pritzker prize x sanaa x the new museum



this year, the laureates for the prestigious architecture award “pritzker prize” is the japanese duo sanaa.
i love the visual aspect or their work, but it seems interesting that they receive the price at the same time that their new york flagship work, the new museum, is at its critically non-acclaiming height.
not that they have anything to do with the poor programming and curating of the museum (which is another debate) but is this building is not as bad as it’s content, really?
is there anybody that set a foot in there that can say it’s convenient? what about those stairs so small they would not even accommodate a 2 story residential place? what about those windows looking at walls? is that good design?
my point is that as designers, we all had great designs that were fucked up by a client at some point in order to fit whatever and i wouldn’t like to be judged based on those. but since i never been to any sanaa building except the new museum, i’m wondering if this is a “client fucked up” case or if architecture is now judged on a theoretical aspect more than a convenient one? by pp’

for sale




in need for a change? well, the “cabaret normand” in villervile is for sale, 10 minutes from deauville, two hours from paris. the restaurant and b&b; that was featured in henri verneuil 1962’s “un singe en hiver” with jean paul belmondo and jean gabin remains exactly the same.
went there once and really loved the atmosphere there so when i heard it was for sale i smiled imagining myself behind the bar 😉 by pp’

ladies and gentlemen, the fabulous stains

after one of those long stressful days making you question the merits of life, this was just the perfect mindless film to watch. beautifully filmed and art directed, yet horribly written and acted. it’s a deviance worth the trouble especially given what a hidden “gem” it has been considered by some. story of a girl band rise and fall, featuring a beautiful super cool diane lane, the young laura dern who seems identical to the old laura dern, paul simonon of the clash, and paul cook and steve jones of the sex pistols. thanx kc for the reco xx. by dd

ruscha x kerouac





in 1951, jack kerouac wrote “on the road” on his typewriter as a continuous 120 foot-long scroll. few years later, in 1966, ed ruscha photographed “every building on sunset strip” and presented it on a 27 foot-long scroll. ruscha since confessed his obsession for his road heir in a book released by the great steidl in association with gagosian gallery.

“over the last couple of years, ruscha has turned his attention to on the road, resulting in his own version of kerouac’s beat bible. kerouac’s entire text appears accompanied by black and white photographic illustrations that ruscha has either taken himself, commissioned from other photographers, or selected from found images to refer closely to the details and impressions that the author describes, from car parts to jazz instruments, from sandwich stacks to tire burns on a desert road.”

the leather-bound book comprises 228 pages, signed and numbered by the artist in an edition of 350 and presented in a slip-case. we won’t write the price because it’s depressing… by pp’

everyone knows this is nowhere – ryan mcginley at team gallery



i can’t believe i haven’t made it down to TEAM gallery to see this show in person yet. it may sound cliché to say ryan mcginley has a knack for capturing ‘modern beauty’, but i think it’s true. it’s plain to see this series freezes a taste of the vibe of people today, something we will feel more intensely when some time has passed. as for his images, it’s a beautiful evolution. by kl

a toyota worthy of the emperor of japan

the toyota century royal limousine is the official car of the emperor, while the prime minister zips around tokyo in a corolla

first off lets clarify what an emperor is. it’s not a king, so what is it? an emperor (male) is the ruler of an empire, where a king simply rules a kingdom. the kingdom could be a part of an empire. for example that settles the question about the various kings today who function under one empire, which is the US. the emperor traditionally may be seen as god on earth by his empire, when that fails there’s always religion to massage the masses. an emperor has maximum powers at his command and rules do not apply to him. this makes being a king of kings seem rather pedestrian, doesn’t it? today the emperor of japan is the only remaining emperor (on paper) in the world. but other empires have emerged under suspiciously “cuddly” names… and they don’t drive toyota’s either. by xy