Ed Burtynsky : Water

One of my favourite photographers is Canadian artist Ed Burtynsky.  His work is primarily focussed on the many ways in which humans impact the earth and is always on a monumental scale.  His latest series which is now on exhibition at the Howard Greenberg Gallery here in New York (until November 2nd) is entitled Water and the subject matter is just that.  Our world as we know it would not be possible without water and he has captured some really amazing and artful ways in which we manipulate exploit it.  I love the scale of his subject and how every photo is truly beautiful and ones eyes search for a reference point or some sense of scale to understand the reality of the subject.  It is a truly spectacular talent he has and I recommend andy opportunity you have to see his work.

Photos courtesy of the Howard Greenberg Gallery and Ed Burtynsky

Film Review : Oyler House

Last week was the Architecture and Design Film Festival her in New York. It was the second year that we attended (see post here) and so decided that we would take advantage of more tittles this year.  Seeing as we just have the weekend we packed 3 feature movies with 4 short films into two days. As with all film festivals some were good...and some were really bad! While couple stand out as really remarkable movies that inspired and motivated us (My Brooklyn - a documentary on the changes to downtown Brooklyn focussing on Fulton Mall, and The Grow Dat Youth Farm - a short documentary on the amazing work being done in New Orleans) one movie stood above the rest.  The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat by director Mike Dorsey is an outstanding piece of film making.

Curbed

Built in 1959 in Lone Pine, California, this bungalow style mid-century modern house is literally all about the view.  With one entire side made of steel-framed glass windows, the house is open to the desert and mountains beyond.  The movie tells the story of Richard Neutra and Richard Oyler and how this piece of architecture played such a crucial part in both of their lives.  With most of the story being told by the incredibly charasmatic Oyler, one really gets a sense of how this house is a truly spectacular piece of architecture.  The current owner, actress Kelly Lynch, and Neutra's son's are interviewed as well helping to round out the perspective of how this house and it's surroundings are truly one of a kind (note the image of the pool below, made from a hollowed out boulder in the on the site).  Dorsey does a wonderful job of bringing the viewer in to the story and helping to make one understand that this is more than just a house.

You can watch the trailer here.  Keep an eye out for the film on Netflix or iTunes, it really is worth a watch and I would love to hear if you have seen it/when you see it, and how it has inspired you.

An Eclectic Eccentric

OEN

All in the Detail

Happy Friday all. It has been a great week of travel - another trip to Florida - and client meetings. I was doing some research into modern staircases and found this amazing images that I wanted to share.  I think that so often we as designers get caught up in trying to re-invent the wheel when coming up with an idea for our clients, however nothing is really 'new'.  Well that is exactly what I love about this staircase - it is a simple stair, however with the use of two different finishes of wood, and a clever design detail, you get something contemporary while still being timeless.  Very clever and very sharp!

Staircase by Clemens Bruns Schaub Architects

The End of an Era

What an end to September and start to October!! Between a trip to London for a wedding and to get our apartment organised to sell, and work trips to Florida and California I am starting to feel a little more burned out than usual! And, alas my posts seem to suffer! I am quite excited however that after almost a decade of being a die hard Blackberry supporter I have made the leap to Apple and am waiting for my shiny new *gold* iPhone! Very excited at the prospect of Instagram and being able to tweet without my messages being lost in the cyber yonder...not really sure how that keep happening.  So prepare for me to (hopefully) be more in touch over the coming weeks and months.  An early New Years resolution as well.

Since the apartment is up for sale I thought that I would share the estate agent photos with you. I know I have done a couple of posts on it before (here and here), however thought that this was a good overview of the entire apartment - oh and you get to see the amazing new fold-away doors we installed in the spring. Sad to see it go, but excited for what NYC opportunities open up as a result! Keep an eye out as we are actively apartment hunting and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another project.  Can't wait for the next one!

Photos courtesy of Chesterton Humberts