Sightings

Here we are at the Architectural Digest Show at Pier 94 in New York City  from March 26 – 29.  To great acclaim and lots of oohs and aahs, we showcased, with the help of Kurt Smith, metal extraordinaire (visit hc-metals.com/), three pieces from our edition of “Suspended Braille,” “Table Saws,” “Tree Book of Life,” and, of course, the “Rope Rolling Balls.”  Please email topher@tdelaney.com for prices.

Let the Circle Be Unbroken

Let the Circle Be Unbroken

“Fragments,” Raymond Carver’s Final Poem

“Fragments,” Raymond Carver’s Final Poem

“Fragments,” Raymond Carver’s Final Poem

Release a Penetration

Release a Penetration

Tree Book of Life

Tree Book of Life

Tree Book of Life on Table Saw, Series 2

Table Saw, Series 1

Table Saws, Series 2

Rope Rolling Balls

Rope Rolling Balls

Yuzu

We were first introduced to Yuzu, the Japanese citron Citrus ichangensis x Citrus reticulata var. austera while having a celebratory lunch at Boulette’s Larder. Ameryl and Laurie the genius team who create before our very eyes delicious gastronomic delicacies, offer a larder stocked with a rare and unique spices and stock. Yuzu is there bottled ready to go.

Our team seated around a larger communal wooden table (read if you are 10 or less you have the opportunity to break bread with some pretty interesting folks). That is how we met William Kitteridge the South African artist. We ordered the soup of the day and beside this steaming sweet smelling bowl of soup were 2″ x 6″x 1/4″ rectangular sheets of bamboo which we were instructed to gently peel back and who knew! Yuzu! A viscous thin film of gelatinous Yuzu was revealed. Following Ameryl and Laurie’s instructions we slid the sheet of Yuzu into our soup for a delicious and tart contrast to the creamy hot soup. The reverence, delicacy and ingenuity of this offering left us speechless; frankly hard to do!

What is of great interest in our California climate is that Yuzu is a citrus hardy to 4 degrees. We were able to locate beautiful 7 gallon standard Yuzus at the family owned citrus nursery in Fremont California – Four Winds Growers: 510.656.2591. The foliage, a canopy of medium sized dark green leaves-with small yellow fruit-ultimate size.

Mark Horton does doors not windows

We were just introduced to some amazing doors on a recent trip over to witness the setup of Human Nature, a photography exhibit at 3A Gallery inside the Mark Horton Architecture studio located on South Park in San Francisco.

We were shown two different doors within the studio and asked Mark to describe how he made them. The first one they created was made of wood with small different shaped windows within it. All of the materials came from local suppliers here in the city such as Standard Sheet Metal, Page Glass and even Home Depot.

The wooden doors had a pin hinge at the end so the door would swivel out and a lock at the bottom of the door going into the floor as opposed to going into the drywall where there was no frame to support it.

The second door that we saw at his studio was made from polygal with a metal frame and a hinge in the center of the door and doorway to allow it to pivot in a full circle within the door frame.

Mark Horton Architecture
101 South Park
San Francisco, CA 94107
tel: 415.543.3347
fax: 415.543.1440

http://www.mh-a.com/

Al’s Attire

While unknown to most people; we joyfully discovered a store called Al’s Attire while leaving M, another one of our favorite clothing boutiques on Grant Avenue in North Beach. Al’s Attire is truly a one of a kind place as is Al, the owner and mastermind behind this creative and custom clothing boutique. They create custom, one of a kind clothing pieces specific to each customer that comes in fashionable vintage looking fabric that seems to always be in style. The obtain fabric from all over the world and seek out vintage fabric if a client needs a specific article of clothing from a certain time period after doing research on the season ans style that the desired clothing came from.

All of the products sold there are handmade which include mens and womens clothing, hats, custom shoes and each piece has a handmade custom label for each specific customer.

