So many magazines that have disappeared in the past few years. One of the ones I miss the most is House and Garden. Dominique Browning was its editor from 2002 until 2007 when it was shuttered. Her wonderful blog Slow Love Life is worth the read. It’s a personal journal of savoring life and slowing down enough to enjoy and rediscover the things she likes, does and experiences. There are thoughtful and intimate remembrances and ideas, beautiful images, and even recipes. I like the sheer joy (and sometimes sadness) of it. Try it and see if you do too.
Some links to recent posts with an image from that post…
It’s the end of August. I have a reading tradition that goes all the way back to ancient personal history in fact. When I was 10 my father brought me home a copy of Harpers Bazaar from his job. Before that, my only magazine reading experience was National Geographic. Since that time I have been a voracious reader of fashion magazines. All design in my way of thinking is intertwined–have you heard of the slow fashion movement for example? The same ideas that are happening in slow food are spilling over into other disciplines so as a self avowed inspiration junkie, I look outside myself and my discipline.
In August, the big September issues are published–pages and pages of articles on travel, culture, books and of course fashion. Sure it’s not realistic for most of us, but in the dog days of summer with the fall fast approaching it’s nice to do a little dreaming. So here’s what I’m reading this week…
The BIG Bazaar
The BIG Vogue
And no, I won’t be wearing 5″ stillettos anytime now or in the future. And if you want to watch a great and thoroughly entertaining documentary, try The September Issue.
This one’s pretty eclectic. I’ve culled some garden design related images from Erin Loechner’s Design For Mankind who culls them from everywhere. Links back to the original source are on every post. It’s a fast and furious inspirational blog with multiple entries each day 5 days a week which is why it’s in my reader–no way can I keep up.
Most posts are a single image and a short statement. Pulling ideas from everywhere, there can be a lack of focus and sometimes things are just plain silly. But there is so much offered up that it is a funhouse of random inspiration that takes very little time to absorb and move on…perfect for those with a short attention span. It’s also an incredibly popular site with more than 12,000 hits daily.
Lace Tree
New Zealand's Fox Glacier
Living Art?
Vegetarian's Purse?
Confetti Garden
In case you missed them…here’s links to a few of the previous ‘In my Reader’ posts: ArchDaily, Vulgare, and last week’s The Good Garden. Enjoy!
One of the big benefits of having a visual memory is that I frequently connect images that have only a tenuous relationship to each other.
These urban fences are almost 3000 miles apart. Both are extraordinary designs. Both stand on land that was once wasted. One has had civic support, the other community support. I saw them almost exactly a year apart. I knew as soon as I saw the second one that I wanted to see them together, so I’m indulging my whim.
One of three city parks planned in 1999 by Peter Walker Associates, Tanner Spring Park is controversial. It reclaimed industrial wasteland and restored the original stream and wetland environment in an otherwise urban environment. Some residents don’t see it as very ‘parklike’.
This fence is on the boundary of what will be a contemporary park on 18th Street and Rhode Island Street in Buffalo, NY and is largely being built through volunteer efforts. The fence was created with the help of a New York State Council of the Arts grant and the park will be a balm in an otherwise gritty urban neighborhood. Urban Roots the only cooperative garden center in the country, shares the fence with the park.
Last Sunday, I spent the afternoon beating the 90+ degree heat immersed in what is believed is the best of design thought now.
‘Why Design Now?’ the 2010 triennial survey of all things design at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum covers the past three years and like any good survey is both in the moment and in the future. Global in scope, sustainability was the ‘in the moment’ theme–both in many of the pieces but also in the installation itself. Backlash against technology was a future theme with handmade and one of a kind pieces that showed a clear direction away from global computer driven design and towards a celebration of localization of resources, design and culture.
This dichotomy of thought -high tech vs. low tech – wasn’t totally driven by economics, but the two most extreme examples of each were. Masdar City currently being built in Abu Dhabi aims to be the first totally sustainable, zero carbon footprint city in the world. The scope of the project is incredible and a testament to what piles of money can do.
Masdar City
In the same gallery was the most low tech design. The Pearl Millet thresher. This simple machine greatly reduces the time it takes to separate Pearl Millet grains from the stem. The materials are available locally and the thresher is simple to build and operate.
With the exception of urban farming projects, I was disappointed in the lack of landscape design represented in the show. In 2006 Cao|Perot, Field Operations and Ken Smith were well represented and in this go around, most of the design ideas involving landscape were collaborative so you had to dig (no pun intended) to find them. A notable exception was a post Katrina community garden project that will have even more resonance in the wake of the BP gulf oil disaster. Viet Village Urban Farm is not only an incredible project, but the graphics used to show it in the gallery were low-tech and innovative at the same time. Not allowed to take pictures, you’ll have to trust me when I say the that the collaged, cut and paste from strips of photographs farm plan was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
With that said, there were so many ideas in that it’s impossible to process them all in one visit. Here are just a few of them–some suitable for landscape and garden…some just because they were great design.
Sole solar roof tiles
I love the idea of solar energy, but hate the panels. Here’s an elegant solution…Sole power roof tiles. Now to figure out a style that’s not based on Spanish architecture…
Invisible Street light
Korean designer, Jongoh Lee designed this light which uses a ‘host’ tree, stores energy during the day and does it’s work after dark. Brilliant.
Chair by Jetske de Groot
In my opinion, much of the most interesting design in the show was Dutch. Jetske de Groot builds furniture from disparate parts–and then celebrates the process via colored epoxy joints. On her website is an excellent re-purposed resin lawn chair back.
SolPix wall
I just want this, but imagine the technology smaller on a back garden wall. GreenPix Zero Energy media wall.
I could add more, more, more, but the most surprising of all doesn’t have an image–again because photos weren’t allowed in the gallery. My face, via my Twitter avatar was front and center on the live Twitter feed because I had used 140 to say I was going and include the hashtag #triennial. That will probably be the closest I get to being in the triennial…
