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| Every year, there are a few annual design milestones that all of us at SUITE NY eagerly await. One very special event is the Architecture & Design Film Festival, or ADFF. ADFF celebrates the unique creative spirit that drives architecture and design through a curated selection of films, events and panel discussions, creating an opportunity to entertain, engage and educate all types of people who are excited about architecture and design. This year, ADFF will be held virtually, showcasing four films from May 17th through May 20th. For many years, SUITE NY has sponsored this important festival, and under normal circumstances we would be preparing to host a private screening of one of the featured ADFF films at the Cinépolis in Chelsea with our friends and clients. Due to social distancing, we won’t be hosting a screening this year—but we are still excited and honored to share these four amazing films with you, which can be viewed online from wherever you are. |
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| ADFF: ONLINE |
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This year’s four films explore the depth, influence and stories of pivotal design figures from around the world:
Gray Matters explores the fascinating life and complicated career of architect and designer Eileen Gray, whose uncompromising vision defined the practice of modernism in decoration, design and architecture, and who built a reputation for herself through traditional lacquer work.
The Man & The Architect examines the incredible and somewhat heartbreaking story of Jørn Utzon, an architect and designer who changed history, and his own life, by designing the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Space Land Time: Underground Adventures with Ant Farm dives into the 1970s avant-garde architecture, graphic arts, and environmental design firm called Ant Farm, best known for its iconic land-art piece, Cadillac Ranch.
Lastly, GOFF tells the story of Bruce Goff, and explores the life of an iconoclastic designer, while chronicling the events that led to the destruction and renewed interest of his memory and dwellings.
Each of the designs featured in this week’s newsletter connect in some way to these works—their designers, their stories, or their historical context, and we’re thrilled to share them with you in anticipation of each of these wonderful films. |
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| URUSHI GREEN TABLE |
| Aldo Bakker |
| Gray Matter examines the work of Eileen Gray, whose career was built around her exceptional work with traditional lacquer, so it’s no surprise that we would feature a beautiful lacquered item in this week’s newsletter. Aldo Bakker’s Green Table is a stunning testament to traditional, even ancient, design methods. An exclusive collector's piece, the Table is made entirely of green Urushi lacquer, and requires a 1 year lead time. Urushi is a rare, traditional Japanese lacquer made of tree sap which preserves objects for thousands of years. In addition to lending itself to the use of this unique material, the design is a testament to historic craftsmanship techniques, paying homage to thousands of years of Japanese design history and acknowledging the skill and expertise employed by artists and craftsmen hundreds of years ago. |
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| PACHA CHAIR |
| Pierre Paulin |
| Like the movement featured in Space Land Time, the Pacha Chair is a facet of the pivotal and influential 1970s. Designed in 1975 by the legendary French designer, Pierre Paulin, the Pacha chair is unbelievably plush. Defined entirely by rounded shapes, the chair is a perfect picture of comfort and coziness, and represents a shift in discourse around what design is meant to accomplish, and what kinds of aesthetics were appreciated as the world shifted from mid-century to contemporary design. Looking as relevant today as when it was first designed, the timeless Pacha Chair is an honest, functional piece that brings life and character to any interior setting, and is available in a variety of fabrics and leathers. |
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| UTZON LAMP |
| Jørn Utzon |
| The Man and the Architect highlights the life of architect and designer Jørn Utzon, so naturally, we jumped at the opportunity to share one of his stunning lighting designs. Utzon was intrigued by the naval engineering drawings done by his father, who was a naval architect, and as an adult, he translated these memories into designs of his own. This influence is shown in the Utzon Lamp, which largely embodies the lines of a ship coupled with a strong light. Known as a "cult favorite," this midcentury design thrives in present times as if it was created yesterday, and feels elegant in both commercial and residential environments. Utzon is best known for designing the Sydney Opera House, and you can see faint foreshadowing of its famous profile in this lamp’s design. |
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| POLLOCK TABLES |
| Dan Pollock |
| Conversations around design often veer toward showcasing European designers, but throughout the past century, design has also flourished throughout the United States. GOFF tells the story of pioneering American architect and designer, Bruce Goff, and his unconventional approach to design and architecture. Similarly, the unique and creative approach that Goff brought to each of his projects is shared by one of our favorite American designers, as well, Dan Pollock. Born and raised in Southern California, Dan Pollock has spent the past 31 years living on a fifteen acre ranch located in the high desert which sits at the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest. Handmade in the United States, each design is one-of-a-kind and hand-carved from recycled wooden stumps found in the forests of California, using wood sources that will not require a living tree to be cut down. The Pollock Tables add a refreshingly organic feeling to any space, and are versatile enough to work in traditional or contemporary settings, both residential and commercial. |
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