the little things...

There is nothing better then one of the largest blizzards of a city to get you to appreciate the scenery. Living in Chicago you learn to love a little bit of chilly wind here or there, but when it begins to move your windows and creek your walls on the 36th floor it's a whole different story. The Chicago Blizzard of 2011 was a nightmare for so many people but to me it was a snow day and a perfect chance to go out on the quiet streets and take a few good snap shots.

The night of the big snow the iconic Marina Towers and the Trump Tower were invisible from the balcony due to the immense amount of snow. The only visibility in sight was the flashes of lightning and the crashes of thunder. The entire experience was pretty scary, but really beautiful. Now as the city cleans the remainders of the abandoned cars and mounds of snow, I can't help but to miss the rush of the entire event.

 The after math early in the morning.

The day after the blizzard around 3pm, the streets were quiet, considering it was the a blizzard and the entire city had a snow day.  It was an eerie feeling walking across the major streets with no cars around, but it really was a perfect day to bring out your inner photographer to venture around the city to appreciate all of its little details.

 

 

 

Inspiration Overdrive

It has been a very long time since my last post. This can be due to my shift in scenery, moving from Ohio to Chicago, and all the distractions that come with a big life change. Primarily, I believe it is because of all the new activities and artistic endeavors I embarked while here in the windy city. In August I began an internship with a fashion designer working on textile design. After the internship I received a job for American Apparel and now I am taking on architecture again. Just recently I was offered a architectural design internship with a design studio and hopefully I will be attending grad school to receive my masters in architecture next year in the fall. All in all I have so much catching up to do with my blog! Recently I have been inspired by the combination of architecture and fashion in the three dimensional realm in which interpretations of facades can be revamped into garments. Below are several examples from Atelier Manferdini, a firm whose work ranges from architecture to fashion and embraces all disciples to flow into one and other.

Popomomo S/S10

My roommate gave me this great link of LA's Fashion week for Spring 2010,knowing how much I love sustainable fashion. The garments are green and the fabrics all look amazing for organic fibers, but what intrigued me the most was Lizz Wasserman's Spring 2010 collection. Her collection named, Popomomo's(short for post-postmodern movement), is a confluence of geometric details, cutout shapes, pops of color, and abstract prints. 

The event was held during LA Fashion on Broadway, this past week. Garments are made with sustainable fabrics including hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo. The models interact with the installations which were all inspired by Buckminster Fuller, German Dada artist Hannah Höch, and Russian constructivists. Designer Lizz Wasserman looks to spring 2010 with Russian avant-garde art movement and the art and textiles of Liubov Popova, whom is one of the main women from the movement, for inspiration

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Inspiration Strikes

Finally painting again

Danse Avec Moi

Danse avec moi{dance with me}

I truly miss ballet. Its been almost four years since I have put on a pair of ballet slippers. I did a fouette rond de jambe en tournant{fancy word for ballet spin}, and wow am I rusty. There is something exhilarating about that blinding light beating down upon you when you're on stage. It's like you're flying, and for some reason the whole world just fades away. Someday I hope to return to ballet, not sure when, but ever since I was a little girl I could not stop dancing, it's just in my blood.

Trois Couleurs Rouge

Trois Couleurs Rouge (1994) by Kryzsztof Kieslowski 
Construct of Unique Occurrences within Divergent Paths 

 

The boundaries of 'place' are both physical and psychological. In the film Red, the actors define space and/or place through physical isolation. The beginning of Valentine's day begins with a phone call from a man she cares about, yet the subject of the conversation revolves around loneliness. In the conversation Valentine explain that she felt alone that night, and she was alone again in the morning. Even as she enters the fast paced schedule of her day she still appears to carry that same emotion of isolation as seen in her face in the morning during the phone call. The physical world of loneliness stays with Valentine into a mental word throughout the day. This is where the boundary of physical and psychological 'place' intersect and merge. Valentine's psychological boundary of place in her feeling of isolation.

Each character in the film lives in their own 'place'. The view of the city is represented as "the other". A world that keeps moving, regardless of the lives of the Valentine or Auguste. But as the camera moves from one character to another, "the other" is made up of individuals in their own anxiety of isolation. The paths of lives intersect and yet each person remains separate from the one and other. Place is not only in their separate apartments, but also in their minds.    

The color red generally deems qualities of passion and sometimes anger. In the film this color plays as a backdrop to many important over-lapped moments that seem to stray from the color's "normal" meaning. Valentine does a photo-shoot in the film, her emotions range in all variations from sad, joy, and anger, but when the poster of her is finally released it is her deep sad expression in her profile close up that is printed within a deep red backdrop. Her image is pasted across an intersection billboard that marks the location of much introspection that develops within the minds of the men whose lives she crosses paths with. Though the image is of sadness, the emotion it evokes with the people whose lives she enters brings out tender feelings towards her. Their is wonder and desire within their hearts when they engage within this crossroad intersection.

Wearable Architecture

This year I have been focusing on how fabric can be reinterpreted and implemented into architectural design. The connection is quite remarkable, fashion and architecture, both responding to the user and with the help of fabric can create an ambiance that no other material can simulate.

Then I started looking at the sustainable aspects of fabric, what are the benefits of using this in design outside of fashion? In the process I stumbled on the work of Sheila Kennedy, a designer part of Kennedy & Violich Architecture, that uses the power of solar paneling within the fibers of fabric.The fabric in her designs sucks up energy from the sun during the day and then illuminates during the night. 

The image above is just one of the great examples from her website, it's a clever reference to curtains in a cutting edge manner.

One of my favorite projects of KVA's is the seven ferry landings along Manhattan’s Harlem and East River waterfronts. The architects adapted marine-buoy lighting technology, which uses energy-conserving LEDs, photo-sensors, and photovoltaic cells, into the street furniture (below).

 In general these ground breaking solar fabrics have become the major aspects of my latest projects, from illuminating outdoor theaters in a cultural center in Nigeria, to a tool to retrofit parking structures in Cleveland, OH. I can't wait to see how far I can push this idea and if some day I will be able to use it in my professional practice.