Matsumoto Prize - Popular Choice Award
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2015
2015 Matsumoto Prize
Vote for our Woung Residence! It has been nominated for the prestigious 2015 Matsumoto Price and is up for the Poular Choice Award. Follow this link, browse, and vote for (what else?) for the Woung Residence:
Matsumoto Prize - Popular Choice Award
Matsumoto Prize - Popular Choice Award
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
“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.
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.
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.
Friday, February 3, 2012
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":
.jpg) |
| Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design |
.jpg) |
| Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design |
.jpg) |
| Schӧnberg Residence - Dialect Design |
.jpg) |
| 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":
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| Smith House - Lindsay Myers Smith |
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| 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:
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| Carmazzi Residence - William McDonough Architects |
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| Tippah Home - Stan Russel |
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| 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:
.JPG) |
| 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.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
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 |
<<
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Beijing architect lives in egg-shaped house
We were made aware of this article on Shine from Yahoo, today. How about going really small?:
>>
>>
Beijing Egg House
The house fits neatly on the sidewalk.
Photo by: AFP / Getty Images By Lori Bongiorno and Trystan L. Bass
More from Green Picks blog
Dai Haifei, a 24-year-old architect in Beijing, China, found an ingenious solution to live rent-free. He built himself a mobile egg-shaped house that is powered by the sun.
The 6-foot-high structure, which is small enough to fit on a sidewalk, is made of bamboo strips, wood chippings, sack bags, and grass seed that’s expected to grow in the spring.
The pod features a solar panel on the roof that powers a lamp in the cozy space. The house cost around $1,000 to build (6427 yen), according to China Daily.
It seems Haifei has taken the trend of living in tiny spaces to a whole new level. <<
You can read more and see lot of images at Shine from Yahoo.
More from Green Picks blog
Dai Haifei, a 24-year-old architect in Beijing, China, found an ingenious solution to live rent-free. He built himself a mobile egg-shaped house that is powered by the sun.
The 6-foot-high structure, which is small enough to fit on a sidewalk, is made of bamboo strips, wood chippings, sack bags, and grass seed that’s expected to grow in the spring.
The pod features a solar panel on the roof that powers a lamp in the cozy space. The house cost around $1,000 to build (6427 yen), according to China Daily.
It seems Haifei has taken the trend of living in tiny spaces to a whole new level. <<
You can read more and see lot of images at Shine from Yahoo.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Charlotte's appetitie for avant-garde jazz at Dialect Design is juiced up - Read the Article!
From the Charlotte Observer's pages - an article by Courtney Devores last Friday:
>>Experimental avant-garde jazz isn't necessarily popular with mainstream audiences, but local musician Brent Bagwell (Great Architect, the Eastern Seaboard) says there's a market for it in Charlotte.
"There are probably 500 people in Charlotte that would like this (music) if I could reach them consistently," says Bagwell, who has booked fringe jazz and improv artists at The Milestone, Lunchbox Records and Century Vintage since moving to Charlotte from Brooklyn in 2004.
His latest venture is a monthly Modern Music series at NoDa's Dialect Design, which kicked off in October with Chicago Luzern Exchange, a collaboration between American and Swiss musicians. Trumpet and bassoon soloists Jacob Wick and Katherine Young will perform Wednesday. Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani ends the three-month series on Dec. 19. Great Architect will also perform at each event, and Bagwell hopes to book more shows there in 2011.
"I'm a hopeless optimist," says Bagwell, an S.C. native who studied English at the University of Georgia before turning to an intense, self-guided private musical instruction program and playing in bands while living in New York.
"It's unfamiliar music. It reflects things that are happening right now. Anyone I could coerce into coming to see a show, they're going to be into it when they leave. I was not so sure about things a few years ago. Now I feel like there is this influx of people in their early twenties... they know everything from the Internet," he says of young audiences that are as familiar with John Coltrane's later catalog as they are with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.
"There is also the McColl fellowship art sorts who love it, too."
The NoDa art space's cork floors, exposed brick and intimate setting make it a great place to hear soloists like Nakatani, whose work he describes as "riveting." Of Wick he says, "I think he likes to do this solo thing as a test of his own mettle. I set him up with a house show. He wanted to play something super-intimate with 20 people. By the end of his set, everyone was paying attention - and that's some serious authority for someone in his early twenties to yield." <<
you can pick up the whole article at the observer
>>Experimental avant-garde jazz isn't necessarily popular with mainstream audiences, but local musician Brent Bagwell (Great Architect, the Eastern Seaboard) says there's a market for it in Charlotte.
