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.