Inspiration Profile - Neil Pardington

Welcome to this week's Inspiration Profile. He is a man of many talents - just recently he became the 2011 recipient of the Marti Friedlander Photographic Award, New Zealand's most prestigious award for photographers. His name is Neil Pardington and here is what inspires him right now.

Neil Pardington

Name: Neil Pardington 

What do you do: Artist and Creative Director at Base Two.

Where do you live: Wellington, New Zealand

What are you working on:

• ART - I’ve just completed a new project – Behind Closed Doors – a photographic portfolio and publication about art collecting – a collaboration with curator Christina Barton and writer Lara Strongman. My next major work is titled The Silent Sea and involves photographing the Dr Harvey Cushing Collection of medical specimens at the Yale School of Medicine. It will be a very large single work comprising of up to 600 images. I’m collaborating with Art Historian Dr Kriselle Baker on that. Our aim is to tour the work internationally as part of a larger exhibition including other photographic artists looking at the relationship between art, medicine and photography.

• DESIGN -The 2012 Smoking Not Our Future Campaign that has just been launched; the design of Tangata Whenua – an illustrated Maori History with Bridget Williams Books – and a raft of other projects, as is the case with a busy design studio.

Ralph Hotere, White Drip, 1982
2011from the series Behind Closed Doors Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
280 x 400 mmedition of 15

All Blacks Piri Weepu in the 'Smoking Not Our Future' Campaign

Who/what inspires me: Inspiring and surprising work by others – in any medium. Living in the information age, this changes on a daily basis – but here are some of my all-time classics:

• ART: Hild and Bernd Becher, Walker Evans, Eugéne Atjet, Alexander Rodchenko, William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Candida Höfer, Andeas Gursky, Ed Ruscha, Bill Viola and Len Lye.
• DESIGN: Alexander Rodchenko, Saul & Elaine Bass, Charles & Ray Eames and Hoefler & Frere Jones.
• FILM: Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubric, Martin Scorcese, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jane Campion, Francis Ford Coppola and Krzysztof Kieslowski.
• WRITERS: Francois Foucault, Albert Camus, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Michael Ondaatje, Cormac McCarthy and Italo Calvino.
• MUSIC: Bob Dylan, James Brown, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Nick Cave, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Goldfrapp and Kruder & Dorfmeister.

I work best: In the morning after a 40k bike ride.

What I do when I’m stuck for inspiration: Hang out with my daughter Billie or go for a long bike ride – basically do something all consuming that takes my mind off the problem, then come back to it refreshed.

The best advice I have been given is: Treat your creative work like any other job. Get up, go to work at a regular time and keep regular hours. Apply yourself and the inspiration will come. Both Woody Allen and David Mamet subscribe to this approach.

My latest discovery is: Pigment prints on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta – I’ve just switched from C-type prints which I’ve been using for the past 20 years. Quite a significant move for me.

Tunnel #5
2011Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
from the series The Abyss / En Abyme
dimensions variable
edition of 10

Wet Room #1, Otago Museum

2008

from the series The Vault
Digital print
dimensions variable
edition of 15

Books that I get inspiration from: Foucault’s The Birth of The Clinic is the text that has been most inspirational. Also Claude Lévi-Strauss’ Triste Tropiques. New Zealand history – most recently Anne Salmond’s Two Worlds and The Trial of the Cannibal Dog.

Magazines that inspire me: I’m more of a book reader than a magazine reader to be honest. Eye is my favourite design magazine. ArtNews is my favourite NZ art mag.

Blogs that I enjoy: Art, Life ,TV, Etc. , eyeCONTACT, Peter Peryer, Over the Net and on the Table,  Mrs Deane and If We Don't, Remember Me.

My favourite room at home is: Our open plan living, dining kitchen. It’s a beautiful and functional space designed by my wife Amelia Minty – and where Amelia, Billie and I spend most of our time together.

My office is: ART: at home, a small photographic studio known as ‘the man cave’, but also anywhere I’m taking photographs. DESIGN: The Base Two studio, Willis St, Wellington. Both studios were also designed by Amelia.

What am I looking forward to:
The birth of our second child in June this year.
Watching our daughter Billie growing up day by day.
My next big photo shoot – The Dr Harvey Cushing Archive at Yale.
The Tour de France.

Want to see more of Neil's work? Check out his website here. All photographs displayed are used with permission from Neil Pardington.

Abattoir #4
2010from the series The Abattior
Digital Print
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
edition of 10

Doggie World

Mungo and Maud's classic exterior - black and white checked tiles and grey windows.

The simple and stylish store interior of Mungo and Maud.

