Real Not Real

Last fall, I happened to be in Paris during fashion week, and happened to be staying at the Westin Vendome, just across from the Louvre. Neither the fashion week timing nor the hotel’s location was really planned, but it put me squarely in the middle of cobblestone streets littered with legs covered in opaque black tights, black leather ankle booties, miniskirts and black wool dusters. Colette had an Hermes scarf collaboration, and Zack Posen was showing in the ornate ballroom at the Westin. Big business, no matter how it was mixed with small-scale enterprise, was in the air.

I hadn’t been in Paris since high school, and had been so busy in New York before leaving, I barely planned a thing. I was more than thankful to find a Yelp foodie list that introduced me to Le Chateaubriand and Inaki Aizpitarte. The place isn’t a hidden gem: in 2010, it was Restaurant magazine’s 11th best restaurant in the world and  T Magazine profiled Aizpitarte for the 2011 Men’s Fashion issue. But despite Aizpitarte’s growing visibility, his bistro Le Chateaubriand is tucked away in the 11th arrondissement. It’s a fitting choice, though, because the neighborhood isn’t the most glamorous, or the most scene-y, but it feels like it’s part of a real city rather than the one seen on postcards.

The whole draw of Le Chateau is the set menu. 65E gets you five courses: no options, take what you’re given. I showed up without reservations around 9 30pm, and was told I’d be the last seating of the night. I had a glass of rose out on the sidewalk, vaguely shivering with a bunch of French hipsters, and was seated with a fresh glass and a switch to red after about 15 minutes. The green bean and goat cheese salad with olive oil parsley puree was super-clean and has stuck in my mind for months, and the raspberry dusting on dessert was also something new. In short, it was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten.

But aside from great food, the contrast between the 1e (with Hermes at Colette and the proliferation of labels) and the 11e couldn’t have been more stark. The atmosphere Aizpitarte has cultivated at Le Chateaubriand feels indicative of what’s happening all over the world in small but palpable ways: creatives doing their thing with the intent of making it accessible to a particular though not elite crowd. And this new casual, new communal, new intentional model is bringing people closer to our neighborhoods and the neighborhoods we visit. It’s bringing us closer to food and closer to local. But it’s also creating a new diversity of models for entrepreneurs to adopt. It goes beyond the idea that if you build it they will come–by underscoring the value of building a model that invites people to partake in and shape the experience.

It’s the counterbalance to big business, and lucky for us all, it’s being executed by lots and lots of small scale enterprises with surprising consistency and depth.

Last week, my friend Alex Vessels had an installation at a former stop on the Underground Railroad. The event was lovely, with sound being the primary communicator of information–a mix of interviews with former slaves, spirituals (“Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning”), Malcolm X speeches, pro-America anthems and a bit of Tupac.

A video was projected on a scrim hanging from curbside construction materials, and candle lanterns were hung outside the Brooklyn home. Currently, the city only has standard-issue construction signs proclaiming the house as the former home of abolitionists and part of the Underground Railroad. In light of the standard-issue vibe that the site currently has, the installation was quite nice because it worked with the space rather than against it. Most of the piece relied on components that already existed in the space, so only the lanterns and a projector were needed to create a moment in time.

Overall, a really nice exploration of sound and interaction–quietly calling out a site that was–and is still–invisible to many.

I was in Hong Kong recently. Well, not so recently now. But recently enough to see Detour, a design consortium/conference that had some legs, namely some red lacquer bamboo scaffolding that was erected over the show’s courtyard in the old police building.

The show was good… a mix of installation and exhibition and interaction, it embodied what design is seeking now. I wouldn’t put this show on the mind-blowing level… I can’t really say there was much new other than that scaffolding, but it was worth an hour walking around, seeing what had been made. I have to say, the site/exhibit/event design surpassed what the contributors made, but it was nice to see thought going into actual user experience beyond the website or gadget or printed page or sculpture. Hooray for community, for thinking about the impact of space, of events, of time and proximity.

If you’re interested, some of my flickr pics are here and some information about the show is here.

Rose and Radish on San Francisco’s Embarcadero is closing after the holidays. They’ll be around from January 5 until the end, and merchandise will be discounted 20-60% (to start with). This makes me sad. The new space is lovely, their merchandise has always been incredibly thoughtful (if pricey), and the store has been a keen memory for me in SF. It was one of the first little shops I discovered walking around by myself after I moved to California, and I’ll miss it.

