ARCHITECTURAL BELIEF

…a 3D visualization of the sheltered outdoor courtyard

The cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, in Port-au-Prince, was destroyed during the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Parts of the building remained standing, and seeing as the cathedral stood as a historical building, a decision was made, to breathe new life into it, and thus a design competition was set up inviting design teams and professional from around the world to take part in it.

Before the earthquake the cathedral was a strong focal point and is still a source of national pride and inspiration. The idea is to not only preserve and stabilize the remnants of the original church but also provide a new civic space for non-religious activities.

The architect Segundo Cardona and his team from Puerto Rico submitted the winning design, which indicates that they will maintain and integrate the original façade of the building, include a sheltered outdoor courtyard that can house additional worshippers if need be and create a centralized altar and seating plan.

Here are some illustrations of the proposed cathedral design

images: world architecture news 

AVANT GARDE

…gothic and ethreal.

As the seasons change I’m embracing a more monochromatic taste in all things from Architecture, interiors, fashion and jewelry.

Earlier this month the city of Jozi held the 2013 Mercedes Benz Fashion week. In the Southern Hemisphere we are headed into autumn, and the lines that were being showcased are, I hope, a prediction of muted things to come in Autumn/Winter 2013.

My love for simplicity, minimalism and interesting cuts and patterns was evident in the designs by Avant Apparel. Long flowing sheer garments and lace inserts in black and white with gold accessories stirred both my inner gothic goddess and ethereal angel.

I have been obsessed with white recently and the top and pant combo in cream would be my go-to look for any winters cocktail party.

This exotic off shoulder dress, reminds me of a Bedouin princess’s wedding gown. I see a modern day Queen of Sheba wearing this gown to entrance her King Solomon.

The detail in this elegant ballerina dress is quite intense but because it is in white it appears quite subtle, and the 1950’s inspired cut will be flattering for any figure.

It seems that Peplum has stood the test of time, and will be here for another season.

I would like to say thank you to the fashion influencers out there for making the 70’s jumpsuit a modern day necessity.

…acessories do make a statement

…thigh high slits are a AW/2013 must have

…this outfit screams warrior princess

…winter cocktails anyone?

…the devil/angel is all in the details

images: SDR

REFLECTIVE HONESTY

She stood on the edge

Looking from within,

Her life had barely whispered

Barely shared

And yet she glowed

Her heart echoing her mind

Her spirit soaring…

With each cloud as it touched

Her reflection

She knew what she stood for

A future of sensitivity

An ultimate design methodology

She is honesty.

…daytime reflections

…dusk refractions

…nightime glow

…sunset reflections

…mirrored

When I first saw images of this building i was moved by the poetry this building scribed in the landscape. Architects sometimes tend to think about how a surrounding landscape or environment will help enhance their building and their ego’s as well as those of their clients, but once in a while an architect comes along who is sensitive to the landscape around him/her and uses it to influence the design and is careful to let the end product barely touch the earth around it.

…in-built landscape

…within looking out

The Pavilion designed by Jesus Torres Garcia  in Spain is an example of exemplary design and response to a barren landscape. It’s almost as if the surrounding landscape becomes the pavilion and vise versa.

The images of this pavillion succeed in describing the art of ‘treading lightly’.

…material choice sensitivity

images: archdaily

QUESTIONS ASKED

As designers, we sometimes get asked the most bizarre questions by clients and as much as we would love to give a rhetorical retort, we mostly hold our tongues for fear of loosing you our soon to be ex-client.

Here are a few gems from my favorite source of all things satirically architectural, Coffee with an Architect.

Question: Have you completed similar projects?

Answer: How hard could it be?

Question: Do you have a design style?

Answer: Confrontational…

Question: How actively involved are your clients in the design process?

Answer:  Only as needed…

Question: My wife/sister/mother will be selecting the colours if that’s ok?

Answer: As long as she selects white…

Question: Will the principals of the firm be actively involved in my project?

