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On the eastern edge of Bloomsbury Square sits a 13-storey, neoclassical Grade-II listed building where nomadic professionals spend their working days in one of the many museum-like office spaces. The foundation of the building provided head designer Yaara Gooner (of architecture studio Hutchinson & Partners) an incredibly rich starting point to build upon, boasting something around 20 different types of marble. The choice to utilize a palette of natural materials like terrazzo, bronze and oak timber was a way to bring together the old and new, to contrast the classic structure against the now-refreshed modern and minimal interior. Offering nine floors of customizable, sun-filled office space, Victoria House is the ideal location to carry out both collaborative and private work, while the ground floor’s grand space often plays host to slew of shows during London Fashion Week, art and photography exhibitions, and other large scale events. The brand managers know how to anchor their clientele even after a long workday: sunning yourself on the rooftop terrace, recharging in the wellness-focused Heritage Suite, or indulging in a few rounds of aperitivi at the contemporary bar – after-work hours are for you and you alone.
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The fifth annual Trends Report from Meta has combined original research and forecasting, with social media analysis in an effort to pinpoint the 4 major global themes as well as 20 culturally-related trends of 2022. While the results are, unsurprisingly, not shocking to anyone who is up to date with youth and internet culture – or generally, anyone who has not been living under a rock – it does well to validate and condense all of those buzzwords that have been repeatedly popping up across every social media site and email newsletter over the past 2 years. Some of the items on this list, like gender-evolution and plant positive have been topics of conversation for years. While others such as relationships renegotiated and flexiwork sprung up as a direct result of the global pandemic that overtook life as we had previously known it. While initially an attempt to understand and forecast what lies ahead, the report has become more a snapshot of the current moment, and what is vital to know if you are to survive in this day and age. Though some, like Cultural Theorist Matt Klein, were not satisfied with this and decided to embody these findings to alter the approach to Meta 22. Along with Sarah DaVanzo, quantitative futurist and founder of the non-profit collective Curious Futures, they broke down and analyzed over 500 trends cataloged across dozens of reports – including Wunderman Thompson, Instagram, Future Laboratory and more – in an attempt to seek out some of the the overlooked trends that truly are still in the process of emerging.
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Explore the work of Kawanabe Kyōsai, the boundary-pushing Japanese painter of the late 19th century.
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American-born artist Alex Katz is one of the most widely exhibited artists of his time. Inspired by mid-century American culture and society during the earlier part of his career, he became known for championing a new genre of realism. Characterized by an overall bold simplicity and heightened color palette, these large, dynamic works integrate details from both abstract and representative styles of painting to intimately depict subjects through Katz’s eyes, while simultaneously keeping viewers at a safe distance. Often associated with the Pop Art movement (though he’ll say he does not wholly fit the genre), Katz began exhibiting his work in 1954 and has since been the subject of countless exhibitions worldwide. His most recent solo exhibition, The White Coat, held at Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago, concentrated around eleven dynamic portraits that captured fleeting moments as a series of snapshot-like images. The paintings (which portray a likeness to photographer and filmmaker Vivien Bittencourt, the artist’s daughter-in-law) convey an air of mystery while simultaneously inviting the viewer into the intimate space that exists between only the artist and subject. For those who missed the exhibit but still wish to see the paintings, you can acquire a copy of the soon to be released publication Alex Katz: The White Coat, which documents the complete series of eleven paintings titled Vivien in White Coat. Available exclusively for purchase on Gray’s website.
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With three addresses spanning two major cities in North America, Gray Gallery is composed of a team of globally recognized art professionals dedicated to fostering meaningful artist relationships and building thoughtful collections. The gallery is known for their inspiring art fairs, ever-changing exhibitions and immersive viewing rooms, which showcase the work of artists like Jaume Plensa, Susan Rothenberg, and David Hockney. Gray’s website also features an extensive video gallery, to which they upload noteworthy videos including highlights of current exhibitions – supplemented by narration from the artist – exhibition installation videos, gallery talks, and exclusive interviews. One of their latest videos, a Q&A with artist Alex Katz, discusses the artist’s most recent series of eleven large-scale portraits titled “The White Coat” (based on the likeness of his daughter-in-law), which juxtapose heavy, artificial lines with realistic light throughout almost a dozen dynamic compositions, all unified by an atmospheric absolute blue background – the perfect amount of disassociation between elements needed to achieve balance.
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Curator Francesca Cappelletti creates a compelling exhibition on the work of 17th century Italian painter Guido Reni.
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Rick Owens’ show was all about the fog machine, dubbed “Fogachine,” a contraption which comes in three sizes: coffee table, handheld and a tiny portable edition that fits snugly into the menswear designer’s clunky creeper-style boots. Perusing down Venice’s Lido Beach, Owens’ entourage of models were met with bursting geysers from the Adriatic coast and fire, or erm smoke, beneath their feet. The looks read like headlining 70s rock stars ready to take the stage, or even more so, a direct staircase to heaven. “I wanted a white magic, stairway to heaven, houses of the holy vibe. White satin hippies that practice their hedonism softly and thoughtfully,” the designer explains.
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Qompendium meets with photographer Adam Katz Sinding to discuss the x-rated of fashion – the good, the bad and the ugly.
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The realest and most drool-worthy monthly inspiration stolen and compiled by Moodmail.
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The jazz scene in Japan has intimate connections with the Philippines, believe it or not, and it all started with the Filipino pianist Luis F. Borromeo. As a child, Borromeo was sent to the United States to study music, which led him to take part in an impromptu performance as part of the San Francisco Pan-Pacific International Exposition in 1915. This eventually opened up a multi-year gig with the Orpheum Theater chain and a tour with vaudeville-style stage shows in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland. In 1920, Borromeo returned to the Philippines and assembled the first Filipino vaudeville company with notable jazz influences drawn from the American military’s occupation. At the time, trading activities with Japan picked up as did immigration between both countries and many Filipino jazz musicians performed in Japan and Shanghai, introducing the Japanese island to the new musical genre.
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Some of the earliest roots of jazz in Japan extend to 1950s Toshiba – one of the three top record manufacturers in Japan at the time – and its pressing of red vinyls. These so-called “Everclean” pressings were created to circumvent the build-up of static electricity and dust to enhance longevity and sound quality. Red vinyl discs were reserved for top recordings, some of which were reissues of American jazz albums, as well as popular performers like Pink Floyd and the Beatles. As rumor had it by Japanese manufacturers, American record production from the 70s and 80s paled in comparison to their tech, as they opted for recycled and cheap vinyl to press recordings which resulted in poor sound quality.
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Korean Jjimjibang Gloves
Made from pure viscose, with four black stripes running along the seams, the ultra-abrasive cloths are a staple at Korean spas the so-called Jjimjilbang.
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Unit One Pencil Holder
Unit One by Mark Braun is a functional desktop sculpture for storing objects of the modern workplace. Pencils, business cards and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, equally find their place in a Unit One.
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QOMPENDIUM PRINT PUBLICATION
Qompendium Print Publication is a selective journey through the multiverse of intentional and unintentional time capsules featuring an array of exceptional pictorial essays, unabridged interviews and supplementary brand editorials.