A Jack Russell models a collar.

Well, today's posting has literally gone to the dogs. Firstly, check out this stylish boutique (above) in London called Mungo and Maud. It is a dog and cat outfitters and their concept store is located on Elizabeth Street, near Sloane Square. So cool to see the merchandise and boutique kept so stylish and simple.

To continue the theme, I came across this great 'Canine Portfolio' by Vanity Fair. It is a collection of fabulous photographs of his dogs by photographer Bruce Weber. You can find out more about Weber's dog gang here.

Photographs: Mungo and Maud via Remodelista, Bruce Weber's dogs via Vanity Fair.

Georgia O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

Ghost Ranch, once the home of artist Georgia O'Keefe, is located behind the pinon trees.

O'Keefe would climb the ladder to sleep on the roof.

The kitchen and breakfast room at Ghost Ranch

Rocks, bones and shells collectd by the artist lines the surrounding shelves.

The breakfast room and the its stunning surroundings

Bones and other objects found and displayed by the artist

The studio at Ghost Ranch

A Le Corbusier-style lounge chair in the studio

The simple adobe style building

Georgia O'Keeffe is an artist who has been much admired by my family over the years. We became aware of her simple and striking work through my uncle who resides in New Mexico, USA.
Sixty miles northwest of Santa Fe is a simple adobe structure called 'Ghost Ranch' , which was O'Keeffe first home in New Mexico. She lived and worked here every summer and fall for the last 40 years of her life. O'Keeffe continued her strong minimalist aesthetic in Ghost Ranch with austere rooms, functional furniture and careful arrangements of found objects. Read more about this intriguing woman and Ghost Ranch here.
Photographs by Robert Reck via Architectural Digest.

Gorgeous Turquoise

I'm loving the gorgeous turquoise walls in this vibrant and eclectic home. It works especially well with the ruby and hot pink accents. See the rest of this home and read the article here.
Photographs by Jason Schmidt via T Magazine.

Inspiration Profile - Catherine Lazure-Guinard

Do you enjoy and admire Scandinvian design, architecture and lifestyle like I do? Then you must check out this great website Nordic Design - From Scandinavia with Love. I'm a regular to this site and recently I wanted to find out more about the people behind this website.
So meet this week's Inspiration Profile - Catherine Lazure-Guinard from Nordic Design.

Catherine Lazure-Guinard

Stroget, the pedestrian street in Copenhagen. Photo: Guomundur Albertsson

Name: Catherine Lazure-Guinard

What do you do: I created Nordic Design about two years ago. It started mainly as a personal design reference, and it has evolved into an information platform for people sharing a passion for Scandinavian design, architecture and lifestyle.

Where do you live: After 7 years in Europe, I moved back to my homeland, Canada. I now live north of Montreal, in the countryside.

What are you working on: I am always on the lookout for interesting topics for the website, but I am also working on special projects such as City Guides and a pop-up store. I have more ideas than time. So I try to make the most of everyday to slowly, but surely, bring Nordic Design at another level.

Who/what inspires me:

• Scandinavia and its designers, nature, craftsmanship, and integrity.
• The heritage left by mid-century designers such as Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen, Tapio Wirkkala, and the like.
• The passion, enthusiasm and drive of today’s young designers who continuously innovate and create beautiful things.
• Art by Mogens Andersen, Jesper Nyrén, Bjorn Agertved, John Hansen and Ossur Mohr
• People who dare to chase their dreams, and have fun along the way.
• Kjartan; my best friend, my husband and my Nordic Design partner.

Loving the vintage Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen. Photo: Line Thit Klein

I work best: I don’t really have a specific moment. It depends on what’s on my to-do list, I guess. I know at night it can take me a while to fall asleep because I like to review the day and I usually come up with new ideas.

Kjartan and I do like to go on long drives; the car is where we’ve had our most productive braistorm sessions so far!

What I do when I’m stuck for inspiration: My guilty pleasure is to buy a bunch of magazines and to spend a lazy afternoon on the couch devouring the content until my eyes hurt. But I’ll have to admit, I am a Pinterest addict! I am rarely stuck for inspiration, thanks to it! It is a fantastic way to keep track of and categorize all the great things I find on the web, as well as to share discoveries with like-minded people.

The best advice I have been given is: I like quote and motivational words of wisdom, especially when they’re about optimism, self-belief and the confidence to reach personal goals. I especially like this one from Eleanor Roosevelt below.