Al’s Attire
1314 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 693-9900

www.alsattire.com

Human Nature – Opening Reception 02/28 6-9pm

HUMAN NATURE
photographs by Doug Jackson
28 Feb 2008 – 28 Mar 2008

opening reception:
Thursday, 28 February, 6-9PM
curated by Mark Horton / Architecture

showing at:
3A GALLERY
101 South Park
San Francisco, CA 94107

Stitch Lounge

On a recent exploration to find an easy way to repair a wall of fabric from a recent garden installation, we came across Stitch Lounge in Hayes Valley. Nestled in a tiny shop is a table of sewing machines, necessary tools and a knowledgable team of expert sewers to help and answer any questions that may arise. I arrived on Friday afternoon with the pieces of the curtain that was needed to be mended together to form about a 20′ high by 40′ long curtain of fabric. We used stainless steel fabric which is typically used for purposes other than art but we thought the texture and form of the fabric would be a nice addition to our garden installation. It comes in 48″ panels so we put together multiple pieces to form the desired length we needed to extend from each edge of the garden. Unfortunately during a massive storm on January 4th, gale force winds came through this very protected garden and tore the curtain. We also learned that by tying the curtain at the sides it did not allow enough flexibility for the fabric in such situations.

Upon arrival to Stitch, a wonderful girl by the name of Hannah assisted me with the setup of the industrial sewing machine and taught me how to use it and then I began to piece together and repair the pieces of fabric. I ran out of time (which is why I missed Friday’s blog) and returned on Sunday to finish up the job. They had just finished a class and it was great to see other people working away at a variety of different projects. Some were making dresses, some sewing bags and some cutting patterns. I finished up piecing together the curtain, packed up my stuff and said bye to the friendly people who had helped me and that were working away. What a great place to work on projects or learn new techniques to sew and make things.

stitch lounge | sew urban
182 gough @ oak in san francisco
415.431.3SEW (3739)

http://www.stitchlounge.com

Lago Illinois

Dear SF Water Department,

I am writing to let you know about the major drainage issues that we face here in front of our building here on the corner of Illinois Street at Mariposa. The storm drain obviously does not work while it is raining and still does not drain when the rains have stopped; as you can see by the sun shining in the attached images. We have renamed this massive puddle “Lake Illinois” in hope that one day it will drain and we will not have to leap over the water to get across the street or to the curb. Until then we will continue to sail our boats and let our ducks swim in this small body of water and hope to not find ducklings with three heads from the pollution. Thank you for taking the time to hear our story.

Regards,

SEAM Studio

So You Think You Can Dance?

Street dancing has been around for years and continues to be prevalent in urban areas as not just a form of physical exercise and competition; but as a form of expression and art. Popping, break dancing, locking and hip hop dance styles can be seen in subways, public streets and urban spaces around the country and encourage interaction from the spectators or other dancers around. Social in nature, street dancing is often improvisational and allows the dancer to expressive themselves in a creative and artistic way. Just as we design gardens and create art installations and pieces, street dancers invent and preform their own form of expressive art.

Sweet Inspiration

Over the past few months in our studio, we have been making different art pieces with dried paint. Partly as we thought it would be a great use of the medium in a nontraditional way and partly because we had so much paint lying around we needed to do something with it. We pour it on the floor, into dishes and onto other objects and then let it dry. We then pull them up and use the forms to put on larger sculptural pieces. They are turning out to be really interesting.

While strolling through the streets of New York once again, we came across a cake shop and saw some cookie cutters in the window display. Our light bulb turned on and we purchased a few sets to bring home and fill with paint for another piece.

Please do not worry, for we are not sitting around the studio watching the paint dry.

N.Y. Cake and Baking Dist. – 56 West 22nd street – New York, NY 10010 – 212.675.CAKE www.nycake.com

Made in Morocco

While on a recent trip to New York, we journeyed to the Mosaic House, a New York tile company that specializes in beautifully colored tiles from Morocco. What we found was a plethora of wonderfully arranged tile displays that could be suitable for any application. The have tiles made from ceramic, cement, stone all for use in interior or exterior installations. Some were carved wood or chiseled patterns in ceramic all hand made and rich with color. Just a short visit in the Mosiac House made me want to start planning my next vacation to Marrakech!

Mosaic House Inc.
62 West 22 St.
New York, NY 10010

212-414-2525
www.mosaichse.com