Unforgettable use of corrugated materials for product display. Aesop Flinders Lane designed by March Studio.

Aesop @ Strand Arcade.

PIER RESTAURANT 594 New South Head Rd, Rose Bay NSW Australia 2029  |  phone: +61 2 9327-6561

7 Danks Street
Waterloo, 2017
The Cafe:
Sopra Waterloo
ph. 02 9699 3174
open 10am – 3pm Tuesday to Friday
open 8am – 3pm Saturday
No bookings taken

Simple classic lines split into three grades. The Kode Lamp changes in tone from base to top. Frame is composite wood covered in frosted matt polycarbonate. Inner coloured drop in insert is hand silk screen printed. Available colors: White/Yellow/Orange. $95

Vintage necklace made from vintage parts sourced from UK and France. 2 fob watch keys, a watch part and a 9kt tableware charm, a knife, a fork and a spoon on a long vintage chain. $225

There are a number of restaurants on the bridge side of the Quay with a view of the Sydney Opera House, however Aria has an amazing, sweeping view of The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from their main dining room.

It seemed of little wonder anecdotally, 2008 varnish on canvas 200 x 260 cm

L&H is one of my favorite retail haunts in Sydney. I like to visit the store a few times over a week or two because there is so much to take in, it’s nice to return and see something I previously overlooked or hadn’t thought about. First visit I tried on a white gold ring with an intricate filigree; beautiful and chunky. Nice heavy weight on the finger. Next time I was in the mood for something less formal. Giovanni D’Ercole always displays a variety of silver rings with interesting construction details and unique twists on the brand name. I liked a couple designs.

One of the rings has a dark lattice that wraps nearly the entire circumference and the other has a gothic type treatment of the words ‘Love’ and ‘Hatred’.

Read the full story at the Sydney Morning Herald website.

The Roslyn Oxley9 website was offline for a number of hours during the gallery shutdown. The site went back online last night without access to the Bill Henson artist portfolio section. Soon afterward they submitted a Media Statement which was sent out via email and available at their website.

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Media Statement

Friday 23 May 2008

Statement on behalf of Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery and Bill Henson

After much consideration we have decided to withdraw a number of works from the current Bill Henson exhibition that have attracted controversy. The current show, without the said works, will be re-opened for viewing in coming days.

Bill Henson is one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists and is internationally respected. His works are held in every leading art institution in Australia and are included in the collections of a number of the world’s most prestigious art museums. The Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Victoria have both recently held a retrospective of 30 years of the artist’s work.

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery will remain closed while the current exhibition is re-hung.

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]]> http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/2008/05/22/bill-henson-exhibition-shut-down/feed/ 0 http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/2008/05/21/bill-henson-at-roslyn-oxley9/ http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/2008/05/21/bill-henson-at-roslyn-oxley9/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 16:18:39 +0000 Jeffrey Burk http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/?p=389 New Bill Henson exhibition opens at Roslyn Oxley9, May 23, 2008.

I first saw Henson’s work at the Passages De L’Image exhibition at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, 1990. The images shown there left a memorable impression on me. The exhibition was curated by Raymond Bellour, Catherine David and Christine Van Assche, at the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, in Paris. Following Paris and Columbus, the exhibition travelled to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Fundacio Caixa de Pensions, Barcelona.

In 2005 The Art Gallery of New South Wales put together the first major survey of Bill Henson’s work titled Bill Henson 3 Decades of Photography.

Bus stop featuring advertising for the exhibition, 3 Decades of Photography.

The front facade of the AGNSW featuring banners for the show.

Judy Annear, senior curator of photography at the Art Gallery of New South Wales worked closely with Bill Henson to select more than 350 images from more than a dozen series, which explore the major themes of his work from 1974 until now.

The exhibition detailed a cross-section of Henson’s work from early duotones to the vagabond junkyard wasteland series, the cut and paste series he created for the Venice Biennale to his current Untitled series of images. The earlier works were shown in rooms with plenty of light whereas the later works were exhibited in spaces with increased drama brought about by careful consideration of light, wall color and composition.

