Dogmom's Dish

Marimekko Moment, Manhattan Style

Racing down Madison to catch to Sarah Sze's exhibit @ the Asia Society, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the gorgeous Marimekko window in the Crate & Barrel store.  Divine!

Inside was even better...another C&B line (borrowing heavily from Orla Kiely, no doubt) has replaced their "coffee cups" print with adorable pots.  Available on oven mitts, aprons and dish towels...let's hope serving pieces aren't far behind.

Bonus snap from Lex near Hunter College...on-off rain showers created some naturally back-lit canyons.

 

 

Nanette Lepore @ JC Penney: It's a Quandry...Discuss

Hmm.  Lots of conflicting feelings about my fave designer.

Pros: JCP has done a great job w/the in-store Sephoras + they've just hired an ex-Apple VP who totally gets it about selling a premium brand. 

Cons: It's Nannete (!!!!) for crying out loud! 

Wearable art with her exacting made in the US crafstmanship can't be mass produced.  Otherwise, why not just go the disposable fashion route (hola, H&M) or save a few $$ on production costs by using factories in China that blow up b/c contractors can't be bothered (or forced) to install ventilation systems to keep their factories from blowing up.  Oh wait...that's Apple's iPad....

Bottom line:  Sometimes you need to trust your idols...as long as their names aren't Kardashian. 

Long admired Nanette & her business partner hubby.  Vera's line for Kohls generally rocks and Target's guest lines are legendary.  Stay tuned...2013 isn't that far away.

 

 

 

A Million Spiders Spinning Their Arses Off = One Glorious Silk Cape

Happy Friday...and try not to feel like a spider for the next two days, 'k? (-:

btw--the lovely golden color is au naturale...get the skinny here.

C'Mon & Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Vera Wang Models Swimsuit

Showing that sexy doesn't stop when you're 62, Vera models a piece from her new line.

Rock on, sister!

Tweet Review: Shotgun Players "God's Plot"

Plucky pilgrims resist oppression by the royal 1%.  Fight back w/theatre, beer, banjo & bass.  Love, hilarity & singing ensue.

See it by 1/29 or you'll miss out...tickets here.

Features (L to R): Will Hand, Juliana Lustenader, Josh Pollock (Banjo), Anthony Nemirovsky.

Photo by Pak Han.

Whose Data Is It Anyway? Patient Rights for Implantable Devices

Grateful every day for my amazing friends...heard one today on NPR!

My dear pal Hugo Campos has an implantable defibrillator and no one (manufacturers, providers/payors, clinicians, etc.) will give him access to his own data. I've heard him ask (on stages and in person) the "powers that be", from HHS heads to CEOs of device manufacturers.

Their answers range from "of course you have the right" to "I don't know how we'd do that".  Bottom line is that until there's $$ attached to doing the right thing, it won't get done.

Thank goodness Hugo is of the nicest guys on the planet.  I would have gone postal long ago.

Watch Hugo's TedX Cambridge talk here.

Robot Love: It's Not Just For Manufacturing Anymore

From coffee machines on wheels (a la R2D2) to a skeletal looking “super compliant “robot named Ecce, robots have come a long way.

According to a recent forum at Swissnex San Francisco, even further improvements are close to fruition.

Rolf Pfeifer, director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the University of Zurich
detailed the importance of soft robotics in increasing their physical functionality. 

He showed the example of an octopus robot constructed of materials that demonstrate a greater understanding of soft materials that take advantage of passive dynamics. 

Pascal Kaufmann (University of Zurich and CEO of Starmind) highlighted the example of Cronos, the first humanoid robot in Playboy Ukraine.  He also invited the gathering to an upcoming robotics conference in Switzerland, promising to reveal some additional, um, advancement enhancements in the world of sex toy robots.

Pina Bausch: The Art of Longing

Wim Wenders' Pina is a 3D love letter like no other.

Despite the pain of her unexpected death shortly before filming was to begin, her devoted company decided that the show must go on. 

Their stunning portrait uses the power of dance to tell her story.  Using vintage footage (including a performance in the immortal Cafe Muller), interviews and company repertoire, the film succeeds in capturing her essence, while preserving her legacy of Tanztheater.

I think she would have been pleased with the results.  As she explained  in a rare interview, "Some things are so terrible, there are not words.  Evoking a feeling is enough--that’s where dance comes in."

Bulldogs, Bears & Basketball...They Just Go Together

Cal Berkeley campus is like Disneyland for dogs.  Acres of trees, streams and lots of falling food from snacking students on the run.

It's also home for Franklin, an English bulldog parented by basketball star Harper Kamp.  According to a recent Chronicle piece, Franklin is besotted with the Bears and serves as the teams unofficial mascot...and Kamp's conditioning coach.

Cat Walking & Not A Runway In Sight...

Blow your mind and melt your heart...great NYT article about a cat mom @ her wit's end.

Her beloved feline had a penchant for escaping from the apartment complex and getting into trouble.  Lots of it. 

Instead of giving up, she committed to keeping her kitty happy and safe, adding leash walks in the park to her repertoire. 

Four paws straight up!

