Pool Table

Via Contemporist

Yes, a pool table, literally! Check out the mini diving board on the right. Ahh! I just love this. So witty. A coffee table by Freshwest Design at Superbrands London Design Festival. I could totally make room in my living room for this baby.

london house extensions.

via contemporist

this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that i have stumbled across a wickedly cool addition to the back of a london home. you know, the georgian, or in this case edwardian townhouses in london that are usually two or three stories high with a reasonable number of bedrooms, connected to others in rows of townhouses that all look relatively the same. they have amazingly quaint little back yard spaces, usually, which i find the grey brick really complements (i've studied plenty of these houses from railroad tracks -- let me tell you!).

what i love is when, in these conservation areas (meaning things need to be maintained or usually built to look like they did during the time period they were established in the first place -- so in this case, all the houses -- i'm assuming at street view -- need to look edwardian) when the back yard is the place for an extra modern twist. this is an addition, not even just a remodel in the kitchen or something. it's by paul mcaneary architects (when you go to the page, this addition is the first image you see!), and is located in hammersmith, london. the light is splendid, and i love the way it really reaches out into the back garden space, bringing nature up close and personal with the room.

it's perfectly quaint and gorgeous. and not just because it's in england! ;)

damien in the bin.

starting with this: michael landy is a british artist who likes to make art out of trash. the picture above depicts "christmas tree", 1997, at the tate. with that said, his latest venture is the art bin, into which he has invited other artists to throw their art. damien hirst is one of these, along with tracey emin, julian opie, and gary hume. i love love love the irony. it's no secret that some (usually art-illiterate) folks don't care at all for a lot of contemporary art -- it's not art! my kindergartener could do that! -- you've heard it. you've maybe thought the same, or said. regardless, it's a great play on that concept. and the bin is enormous! over the span of the exhibit, starting january 29 and running through march 10, artists' works will be trashed in the bin, and as the exhibition's page states, "Art Bin will gradually fill up over the six week course of the exhibition to create ’a monument to creative failure’." fantastic!

worth noting, just for humor's sake, in 2001: damien in the bin.

pop life.

via slamxhype

pretty much this looks like the coolest show of the moment. andy warhol, damien hirst, jeff koons, takashi murakami, keith haring, and more. clearly. it's like... if i had a spare $800 i would jump a flight to london RIGHT NOW, and i would go directly to this show. the concept of the show is based on the andy warhol's famous quote, "good business is the best art."

the show is at the tate modern through january 17, 2010. maybe i can still make it after all. ;)

and speaking of london.. looks as though they're taking a hint from paris and other cities that have implemented the bikes-for-hire programs with the docks that you can swipe your credit card, rent the bike, then return... so you can bike around town. london appears to finally be getting on the bandwagon and if the implementation goes as planned, they expect there to be 6,000 bikes and 400 docks throughout the city next summer! link to the bbc video here.

neate stuff.

via uk street art

i should really be getting away from the computer right now, and starting dinner, but i just had to post about adam neate before i do. this guy. yeah. he's got a show coming up at elms lesters painting rooms starting 9 october - 21 november. adam neate: a new understanding. it's in london, of course. my favorite hub for street art of any kind -- this is installation art and multimedia right here. adam neate, i've just discovered. i want to see it in person. the above work, family circle, is one in particular that i would love to study.

the cubist influence is striking, as is the palette. i want to reach in and given them all a hug, and cry with them. neate seems to havean innate ability to emotionally reach out from his surface, grab you by the collar and yank you into the work. on his page at the elms lesters site, check out the concert pianist (2009), or coffee (2008). they're moody and exhilerating. incredible!

sol lewitt installation: complete!

via gothamist

the 59th street / columbus circle station in new york city has a newly completed sol lewitt installation. looks like a party, doesn't it! it's called "whirls and twirls (mta)." i love station art, having first been turned on to it on the london underground. new york just got a real gem of a work here. check out the link above for more information about the project, and other events involving sol lewitt going on right now in nyc. :)

and speaking of london...

i've been there twice now within the last three years. the first time i studied there for college and spent about three months hanging around the west end for the most part. i just went back this past may with a friend and a little bit by myself, basically revisiting old sites, but exploring quite a bit more too. but OH! how i wish i was going to be there on the 19th! september 19 - 27 is the 2009 london design festival with everything from trafalgar square installations to museum shows, student exhibitions and craft sales! this is DEFINITELY something i'm keeping in mind for next year, and years to come...

nils jorgensen

nils jorgensen... my friend katie shared this with me just now. i'm totally in love, so i had to share. photos of my favo(u)rite subject -- england! but they are also really, really witty!

not much else to note today, except there was one of those fantastic stormy-skies sunsets tonight where the clouds are thick and dark and heavy, and the sun illuminates them all in these brilliant shades of magenta and orange and violet. mom and i went to downtown appleton to check out "art on the town" (which was kind of... hm.) and the sunset was magnificent.