stephen Bayley will chair the jury and will be joined by art and design curator Janice Blackburn OBE, graphic designer Mark Farrow, novelist Will Self, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Kingston University Penny Sparke and Simon Waterfall co-founder of digital agency Poke. Key Dates: Feb 16: Exhibition opens at the Design Museum. Feb 27: Brit Insurance Design Awards in each category announced. March 15: Awards night at Design Museum. www.designsoftheyear.com/about/visit-the-exhibition/

DesignCraft Heroine: Julie Alland

It all started with an interview with the lovely Carolyn Wang, glass artist, DesignCraft Heroine. As I nosed around her gorgeous, airy studio in San Francisco, I came across some jarringly different work.

Where Carolyn’s work is effervescent champagne, and reminiscent of water and waves, this was more like some impeccably crafted, austerely complex scotch redolent of earth and soil. Both beautiful. But really, really different from each other.

Now there’s breadth, and then there’s Jekyll and Hyde. I started to wonder about Carolyn.

And then she explained: It’s a studio mate, she said, a glass artist and sculptor named Julie Alland. Ah. I mused aloud that we might have another DesignCraft heroine in the making. But she’s kind of private, said Carolyn. Unlikely to submit to an interview. I sighed.

But then some things are just meant to happen, aren’t they?

So back to my favorite studio I went.

Julie’s work is magical. The glass (sand cast) is molded into rigorous geometric forms, but it’s what’s inside (and sometimes extending outside) of those forms that’s so intriguing: wire sculptures, burnt branches and other found objects. It’s intriguing visually of course. But it becomes more intriguing the more you know about the process: the chemical and physical reactions that take place when these embedded elements meet molten glass. Things burn, oxidize, create new forms. And it’s the type of work you don’t get tired of looking at: each piece says something different, depending on your perspective.

Another bonus of being in her studio: being able to see her wire sculptures, which she says aren’t done, but which look spectacular to me. And then there’s Julie herself: a little reserved (yes) but with smart, articulate passion, self-confidence, and a certain refreshing pragmatism. At some point Julie reveals that she’s a book-keeper at a local print broker by day…and the tendency toward groundedness and pragmatism becomes clear. (It’s all very yin/yang…”It gives me discipline,” she says, “And makes me a better artist.” Well, it seems to be working.)

How’d you come to work in glass? Your degree (from Antioch in Ohio) is in photography. It’s kind of a long story. (Excellent.) I got the degree but lost interest in photography. After I graduated I floundered around for a long time, went back to drawing and painting. The important moment came when I moved to San Francisco. I’d always been a junk collector, always picking up bits of twisted metal and wire. One day I found a lamp stand. I restored it and made it into a sculpture. Then I started going to thrift shops and finding lamp components. But it always looked more like sculpture, and then I realized…oh I’m a sculptor. That was a very important moment for me.

How I came to glass is that I wanted to take things a bit further by making a found-object piece that included some cast elements. Since I didn’t know how to make molds and cast at the time, I taught myself. Eventually I got too proficient and started losing interest. One day by chance I saw a listing for a glass kiln-casting class at Public Glass. I knew about glass blowing (which didn’t appeal to me), but had never heard of kiln-casting. So I enrolled and got hooked because it was way more difficult than anything I’d done before, but also because I fell in love with glass. And from there, I started taking classes at Pilchuck Glass School, and really evolved my approach and sand-casting technique there.

Your work’s really evolved over the years. You used to make these very accessible pop art pieces, but then have come to this more artistic, conceptual, cerebral (and yet emotional) work. How’d that happen? Yeah. I used to do lost wax kiln casting, but it’s extremely tedious and time consuming. I loved the results but got so sick of the process.

And why sand-casting? Sand-casting had always appealed to me. It’s the opposite of the other technique…it’s so much more spontaneous. I remember going to an Eva Hess show and remarking to my husband how Eva collaborated with materials rather than fighting with them the way I was doing. Seeing that show helped me crystallize the notion of doing more sand-casting.

With sand-casting I really do feel like I’m collaborating with materials. There’s a certain amount of control but also beneficial accidents. But it’s a tough, physical, complex, and pretty expensive process that really requires assistance. It can be dangerous….you’re moving quickly and carrying a lot of weight: you’re taking this big ladle and dipping it into a big container of molten glass (in a furnace). I need someone to open the furnace, then when I’m pouring the mold you need someone to snip the glass. And if you have a bunch of bubbles that rise to the top you need someone to help you torch it. Then when you dig the casting out of the sand, it helps to have someone carry it.