Answer: Only when the design team screws something up…

Question: Do you understand our budget?

Answer: Not really…

Question: Who will be the project team working on my project?

Answer: Several interns…

Question: Do you understand the importance of our schedule?

Answer: Our interns are unpaid…

Question: Is this an original Barcelona chair?

Answer: Smell it, it still smells like Mies Van Der Rohe (really though?????)

Questions, answers & Images : Coffee with an Architect

THE CALL

I finally got the call…you know, the one every designer/ architect dreads or anticipates.

The call from ones parents/ mentor/ friend to design their home/ dress/ garage/ kitchen extension/ business card…

The thing is, my dad is an engineer, and when it comes to design he and I are never on the same page.

When I was 16 my dad designed our first two homes in Tanzania. He dragged me to the site when I was 18 and I mumbled pleasantries. See my opinion was not needed, I had an eye, but not the qualifications.

Ten years later, after getting the qualifications and 3 years of working experience my parents finaly saw what I did for a living in a magazine and the look of shock on their face was priceless. I mean I will always be their little girl and architecture is for men, not ladies, come on…

So I get the call, this past Sunday, and it went something like this…

“Hey so I bought a piece of land in the North, its about 800m2. I want to build a house for the  family. I want you to design it”

cue my jaw on the floor

  “Hello, Juliet can you hear me? Hello”

  “…uhm, sure dad…so what exactly do YOU want ME to do again”

  “Design it, everything, all the rooms, outside, everything, are you up for it”

  “Sure dad, I will compile a brief and email you”

  “Ok, goodnight, love you”

cue my little victory dance

My parents are very “Colonial traditional”, I’m talking diner at the table at 8pm, tea at 4pm, long flowing curtains, with Victorian style chairs and mis-matched cushion covers. So I’m raking my brain to come up with a design language that will satisfy my mums love for English traditional design and my dads engineering sensibilities, without compromising my love for modern architecture, then I stumbled upon this lovely house by DRAFT architects and I was sold.

…approach

…the back

…a tri-part house

Nothing screams traditional quite like a pitched roof, but I love the way DAFT architects modernized it by accentuating the pitch with a visual band, wrapping the floor to the wall to the roof.

…a view of the kitchen connecting the two buildings

…double garage

…traditional details for a modernistic design

This is a three part house with the main house being more private housing the bedrooms, bathrooms and double garage. The secondary building is joined to the main house by a kitchen that opens up to the garden and driveway and houses the living and dining rooms.The stand alone building houses a sauna and garden store.

I love the size of this house, the separation of private and public spaces, the architectural language, use of balau wood to soften the hard white lines and the introduction of stonework, and will take inspiration from it.

images: archello

TAIBO BACAR

The Satorialist commented that he enjoyed Taibo Bacars show when he visitedt Johannesburg, for the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa, so armed with this commentary from the world-renowed street style photographer, I went trawling through cyberspace to learn more about this designer, and wondered why I hadn’t heard of him before.

Taibo Bacar a Mozambican native has been featured on the catwalks in Milan and online in Vogue Italia. He works with pattern and in this latest range he used the amazing fabric Kapulana from his homeland. The mix of corals and turquoise, two of my favorite summer colors, enthralled me, but when I saw the royal blue Kapulana with gold trimming, I fell in love.

Having won the emerging designer of the year, with Vanity Fair’s fashion director Michael Roberts singing his praises and stating that the clothes were a modern take on ‘Africanism’, this designer has a bright future ahead.

I rarely say this about clothing, well maybe I do, but the garments below definitely turned me onto this designer, and I will be following him closely in the future. I am yet to find out where his garments are stocked and I will definitely spread the news when I do.

…sheer delight

…bead and ‘petal’ details

…cynched in waists

…a touch of kapulana

…print mix

…my favorite dress

…gaga for this tote

…kapulana and lace details

…white on white

…Taibo Bacar at Milan Fashion Week

Jules Review:

Mood/Style

Dreamy, ethereal, traditional

Lengths

mini, midi and maxi

Colours

Black, Coral, Turquoise, Gold, White

Fabrics

Satin, Kapulana, stretch cotton, lace, taffeta

Shapes

Form fitting, voluminous, gathers

Accessories

Strappy platform sandals, kapulana embelished clutch bags & shopping totes

images: SDR

previous collections: Haute Fashion Africa

ARCHITECTURA . AMERICANA

In light of recent events, I thought I’d keep the spotlight on all things americana and shed light on one of my favorite American Architects, Frank Lloyd Wright. He believed in holistic deigns in that his structures had to be in harmony with humanity and its environment.

He did everything from offices to churches, hotels and museums. He also designed furniture and stained glass. In 1991 he was recognized by the American Institute of Architects as “the Greatest American Architect of all time”

Below are 3 of my favorite FLW buildings.

Robie House:

Designed and built between 1908 and 1910, Chicago, Illinois.

It is know to be the first example of the all American architectural style called Prairie. In 1963 it was designated a National Historic Landmark. FLW designed all of the interiors, windows, lighting, rugs, furniture and textiles as well as the architecture of this house.

…FLW’s sketch and plan for Robie House

…as it stands

That which was unique about the prairie style was the emphasis on the horizontal plane. There was extensive use of cantilevered roof eaves, continuous band of art-glass windows and the use of roman brick. From a distance the house looks like continuous lines of horizontal color and planes.

The Robie house set a standard for modern architecture, introducing new concepts with regards to planning and construction.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum:

Located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York city, it is by far one of my favorite buildings in New York City, and in its own right an icon, alongside the Chrysler and Empire State buildings.

Designed by FLW, it has a unique ramp gallery that extends from just under the skylight in the ceiling in a long continuous spiral along the outer edges of the building until it reaches the ground level.

…FLW’s sketch for the Modern Gallery, as it was initially named

…an image of the Museum from Manhattans 5th Avenue

…a view up towards the skylight in the main gallery space

From the street it looks like a white ribbon curled into a cylindrical stack, wider at the top, displaying nearly all curved surfaces, and sits in contract to the rectangular building that make up he bulk of Manhattans architectural landscape.

Fallingwater:

a.k.a Kaufmann Residence built from1935-1937 in Pennsylvannia.

I can honestly state that when I first saw images of this building I knew I wanted to be in the built industry. I knew there and then that I had chosen the right career path, and that I will strive to provide clients with exceptional designs like this. I was in first year architectural school, and in love with FLW.

There is a reason why there is an APP for this building available on iTunes for iPad here.

…a 1938 sketch by FLW of Fallingwater

…poised in greatness

…Fallingwater

He was and Architect, interior designer, writer and educator, and these are all facets of my career that I have been and continue to explore.

LOIN CLOTH & ASHES

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to attend one of my favorite fashion designers show. It was the Loin Cloth and Ashes Show, in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg for the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa.

The Head Designer Anisa Mpungwe, of Tanzanian origin, collaborated with radio host Anele Mdoda, to produce a range named Anele. Every Item of clothing was named after a street in Johannesburg, illustrating the youth and vibrancy of this cosmopolitan African city.

With the range spanning from white on white, silver and pastel African prints, its no wonder the design duo got a standing ovation and a few whistles for good measure.

LCA is known for its detailing, impecable finishing and elegant designs. It provides women with an alternative to the drab and usual be it office, formal or cocktail wear, and the Anele range definitely went over and above all expectations.

I have been buying LCA for a while and I will definitely be purchasing the shorts, a couple of maxi evening dresses and the drop waist mini dresses will definitely come in handy for next years spring/summer time.