"There are probably 500 people in Charlotte that would like this (music) if I could reach them consistently," says Bagwell, who has booked fringe jazz and improv artists at The Milestone, Lunchbox Records and Century Vintage since moving to Charlotte from Brooklyn in 2004.
His latest venture is a monthly Modern Music series at NoDa's Dialect Design, which kicked off in October with Chicago Luzern Exchange, a collaboration between American and Swiss musicians. Trumpet and bassoon soloists Jacob Wick and Katherine Young will perform Wednesday. Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani ends the three-month series on Dec. 19. Great Architect will also perform at each event, and Bagwell hopes to book more shows there in 2011.
"I'm a hopeless optimist," says Bagwell, an S.C. native who studied English at the University of Georgia before turning to an intense, self-guided private musical instruction program and playing in bands while living in New York.
"It's unfamiliar music. It reflects things that are happening right now. Anyone I could coerce into coming to see a show, they're going to be into it when they leave. I was not so sure about things a few years ago. Now I feel like there is this influx of people in their early twenties... they know everything from the Internet," he says of young audiences that are as familiar with John Coltrane's later catalog as they are with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.
"There is also the McColl fellowship art sorts who love it, too."
The NoDa art space's cork floors, exposed brick and intimate setting make it a great place to hear soloists like Nakatani, whose work he describes as "riveting." Of Wick he says, "I think he likes to do this solo thing as a test of his own mettle. I set him up with a house show. He wanted to play something super-intimate with 20 people. By the end of his set, everyone was paying attention - and that's some serious authority for someone in his early twenties to yield." <<
you can pick up the whole article at the observer
Friday, October 15, 2010
"Great Architect" presents Modern Music at Dialect
This fall jazz innovators "Great Architect" are teaming up with dialect design to bring some of the best players of the national and international improvised music scene to Charlotte. In a series of three concerts, we are presenting musicians from New York, Chicago, Switzerland, and Japan. It is our hope that the intimate environment of the dialect space will provide an up-close chance to see these folks working out the sounds of the future.
We couldn't be more excited about the three nights of music we have lined up. These are some of the heaviest hitters on the scene. Now is the time to catch them at the height of their game(s).
Fri., 10/29
@ dialect design
3204-C N. Davidson
8pm
Chicago Luzern Exchange
...
Working on nearly five years of collaboration across an ocean, the four players in (the incredibly literally-named) Chicago Luzern Exchange are a pure force of improvisational communication. The three Chicago components - cornetist Josh Berman, reeds player Keefe Jackson, and drummer Frank Rosaly - first met Swiss tuba virtuoso Marc Unternahrer when a grant from the Swiss government provided a cultural exchange opportunity with Chicago's incredibly vibrant jazz scene. This band works the history of jazz - from the heyday of the '20s (cornet and tuba, after all!) to the outer fringes of modern composition - into their inimitable improvisations. It is no exaggeration to say that these individuals are among the finest living players of their instruments. When that personal skill is coupled with the communication they have developed through many tours of the US and Europe, the group is frighteningly taut and brimming with ideas.
http://chicagoluzernexchange.blogspot.com/
http://www.delmark.com/delmark.561.htm
Wed., 11/17
@ dialect design
3204-C N. Davidson
8pm
Jacob Wick - solo trumpet
Katherine Young - solo bassoon
...
Jacob Wick is part of Jason Ajemian's HighLife band (among several others) and has been to Charlotte several times, both with that group and twice to perform his solo trumpet pieces. Easily one of the most accomplished trumpet players working today, his solo work is technically jaw-dropping. Much more importantly, however, is the passion and purpose with which he conveys his ideas in this stark, demanding setting. His own remarkable endeavors include a trio collaboration with two Irish players that recently toured India, a Brooklyn-based group called Hungry Cowboy that utilizes graphic scores to explore the fictional world of Cormac McCarthy, and a powerful curatorial presence in NYC's New Music scene.
www.myspace.com/jacobwickmusic
www.jacobwick.info/
...
