This is kind of brilliant. Torafu has designed a new notebook with a slightly obtuse angle on one side. Why would they do this? So that the notebook sticks out from the rest of the books, reminding you of its exact location. Not planning to revisit the notebook for a while? Then simply flip it over so that it rests on its flat edge and it will become camouflaged between its other neighbors.

Simple idea, brilliant results!

source: Torafu website

A first look at the new Yayoi Kusama retrospective that just opened today at the Tate  in London. So much great work, all in one place! Wish I was in London to go see this.

Source: @Tate

Tadaaki Kuwayama, Untitled (1992/2012) anodized aluminum, 22 elements, each 8 x 8 x 2 1/4 inches. © Tadaaki Kuwayama, courtesy Gary Snyder Gallery, New York

I’m intrigued by the minimalist work of artist Tadaaki Kuwayama, who is currently showing at Gary Snyder Gallery in Chelsea (NY). The gallery is configured around 2 main site-specific works, a wall piece and a floor piece. Both are super minimal works sculpted from anodized aluminum and titanium. The basic color of the floor piece is pink, but there’s something about the metal that causes these green-gold interference colors to appear depending on the angle of the light and where you’re standing in relation to the piece. It’s really beautiful!

What i think most inspires me is that the artist – at age 80 – is still experimenting with materials (this is his first attempt at working with titanium)! Perhaps his success lies precisely in that insatiable curiosity, that irrepressible desire to know, no matter what the material. It’s artists like this, with an inextinguishable, undaunted appetite for learning and experience, that will define the future.

Tadaaki Kuwayama, Untitled (1992/2012) metallic paint on Bakelite mounted to aluminum, 8 elements, each 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 2 3/8 inches. © Tadaaki Kuwayama, courtesy Gary Snyder Gallery, New York

Tadaaki Kuwayama, Untitled (2012) anodized titanium, 8 elements, each 11 3/4 x 23 5/8 x 5/16 inches. © Tadaaki Kuwayama, courtesy Gary Snyder Gallery, New York

Tadaaki Kuwayama, Untitled (2012) anodized titanium, 8 elements, each 11 3/4 x 23 5/8 x 5/16 inches. © Tadaaki Kuwayama, courtesy Gary Snyder Gallery, New York

The show is on display through February 25, 2012. Do go check it out if you’re around.

An unexpected structure has risen from the rubble of which Rikuzentakata, a city situated on coastal Iwate prefecture, was reduced to when the tsunami flattened it. With the help of Hideki Koizumi, a Tokyo University professor of urban engineering, Naruse-Inokuma Architects, Chikako Goto and various other individuals, students and corporate sponsors, Riku Cafe opened in January 2012.

Some may not consider cafes to be high on the priority list of reconstruction efforts following a disaster such as the one witnessed last year in March. I would argue that this is exactly what the people of Rikuzen-Takata need: a space that provides a sense of normality in a very abnormal situation. What a great space to

source: Openers

Inspired by the soft yet refined forms of bubbles and how they gently rest upon each other, connecting as if they were always meant to, Metaphys has launched a new set of dining plates called Savone. The divided plates, which come in various configurations of 3, would certainly push me to aspire towards culinary greatness!

The savone divided plates are available in matte white, matte black as well as glossy white. The plates range between 1,365 yen – 1,689 yen. 4,200 yen – 4,515 for a set of 3.

For 9 years the artist Satoshi Hirose collected the plastic bottle caps from the bottles he had consumed. His latest sculpture, currently on view at Galleria Maria Grazia Del Prete in Rome, represents his 9 years of existence through a sculpture of those bottle caps that resembles an island or, in my case, a heaping mound of garbage. The day-to-day accumulation of everyday materials are contrasted with the pictures of everyday activities that hang on the wall, immediately forcing the visitor to reflect on the life cycle.

Hirose’s work is on display at GMDP through March 24, 2012.

source: @azito_art

I’m fascinated by these photographs of bones, taken by photographer Eiji Yuzawa. And while wholly involved in the subject matter of death, the photos are hardly morose. Instead, there is a fantastic sculptural quality to the works that is both calming and satisfying. I find myself most attracted to the abstract forms.

Yuzawa began photographing bones in 2006 and compiled a photobook that was released last year. His work has now been released – in what appears to be the next logical step for all fine art these days – as a series of iphone cases.

Symbiosis: the living together of unlike organism

Another great renovation project, this time by Hokkaido-based architect Jun Igarashi. Located in central Sapporo and completed in November of last year, SYMBIOSIS is a multi-purpose space that is intended to provide close interaction between fashion, jewelry, art and architecture. Or as the German mycologist Heinrich Anton de Bary defined it, “the living together of unlike organisms.”

The 1st floor ground level is a gallery space. The 2nd floor is the FORTUNA boutique, a select shop of clothing and jewelry from France and Italy. The 3rd floor is occupied by jeweler AI KOMORI. All the coll signage and art was by Midorium Design, a frequent collaborator of Jun Igarashi’s.

Wow. Talk about restoration. Torafu Architects transformed this 40-year old office and warehouse building into a private residence.

The top picture shows the building after the renovation and the picture to the right is before. What a difference!

The exterior looks great but the magic really happens inside.

Check out that amazing piece of furniture they placed in the middle of the room. It functions as storage or display shelving but also encompasses a stairway that leads up to the living area. Not only does it function effectively but it also looks great, adding character and personality to the space.

You can check out more pictures on their website of the completed space but also of the construction. Although the work was completed in December 2011, this is only the 1st stage of the project. The 2nd stage will be to convert the basement and 1st floor into a retail space. Can’t wait!

source: Torafu website

Yasuhiro Suzuki has a penchant for re-envisioning the ordinary as extraordinary

I’ve had a long-time art crush on Yasuhiro Suzuki, a young artist (32) who has a penchant for re-envisioning the ordinary as extraordinary. His subject matter is often banal – a traditional toy, a zipper or a tree stump. In the most literal sense, Yasuhiro Suzuki is devoted to the design of daily life.

So I was excited to hear he had a new book out covering some of his recent works. Blinking and Flapping encompasses works that were on display at Suzuki’s major retrospective, which took place late last year at the Hamamatsu Museum of Art.

The gorgeous book is now on sale through Amazon Japan (2,625 yen) – they ship overseas!

Here are a few of my favorite projects from the retrospective last year:
(click images to enlarge)
Apple Kendama
In this playful and somewhat nostalgic piece, the traditional kendama toy gets a makeover with a bright red apple.

Ginkaku-ji Chocolate
The “Temple of the Silver Pavilion” gets a silver wrapping and a sweet filling.

Talk about good taste!

Blinking Clock (left) and Bucket Stump (right)

Spoon Sand Watch

A poetic timepiece that replaces the hourglass with a kitchen utensil.

Blinking Leaves
An installation of leaves with open and closed eyes printed on the front and back. They blink as they flutter down. Magical!

Ship of the zipper
This is my absolute favorite piece. Suzuki created a boat-shaped zipper based on a model he had done back in 2004. The waves it created as it drove across the inland sea created the teeth of the zipper. How cool is that!? I bet Moses never thought of using a zipper to part the sea. (be sure to check out the video below)