“When the True Self breaks through,

 a new and impassioned approach to life often makes itself known.

We tap into an inner radiance that i call delight.  I’m speaking of a unique kind of response to life

than can coexist with our most painful realities.

I’m speaking of the joy of saying yes to life in the core of our being …

Delight can become a way of life, a way of journeying.”

Sue Monk Kidd, When the heart waits

(december views)

Tableau végétal Matigreen.150 Euros.

Il y a quelques mois j’ai eu l’idée de fabriquer un mur végétal. Je crois que c’est l’émission Coté Maison sur France 5, le mercredi soir, qui me tourne parfois  la tête. Bernik le méticuleux m’a tenu à peu près ce langage.

” Et tu comptes accrocher tes plantes comment?”

Réponse: ” J’avoue que je compte un peu sur toi pour me confectionner un cadre”

Pas emballé Bernik ma demandé ” Et comment tu comptes faire pour entretenir tes plantes? Et quelles plantes? Tu n’as pas la main verte et du jardin tu ne t’en occupes pas.

Tableau végétal Vangreen. 219 Euros.

Mais le débat est devenue favorable pour moi puisque j’ai découvert les tableaux végétaux.

Alors comment ça marche? Primo ce sont bien des plantes mais la stabilisation des végétaux est un procédé totalement écologique et consiste à remplacer la sève par de la glycérine. La substance miraculeuse est proche du sucre donc 100% biodégradable. Les plantes d’intérieur restent alors vertes et belles, sans aucun entretien et quelque soit la luminosité.

Et votre intérieur n’est que joie luxuriance et écologie.Il ne faut pas toucher les plantes sinon elles ne repoussent pas.

Tableau végétal Picagreen. 219 Euros.

En vente chez Homology 

«Les murs végétaux ramènent la nature chez soi». Rencontre avec Alban Jolly, paysagiste et créateur de murs végétaux qui a crée sa société, Urbanflore, il y a deux ans.

Lire la suite

Interview publié sur Deco In le 30 juillet 2009

Déborah Antoinat

In the following article [“Road Toward the Ecopolis: In Architecture, Art and Design, Environmental Knowledge [Bewusstsein] Will Take On New Aesthetic Worth”], which I translate here, author Eva Karcher describes a road to a new ecological aesthetics, its impact on modern designers, and the inevitability of new eco-features of future cities.

[On a side note, the article appeared in this weekend's edition of the Suddeutscher Zeitung (South German Post) of Munich.  In my view the SZ is the superior newspaper on the planet and which on a daily basis makes the New York Times look like fish wrapping and Le Monde look like a silly tabloid.]

More to the point for this blog, these ecological ideas appear to be driven by European firms and planners, but it appears most likely for them to be implemented in East Asia foremost.  Beijing and colleagues like Bao Maohong are no doubt taking note of the innovations.

Here is my translation of Eva Karcher’s “Road Toward the Ecopolis”

Why does the shark, which the British star-artist Damien Hirst installed in preserving formaldehyde and presented in a glass aquarium, seem to look so suddenly old?

To recall: This transitory work, which hedge-fund manager Steven A. Cohen supported in 2004 with the sum of around 9 million dollars, plays within a Shock- and Lust-Senstation society which itself is redolent with angst over the ubiquity of death.

Why also? Not because the animals have for so many years lost their ability for wander. Moreso because the installation vigorously interfaced [ausgrenzt] with Nature. The art placed in tank turrets and used as trophy-mori[森] mementos itself indicates that art symbolized not just deathliness, but the trumimph of Art over Nature.

Cai Guo-qiang in Lyon

Until spring 2008,when the flaming chrysalis of the rocket launched into the Heaven of Market Hype began to darken, such work still had iconic status. Now everything has changed, and this lies not with the museum quality of the work. It has much more to do with the radical shift in perspective, that hearsts full of undomesticated animals – much moreso than other object d’arte – have become so retro and so readily-available.

And then the economic crisis changed the basis for everything.

This shift [Vershiebung] gegan with the retreat of the maxims of turbocapitalism and its final axiomatically frivolous and sorrow-inducing products: idols and accessories. Into this vacuum of worth, marginal figures [Randfiguren] were thrown into the midst of remarkability; all people had to do was at least throw together a few mismatched alternative methods in order to sin against tradition and virtue [die Tugend] in both art and the cultural industry.

Boris Groys spoke recently about the “aesthetic answer” and forged a new Ethics of Aesthetics. And now, when Cologne’s Pocket Press [Köln Taschen Verlag] sells a rich illustrated series on “Green Architecture,” it becomes our duty to find where the needs lie: for men will always sin against Ethics, and also against Aesthetics. [..."so wird deutlich, wo die Bedürfnisse liegen: Man will sich wieder auf Ethik besinnen, auch in der Ästhetik."]

