The Mark Hotel

An imaginary game we're playing on ourselves, dreaming about our stay at this Garden Suite in The Mark. In fact, any room would be splendid, but this space is impeccably charming. There's nothing pretentious about it, as some luxury hotels do stir towards overtly decorative means of design. I'm particularly fond of the overall feel and ambience. It has this vibe of being luxurious but with a touch of warmness, an in between of something familiar and aspirational. It is clean, crisp and elegant, with dark wooden flooring that completes the look.

P.S. Do take advantage over the amenities provided, from a daily shoe shine, local calls and fine Italian toiletries formulated exclusively for The Mark.

Ying Gao

The garments designed by Ying Gao are situated in the technological rather than textile realm. She creates fashion that is interactive and conceptual, challenging hierarchical boundaries within the art world and developing hybrid discourses of culture.

‘[No]where [Now]here’ is a project featuring two interactive dresses using photoluminescent thread and imbedded eye tracking technology, is activated by spectators' gaze, inspired by the essay entitled "Esthétique de la disparition" (The aesthetic of disappearance), by Paul Virilio (1979):

"Absence often occurs at breakfast time – the tea cup dropped, then spilled on the table being one of its most common consequences. Absence lasts but a few seconds, its beginning and end are sudden. However closed to outside impressions, the senses are awake. The return is as immediate as the departure, the suspended word or movement is picked up where it was left off as conscious time automatically reconstructs itself, thus becoming continuous and free of any apparent interruption."

A photograph is said to be “spoiled” by blinking eyes – here however, the concept of presence and of disappearance are questioned, as the experience of chiaroscuro (clarity/obscurity) is achieved through an unfixed gaze.

These are dresses and art objects existing in the real world, transforming the wearer’s waking and walking life into an artistic statement.

'The Body' Seat

"I want the user to be the creator for this seat - I just created the guidelines"

Recent graduate from The Royal College of Art, Kirsti Enkovaara is already designing products fuelling our imaginations of the possibilities of traditional furniture. One of her most exciting works, is an innovative seating structure named 'The Body'. Constructed by a flesh coloured strip of six meter fabric filled with rice.

Friction created by the rice combined with the fabric enables the structure to be extremely rigid when bent but also recreating the properties of a cushion. In fact, Japan has historically used rice as a filler in pillows. It is now an incredibly ecological and ergonomic option as opposed to foam which is environmentally damaging, as well as being notorious for breaking up into pieces that choke animals and harm their digestive systems.

The design can bend and curve so it can be continuously reshaped depending on the mood and comfort of the individual. Transforming from a chair, to a bed, to a yoga mat, this is an object interacting with our human needs.

Oyyo Design Studio

Hailing originally from Stockholm, Sweden, this design studio, although rooted in it’s Swedishness, is a celebration of nomadic travel, adventure and the convergence of cultures. Their designs capture simplicity combined with a passion for prints and patterns and are a demonstration of a craftsmanship within a global modernity. Oyyo is working with local communities around the world to create quality bold, enigmatic products such as the recently launched No.1 Cotton Dhurrie collection hand-woven by a community of craftspeople near India’s Blue City, Jodhpur made with machine-free techniques dating back centuries and vivid vegetable dyes derived from local plants. Drawing from a rich variety of inspiration from the Nordic textile arts and crafts heritage to the Bauhaus movement to Surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, the studio will release one or two products per year, working up a core collection of textiles, furniture and accessories. 

Zack Seckler

Zack Seckler’s aerial images of Botswana wildlife exceed our expectation of the normal reportage in essence of ‘National Geographic’ terms. Salvadore Dali once said that his paintings are more of self-coloured photographs, here we see the opposite as the artist describes his experience: ‘Being above the ground at such low elevations, and having the ability to precisely manoeuvre, was like gliding over an enormous painting and being able to create brushstrokes at will.’

To tend towards a monochromatic palette, gives each piece a focus, but doesn’t limit our eye to drop and fix to a singular point. Each time we review it, our perspective changes, sometimes more on the animals, vegetations, or to gaze longingly on the ripples against these salt ponds. It questions you, as if it is a state of mind.

'Cabin in a Brooklyn Loft'

You do relate to the cram situation and steep rent prices of New York, when you find yourself trying to make ends meet in Hong Kong, keeping it calm when on top of all this, everyday a dozen of mainland Chinese migrate to us, both the filthy rich bunch and the terribly poor whom have the motive only for the welfare spark the sass in my pants.

To battle spatial issues yet making things economical, people like designer Terri Chiao get creative, utilising the ceiling height of her Brooklyn apartment mounted a wooden cabin, which within holds a full-size bed, miniature closet space, and a nook outside the cabin. This is a great upgrade for a hostel, as replacing your original roomies on all four sides; the loft gives the guest access to the rooftop with a three-sixty panorama view of the Manhattan skyline and all around Brooklyn and Queens.

As if saving enough money for this return ticket to the city was no big of a deal, this might accommodate more than what you may have expected to get in a short week stay.

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