Saturday, February 23, 2013

Sacred Geometry



The term sacred geometry refers to geometric patterns found in everything in our Universe. The nautilus shell, snowflakes, flowers, and even human beings all portray these geometries. The basic belief is that these geometric patterns and mathematical ratios, harmonics and proportion are also found in music, light and cosmology. This system also depicts the universality of the human condition and our connection to everything in the Universe.

In ancient cultures it was considered foundational in the design of sacred structures such as temples, mosques, megaliths, monuments and cathedrals as well as sacred spaces such as altars, temenoi and tabernacles. It can be observed in religious art, iconography and sand paintings.

Sacred geometry has been used for thousands of years to create a complex system of religious symbols and structures involving space, time and form. By connecting with these, a viewer is compelled to contemplate the Great Mysteries, and the Great Design. 

Below are some videos which explain the concept of sacred geometry. Its mind blowing.



Meyer Foley Construction Updates



The Meyer-Foley Residence is a 4000 square foot Mediterranean Revival home located in Lafayette Square which is a four-block neighborhood of stately homes built mostly in the decade following World War I. Many prominent Angelenos have called it home, including W.C. Fields, Fatty Arbuckle, former heavyweight champion Joe Louis and architect Paul Williams. The scope of the project consists of a complete interior renovation including a completely new kitchen, baths and finishes throughout.  The clients are wonderful people who are creative, stylish, eclectic and value the importance of design.  They are such as pleasure to work with.



In the Kitchen Foyer that provides access to the back veranda, we created a mahogany transition to the main kitchen. We repurposed these amazing vintage/salvage stained glass windows. 




A bronze finished bridge faucet , hammered copper veggie sink and custom marble counter top are provide style and utility to the center island. In the background is a wall of mahogany millwork. From left to right: wood paneled Sub-zero refrigerator, hidden door to the basement and service stair with repurposed vintage stained glass window, and two pull-out storage cabinets.





An undermounted hammered copper sink integrated into the mahogany island, to the left is a pull-out spice rack with a vintage mother of pearl and brass pull from the client's selection.



Vintage brass door pulls were repurposed to serve as handles for the wood paneled refrigerator doors.
Custom mahogany pull-out veggie bins with copper mesh provide efficient and convenient storage in the huge pantry.



Custom mahogany cabinet with burgundy Viking ovens and pull-out pots & pans drawer.



Custom wood inlay detail in the dinning room.







The entire project was fitted with vintage light fixtures from a myriad of sources.





A custom mahogany media cabinet was designed to accommodate and camouflage a flat panel monitor above the existing tiled fireplace.



The client chose this fantastic steam punk wood burning stove imported from Italy was chosen for the upstairs master bedroom suite sitting room.



Custom marble mosaic floor of the "hers" master bedroom suite bath from Ann Sacks to fit with the elliptical theme of the room.





A custom walk-in shower for the "his" bathroom in the master bedroom suite features beautiful copper glass mosaic tile also from Ann Sacks.



African Mahogany gates in the driveway provide security, privacy, and reinforce the arc of the main entry.


Public Sculpture Competition Winner - The Story Circle




Currently in fabrication, this project is a design collaboration with the Social Design Collective for a public art work in the City of Santa Ana and was part of a competition based selection process. The art work will be located on private property but located outdoors at the street level and viewable/accessible to the general public and neighborhood. The public sculpture will be part of a new residential development that the Owner is developing in cooperation with the City of Santa Ana. The residential development will provide high quality affordable housing for low-income large families. The location of public art on the site is envisioned as a center of community for the Lacy neighborhood, across from Garfield Elementary School and directly in front of a small retail space located on the ground floor of Triada Court. The location for the proposed art work suggests a free standing sculpture, however, there is also potential for art work to be integrated into property hardscape such as decorative tile-work on outdoor benches or decorative paving/tile-work in this location.

The concept of the story circle was created as part of a community outreach project associated with the Garfield Elementary School located across the street from the site. The sculpture will serve as a space where children can sit and share stories and create their own histories about their world. The school currently does not have an arts curriculum so members of the Social Design Collective created an adjunct curriculum focusing on creativity, the arts, and design to supplement the schools current curriculum.

The Institute for Art & Olfaction - Design Concept






Congratulations to Saskia and the newly formed Institute for Art and Olfaction !  The Institute for Art and Olfaction aims to instigate greater engagement with the art and science of scent. They do this through a public education program, by building an archive of contemporary perfume releases, by creating an accessible laboratory for scent innovation, and by inciting cross-genre collaboration between perfumers and other creative practitioners.
The design concept for this space in downtown L.A.'s LA Mart is centered around the ephemeral nature of fragrance. The space is intended to be flexible and ever changing to encourage the process of creativity. There are spaces for meeting & collaboration, reading & research, and brainstorming & experimentation all of which flow into and around each other.  The open nature of the plan is a challenge for creating spaces that suit different types of creative processes.  The plan for the space therefore accommodates more extroverted creatives with work surfaces which facilitate working in groups and more introverted creatives with work surfaces facing the wall to create a more private environment in the same open plan.  
The side walls were transformed into floor to ceiling chalk boards to allow for the immediacy of brainstorming and collaboration of ideas.  

Joseph Albers' Color Theory






The little green boxes in the middle of the image are the exact same color. Hard to believe isn't it, but it is true. Joseph Albers was a genius that taught about perception and observation and how to really see the truth of our environments.
Painter, sculptor, and architect Josef Albers (American/German, 1888–1976) taught at the Bauhaus, one of the most prestigious and progressive art schools in Europe, and is considered one of the most influential art teachers of the 20th century.  In 1963, Albers published a treatise on color theory, entitled The Interaction of Color, and his experiments with color and geometric abstractions led to further series, including Variants, Biconjugates, Structural Constellations, and sandblasted glass paintings. The below quote is from Josef Albers' text The Interaction of Color. Albers describes his approach to teaching color theory.

“In visual perception a color is almost never seen as it really is- as it physically is. This fact makes color the most relative medium in art.”

“In order to use color effectively it is necessary to recognize that color deceives continually. To this end the beginning is not a study of color systems.”

First, it should be learned that one and the same color evokes innumerable readings. Instead of mechanically applying or merely implying laws and rules of color harmony, distinct color effects are produced- through recognition of the interaction of color- by making for instance 2 very different colors look alike, or nearly alike.  Albers was very interested in the relationships of color. His work can be thought of as the "Yin & Yang" of color theory. In that all color is read in relation to other color. You cannot have warm without cool.