May 23, 2011, 2011, 10:27am
Last month, I blogged about my visit to Anzfer Farms' Outer Richmond workshop, where I had the chance to chat with founders Joseph Ferriso and Jonathan Anzalone about their work. I was able to sneak a peek at how they create their beautiful wood furniture and functional sculptures and I snapped a bunch of photos. The space was a work of art itself — a melange of woodworking tools, saws, paints, sandpaper, and a couple adorable dogs.
We discussed the idea of showcasing their beautiful reclaimed wood pieces in The Bold Italic Shop. Jonathan and Joseph created a Fragment Magnet Set to be offered exclusively through us. The set includes five magnets handcrafted from Ocean Beach driftwood and packaged in a stamped fabric pouch.
We couldn't resist selecting a handful of Anzfer Farms' Fragment Lamps to offer in our Shop as well. These delicate lamps are also crafted from found wood, and are designed to accentuate the natural character of the individual driftwood fragments. No two Fragment Lamps are the same.
Anzfer Farms' Fragment Magnet Sets are exclusively available at The Bold Italic Shop for $16. Fragment Lamps are also on sale with us, for $75 each.
May 20, 2011, 2011, 8:08am
During a Saturday romp through Golden Gate Park, I came upon the end of a performance by a duo called, Tribal Baroque and was blown away by the intensity and beauty of their music.
I could hear the faint sounds of classical music coming from within
the pedestrian tunnel that connects JFK Drive to The Conservatory of
Flowers.
As I got closer, I could tell that I was not hearing traditional classical music but rather, a fusion of classical violin mixed with tribal chanting.
I walked down the stairs into the tunnel where the sounds of the violins and voices became amplified, filled the space and leaked out of the tunnel into the garden of the Conservatory.
Lila' Angelique
S.K Thoth, who you might know about from Sarah Kernochan's 2001 Academy Award-winning short documentary about his life.
The duo will be performing in the pedestrian tunnel through June, usually from around 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Here is a short video of the perfomance that I saw:
All photos by Sasha Gainor
Categories:
Golden Gate Park, Music
May 19, 2011, 2011, Midnight
Image Courtesy of AMG
The Phoenix Hotel was such a fun spot for parties back in its heyday. I remember in the late '90s, the hotel was a hub for press junkets (The Strokes did their first SF one there); private performances (does anyone remember
Robbie Williams
?); and it was the place all the cool bands seemed to stay when they toured through town. Sure, it was a little LA — but it was LA done San Francisco style.
In recent years the Phoenix kinda lost its cachet. Other than the occasional DJ pool party, it stopped being such a landing spot for pop culture fixtures. I’ve always had a soft spot for the retro-looking hotel, though, so I was excited to hear that there’s a big event being launched there this week —
ArtPadSF
— and I’m even happier to see that some awesome local institutions are taking part in this soiree.
Image by Jeff Charbonneau and Eliza French courtesy of Robert Berman/E6 Gallery
ArtPadSF is an independent art fair that opens tonight with a big party from 7-11 p.m.
Then you can sleep off your hangover and return Friday through Sunday to browse contemporary and emerging art curated by some of my favorite galleries, including Guerrero Gallery, 111 Minna, Galeria de la Raza, Ever Gold Gallery, Triple Base, White Walls, Unspeakable Projects, and more.
There’s some creative programming during ArtPadSF too. They’re hosting panels on street art and contemporary photography, but the big deal sounds like it’s happening Saturday, with
“splashy, synchronized, and sculptural performance actions” in the pool starting at 3 p.m. and a secret installation party from Ever Gold in the evening. ArtPadSF sounds like a really fun way to introduce (or re-familiarize) yourself with some of the best local galleries in town. Along the way, perhaps the Phoenix will fall back on the cultural radar.
Categories:
The Tenderloin, Art & Design
May 18, 2011, 2011, 11:23am
Securing a residency at the Recology Center is a big honor for local artists. They only accept a small number of people per year, and who wouldn't want to spend 40 hours a week for 4 months scavenging through an endless stream of trash and recyclables for what soon will be the components of a big art exhibition?
Scott Kildall, Niki Ulehla, and Alex Nichols will show the fruits of their labor at Art at the Dump on Friday, May 20th, from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday, May 21, from 1-5 p.m. Check out their previous work below. Your guess is as good as ours as to what they'll turn out.
Alex Nichols recently completed an MFA in poetry and writing at CCA, and studied Chinese Calligraphy for eight years just to understand the abstract beauty of line and composition. One of her recent exhibitions, “Alexandra’s Heteronyms," was a group of life size charcoal self-portraits. She often works with language and the fragmented aspects of daily life.
Niki Ulhela is best known for her marionettes, though she makes some beautiful jewelry as a goldsmith as well. She learned to make them in the Czech Republic, where puppetry has a long history and is still in vogue. She likes to watch the interplay between people and the marionettes, especially when they are animals.
Scott Kildall is a conceptual artists who often repurposes technology. He created a brainwave-reading headset to test stress levels, a chess computer that plays as if it were Marcel Duchamp, and video portraits of people thinking they were only having their photos taken. Lately he has been drawing inspiration from Second Life.
Categories:
Art & Design
May 17, 2011, 2011, Midnight
On Sunday, while walking on Divis to pick up some dinner, I noticed something new on the storefront of the old Emblem Market. A public discussion board! I've always been a fan of the public art that randomly pops up in the 'hood, so I was intrigued. There wasn't much information, but the two chalkboards asked passersby to complete the sentences: "I want for my community..." and "We can change the world with ...". I stopped to take a few photos of the building, hoping to find out more information on the Internets.
After a little Googling, I discovered that the discussion board is part of the Divisadero Street Community Art Unveiling, a project started by neighborhood organization the Wigg Party, future Divis merchant Bi-Rite (who currently own the Emblem space), and local artist Erik Anderson. The three parties wanted to take a "dormant storefront and do something awesome with it."
On Friday, they unveiled the discussion board, created by Erik Anderson, and capped off the night with a party. I missed the celebration, but I think it's cool that people can still participate after the event by writing their thoughts on the chalkboards. This neighborhood has evolved so much in the last few years, and I'm sure everyone who lives here has thoughts about the transformation, good and bad. I'm personally worried that the changes will leave out members of the old neighborhood, but I'm hopeful when I see the community come together on projects like these. However you feel about the change, I think it's a positive step when people are asked to voice their opinions in the process.
So neighbors of Divisadero, don't be shy, what do you think the community needs?
All images: Sarah Han
Categories:
Western Addition / NOPA, Art & Design, Neighborhoods