***UPDATE FROM ROSE AND RADISH ON 1/7/10

Items have been flying out of the store since we started our sale and we just marked everything down an extra 10% today. On Tuesday we will be marking things down by 10% again, then another 10% on Thursday the 14th. The week of the 19th we will selling all of our fixtures. If you are interested in stainless steel tables, computers, cabinets, warehouse shipping supplies, etc., stop by the gallery to see what we have.

We will also be taking down the webstore in the next day or two, so if you are not in the bay area and have been planning on ordering, please do so soon.

Last week I was in Hong Kong for a short break, and I am so glad I was able to stop by After School. A small cafe in Causeway Bay, After School used to be a work space for designers and a cafe for the public, but the work space has now moved out. The cafe remains as a multi-use space for events, and a side room sells domus and artit magazines.

The space is lovely. School-style desks (with tilt tops) make the tables, paired with matching ladder back chairs. The menus are printed on blue books (exam-style), there’s a piano by the entry, and the vibe is laid back, open and airy. I adore creative spaces that serve a combination of uses, and After School accomplishes this beautifully, without feeling over-designed.

After School // 2F 17 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Wednesday-Sunday: 4pm – 1am

The After School photostream on Flickr
Pokit/After School website

Rose and Radish has reopened its doors on The Embarcadero in SF, and the new space is lovely. After closing their Gough St location last fall due to flooding, they’ve reemerged in a space that is (refreshingly) less designed. Wooden divider walls and pull-out drawers with tabletop goods give this space an ad hoc feeling, making the contrast with the refined, fragile merchandise a balanced show.

Rose and Radish, open T-F 11-7, Sat 9-7. Pier 3, The Embarcadero.

Park(ing) Day is happening today across the US (LOVE this). Here in SF, IDEO has created a workspace on the Embarcadero to take in some (productive) sun time.

The benefits of Web 2.0 and the detritus of globalization have spurred companies to be more authentic and transparent with consumers. This is no secret, but it’s a concept that presents unique challenges to large consumer-facing businesses, and it sits in direct opposition to economies of scale. As the world has become more designed (for better or worse), the need for individuality and localization has become more dire. This yearning for individuality has been addressed by everything from the local food movement to the rise of Twitter to handwritten headlines on magazines’ covers (see Domino, NYLON and Rachael Ray). Consumers crave forums for feedback and a feeling of involvement and conversation. And corporations (the smart ones) know the basics of consumer behavior: the greater customer involvement, the more loyal a customer becomes. It doesn’t hurt that, in the end, customer care is a benevolent cause.

Outside Starbucks' new 15th Ave Coffee & Tea in Seattle's Capitol Hill

But enough theorizing. I’m wrapping up the summer with a quick trip to Seattle–a new place for me. Granted, I live in San Francisco, a city with a similar eco-friendly, power-to-the-people vibe. But I’ve been impressed with Seattle’s various neighborhoods, each with a well-designed but unpretentious feel. This city is a nice one.

After a trip to the obligatory Pike Place open-air market, a friend and I headed to Capitol Hill to check out one very earnest attempt at corporate authenticity: Starbuck’s new stealth store, 15th Ave Coffee & Tea. Say what you will about how this store has ripped-off the design of other local coffee shops (of which I’m not familiar since I don’t live here), but I thought the shop did a decent job of being true to their mission of serving individual cups of coffee and tea.

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Cathy Horyn has a piece up on the nyt that inspired me to purchase my second copy of Acne Paper. I bought my first issue when I lived in New Haven back in ’07, and since then I’ve been following the publication (and gorgeous design) online. Acne Paper is part of a larger enterprise, but it feels intimate in-hand. It’s sexy, but readers are left drooling over the photography and type treatment as much as the content itself. This season’s issue is devoted to eroticism and pleasure, and for ten well-spent dollars, it’s approaching the realm of cheap thrill.

I finally got around to making the agua fresca that caught my eye last week. Yummy. I used what I had on hand, which included fresh limes and excluded mint. I also didn’t need to sweeten my watermelon as it was good and ripe, and rather than tap water I used sparkling mineral water. The hint of minerals brings out the fruit taste, and the carbonation isn’t overpowering. Summer in a glass. Yum.