Katherine Young is a bassonist of incredible range. A Wesleyan graduate, she studied composition and improvisation with Anthony Braxton (who tapped her to be a member of his astonishing Falling River Quartet) and legendary American composer Alvin Lucier. She has been commissioned to write string quartets, plays in a number of NYC's best improvised music ensembles, and regularly contributes to a terrific pop band in Chicago....! Her duo with violist Amy Cimini, Architeuthis Walks on Land, is a masterful combination of sounds and ideas. Her solo bassoon work is nothing short of amazing.
http://katherineyoung.info/
http://katherineyoung.blogspot.com/
www.myspace.com/oneyoungbassoon
Sun., 12/19
@ dialect design
3204-C N. Davidson
8pm
Tatsuya Nakatani
...
One of the most engaging and inventive musicians out there, Tatsuya Nakatani creates a world of sound during his solo percussion performances. Drawing on jazz, traditional Japanese music, and even Johnny Cash, his work with bowed cymbals and unconventional percussion instruments is a marvel. His ceaseless touring and commitment to collaborate with musicians of every stripe from all over the globe make Tatsuya a one-man unifying force in the New Music and jazz scenes. Never less than completely enthralling, his solo performances leave every listener (literally!) ringing with possibility.
http://www.hhproduction.org/TATSUYA_NAKATANI_WORKS.html
We couldn't be more excited about the three nights of music we have lined up. These are some of the heaviest hitters on the scene. Now is the time to catch them at the height of their game(s).
Fri., 10/29
@ dialect design
3204-C N. Davidson
8pm
Chicago Luzern Exchange
...
Working on nearly five years of collaboration across an ocean, the four players in (the incredibly literally-named) Chicago Luzern Exchange are a pure force of improvisational communication. The three Chicago components - cornetist Josh Berman, reeds player Keefe Jackson, and drummer Frank Rosaly - first met Swiss tuba virtuoso Marc Unternahrer when a grant from the Swiss government provided a cultural exchange opportunity with Chicago's incredibly vibrant jazz scene. This band works the history of jazz - from the heyday of the '20s (cornet and tuba, after all!) to the outer fringes of modern composition - into their inimitable improvisations. It is no exaggeration to say that these individuals are among the finest living players of their instruments. When that personal skill is coupled with the communication they have developed through many tours of the US and Europe, the group is frighteningly taut and brimming with ideas.
http://chicagoluzernexchange.blogspot.com/
http://www.delmark.com/delmark.561.htm
Wed., 11/17
@ dialect design
3204-C N. Davidson
8pm
Jacob Wick - solo trumpet
Katherine Young - solo bassoon
...
Jacob Wick is part of Jason Ajemian's HighLife band (among several others) and has been to Charlotte several times, both with that group and twice to perform his solo trumpet pieces. Easily one of the most accomplished trumpet players working today, his solo work is technically jaw-dropping. Much more importantly, however, is the passion and purpose with which he conveys his ideas in this stark, demanding setting. His own remarkable endeavors include a trio collaboration with two Irish players that recently toured India, a Brooklyn-based group called Hungry Cowboy that utilizes graphic scores to explore the fictional world of Cormac McCarthy, and a powerful curatorial presence in NYC's New Music scene.
www.myspace.com/jacobwickmusic
www.jacobwick.info/
...
Katherine Young is a bassonist of incredible range. A Wesleyan graduate, she studied composition and improvisation with Anthony Braxton (who tapped her to be a member of his astonishing Falling River Quartet) and legendary American composer Alvin Lucier. She has been commissioned to write string quartets, plays in a number of NYC's best improvised music ensembles, and regularly contributes to a terrific pop band in Chicago....! Her duo with violist Amy Cimini, Architeuthis Walks on Land, is a masterful combination of sounds and ideas. Her solo bassoon work is nothing short of amazing.
http://katherineyoung.info/
http://katherineyoung.blogspot.com/
www.myspace.com/oneyoungbassoon
Sun., 12/19
@ dialect design
3204-C N. Davidson
8pm
Tatsuya Nakatani
...
One of the most engaging and inventive musicians out there, Tatsuya Nakatani creates a world of sound during his solo percussion performances. Drawing on jazz, traditional Japanese music, and even Johnny Cash, his work with bowed cymbals and unconventional percussion instruments is a marvel. His ceaseless touring and commitment to collaborate with musicians of every stripe from all over the globe make Tatsuya a one-man unifying force in the New Music and jazz scenes. Never less than completely enthralling, his solo performances leave every listener (literally!) ringing with possibility.
http://www.hhproduction.org/TATSUYA_NAKATANI_WORKS.html
All shows are donations-based. With a suggested donation of $5. Needless to say, this is a steal for music of this caliber!
