Decoration of Spaces and Meaning

My friend recently posted a longread from Slate magazine about gay identity. 

One thing that really jumped out at me in the article (in relation to this blog) is the intro which discusses decoration of interior spaces in relation to gay identity quoting some notable writers. 

I've pasted below the interesting snippets about the function of decoration in spaces and their meaning.

““The apartment treated as a stage set—dramatically lit, designed to be taken in all at once and from the entrance,” Edmund White wrote in his road-trip survey of American gay life in the late 1970s, “remains a gay apartment, whether the décor is high camp or high tech, cluttered comfort or austere emptiness.”

Less than a decade later, the writer and director Neil Bartlett observed of English gay spaces: “Our rooms are not decorated to announce our occupation or our family status; they are not really ‘domestic’ interiors. They need reflect nothing but the tastes of their owner, the pleasure he takes in his life, his ability to choose and arrange his possessions.” ”

— http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2015/05/can_you_be_homosexual_without_being_gay_the_future_of_cruising_drag_and.html

Gems FROM Adventures in Shopping

Sometimes sorting through piles and masses of junk to find that perfect gem is all you need.  For me, the promise of finding those gems is what keeps me going. 

 The one find that I'm still coming down from my shopping discovery high over:

Gangsta dolphins with swagger and bling and a treasure chest of gold on a towel? YES!

The Whole World Cardboard Electronic Props

One of my favorite things about this job is uncovering whole worlds and industries I didn't know existed before.  

This afternoon it is the world of cardboard electronic props. 

That's a completely fake cardboard computer for film and tv sets or consumer displays. 

The cool thing about small industries like this, is one phone call and a chatty person, and you know everything about the industry. 

But if you want to really learn about the history and intrigue of this industry read up here (of course I read that article with much interest)

Still getting over there are people making fortunes producing fake TV's and microwaves out of cardboard. 

oh and on my quest I came across these other specialty computer props (hilarious to me, because of course in this day and age dolls need computers too!) 

Broad City Season 3

today was an exciting day as I started as part of the Art Department team as the Set Decorating assistant/PA (the only non-union position on the Art Dept team). 

so so so thrilled to be working with such a great Art Department team on such an importantly clever, feminist, and funny show. 

the view from the Art Department production offices. 

Food Styling from 1937

(screenshot from my laptop via Netflix, no way around the menu showing up a little bit)

I recently watched the 1937 classic film A Star is Born for the first time. 

One of the things that struck me was this shot of the main character Esther/Vicki holding a platter of food (when she was doing a gig as a catering waitress).

This is food styling in 1937! Totally different aesthetic from today's splattered ever so casually on a rustic piece of wood aesthetic.  

Also the parsley falling out of the orange (looking a bit like pacman) is very amusing to me. 

You can watch the whole movie on Youtube because it is now a public domain film. 

And when you're done you can also read the original film review from 1937 (the film debuted in NYC) and see if you agree. 

Aerial Lift/Genie Boom Training

training to operate and drive these

recently joined the certified aerial lift training so I can apply to Local 52. Luckily set decorators never really have to use these on the job cause it was slightly terrifying being 10 ft in the air in these circumstances.  though now I notice them all around the city and feel like I have even more common with construction workers than ever. 

co-training classmate Gillian (a sound mixer) took this of me while we were in the air. you can see the trepidation in my profile. 

Interior Design and Political Meaning

This little piece in the New Yorker's Talk of the Town is almost the perfect intersection of my Set Decorating Career and my previous career as a diplomat with the US State Department. 

The article, "Hillaryburg" in the April 20, 2015 issue of the The New Yorker, discusses the possible aesthetic implications of Hillary Clinton buying up some office space in Brooklyn as the likely headquarters for her presidential run. 

It is super fun in the way the writer approaches design and vintage store owners in Brooklyn, people who have decorated or re-designed political offices or regular offices and asks them their advice to Hilary decorating her new office space.  Plus the piece catalogues some recent political redesigns of note. 

I like how "Hillaryburg" explores meaning and political significance as expressed through interior design especially since after six-design deprived years as a federally employed bureaucrat I completely understand the quote below:

““In political culture, design is not a priority,” said Martin Finio, an architect who, with his wife, revamped the Brooklyn Historical Society.”

— "Hillaryburg", Talk of the Town, New Yorker, April 20, 2015

Reading and enjoying "Hillaryburg" reminded me of one of the funniest and most fun gifts I have ever received:

an old diplomatic colleague bought this for me as a gift because even 8 years before I started working as a set decorator she knew, this was THE perfect gift for me.  

I once had this book stolen out of the basket of my bike in Beijing's hutongs (true story) but love it so much that I bought another copy to replace it. 

And finally I liked how "Hillaryburg" ended with the statement about how powerful interior design is in fact on culture, psychology, and mood:

“For Clinton, Sherman envisaged “soft tones.” He implied that she might even be able to overcome issues of relatability through design. “You shape your space, and then your space will eventually shape you,” he said. “It shouldn’t be overly streamlined or stripped of character, which is maybe how people perceive Hillary. You want her staff to feel that she’s a normal person, too.” ”

— "Hillaryburg", New Yorker, April 20, 2015 issue, "Talk of the Town"

Art Deco Details + Why I Love Set Decorating

During one shoot I worked on in Tribeca, I had to go out a bunch to pick up more props around the neighborhood which is full of buildings with great Art Deco details. 

One of the things I love best about set decorating is the chance to walk around New York City so much in search of things.  

The chance to spend so much time out doors and interacting with the city so actively while in pursuit of that perfect item, prop, dressing, or whatever is something I deeply enjoy. 

As a huge Art Deco fiend (one of my ultimate favorite aesthetic eras), the opportunity to notice and appreciate small decorative and design details in New York's old buildings, especially the Art Deco ones, is one of the small joys of living and working in NYC.