 

The Cat's Table: Smooth Sailing Somewhere:

Cruising is not for everyone.  Just ask the surviving passengers on the Costa Concordia who barely escaped with their lives.

But not so long ago, ships were the only way to travel between most continents.  Especially if the journey involved crossing multiple oceans say, from Sri Lanka to London. 

Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table sails magnificently from the pitch black port of Colombo to the winding river Thames, all through the eyes of an eleven year old, coincidentally (or not) named Michael. 

More than a standard coming of age novel, The Cat’s Table illuminates twenty one seminal days and their impact on several lifetimes.

The audio book is read by the author is his melodious Sri Lankan Burgher accent…don’t miss it.

Pucci Goes Posh: Cashmere Silk Spring Scarves TDF

 

Spotted this in Neimans...tissue thin blend of cashmere & silk (82/18)...divine!

Pricey @ $595, but a definite signature piece to treasure.

Preternatural Tropical Wisdom: The Descendants + Birds of Paradise

Does living in the tropics make you preternaturally wise?

According to the rightfully ballyhooed The Descendants, and an equally compelling recent book, Birds of Paradise (Diana Abu-Jaber)...yes!

Both jump head first into the challenges of modern day parenting, the issues of loss and sometimes, a trusted adult can make all the difference.

Grab either one and you'll feel like you've plopped down under a virtual palm tree.

Magical Mochi Pounding & Much More @ SF's Asian Art Museum

 

Mochitsuki, or mochi pounding, is a ceremony in which steamed glutinous rice is transformed into yummy, soft, chewy cakes.

Kagami Kai is a local group dedicated to the preservation of this Japanese New Year tradition. 

Yesterday at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, they wowed us with Taiko drumming, a mural painted on the fly and even a lion dance!  Audience members, including kids, got to experience the pole poking and Paul Bunyan-style chops into the mochi bowl.  

Even the smallest members of Kagami Kai got into the act, fanning the "workers".  As a result of everyone's hard work, we got to scarf the sweet peanut paste covered treats @ the end.

Thanks to Kagami Kai for being one of two teams who brought their A-game to San Francisco yesterday!

Let's Dance, Let's Shout: Pound Your Mochi Down To The Ground

Celebrate mochi making @ the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco) tomorrow @ 12:00 PM. 

The traditional Japanese rice pounding ceremony will be accompanied by taiko drums.

top photo courtesy of Simply Mochi

 

The Six Thinking Hats: An Oldie, But A Goodie

The book was originally written in the 1960s as a way for groups to communicate with each other about differing topics and divergent opinions.  The style was used from groups around the world as different as Japanese auto manufacturers to the South African government during apartheid reconciliation. 

The premise is that emotions can’t be decoupled from opinions and the presentation of “facts” during business and other objectives.  The author proactively offers an “out” for navigating the spectrum of data and passion by encouraging users to metaphorically, if not physically wear differently colored “hats”.

White = logic, facts
Black = risk
Yellow = optimism
Green = creativity
Red = emotion
Blue = process

With the endless series of debates and yapping about who’s failed and why, I wish politicians would take a cue from this wise and timeless guide.

Buzzard's Bay: Helen Frankenthaler Remembered

Although she died in December, artist Helen Frankenthaler's work continues to inspire.  

Celebrated for her use of color to nudge the Abstract Expressionist movement forward, she was also known for colorizing the seemingly mundane.  This was especially salient during a peiord of postwar rebuilding when hope and hard work were synonymous.

Buzzard's Bay (above) hangs in the Seattle Art Museum and captures the elemental essence of her work...earth, sky, sun and water, bonded together with the rich red blood of beauty.

Using What's There To Create Something Beautiful: Felt The Sun

A Bay Area entrepreneur is at the intersection of being green and glam! 

Uber-athlete Katharine Jolda got the idea to use her bike to power a wool carder. 

Jolda uses her creation (aka the CycloCarder) to turn wool from Navajo and Sonoma sheep into stunning creations like this stunning jacket.

Learn more about this eco-entrepreneur here.

 

 

 

photo courtesy of Felt the Sun

Back to Work Tuesday: Make Mine a Double

Resolve To Be Inspired By Whatever You Find: Seattle Art Museum

Found objects and art intersect in multiple ways @ SAM.  

A recent trip left me so inspired, I resolve to be more creative in using what’s in front me rather than obsessing about perfect possibilities.

Do Ho Suh is a Korean artist now working in the US.  His dog tag suit of armor is a profound statement on the real price that's paid for war.  As you can see, these seemingly simple materials presented this way inspire  interaction and engagement in viewers.

Ditto for the sculpture in the background--created by Adrian Paci,an Albanian artist forced to flee from his country because of ethnic cleansing.  The piece is titled Home to Go and uses roof tiles to reflect the burden of history the artist carries with him.

Another artist was inspired by a trip to Ghana where he saw women weaving baskets from found wires.  Upon returning home, he created these figures using similar techniques.

Although the architect John Marshall didn't exactly use found objects, we did create pieces based on the landscape and types of native woods  available to finish his silver tea sets.  Each set was created for a particular house that he built and the exhibit shows photos of each house.