No. 47: Brittney Hart & Justin Capuco
Andirons as decoration, architect Robert Mallet-Stevens, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann: The Designer’s Archives by Emmanuel Breon, artist Simon Benjamin, and Marina Abramović and ULAY’s ‘Rest Energy’
Brittney Hart and Justin Capuco, the founders of New York design firm Husband Wife, craft architecturally-minded interiors that evoke the casual elegance of Rohmerian cinema. Their work, which ranges from private residences to conceptual commercial spaces, treads the line between nostalgia and modernity – transporting but not overbearing. They will often bring something unexpected though… they don’t fear creating moments of tension through the interplay of volume, scale and form. From Brittney & Justin —
I. a performance art piece from 1980
“In Rest Energy we actually hold one arrow on the weight of our body and the arrow is pointing to my heart. We have two small, little microphones on our hearts where we can hear the sounds of the heart beating. As our performance is progressing heart beats become more and more intense and it's just four minutes and ten seconds, for me it was, I tell you it was forever. So, it was really a performance about complete and total trust.” – Artist, Marina Abramović
Between the two of us, we always have very different points of view, but almost always arrive at similar conclusions. There’s a constant tension and balance in the way we pass the baton back and forth throughout our design process – with some disagreement yes but always with great respect. The feeling of this push and pull, trust and challenge is shown beautifully here, in Marina Abramović and ULAY’s ‘Rest Energy’ piece where each person is responsible for holding the other in steady balance with what’s happening in every heart-beating moment.
II. an architect
French architect Robert Mallet-Stevens is a major inspiration for us. He believed that unornamented, strategically-designed spaces could influence the psychological.
III. a book
The beautiful Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann: The Designer’s Archives authored by Emmanuel Breon, with ribbon ties, is a treasure for anyone interested in European design. You have to hunt for it, but it’s worth a few hours logged on Ebay.
IV. a fireplace accessory
After attending Simone Bodmer-Turner’s recent show at Emma Scully Gallery – A Year Without a Kiln – we’ve been infatuated with andirons as decoration. This pair from the early 1920s is a favorite that we can’t stop returning to.
V. a painting
This painting struck us both instantly. We first saw it at Swivel Gallery as part of an exhibition titled “Native Diver;” a selection of works that the artist – Simon Benjamin – described as an “ongoing exploration of the impact of both visible and invisible histories on current realities.” We’re thrilled to share images of it soon, placed inside our latest residential project in Chelsea.
~ bulletin ~
los angeles
On view: Andrew Cranston’s One Day This Will be a Long Time Ago at Karma. Julia Thompson’s Valley of the Dolls at Dries Van Noten’s Little House. Antone Könst’s Singles opens Saturday at Castle Gallery. March Avery’s Quiet Inside at Blum. Elana Bowsher at Hannah Hoffman Gallery. Gordon Parks at Pace Gallery. Sabrina Piersol’s The Blue of It at Sow & Taylor. Group show Water & Flower at Wilding Cran. David Zwirner’s 30th anniversary show. Angel Otero’s The First Rain in May and the late Winfred Rembert’s Hard Times at Hauser & Wirth. Ed Ruscha’s Now Then at LACMA.
new york
On view: Richard Kern’s New York Girls at Management. Last week to see A Room is an Archive of Touch at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery. James Hong’s The Odd Couple at Super House. Cassandra Mayela Allen’s Desahogando: Undrowning at Olympia. Demetrius Wilson’s Bam! at Half Gallery. Vivian Maier: Unseen Work at Fotografiska. Matinee: Dike Blair at the Edward Hopper House. Group show Out of Sync featuring Cecile B. Evans, Cyprien Gaillard, Anri Sala, and Carolee Schneemann at American Standard Co. for Art & Design’s window vitrine (35 Allen). Travis Fish’s That Dog In Me at Jupiter Gallery. Derrick Alexis Coard’s I Am That I Am at Salon94. Maja Ruznic’s The World Doesn’t End at Karma. Group show Social Practice including works from Paul Cooley, Dan Flanigan, Cristina de Miguel and more at Amanita. Amanda Wall’s Sky Got Dark at Almine Rech. Jenny Holzer’s Light Line at Guggenheim. Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion at the Met.
Affection Archives is a weekly look into the archives of yours truly (Arielle Eshel) and people I admire. If you’d like to add an event to the bulletin, DM on Instagram or reply to this email.