Locals Great Architect will also play on each bill - often in different configurations and instrumentations....!
www.myspace.com/hellogreatarchitect
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art - a field trip
We had a chance today to stop by Charlotte's Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. A long overdue field trip to the city's premier and shiny new example of truly modern Architecture. It was a feast of modernity both in building and art. And it was a momentary experience of urban life. As much as we critiqued and questioned all we saw, we were thankful for Charlotte offering a glimpse of the great city it seems to be growing into; with public transportation, plazas, a bustling street life and tightly woven multi-functional common spaces. It was blissful.
We leave the critique of the art and architecture to both of our more eloquent friends Manoj Kesavan and Phillip Larrimore (see links below). However, we shall say that Mario Botta's design allowed us to marvel at architecture, art and the city all at the same time. It's openess and constant views to the urban surroundings was pleasant. As were the occasional interior views through the building itself that let us experience the structure throughout the visit.
As for the art, we were excited about the playful mingling of truly wonderful examples of modern art centered roughly around the middle of the 20th century. An unassuming arrangement that allowed us to see each piece freshly and with a presence you would see in Bechtler's own residence.
The art itself also inspired us to lengthy excursions into our own work and aspirations both in our architecture, as well as our Dialect Nights. We drew fresh energy and ideas out of an art that was often structural, sculptural, searching and experimental. The art certainly was touching in its energy and trust in skill.
Thank you Bechtler Museum for making us feel at home, both as citizens and modern architects in Charlotte.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Charlotte Viewpoint - "Taste and See: Commentary on Local Visual Art"
Phillip Larrimore wrote a wonderful piece on Charlotte's art scene in Charlotte Viewpoint and Dialect's Dialect Nights got to shine:<< Recently and with a dawning sense of wonder it occurred to me that there were artists working here whose work I would find interesting if I saw them in New York or L.A. Because this is new work by artists who are even now evolving, it seemed best to write briefly about them, as a part of ongoing relationship to something new rather than embalm them in "expertise." My own basic criterion is fatally simple: I know something is good if I remember it, and I see great deal that I quickly forget. But I encourage you to look yourself, and moreover, to “taste and see.” * * *
Frequently, I don't know what I think about something until after I have “sat” with it, and this may be a matter of months, or even years. There is a pre-digested or miscellaneous abstraction that immediately induces boredom. This I know that I think about.
There is a realism that is merely paint-by-numbers rather than observed. Likewise, there is work that tries to rattle my bones, but they've already been rattled, and I don't care. But when a work puzzles, genuinely puzzles, then I know I have something to work with.
Barbara Schreiber’s work has plenty of this anomalous something. Her paintings are 
almost tiny, and done in seemingly guileless illustrational technique remindful—to me, at least—of Francophone colonial children's book illustrations from the pre-WWII colonial period, of Tintin or Babar. Her earlier work was captioned with phrases that seemed dropped from some missing haiku, compounding the puzzle. Her latest series, the Boarding series, are views from the oval-esque window of an airplane, and depict a sequence of pilots, stewardesses, passenger… and locusts… seen on the boarding ramp.
almost tiny, and done in seemingly guileless illustrational technique remindful—to me, at least—of Francophone colonial children's book illustrations from the pre-WWII colonial period, of Tintin or Babar. Her earlier work was captioned with phrases that seemed dropped from some missing haiku, compounding the puzzle. Her latest series, the Boarding series, are views from the oval-esque window of an airplane, and depict a sequence of pilots, stewardesses, passenger… and locusts… seen on the boarding ramp. There is something of the between-destinations quality of a Hopper train-passenger painting to them, something of the sleepy, half-aware state a passenger feels watching the lives which one will never know except by fragment and deduction en route to their destinations. But how does she manage to make these images feel like a CAT scan or microscopic cross-section of a narrative that may be reconstructed? The strength of the work lies in this sense of narration which is partially available, partially cancelled, and reminds me of certain writers, really, rather than painters—Yasunari Kawabata's Palm-of-the-Hand Stories, which hang narrative fragments out to dry, or the water-colors described by Georges Perec in Life: A User’s Manual, which are sent from foreign places to be turned into jig-saw puzzles and then boxed, mailed, and then destroyed on arrival at their final destination. At any rate, this moment of puzzlement proves to be as durable as an epiphany.
