Elsewhere on the 800-acre grounds of this UNESCO World Heritage Site were two more of Messam’s large-scale artworks: “Bridged,” a similarly spiked installation placed across the River Skell, and “Drifted,” a series of floating replicas of the Studley Pyramid set on the upper Canal.

All three sculptural works are part of “These Passing Things,” a temporary exhibition aiming to infuse the landscape with “visual exuberance.” Originally intended for installation in summer 2020 and delayed due to the pandemic, the exhibition aims to revive the playful spirit of Georgian follies in a contemporary way, lightening the mood of all who view it.

“The work is inspired by designs for a 16-meter-high funerary pyramid in the water garden,” Messam explains. “Archive records show this was commissioned by William Aislabie in the 18th century, after his father’s death. Despite scale drawings and detailed costings for the piece, no further mentions of it were ever made, and no record or evidence exists of this mysterious pyramid ever being built.”

He adds that “the original designers of the Studley Royal water garden, the Aislabie family, created many follies to surprise and delight their 18th-century guests. Since 2015 The National Trust at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal have been celebrating these fashionable and whimsical structures and the Georgian water garden they sit within, through its former folly exhibition series.”

The managers of Studley Royal Garden say they hope the installation will get visitors thinking and start a conversation about the connection between the past and the present while offering a fresh perspective on the Georgian garden. Like many traditional follies (ornamental structures built purely for decoration), Messam’s are ephemeral and have no specific function other than their visual impact.

“While over time we may invest them with meaning or stories, at their core they’re just there – large-scale artworks in the landscape, and as an artist that’s what I’ve been interested in for the past 20 years,” he says. “I’m also interested in the role that follies play in creating focal points in constructed views of the landscape.”

To create “Spiked,” Messam used old plan drawings of the temple to create life-size paper patterns using CAD software. He worked with preservationists to ensure that the inflatable piece wouldn’t damage sensitive elements of the temple like the plaster ceilings. A single quiet fan kept the artwork inflated to maintain the contemplative nature of the setting.

Both “Spiked” and “Bridged” are made of hundreds of yards of fire-resistant polyester, and the steel bridge was custom-built for the project by an engineering firm. About 500,000 visitors crossed the installation between July and November 2021, itself located near the site where a Georgian iron bridge was once located.

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That iconic logo is emblazoned all over the new Versace Home flagship store, and with the same sought-after style, visitors will likely be bewitched all over again – this time by the brand’s furniture and decor offerings.

Located in the heart of Milan’s “design street,” Via Durini, the new retail edifice was designed by Italian atelier Vudafieri Saverino Partners to look and feel like a real residence. During Milan Design Week 2021, Versace Home’s Vice President of Licensing Brenda Brasso said that the showroom facilitated a unique shopping experience where “you don’t feel like you are entering a furniture store, it’s like walking into a luxurious home.”

The scale of the project is in keeping with something the late designer once said: “Comfort is very important to me. I think people live better in big houses and in big clothes.” Its massive 5,400 square feet of real estate boasts multiple bedrooms, living rooms, dining areas, an entrance hall, and even a garden courtyard all dressed in Versace furniture and designs from floor to ceiling.

Although primarily famous for its upscale ready-to-wear clothing and leather accessories, Versace has been in the home decor market since 1978, creating savvy furnishings for homes and hotels in the four decades since.

Launched in partnership with Italian interior design firm Interni Spa, the new Home store is laced with the Greco-Roman themes associated with Versace, with Greek busts and key patterns in almost every room. The iconic yellow, black, and white color scheme also takes center stage. The gold leaf motif synonymous with the brand is featured on accent pillows and bedding throughout the store, recalling another Gianni Versace quote: “Glamour is back, but with a minimalist touch.”

For the opening, the concept home is highlighting the company’s latest furniture collection, designed in collaboration with furniture-maker Lifestyle Design. That includes the new Venus chair, an asymmetrical ode to Versace’s leather fashion complete with a gold zipper running up the back. It’s featured in the store in shades of pink, red, and black.

The Stiletto cabinet is another new addition, with door faces that can be covered in either a vibrant sea star and shell motif or the Versace Medusa logo in black and gold.

In one sitting room, the new Goddess sofa gets prominent exposure. With both black and white options, its tall-fluted backing is striking to say the least.

