ISSUE 83/AREA/JUNE 22, 2010

WHEELER-DEALERS

A NEW EXHIBITION TAKES THE RAREFIED WORLD OF HAND-BUILT BICYCLES FOR A SPIN
WORDS: ARLENE HIRST

Hand-built bicycles represent a unique and largely unsung marriage of design, craft and art. While the world is full of bicycle manufacturers and bike shops have sprung up in major cities seemingly everywhere, these compellingly beautiful objects stand apart in "Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle," currently at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York through August 15th. But while planes, trains and automobiles have all been the subjects of worshipful museum shows, these transportation masterworks have never been honored before. Sacha White, owner and master bicycle builder of the Vanilla Workshop in Portland, Oregon, had long wanted a showcase for his work. "When history is written, I want my name to be there," says the sandy-haired 33-year-old.   MORE >>

ISSUE 82/AREA/MAY 18, 2010

THE BROTHERS BANAL

THE CAMPANA BROTHERS’ LATEST WORK—INCLUDING A ONE-OFF FOR VEUVE CLICQUOT—EXEMPLIFIES THE DUO’S CONTINUING MASTERY OVER THE MUNDANE
WORDS: SHONQUIS MORENO

Behind two industrial gates in a once-wealthy São Paulo neighborhood called Santa Cecília, the studio of Brazil's renowned design duo the Campana brothers hums with life. Light saturates the interior through factory windows, polycarbonate walls and graphical louvers, revealing a high-ceilinged anteroom crowded with children's plush toys. The toys are actually their oft-celebrated (and heavily collected) armchairs, constructed from piles of stuffed alligators or dolls hand-stitched in the country's northeast. There also sits chimeric hybrids of wicker and monobloc plastic, made for Artecnica in 2008 for a project called TransPlastic, that resemble patio furnishings devoured by ravenous hedges.   MORE >>

ISSUE 82/AREA/MAY 7, 2010

THE DELICATE DOYEN

A JAPANESE DESIGNER ESCHEWS THE STURDY AND PERMANENT FOR LIGHTER FARE
WORDS: DAVID SOKOL

"I attach importance to fineness. I am more nervous." Ryuji Nakamura is comparing himself to Jun Aoki, the Tokyo-based architect for whom he worked prior to opening his eponymous studio in 2004. That attitude has produced interiors and furniture that are literally featherweight, and whose delicate features require tireless curiosity to fully comprehend.   MORE >>

ISSUE 81/AREA/MARCH 19, 2010

TRUTH BE TOLD

A RECENT EXHIBITION ENCAPSULATES THE INCREASINGLY COMMENTATIVE WORLD OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
WORDS: TIFFANY JOW

Knowing the ropes of breaking into fashion photography all too well, London-based gallery Spring Projects—housed in the same building as esteemed photo house Spring Studios—used its February exhibition, “Oh! You Pretty Things,” to celebrate the UK’s most promising emerging stars. Creative agency Six Creative and Spring Studios’ Mark Loy collaborated with the gallery’s director Andree Cooke to choose five artists—Alice Hawkins, Daniel Jackson, Josh Olins, Angelo Pannetta and Jacob Sutton—whose work solidifies the new generation of shooters who transcend conventionality by commenting on glamour, perfection, sex and pop culture.   MORE >>

ISSUE 81/AREA/FEBRUARY 25, 2010

UNREALIZED PROFITS

TWO ENTERPRISING TALENTS HELP ARCHITECTS TRANSLATE THEIR DESIGNS FOR THE LIVING ROOM
WORDS: DAVID SOKOL

James Coombes and Dominique Gonfard see the bright side in a depressing marketplace. The two met in a restaurant four years ago, married last November and officially launched Lerival just a month before their wedding. It was a love match with the market, too: the New York-based company, which produces furniture designed by architects, has already expanded into European distribution.   MORE >>

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