Following the AGNSW show, the exhibition moved to Melbourne where it was shown at the National Gallery of Victoria from April 23 to July 10. Henson staged his first solo exhibition at the NGV in 1975 at the age of 19.

Images from the National Gallery of Victoria exhibition, Melbourne.

These are really big spaces. To give you an idea of scale, most of the figures shown in the rectangular works are near 1:1 human scale. Each of the images is 127×180cm with a thick wood frame — not an easy show to install (or de-install). I like the slightly offset stacking of the frames and the groups of five.

Bill Henson
Untitled #52, 2000/2003
LMO SH103 N19
type C photograph
127 x 180cm
Edition of 5

Part of the exhibition included a video (about 27 minutes) in which Henson described some of his creative process and inspiration. I recall how he conceives an idea in his head, then has to get it out in his work. If he’s able to see it in the real world he’ll shoot it there, otherwise he’ll build a set to focus on the image in his mind’s eye. Many of the images featuring the small sparkling lights were controlled environments built within Henson’s studio.

Official artist site here.
AGNSW Film Series titled Bill Henson: Inspirational Cinema.
Henson is represented by Roslyn Oxley9.

Although James Cameron is a relatively new label in the Melbourne fashion scene, he’s obtained a reputation for designing particular details. It’s the refined and restrained looks, with unique proportions and scale, that epitomize his collections. During a visit to his studio/shop, located at 18 Oliver Lane, I discovered more about his passion for clothing design and all things modern. I also learned how James takes a look back in time for inspiration and factors a ’slightly familiar’ quality into his timeless design sense.

From the Spring Summer 2008 / 2009 collection.

So the dust just settled from the Sydney Fashion Week show and James got back to me for the interview. Thanks James!

Enjoy.

What’s your typical day at work like?

Depending on the time of year, we’ve just had Fashion Week in Sydney and in the lead up we have been working ridiculous hours. But generally we sit around our large central table and think about what’s on the cards. We refine designs. patterns, cut make and sell all within the same space. We’re sticklers for detail and as simple as our shirts or trousers may look we’re constantly refining and honing our pieces. A lot of coffee, not much eating.

Describe your workspace.

When we started here I really wanted the space to blur the line between studio and store. I wanted to welcome and make comfortable those who came here into a personal space, therefore (theoretically) breaking down any walls or pretension between the designer and his work. It’s a great idea but flawed in many ways. I still love the idea but there are times I wish we could close it off. But it’s part of our history now and I think no matter where we go I would like to always use an element of the idea.

The space itself is very simple. We are just below street level so you enter by going down a small set of stairs and we have small window pane frontage. The design of the space is meant to reference the modernists and post modernists I love.

Any rituals you have to perform before starting to work?

Coffee.

What are you passionate about?

To those outside of design I would sometimes sound like a broken record, whining all the time about bad design, poorly executed work etc, but there are so many great things out there being done by great people I don’t understand why we celebrate laziness and mediocrity. For new things I love what Established & Sons are doing from the U.K. I love food and the way it truly brings people together. It’s one of the most honest things you can do, cook for someone and find out. I love it.

Where do you find inspiration?

Always a difficult question. As a designer I guess you don’t stop finding inspiration everywhere you go. But I love how car design is changing as we have to solve fuel, environmental and congestion problems while still remaining true to to the ideas of freedom, creativity and our desire for speed and style. I read a lot, I love film particularly Jean Pierre Melville, the French Noir style. I love that stuff. I am particularly inspired by the near future, I love the aesthetic problems it poses on design. What will we be doing in 5-20 years time, how much will we change as we accelerate (technologically speaking) if at all? I love the idea of existing in “no-time” at all, that there are familiar notions or gestures but actually are new, for example, in our next season we are working on knitwear patterns that at first look like a traditional cable or fair isle knit but upon closer inspection their patterns are thoroughly modern, they haven’t been seen before and by doing so we’ve created a piece of no historical significance or pretense, except for ourselves. It is subtle but it’s not retro and in turn moves us forward

How would you describe your style? How has this style developed over time?