More stylistic details add art and opulence to the space. Instead of curtains, most of the windows in the Home store get a decorative metal grate treatment, hinting at Versace’s bold experimentation with textures. Glass doors lead out to an enclosed courtyard where lush palm fronds shade the giant Versace-print floor cushions and stone seats adorned with sculpted Medusa heads.

Basso told WWD that the Milan store is the first of at least six planned Versace Home sites. She said that later this year “a unit will open in London and possibly in Miami to coincide with Art Basel in December, followed by Paris next year, then Los Angeles and New York.”

The post Shoppers Can Lap Up Luxury Living in Versace’s New Flagship Home Store first appeared on Dornob.

The order states that “Applicable Federal public buildings should uplift and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States, and command respect from the general public. They should also be visually identifiable as civic buildings and, as appropriate, respect regional architectural heritage.”

Although he didn’t go so far as to eliminate modernist design from the options, it has been reported that early drafts did ban it outright. In the order released on December 21st, 2020, the outgoing president’s proposal defines classical architecture as “the architectural tradition derived from the forms, principles, and vocabulary of the architecture of Greek and Roman antiquity” and refers to “such styles as Neoclassical, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco.”

To ensure the transition fueled by the executive order, a new Council for Improving Federal Architecture is being established. This council will in turn update the guidelines for the General Services Administration (GSA), who is in charge of overseeing the construction and renovation of all federal buildings. In addition to working with the new council, the GSA will also be required to request input from the public and the people who will work in the buildings. Affected structures include all federal courthouses, agency headquarters, DC public buildings, and all other public buildings costing more than $50 million.

The new order has since sent a ripple across the federal, civil, and architectural communities, with each expressing different views on the topic.

In an official statement, the American Institute of Architects said: “architecture should be designed for the specific communities that it serves, reflecting our rich nation’s diverse places, thoughts, cultures, and climates.” The response further claims that “architects are committed to honoring our past as well as reflecting our future progress, protecting the freedom of thought and expression that are essential to democracy.” All of that is a manner of explanation to their initial response, where they stated they “unequivocally opposed” the order. They later expressed some relief in saying, “though we are appalled with the administration’s decision to move forward with the design mandate, we are happy the order isn’t as far-reaching as previously thought.”

Pres. Trump has signed an executive order promoting “beautiful federal civic architecture,” which appears to mostly mean classicist.

“The Federal Government has largely stopped building beautiful buildings,” the text claims. pic.twitter.com/4ig64BbHDU

— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) December 21, 2020

A White House official claimed that polls show Americans actually prefer traditional architecture, as it makes public buildings more easily identifiable. The order also claims that the transition away from classical design during the 50s and 60s has been widely unpopular. stating that “The Federal architecture that ensued, overseen by the General Services Administration (GSA), was often unpopular with Americans. The new buildings ranged from the undistinguished to designs even GSA now admits many in the public found unappealing.”

However, regional differences reflect different histories and general appeal. In the end, “beautiful” architecture is subjective, and many decision makers refute the decision to essentially eliminate contemporary options.

While it appears the new federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida will accept traditional architectural elements imposed by the GSA, in Nevada, congresswoman Dina Titus has introduced legislation that would ban the GSA from eliminating modernist design elements from future construction, explaining that “imposing a preferred architectural style for federal facilities runs counter to our nation’s democratic traditions.”

The post Trump’s New Executive Order Decrees Only “Beautiful” Federal Buildings can Be Built first appeared on Dornob.

That task is, perhaps, a tad easier when your tastes lean toward minimalism. But what happens when you like things to be a little more classical, ornate, and colorful but still want your space to feel harmonious? London-based STUDIOLAV took on the challenge to design a loft in SoHo for a couple with exactly that sense of style.

If you’ve never worked with an interior designer before, the firm’s description of how they got started on this project provides a pretty interesting glimpse into the process. In order to please their clients, designers first have to figure out what they’re going to like.

They explain: “As citizens of the world, we live and experience the whole world as our home. We carry our identities and value our inheritance. At the same time, the connection with new cultures is something we are longing to explore and experience. Collectors of experiences, the citizens with a multicultural identity desire to creatively experiment with their interim habitat, to create an environment that visually reflects their eclectic personality and lifestyle. After meeting the owners of this SoHo loft in Manhattan, New York, we got inspired by their diverse background and vibrant personalities, and the concept for the interior started quickly forming into a solid idea.”

