Tag Archives: Photography

Architecture, Books, Home Design, Homes, Photography, Travel

New Architecture Books: ‘Contemporary Houses’ – 100 Homes Over 2 Decades

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This publication rounds up 100 of the world’s most interesting and pioneering homes designed in the past two decades, featuring a host of talents both new and established, including John Pawson,Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Daniel Libeskind, Alvaro Siza, and Peter Zumthor.

Accommodating daily routines of eating, sleeping, and shelter, as well as offering the space for personal experience and relationships, this is architecture at its most elementary and its most intimate.

Designing private residences has its own very special challenges and nuances for the architect. The scale may be more modest than public projects, the technical fittings less complex than an industrial site, but the preferences, requirements, and vision of particular personalities becomes priority. The delicate task is to translate all the emotive associations and practical requirements of “home” into a workable, constructed reality.

The author

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard, and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His TASCHEN books include the Architecture Now! series and monographs on Tadao Ando, Santiago Calatrava, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban, Richard Meier, and Zaha Hadid.

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Photography, Wildlife

Photo Contests: ‘2020 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Awards’ (London)

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The fifty-sixth Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will immerse you in the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. Explore some of the world’s richest habitats, see fascinating animal behaviour and get to know some extraordinary species.

After more than 49,000 entries were whittled down to just 17, the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton to her friends) announced the winner of the 2020 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards at a live-streamed event from London’s Natural History museum this week.

This is one of the more prestigious photo awards going around, with a history going back to 1965. Started by the BBC’s Animals magazine, it aimed to highlight species, behaviors and natural events that few people get to see first-hand. The very first winner was presented with his award by no less than Sir David Attenborough, and for the last 38 years, the winners have been put into an exhibition.

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Books, Photography, Profiles

Photography: Brazilian Vik Muniz – ‘Postcards From Nowhere’ (2020)

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Vik Muniz’s series Postcards from Nowhere grapples with how, through photographs, we have come to “see” and understand distant yet iconic sites we may never actually view with our own eyes. “The images we hold in our heads are an assemblage,” notes Muniz. “They are an amalgam of every image of those locations that we have ever seen.” 

Not so long ago, it was relatively easy to wake up overlooking Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong and go to sleep in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge; to travel from Venice to Istanbul in time for dinner. The international network of the art world, in particular, made it easy to slip through time and borders—with the right invitation and the right passport. You may never have been to Basel, Switzerland for the art fairs, but you might certainly feel as though you have, experiencing it exclusively through the spate of other people’s images.

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Books, Design, Fashion, Photography, Videos

New Photography Books: ‘Louis Vuitton Fashion Eye Greece’ – François Halard

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Famed for his photographs of interiors, François Halard sees himself as a soul hunter, capturing places that are alive, infused with the spirits of their owners. Here, he presents his very personal vision of Greece, and in particular the island of Symi. Classical sculptures, mineral structures and landscapes rising up from the earth fill the pages, tinted in blue tones, as if under the watchful eye of Halard’s mentor, Cy Twombly. Born in Paris to parents who were interior designers, François Halard initially made his name in the world of fashion. Haute couture, ready-to-wear, still‑life vignettes, portraits — his photographs were featured in magazines like GQ, Vanity Fair and French Vogue. But with his travels taking him far and wide, and after many inspirational encounters with artists, he moved away from fashion to hunt down fascinating homes and the souls of their owners. It is said he has photographed more than 4,000 of them. Inspired by the House’s travel heritage, the Louis Vuitton Fashion Eye collection evokes cities, regions or countries through the eyes of fashion photographers, from emerging talents to industry legends. Each title in the series features an extensive selection of large-format photographs, together with biographical information and an interview with the photographer or a critical essay. After Louis Vuitton City Guides and Travel Books, this third collection presents travel photography with a fashion perspective, as the chosen photographers all infuse their images of great cities, faraway places or dream destinations with their unique vision.

Books, Leisure, Travel

New Travel Books: ‘Great Escapes Mediterranean – The Hotel Book’ (Taschen)

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Angelika Taschen set out in search of the most beautiful hotels on a great variety of coasts, islands and beaches, taking you on a journey to the luxurious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and the ultra-chic Les Roches Rouges on the Côte d’Azur, to the little-known Pardini’s Hermitage on the Italian island of Giglio, which is only accessible by boat or on foot, and to Bodrum in Turkey, where the elegant Amanruya resort lies hidden in one of the most stunning bays in the Mediterranean. 

The Mediterranean is surrounded by three continents – Europe, Africa and Asia – and even though the cultures around this sea are highly diverse, they harmoniously share a pleasant climate, distinctive flora and fauna, and not least the intense blue of the water.

She also presents new hotel concepts, great architecture and creative design – for example the finca Menorca Experimental on the Balearic Islands, the modernist Villa Dubrovnik in Croatia and Dexamenes on the Peloponnese, where new life was breathed into decommissioned wine tanks.