The style is as above, we want people to double-take and inspect. What looks like black upon closer inspection is super dark aubergine or brown. We want men to be men, not in costume, feel handsome and confident but unlike everyone else. Bring a little of themselves, a little of me, a little of something else. We’re the sum of many parts and this should be reflected in a strong, confident way. Over time the style or more importantly the philosophy has been cleaned up and become clearer. It has been important to us that we establish a design language that is clear and coherent. I still want people to have a sense of discovery and unexpectedness and so we still develop this over time, but at least now our clients know where we are coming from. We’re romantics and we love telling a story whether it be our own or somebody elses.

Which artists, designers or creative people are you inspired by?

In fashion and in life we so often fall into cluster groups, ie you like listening to so and so, you wear this label and drive this car, but you aspire to this etc etc. This is great and it gives us a sense of belonging but there are times that I like to break this model and include something from left of centre and bring it to the group with a new sensibility. That’s a long way of saying that the designers I like are for their philosophies and process, I don’t always like their results but I love their thinking. Nicholas Ghesquiere and Raf Simons are genius, as is Martin Margiela. Dries Van Noten is incredible with colour and his steadfastness, unchanged after so many years. I am obsessed with Donald Judd and from art to furniture, Jean Prouve and the great American and European Modernists.

What’s your Spring Summer 2008/2009 line like? What’s new? And your inspirations?

It has been dubbed “The Getaway”. From this we took our hero and his story from leaving work Friday to his return Monday. The colours are bold and confident but they all work harmoniously and I can’t wait to have them in for Summer. There’s a sense of the late sixties but as previously explained when seen first hand they take on something else and should reference no time but exist on their own. Sounds serious, but this is our starting point. New pieces and silhouettes are deep double pleat trousers. The pleats are stitched flat down the thigh and then let loose giving fullness and then to a subtle taper at the ankle. It’s great new silhouette. Also, great shorter bomber jackets in silk and short finishing trousers, so formality is retained during Summer. They are all great looks that push the label forward but don’t alienate anyone. I’m really looking forward to next season as we further solidify what the label is about.

What makes a good collection?

Clarity, Cohesiveness and fun.

You opened your Flinders Lane shop in 2007 – how’s that going?

If I could make it purely a shop then I’d have something. It’s going well, but as I said earlier, theoretically the idea of a store/studio is great on paper just not so much in practice. I would love to just let go and not have to worry about the consequences of leaving the shop messy, but for now we will keep the store as it is. It works well and conversation is second nature when standing around the pattern table and I wouldn’t want to lose that.

Will James Cameron create a line for women? – seems like the kind of question you’ve heard 1,000 times before or maybe you just can’t be bothered answering since your hands are full with the mens collection…

Not at all. I think designers like Veronique Branquinho have done this perfectly (albeit vice-versa). She masterfully translated her structured womenswear sensibility into menswear without making it feminine but still retaining her core values. Dries is another. I would love to and my training is womenswear. I will have to wait and see, but it is definitely on the cards.

You told me a story about how you had seen a sweater worn by JFK and that you were inspired by it. Could you relate that story to me again?

Well I guess this is an example of story-telling in the store, but I truly believe it adds something to the garment and the experience. I wanted some truly iconic cuts of the sixties and I stumbled across this black and white photo of JFK, sleeves pulled up on this small sailing boat I imagine somewhere in Massachusetts. It had more than just the former presidents preppy style and actually gave me a sense of adventure and optimism. From that we (re)created the sweater. A small crew neck with three stripes on a saddle shoulder pattern. But it needed to prompt questioning so I did some further research and this wasn’t as fortuitous as the finding the photo. Eventually I found some information pertaining to the Kennedy’s yachts. They had several of course. But one in particular was small boat they had while growing up and was called the “Victura”. In turn we named our sweater the Victura, which is a hell of a lot better than The Jack or JFK. I read recently that one of the Kennedy’s boats was sold at auction and another was destroyed by fire.

