sukkah city 2010

sukkah city was an invitation to reimagine the sukkah – a temporary structure created for use for one week during the jewish festival of sukkot, as a symbol of the transience of life and dependence on god, and to foster a reconnection with nature. the international competition received 600 entries from 43 countries; a jury of 14 designers selected 12 works as finalists. those pieces lived temporarily, appropriately, in union square for 2 days, on september 19-20. a "people's choice" winner will remain in the square through october 2.

from an architectural standpoint, this presented an interesting design challenge, both conceptually and formally, with its strict parameters regarding size (it must enclose a minimum square area of at least 7 x 7 square handbreadths), dimension (at least 3 walls, but the third doesn’t have to be complete; if it has only 2 complete walls “the third wall of at least 4 handbreadths" must be within at least 3 handbreadths of one the complete walls), materials (no bundles of straw for the roof, though individual sticks may be okay. the roof may also not be made of utensils or food). questions of orthodoxy apparently factored into the voting--at least for the people's choice competition-- just as heavily as the innovative design elements.

as public art it seemed to serve its function: to inspire engagement, calm, thoughtfulness, curiosity, crowds, education...and photography.

here are a few shots from monday afternoon:

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time/timeless by peter sagar (uk)...

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single thread...matter practice, brooklyn

an amazing 2000 lb spool of wire, woven around temporary bamboo "scaffolding" ...

a "single line" that meanders...

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log...kyle may and scott abrahams

an 18-foot cedar log, as the sukkah "roof"

laminated glass offer a view of "the heavens"

(and each other)

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repetition meets difference...matthias karch (berlin, germany)

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blo puff...bittertang, brooklyn

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sukkah of the signs...ronald rael and virginia san fratello (oakland, ca)

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gathering...dale suttle, so sugita, and ginna nguyen (ny, ny)

all photos © anita aguilar

ornamentum gallery: the (august 2010) collection

"kleine halskraus" - limited edition sculptural necklace by camilla prasch, of denmark.

made of black silicone discs and nylon snaps.

i like this because it looks like a serious little record collection...

the albino version!

also by camilla prasch... "reigen 715 2009"

this necklace is made of paper pricetags, polyester thread

from the felt jewelry collection of karin wagner (switzerland)

also from karin wagner...less "necklace," more "lei." a felted lei...

rolled paper chain...by momoko kumai (japan)

this reminds me of my sister's work...

"by the meter" is an necklace made of meters (presumably) of looped links.

artist: dorothea brill, of germany

necklace (wood, silver, mirror) by pia aleborg (sweden)

artist: pia aleborg

all photos © anita aguilar

aiga: everybody dance now...

on the avenue, 164 fifth avenue... nyc. april 2009.

last month while running errands on fifth avenue, i was teased by a huge storefront sign: EVERYBODY DANCE NOW. i stopped outside just long enough to see that it was an AIGA exhibit, which was even more curious: what was the premier design association's interest in dance?

i was in too much of a hurry on that day to stop in--i hit the road again with only the tune stuck in my head...

i returned another day to investigate further: the exhibit is actually called "everybody dance now: 20 years of dancing in print" and is a retrospective of two publications, dance ink (1989-1996) and 2wice (1997-ongoing), published by patsy tarr and designed and art directed by abbott miller, a partner at pentagram.

there is, on pentagram's site, a tidy overview that puts both the exhibit and the publications into context to those of us who are not (yet) familiar with the work, and they have posted some beautiful photos from the magazines.

rob besserer, of the erstwile white oak dance project, photographed by duane michals for a 1996 issue. via pentagram.

flamenco star pilar rioja. via pentagram.

the picnic issue, summer 2002. via pentagram.

the merce cunningham dance company photographed by christian witkin for the summer 2002 issue. via pentagram.

if you are able to get to the AIGA national design center, you will see these and many more: there are 40 issues presented in succession, on accordion-style metal displays.

the 2008 issue, false start, featuring jonah bokaer. installation photo by harry zernike. via pentagram.

opening night party photo by federico rodriguez-caldentey. via pentagram.

i don't know if the displays were created specifically for this installation, but it is a wonderful way to experience and celebrate movement--there's symmetry and energy to the exhibit. there are also intact issues of 2wice for folks to peruse, but the ladies that were there when i was were too engaged with them to let me have a look. ah well, i wanted to go back again anyway.


if you would like to check it out, get there soon! it closes may 22. here are the deets:

164 fifth avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets), nyc
gallery hours: monday through thursday: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m; friday: 11:00 a.m–5:00 p.m.

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there is a wonderful quote from merce cunningham that adorns the walls of the gallery, and i've been thinking about it often since my first visit:

"you have to love dancing to stick to it. it gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive. it is not for unsteady souls."

of course, one could happily argue that ms. tarr, mr. miller and all the contributors to dance ink and 2wice, have managed to defy this on some level, because they have preserved dance in another form for us to appreciate...

but the essence of his statement is striking...

i recently took a dance/stretch class at my gym with an instructor who encouraged me to take formal lessons. this felt like the scariest, greatest idea in the universe. i'm not sure there is anything that makes me happier or feel most like myself as when i can listen to music and dance around--not in any formal way, at all. i just do it. for hours. and i have taken classes here and there, but never really studied it. i wondered, for me, at this point in my life, what would be the point?

but the cunningham quote reminded me that "dancers" (and maybe this is truer for those who are not now and will never be professionals?) dance precisely for how it makes them feel.

the point need not be grander than that.

damon winter and "s.o.n.!"

shadrick johnson, 6, photographed by damon winter for the ny times, outside the columbia convention center in south carolina, as he waited to hear then-senator obama speak. via pulitzerprize.org and nytimes.com

i came home late from a job today, and felt completely out of touch with the world (i hadn't been online all day) and the first piece of news i read thrilled me: damon winter was awarded the 2009 pulitzer prize for feature photography. hooray!!

i posted a link to some of his slideshows a while back, and think about his work often. (i invested in a new camera a couple of days ago and my mind is aflood--even more than usual--with the work of photographers who i admire. i actually fell asleep last night thinking of damon winter's obama images...)

here are links to the "a vision of history" slideshow which can be viewed on the ny times site and the pulitzer site. also on the pulitzer site is mr. winter's bio, and of course, a full list of winners and finalists.

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i love the look and smell of the newspaper. and the sound of it being lightly smacked and folded at its center. i love carrying it under my arm or stuffing into my bag on my way out the door--after all these years, it still feels cool, somehow (especially if you've got more than one on you). and i really like the crossword puzzle, in pencil or pen. but i am currently taking a break from receiving the new york times at home, a small change that is meant to benefit my wallet (working!), but is doing greater harm to my mind (and maybe my soul).

on the one hand, all that content--the slideshows, especially--is a feast for the curious, the infohounds. i've got a good bit of that in me. but one article can so easily lead me astray-- those slideshows (again!) and related links are so tempting, sometimes i don't finish an article, let alone think about it long enough before moving on to the next thing. i'm all over the place! with the actual newspaper, i can settle in... note-taking during or after required a bit more effort and time. even if only for the few minutes it took to find a piece of paper and pen, that time actually felt a bit thoughtful. and then there came a time when you were "done." whether you finished one article, or your favorite section, or the whole darn thing (you intrepid reader you), there was a satisfying end. i miss all that now, and don't want to imagine not having the option to have all that again.

and every time i hear about newspapers laying off staff, shrinking sections, going online only, or shutting operations for good, which is practically daily, i want to call and "un-suspend" my deliveries, as if my dollars will make an impact.

i found this video the other day: can design save the newspaper? jacek utko, a polish newspaper designer, whose redesigns of newspapers in eastern europe has increased their circulation 100%, presents an interesting case. is it too dreamy for our newspaper industry's deep-dish problems? perhaps. but it's a good dream.

save our newspapers!

here's 6 minutes of inspiration, anyway (i love the cirque du soleil bit).