“Their intriguing collection of contemporary fine art and photographic artworks was the one of the first things we came across in an attempt to understand the clients’ aesthetics and temperament. Researching and working with them from the very beginning, we created a space that would work both as a home [and] as a place to socialize and work from.”

“A flexible and well-thought layout, along with a curated selection furniture and accessories, has been a key ingredient to further enriching the unique aesthetic of this contemporary abode. The challenge here was to define the different areas and functions: living area/lounge, formal dining room, kitchen, workspace/study, and gym without compromising the openness of the space and the warmth of the morning rays.”

Your taste in art can definitely reveal a lot about you, so it’s cool to hear that STUDIOLAV used that as the jumping-off point for their design. In the finished product, you can see how the modern-meets-classical pieces displayed on the loft’s exposed brick walls have informed the mood and color scheme of the entire space. While the furnishings are clearly modern, their shades, textures, and materials complement the more antique and baroque imagery.

Ultimately, the loft feels highly individualistic — you can’t just buy interiors that look like this straight out of a catalog. And though the open space has to house so many different functions, like dining, entertaining, and working, the areas dedicated to each one are clearly defined. It’s easy to imagine guests gathering in small clusters within each space, just as the owners desired.

The post Classical Art Collection Inspires a Modern NYC Loft Design first appeared on Dornob.

It took an entire year to gut the five levels of the original 1930s brick and wood villa and complete the design for Hellas House. The construction took another five years. Chatzigiannis even laughed as he noted: “I spent the better part of my youth on it.”

Hellas is what Greeks call their homeland, which is why it was formerly known as the Hellenic Republic in English. Kontomichalos’ challenged Chatzigiannis to renovate the 5,380-square-foot villa so it would “scream Greek” without any brash or tasteless touches that often plague such projects. Chatzigiannis explains: “There is a stereotypical ‘Grecian’ style for this kind of project, one that can’t seem to escape the blue-and-white thing or laurel-wreath crowns or chitons. It can go over the top very easily.” He gladly welcomed his client’s refreshing challenge.

Kontomichalos wanted his main business ventures centered in Hellas House, including an import company dedicated to bringing the finest honey, wine, and olive oil from his homeland into Shanghai, a travel agency dedicated to unique and personalized adventures, and a store offering locals the best of imported Greek produce. His vision also included a space dedicated to showcasing social and corporate events, as well as other floors and rooms that would bring the best of Greece to the other few hundred Greek natives who call Shanghai home. Simply stated, Kontomichalos wanted Hellas House to represent, “the best Greece has to offer: history, culture, natural products, hospitality, and healthy lifestyle.”

The culmination of Chatzigiannis’ five-year project delivered exactly what Kontomichalos wanted. The travel agency, produce store, and import company were the easiest factions to create. The basement of Hellas House became a wine cellar for Greek wines. An open-air kitchen now occupies the ground floor, flanked by a gallery of artifact replicas representing the various eras of Greek culture. The adjacent lounge gives way to a garden, pool, and dining veranda, while a multi-purpose exhibition space occupies the mezzanine. Formal dining is offered on the second floor, which also includes a luxurious living room and terrace. An attic retreat is slipped in beneath the pitched roof and displays ceiling beams salvaged from the original structure.

To ensure Grecian authenticity all throughout Hellas House, Chatzigiannis chose to work with resources and color schemes from ancient times to complete the project. Bronze, marble, and wood are abundant in almost every room, as are basic hues of black, white, and gold. He also imported massive slabs of raw marble to Xiamen from the Aegean islands of Naxos and Thassos to construct the floors, walls, and columns.

Every era of ancient Greek history is represented throughout Hellas House. For example, the entrance hall represents the Bronze Age, with a life-size plaster cast replica of a female circa 2800–2300 BCE. Chatzigiannis complements the statue’s minimalist style with equally restrained custom elements: a graphic metal console in matte black, a simple geometric brass stair rail with a matte-gold finish, and a subtle white-on-white plaid-pattern floor of polished marble.

In addition, the chaises, stools, and chairs found throughout Hellas House are replicas of T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, a renowned 20th-century designer celebrated for incorporating ancient Greek furniture standards into modern creations. Chatzigiannis painstakingly found the small number of elderly Athenian craftsmen who still create Robsjohn-Gibbings’ signature curved-wood furniture to ensure he could bring it into the home.

