Golden Glow

I was scrolling through a slideshow of art-inspired wedding cakes on the Martha Stewart Weddings website and this Gustav Klimt-inspired cake really caught my eye. The pastry chef, Wendy Kromer, did a great job of distilling the Klimt aesthetic into an edible work of art. Klimt paintings carry a feeling of opulence that could easy be overwrought when interpreted in another medium. There's something really striking about the delicate nature of gold leaf.



Over the past year I've been really drawn to gold, a warm golden glow can be so visually captivating. A more ephemeral example of this is Horsetail Falls, a natural wonder that can only be described as sublime and luminescent.



Gold is ubiquitous. It can be used or interpreted in a myriad of ways; symbolically, decoratively or naturally.

I'll end with a little more golden eye candy below..

Where Has the Time Gone?

It's been a long time since I've posted, the whole summer in fact! Summer is usually my favorite time of year, and this summer had some major highlights. But one can only handle so many 90-something degree days in a three month span, until you're just ready for fall. I'm ready for fall foliage, homemade apple pie, new exhibitions at my favorite museums, and more blog posting!

*Timeless Watch by Rogan

PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT









Tobias Wong was one of the most talented conceptual artist/designers in recent years. His death will leave a huge void in the art + design community, as Julie Lasky articulated so well in her article for Design Observer. I first learned about him during my first year in New York, 2004. I wanted so badly to see his installation that year at Terminal 5 in JFK, but unfortunately it was closed early as a result of vandalism during the opening party. I later became more familiar with his work when the MoMA featured his work in the 2005 exhibition “SAFE: Design Takes on Risk”, specifically his Bullet Proof Rose. His pieces ranged from playful to subversive, and were always an intelligent comment on today's consumer culture.

I am oddly excited about the new food hall opening, in the old Plaza Hotel.
It instantly reminded me of La Grande Epicerie in le Bon Marche in Paris.



Culinary works of art and beautiful food packaging, I could spend hours just looking at everything. Perfect for a (fancy, special occasion) picnic in Central Park.

The Dirty Dozen:
Peaches, Apples, Bell peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries,
Cherries, Kale, Lettuce, Imported grapes, Carrots, Pear



The Clean Fifteen:
Onions, Avocados, Corn, Pineapples, Mangoes, Asparagus,
Sweet peas, Kiwifruits, Cabbages, Eggplants, Papayas,
Watermelons, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Sweet potatoes



It's next to impossible to eat 100% organic, but I try to buy it as much
as possible. Unfortunately, I always forget which produce is more
important to buy organic. These two images from Martha Stewart Living
are great visual reminders. I always love good food styling, even more
so when it illustrates something informative. They could be printed out,
pocket-sized, and stored in your wallet. The two lists were compiled by
the Environmental Working Group.

I've recently become familiar with the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. This particular piece is so crisp and succinct in its message - I found it profoundly moving when I heard the background. It's called Untitled (Perfect Lovers) and it was created in 1991, shortly after his partner, Ross Laycock, was diagnosed with AIDS. The pairing of these two clocks serves as a meditation on human relationships and mortality. These two identical clocks, that touch one another, are set to the same time. As time passes the clocks fall out of sync.




Even more recently, I was visiting the website of art director/set stylist Sarah Illenberger, and I saw a similar interpretation of the same theme. I instantly compared the two pieces. Both highlight an attempt at synchronicity, perhaps speaking to the instinctive human desire to connect with others. Both acknowledge the inherent impossibility of a perfectly synchronized pair. What I also noticed were the differences between these two pieces. Gonzalez-Torres uses a light blue background. When asked about his frequent use of the color blue, Gonzalez-Torres said, “For me if a beautiful memory could have a color that color would be light blue.” Sarah chose red. The melting candle, the flame, the color red, it conjures up a romantic feeling. I can almost hear a sad love song playing in the background. Gonzalez-Torres' piece feels a bit more urgent, a bit more direct, commenting on the importance of time.

What I like about both pieces is that they take benign, common objects and inject poetry into them, transforming them into something very personal yet universally understood.

Although the majority of my blog posts have been about fashion, that was not my original intention. But I never posted anything about Paris Fashion Week, and since it's my favorite of the four big fashion week cities, I couldn't let it slip by. I've seen this video a couple of times, and in my opinion, it just exemplifies everyday French fashion and why I love it so much. More than just a fashion video, it also feels like an experimental music video. It successfully blurs the lines between music, fashion and art. I should let the video speak for itself.

Vanessa Bruno SS10