my-modern

To promote my-modern.com, the one-stop access to modern services and professionals in Charlotte, we flooded uptown today with fresh flowers, heralding the timid spring.  We had a blast with our crew of 16 that included 4 cameramen, 3 actors, 3 musicians, 3 photographers, our trusted producer and chief trouble maker Barbra, and us two giddy Dialect Boys.

As before we had our purple people doing the deed, spreading joy and hapiness. We saw many smiles, laughing children, and also a few puzzled looks.

The Woung Residence - A Sneak Peak

   

 

my-modern - the new modern beat in Charlotte

We have joined my-modern.com, the new online market place and informational site of all things modern in Charlotte, NC.
A fun group of modern outlets that promote their contemporary fair through flash-mob-style art performances.  If you missed the first event watch it below.

“The Gruesome Belly – an Epilogue” or “The Power of Art in Architecture – a Manifesto for the Modern Experiential Being” or "Just a Few Thoughts"

There have been stories shared about patrons of Mark Rothko’s work breaking down in tears while viewing the paintings of his moody, expressive “multiforms”. Maya Lin’s design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has visitors descending along its sliced earth, lined with stark black granite, thoroughly overwhelmed with a profound sense of being.

A sense of connection to the inexplicable, to memories imagined, to tremors of fear, the gory pit of dreams, to lust, to yearnings, and everything else. Therein lies the power of art and the power of architecture.
Just know that every last bit of the built environment we create has the potential, demands the right, to bear that power. Whether well intentioned, haphazardly ignorant, or blatantly harmful, every bit of our built environment influences our perception of being and our expectations of living.

Now ask yourself, why you manage to surround yourself with buildings and structures depressingly void of life. It takes but being aware. It takes but you willing to taste every last fiber of your built surrounding and letting yourself succumb to its yummy.
Ask for your home, your place of work, and your communal spaces to be expertly designed and exquisitely crafted.

We were recently invited to present a group of students and faculty of the Art Institute of Charlotte our work as designers and builders of modern architecture. We titled the talk “The Gruesome Belly” and went on to hunt in our work for all those moments of tickling tummies, quivering guts, and internal butterflies. We wanted to understand and share, how we come about weaving these marvelous moments from small constructional details, from understandings of site and client, from a tedious design process, from listening to our instincts, and from playing with materials and construction methods.

You might have seen before the image of the library we created in the Schoenberg Residence, here in Charlotte. But maybe we haven’t shared a bit of the anecdotes around it. We placed it as the pivotal center between three bedrooms of the children’s wing. In conjunction with a daylight-flooded hall, it became a play and reading area for the whole family. Structurally the library slices through the building and cantilevers out on either end as bright red inhabitable boxes. The lower one hovers as a cozy small nook over the rear terraces of the home, providing the children a great vantage point to the family’s dinners, get-togethers, and garden life. The taller box houses the summit of the climbing library; a cushioned, windowed perch, a cocoon that envelopes with the quiet of a sound chamber. The sense of the winding and surrounding shelves and the torqueing climb of the platforms and irregular steps is that of being snuggly held.

Every visitor to this house, who has made the way up, descends with stories of a childhood tree house. The mother of the three children, however, confided to us that she would make her way to the library’s summit on restless nights; cuddled up in the perch, partly lifted up beyond the house’s roof line, partly enveloped by the branches of surrounding trees, and partly cuddled amidst her sleeping children.

In this library numerous small pieces came together for these moments to be allowed. As different in tone and intent as calculated engineered structure and a carefully calibrated color scheme. We listened to the clients’ stories prior to design and created a spot for the library in their budget and within their expectations towards our work. Plumbers, window companies, and framers had to be cajoled, code requirements mitigated, and the dimensions of lounging, sleeping, sitting, crouching, reading, and perching measured and tested. Daylight had to be understood, passive ventilation taken into account, the view lines to the street measured against infraction of privacy. Every last detail, whether practical, functional, ephemeral, formal, or otherwise wanted to be part in telling the same story.

Another time, the parents shared with us, they found the house washed in absolute silence. Alarmed, they canvassed the house, fearing the worst, only to find all three children peacefully reading in the library. All three draped picture-perfect on separate landings, surrounded by their belongings of books, pillows and stuffed animals.

As imperfect the anecdotes for this particular architectural moment might be, it might give a glimpse of the potential your man-made surroundings have. To leave them unintentionally dull could be seen as a crime. At the very least as a lost opportunity for a richer life.
We happen to believe that you owe it to yourself to elevate your being, to spoil your senses, trigger your imagination, and love to live through a richer physical world.

We shared a few of these stories and moments with the Art Institute and ended with a row of slides, without comment, urging our audience to see the same richness in these snapshots. We hoped that each one of these showed the depth of intention and process, even in the simplest of designs.

Maybe the following will do the same.