Feast your eyes on my favorites from the line:

…a powerful opening

…white on white abstract print

…unassumed elegance

…playful pastels

…a shimmer on salmon

…Anele Mdoda working the runway

…my favorite piece, the drop waisted mini dress

…an homage to the 60’s

…peplum is here to stay for another season

…the drop-waisted mini dress

…printed shorts that remind one of the seaside

…le piece de resistance!

…the design duo Anele Mdoda and Anisa Mpungwe

All stock will be available at the LCA Store in Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg from the 1st of December 2012.

Loin cloth and Ashes: LCA

Images: SDR

50 SHADES OF…

The first time I heard the statement ‘50 shades of Grey’, I though PANTONE where coming out with a spring line in shades of grey, with unique names like, aggregate, or concrete, or pebble. No seriously, I did.

I thought that maybe there was a concrete company out there that had figured out a way to average out the price on coloured concrete in the shades of grey. I know, I was mistaken. It turned out to be , what I call a 21^st century version of Mills and Boon romance novels.

Instead of the long haired lothario being won over by the damsel’s heavy bosom and exposed ankle, our hero, Mr. Christian Grey, gets off on Sadomasochistic acts of love.

It got me thinking though, as a designer, I’m sure there are architects out there who have utilized this 50 shades of grey courtesy of our concrete suppliers, and produced beautiful structures, exposing the beauty of the material.

The firm Acero Architects, in my mind, have truly mastered the art of exposed concrete, and exterior wall tile cladding in different shades of grey. They seem to just go over the edge of that which is perceived to be a minimalistic architectural aesthetic. They make all the elements of design blend into one harmonious whole. Floors become ceilings, and celings become furniture. Walls can be entrances or part of the landscape design, depending on how you look at it.

Below are a few of my favorite designs from their residential portfolio, in diminishing shades of grey.

CONCRETE HOUSE II

…dynamism

1001 HOUSING

…shades of the palest pebble whites

MARMOL Y BAMBU

…flow of design from floor to roof

REENCUENTRO EN ARAVACA HOUSING

…95% white mixed with 5% black creates the palest of greys

So whilst most women and men, are pouring over the pages of a Grey undone, I am scavenging ways to inspire my newfound love for the ‘unsure’ hue. Grey.

images: www.a-cero.com

A LETTER TO BEAUTY

Dear African Man,

I saw you standing to the side with your head held high, broad torso and wise eyes, trying not to draw attention to your magnetic presence. I noticed that you endured wars, suffered my humiliation, and labels like Garcon! Boy! N***er! whilst still holding your ego in check.

I walked towards you and you proudly clasped my hand and gazed into my eyes, and at that moment I knew all would be well. You reached for my child, she smiled and I noticed a tear roll down your cheek and your vulnerability became apparent to me. I know you blamed it on the wind, but my child is wise, for she winked at you, and I knew.

You are my African Beauty.

Africa is reflected in your face, her deserts, hills, valleys and forests are seen in the depths of your eyes, and her pain and suffering is apparent in the scars on your back. You are her child. Your sociability is revealed, when I see you amongst your friends and colleagues, they look up to you, my dear, for they sense your core faith and stability.

You are love, for you have crossed continents for me, been shackled up and locked, torn down and whipped into a fashion, unbecoming of your glorious Self, so you may fit into a preconceived notion of what YOU should be. And then I saw your dignity. Stand out my Brotha! Stand tall my man. Shout loud and sing proudly for there isn’t a beauty like…

My African Man.

Your broad feet touch the ground so gently as you carry my family, my hang-ups, my African Womanliness. In your strong able arms. I am yours for I am Wo-man fashioned from you, here to encourage you to be stronger, better, faster and to be proud, loving and respectful of those around you.

I will teach our son to emulate you and to love his woman as you have loved me, with care and pride and a sense of comedy, and I will teach my daughter, to look out for a man like you, with grace and agility.

May your dreams and the desires of your heart, be fulfilled with me, for I applaud you my love, My Beauty.

