PLAY TIME
GENTLE MONSTER
PLAY TIME
Gentle Monster at South Coast Plaza
The MOOOI Chess Side Table , created by Front Design , has a polished stainless steel branding plate mounted under the table top and decoration on the side of the table that can be utilized for playing games . Use it for competition or just as a past time , $ 1,444 , 2modern . com .
MOOOI Chess Side Table
GENTLE MONSTER
Reinterpreting the natural process of growth and transformation , Gentle Monster , the Korean eyewear brand known for cutting edge retail design and high-end experimentation , features kinetic installations , video artwork , and objects that depict mechanisms of evolution , allowing visitors to experience the intersection of two conflicting emotions : tension and beauty . The brand , whose 4,500-square-foot flagship store is now open in the Din Tai Fun Wing at South Coast Plaza , has collaborated with labels such as Moncler and K-POP idol Jennie of BLACKPINK , is currently partnering with Maison Margiela and from 2023 onwards , “ different themes portraying daring and audacious attempts ” will be launched annually as variations of the Maison Margiela BOLD collection . The first theme , titled Galaxy of 9 Evenings , incorporates stars in the galaxy , which metaphorically symbolize the boldness of the collection . ( gentlemonster . com )
Light Songs
Walking the line between industrial design and sculpture , Costa Mesa artist Bennet Schlesinger , who designs under the name Lightsong Exchange , makes handmade shades of translucent paper sheets stretched across a cambered latticework of bamboo strips that are becoming the “ it ” lighting for art collectors . Perched atop ceramic bases and hanging as pendants , the lights , which will soon be displayed ( starting in June ) at L . A .’ s Marta gallery , also showcase the material diversity and strength of paper and pay homage to many of Schlesinger ’ s influences , including San Francisco sculptor Stephen De Staebler , who the artist says he is currently obsessed with because of the way his textures “ float between the figurative and abstract world in a really beautiful way .”
Using a slab-building technique and a glazing method that emulates patina , the nature inspired ceramic elements can take the artist three to four months to complete . The layered paper shades are often framed one way and end up another . “ I have a rough idea and the material guides how the shape ends up and diverges quickly when I make the form ,” says Schlesinger . “ Both ceramic and bamboo processes are similar ; the material itself has limits and tells you where to go next .” ( bennetschlesinger . com )
LATITUDE33MAGAZINE . COM | SPRING / SUMMER 2023 13