Wednesday, December 30, 2009

copper, stone, horn...and perhaps something moor

neolithic-nouveau.
I recently stumbled across these figurines, featured in an article from 'Archeology' magazine. I've hardly been able to tear my thoughts away. Sculpture has frequently been used as a medium of metamorphosis, no one can argue that. From it's earliest fathoms to the introduction of metal as an implement for creation, then beyond that to the modern monoliths we erect daily, the passionate need to etch, carve & construct ourselves into time has driven countless cultures...

The proportions and pose of each of these pieces is suggestive and alluring, the man seated, almost woe begotten & pensive, the female reclined, hands clasped, seemingly hyper-aware in her posture, knowing & voluptuous. Dated from 5000-4600 BC., these statuettes were birthed from Copper Era Romania, whose enormous villages rivaled Mesopotamia's earliest cities in size. Moldova, Romania & Bulgaria are renowned in the West for having inspired the widely held belief that ancient Europeans were goddess worshipers...These pieces called to mind the haunting Cycladic figures of Aegean fame which are testament to the cyclic lure of art throughout history.

"Expressive ceramic figurines in the 'thinking' pose are particularly striking, and eerily prefigure modern art"- Eric Powell (from the trenches)


and then...

Rich-in-Craft's 'Folie à Deux ' collection is hyper-magnifique...WANT. But...at $600 a bag, there's nary a one in my immediate future to be had. Which is not to say the cost is unwarranted - the craftsmanship is superb, they are conceptually ambrosial, and I'd rock them all the live-long day. Amen.


in closing...


My husband & I have been fawning over Veronica Webb's dwelling in Key West, Florida since it's 'Architectural Digest' feature last March...

"If it were not overlooking a coconut-palm-fringed canal, the lavish if modestly scaled pleasure palace that New York designer Todd Black created as Veronica Webb’s family retreat in Key West would surely be taken at first glance for a royal pavilion in Marrakech or Taroudannt in Morocco. The docile manatees grazing in the canal, however, place it firmly in South Florida, where it is tucked away in a tropical paradise of a garden that includes mangoes, papayas, pineapples, yellow frangipanis, a diverse collection of palms and 45 varieties of orchids colorfully perched on the 100-year-old trees that populate their recently transfigured surroundings."

Ms. Webb goes on to talk about the creative process, including the importation of a number of authentic Moroccan craftsmen who stayed on over a year to compose fine, intricate tile-work, the amazing wooden rawshans pocketing portals throughout the home and miles of sophisticated, labyrinthine stonework. She bases her initial delight in Moorish design from time spent with elusive Tunisian-born couturier and master leatherman Azzedine "Dress to Kill" Alaïa (yum) during the height of her model days....

I'm in love with it - despite the fact that it's location is a bit undesirable (in my opinion). Key West makes sense for them due to the fact that George Robb, Webb's husband is an avid shipwreck culture enthusiast & founder of the RPM Nautical Foundation, which is headquartered there. I was equally impressed with Webb's choice of installation art on such a large scale, which blends seamlessly into the surrounding opulence of her living room. Teresita Fernández’s 'Blue Haze' is so remarkably stunning!

...want an authentic architectural slice of this heaven?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

bindings, baubles & confection fixations

The holiday season is well underway, and I must confess an air of excitement & exultation. I feel sense of accomplishment in being married, unlike anything I've hoped to know. My days are spent working and dreaming; my evenings lazed and content. My husband is driven and tender; overflowing with aspirations and vision which is at once inspirational and a bit daunting. I'm so looking forward to see what this upcoming year brings! - hopefully some great travel & possibly a move, I'm overflowing with spatial conceptions...and of course, a bit of that newlywed nesting bug seems to have afflicted me.

Kurban Bayram, or "Festival of Sacrifice", as I've come to know it, is one my husband's most revered. He's painted it a colorful festival, filled with music, dancing, some of the most incredible foods (yum!!), friends and family all steeped in rich religious history...his eyes lost, blank with quiet longing; excited with the telling...it's overwhelming. His inherent lust for his home the way he solemnly honors his traditions is admirable and so very endearing. It can be infectious and leave you perplexed with envious wonder...it can break your heart. I've so embraced the prospect of conjoining our ideals and visions - the many paths laid before us as a partnership...the many projects and hardships to undertake and rise above; the melding of our histories and twining of our future fused like static in folded hands...


speaking of hands...

I'm exhaustively enamored with these Mosaic Carved Rings by sevan.

"Born and raised in Turkey, one of a kind jewelry designer Sevan has been a bench jeweler for the last twenty years—and at the age of 36, Sevan’s creations are profound and unique. Each one is handcrafted from 24K, 18K yellow and rose gold, sterling silver with uniquely cut gemstones and antique cut diamonds that are inspired by the Blue Mosque from 17th century, the 6th century Hagia Sophia Church, the Topkapi Palace from 15th century and many childhood memories."