Yours truly,

African Wo-Man

B E A U T Y

What is beauty, and when do you deem someone beautiful, pretty, handsome, gorgeous or lovely?

Beauty is a characteristic of an object person or place that provides and experience of pleasure, is admired or is deemed as perfection in a particular culture. Perceptions of Beauty are evolutionary and culturally specific, though some do transcend the bounds of culture and societal acceptance. It can be associated with youth, equilibrium, peace and the primordial feelings of attraction.

For endless ages those deemed beautiful were placed on a pedestal of honor even adored as a god or goddess. Many a king or queen have been adorned with jewelry and makeup to enhance their beauty. The beautiful Cleopatra was known for her eyeliner and braided hair, and Queen Nefertiti wore a hat to hide her hair and enhance her facial features. Both queens are known through out history as African Queens who caused quite a stir in Europe due to their exotic beauty.

The African continent has a variety of peoples who adorn themselves in different way to enhance their beauty, be it tattoos, scarification, braided hair, jewelry or fabric. That which is deemed beautiful in West Africa is seen differently in southern Africa, and an East African beauty is perceived differently amongst the North African tribes.

The photographer Mario Gerth travelled around the world and took portraits of different peoples and I especially like his African Portraits series. As an Introduction to my ‘African Beauty ‘ Series below are a few of my favorite portraits by Mario Gerth illustrating some of the beauties our continent has to offer.

images: Mario Gerth Photography

A DOTTY AFFAIR

Rushing down 57^th street towards 5^th Avenue I look up and see a building clad in dots, gigantic to miniscule black dots, seemingly climbing up the side of the Louis Vuitton 5^th avenue store in New York, like a serpent up a tree. My eyes slowly travel down and look at the bright red and white window displays that are an homage to the 83 year old artist Yayoi Kusama and her collaboration with the designer brand. Known for her use of dense polka dots and nets, she works in a variety of media ranging from painting, sculpture, performance and film, she is now one of Japans most prominent contemporary artists.

…the 5th avenue Louis Vuitton store facades

The clothes, accessories and shoes all have the signature Kusama dots, but I was fascinated with the window displays/installation and the interiors of the various Louis Vuitton stores and how the designs were displayed, whilst maintaining this dotty affair. Each of the windows of the 5^th avenue store were decorated with pieces of Kusama’s signature works such as ‘Self Obliteration’ and ‘Eternal Blooming Flowers in My Mind’.

…the ‘Self Obliteration’ installation

The tentacle-like sculptures prominent in the 5^th Ave store, seem to grow out of the floor or extending down from the ceiling, and are surrounded by displays of the latest accessories range. One of the installations is a life sized wax model of the artist herself, surrounded by these oversized tentacles.

…the interior of the 5th avenue store in New York

The London based store has the same dotty theme, but the clothes and accessories are encased what looks like shells that have dotty perforations. It is a bit psychedelic for my taste, but a great installation none-the-less. Seeing as the store is within a mall as opposed to on a street corner like its New York sister, it is a great use of available space and branding it with a very prominent polka dotted stamp.

…the London store

…clothes and accessories on perforated dotty display in the London store

Kusama in her ‘Dots Obsession’ installation, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 2011yayoikusama

S A V A G E . B E A U T Y

Dress, autumn/ winter 2010-11

Its been just over a year since this exhibition of the late designer Lee Alexander Mc Queen’s work was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and its been over a year since I realized I truly adored this mans artistry.

He was known for not following conventional and normative standards of beauty and would dress women up in garments that eliminated all things traditionally feminine, but I truly believe that the garments he made were a form of amour. Its as if he sought to empower the female. To Mc Queen, fashion was a way to express complex ideas and concepts, to challenge the norms of what clothes
should be and to go back to the fundamentals of clothing.