The journey to completing Hellas House was long and tedious, but both Chatzigiannis and Kontomichalos happily agree that it was a big success.

Photos courtesy of InteriorDesign.com

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In terms of the timeline of human civilization, Classical Greece (which existed between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C.E.) was a long time ago. In terms of Earth’s overall history, hardly a moment has passed. A new series from artist Zachary Eastwood-Bloom bridges the gap between the ancient and the contemporary by mixing Greek statuary with the look of computer glitches.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art and the current artist in residence at the Scottish Ballet, the Glasgow-based sculpture and multimedia artist found a way to combine the hands-on practice of working with clay with a slew of digital tools. He says these new means of making art allow us to make anything we can imagine, “barring some inherent earthly restrictions like gravity.”

His use of them here adds an extra layer of fascination to the sculptures, which are still recognizable to the keen eye of an art fan or historian. The way in which the forms are warped almost makes it seem like they’re being sucked into another dimension.

Most of the silhouettes are exaggerated, pinched, pulled, stretched, and squiggled. Others are faceted, fragmented, or rendered as plotted pen drawings. Almost all of them are made of classical materials like white marble and bronze, though a few consist of less conventional media like borax crystals and sterling silver.

“I reference historical works quite frequently, but it is with the eye of a 21st-century translator,” Eastwood-Bloom tells ChromArt in an interview. “I think that what I make referring to these works is just another stop on the journey for the original pieces. ‘The Assimilation’ which is based on ‘The Laocoön and His Sons’ has been reproduced and translated numerous times throughout history — my interpretation is one more stop along its journey through time.”

“I find it fascinating how people think. I think through making sculpture; through three-dimensional form, material, shape, and surface. Other people think through numbers, words, sounds, movement, digital code, etcetera. I am interested in working with people who think via different modes to me. One thing that is interesting in the digital age is that a lot of people work using digital technology now. This means that their digital information can be changed into different mediums; words can become sound, sound can become form for example.”

During his time with the Scottish Ballet, Eastwood-Bloom has experimented with performance as well, with some of these pieces very much in keeping with the overall classical theme, like “The Three Graces.”

You can keep up with Zachary Eastwood-Bloom’s work at ZacharyEastwood-Bloom.com or on Instagram. He’s also a founding member of Studio Manifold, “a group of artists and designers brought together by a shared enjoyment of material and process based in East London.”

The post Glitched Greek God Statues Bring Ancient Figures Into the Digital Age first appeared on Dornob.

The post Fashion Designer Karl Lagerfeld Tackles Furniture with New “Architectures” Collection first appeared on Dornob.

Ever try wearing a red-carpeted spiral staircase, suiting up in a stunning cathedral, wrapping your wrist or neck in an aqueduct or arcade, or perhaps just putting your hand straight through an ornate window? This strange set of 3D-printed jewelry includes architecture-inspired bangles, collars and coils, and they make just about anything seem possible.

These fascinating accessories seem to mold themselves to their wearers like living works of art, animated dream-like sculptures. Joshua DeMonte’s unique (post)modern jewelry pieces sure do make a statement, but what that statement is could be a bit difficult to say.

Sometimes a fashion design idea is functional, and sometimes couture is fashioned to make a designer statement – this is clearly a case of the latter, with Classical Roman and Greek building elements as well as exaggerated Gothic structural details and decorative touches applied to gigantic pieces of unwearable jewelry.

“My jewelry objects mimic ancient architectural elements activating the space surrounding the body and altering the viewers perception of the wearer. My work has replaced the traditional embellishments of jewelry objects with the details of traditional architectural form. The objects have become jewelry that have defined architectural space around the body, altering our perception of the figure.”

About designer Joshua DeMonte:

“Joshua DeMonte is an artist, educator operating out of the Baltimore area, and teaching at Towson University.  Through various digital and industrial processes, Joshua creates objects that speak about the world and structures around our bodies.  Through the lens of adornment, these objects place the wearer within the space of these architectural objects.”

“Joshua is also the coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Object Design Program in the Department of Art, Design, Art History, and Art Education at Towson University.  The IOD program is a fast paced curriculum that challenges students to envision and create objects of the 21st century using traditional craft, digital fabrication, and industrial process.”

The post Stunning 3D-Printed Jewelry Captures the Complexity of Ancient Architectural Marvels first appeared on Dornob.