PLUS and MINUS things

A couple of weeks ago we learned a bit about the company HORT. They are located in Berlin, in the neighbourhood called Kreuzberg. HORT works on a HUGE array of different types of work. From styling to interaction design, to graphic design. They have workshops as well. The studio was started and is still being run by Eikes König. This is how they explain their company and ideas behind it:

HORT began its inhabitance back in 1994, under the previous stage name of EIKES GRAFISCHER HORT. Who the hell is Eike? Eike is the creator of HORT. HORT – a direct translation of the studio’s mission. A creative playground. A place where ‘work and play’ can be said in the same sentence. An unconventional working environment. Once a household name in the music industry. Now, a multi-disciplinary creative hub. Not just a studio space, but an institution devoted to making ideas come to life. A place to learn, a place to grow, and a place that is still growing. Not a client execution tool. HORT has been known to draw inspiration from things other than design.

Some of their work is amazing, am personally not a fan of all the work, but that is the way it goes, you cannot like everything and it makes you think about why and what you do find intriguing and what not.

The project above is for Peter Heppner’s CD. Below is the work HORT did for Playboy magazine. Both projects are phenomenal. I really enjoy that the Peter Heppner shoot is about body parts and movement as well as patterns on clothing. The Playboy Magazine shoot seems to be about shapes, material and colour.

A couple of years ago I received a magazine with Hendrik Kerstens work in it. He is being represented by the Witzenhausen Gallery in Amsterdam and New York. Many of you I am sure already know his work. But it is definitely worth mentioning again. As well as the fact that his show is opening in New York at the Witzenhausen Gallery on Thursday June 11th until July 11th 2009, for more info click here. From the Witzenhausen Gallery site:

when hendrik kerstens decided to dedicate himself entirely to photography in 1995, he turned to a model very near at hand: his daughter paula. he wanted to document all the important moments in her life, to ‘be there’, to capture something of the fleeting moments that fade from memory all too quickly.

This series of photos is pretty amazing, it is so simple in a way, but that is the key. The simplicity of how he is able to create a certain feeling in the photo without seemingly any effort. His model and daughter, Paula, seems to be the perfect model for what Hendrik is getting at in his work. The more recent portraits seem to have a common thread in their referral to the painted portraits of the Dutch Masters. See you on the 11th June!

We saw Yang Maoyuan’s work for the first time last year in Berlin at the Alexander Ochs Galleries, which is located both in Berlin and Bejing. They represent Yang Maoyuan’s work. Yang was born in Dalian, Liaoning Province in China in 1966 and has a very large and divers body of work that ranges from paintings to large sculptures. Above are Marble and Bronze busts that Yang worked on between 2006 – 2007. 

These caught my eye directly when we saw them last year in Berlin. The way the faces are partially erased, the eyes look like they’re closed, but all this manipulated by the artist. The Bronze busts have such impact where the faces are shiny bronze versus the black matte of the rest of the bust. The removed parts have made place for helmet looking shapes. The shiny bronze areas become somewhat detached from the face itself. However with the marble busts this doesn’t happen, Yang has manipulated the face and manipulates how we see and what we see of the expression on the person’s face. 

Below is the sculpture named:“The Mongolian Horse” from 2008. The sculpture is made out of inflated horse skin. It’s an amazing piece. If you ever have the chance to see Yang’s sculptures or Drawings, I would highly recommend it. I am not a fan of his paintings.

Thomas Brown is a photographer, currently living and working in London. He is represented by Webber Represents His work ranges from fashion (mostly shoes) to furniture design, but it all has an aspect of graphic design, linear, 2D vs 3D, colour and his environment photos have a lot of texture. What I like about his work is that most photos are more than just nice to look at. You can find a story in each one. There’s also always humour buried in the photograph, which I always appreciate very much. A tad of humour is a must in life and work!

The photos shown above: “Cream if you want to go faster”  are for Intersection Magazine  for Issue 28 Winter 2008/2009

The photo series below: “Model Cars” were photographed in 2007

Line Up

Prada     –    Tom Ford

Issey Miyake

Shocks

Shoe Bike