Hollywood is looking for Charlotte's Modern - Contemporary Homes in Charlotte, NC

Ever wondered why you see all these sexy, cool and modern homes on TV and in your favorite magazines?

Karl Golden, location scout for the Golden Globe winning TV hit "Homeland", which is filmed in Charlotte, called us up to take him on a tour of modern homes in the Queen City. He needed a good list for his clients.

So we shared with him a quick look at what the Queen City got to give. To share Hollywood's glamour with you and whet your whistle, let's share a few of the homes we pointed out to him.

First stop was, of course our own design and construction project, the "Schӧnberg Residence":

Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design

Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design

Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design

Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design

Next we pointed out the "Smith House" by New York architect Lindsay Myers Smith, the images are from the builder's facebook page, "Philip R. Thomas Construction":

Smith House - Lindsay Myers Smith

Smith House - Lindsay Myers Smith

This  photo of the "Carmazzi Residence" we found on "Triangle Modernist Houses". It was designed by Virginia based William McDonough Architects:

Carmazzi Residence - William McDonough Architects

Our good friend and colleague, Jim Warren, built this design by Charlotte's Stan Russel on Tippah Avenue. The image is also from "Triangle Modernist Houses":

Tippah Home - Stan Russel

Charlotte's Liquid Design came up with a modern group of homes on  Craig Avenue. The image is from "Charlotte Modern Realty" and good friend and realtor on all things modern, Gail Jodon:
 

Craig Avenue - Liquid Design

This house, we pointed out, is an absolute jewel. A very good friend of ours lives in it and did much of the work in its construction.  It's situated on a lake with gorgeous views and was designed by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects:

Mack ScoginMerrill Elam Architects

As we pointed out to Karl Golden, there is a great array of modern homes in Charlotte. From Atomic Ranch to Midcentury Modern Homes, and contemporary residential architecture, we have seen some 300 structures in and around Charlotte. They range from small to large and various looks. There are many more modern additions and interior upfits to round off the picture.

Charlotte does know how to live modern and to do it right.

And hey – if Hollywood wants more, we’ll give‘em more!

We at Dialect have certainly experienced a vibrant new wave of Charloteans wanting to match their living quarters with their contemporary life style. And as our clients are finding comfort in knowing about the local modern market, and the freedom and playfulness to be had in modern homes, the variety of our modern homes and those of others is growing and getting more daring by the minute.

Live Modern!

add on  •  kitchen re-do  •  change the bathroom?

We've got a few ideas.

Put on the tea kettle. We’re coming over.

Free consultation from Jan. 15 – Feb. 15!

Call, email, text, facebook, twitter, link in, or messenger pigeon us to make your appointment - before our schedule fills up!

DialectDesign won't just think outside your box.

We’ll design it, we’ll build  it!

704.763.0506   •   704.488.6811   •   email   •   dialectdesign.com   •   facebook  

Caught in the Act - A Photo Session at Dialect

Wonderful Jessica Milligan of Jessica Milligan Photography visited us at Dialect for an "environmental photo shoot".

Design with us for Free!

Dialect Meditates w/ John W. Love. Jr.

If you haven't heard: John W. Love Jr. holds a guided mediation at Dialect every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. To join you can contact him through our website at dialectdesign.com or his contact info below. But whatever you do, please make sure to read his latest email invitation. And just to let you know they are this juicy evvery single week: >> MONDAY - Dialect Design TUESDAY - Dialect Design WEDNESDAY - Dialect Design FLY When Despair arrived...this time she was already standing at the door with a mantra on her lips and a sachet of silky and crystalline vision tucked behind her third rib; standing at the door clothed in nothing but her radiance and her highest heels. "Everything I do brings me joy and I enjoy everything I do...I bring joy to everything I do...I bring joy to everything I do...", she murmured. Then bolted. "So you're running now.", Despair spat into the wind. "You're running from me but what are you running towards, LaDonnia?! Who's your lover now, my desperate dearest?" "Perpetuating joy, I bring joy to everything I do...I bring joy to everything I do...", she whispered over a bare shoulder. "It is with pleasure that I'm leaving your vile ass you intoxicating sonuvabitch. I am my lover now! I am running into the tear stained face of Bliss! I am running into the ceaseless embrace of The Lovely! I am running into the endlessness of The Yummy! I am running into the endlessness of The Yummy! I am running into the endlessness of The Yummy!", and without warning she took flight startling even the wing-ed ones charged to accompany her on her journey. Take unabashed flight and let all of existence catch up with you. Take unabashed flight and look back only to entertain yourself with how pretty your ass continues to look. Take unabashed flight and apologize for nothing. Your current has arrived. Your winds should be picking you up right about...now! Breathe. Fly into your Yummy. Breathe. Fly into your Yummy. Breathe. Fly. Breathe. To CONFIRM attendance: EMAIL me by 10AM THE DAY OF THE MEDITATION CALL OR TEXT by 12 NOON THE DAY OF If I don't hear from anyone, the evening's session will be canceled. If I do hear from you, you know the times and places... 6:30p MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY Dialect Design 3204-C North Davidson Street Charlotte, NC 28205 [Between the blocks of 35th and 36th, Across the street from Cabo Fish Taco and Dolce Vita Wine Bar, To the right of the fire station, Above the old Center of the Earth Gallery, Upstairs and to the left!] $15 or WHATEVER YOU'RE MOVED TO DO donation/love offering Bring a cushion, blanket, or pillow if you'd like the floor. We also have very limited chair options! If you're interested in private sessions or group sessions on other days, speak it! L 704 807 1110