By fluke I got to see three different shows by Diana Arvanites in rapid succession, the first at a studio she was closing, the second as an installation at Dialect Design, the third at McColl Center, where she is now in residence. The studio show featured modular abstractions, generally consisting of two larger rectangular panels and a third narrower one. These use a cunning array of tromp l'oeil textures in which, for example, sponging turns into drawing or collage—in a variety of minty greens, subtle aquas, cool pre-dawn pinks, or residual sunset apricots along with a few caustic citrines. (I haven't figured out WHY these panels can be re-configured and will interface, but they do.) >>
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Charlotte Observer today - "To keep busy, many contractors turn to renovations"
We stumbled over this article by Kerry Singe in the Charlotte Obsever today:>> Two years ago, interior designer Irene Suchoza spent most of her time working on the insides of new, multimillion-dollar buildings.
Today, the associate at Gantt Huberman Architects is helping clients rethink existing structures, figuring out how to give old buildings new life and do so on a tight budget.
As demand for new commercial building projects has dried up, more contractors, designers and architects are finding themselves chasing smaller jobs that they might have once been too busy to do.
In March 2008, about a third of commercial building permits issued that month in Mecklenburg County were for renovations. In March, renovations and upfits accounted for more than 60 percent of permits issued. An upfit is work done to an existing space to fit a tenant's needs.
The total number of commercial building permits granted has plummeted since peaking in 2008. The Queen City was once dotted with construction cranes as firms, particularly banks, expanded. The growing demand, combined with easy capital, fueled a building spree. Then the recession hit, banks cut their spending and developers abandoned projects.
To survive the doldrums, construction companies are wooing firms that are either downsizing or adding employees but staying in their existing space.
Some building owners are taking advantage of relatively low labor and material costs to make their buildings more energy efficient. Other clients simply don't have the money to build as big as once planned but want to make changes.
"Upfits is definitely one of the big names of the game right now," said Dave Simpson, N.C. building director for Carolinas AGC, a contractors' trade group. "People in the construction industry are interested in doing any kind of construction, whether it be new buildings, old buildings, upfits, downfits, you name it. They're extremely hungry right now."
Getting more for their money
Johnson C. Smith University had planned to build a new student union building. Then the recession hit, and the university couldn't afford a $15 million center, said Gerald Hector, the university's vice president for business and finance.
So, the university reached out to its architect, Gantt Huberman Architects, to see what could be done to update the existing center, with its confining offices and stark blue and gold color scheme.
The firm spent 10 months redesigning three floors. Ultimately, the university spent around $1.5 million on changes that included updating the cafeteria flooring and ceiling, modernizing the color scheme and creating a contemporary glass partition that doubles as art.
Recyclable carpet and new lighting fixtures were installed in the upstairs lounge, along with a flat-screen TV and surround sound. The bottom floor, known as the bullpen, was opened up and modernized to create a more friendly gathering place.
When the renovated space was shown to alumni at homecoming last year, they were "blown away," Hector said. Besides making students happier, Hector said, the space could encourage alumni to donate more money.
"We could not afford to go out and borrow or pay for a new building out of whole cloth, but we had to do something," Hector said. "Sitting back was not an option for us. We were able to get a lot for a lot less money."
The senior designer on the project, Suchoza said she and her colleagues were able to negotiate with manufacturers who shaved as much as 10 percent off prices. She found a manufacturer, for example, willing to offer "rock bottom" prices on environmentally sustainable linoleum, keeping with the university's interest in using "green" building materials.
She said she's looking forward to designing a new student center when the university is ready. But it was nice to see fast results. She estimates it would have taken up to three years to design and build a new student center.
"It's really nice to have immediate gratification," she said.
A different type of work
Because renovations and upfits are typically quicker to complete and cost less than new construction, companies rely on a steady supply of the smaller jobs.
Of the $172 million worth of building permits issued in March, renovations accounted for $55 million.
"It's why architects are struggling these days," said architect Harvey Gantt, a former Charlotte mayor. "You have to do a lot of them."
RT Dooley Construction Co. is doing a large number of renovations in uptown, benefiting from the center city's oversupply of new office space.
Office vacancy rates have risen to recent highs - hitting 8.8 percent last year, up from 2.5 percent the year before - as an expected 3 million square feet of new space comes on the market. Tenants have been able to negotiate cheaper leases and upgrade existing space. Or they're moving to newer buildings.
"It's steady work," CEO David Dooley said of tenant upfits. His firm has been busy preparing the 48-story Duke Energy Center for occupants. "I think over the next five years, you'll see a pretty active market."
