Marloes ten Bhömer

Marloes ten Bhömer innovative footwear combines clean lines, materials and construction techniques that are influenced by

design and architecture.

“Her works question our perception of functionality, fusing

art and technology to create an origami like production, working with materials ranging from wood to polyurethane resin,

tarpaulin, steel and fiberglass”, quoted from the Virtual Shoe

Museum.

Neues Museum / Photographs by Frederike Von Rauch

A few months ago Mike and I were visiting Berlin to celebrate our dear friend, Susana’s birthday. One afternoon after the festivities had died down, we wandered over to the Neues Museum. Situated in the center of the Museum Island it is one impressive piece of architecture. The museum is one of the last big buildings in Berlin to be brought back to life. After World War II, the building had been a ruin; and it has reopened to contain the very same art, Berlin’s famous Egyptian collection, before it got bombed out. 

Architect David Chipperfield can be credited for the conservation of the building. The process took ten years. In June 15, 2010 David Chipperfield Architects’ Neues Museum received the Grand Prix of the European Heritage Awards. The award highlights Europe’s best achievements preserving Europe’s rich architectural, landscape, archaeological and artistic heritage. The incorporation of modern architecture is so sensitive and considered that I can see why it took so many years. Each room reveals historical breaches while harmonizing them with the needs of a contemporary functioning museum. He preserved the Neoclassical lines while at the same time creating working modern spaces. 

Included here are the photographs of  Friedrike Von Rauch and her visual documentation of the building in the final stages. She captured moments of unbelievable beauty in the building. Through the photographs you can’t help imagine the building’s past and future which reveals the genius of Chipperfield’s plan. 

Check out the book published by Hatje Cantz. It’s beautifully printed.

Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City

Every architect I know would love to design a library, the modern temple of knowledge. It’s a demanding and prestigious project. One of my favorites is the Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City. Winners of an open competition which elicited 590 proposals were Alberto Kalach, Juan Palomar, Gustavo Lipkau and Tonatiuh Martinez.

I’m drawn to how the books are distributed in large metal cages that hang from the five levels of the building and appear like floating clouds of knowledge above the long reading hall. The Library includes a music room and an auditorium that seats 520 people. A botanical garden with vegetation characteristic of the Valley of Mexico surrounds and protects the building from noise and creates a more intimate environment in the reading rooms.

Check out this interview with Alberto Kalach by Jose Castillo for Bomb magazine. Click.

The photography is by Tomas Casademunt.

Chris Mottalini

The Rock of the Month Club
The genesis for these pictures comes from photographer, Chris Mottalini, subscribing to a mineral club in which he started receiving monthly different rocks from around the world. On his site he says, “I photographed these rocks in various “natural” settings, occasionally introducing foreign elements (packaging materials, etc.) in order to highlight the constructed realism/manipulations of the photographs.”

These exotic minerals are transported from all parts of the globe (like India, Morocco Brazil, etc.) to a new photographic existence in a manipulated natural world.

I’m also a big fan of his “after you left, they took it apart (demolished paul rudolph homes)” series where he photographs a handful of homes by acclaimed architect Paul Rudolph days before they are demolished. The photographs capture the grace of these architectural gems even in the state of abandonment and neglect.

TAF Architect’s Gabriella Gustafsson and Mattias Ståhlbom

Swedish architecture firm TAF could be described as minimal with a eye for craftsmanship. They find inspiration from simple materials and translate those materials into storytelling experiences. There is always a nod to the handmade which makes it intriguing for me even if it’s machine made. For example in the cuckoo clock project, I like the contradiction and playfulness between the bird’s crude woodwork execution in contrast to it’s refine minimal powder-coated metal house.

To learn more about the talented duo I found an article about TAF on Icon Magazine online.