The Wonderlust Journal

The World’s Largest Work of Art

Remember Jim Denevan, whose work I put up back here (if you didn’t see it, check it out, pretty awesome)? Well apparently back in March, he completed the “world’s largest work of art,” on Lake Baikal in Siberia, and there’s a documentary in the works about the piece (intro below).

Denevan’s large-scale earth works explore the impermanent, carving geometric shapes into element-sensitive areas, like sand and snow, that will eventually be erased by wind and water.

This latest project in Siberia was a 9-square mile spiral of circles, along the fibonacci curve, starting at 18″ and ranging up to miles in diameter.

Jim Denevan site here.

Siberia project as featured on The Anthropologist

August 17, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Arts Visuels

Labels:
Arts Visuels, installation, video

Listening To >> Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams is like an old childhood friend who you know you’ll always have a special relationship with no matter the distance between you or years that pass. You can go ages without talking, but when you see each other again, it’s just like it always was and you wonder how years went by without seeing each other.

I’ve gone on somewhat of a Ryan Adams bender recently, and I’m always so happy when these phases come back around.

“Oh My Sweet Carolina”

August 16, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Listening To

Labels:

LustList >> Two-Story Bookcases Requiring a Sprial Staircase

Bookcases with a ladder are obviously on the LustList, but why have a ladder when you can have a spiral staircase?

Karl Lagerfeld’s library above stresses me out with its horizontally stacked books (doesn’t it make your eye go crazy?), but still, that staircase is awesome.

This one, from Marie Claire Maison, actually just appears to be two different floors that both have bookshelves on the same wall, which has the visual effect of looking like a double-height bookcase joined by a staircase. Brilliant.

(Karl’s library from Elle Decor)

August 16, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Interiors

Labels:

Must See >> What Motivates Us

Surprising material about what actually incentivizes us, particularly at work (hint: it’s not just money), animated in that addictively watchable style from the people at RSA Animate.

August 14, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
A Teachable Moment

Labels:
animation, video

Mary & Leo

Don’t you hope you’ll be spending weekends as one half of a sweet pair like this when you get to their age? Mary and Leo, married 60 years, captured by famous wedding photographer Jose Villa.

August 13, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Sentimentalism

Labels:
Photography

Murakami at Versailles

Takashi Murakami is exhibiting at Versailles! I caught the Murakami show at the Brooklyn Museum a couple of years ago, but would LOVE to see his work in this setting.

Murakami is known for his play on the intersection of high and low, appropriating both Japanese anime and traditional forms of Japanese painting and often producing his work through mass production. Exploring similar themes as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, etc., such as mass media, pop culture, and consumerism, he is considered one of the most prolific Japanese pop artists (albeit a few decades after the West’s pop art movement).

Here’s the artist’s statement about the show– pretty interesting:

For a Japanese like me, the Château de Versailles is one of the greatest symbols of Western history. It is the emblem of an ambition for elegance, sophistication and art that most of us can only dream of.
Of course, we are aware that the spark that set fire to the powder of the Revolution came directly from the centre of the building.

But, in many respects, everything is transmitted to us as a fantastic tale coming from a very distant kingdom. Just as French people can find it hard to recreate in their minds an accurate image of the Samurai period, the history of this palace has become diminished for us in reality.

So it is probable that the Versailles of my imagination corresponds to an exaggeration and a transformation in my mind so that it has become a kind of completely separate and unreal world. That is what I have tried to depict in this exhibition.

I am the Cheshire cat that welcomes Alice in Wonderland with its diabolic smile, and chatters away as she wanders around the Château.

With a broad smile I invite you all to discover the wonderland of Versailles.

Similar to Keith Haring, who sold his own work out of a storefront, Murakami also lends his name and his “Superflat” style to other projects. One such project was an ongoing collaboration with Marc Jacobs on a limited edition Louis Vuitton bags, which they even sold within the museums where Murakami was exhibiting.

They effectively set up a pop-up Louis Vuitton store within the Brooklyn Museum during his show, selling bags for $5,000 and canvases for $10,000… now if that doesn’t blur lines between art and commodity, I don’t know what does.

Here is Marc Jacobs on working with Murakami:

Apparently Kanye caught the Superflat bug as well and collaborated with Murakami on the “Good Morning” video…

August 13, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Arts Visuels

Labels:
Arts Visuels

Summer Lovin

Loved this board by Rifle Paper Co. Makes you want to take a camping/road trip, no?

August 12, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Style Files

Labels:
classics, style files, summer

Letterhead

This is awesome. Just discovered a sister blog to Letters of Note (check it out if you don’t know it– it publishes scans of original historically significant letters) called Letterheady, which publishes the letterhead of famous figures and companies. Could browse their archives for… a while.

(Stephen King)

August 12, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Graphic Fix

Labels:
Graphic Fix, old stuff, paper stuff, stationery

Freunde von Freunden

Freunde von Freunden, or Friend of a Friend, is like the German version of The Selby– it shows the living and workspaces of people in creative industries. Here, one of my favorites– the Berlin apartment of Frank Stuve.

Though a little too glam and intense for a space I think I could live in day-in and day-out, I really like the highly restricted palette and use of art — particularly photographs and sculptures. Does it make you want more framed black and white photos in your home? It did for me!

Also, those wonderful herringbone floors!! Why does it seem everyone in Europe gets to have those floors? I’m so jealous!

Yes I am still a sucker for color-coordinated bookshelves.

August 12, 2010

Curated by:
Eliza Coleman

Section:
Interiors

Labels:

John Derian for Target

Mark your calendars: September 5. John Derian for Target.

Click through for more from the collection…

I missed John Derian’s last collection for Target (why do I keep living in places where the only Target is like 30 minutes away??), and I do not plan on making that mistake again. This is going to require a special trip to Ventura, which I have a feeling could turn into a trip to Oxnard to the chick-fil-a, which sounds like a wonderful marriage of my two favorite redneck guilty pleasures.