"2020: An Isolation Odyssey"

Brooklyn filmmaker, artist, and designer Lydia Cambron has created a wonderfully filmic, shot-for-shot remake of the last section of Kubrick's iconic film "2001: A Space Odyssey." She explains:

"2020: an isolation odyssey is a reenactment of the iconic finale of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968). Restaged in the context of home quarantine, the journey through time adapts to the mundane dramas of self-isolation–poking fun at the navel-gazing saga of life alone and indoors.

This project began in late March and was completed in late May, spanning the height of the pandemic in New York City. Staged in a one bedroom Brooklyn apartment, 2020 presents an obvious similarity to the domestic setting of 2001. The stacked videos and synced movements also reveal parallels in emotion. The narrowness of daily life in a single space, transitioning from confusion to acceptance, a distorted sense of time, and ‘returning’ after a transformational event–all experiences analogous to quarantine.

The adapted version delineates the passing of time through wardrobe rather than age, identifying each phase of the character’s journey with a product of self care or PPE. Tools of private entertainment or self betterment are also used as props, questioning our confidence in products and productivity as anchors during times of uncertainty. Multitasking while #wfh, conjuring guilt or longing with unused exercise equipment, your entire being reduced to a measure of time–these scenes all illustrate the absurd comedy of trying to maintain control during this unprecedented and unpredictable time."

Do stick around for the hilarious credits at the end!

http://lydiacambron.com/

BEAUTY: Installation--Simon Birch

Hong Kong-based artist Simon Birch has opened a massive art gallery-installation space in Los Angeles called The 14th Factory in collaboration with a host of other artists.

"The 14th Factory is a monumental, multiple-media art installation that will transform an empty industrial warehouse near downtown Los Angeles into a mythic universe created collaboratively through video, installation, sculpture, sound, paintings, and live performance. The 14th Factory weaves together elements of popular culture–science fiction, punk music, graphic novels, and film–with critical re-examinations of social and historical narratives, especially interconnections between East and West. Conceived by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch, the vision of The 14th Factory is to create a new, independent paradigm for socially-engaged art, a kind of guerilla action where art occupies and re-energizes underutilized or even derelict urban spaces and gifts them back to the community in the form of a transformative experience.

Throughout its run, the project will feature collaborative works by a global community of interdisciplinary artists representing Greater China, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Entering The 14th Factory, the visitor becomes a central player in a contemporary hero’s journey, leaving the ordinary world behind and setting out on a voyage of adventure and, ultimately, of transformation. Along the way, the journeyer gathers allies, encounters obstacles and battles adversaries, until reaching the challenge and the ultimate prize: A gift that can be passed on to all."

Birch collaborated with Paul Kember of KPlusK, an architectural firm in Hong Kong to create The Barmecide Feast, an immersive replica of the last set seen in Kubrick's masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey," complete with underlit floor. Coincidentally, Kember's uncle and great-uncle both worked on the original Kubrick set!

http://the14thfactory.com/
http://www.simon-birch.com/
http://www.kplusk.net/contact.html

BEAUTY: Interiors--John K. Anderson

In recognition of World Interiors Day, here are some photos of the lovely work of San Francisco interior designer John K. Anderson.

I am crazy for this darkly traditional yet modern foyer and adjacent dining room he did for a house in Pacific Heights. It feels Jacobean and contemporary...

These two kitchens on opposite ends of the design spectrum are so beautifully realized--one is white, clean, urban, and the other, a spectacular barn-like kitchen for a home in Napa, is organic, rustic, and embracing.

And mirroring the previous kitchens, here are two bathrooms that follow the same path. The exquisite sleek white bath featuring carrera marble, a fascinating wall mural, and pendant lights with a vintage 70s feel contrast against the natural, breezy, earthy bathroom with a shower that can be opened up to the glorious landscape of Napa wine country!

And here is his offering for 2012's DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS) charity event in which designers create a table setting and corresponding space. Since there is no client involved, designers are free to explore their imaginations and dream up the wildest, most unusual things they can think of. And for inspiration, Anderson used one of my all-time favorite films, "2001: A Space Odyssey." His result captures the film's final sequence perfectly. And I love the chair covers on the Starck Ghost Chairs--they seem as if they are made of space suit material.

http://johnkanderson.com/