I love the simplicity of your forms. I keep the shape neutral so you can focus on what’s going on inside the piece.  What about the domed ones that look like diving bells? That was a happy accident: I used a snow dome as a mold….but the protrusions I added ended up making them look like diving bells.

How did you start working with the wire inside the glass? I was at Pilchuck and for some reason, I wasn’t having a good session. I found some bits of copper wire and started playing with it: it was soothing to do things with my hands. And then I got the idea of pouring some glass over it.

Was it love at first sight? Oh no, I wasn’t impressed with first results….but then I added elements…started bending wire around a stick, and kept working at it.

What inspires? Pretty much everything. But in many ways, the work I’m doing now makes it feel like I’m returning to my childhood. I grew up in suburban NY state (Grandview on Hudson) and spent a lot of time outdoors, with lots of big old trees around. I love the shapes of trees and branches especially at twilight….they look black against the sky. And I’ve always loved rocks. I always look at the ground.

Where do you go these days to get inspiration? I only seek inspiration if I feel really stuck. Then I go look for materials…sometimes finding a beautiful stick will inspire. And inspiration finds me in some strange places. For instance, I recently went to Slanted Door and was in the bathroom. (Oh this is going to be good.) I noticed the toilet paper holder is a rough-cut board that has traces of insects….great wiggly trails.  I’m sitting there and realizing how beautiful this was….and more beautiful than I could do myself. Another even more inspiring moment happened on the way to visit my family in NYC for Thanksgiving. I looked out the airplane window just before sunset as we flew over the desert (Nevada maybe?). The landscape was extraordinarily beautiful — bare hills/mountains with dry riverbeds meandering throughout and branching out like gigantic fallen trees or veins. (Nice.) And sometimes I look at scientific or art books. Really interested in veins in the human body…..related to trees, etc. And sea life, coral.

Whose work inspires? Eva Hesse, David Nash, Andy Goldsworthy, Petah Coyne, Ruth Asawa.

What do you listen to when you’re in the studio? Music is incredibly important to me. It can help lift my spirits when I’m down, or energize me when I am tired. I am on a big Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds kick right now. But other than that, I listen to NPR.

Are you from an artistic family? Kind of. I grew up surrounded by my parents’ art collection and shelves full of art books. We also made frequent trips to galleries and museums and performances in NYC. My father is a professor (emeritus) in cultural anthropology at Columbia University, one of these people so in love with their work they won’t retire. His father was a WPA photographer who then became an antiques dealer. (It’s a fascinating story.) My mom plays the flute and piano and spends hours practicing. My mother also translates friends’ poetry and prose from French to English and submits the manuscripts to journals and book companies. She’s faced a lot of rejection, but has also succeeded in getting quite a few things published. The example my mother set taught me about self motivation as well as the value of hard work, persistence and delayed gratification.

Would you like to chuck the day job and be a full-time artist? Surprisingly not all people do. Some people say it would then feel like a job. Oh I would if I could make a living at it….without having to teach and take commissions.

What makes you feel satisfied/successful? When I make something or a body of work that feels great, is up to my standards. Being offered a solo show is also great. But I don’t want to base success and satisfaction on sales….it’s so dependent on so many factors.

What would you make if money, space, time were no object? (The answer comes quickly.) A huge piece….maybe a rectangle, or maybe a diving bell piece. It would have to anneal for months!

What’s was your biggest moment of joy? Going to Pilchuck for the first time. Discovering glass. Discovering that I’m a sculptor. That was pretty great.

So….who plays you in the story of your life? And what kind of story would it be? I came up with 2 actresses, but we look different and they are much prettier than me. Oh everyone says that, so just tell us. OK, they’re Katherine Keener and Janine Garrafolo. (Both wildly different, but also perfect. My first instinct was a brunette Tilda Swinton.) And genre? An animated movie, maybe like Ghost World. (Interesting…..)

What defines you? Family and cultural background. And there’s a science component to my family too (my brother is a doctor and medical researcher) that’s shaped my art. Being introverted and needing solitude. I am very geeky: I love gathering technical information and techniques and solving problems. My marriage…it’s a great marriage but a bit unconventional, since my husband and I don’t live together; we have separate apartments in the same building. He’s an artist too, and the feedback I get from him is always valuable. And my belief in contradictions and paradoxes. I’m a sloppy perfectionist. (Yes!)

But in terms of things…

My white gold minimalist wedding ring. No adornments so that materials don’t get stuck in it when I am sculpting and I never have to take it off.

Silver-tone Timex watch “Easy Reader / indiglo” model.

Black Keen Briggs shoes. They allow me stay on my feet for hours and hours.

Black cotton gloves adorned with henna tattoo designs on the backs and palms.

