Art Student Profile: Steve Havira

My primary goal as a blogger for Calx is to showcase design that is fun.  I feel it is important that the students who 'keep it light' deserve an enthusiastic high-five.  On that note I would like to introduce my friend Steve Havira.  Steve is a Sophomore with the major of Art.  He is extremely relaxed and has a welcome sense of humor.  He plans to pursue a career in advertising, a profession that would fuse his interest in film, art, and clever words.  His most recent project was a steel sculpture inspired by Alexander Calder, but he is also influenced by Leroy Neeman and Sall Bass. 

School Blog Project

The blog gains legitimacy and becomes a tool for universities to follow student work after and outside of the formal crits.  

Archinet introduces a School Blog Project

Thomas from the University of Detroit Mercy caught my attention with this post:

"Every person has their own approach, which is to be respected.  Hierarchy is determined by the professor, but ultimately unimportant."

Shrinking Cities

Shrinking Cities is a traveling exhibition that began in Germany in 2002 and explores how cities today are literally shrinking.  

How do cities address this phenomenon?  AND, in eastern Germany's case, should surplus apartments be demolished?  

This struck me; here in the US, we always seem to replace the old with the new.  Could we ever settle for simply getting rid of the old.  Why can't "empty" space satisfy us?  

Gina Lorubbio

Interior Design Student, Gina Lorubbio, has allowed us to make her a test subject of sorts.  Throughout the quarter we will be updating you on her studio project, a restaurant by the name of Dalla Mano.   

"Dalla Mano, meaning "by hand" in Italian, is a restaurant that focuses on Southern Italian dishes made fresh by hand daily.  The interior reflects two spaces that are a very important part of the Italian culture: the marketplace and the dining room."

OSLO OPERA HOUSE = SKATEPARK

Photo: Jiri Havran via Wired

When I saw that Wired Magazine recently (Nov 08) did an article on the skate-ability of the new Oslo Opera House I got a little excited, stood up, and maybe...just maybe did a little dance.  In High School I did too much skating and snow surfing to actually become an Architect, but I always knew that my board was helping me develop  a very intimate relationship with our proverbial concrete jungle. My Senior year I won a Scholastic Gold Key for my photos of a skatepark that focused on the architectural merits of the shapes present and my post below about Mark Gonzalez is pretty specific about being hopeful for a more integrated public space and the interaction between skating and architecture.  

The article in Wired is short, but sweet and can be found here. 

"Snøhetta used different finishes of marble to guide skaters looking for rideable surfaces. Acoustically sensitive parts, like above the auditorium, got rough marble that's unpleasant to wheel over. But other areas silently beckon skaters. Surfaces rise up all over the place to become ledges, curbs, and benches—like the jagged facets of a glacier (or skate park). One particularly tempting spot is a 3-foot-wide railing of smooth stone. Snøhetta architect Peter Dang is, ahem, absolutely sure it's skatable. 'Just make sure to fall toward the inside,' he advises."

Another, even more informative and theoretically focused, article called "A Skateboarders Guide to Architecture, or an Architect's Guide to Skateboarding" can be found here.

Recently I rediscovered one of my favorite snowboard photographers, Danny Zapalac. His work is refreshing, and distinct, from the average photo in a shred publication. They stand out for their lack of or restrained use of strobe and their subtle colors. His black and white work also stands away from the pack because of his affection for good ole' grain and tilt/shift lenses. His photos almost don't belong in the snowboard/extreme sports world, so it's no surprise that he has expanded and done advertising work for outdoor sports giants such as: Aspen Resorts, Boost Mobile,
Burton, DC, Hurley, Oakley, North Face, Puma, Red Bull, Rossignol, Vans, and Volcom.

Anyways, I'm jealous of him - enough blathering. Enjoy!

More on his website: www.dannyzapalac.com

This is an older video, but it's one of my favorites. Can't go wrong with Mark Gonzalez riding a skateboard anytime - much less a sorta longboard in an art museum dressed in a fencers uniform. ''I wanted to appear like a dancer but not too feminine,'' he said in a NYTimes article. ''The fencing uniform shows your body type but also means business.''




Though this is a music video for Jason Schwartzmans band Coconut Records (which has just released a new record called Davy, that I think is quite good) the footage is from Cheryl Dunn's film "Back World for Words" - which I would kill to see.

The next best thing however is this spectators vantage point that provides a little more connection with the performance.


I think this is a really groundbreaking 'piece' if it can be called that. I think architects, city planners, and curators could all benefit from thinking about this concept of the act of skateboarding (or other public sports that require equal parts cojones and finesse) as art. Not only the act, but the obstacle can hold more potential energy in their aesthetic than a Pollack. Bottom line: I'd love to see more integration of recreation into the cityscapes.