The Chicago Spire

It's nice to see the American skyscraper isn't completely dead.  The Chicago Spire by Santiago Calatrava is currently under construction in Chicago. It is slated for completion in 2011, and will stand as the world's second tallest building.  Now if only it didn't look like a giant joint.

Architecture with a twist

New York architect Eric Clough left one family with more than a unique apartment renovation. He left them with a scavenger hunt mystery that unfolded over the weeks and months that followed. Click here to read the story.

If you have 15 minutes...

This short story was recommended to me last night by a friend. I was blown away by the prose and style. Enjoy!

MORE-akami, Please!

The Tashaki Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum is everything a well done retrospective of a current and great artist should be. The paintings were well displayed, his masterpieces new and old were present, as well as meaningful glimses into different media, colloborations, and a well thought out path that brought his career to life.

His interest in High Art vs. Commercialism made a play, as did his thoughts on globalization, and sex vs. society. A Kanye West Movie video played in a room covered with Carpet by his desing. Giant acrylic paintings hung next to his Louis Vuitton Purse collection. His stunning paintings contrasted with $10 stuffed animals of his favorite characters. He combines Ancient Japanese styling with his new streamlined characters, and adds a unique sanding technique to end with a completely unique style.

If you have the way and the means, GO SEE IT NOW. It runs through July 13th.

Another day, another project, another Jewish Museum for Daniel Libeskind.

Opening the Monday times, I saw that the new San Francisco Jewish Museum has opened. Designed by the Jewish Museum Guru, Daniel Libeskind, it is his 4th Jewish museum after Copenhagen, Osnabrück, and Berlin. While it seems he would be honing his skills, using each to aproach an issue of place or context (San Francisco has an entirely different meaning to Jews than Berlin), he instead focuses on the cultural traditions of Judaism. The first seemingly sparse collection is appropriately titled: "Being Jewish, a Bay Area Portrait".

Although Liebeskind intended the Museum to represent or perhaps invoke Paradise, the opposite is rather true. Although the U.S. has often represented sanctuary during times of opression, the Museum has the acute stabbing angles, cold steel and hard concrete of its terror inspiring Berlin and Copenhagen counterparts.

Again reissued were the Hebrew letters, Biblical phrases turned into architectural representation, Jewish symbols abstracted, other themes employed as "symbols".

All in all it seems a bit overdone. Maybe just re-done too many times. I wouldn't be surpised if Libeskind had an alogarithm for cranking out Jewish Museums. No matter how or through what means he came to this building, a $50M budget should get more from him than reissuing a previous project.

An insider at the firm has told me He's flying his entire enterprise, interns included, to SF for wining, dining, and the opening parrrrty.

For more information, read the New York times Review: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/arts/design/09jewi.html?pagewanted=2&ref=arts

IF you have pictures, please send!

Graphic-Exchange

I have long mourned the cancellation of my subscription to Communication Arts.  I always enjoyed thumbing through pages of solid graphic design.  Usually it was nothing too revolutionary but some nice eye candy.  Today I stumbled upon this gem to help fill my fix.  Graphic-Exchange is a well design website featuring works from Artless, DHNN (design has no name) and many others.  The designs range from very straight forward letterheads to abstract graphics design.  The site has several categories depending on what you are looking for - graphic, print, identity, music, web, photo, packaging, interior, and design.  I know I'll lose many hours exploring this site.

Mean Cards

Usually when I go to the local drug store to buy a card I'm getting ripped off. I'm paying $5 for a card with shitty graphics and the sappiest, most cliche message ever. Mean cards are something I can get behind. Anyone with a good sense of humor will enjoy the brilliance behind these utterly sarcastic cards by Julianna Holowka. If not - fuck em.