SALNE AOYAMA DESIGN BLOG 002 -David's Apartment

New home

An unexpected joy on my recent holiday was to accidently find a wonderful exhibition of art in broken streets of central Havana, Cuba.

In this building an artwork by Brazilian artist Rene Francisco Rodriguez caught the attention of Mana Kawasaki and I.

The artist came across the decrepit Cuban home lived in by two brothers. The house was one made and repaired by the brothers over many years. The house whilst still the home of the brothers was near collapse.

The artist’s project came about after extensive consultation with the brothers and involved finding architects and builders, to design and build a new house. The new house would use the old house as the guiding form. The exhibition provided photos of the original house and models of the proposed new structure. The new form of the house is post-modern and very hip to western eyes. This is most ironic given the poor state of the original house and the very low incomes of the brothers themselves

The project of Rodriguez is both a clever artwork and an act of great generosity.

Po faux

I went to see Darren Sylvester play at the Toff tonight. Darren, a visual artist has recently made an album which has been getting great reviews and great press. Darren is a fan - an obsessive one and you can hear it in his clever music and lyrics.

I describe his music as post faux (po faux), he mimics what he loves. It is post modern music on a karaoke stage.

Sylvester loves the indulgent and maudlin pop particularly that from the 80s. The Cure, the Motels, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen can all be heard, while his lyrics talk about chemo haircuts, the Carpenters and Phil Spector.

Oh Phil
Phil Spector
These were your favourite chords
I'm singing them for you
and they go something like this

C Am F G
They go C Am F G
Oh I know rock 'n roll is crazy
Oh I know rock 'n roll baby

lyrics from Phil Spector by Darren Sylvester