My old nerdy Kyocera cell phone (with its $15 / month prepaid plan) that I hardly ever use

What’s the first thing you reach for in the morning? I’m not a morning person. Caffeine.

Thanks, Julie. Stay true. And by the way, for a person who characterizes themselves as “shy”, you give a great interview.

Details

www.juliealland.com

Hot press, cool events: January 21st edition

Whether you’ve got snow fatigue or spring fever (believe it or not), here are some events to inspire and entice.  (And oh by the way, remember to vote for Handful of Salt on Apartment Therapy’s Homies award for best design blog. Very much appreciated!)

And…remember to send us your events. Thanks.

If you’re in the SF Bay Area….

Sign up now. Go behind the scenes and listen to architects and designers Cass Calder Smith, Stephen Brady and Charles de Lisle talk about the thinking and process behind the design of major restaurants like 25 Lusk, Barbacco, Spruce, Cafe Des Amis, House of Shields, and Canteen.  It’s Thursday, February 3rd at 4:15pm at (the delicious, delovely) Coup d’Etat. RSVP…Seating is limited, the buzz is huge, so RSVP soon. 111 Rhode Island Street , San Francisco CA 94103. info@coupdetatsf.com

Get smart. CCA has a lecture series called Design and Craft (love that.) The next lecture, on January 27 at 7 pm features Studio Gorm (John Arndt and Wonhee Jong). Their approach to design involves revisiting tradition, introducing innovations from other cultures, and repurposing elements of daily life. The resulting designs are familiar but different, smart but unpretentious, playful but thoughtfully made. At the California College of the Arts, San Francisco Campus, Timken Lecture Hall, 1111 Eighth Street.

Get back to your roots. In Family Tree: Fine Woodworking in Northern California, features 25 artists whose work has influenced California’s contemporary fine woodworking movement. The exhibit traces the studio furniture tradition from pioneers Bob Stockdale, Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Arthur Hanna and J.B. Blunk through to present graduates of the wood furniture design program at California College of the Arts. Runs from January 21-March 13. Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma.

See an original. When we ask our interviewees who inspires them, Eva Hess’s name crops up time and time again. Now the Berkeley Art Museum is holding an exhibit of her work, Eva Hesse: Studiowork.  The exhibit features work made from a diverse range of materials, and includes pieces never before seen. This should be good. Runs January 26-April 10.

Celebrate a Milestone. Remember…Berkeley’s Shibumi is 5, and is celebrating by offering 20% off any single item during the month of January. What amazing stuff. Get in there now.

Prepare to be amazed. Get in and see SF’s Velvet da Vinci. They have a lovely set of work by Helen Shirk and Brooke Battles (January 5-February 6) and lots of other major temptations. And stay tuned for a great show of work by David Gates.

If in LA…

Catch it before it goes. Life in Ceramics: Five Contemporary Korean Artists Korean ceramics have long been appreciated for their superb craftsmanship and originality, first in China, then in Japan, and finally, since the nineteenth century, in the West. UCLA’s Fowler Museum is holding an exhibit of the work of Kim Yikyung, Lee In Chin, Lee Kang Hyo, Lee Youngjae, and Yoon Kwang-cho.

And also…..the Los Angeles Museum of Ceramic Art at Acme which is open through February 5. At Acme, 6150 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Stick to your knitting. Robert Apodaca’s Fifth Floor Gallery is holding an opening reception for Unnatural Process, a show of Dameon Lester’s amazing, evocative and provocative sculptures of knitted metal and felt. The show will be up through February 6.

Get beyond chocolate with the Design Preis Schweiz/Swiss Design Award. Swiss design is known for rigor, beauty, function. The traveling biennial exhibition comes to A+D Architecture and Design Museum>Los Angeles, and features design in communications, textiles, products, furniture and fashion, all by Swiss designers working in Switzerland or abroad. The exhibition opens January 27th from 6-9 PM with a panel discussion involving Swiss and L.A.-based designers.

…and in New York…

See what’s inspiring. The American-Scandinavian Foundation continues to celebrate its centennial year with Nordic + Common Ground, an exhibition featuring new Nordic architecture and design, curated by the hot Norwegian architecture firm, Snøhetta (recently chosen to work with SFMOMA on their expansion). Selecting the work of 35 artists and designers who hail from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, the firm’s principal Craig Dykers highlights the impact that Scandinavian designers are making worldwide. Now through Wednesday, March 9, Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave. NY.

Eat Drink Art Design. The Museum of Arts and Design has a great show on (more of a profile in a recent post) that showcases tableware from their own collection, from the perfectly designed to the perfectly conceptual. Yum. Now through February 13.