MELBOURNE SPECIFIC

Favorite Coffee Shop?

Jungle Juice, The European and Mini (my local).

Favorite Restaurant?

I used to be a real foodie but since the store opened I have had to curb my love a little. Il Solito Posto is a great bustling, but somehow still romantic Italian restaurant mid-city. The European for breakfast and Madame SouSou too. Julio’s (literally down by the schoolyard!) in North Fitzroy is very humble and cool. Anything by Andrew McConnell or Maurizio Terzini, who has just opened at the casino which is a big no-no, but he’s managed to pull it off and the food is phenomenal (Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons). Gils Diner is the one I’m dying to try. So many in Melbourne, we’re really fortunate.

What’s your typical Saturday morning like? (other favorites, routines, etc.)

Generally the search for a great cup of coffee on a Saturday, near the shop continues. I get that, then I’m happy. I have to wait til Sunday to have a sleep in and think about other loves besides design.

The shop at 18 Oliver Lane.

James Cameron website here.

James Cameron Boutique
Level 1 / 18 Oliver Lane
Melbourne Victoria 3000
Australia
PH + 61 3 9662 2506

Elwood Torana no.7
Oil on canvas
120×140cm

Beast
Oil on canvas
60×50cm

Hill End Landscape
Oil on linen
150×140cm

The Lot
Oil on canvas
150×160cm

Official artist website here.
Represented by Jan Murphy and Grant Pirrie.
Ben Quilty, Rust in Peace or Youth and young manhood, by Dougal Phillips, Art & Australia vol.45, #1.

Lux Et Nox
Photographs by Bill Henson
Scalo, Zurich, 2002. 192 pp., 125 color illustrations, 16×12in.

I bought this title after viewing the Bill Henson exhibition at The Art Gallery New South Wales in January, 2005. It’s a unique configuration at 16in. on the long edge which makes it 32in. when opened.

Mnemosyne
Photographs by Bill Henson. Essays by Judy Annear, Jennie Boddington, Edmund Capon, Dennis Cooper, Peter Craven, Isobel Crombie, John Forbes
Scalo, Zurich, 2005. 504 pp., 407 color and b&w illustrations, 10×12in.

I purchased this book at the exhibition as well. This is a very heavy book that catalogs many of Henson’s different series and photographic styles.

Bill Henson
Ediciones Universidad Salamanca, 2003
Oversize Softcover
91 pp, 37 large color illustrations, 9.5×13in.

Bill Henson, Ediciones Universidad Salamanca focuses on a selection of work from the Untitled, 2000 – 2003 series. The first section of the book begins with a couple of essays written in Spanish and English: Naked Youth: The Photography of Bill Henson written by Dennis Cooper and Why is that girl crying? and other formal emotions. Notes on the photography of Bill Henson written by F. Javier Panera.

Official artist website here. Represented by Roslyn Oxley9.

Here’s my latest acquisition.

Love & Hatred Charm Bracelet, in silver.

]]> http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/2008/04/29/love-hatred-bracelet/feed/ 0 http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/2008/04/24/so-far-the-art-of-dale-frank-2005-1980/ http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/2008/04/24/so-far-the-art-of-dale-frank-2005-1980/#comments Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:15:41 +0000 Jeffrey Burk http://jeffreyburk.com/wordpress/?p=32 It took me an entire day to find this book. Bit of a saga, but it was so worth it.

I first learned of Dale Frank’s work from Roslyn Oxley9 gallery in Sydney. On a recent trip down under I read a book review in the The Australian which described Frank’s new book titled So Far The Art of Dale Frank 2005-1980. The scope of the book and the production details sounded intriguing. I’d recently become interested in the artist’s work so I thought this title would be a must-have addition to my library.

Itinerary update: locate So Far.

