December 16, 2009
The word “ouno” is Japanese, which is partly why I chose it (that, and the fact that it’s an ambigram – see upcoming post). Before I ruined the Google Image search for “ouno” by clogging it with my own photos, these two images showed up, both from Japan.
November 4, 2009
Hallowe’en is over but this fantastic Japanese raccoon figure survives. I wish it could stay there all winter. It was seen at this cool little bungalow – brick, which is unusual for Vancouver – a block away from the studio.
October 26, 2009
Karikomi – Japanese abstract topiary – from the ever-interesting ii-ne-kore blog out of Australia by way of Japan. “ii ne kore is a shorthand version of kore wa ii desu ne, an expression of appreciation or delight in japanese.” That is how I feel when I look at these.
October 9, 2009
Thanks to kntgrl for this memory of the cold 80s: their cruel royalty, their icy diamonds.
September 11, 2009
“Our lighting is hand-built in Japan from natural materials, including the hand-made paper (washi) of Eriko Horiki, the bent Japanese cedar of Toshiyuki Tani’s Wappa series, the coiled beech wood of the Bunaco Lacquer Ware Company, and the todomatsu pine slats of Takumi Kohgei.
August 30, 2009
This house is called the Yakisugi or “charred cedar” house. Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori is using a traditional Japanese technique of charring as a way to finish and preserve wood. See another charcoal house by Fujimori here.
August 19, 2009
This Japanese boro (futon cover) was made in the 19th century by recycling remnants of indigo dyed cotton and joining them together. It’s so well-made that it’s still in perfect condition.
July 13, 2009
Thanks to photographers Molly Des Jardin (cat slide), Ethan and Kohmura Masao (Fomal Haut) for these photos of rural Japanese houses. So few materials, so harmoniously put together. Many of the photos are from an open air museum in Japan, where traditional houses from different regions have been transported and reconstructed.
May 26, 2009
More houses by Paul Rudolph. I’m not sure why I like him so much; maybe it’s the feeling that every space is designed for a party, or the use of white, or that he went so glam/space age in the 60s and 70s.
May 25, 2009
I first found out about the architect Paul Rudolph after posting an image of one of his other houses, and reading a response to it by Kelvin Dickson of the Paul Rudolph Foundation.