Further highlights are the brand-new, stylishly designed Mezzatorre on Ischia and the Torre di Cala Piccola with its enchanting private beach on the Argentario peninsula in Tuscany, an almost unknown location that possesses the aura of 1960s Italy. Another real gem is La Locanda del Barbablù, with just five rooms in the shadow of the mythical volcano on Stromboli. Look forward to staying at the Nord-Pinus in Tangier with its fantastic view of the Strait of Gibraltar, and the charming Coco-Mat Eco Residences on Serifos, or experiencing the originality of Ammos on Crete, where the art and design are as essential as the sun and the beach!

The editor

Angelika Taschen studied art history and German literature in Heidelberg, gaining her doctorate in 1986. Working for TASCHEN from 1987, she has published numerous titles on art, architecture, photography, design, travel, and lifestyle.

Texts by

Christiane Reiter is a freelance author based in Brussels. She studied journalism at the University of Eichstätt and worked as a travel editor for Ringier Publishing in Munich and Zurich. Later, she established the travel section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

Architecture, Books, Home Design, Homes

American Architecture: Evolution Of Indiana Houses In Photographs

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In the early nineteenth century, Indiana was at the intersection of ideas from the East and the frontier – resulting in a unique opportunity to express creative adaptions of residential architectural styles in America.

Industrialization later in the century created a new wealth to build extraordinary houses outside of cities; by the early twentieth century, Americans had created their own distinctive residential architecture with the Prairie Style.

This 288 page compendium includes over ninety houses in Indiana which are representative of the finest American residential architecture, from the Federal and Classical Revival style to Modern. The fascinating story of the evolution of residential architecture elaborates on the character defining features of each period, including the exterior form, massing, details as well as interiors – all beautifully illustrated in large format black and white photographs.

Authors: Craig Kuhner and Alan Ward

American Residential Architecture
Oscar Riera Ojeda Publications
Photographs of the Evolution of Indiana Houses

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Photography, Travel, Videos

Travel & Photography: ‘Autumn In Japan’ (Video)

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We joined Michael George on a trip to Japan to explore nature and the bold autumn of colors of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara.

Michael had the chance to enrich his budding love for Japan and its culture last November. The experience empowered his work in creative travel and inspired him to learn more about himself, his passions, and how certain colors and aesthetics relate to his craft. Focusing on the color yellow in Japan sharpened his awareness of autumn and the impending seasonal changes; the bold colors of nature matching the intense colors of temples and shrines.

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Travel, Videos, Wildlife

Travel Documentaries: “Passport Home” – Pete McBride Photographs The Grand Canyon (Video)

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Photographer, filmmaker, and Sony Artisan Pete McBride shares this short film “Passport Home”, a glimpse of his documentary “Into the Canyon” that is nominated for Outstanding Nature Documentary at next week’s 2020 Emmy Awards.

“For years I’ve studied the world through a lens to tell the stories of others, my own, and the magic and complexity of our shared world. But after years of documenting stories I started noticing something consistent. Wherever I framed my lenses, change revealed itself before me. The places where I had ventured and worked were facing constant challenges of overuse and destruction, of being loved to a point of permanent change.”

“It was at this point that I realized my cameras were no longer just a passport for adventure, but tools to help protect the places where we adventure – those wild places we love. Now I shoot not for likes, instead I document because I want to cherish and protect the places I love…so the next person can stand in my tracks and see the magic just like I saw it. Cameras are passports to our curiosity, our creativity, our world, and they are even tools to help protect not just far away, but our own back yards.”

Learn more: https://alphauniverse.com/

Books, Design, Photography

New Photography Books: “Travel By Design” (2020)

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Showcasing travel photographs by more than 150 of America’s top architects and designers, Travel by Design is an inspiring guide to the power of travel to shape and expand our world.

Travel by Design reminds us of the beauty and importance of travel, with images of more than 100 locations in 60 countries, from exotic destinations and global cities to adventure travels and all-American escapes. More than 350 photographs take readers on a global journey through cityscapes, ancient civilizations, luxurious resorts, and stunning natural wonders, all seen through the discerning and artistic eyes of today’s leading creative talents. The images are sure to inspire dreams of escape, and the 40 pages of insider resources—from favorite hotels and restaurants to secret shopping sources and must-see monuments—will make planning future trips reassuring and easy.

An inspirational and informative resource, this volume highlights the preeminence of outstanding design and its importance for every civilization.

The Design Leadership Network is an organization of more than 500 principals of design and architecture firms, media companies, and makers of products across the United States and Europe, characterized by their commitment to professional growth, positive leadership, mentorship and contributions to creative communities.

Founder of the Design Leadership Network, Peter Sallick is also the CEO of Waterworks. Editor Michael Boodro is a longtime design journalist and has served as the editor in chief of Elle Decor, Culture and Travel, Martha Stewart Living and Garden Design.

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