I read this great article in the New York Times ... more important is how this article gushes about floral designer Emily Thompson. I especially love how the article discusses the 'floral wars of Brooklyn' ...

"However unwittingly, she is also at the heart of what might be called the Brooklyn Flower Wars. In recent months, the borough has become known as a fertile lab for thoughtful, expressive floral design, thanks to Sprout Home, Blossom and Branch, Poppies and Posies, Kat Flower, CocoRosie and especially Saipua and Nicolette Camille, florists whose free-and-natural ethos is not dissimilar to Ms. Thompson’s."

How I admire all these ladies for their design and love of flowers and how I wish I could be in New York to witness all this floral frenzy!

Look at this photograph from the article, it looks more like an artist at work in her studio, I love that she is bringing her artistic background and studio nonchalance into the floral industry, it is an art form after all ...

Could this be a glimpse of what could be in our city's future? We're looking forward to visiting PF1 (Public Farm 1 is the official name for the installation), and seeing how the project works when it's in an actual space with actual people and yielding actual vegetables. In other areas of the world vertical or step farming happens in the countrysides where terrain or flat space constraints (mountains) have necessitated this way of growing. These projects begin to show us how we can farm within the landscape constraints of major cities. More and more, people are talking about the need to better utilize our natural resources. These designs attempt to do that as well as bring city people closer to food sources.

matt at apartmenttherapy dot com

WORKac is the architectural firm responsible for the design, inspired by urban vertical gardening concepts. Public Farm 1’s intent is to educate thousands of visitors on sustainable urban farming through the unique medium of contemporary architecture.






The unveiling of Public Farm 1 by WORKac, the winner of MOMA/PS1's annual architectural design competition, took place in June 2008 in PS1's courtyard.

You can view the evolution of construction and planting of the actual Public Farm 1 on the PublicFarm1 website.




And just a few links...

Christien Meindertsma's Urchin Pouf



Canadian Photojournalism...

Jonetsu Photography

Davina + Daniel

Some pictures I took around the house today....








Riu Tenreiro's illustrations for the book The Celebration are amazing! I love the simple colour scheme, his quirky style and the story board look of the book.

I also really like the the simple illustrative style and limited colour use of Brandon A. Dalmer's work.

I think public art should have presence in the space it's occupying, and for me public art is most effective when it changes the way people react to it, for example the way they move around a sculpture and how it impacts their emotions and sense of space. I think the sculptures of Richard Serra are an excellent example of how public sculpture can alter a person's perception of space. This video shows the installation of Serra's sculpture garden at the MOMA. The shear size of his work is incredible. It is amazing how he challenges a person's perception of space with such simple concave and convex bends in shapes.

My favourite public art space is the Stravinsky Fountain at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Mayle is my newest favourite fashion. I love the Fall 2007 collection. It is all about layering boxy shapes and legs!

Here is something I drew, dreaming of the west coast....