Ann Hamilton: Event of a Thread

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the opening party for Ann Hamilton's Event of a Thread at the Park Avenue Armory.  I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is.  And click here to read the New York Times review and see more photos.

How To Bind A Book

I have been teaching myself the art of book binding over the last few weeks, and I am pleased to say that I just completed my first one.  There are a few mistakes, to be expected, but generally I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I have to give a big thanks to Sage Reynolds, an artist who has an entire YouTube Channel dedicated to teaching these skills to anyone interested.  Click here to watch his over 90 videos posted on various techniques.  

Step 1.  Cutting the signatures.

Step 2.  Sewing the signatures together.  I used a traditional kettle stitch for my book.  

Step 3. Adding the endpapers and lining the spine.  The spine is reinforced with a special gauze like material and lining paper to give it more structural strength.  

Step 4.  Making the case.  I decided to use a neutral toned book cloth to match the netural end paper, and to create a contrast with the brightly colored images inside.  

The book is a combination of pictures from my trip to Peru and blank pages for sketching and writing.  A free association picture journal..

Discovering Columbus - Tatzu Nishi

Anything that is a physical, built environment, that causes a shift in our perception of something we previously took for granted, is definitely important.  That is something that all architects are searching for in some way or another.  And last week, in Columbus Circle in New York City, I found it in Tatzu Nishi's installation that entirely encompasses the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle.  

After climbing up 4 flights of stairs, with great views of the city along the way up, you enter what looks like an apartment corridor, which leads to a very comfortable living room.  The only thing out of the ordinary is that Christopher Columbus is standing on the coffee table.  

To me, what is so important about this project is that by simply changing the backdrop of something we completely alter our perception of it.  I have walked past this memorial statue countless times.  But now it stands out in my mind in a different way.  I now have a greater appreciation for this object that is much more a part of my daily life than I realized previously.