sketches of Frank Gehry

This weekend I finally saw the Sydney Pollack documentary: Sketches of Frank Gehry.

I’ve never really liked Gehry´s architecture, but I found really interesting to hear some of his postures on design and other subjects, from his own lips.

Like it or not, Gehry is one of the most influential and revolutionary architects of the last decades, his work is entirely controversial, and although the film tends to make Gehry look good, if you stay impartial, it has some information that might help you make up your own mind about it.
After watching the film the architect confirmed my suspicions, for him: form comes before space, and money does change people.

I discovered I kind of like the early Gehry, the one of cheap, recycled materials, the unpretentious one, at least I agree with his way of thinking back then. Light does give life to a building, and watching the shadow of a three on a red surface, or the changing reflection of a street on a titanium sheet made me see this architecture from a different perspective.

I still don’t like Gehry, but at least now I really know why.

Mathmos: the aesthetic of Barbarella

I recently saw the movie Barbarella, it was a weird experience, but I knew from the moment she takes her suit off, and the title letters jump out of it to cover her up, that it was going to have some very good moments… and some really bad.
This 1968 movie made a clear visual statement, not only were the clothes provocative, but in the overall: shapes, textures and colors exemplify perfectly the aesthetic revolution that toke place during the 60’s and 70’s.

I was talking to Hano the other day (who is a lightning designer by the way), and I used the word mathmos as an adjective during the conversation; immediately I realized he understood completely what I meant, and was truly surprised. He told me about mathmos being the main lava lamp manufacturer and it all made complete sense, because for those who haven’t seen the movie, the mathmos is a slimy evil substance beneath the city of Sogo (where the story takes place), which due to the psychedelic influence of the time was presented as a blue screen fixed with the movement of a lava lamp interior, quite cool actually.

So if the lava lamp is a visual icon of the 60’s & 70’s, and the major manufacturer of this groovy object is called mathmos after Barbarella, we can just imagine the revolution the movie must have been at the time.

Don’t be surprised to see more Barbarella posts, there’s a lot to say about this sparkler.

byebye Torre Bicentenario & koolhaas

Once again Mexican closed minded lords and ladies stopped a world first class architectural development. This time I’m talking about the Torre Bicentenario a building by the architect Rem Koolhaas.

Commemorating 200 years of independency, Mexico City’s government decided to build a 67 story building that was supposed to accommodate an office complex, some restaurants, shops and a business center. To provide adequate parking, the project included 218 000m2 of underground facilities located under a neglected area of Chapultepec’s forest (one of the largest green areas in the city); although the idea was the reforestation of the area, the concept of this parking lot was only the first of many complains by the local neighbors.

I don’t want to go on taking about all the political implications, but I think it’s a shame that once again, the opportunity for Mexican people to have cool building is taken away by a group of rich folks.

I really was looking forward to have a Koolhaas building in my city!!!!

the cosplay world

A few months ago I was contacted by a group of kamecos who wanted to do a magazine.
At first I didn’t think it would work, but I went to meet them anyway.
They took a few photos of a bunch of nekomimi girls, me amongst them, and what a surprise… wabisabi is about to become a cover girl!

They are having two covers and me on one of them. Call me vain, but I can’t wait to see the final result.
The publication will be in stores on November… only in Mexico I think.