There’s something to be said about contemporary institutions and businesses that pay respect to the past. It’s something that made even more compelling when the past is steeped in rich tradition and heritage. This, we discovered, during a recent impromptu visit to Montreal, and a stay at the beautiful Le Westin hotel.
Housed in the former headquarters of The Montreal Gazette newspaper, the hotel took careful pains to acknowledge and honor the three heritage buildings they took over just a few years ago: the first Montreal Star building located on St-Jacques Street that dates back to 1899; its art deco-style extension designed in 1929; and the main Montreal Gazette building built in the 1950s. The buildings, situated among the cobblestone streets of Old Montréal, were once actively serving the presses of The Gazette, which rolled for more than 100 years. In addition to keeping the original elevator banks, many original window frames, and even an old Canada Post mailbox in the lobby, the hotel has accented its decor with work from Quebec and Canadian artists preserved from the original heritage buildings.
The modern accents are equally as stunning, with a glass bottom swimming pool that hovers high above the hotel’s indoor entranceway, a large-scale and textured painting that greets visitors as soon as they step inside (photo at left) and a massive art installation piece titled “Icicles,” that hangs precariously over the main lobby. Created by artist Kelvin Goddard from the “Unit 5″ art/metalworks studio in Toronto, the piece is made up of 50,000 pieces of individually hand-cut aluminum shards, hanging on 600 strings. This piece is 21 feet long and 13 feet wide and reportedly took workers more than five days to install.
We wanted to find out more about Le Westin’s novel design and its unique relationship with its building’s storied history, so we caught up with Robynne Moncur, the lead designer on the project.
Find out Moncur’s personal connection to the building and see more photos from Le Westin, after the jump…
By the time you hear the third or fourth song on the Top 40 countdown, you begin to wonder if the programmers have had their finger on “repeat” the entire time. After a while, all the beats and melodies begin to sound the same, and you’re left uninspired — and unimpressed.
Such is the case with many furniture companies nowadays. The idea of minimalism and “modern” design, often means simple and conventional; lightweight in both materials and approach. But every so often, a piece comes along that sparks your curiosity, heralding a more creative and unpredictable vision, and blurring the lines between artistic form and function.
Allow us to introduce you to the “Deuces Wild Chair,” produced by Benjamin Rollins Caldwell of BRC Designs. A new company to the furniture market, BRC fuses mid-century modern architectural philosophies with inspired design ideas, juxtaposing contrasting forms and textures in new and novel ways. This creative concept can be seen in the “Deuces Wild Chair,” made of 350 decks of retired, authentic Las Vegas playing cards. The chair is at once an art piece and conversation piece, subtle enough to blend into the room’s decor from afar, but comical and whimsical when seen up close.
In addition to the chair, we also love the company’s “Spider Sofa,” which showcases wood inlays between welded and hand-brushed steel, set in a more traditional rectangular shape. We’re told it’s more comfortable than it looks, and, we’re hoping, more comfortable that it sounds as well.
Made from predominantly sustainable materials (see: used playing cards) and with an eye for timeless design, each piece is handcrafted by a small team of skilled craftsmen located in BRC’s studios in tiny Spartanburg, SC. They may be a small company, but we think they’re making a big impression with their unique pieces and work. For more details, check out brcdesigns.com.
When lifestyle brands or big corporations team up with documentary filmmakers on a project, the odds are 50-50 that the end result will be as inspired as the idea. For every Hoop Dreams, there’s a Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience. But Quiksilver’s latest project is one that both makes sense for the iconic surf brand, while also bringing something new to the table.
The company has teamed up with director Matt Beauchesne at Irons Brothers Productions, on a new film called “Scratching the Surface.” This beautifully shot HD surf film documents the adventures of professional surfer Julian Wilson, along with friends and fellow professionals Dane Reynolds, Taj Burrow, Dusty Payne, Mick Fanning and others as they spend a year hitting some of the world’s most beautiful surf spots. Destinations include South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, California, Hawaii, France, Spain and Brazil. In other words, viewers are in for a scenic ride, that also packs a surprisingly emotional punch, as the 22-year-old Wilson experiences the trials and tests that come with growing up in the sport’s public eye, while simultaneously trying to conquer his own demons and — often surfing-unrelated — fears.
While we wish we were better surfers (we barely stayed up on our board the couple of times we’ve tried to ride a wave), we loved the pacing and cinematography of the film. The crew used everything from motor boats to helicopters to capture their shots, while incorporating shots from a so-called, non-intrusive “Phantom Camera.” The film is definitely worth checking out for the shooting quality on its own.
“Scratching the Surface” premieres next week in California. Check out the trailer below:
When Andy Warhol went to write in his diary on March 8th, 1981, the pope of Pop Art and a leading figure of the New York underground art scene had just returned from Munich where he had had a show, and was recounting what the glorious sights he had seen. And while he had been to thousands of parties in his life (the wildest of which are well-documented in the late 1970s at New York’s Studio 54), it was neither the music nor fashion nor people that he recounted in his diary that night…
“Went to the gallery where they were having a little exhibition of the glittery Shoes, and had to do interviews and pics for the German newspaper and then we had to go back to the hotel and be picked up by the “2,000” people – it’s a club of twenty guys who got together and they’re going to buy 2,000 bottles of Dom Pérignon which they will put in a sealed room until the year 2,000 and then open it up and drink it and so the running joke is who will be around and who won’t…”
And so the entry continued: a nostalgic, if not endearing, ode to Dom Perignon and fine champagne and the night he wouldn’t soon forget.
Now, some 30 years later, Dom Perignon is hoping to re-capture some of that magic — as well as some of Warhol’s iconic work with culture, codes and color — through a limited-edition Warhol-inspired bottle. The creative team at Dom Pérignon commissioned the Design Laboratory at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art & Design to reinterpret its timeless bottle in homage to the artist’s iconic color games. The result is a unique collection of three bottles, each with its distinct label in bright red, blue or yellow. The bottles will be available to the public starting October 15th at a suggested retail price of $150 and can be found at fine wine purveyors nationwide.
Canadian darlings Broken Social Scene may have released their Polaris Prize-nominated “Forgiveness Rock Record” months ago, but they haven’t released an official music video to any of the songs until now… sort of.
BSS released a fan-made video for their anthemic instrumental song, “Meet Me in the Basement” today; a video that sets the song’s pulsating melody against images from the recent G20 Summit in Toronto. In a press release, BSS singer Kevin Drew wrote that the video was sent to the band “by a lover of our music who wants to remain anonymous,” before adding simply, “the rest speaks for itself.”
The video — a YouTube clip-like mash-up of sorts — juxtaposes images from the G20 protests with clips of everything from kids’ TV shows and Nike ads, to Justin Bieber and even “Obama Girl.” It’s a political statement for sure, but dare we say, an artistic one as well. Check out the video for Broken Social Scene’s “Meet Me in the Basement” below:
