out and about

after yesterday's post on triian, i was reminded of these great

images and article on the photography of the spacecraft

cassini.

cassini arrived at saturn in 2004 for a four-year mission, but

was so successful that nasa gave it a two-year extension, to

september 2010. then, in february, nasa extended it a second

time for what it calls the solstice mission, lasting until saturn's

northern hemisphere summer in 2017.

the images being sent back are nothing short of spectacular

and for us, being part science nerds, are truly inspiring.

it definitely puts things in perspective. (maybe a bit too much

perspective.)

supreme team cream machine

the collaborative work of multidisciplinary artists trisha brookbank
and brian burkhardt, known as triian, are so intricately created one
may feel a mad scientist on the back roads of new mexico had a role
in the process. handmade from resin casting and adorned with
swarovski crystals, they are incredibly unique pieces of wearable art
that seem as if they should be found somewhere in the outer limits
of our galaxy. (if michael kaplan doesn't place these on zoe saldana's
body in the next star trek, his work is slipping.)

we've been dedicated fans of their work since its inception because
the overwhelming nature of the creative process is so completely
on display with each piece it inspires us beyond belief. (chris had
a great opportunity to hang out with them in miami this winter
and get an up-close look at some of the current collection.)

if you find yourself in need of some unbelievably fantastic adornment
for that next big social function or you just love amazing creations,
check out their work. drop the form3 name in there somewhere and
they'll probably cream themselves AND hook you up at the same time.

fighting crime 25/8

yesterday's rain provided a nice midday break from work and

we took full advantage, darting into the rohnert park 16 during

a down pour to see kick ass. 

hyper-violent and comic book colorful, this film relies heavily

on recycled tarantino-esque humor to cruise through its 118

fast-paced minutes. matthew vaughn, who directed layer cake,

sets a tone at the beginning and (mostly) sticks to it.

the best, and most complicated, aspect about this film is the

character hit girl, played by chloe grace moretz. early on you

understand hers is not a normal childhood and she embraces 

it without reservation. her actions are purposeful and focused,

delivered with skill and humorous choreography by the

actress and film maker. she nails the role to the wall and 

steals this film from the other super hero wannabees as easily

as her character changes 9mm magazines in a mid-air flip kick

to the head of a crime boss. that's when you realize, the little 

girl with the salty sailor tongue deftly executing all this murder

and mayhem is the ripe age of eleven.

after all that, we snuck into date night to complete our

ritual of a rainy day double feature and it SUCKED! did i say

it SUCKED!?  IT DID.  IT SAH-UCKED!!

chris took these pics between sips of a lagunitas pilsner we 

had stashed in her bag.

rainy days and mondays

with temperatures dropping a few degrees and the rains coming
in for the next few days, we took the opportunity to work in
front of a unbelievably cozy fire last night. (probably one of the
last of the season.) it allowed us time to reflect a bit more while
refining some of the designs we're currently working on.

here chris is tightening the screws on a few furniture pieces for
a presentation later this week. we look forward to the rains
providing this type of atmosphere the next few days.

do tell

we've been doing our best to help out around the william tell
house in tomales the past couple months. we just finished
re-painting the walls, doors and trim going into the dining
room. next up is creating a photo documentation of the
northwest parts of marin county, place new mahogany
paneling and finish designing the logo and creating a bar
menu. if you find yourself in tomales, stop in for a cold
one and some of jim's fresh cut homestyle fries. they're
pretty awesome.

in a town this size

petaluma was once the largest supplier of eggs to the united

states, and shipped nearly 600 million world wide, thus giving

itself the title of "the egg basket to the world." every april the

city celebrates this history with weekend long events and a

parade that attracts, according to the petaluma downtown

association, nearly 30,000 attendees.

we didn't catch much of the butter and egg day parade this

year, but did have a cold one at volpi's, one of the best bars

in town, after the commotion died down a bit.

ace of cakes

as far as unbelievably AWESOME birthday cakes go, this is
our new ALL-TIME FAVORITE. it has everything a little boy
could wish for and then a bunch more of everything a little
boy could wish for and then some other stuff that the little
boy has no clue about and then, just to make sure, a pound
of black sugar sprinkles.

who could create such a masterpiece, you may ask? no less
than form3 lead designer and part-time cake sculptor chris
nardone. just give her a tub of creamy frosting from cake arts
in san rafael, stand back and watch the genius unfold.

luke skywalker with a huge blue light saber? laverne with a
giant blue bottle of shotz beer?