My latest discovery is:

• Oven-baked parsnip fries with lemon zest and thyme
• Babylon backpacks from Wheelmen & Co.
• Grapefruit scented candles from Lilla Bruket
• Angora socks by HappySocks
• Le-dilemma tumblr

Books that I get inspiration from: Whether it is about photography, architecture, or interior design, I love a chunky coffee table book with beautiful images.
Although it is a cookbook, Redzepi’s ‘Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine’ definitely finds a place in my living room. The pictures are from Ditte Isager and truly ‘make the book’. It is stunning and inspiring.
I also collect Wallpaper’s cityguides. They are the perfect travel companions for fans of art, architecture, unusual places, and modern amenienties.  If it is available, I buy a book whenever I am travelling to a new city.

Images from 'Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine'. Photos: Ditte Isager

Magazines that inspire me: Whenever I get a chance to travel to Scandinavia, I stack up on magazines such as Bolig, Residence Sweden, Bobedre, RUM ID Denmark, and Sköna Hem. I also like Côté Paris and Elle Decoration UK very much, as well as Monocle – I never miss an issue! Besides that, I believe flipping through auction catalogues is a nice way to train my eye to spot fab vintage pieces.

Blogs that I enjoy: There are so many! It’s a pity there is just not enough time to visit all the blogs I bookmarked, but it’s great to discover so many talented people willing to share their passion and knowledge with the rest of the world. There are a few blogs I check on a regular basis that I find visually inspiring: 

• Varpunen - Loving the shots from her own house!
• Lotta Agaton - She truly sticks to her own style and intuition.
• Hello, I'm Tiger  - For the special finds and great DIY projects
• Riazzoli  - She finds lovely images
• Convoy - Great ‘moodboard’ with pretty stuff
• Bungalow 5 - Inspiring interiors

A bedroom styled by Lotta Agaton. Photo: Agent Bauer.

My favourite room at home is: I’d have to say the ground floor! It is one big open space with living room, kitchen and dining area. Each wall has a window or french doors, so there is a lot of natural light coming in. I like to cook and have guests over, and this space is perfect to entertain. For me, the highlight is our long 10-seater teak table found at a flea market in Denmark, combined with Series 7 chairs in black leather. Gorgeous!

Series 7 chairs by Arne Jacobsen. A timeless design.

My office is: Under construction! We are renovating, and we’re still getting rid of moving boxes. Piles of magazines, books, wrapping paper rolls, and knick knacks are everywhere. We recently built a desk going from wall to wall, stretching across the room. We’re gradually shaping the room into a proper home office.

What am I looking forward to: I could go on and on about thing I look forward to. As we just moved to the new house, I am looking forward to start feeling at home, and that the space is “ours”.
I am a full-time marketing communication consultant, which I love, but I really look forward to be able to dedicate much more time to Nordic Design.
Mostly, I don’t always have specific plans or project to look forward to. Just the anticipation of what’s ahead is a pretty good start: The unexpected, new friendships, discoveries, joyful moments. I believe good things come to those who are open and receptive.

 

 

Want to see, read and keep up to date about Scandinanian design, architecture and lifestyle? Read Nordic Design here, like their Facebook page here or follow them on Twitter here.

A Scandinavian Dining room. Photo: Sisters Agency.

Black, grey, white and wood - a great combination. Photo: Line Thit Klein

 Collection of photographs by Catherine Lazure-Guinard and all photographers are credited.

Harry Potter - Production Design

The set for the 'Room of Requirement'

These mountains of chairs had a plywood core with two layers of real furniture attached

Gringott's Bank - the marble columns are made with paper that has been dipped into trays of coloured oil and water.

The Boathouse - where Professor Snape meets his demise.

Yep, I'm happy to admit that I am a Harry Potter fan. I loved reading the series by J.K. Rowling and it was great to see them brought to life in the stunning films that were so dedicated to the books.
What is even more fascinating is finding out how the fantastical places and scenes were brought to life via the work of production designer, Stuart Craig and set decorator, Stephenie McMillan. They are both nominated for the best Art Direction at the upcoming Academy Awards. Read about how some of these great locations came about here.
Photographs courtesy of Warner Brothers via Vanity Fair.

Sale Time at Minty & Co.

It is sale time at Minty & Co! Have a look and see there is something lovely for you to enjoy or a gift for loved one.

It was great to have Claudia Zinzan's profile on here last week and I was especially impressed by her comments about Father Rabbit - "...and am always searching for things that appeal to Father Rabbit’s aesthetics. It is so helpful to have such a strict philosophy with Father Rabbit, helping to say no to lots of crap out there!" I agree with this observation and have been in thought about the progress for Minty & Co and its philosophy for a while.
So for the meantime enjoy the sale and I'll keep you posted with our progress!