Following my morning coffee at the Illy Cafe, I knew I could probably find this Dale Frank book by visiting his art gallery but I was in the CBD and didn’t feel like taking a cab anywhere. First stop: Art Gallery of New South Wales. The sales person here said they received one of the books but sent it back due to a binding defect. Hearing this got me a little concerned about the overall bindery quality. I knew the book had to be pretty heavy so maybe the damage could have been caused in transit to this one title. The salesperson agreed with that and kindly referred me to Kinokuniya Bookstore located downtown at The Galeries Victoria, level 2. I had lunch at AGNSW and then headed over to Kinokuniya.

Kinokuniya is The Place for all things books, magazines and printed matter. The store is a treasure trove. I asked a sales person whether they had a copy of the Dale Frank book. She searched for it on her computer system and came up with one copy. A-ha! Excellent news and now we simply had to find that one copy in the store. Believe it or not, it took about 60 minutes of hunting back and forth, aisle after aisle, several computer checks, speaking with other co-workers, etc. but we finally found it on their new books shelf. The reason we didn’t immediately see it? Stealth packaging: all white slipcase with a discrete sans serif type style treatment. The kind of thing easily missed amongst 100,000 other titles.

You know the smell of newly printed magazines or marketing collateral – that’s the smell of printer’s inks. If you’re a graphic designer you know what I am referring to. Slipping the book out of its case and a strong aroma wafts out. Smells like it was dunked in ink and paint.

Nice details: the cover has an interesting die-cut and the edges of the book have been gilded in primary yellow.

So Far The Art of Dale Frank 1980-2005
Published by: Black Inc (trading as Schwartz Publishing)
February 2008
Hardback, 432 pages

According to the Anna Schwartz website, “(So Far) … is considered to be a ground-breaking publication that will recontextualise Australian art literature, and further contemporary painting.”

I’d seen Frank’s work a few times over the past five years but I didn’t get it. Honestly, his varnish paintings remained a little too < other > for me. Maybe I thought the painting style was an effect; it was closer to chemistry than painting. Then I read the articles featuring Dale Frank’s work in Art & Australia vol.42, #2, Ticket to Ride written by Jane Ranikin-Reid and Dale Frank written by Ashley Crawford. The work clicked. My next experience with his work was the Sore Throat exhibition at RO9. The deep blacks and darker colors in his canvases were producing a murky evocative depth I hadn’t seen before. I loved each sinewy ribbon of color emerging from the blackness.

Conclusion: Now that I have the book, I think I need a Dale Frank painting in my life …

Represented by Roslyn Oxley9, Anna Schwartz.
So Far… review in The Australian.
Dale Frank, by Ashley Crawford, Art & Australia vol.42, #2.
Ticket to Ride Dale Frank’s Conceptual Abstraction, by Jane Rankin-Reid, Art & Australia vol.42, #2.
Queensland homestead at Shentel’s Blog.

So serene. The beautiful view and gently blowing sheer curtains add to the drama. I can smell the eucalyptus trees. Nice blues trickling out the window to that ocean view.

There are a few things I liked about this bedroom. The scale of the artwork works really well and I like the way its positioned within the darker background on the wall. I like the strip of wood above the headboard and the lights. The lights are discrete; nice to see a less-technical-looking reading light above a bed. The height of the headboard seems really functional; not too high, not too low.

The blue/white theme continues around the corner in a dressing area. Natale uses a lot of rich woods; I like the amount of deep brown wood used here in this example. The amount of light pouring in through those windows would make dressing a pleasure.

Natale is known for a bold use of patterned wall coverings however I favor his interiors that speak a little bit softer, as shown in this kitchen. The exaggerated proportion of that very tall door is great.

Natale also uses dramatic lighting fixtures throughout his designs. I like the fixture used in this kitchen. the photographer did a great job setting up this shot — do you see how the line of the tall cabinets continues in the glossy finish of the cabinets above to the left.

I’m not so sure about the tub sitting flush with the floor. I definitely appreciate the capability of opening the windows to the private courtyard to let the natural light into the space. I like the light fixture above the tub; kinda quirky with some personality.

The Greg Natale Design website is a really well conceived extension of their brand. All the elements are there: drama, pattern and materials.

193 Missenden Rd Newtown NSW 2042
11 Wandoo Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006