Below are a few quotes and garments that I liked from several of his collections. The ‘romantic’ titles were coined by the curators of the show and work well with the clothes they portray. For a full
explanation on each section visit http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/

The Romantic Mind

“You’ve got to know the rules to break them.That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition.” — Alexander McQueen

Plato’s Atlantis, spring/summer 2010

The Romantic Gothic

“People find my things sometimes aggressive. But I don’t see it as aggressive. I see it as romantic, dealing with a dark side of personality.”— Alexander McQueen

Dress No. 13, spring/summer 1999

Romantic Nationalism

“The reason I’m patriotic about Scotland is because I think it’s been dealt a really hard hand. It’s marketed the world over as … haggis … bagpipes. But no one ever puts anything back into it.” - Alexander McQueen

The girl who lived in the tree, autumn/winter 2008-9

Romantic Exoticism

“I want to be honest about the world that we live in, and sometimes my political persuasions come through in my work. Fashion can be really racist, looking at the clothes of other cultures as costumes… .That’s mundane and it’s old hat. Let’s break down some barriers.” — Alexander McQueen

It’s only a game, spring/summer 2005

Romantic Primitivism

“I try to push the silhouette. To change the silhouette is to change the thinking of how we look. What I do is look at ancient African tribes, and the way they dress. The rituals of how they dress… . There’s a lot of tribalism in the collections.”— Alexander McQueen

“Oyster” dress, Irere, spring/summer 2003

Romantic Naturalism

“I have always loved the mechanics of nature and to a greater or lesser extent my work is always informed by that.”— Alexander McQueen

Dress, Sarabande, spring/summer, spring /summer 2007

The word savage means, not domesticated or cultivated; wild; ferocious; fierce, and the word beauty can be defined as the quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form color, excellence or artistry, truthfulness, and originality. I believe that any one of these dress when adorned would make the wearer feel like the fierce harmonious and original lady she is. I know I would.

Definitions: www.thefreedictionary.com

McQueen’s quotes: http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/

Images: http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/

HAND

THE WAR THE PAIN

THE TREMOR THE RAIN

THE DIVORCE THE ABORT

THE BATTERING THE SPLATTERING

THE SHEDDING THE UNLAWFUL BEDDING

THE HURT OF HUNGER

THE DRY BREAST OF A MOTHER

THE UGLINESS THE GREYNESS

THE CLAP THE SLAP

THE TOUCH OF LOVE

THE CARESS FROM ABOVE

THE ANGER THE JOY

THE BRINGING TO LIFE

THE TAKING OF LIFE

THE AGED

THE NEW

THE YOUNG THE OLD

THE CONCLUSION IN DEATH

THE WITHERING OF

THE DYING END

THE CAUSE OF THIS DRAMA

I AM

sketches: HAFW circa 2006

WESTBETH, WEST VILLAGE, NYC

…the entryway

Inspiration Is all around us, and as designers and artists, we thrive on environments that let us explore the inner depths of our ‘self’ to be inspired. Sometimes we reach out to fellow artists, or coop ourselves up in our studios, but rarely do we find a space where all the arts are constantly around us. The Westbeth artists Housing though has managed to achieve this.

…the courtyard

…the fire escapes

It was opened in 1970 having been renovated from the Original Bell Laboratories, by a young Richard Meier before he had gained his stararkitect title. It is a complex of 13 buildings and houses about 345 affordable live and work spaces for artists of all disciplines and their families. The criteria to secure a spot in this artistic Nirvana is that one has to be a working artist, be it musician, poet, painter, sculptor, architect or even actor.

…a round narrative

It is owned by the not-for-profit Westbeth Housing Development Fund Corporation and asides from the housing component, it houses commercial, rehearsal and performance spaces.

…all tied up

Because of its affordability, location in New York West Village, and the artistic appeal, it’s not a surprise that the Westbeth Artists Housing has a 10 year long waiting list.

It reminds one of Arts on Main in Johannesburg and how that buildings is a mix of different designers with a commercial, residential and social aspect to it.

images: HAFW