Some Sketches

Hi
I'm getting ready to move - always a daunting task - so have not had anytime to blog.
Tonight was going through sketch books and decided to scan a few of my favorites. Sometimes when thrown all together they can make interesting juxtapositions and spark an idea.

Berlin's Reichstag: These Walls Talk

Reichstag exterior with Norman Foster's glass dome


Victorious Soviet graffiti on interior walls wow.


Close Up of Graffiti


"You have paid dearly for Lenigrad"

Another big highlight of Berlin for me was my tour of the Reichstag. Norman Foster's glass dome and Jenny Holzer's art work were both really striking but it was the graffiti on the walls that had the greatest impact on me. Here's the deal:
When Soviet troops took Berlin in 1945 they scrawled victorious graffiti all over the interior walls of the building. The words were then hidden for decades when the walls were covered up after the war. When Norman Foster and his team began work on the building in 1995 they were rediscovered. Foster then made the courageous decision to incorporate them into the new structure: in order to make the Reichstag a living museum of German history and show a brave determination not to forget the tragedies of the past. Methinks such a courageous decision!!

The photo above contains the graffiti I found the most striking: These 6 Russian words translate as
"You have paid dearly for Lenigrad".
Gave me chills.

Good Egg: Congrats and Thank you

Toronto Life cover - on stands now


Mika's sweet shop in Kensington Market Toronto

Congrats and thank you are due to my friend Mika Bareket. Her shop Good Egg made it onto the first page of Toronto Life magazine's 'Best of the city' issue complete with big colour photo. whoo hoo. Mika also recently included a link to my blog on her website naming me one of her favorite design bloggers. Thanks for the plug Mika and nice to know you find my remarks "pithy".

Scandinavia wrap up: Top 10 Design ideas we ought to import to Canada

1.Outdoor squares. So civilized.

2.Cafés with couches in the street. So cozy.

3.More interesting and functional bikes (This one holds a family of 4!)

4.Dual Flush Toliets!!

5.Proper bike lanes (I know, painfully obvious)

6.Signs in Subway that let you know when the next train is coming!

7.Handsome clocks in train stations

8.Bike rack Advertising

9.Bike seat covers (If you are a cyclist you know how handy these would be).

10.Umlauts. Because everything looks so much better with an umlaut.
Right Brüno?

ps.
I'm back home. Still lots to post from Berlin, Copenhagen and Reykjavik.

Peggy Kurtin 1932- 2009

With sadness I announce that my wonderful landlady Peggy Kurtin passed away this past Monday. Peggy was incredibly active in the community: once described in the Globe and Mail as "the redoubtable force of Cabbagetown".
She served on the board of the Toronto Historical Association, the Cabbagetown Preservation Association and was a member of the Ontario Heritage Board. She received many awards for her heritage and community work including the Lieutenant Governor 's award and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
She was a true inspiration and will be dearly missed.