SIGNS OF THE (FINANCIAL) TIMES

I was thrilled to open the London Financial Times last weekend and read food critic Nicholas Lander’s review of Sunny and Ross Lusted’s Bridge Room. Quite rightly, he traces their Asian-inspired cuisine and sense of service to their extensive experience at the Aman resorts. And, like Lander, I am a huge fan of Ross’ sake-marinated john dory! But it’d be falsely modest of me if I didn’t ‘fess up: the bit about the “gorgeously simple, attractive dining room” really put a smile on my face.

BRAND NEW HEAVIES

A handful of artists transcend the parameters of the gallery to operate in the culture at large. To my mind, Indian-born Anish Kapoor is one of these chosen few. Leviathan in both the physical and psychological senses, his monumental installations engage the macro of public space and the micro of the viewer’s most intimate sense of self. I remember walking into the Tate Modern’s cavernous Turbine Hall and being dumbstruck, even gob-smacked by the sheer impact of his visceral red Marsyas sculpture, in 2002.

So, you can imagine how excited I am about the upcoming exhibition of Anish Kapoor’s work – the first of its kind – at the MCA (opening December 20th). So excited, in fact, that I actually couldn’t wait and had to get a sneak peak at the works in progress. Here are some shots of his site-specific piece. It, and several other key works including the very early powder-pigmented 1000 Names, the gargantuan My Red Homelands (2003) and the 24-ton Memory (2008), pictured, which will totally occupy one of the massive MCA galleries, appearing to extrude the walls, shall be on show at what must be, hands-down, one of this country’s most discerning homes of contemporary art.

Kapoor has famously said “Artists don’t make objects. Artists make mythologies.” – and this is one Odyssey that is simply not to be missed.

THE TWELVE WAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Me, I’ve done my list, checked it twice. Have I been naughty or nice? Over to you…

 

1. Sound Decision

With two speakers in each can, and lush colours worthy of a Stateside sedan, these Beats Solo HD headphones get the stamp of approval from none other than Dr Dre. Yo ho, ho!

 

2. Slim Pickings

The fourth volume in Slim Aarons’ tireless recording of the good life in Europe and North America in the 1950s and 60s, is a visual homage to timeless chic. Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Tyrone Power all play bit parts in the Aarons own Divine Comedy. Lush.

 

3. Neo Geo

For the inner armchair tourist in each of us. Award-winning photography, never-before-seen vistas, all the magic of our planet Earth. Since 1888 this impeccable periodical has been “inspiring people who care about the planet”. And who doesn’t do that?

 

4. Beach Blanket Babylon

True beach style is not about bling, it’s about doing your thing, surrounded by family and friends. When I first spotted these amazingly chic cotton beach blankets, designed by Southern Beach babes Jen and Amber, it was one of life’s “must have” moments.

 

5. Don’t Shoot the Serif

Charles Wilson is one of Australia’s most promising industrial designers, and his new Serif stool is on its way to becoming an iconic piece of modern design. A single piece made from cast aluminium and finished with a durable powder coating, they’re as quirky as they are perfectly resolved.

Top 3 By Design

 

6. All Hail

How do I know I’m home in Sydney? Not the Opera House, nor the Harbour Bridge: it’s when, no matter whose bathroom I go into, on the basin is perched a pert pump pack of Aesop Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash. It’s not just for Christmas.

 

7. School of Like

Swiss philosopher Alain de Botton gets down to the nuts and bolts in his excellent series, a spin off from his London-based School of Life. Every ‘How To’ answered, in a nutshell.

 

8. Classic Nouveaux

He who says ‘classic’ says Louis Vuitton Bandoulière, shoulder-strap sports/travel bag. Customised monogram de rigeur. ‘Nuf said.

 

9. Getting Shirty

Okay, maybe more equipping oneself for a new year of success then a festive season of excess, innit? But whatever the reason, a supply of spanking new tailor-made shirts from P. Johnson suits the man for all seasons.

 

10. Ride On Time

Founded in 1936 by outdoors enthusiast Tuomas Vohlonen, Suunto timepieces do more than tell time; they orient the athlete in all of us, whether mountain high or ocean low. And they look kind of awesome, all the way.

 

11. Teeing off

The white t-shirt is an icon of the modern male wardrobe. Surprising then, that a good one (t-shirt, not modern male ) is so hard to find. My vote goes to Jil Sander’s slim-fit crew neck versions, delivered in multiples in that snappy Mr Porter box.

 

12. High Flyers, Unite!

 

Okay, okay, so it’s the ultimate boy toy. But I can dream, right? Sigh…

 

A safe and Happy Festive Season to all!

THE MOTORCYCLE BOY

Edmund Spencer, one of our architects and the guy in charge of interiors here at Tobias Partners, has been working really intensely on an office project for Partridge, one of the country’s most innovative structural engineering firms. When Ed comes back from Partridge he is always stoked by the collaboration. You see, Partridge aren’t your everyday structural engineers, they have also done unique work on film sets like Mad Max and Wolverine, installations for Sculpture by the Sea and a truckload of other inspiring projects. Actually, Ed, this is your post. Take it away…

“Thanks Nick. Okay, so the office we completed for Partridge was very much part of their branding strategy; it was about creating a dynamic, collaborative studio workspace. Actually we took a lot of cues from our own office here in Paddington and adapted them to a suit a multi-storey office space. One of the great moments during the project was being invited to meet with Harry Partridge and artist/architect/academic/all-round great guy, Richard Goodwin, to select some artwork for the space. Goodwin is just back from the Venice Biennale of Architecture (on until November 25th, should anybody be heading that way…) and we were lucky enough to visit his home, studio and warehouse to choose a piece, and discuss his work at the Biennale. The work we all agreed on is Poroplastic (2008) – effectively an exploded motorcycle held together with tensile steel cables; it throbs with energy. Totally compelling. But, even beyond the excellence of the work, for me this was a great collaborative scene – architect, engineer and artist coming together – very much the way we like to work!

Thanks to the amazing team at Partridge, and to Jason Gibney, Martine Merrylees and Pia Wolanski at Tobias Partners, who made this project come together in such an enjoyable way.”

Thanks Ed.

WISHFUL THINKING

Wow! I was flicking through this month’s issue of The Australian newspaper’s monthly colour supplement, WISH magazine and was surprised and delighted to find a four-page story on Tobias Partners. Of course, I knew Wish magazine’s super chic editor-in-chief David Meagher had commissioned culture critic Luke Slattery to write a piece on me and the practice for this month’s Design issue of WISH, but I wasn’t expecting such a strong presence in the mag. Other architects featured in the issue include Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and RIchard Rogers, so I’m thrilled to be in such esteemed company. Also, there’s a terrific story on Dior Homme designer, Kris Van Assche. What more could I wish for?

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Our latest concept for fine oak artisans Tongue and Groove – Inspired by their dedication to design and innovation, we’ve created a walk-in light-box made entirely of their timber flooring panels. The visitor is drawn into a surrounding space where light is captured and reflected through a series of faceted planes and lenses, accentuating the beautiful textures and high versatility of their product from an entirely new perspective.

BLUM ANOTEC HINGE

Time for boy’s toys to take back the kitchen! This is a new mechanism that allows for cupboard doors to tilt up like a garage door, simply by touching the front of the panel. It’s surely a sign of the times when hinges for kitchen cupboards look like a Transformer! This model by Blum, Austrian for top technology.