throwback pillows.

so my aunt told my mother who told me about B. Viz, and now i want to tell yall. after all, the mission here  is to foster conversation about evolving southern design...

pillows made from vintage Indian wedding gowns, antique suzanis, retro silk/velvet ikats

well Louisiana native Rebecca Vizard does just that. artist slash designer slash textile expert and seamstress, her brand B. Viz revolves around handmade, one-of-a-kind pillows crafted from antique textiles. sourcing fabric from around the world, Vizard combines the modern practice of re-use with a traditional love of decorative objects. the result is simultaneously elegant and cool. 

B. Viz's pillows at work. from here.

repurposing textiles that range from decadent 17th century brocades to vibrant 20th century suzanis, Vizard's streamlined pillows offer stylistic diversity. they have become a staple of high design in New Orleans and beyond, with nods from publications such as architectural digest and southern accents. 


browse all B/ Viz has to offer here. 

of black and white.

recently, a collection of images in the halls of the corcoran college of art and design grabbed my attention, as it did most other passers-by. the uniformly 5x7 black and whites are nailed to the expansive white walls in a single line.  it's simple modesty draws you in, but the provoking concept makes you stay.

in his photographs, student Mark Haley's "The New South" combines words, place, and memory to capture the often dueling relationship of history and modernity. 

on the work's name card is a quote from William Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust:"For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863..."

this 1940s novel inspires respect and racial equality, provoking the viewer the see a spirit of possibility even Haley's most wearisome image. check it out at 500 17th street nw, washington, dc, 20006. 

contribution : katherine shell ponders the porch

My grandmother Mimi’s porch is the first one I can remember.  She and my grandfather had it encased in glass so that he could sit out there and cane chairs during the last years of his life.  By the time I sat on that porch, it had been many years since GrandBob had smoked his pipe and caned chairs, watching traffic trickle by on Elm Street in Newnan, Georgia.

Mimi's Porch

My grandmother kept children’s books, dolls, and toys on her porch, mostly for the children she tutored until she was 84 or so, but also for me, my older sister, and my cousins.  Most of the toys had been passed down from grandchild to grandchild, and my cousin’s daughters still play with some of the toys I used to know so well.  My grandmother’s porch was where I learned the capitals of all the states from the older children she tutored and where the magical aloe plant lived that would soothe the burns from hot pans and scrapes from the monkey bars in her backyard.  It was also where I ran if I had a kitten I couldn’t convince my mother to adopt or if I needed a plant for my bare post-college apartment.  Somehow, everything I needed I could find on that porch.

Venus, in Lexington, Va

When I was much, much older, the porches of our college and post-college houses served as places for kegs, parties, get-togethers, girls’ pictures, grill-outs, late night conversations, and summer dinner parties.  Our houses weren’t much to speak of, but we had some fantastic porches.  The first house I lived in during college, 'Venus', had a porch smaller than the bathroom, and we would crowd 8 or 10 people there, spilling wine and just chatting, until even the most laid-back person started to get nervous about a cave-in.  With no air-conditioning, sitting on the porch was leaps and bounds preferable to being indoors.  

    Now, in DC, our porch is a gathering place for secrets and sharing, as well as catching up and relaxing.  During warm months, we pull our dining room chairs there and eat dinners, glass of wine in hand. During the upcoming months, I’ll spend more time on my porch than I do in my bedroom or living room.  Our porch is where we have lengthy conversations about life, and love, and tragedy, and a few fluffier conversations as well.

Hammock on the Porch at Sea Island

    The porch on my dream house would mirror the most relaxing porch I know:  that on the beach house of my best friend from college.  The porch runs the length of the house, with tall, tall ceilings, sprinkled with fans and rocking chairs, screened in to prevent bugs, and overlooking the bay off Sea Island.  (The hammock to the side also makes for a pretty spectacular napping location).  To me, this porch is the culmination of functionality and Southern design:  warm, inviting, timeless, chic in its stark white walls and simple in its wooden floors, with plenty of places for visitors to sit and enjoy the view.  - katherine shell

upper

although ontheporch.info focuses on modernization within the southern design community, it's undeniably important to talk about art forms and creativity beyond the scope of architecture and interiors.

from giversmusic.com

case in point: the band GIVERS, a group of friends from lafayette, louisiana, making a big impression with their new album "in light." from spinner.com (who included 'meantime' on a best-of list ), to the lineofbestfit.com (who recently featured 'go out all night' as their song of the day(, GIVERS have moved into the spotlight during the past year.

but it's the fusion of traditional, creole and zydeco sounds with pop-y electronics that grabbed my attention in GIVERS tune, 'up, up, up.'  it's super catchy and has been touted as summer 2011's anthem by the likes of stereogum.com, etc. having heard the song a while ago, i included it on a 6am-hike-up-the-mountain-to-the-jobsite-mix (remember my adventure in nepal?) and the jam quickly became a favorite morning pickup. itunes is currently featuring GIVERS as a best new artist, check it out here.

design post

mailing a letter just got cooler. the usps has issued a collection of 12 stamps honoring the nation's most influential industrial designers.coming to age during a time of fast-paced development and modernization, industrial design emerged in the 1920s and thrived even during World War II. the products created during this time evoked a sense of speed and promoted the image of progress and affluence the public desired. 

washignton d.c. based graphic designer, Derry Noyes, served as art director for the collection. to her this project was personal:
"My father, Eliot Noyes [designer of the IBM 'Selectric' typewriter] , was an architect and industrial designer. My mother, an interior designer, was his closet advisor and confidante. THeir love of design was contageous, and design was a part of our daily lives," she writes. 

