At this week’s ODC conference Women Who Frame the World: A Symposium on Creativity, I was deeply struck by the work of sculptor and creator Beverly Pepper. It takes a lot to stand out in a group of presenting artists that included novelist Carol Gilligan, sound artist Kui Dong, and documentarian Eleanor Coppola (even a sampling of the total group reads like a coffee table book about major creative contributors, no?).
Pepper’s talk–Monumentality, A Life in Art–at the B’Way Theater focused on her “amphisculpture.” It includes very large scale sculptures with watercolors (“Sol y Ombra,” Spain, top right), cast iron, stones (the Italian “Omphalon,” top left), and steel. She’s as humble–”when I think about bodies in conjunction with my work, it’s mostly how I can’t get hit by it during the construction”–as she is visionary.
How does she know when one of her large scale pieces is complete? “When you step away from it and the only reaction is ooooohhh.” The same went for her dialogue with local lady artists.
After the de Young Museum presented Vivienne Westwood’s fantastical work, I was gun shy about seeing another area haute couture show. How could it measure up? Who else could create to that scale? Those shapes?
Thanks to a friend who’s new to the Bay Area, I got back on the high fashion train this week to find that the presentation of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s styles isn’t better–it’s just different. More items–from tunics to gowns and bolero jackets–are presented this time around, and you’ll want to give yourself a while to study the folds and fabrics. The show’s themes were curated by Vogue’s European editor at large Hamish Bowles and include Spanish Art, Regional Dress, the Spanish Court, Religious Life and Ceremony, the Bullfight, and Dance. It was the first time since seeing Ms. V’s work that I went into a museum wishing I could walk out with a bag of goods off the mannequins–Balenciaga’s geometry and craftsmanship are that good.
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I’m excited to be editing the new WordPress project that features daily arts and style coverage from around the web. The collaboration between the blogging platform and Federated Media promises “the freshest in culture” across photos and features. It’s presented and supported by Lexus’ new CT Hybrid.
Recent coverage has included Amour Vert dresses on Ecofabulous and Herman Miller-winning hammocks from Inhabitat. Sustainability, graphic design, entertainment, and–of course–adventures are among the topics regularly reviewed.
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I’ve long been a fan of The [Un]Observed (or at least since the radio magazine’s inception last year) and am excited to share creator Tania Ketenjian’s first live sound event. OHIO at Treat and 19th will play host to the listening party on March 24, when details about the project’s collaboration with The Guardian will also be shared. The [Un]Observed’s collection of online conversations includes produced audio pieces from contributors around the world, and if your Thursday night is already booked, at least tune in.
This week the California company Apliiq launched a line of products with Japanese prints, a fifth of whose proceeds will go toward the Japanese Red Cross. The textiles used include youthful anime manga, simple classic bamboo, and the geometric collage style of Japanese Yuzen paper.
As designer Ethan Lipsitz explains: “The earthquake and tsunami in Japan has had a huge impact on the lives of millions who have been displaced without basic necessities, food and water. With news focusing on nuclear threats in Japan and civil war in Libya, the people who have been directly affected by recent events are being overlooked.”
Even if you don’t get one for yourself, I’m sure you know someone special who you could T up for the cause.
I’m fortunate to be writing from Miami (and won’t even let pals in SF onto the sun here) at the Wanderlust Festival’s first East Coast conference. The yoga, music and mindfulness conference has expanded beyond Squaw Valley (whose wonder you can read about here) to a hotel that rivals any Ace in white linens, reproduction Wayfarers, and exquisitely designed toothpaste packaging. The Standard–not be confused with the New York hotel of the same name as it’s printed upside down–has a giant pool that at the moment is filled with rosé-hazed yogis.
It’s lovey, and ridiculous. I was thankful that at the start of an asana class instructor Elena Brower–she of YogaGlo online videos that a friend got me hooked on for practicing at home–acknowledged the group’s good fortune given natural catastrophes and current political unrest. We had the over-the-top luck of worrying about frying in the sun at the same moment we could be concerned for our survival, and I’m so glad she was open to discussing it. It feels like celebration in the face of tragic global news, and if you follow Brower’s line of thinking, there is actually something you can do about it.
First, by acknowledging the disconnect and disparity. Then by finding healing space within ourselves and having real-time awareness of our behavior. And finally be sharing our empathy, “broadcasting” openness, and helping heal.
I like this concept, and I don’t know what it looks like for me yet. But given how much her ideas have struck me this week–including the concept that there’s enough work for everyone, especially sometimes competitive groups of urban yoga teachers–I’ll be checking in with it, and would love your own thoughts around gratitude and grief.
This time last year, Cabinet Magazine developed the concept of bunk bed conversations to publicly explore private topics. Its first SF event this Thursday, “The Dream of Reason,” will feature writers D. Graham Burnett and Jeff Dolven–pyjama’d, of course–discussing sleep, knowledge, and art. The evening will coincide with the Exploratorium’s and National Science Foundation’s interdisciplinary Art as a Way of Knowing conference this week. Consider it intellectual theater, nightcaps and all.
I was getting bad at checking my can’t-miss blogs daily, so I signed up for RSS. Then I stopped checking those and signed up for e-newsletters. And I actually read those just as rarely. But I’m glad I checked today, because NY-based swissmiss tipped me off to the expansion of the lecture series Creative Mornings to San Francisco. Typekit’s Mission Street office and Pictory Mag editor Laura Brunow Miner will host the first local monthly breakfast gathering (think 20 minutes of presentation, 2o minutes of discussion, and time for coffee talk).
I think I have a thing for local aviation-themed businesses. After buying a slew of gifts at travel wonderland Flight 001 in Hayes Valley in December, I’m excited for the launch of Hangr 16. The Valencia Street store opens it doors–officially, after a few wine-fueled kickoff celebrations–on Friday night with “inflight entertainment” from DJ Conor. Chris Gorog, the founder of Headline Shirts (whose line includes the “I [broken bike lock] SF” shirt that you’re likely to see my beau sporting), co-founded the shop with wares including Life After Denim and Taxi CDC.
