I Take You Warmly by the Hand, and Thank You

The post this week isn’t about any particular gallery or artist or moment of art. Instead, I wanted to take the time to say thank you to all of you out there who have helped make the [b]racket blog worth writing. I’m leaving Korea this weekend, so weekly posts about art in the city will no longer be something I can accomplish without the aid of teleportation (which I have been working on, but have yet to perfect). The role of [b]racket’s digital editor will pass to Lisa Highfill, who, I can tell you, has some awesome things in store for your digital future.

But, before stepping boldly toward that future, I wanted to share something with all of you. This:

This is part of our stats page from the [b]racket blog. Do you see those blue columns getting bigger and bigger? That’s you. Those are the numbers of views our blog gets. And that number just keeps growing. In October 2012, we had a few more than 300 views. In October 2013, we had just under 2,000 views. TWO THOUSAND! You guys, that’s a lot. A whole lot. And do you see how many views we’ve had total? Over 10,000. So many zeros! Those circles are the circles of your eyeballs looking at each post we’ve shared. So many eyeballs!

When I started writing for [b]racket, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing. I loved art, loved writing, and loved sharing art with anyone who would listen. Jess, Chris, and Sharon – [b]racket’s editor in chief, design editor, and words editor respectively – seemed to trust that either I did know what to do, or that I would figure it out. And so they let me take over [b]racket’s corner of the blogosphere. It’s been way more awesome than I could have anticipated. The [b]racket blog has gotten me off my ass and walking in pursuit of art. Art is now a daily part of my life: I am always thinking about the next post I want to make, or stopping in a local gallery to see the current show. And I want it to stay that way. I’m honestly not sure if I’m doing it right even still. But, thanks to you great people of the world who read what I write with increasing consistency, I think I’m on the right track.

So thank you, guys. Really, thank you. If I could meet each of you in person and bearhug you with my wee lady-arms, I would. A blog without an audience is nothing. You have helped make [b]racket online something – something seriously awesome.

Keep on coming back. Art and [b]racket will be here when you do.

~ Kita Mendolia

Holy Awesomely Designed Pieces of Daily Life, Batman!

I walked into the Daegu Design Center’s World Design Week exhibition, and the first words that popped out of my mouth were, “This is so COOL!” Everything is eye-catching. The exhibit is a playful combination of art designed to be functional, functional things given an artistic edge, and whimsical recreations of the stuff of life. The three main exhibits focused on Design for Communication, Design and Art, and Design for the Earth. Mobiles of cellphones hung from the lofty ceiling. Chairs cushioned with dissolvable packing peanuts looked incredibly comfy (as long as you don’t plan on spilling any tea). And I am definitely going to get my hands on one of Samsung’s Origami printers, which is made from a cardboard box. Or, at least I will as soon as they’re put into production. 

It’s great to see an artistic line added to all those things that we use every day – cellphone cases, socks, bags, blankets, flashlights, tape. The exhibit runs through the first 5 floors of the Design Center. Each landing has a smaller exhibit as well, dedicated to a specific company or a specific concept. I think my favorite pieces were on the landing just before the 5th floor. Furniture covers of off-white canvas had been printed with blue sketches of the object underneath. The lines of the sketches were bold and a little messy, like a simple crayon drawing of a couch covering an actual couch. Not necessarily cozy, but laughably delightful.

The whole show is just a feast for the eyes. So many textures and colors infusing mundane objects with art. Go see it! World Design Week in Daegu 2013 runs until Sunday, November 24th from 9:30 am to 11 pm. And it’s FREE, so go. The Daegu Design Center is located just north of MBC interesection. The bus stop is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The 303 and 814 stop there. Here’s a map.

 

~ Kita Mendolia

A Sneaky Preview

Here’s someone to look for on the future pages of [b]racket. Lee Smathers is a photographer and an Assistant Professor of Photography at Keimyung University. His photos are rich in texture and depth, but have this eerie quality I just can’t put my finger on. It’s a fantastic combination.

Tonight, he will be featured on the program 다문화 사랑 (Multicultural Love) on the Korean TV station, EBS. The show will be a “human documentary” on his family and work, on at 8:20 PM.

Other places you can check out his work:

Flickr Stream

Facebook

Lee Smathers Photography

Check out the cool before it goes to print. Can you guess what photos we’ll use?

~ Kita Mendolia

Art Fix: Food Fix: Havana

We’d like to take a moment this week, and seriously thank our longest sponsor – Kim Tae Hun, the owner of Havana Restaurant and all those awesome Havana Expresses.

Havana is an amazing place to chill, eat great food, and be surrounded by art. On the walls of Havana are exhibitions of local artists’ work, and on the window sills is a library of art, style, design, and fashion magazines there for your browsing pleasure. Kim is also a rad artist himself. You can check out his work at his site Dunkin Mustache.

We are pleased as punch that Kim supports art both in his restaurant and through us. Go grab some food or a drink. You’ll be happy you did. (*Update: Havana no longer serves food. But everything else still stands! The coffee is still grand and art is still there to see!)

You can find Havana on the map on our Locations page. It is on the same street as both Thursday Parties. Walk down the street with the Thursday Parties on you left. Keep going past Mass Coffee until you get to the store Fly to You. Havana is just past that. It’s a little blue door. If you’ve made to to the Daegu Bank on your right, you’ve gone too far. Turn around and look up. You’ll see it.

~ Kita Mendolia

November Issue

[b]racket’s November issue is out and about! Grab a hard copy at any one of our drop off locations, check it out on ISSUU or download the PDF.

In the November issue: Yang Eu Ddeum, Aiofe Casey, Martyn Thompson, Jeon Hee Kyoung, Kim Hye Mee, Lee Jin Hee