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Dialect Night "T2 - An Exhibition Of 3D Animatioin & Sound Artwork

Come on out to our next Dialect Night, this Friday, February 11th, from 6 to 9 pm. We will be exploring art through digital media:

Tohm Judson and Thomas Tucker will talk and showcase their collaborative experimental drawing/sculptural/animation/sound artwork on Friday, February 11, 2011. Tohm will talk about his approach toward electronic sound design using software created with Max/MSP/Jitter. The sounds created for this project are derived from the visual forms and structure created in the 3D space, tracking both the real-time video and the permanent piece and using it for sound creation. Thomas will talk about the collaborative process and the different uses of 3D animation using particle systems, 3D printouts, layered drawing and laser cutting.

See our invitation on our Dialect Design website, or on our Dialect Night facebook page!

John W. Love Jr. in Charlotte's Creative Loafing

Read a wonderful article on John W. Love Jr. in Charlotte's Creative Loafing:

<< "All the labels don't really mean anything to me, but they help people in terms of figuring out a place to put me," he said. "For me, it's all about creativity; it all comes from the same place. It's all rich expressions of this crazy imagination of mine, and I will use whatever medium is at my disposal."

Love, a Charlotte native, has traveled the world performing and showing his work, which has appeared in exhibits, on stage and in public spaces across the globe — from the bright lights of New York to Sweden. He has a strong drive to create and finds the beauty in the simplicity of everyday life.
"Everything is an influence," he said. "I'm inspired by the poetry of life ... by the poetic moments of existence. That can be the way an elderly person is walking down the street or it can be something gorgeous that I just read or witnessed." But Love is quick to point out that he doesn't draw his inspiration from other artists.
"As a creative, I've never been one to emulate others," he said. "I've never been one to sort of look for myself in somebody else's work. I don't get my validation creatively from that or get my validation as a human being that way."
As all over the place as Love is with his artistic pursuits (he even teaches a meditation class three times a week at Dialect Design), there is structure in his madness. A trained dancer, singer and actor, he takes his work seriously. "A lot of people think that artists just do what they feel, which makes me chuckle — because the reality is, even if you're doing what you feel, there has to be a level of craft and discipline to bring what you feel to life," he said. "I'm incredibly analytical when it comes to my work, and I think that shows." >>

Read the whole article and find a video clip at Creative Loafing.

Dwell - Featuring Armando Bellmas' Photos

Armando Bellmas, who has graciously worked with us, beautifully documenting our modern architecture, has had his photography published in the last Dwell magazine:

It is an interesting read and, of course, magnificent imagery. Armando's work is as always inspiring!

See it all at Dwell!

TATSUYA NAKATANI and GREAT ARCHITECT and DIALECT STUDIOS' ARTISTS

We enjoyed an intriguing Dialect Night Special this Sunday at our studio gallery. Brent Bagwell had organized a performance by his free improv Jazz ensemble Great Architect and a musical percussion-sound-performance by Tatsuya Nakatani. Meanwhile the artists creatively working in our studios displayed their work.
All their efforts formed into a magical night with a lot of wonders and creative energies overlaying themselves to a sexy fabric.
Great Architect played for the third time this evening at Dialect and this time calmly and groundedly found a rhythmic base and creative interplay that showed a comfort and trust in the space and their creativity. it was their best performance yet.


Tatsuya Nakatani, meanwhile, filled the place with reverberating deep bellows and changing rhythmic overtones with gongs of different size and tonality. He squeezed and gently tickled a cacophony of sounds out of them with mesmerizing artistry. He moved on to a toolbox full of collected percussion toys and found objects that he had dance on a snare drum in an acrobatic frenzy, creating magical sounds, drawing unimaginable sound images out of his instruments, while finding percussionist vibrations with various mallets and a smoothly vibrating fluttering right foot on a base. It was mesmerizing.


If that wasn't enough, Taryn Rubin, Amy Bagwell, and Rae LeGrone showed off their visual and poetic artistry with a carefully crafted exhibition. Their work was playful, meticulous, and searching for questions unasked.
We walked away invigorated, tossed about, and greatly inspired.
Thank you!