David Stark Sketchbook

Love Letter: Charles Ledray

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I had a lovely weekend in Boston visiting my sister, brother-in-law and Mady, my most adorable niece. 

While in Boston, I thought about checking out Charles Ledray’s retrospective at the ICA, but it didn’t really jive with an 8 month old’s schedule.  No worries, it’s up through October, and it comes to New York after Boston.  I’ll go back to see it when I visit next or I’ll simply pop into the Whitney Museum when they showcase Ledray’s work later this year.

Regardless, I remember when Ledray first came on the gallery scene in New York around 1991 when I first moved to the big city of dreams, and I have admired his work since.  It’s funny, I often think a lot about blowing art objects up BIG, but Ledray goes the opposite way, exploiting the Honey I Shrunk the Kids strategy of creation.  In making things tiny, Ledray says big things about identity, mostly male identity and whether “clothes make the man” or is it that “man makes the clothes?”  And he makes every lit bit by hand, so craft is always part of that equation too.

Ledray hand throws these tiny, tiny pots, all unique and no bigger than a pinky too. (below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ledray’s work makes me think a lot about whether I and my group can make décor elements that are tiny AND effective for an event.  You know, once a room fills up with 500 people, you see very little that is small.  Thus, we focus our energies more on what is grand and rises above the head, but I am determined to figure this one out.  We’re always up for a good challenge, and I think it would be a very interesting décor strategy that would defy expectations – that is, if it works!   Stay tuned . . .

D.

 

 
 
 
  

 

 
  

 
 

Love Letter: Natalia Brilli

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What is it about Belgium that keeps turning out designers that are so interesting?  Like Martin Margiela and Dries van Noten, Natalia Brilli creates stunningly beautiful but also conceptually driven accessories that are painstakingly encased in leather and suede.  Sadly, I had a necklace of "dog tags" encased in metallicized green leather that I loved and lost somewhere in the world.  I haven't replaced it yet, but I am thinking about doing so with a fabulous, leather encased skateboard with the intention of using it as the perfect magazine rack.  I know . . . silly, but TRUE.  (wink!)

D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Pick Me Up: International Klein Blue

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A week or so ago, I was in Washington, D.C. on business and had the joy of finding an hour to stop by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to see an exhibition that I was on the edge of my seat for: Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers.  Klein has long been one of my favorite artists and everything from his blue monochromes to his Anthropométries make my heart beat faster when I see them.  I often cite Klein as a key inspiration to me.  He was a shaman, transforming the everyday with a conceptual wink.

So many artists have been inspired by Klein.  The exhibition started me thinking about other art pieces that I love that are a direct result of his influence.  Here’s one: Vik Muniz created this photo piece of a collage called After Yves Klein.  Voila!

Make the trip to D.C. if you can.  I don’t think the show is coming to New York, kids.

xo

D.

 

 

 

Let ‘Em Eat (and Look at) Cake!

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While creating our new book, I suddenly recognized a recurring theme in our work that I was not conscious of before: cakes!

A food for thought revelation- our events are filled with an abundance of gorgeous cakes of all sizes and textures, ‘cakes’ made from a variety of unconventional materials like flowers or wood, to real edible cakes that transform into surprising sculptural moments. Cakes and parties go hand in hand since parties have been fun, but our delightful cakes are perfectly garnished with our business approach: wherever there is a party convention, why not break the mold? (wink)

In true Alice in Wonderland spirit, flowers were seen where they would be least expected: in surprising pop-up formations as “edible” items! (above)

Tongue in groove, cakes of raw wood were built with whimsy to enhance an editor’s preview of a fall home line of product. (above)

Even though it’s not a cake, per se, wooden pies, are still pretty cool, right?! (above)

A boisterous birthday to-do with candy-colored…well, everything, including a multi-layered and striped ‘wooden’ birthday cake!  (above)

 

2D meets 3D in this over-ripe world of pink where turn of the century engravings are enlarged to life size and mixed with three dimensional flowers and fruits to create a fun optical illusion. (above)

The incredible Confetti Cakes collaborated with us on this edible sculpture.  What better way to mirror Maine in Manhattan than with a red lobster cake propped on a brown sugar sandbox of beach toys? (above)

Our wonderful friends at The Cake Studio hailed down this 200 pound taxi cake; the perfect addition to a New York City themed celebration. (above)

Whoever said you can’t have your cake and eat it too? Not only do I personally love to make the cakes for our events fun and unexpected, I am also drawn to cool cakes made by others as well!  If you’ve got a ‘sweet tooth’ too, below you’ll find work that I find rather addicting.

 

Inspired from the eye and mind candy of Robert The, I love this cake slice of a book frosted with real icing. (above)

 

A true pastry genius, Caitlin Freeman, creates cakes that emulate art in a delicious and cheeky fashion: she reinterprets the esteemed work of inspirational artists and imagines what their art would look and taste like in a decadent confection. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s café sells these confections. Check out her take on Wayne Thiebaud’s Display Cakes. Simply and utterly scrumptious right? And the Mondrian Cake?  WOW!

Let us know what you think of our cakes, inspirations, and other cool stuff in our new book!Your feedback is important to us ladies and gents, it’s the icing on our cake(s)! (wink)

Xoxo

D.

 

 

 

 
 

 

OMG! It Looks Just Like the Rendering: Global Volatility Summit

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We delight in opportunities where we can step in and present new ideas in an innovative and amusing fashion, breaking the mold with content driven and humorous décor. We rose to the occasion in spades for a summit of hedge funds where we presented a cheeky and slightly irreverent take to their conferences.  The first annual GLOBAL VOLATILITY SUMMIT was held in a vacant floor of 7 World Trade Center with the most glorious 360 degree views of the city, New Jersey, and beyond.  But what do you do to decorate a World Volatility Summit? You make the word VOLATILITY your hero, each letter becoming a cool sculpture in the throes of danger. Honestly, it doesn’t always have to be so serious, right?! (wink)

xoxo,

D.