Read more about each of the industrial designers and their commemorative stamps here....and purchase them here!

back on the porch

view from our site

remember architect travis price and his spirit of place project from our summer 2011 magazine? this past june, i was lucky enough to participate in this year's build in the mountains of Nepal. our three week adventure took us from DC to Doha to Kathmandu and then up to the tiny villages of Namje-Thumki. the site, nestled in the Himalayas, was magical to say the least.

a day in the life / video from here

exposure to the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Magar cultures was beyond interesting...it was a priceless adventure, lending much inspiration. it seems the best way to understand where you come from is to leave, at least for a little while. the amazing warmth and hospitality of the kind villagers in Namje-Thumki touched us all. but, for me, it also conjured up memories of the small-town goodness of my childhood. it's extraordinary to feel at home in a culture that, on first glance, has little in common with your own. thanks to all involved for an unforgettable experience.

monument to the ancestors, day 5

check out this article and the project's blog for all the marvelous details of our memorial to the ancestors.

visiting savannah, part two

madison square reception

as mentioned in the last post, the reason for my recent trip down to savannah was a wedding...and an incredible one at that. caroline sims and tucker laffitte tied the knot in the historic trinity methodist church and then led guests through the city to an amazing reception in madison square. with cocktails, passed snacks, and a jazzy blues band, everyone mingled outdoors and enjoyed savannah's charm.
the historic architecture of the homes lining the square was offset by swags of spanish moss and black-tie clad guests, comfortable and at-ease in the coolness of spring. 

photo by katie waites

"the perfect end to the perfect day" by caroline sims

a joint celebration of marriage and nature was not surprising. caroline, the bride, is a painter and has a talent for capturing beauty. "I open my eyes wide," she says. "I breathe and take it all in. There is a specific beauty to each moment and like a book in the wind, the pages keep turning. Great care must be taken to not miss the subtle smile or a child's embrace due to the blowing wind."




see more of caroline's work here.

savannah

after a long week of thesis presentations, etc, i escaped down to savannah, ga for a lovely wedding weekend (more on that tomorrow). it was my first trip to this amazing city, and after all the research done in preparation for ontheporch.info, savannah was the perfect destination. it's more than spanish moss and multi-level porches...there is an essence of mystery and intrigue that hangs in the air. walking along wide avenues that connect the multitude of parks and squares, you can almost feel the history.

one building that demands pause is the Scottish Rite Masonic Center on bull street. it rises tall above the rest of the historic downtown and contrasts with the surrounding, traditional architecture. plus, the bright gold and deeply pigmented blue pop against the white, limestone exterior.

begun in 1912 and completed in 1923, the Scottish Rite Masonic Center mixes neoclassical dominance, art deco attitude, and louis sullivan-esque modernism. it represents the emergence of eclecticism...a cultural characteristic that has evolved to become one of savannah's trademarks.

to read more about materials used and the symbolic representation of the architectural details, click here.

DeMx: vernacular spectacular.

this fayetteville, arkansas architecture firm designs all of their projects with an amazingly simple, yet progressive approach. to them, it's all about context and use. they call it 'vernacular modernism.'

Bakhita Ridge House. Fayetteville, AK.  designed to instigate 
dialogues between old + new, opaque + transparent, axial + diagonal, 
inside + outside, and servant + served. 

read more here.

Bakhita Ridge House: longitudinal section 

Bakhita Ridge House: kitchen/dining 

their philosophy: "Vernacular building types exhibit our most essential responses to the environment. Response to light, air, water, vegetation, materials, and topography are evident through critical analysis of these built forms...contrary to buildings of ‘stature’, vernacular structures age with grace, gaining perceived value and acceptance while becoming a part of the ‘geography’ rather than a reflection of the taste of an era."


the firm was founded by Tim de Noble, an architect and educator, whose main area of study is the typology and morphology of small towns. learn more about de Noble and DeMx here. 

welcome to the porch.

here you will find daily discoveries in the world of southern art and design.  our seasonal magazine, the porch, reports on such topics…but this blog is all about conversation. so let us know what yall think and always send along any relevant information.

this inaugural post was intended to be all about porches (what else?). however, with last wednesday’s tornadoes, it would be remiss to discuss one of the essential elements of southern culture without acknowledging the massive destruction across our beloved region.

if the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the porch, its soul. linking outdoors to in, the family to the community, and giving support to the ubiquitous swing, this architectural feature embodies the culture of the south. it’s comfortable, inviting, nostalgic, and safe. whether it’s a drink with neighbors, dinner with the family, or late-night conversations with the closest of friends, porches enhance the functions of society.

  the tornado that pummeled arab.  from cnn.com.

 see more here and here.

with the widespread loss of countless homes and businesses across the south, it is with deep sadness that i reflect on our iconic architecture. more than demolition of the built environment, however, it is the thousands of personal tragedies that make these storms so horrific. but even in this time of mourning, a spirit of community has overwhelmed the gloom. people helping people, doing whatever needs to be done…feeding, clothing, sheltering, and loving.

neighbors help out with the clean up process in arab, al.

from nytimes.com. read the article here.

my hometown, arab, al, was slammed by the storms. but on saturday night, everyone gathered at the city fire station where the local bbq restaurant had amassed giant grills…cooking all the meat anyone was willing to bring. and since power in arab is still out, there was much that would have otherwise spoiled. the joining together of a community, at this time and in this way, shows that at the end of the day it’s more than just architecture. an airy porch might set the stage, but it’s southern culture that makes the experience memorable. 

every little bit given helps tornado victims rebuild their lives. to donate, go to:

alabama governor’s tornado relief fund
http://www.servealabama.gov/2010/2011%20Tornadoes/Response.aspx

the american red cross

 http://newsroom.redcross.org/category/spring-tornadoes-2011/

the salvation army (designate “april 2011 tornado outbreak”)

https://secure20.salvationarmy.org/donation.jsp