My version:

1/2 icebox watermelon
3/4 liter sparkling mineral water
1 lime, halved and squeezed (plus additional halves for garnish)

Scoop watermelon from the rind with a spoon and blend the fruit to a pulp (I used a food processor); pour into pitcher. Add sparkling water. Roll whole lime on work surface to soften it, then halve and squeeze into pitcher. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve in glass with another lime half.

Yields 6 eight-ounce servings

So last summer, I saw the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. I think I described it as “underwhelming” or, more pointedly, “superflat.” I thought the Louis Vuitton store in the middle of the exhibit was the most interesting bit, and it seemed sad that none of the pieces showed a trace of handwork. It isn’t that the collision of art and commerce is lost on me. I get it. It fascinates me. It’s part of why I’m a graphic designer.

I think the exhibit seemed uninteresting because the aesthetic didn’t really appeal to me and Murakami’s own celebrity goes over my head. If I were more enamored with him, or if he were more present in his work, I might’ve felt some connection to the pieces. As it was, it just seemed like an exhibit by a company that didn’t capture my attention.

And, now seeing this article in the LA Times, it sounds like others felt they got ripped off by the fact that Murakami’s hand (or even a context-specific artistic intent) wasn’t all that present in the pieces that sold for $6,000 in the LV store at MOCA. I LOVE this. I just love that this lawsuit is the premise for Murakami’s entire body of work. Is there a statute for the “Emperor’s New Clothes”?

And in other “What is Art” news, I’ve been following the Shepard Fairey/AP story. Unfortunate. A true waste of time, in my mind. But a nice post by Steve Heller here. And some great background information here and here.

I don’t usually post here about products or packaging, but Scott Amron / Amron Experimental‘s “New Soap, Old Bottle” just seems lovely all-around. The product is nice (though I’d rather get natural soaps, not Dawn or SoftSoap, in my bottles), the packaging is nice, the site is nice. Since it hasn’t made the rounds of the blog circuit yet (it was just on design*sponge this morning), it seemed worth putting up here.

I know I’m not the only one in America who still gets giddy when hearing the words “President Obama” uttered on the news–but I feel a bit silly admitting it.

Despite that, there are a lot of reasons why I’m enjoying this administration, many of which revolve around the administration’s relationship to design and pop culture. I thought I’d share…

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5.  You released your NCAA bracket and it made the headlines. I mean, really? When we’re all concerned about the economy and layoffs, we also care about your NCAA picks? I LOVE that you put Carolina at the top of the list. They might not win, but they’re my pick, too.

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4. Inauguration 2009 was one I actually watched on TV. THIS (Stevie! Kanye! Aretha!) is a soundtrack that I actually like! I mean, what a surprise that inaugurations can actually be interesting with the right cast of characters. So thanks, Obama, for making that inauguration feel relevant.

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3.  “The Office of the President Elect” sign was classic. So made-up! But you love graphic design and branding, President Obama. And that makes me love you.

(PHOTO VIA WASHINGTON POST)

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2. The day after the election, I flew back to SF. Landing at SFO and driving into the city, I saw this Obama wheat paste in SOMA. And it made me happy that our president-elect had an impact on people across the US, across generations. Pretty exciting to have people wheat-pasting about someone you can actually vote for.

(PHOTO COURTESY MEG PICKARD VIA FLICKR)

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1. Election Night 2008 was one of the best nights of the year for me. I was in DC for work, our all-day meeting ended early, and I made it to Adam’s Morgan by late afternoon. This led to a drive out to VA with my dear friend Bethany Powell for a party with college friends, and a stop on the way back into town to grab an OBAMA-BIDEN sign out of the median of RT 7 in Virginia. On our way back into the city, Bethany had the bright idea to stop by the White House, and when we got there, we found a small crowd gathering, that later turned into this:

(PHOTO VIA MY FLICKR SET FROM THAT NIGHT)

Thanks, Obama, for giving me a great night!

And great set design at your acceptance speech. LOVED that. Oh–and your Flickr set for your own Election Night?! Unbelievable. That was like the icing on the cake the day after the election. You rock.

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So really, Barack. Thanks a lot. I know the economy sucks and all, and we’re still in the middle of two wars, and there isn’t universal healthcare yet, but it’s only been 60 days and you’ve had a lot on your plate. So thanks for all the great graphic design and pop culture references. You’ve been fun to watch.

SFMoMA, Otl’s Olympic paraphernalia from Munich ’72, through July 7, 2009.