Kristina Kozak Participates in openhousenewyork

5th ANNUAL openhousenewyork FEATURES BROOKLYN’S MINE METAL/ART STORE AND METAL-ARTIST KRISTINA KOZAK

Brooklyn, NY, September 28, 2007 – Featured in one of the premiere architectural and design public events of the year, Metalsmith artist Kristina Kozak will be included in the acclaimed 5th annual openhousenewyork () event being held the weekend of Oct. 6-7 when her Williamsburg, Brooklyn MINE Metal/Art studio and showroom will be open to the public with tours (www.minemetalart.com – Online art available to view).

“It is a great honor to be showcased as part of this cadre of talented artists all across our great city,” said metal artist Kristina Kozak. “I’m particularly glad to be able to attract people who’ve not yet been introduced to my very different style, both in terms of design, using steel in an organic way, and fabricating furniture in a less-than-expected material.”

Window grills, for example, are a fact of big city life, and Kozak has found a way to make them an attraction, as opposed to an eye-sore. Art can also provide security.

Kozak has a mind of her own…and a metal mine art studio-store of her own, as well… …she first discovered the artistic malleability of steel and its wonderful ability to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing in 1994 when she designed and made her first bed.

Now, her work which has graced buildings across this Brooklyn borough has caught the eye of some prominent architects and designers.

MINE Metal/Art is the signature store of 40-year-old Kozak who creates elaborately designed functional works of furniture and architecture to fit any theme.

Transforming hard metal into flowing works of art, her work has quietly crept onto buildings to beautify many homes, offices and restaurants in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY. With a tremendous range of styles from Modern to Victorian in design, Kozak’s creations are awe-inspiring, one-of-a-kind and limited edition metal work and furniture ranging from chairs and beds to ottomans and flatware. In addition to commissioned works, she also offers her signature trademark “swirl” in a keychain or pendant (priced at $120.00 in silver) $60.00 of proceeds going to Hospice Inc.

From beds to security window grills, Kozak creates distinctive pieces inspired by vintage textiles, nature, Art Nouveau, and the Victorian Arts and Crafts artists John Ruskin and William Morris.

Tour hours for MINE Metal/Art’s participation in openhousenewyork are:

MINE Metal/Art retail showroom - 177 Grand St. Brooklyn. Open Sat.-Sun., Oct. 6 -7, 10am – 8pm. Pick up a map and walk the neighborhood and see her outdoor public work.

Kristina Kozak's Studio at Barzel Iron Works - 61 Jefferson St., Sunday, Oct 7. Kristina opens her studio located in a working blacksmithing and industrial metal shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Tours at 10, 11:30, 1 and 2:30pm. reservations required. at kkozak@mindspring.com

MINE Metal/Art is at 177 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 www.minemetalart.com.
718-963-1184…..regular store hours are Wednesday – Saturday 12 -7, Sunday 12 -6.

Lo-Tek's Container Architecture

I need to go run out and buy a piece of land to put my Lo-tek house on. Now.

Found this video on Inhabitat.

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, Encased in Glass [NY Times]

Awesome new media museum building in Hilversum, The Netherlands. This is the town where almost all of the TV Networks in Holland are based. The outside panels are images overlayed stills of famous moments in dutch television history by artist and graphic designer jaap Drupsteen. Also known for his design of the classic graphic design monograph Karel Martens: Printed Matter. (Among other things.

[From The New York Times:]
Architecture Review: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, Encased in Glass
By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF
Wrapped in a luxurious skin of colorful cast-glass panels, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision is the most gorgeous work to date by Willem Jan Neutelings and Michiel Riedijk.

Rem Koolhaas Designs a Death Star for the UAE

[From Wired]



The proposed Ras al Khaimah Convention and Exhibition Centre in the UAE bears a striking resemblance to the Death Star. Designed by Rem Koolhaas and Reinier de Graaf as part of their collaboration with OMA, the sphere holds a convention centre, hotel rooms, apartments, offices and retail space.