Bicakci says his work is a reflection of the enigma that is Turkey today. Each ring takes up to one year to produce and all jewelry is handcrafted with only the finest found materials. His modern mosaic works called to mind the exquisitely formed mosaics of the Byzantine era, which ironically, were originally created as simple, inexpensive decoration and powerful ways to spread religious symbolism on a very large scale. Modern hand-crafted pieces like Bicakci's retail from around $25,000, whereas an original panel fragment from the 5th century can auction out at anywhere from $5000 to just under $30,000. These domed jewels house intricately carved and sculpted people, palaces, birds, animals, flowers, mosques & even cities...


but not Paris, Zurich, Monaco, Dublin or Tokyo...where there's

I've been mildly obsessed with Ladurée’s macarons for quite awhile...well, enough to comment on them. Chocolate - Bitter Chocolate - Vanilla - Coffee - Rose - Pistachio - Raspberry - Blackcurrant Violet - Caramel with salted butter - Red Fruits - Orange Blossom - Liquorice - Lemon...I don't care. Just gimme (the packaging is too dreamy). They singularly supplied all the magnificent confections featured in Sofia Coppola's phantasmagorical 'Marie Antoinette', which coupled with mother of pearl gambling chips & pink champagne have served as both pure iconic moments in my mind...and bitter-sweet teases when I'm craving something spectacular...and to top it all off - they've opened a bar at their Champs-Elysee locale, which is stiff aesthetic competition to their existing spaces.

How I would love to recreate moments stilled with lavishly decadent pastries coalesced with my favored coffee, served in cups bearing frozen gold fortunes....


alma fortune cups by toby wong

It doesn't take too too much.

Monday, November 23, 2009

lions, leather(s) & 'gitan'-galliano's romani vision


where to begin...





last night Oğuz came home brimming with possibility; excited to share potential wedding spots for our Turkish ceremony (I'm serious - as soon as he walked in the door he sat down and started exploring)....we wandered about starting with Sivas, his birth town & also the birth-town of his father, then we took in a few amazing bridges, exquisite homes and scenic 'everyday/everywhere' spots - as Oğuz likes to refer to them, then eventually, after a brief discussion about how he'd never really visited any Turkish museum...and maybe some riotous laughter, we made our way around to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Located in Ankara, this museum was built with the intention that it only house Hittite relics and it is currently one of the richest museums in the world. I stumbled upon and fell in love with this Lion Statuette.




I also happen to be quietly enamored with these 'Black Magic Heels' by Chie Mihara, featured on anthropologie.com...


these blanched gator-tail cuffs by UNEARTHED...




the Dunhill 'Sidecar' Palladium Alligator Fountain Pen...


&


these rabbit-skin Barn Owl Masks by savagedryad.


By the way, as I type this, my dear friend Suat, is passed-out on my bed next to me...and snoring.

anyways...

I've been obsessing over John Galliano's autumn/winter collection for the past months, admiring his inspirations and vision for both men and women. Galliano used strong Russian and Eastern European themes, but personally I've recognized in his collection, a definitively powerful Turkish presence, also a bit of Bulgarian, Macedonian, Polish and as well. It almost immediately brought to mind glimpses of the quiet magnificence of Theda Bara & the Zigfield Girls - with limbs dripping luxe, gossamer perfectly-tailored chiffon (look at those seams & cuffs), gold and silver adornments spilling over from brows down past shoulders draped with more and more gold, giving a distinctive gypsy feel. ...all highlighting lush, supple lips, intense eyes and incredible shoes featuring, yes, more fur. The attention to traditional embroidery is breathtaking, it's heaviness juxtaposing the delicate swirls of silk fabric used smartly upon hem after hem. The Satyr-themed men's collection was awesome, given my confessed adoration for them and I thought it quite apt considering their reputation for virility. This "Frozen Ukrainian Dolls" menagerie was based loosely on Eastern European lore and was... at moment, a near incarnation of Erte.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

sea changes.

inspired:


A recent article from BBC on artist Jason de Caires Taylor and his haunting subaquatic stone populous... "Creator of the world’s first underwater sculpture park, as gained international recognition for his unique work. His sculptures highlight ecological processes whilst exploring the intricate relationships between modern art and the environment. By using sculptures to create artificial reefs, the artist’s interventions promote hope and recovery, and underline our need to understand and protect the natural world."

I've spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the lonely sense of abandonment these images leave me with. I've often pondered my love of the seas and oceans, coupled with an almost instinctual fear of the unknown and awed longing to be swept alone and under. Trapped and quietly settled, blooming, oppressed and at once consumed. Since I began to wonder at it, I've come to the conclusion that the first time I can recall noticing this feeling; identifying it, was while watching the film The Piano, a favorite (along with the intensely amorous soundtrack, by genius michael nyman). The end of the film finds the Heroine selectively tethered to the film's namesake and plunging beneath the cold depths off the coast of New Zealand. Complacent. Beautiful.

Anyways, almost immediately, the article made me think of this:

This intriguing object is comprised of 16th-century Thai ceramic bowls that became fused to natural coral after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for two centuries...

From there I mused about online, admiring structures eroded and/or changed by water and the underwater world, mindful of rust and tarnish, organic additions etc.

This Medusa head was inverted by early Christians as a final show of triumph over the pagans; origins are unknown. Located in the Basilica Cistern, just one of hundreds located beneath Istanbul, which is known as the "Sunken Palace" and lies about 500 ft *south* west of the phenomenal Hagia Sophia. (there's also a 'Bond' coincidence in there somewhere...but I won't get into that).

Finally,

the Reed Flute Cave, located outside the city of Guilin in China, is considered by many travelers and cave enthusiasts to be one of the most interesting on the planet. It has become a bit of a travel destination and has been fitted with substantial lighting and overly tourist-friendly commercialized attributes which unfortunately take away from the grandness and humility natural structures like this inspire. Some 70 inscriptions on the cave wall are said to be travelogues and poems derived from the Tang Dynasty. Upon investigating the area a bit from an article I read recently on HOMA & Yuzi Paradise, I adore Guilin...This particular vantage calls to mind the garishly fantastical-unnatural saturations of Maxfield Parrish.