does it even make a difference?

the best thing about this work of art is that chris' nephew, max,
summed it all up with one word: "AWESOME".

for more in the world of bad cakes: check out cake wrecks.

street smart

we caught banksy's new documentary film, exit through

the gift shop last night at the rafael film center in san rafael.

simply put, it chronicles the recent past of thierry guetta,

his entree into the world of street art and transformation

into mr. brainwash. the film touches on undirected obsession,

notions of high and low art, commodification of expression

and monetized worth as dictated through the art world.

one highlight of the film is in the conceptual chasm between

the work of banksy and mr. brainwash; it's like the difference

between adbusters and star magazines. they both have their

dedicated audiences: one has an original, thought-provoking

viewpoint and the other is nearly mindless entertainment,

offering very little challenge to the status quo, yet has

mastered the art of perpetuating the hype we seek.

we highly recommend this documentary! it is inspiring, witty

and a great commentary on both the art world and the

creative process.

for more on banksy's pranks, checkout this flavorwire piece.

two for the road

yesterday we had the opportunity to visit with designers maynard
and lu lyndon of lyndon design. they were down from their home
in sea ranch, doing some property scouting in the petaluma area
and were guests at the form3-designed decarli house. alumni of
design research and founders of placewares, the couple have been
collaborating since the 1970's on numerous projects ranging
from interiors, desks and storage units to bath hardware and photo
frames.

they were fresh from the apple store with their brand new ipads in
hand. forever fascinated with good design, i'm not surprised this
was a latest gadget they could not do without. here maynard gives
us a fairly thorough explanation of the possibilties the ipad has to
offer. (it was a birthday gift to himself.)

considerate, engaging and thoughtful to the core, it was a pleasure
to chat for a little while and catch up on things. if you find yourself
along the sonoma-mendocino coastline, stop into their shop in
gualala and tell them form3 sent you. they LOVE us!

and ya don't stop

we had a meeting yesterday with a prospective client that referenced
one of our favorite retail spaces we've ever designed, huf clothing in
san francisco.

although it was only 450 square feet of retail space, we had the distinct
challenge of incorporating a changing room, book and magazine racks,
an area for seating, hanging clothes and front-facing graphic apparel.

no problem.

we took the opportunity to turn out one of our most specific and
highly efficient designs of all time. did i mention we also created a
350 sq ft storage room in the back with a rack system that used
suspension cables to hang the entire weight from the ceiling joists?

we did. it was AWESOME.

the return of the future

the iconic nature of the theme building at lax is unquestioned

by anyone who has flown through this hectic hub at some point

in the past fifty years. it is undeniable in its presence, seeming

like it was catapulted through time and space as a gift from the

nearest jetson-like society as the west coast's version of the

statue of liberty.

it has been clad in scaffolding for a much needed retrofit

since a 2007 incident involving a chunk of concrete falling

from its exterior, but is now nearing completion and will be

back to its old glory (and then some) after a few final touches.

having been a los angeles resident for nearly eight years,

many a drink were consumed behind the glass of the encounter

restaurant tucked inside this gem. if you find yourself with an

extra 30 minutes before leaving lax, take the time to explore

this unique architectural aspect of american culture.

nice article posted in the ny times with the details on what

needed to be done to save the futuristic look.

on the beach

as far as major architectural firms creating stunning work,
we're consistently impressed with oppenheim architects,

based out of miami, with offices in new york and basel.
they stress the importance of sustainability and economic
viability in their work that creates both a dynamic visual
result and maintains an honest consideration of its context.

this is a high-rise, mixed-use building designed in the united
arab emirates that caught our eye while perusing their
portfolio recently. the sculptural aspects of the structure
blend perfectly with the intricate organic quailty of the exterior
cladding and atrium. pretty amazing work.

why isn't form3 getting gigs out of the UAE? they would LOVE
us over there!

bum rush the gold

even levi was trying to get in on the action at benny gold's
grand opening in the mission yesterday.

lots of people we haven't seen for quite awhile were in
full effect up and down 21st street. we missed the taco
truck by minutes, but got to see fitz, marcus, gabriel,
jameel and the many others who came out in support of
ben and hiromi's big day. lots of smiles and plenty of
cold PBR.

the interior looks really sharp with all benny's graphic
apparel on the shelf. (thanks for all the kind words on
the design by so many.) we had a great time.

empire state of mind

new york city.

tomales.

what do they have in common, you may ask? form3, yo!
we're shipping out our first commision to brooklyn later
this month.

represent.