Interiors work requires different thinking and customer skills than new construction, said Dooley, whose firm was acquired last year by Balfour Beatty Construction U.S. Renovations are sometimes done at night or weekends. Employees may work in occupied spaces.
"You've got to be very detail-oriented," Dooley said, "and you've got to over communicate because you've got people working around you." <<
Read the whole article in the Charlotte Observer
Today, the associate at Gantt Huberman Architects is helping clients rethink existing structures, figuring out how to give old buildings new life and do so on a tight budget.
As demand for new commercial building projects has dried up, more contractors, designers and architects are finding themselves chasing smaller jobs that they might have once been too busy to do.
In March 2008, about a third of commercial building permits issued that month in Mecklenburg County were for renovations. In March, renovations and upfits accounted for more than 60 percent of permits issued. An upfit is work done to an existing space to fit a tenant's needs.
The total number of commercial building permits granted has plummeted since peaking in 2008. The Queen City was once dotted with construction cranes as firms, particularly banks, expanded. The growing demand, combined with easy capital, fueled a building spree. Then the recession hit, banks cut their spending and developers abandoned projects.
To survive the doldrums, construction companies are wooing firms that are either downsizing or adding employees but staying in their existing space.
Some building owners are taking advantage of relatively low labor and material costs to make their buildings more energy efficient. Other clients simply don't have the money to build as big as once planned but want to make changes.
"Upfits is definitely one of the big names of the game right now," said Dave Simpson, N.C. building director for Carolinas AGC, a contractors' trade group. "People in the construction industry are interested in doing any kind of construction, whether it be new buildings, old buildings, upfits, downfits, you name it. They're extremely hungry right now."
Getting more for their money
Johnson C. Smith University had planned to build a new student union building. Then the recession hit, and the university couldn't afford a $15 million center, said Gerald Hector, the university's vice president for business and finance.
So, the university reached out to its architect, Gantt Huberman Architects, to see what could be done to update the existing center, with its confining offices and stark blue and gold color scheme.
The firm spent 10 months redesigning three floors. Ultimately, the university spent around $1.5 million on changes that included updating the cafeteria flooring and ceiling, modernizing the color scheme and creating a contemporary glass partition that doubles as art.
Recyclable carpet and new lighting fixtures were installed in the upstairs lounge, along with a flat-screen TV and surround sound. The bottom floor, known as the bullpen, was opened up and modernized to create a more friendly gathering place.
When the renovated space was shown to alumni at homecoming last year, they were "blown away," Hector said. Besides making students happier, Hector said, the space could encourage alumni to donate more money.
"We could not afford to go out and borrow or pay for a new building out of whole cloth, but we had to do something," Hector said. "Sitting back was not an option for us. We were able to get a lot for a lot less money."
The senior designer on the project, Suchoza said she and her colleagues were able to negotiate with manufacturers who shaved as much as 10 percent off prices. She found a manufacturer, for example, willing to offer "rock bottom" prices on environmentally sustainable linoleum, keeping with the university's interest in using "green" building materials.
She said she's looking forward to designing a new student center when the university is ready. But it was nice to see fast results. She estimates it would have taken up to three years to design and build a new student center.
"It's really nice to have immediate gratification," she said.
A different type of work
Because renovations and upfits are typically quicker to complete and cost less than new construction, companies rely on a steady supply of the smaller jobs.
Of the $172 million worth of building permits issued in March, renovations accounted for $55 million.
"It's why architects are struggling these days," said architect Harvey Gantt, a former Charlotte mayor. "You have to do a lot of them."
RT Dooley Construction Co. is doing a large number of renovations in uptown, benefiting from the center city's oversupply of new office space.
Office vacancy rates have risen to recent highs - hitting 8.8 percent last year, up from 2.5 percent the year before - as an expected 3 million square feet of new space comes on the market. Tenants have been able to negotiate cheaper leases and upgrade existing space. Or they're moving to newer buildings.
"It's steady work," CEO David Dooley said of tenant upfits. His firm has been busy preparing the 48-story Duke Energy Center for occupants. "I think over the next five years, you'll see a pretty active market."
Interiors work requires different thinking and customer skills than new construction, said Dooley, whose firm was acquired last year by Balfour Beatty Construction U.S. Renovations are sometimes done at night or weekends. Employees may work in occupied spaces.
"You've got to be very detail-oriented," Dooley said, "and you've got to over communicate because you've got people working around you." <<
Read the whole article in the Charlotte Observer
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