Thus the time arrives when all the past attribues — such as “enduring [nachhaltig]”, “environmentally world –renowned [umweltbewusst]”, and “ecological” — become targeted [zielen] all upon the ethical competence of Aesthetics. But what does an ethical aesthetics look like?

Certainly it is not pedantic, bitter, or dry. On the contrary, like rain, it is a new, pulsating surrealism [ [spannend surreal], attractive and beautiful. Like the vertical gardens of Patrick Blanc. This French botanist studded the wall of the new Madrid Exhibition Center’s “Caixa Forum” of the Swiss star architect of Heryong and de Meuron with a carpet of green colored leaves, glass, moss, ferns, and flowers.  These plants require no earth in order to grow, and combine innovative research with Rousseau-esque paradise-utopianism to create a new, urban-sensualist aesthetic.

Decidedly, these elements interlace across the board in multiple ways.  Effectively, they have the practice of the Cross-over of the 1990s, which artists experimented with mode, design, music, science, and architeture, and thus prepared the groundwork for a new ethical aesthetics.  Then they built up hierarchies and imparted linear structure to serve their cyclical and networked processes.  They forged forward with interactive energies and fused the forms, which have now transformed toward these.

Now one studies Ecosystems from architects like the Malaysian Ken Yeang.  He holds the principle of “recycling” as an example: [and further names mentioned in the article, schnitt]

Vincent Callebaut- Perfumed Jungle

Jürgen Mayer

Matthew Richie

Däne Olafur Eliasson

Rem Koolhaas

Fernando und Humberto Campana

Aural inspiration which fueled this translation can be referenced here: Puls Radio.

Rêvez, ou travaillez….Réservez en ligne , prenez la navette de l’aéroport , et Paris est à vous…!

Transportez vous dans cette cette suite ,élégante, sublime création, unique conçue exactement à votre image.

Le personnel ici,vous accueille avec l’excellence que vous souhaitiez.

Déshabillez votre quotidien pour vous laisser transformer par l’hôtel Pas de calais.

Goûtez a un confort d’harmonie et de perfection.

St germain des prés, Rive gauche, un parfum aux charmes d’un Paris actuel, artiste, tendance jazz , mode ou littéraire , selon votre préférence.

Une coupe de champagne sous la verrière, dans une ambiance cosy, raffinée, chaleureuse, ou souhaitez vous peut être juste terminer votre réunion en web conférence grâce l’accès Wifi?

Ce sera dans l’espace VIP ou un bar privé 24h/24 vous attend.

..Un mur végétal de 2500 plantes ,un jardin, un environnement d’oxygène et de détente exceptionnel au centre de Paris!

Ainsi, aimez concevoir, ou partager un diner dans cet embrasement d’art, sous la douceur d’une terrasse féérique, et vivez les charmes de votre séjour de rêve…

Que le Musée d’Orsay, le Louvre, la Tour Eiffel, ou jardin du Luxembourg, toutes les connaissances universelles sous les lumières d’un Paris Fashion vous enivre de beauté .

Et si vous prenez l’ascenseur vers la suite haut de gamme, tout est conçu dans le détail pour vous satisfaire : air conditionné, sèche cheveux,accès internet, coffre individuel, câble, messagerie locale, …même votre chien est admis!

Dans la pure tradition architecturale du 18eme siècle, la France et son histoire sont alors à vous…

Votre préférence sera le café de flore, en noir et blanc ou en couleurs, ainsi que son diaporama d’artistes. A St germain, vous êtes dans le Paris du Cinéma Français.

Mais vous préférez peut-être vous assoir à la place d’Hemingway, aux deux magots.

Paris Hôtel Pas de calais vous propose le luxe d’un hôtel 3 étoiles, une lune de miel dorée sous le ciel de paris, le calme pour que vos nuits soient passionnées et que vos affaires gagnent.

CB, American express, 24/ 24, à l’hôtel Pas de calais, Paris, au centre de Paris, le rêve, au bout du clavier est à vos pieds.

Hotel  Pas de calais, 59 rue des St pères, 75006 PARIS- tel : 01/45/48/78/74

http://www.hotelpasdecalaisparis.com/

Catherine  Reine ADIDA COHEN

One of the architectural discoveries I made when strolling around Madrid:

La CaixaForum, Madrid

La Caixa is one of Spains largest financial entity. Their foundation – the largest charitable foundation in Spain and one of the largest in the world – invests in public welfare causes.

