Shadow Play – Happy 2010!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I can’t believe it’s 2010! It seems like a fictional number to me. But it is 2010, and a new year has started.
So, to start the new year with inspiration, light and beauty I decided to review a particularly inspiring artist – Adam Frank. Frank is an internationally known artist and designer who works with light and shadows. For someone who loves photography, this idea is very interesting to me and the mere concept of working with light and shadow as materials for artwork and design is fascinating.
Aside from his captivating installations which can be viewed on his website, Mr Frank has 2 main products for sale: Lumen and Reveal.
Lumen is a series of oil lamp shadow projectors made of acid etched stainless steel. I really loved these.
When they burn, the shadows flicker and move organically on the wall.
DIY Cushion Covers from a Man’s Shirt
I’ve had this idea for quite some time now, wanting to make cushion covers from shirts. The idea is, not to throw out more clothes and to spend time being creative and making something that you enjoy using or looking at.
A friend of mine heard that I was into all sorts of recycling projects and so he gave me some of his old shirts and some boxes and all sorts of fun stuff that is piling up in my little apartment. So finally I got around to doing something with these old shirts and realized how much fun it is and how easy it is to do.
So, here is the result:
A Splash of China in Tel Aviv
We encounter a lot of things that are made in China these days, but in this store you’ll find things that are really Chinese. There’s something to be said for Chinese decor. It’s kitsch, yes, and I really love it. It’s always colorful and somewhat dainty.
There’s a store near Nahalat Binyamin, in an alley that connects between Nahalat Binyamin and the Carmel market where you will find this store… which has no name at the moment. It’s the China store.
I loved the teapots! I can’t choose which one I’d like to have most.
Store Review: Blue Bandana
Blue Bandana is one of the most beautifully designed stores I have ever seen. It’s clean, fresh and so inviting. The store was opened about 19 years ago by Betty Gehorsam (On my cellphone – Betty Blue Bandana) and Limor Gorali, two mothers who met because their kids were in the same class.
The two ladies go on shopping trips a few times a year to Europe and India (green with envy here) and have the following policy : “If we wouldn’t put it in our homes, we won’t sell it in our store”. You can definitely feel that, despite the cold metal shelving, the products and atmosphere in the store are very homely. Unlike some stores that sell fashionable items, this store sells products that exude warmth and a cozy atmosphere.
Japanese Aesthetics: Featured Artist – Kazuo Ishii
Count yourselves lucky, for today you are going to see the work of Calligrapher and Ink painter, Kazuo Ishii. It’s not every day that you meet such an established Japanese Artist in Israel.
I have known Kazuo for a few years now and have been planning to visit his studio in Kiryat Tivon in the North of Israel, but haven’t gotten there yet. However, I won’t hold back the wonders of his work from you because I am too lazy.
I love Japanese aesthetics. It is simple and powerful. Like this painting, entitled “Flow”.
The whole painting embodies the word “Flow”, and is painted in a style called “Gyosho” which looks very free, but don’t be fooled, there are rules and regulations to follow in order to achieve this result.
Re-use your News – Featured Artist: Erez Mulay
Erez Mulay is a Product designer who likes to experiment with various materials. His “Re-news” series was born out of his experiments with newspaper. Erez wanted to make products out of reusable materials thus extending their life and also making soft and fragile material into something durable.
The first design in the Re-news series is this bin made of rolled up magazines.
Store Review: Green Secret – The Winter Collection
In July I wrote about Sod Yarok (Green Secret), an inspiring florist store in Givatayim that creates the most amazing flower arrangements and also has great vases and some beautiful furniture too. I walked past there the other day and noticed that almost everything had changed, so I thought you may appreciate an update. I don’t know much about flowers but these are Chrysanthemums, which are about as difficult to spell as they are to pronounce. They were in simple white baskets which was lovely!
Store Review: Ktura Will Light Up Your Day
Dynamite comes in small packages. Ktura is a tiny store on Weitzman Street in Givatayim, I don’t think I have ever seen so many lampshades or tchochkes in one tiny store!
It looks like a Polish Jewish home, jam packed with tchochkes of one kind and another (ceramic and glass) and lampshades of every kind you can imagine. From ceiling to wall to desk and table lamps, if you want something special, you will find it here.
Social Awareness + Environmentally Friendly Design
Last week I featured Studio Ubico founded by Ori Ben Zvi who creates furniture series out of recycled materials with a very fresh look. Ori uses reclaimed wood, mimicking ready made objects. Yesterday morning I got an email from Ori that a fresh design has come out and I simply had to share it with you.
This new line is called “Stortz” which apparently means “stump” in German. I couldn’t find anything on it on the net, it may be an old German word. Ori tells me that almost all the words to do with carpentry in Israel are in German since the very first carpenters in Israel were originally from Germany.
Store Review: The Mysterious Ubico Studio
Ubico Studio can be found in an alley in the south of Tel Aviv, in Florentine. An alley which carries the scent of wood shavings and glue. No, I didn’t come back high.
Why is Ubico Studio mysterious, you may be asking yourselves? Well, it’s the name, you see. Ori Ben-Zvi, the founder, was willing to answer all my questions, but one: What is the meaning of “Ubico”? “It’s a personal secret” said Ori, making it that much more mysterious.
Ellia Nattel, a recent graduate from H.I.T (Holon Institute of Technology) works together with Ori. Also a lecturer at H.I.T., Ori teaches a class on Environment and Society as part of the Industrial Design Faculty. Ubico studio’s work deals with the romance of recycled furniture and it is handmade as opposed to readymade. Take, for example this shelf unit:
It’s made of drawers, right?
Wrong!