The CaixaForum Madrid houses a permanent collection as well as several temporary exhibitions (as far as I could understand always free).

The new building was (re)constructed by no one less than Herzog & de Meuron and opened only in 2008 (inauguration 13th Feb. 2008 – seems as if I’ve just been on time!)

The new museum, situated in direct proximity of the big museums (Prado, Reina Sofia, Thyssen-Bornemisza), is actually a build-up structure on a historic electric power station. The old building was completely cored, the brickwork facade integrated into the new edifice.

It consists of four floors, a plaza and two basement floors. The upper part of the building rests on the old walls in a “tripod” way , while the remaining part “float” above the plaza. A sculptural staircase leads up into the entrance hall of the museum. Both plaza and ceiling of the underside of the “floating” part of the building are shaped with triangular planes to form a rhythmic relief.

.

Most striking is the roof/upper part of the museum – shaped like enormous pinnacles or maybe the typical early-industrial factory buildings on the front, craggy from the back side, reflects the surrounding roofscape. The perforated rusty metal plates form a harsh contrast to the old brickstone facade below. They harmonise amazingly well.

More information here (German), here (Engl. – more photos, plan views, etc.) and a video of the vernissage here.

………

By the way – who spotted it? In front of the building, on the righthand side is a “mur végétal” by Patrick Blanc!

As part of the recent design festival, M. Patrick Blanc (oui, il est français), who is both artist and scientist, created a vertical garden at Melbourne Central. It’s about time that Melbourne Central had some attraction other than that lame-o clock thing that seems to draw an inordinate number of Japanese tourists but nobody else. I think I expected something a little bigger than what is actually in place; as such, I was a wee bit disappointed, but a little greenery is better than no greenery (or plastic plants).

I’m not sure how long le Mur Vegetal (as M. Blanc probably calls it) will be in place, so get thee to Melb Central soonish.

Melbourne Central (large, somewhat soulless shopping centre)
Cnr Swanston and Latrobe Streets
Melbourne VIC 3000
(Melb Central station, folks)

:: Arwen ::

When we ‘ve been in Paris – already 3 months ago, in May! Time really flies! – I discovered two Vertical Gardens by Patrick Blanc:

The rather famous one next to the new Musée du quai Branly, at the museum’s administrative building, 2004, and  (photographs all taken by myself)

a smaller, though maybe even more impressive one at La Défense, Galeries Lafayette Shopping Centre, facing the Grande Arche; made in 2008.

Patrick Blanc is well-known all around the world. His Vertical Walls – made with a copyrighted method of growing plants without soil – can be found in cities like Madrid, Osaka, Dehli, New York, Bangkok,…

His vision of a “controlled Jungle” makes architecture and cities transforms simple and often dull walls – both interior and extrior ones – into fascinating “wall paintings” – when standing right in front of this walls people often start admiring them like masterpieces in a museum.

I’ll try and write a little more soon.

More information on Blanc’s Website, as well as reports about Blanc here (German) and here (English).

Quand des blogueurs fondus de photo se rencontrent, que font-ils, à part bavarder ? Ils prennent des photos !

Ken, de Living the Life in Saint-Aignan

Un déjeuner délicieux hier, en compagnie de Ken et de Cheryl, au Trumilou, un restaurant qui se trouve Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville.

Mon assiette, un “squared circle”
Le Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville n’est bien entendu pas celui qui se trouve juste à l’Hôtel de Ville, –celui-là, c’est le Quai de Gesvres– mais un peu plus loin.
Evidemment, j’avais emporté mon nouveau jouet et je m’en suis servie !

Le canard aux pruneaux était un régal !

Un peu plus tard, je suis tombée en arrêt devant le mur végétal du BHV HOMMES, rue de la Verrerie.
Il pleuvotait, mais j’étais à l’abri de l’auvent du BHV, juste en face.

Le Mur Végétal du Bon Marché Hommes

Ce qui m’a vraiment surprise, c’est que peu de gens le remarquent. Il m’aurait fallu un appareil grand angle pour lui rendre justice, mais ça vaut le détour, plus on le regarde, et plus on a l’impression d’être devant un véritable paysage.
Pour le voir en plus grand, c’est ici

Le créateur du Mur Végétal, c’est Patrick Blanc

Une orchidée en voie de guérison : développement de nouvelles racines

Des mousses apparaissent naturellement sur le terreau

Une variété verte foncée d’helixine s’est invitée sur le mur au coeur du ficus pumila panaché

L’helixine a doublé de volume

Arrivée d’une plante carnivore