Sustainable luxury

The Green Building Alliance in PGH has organized a tour of the Fairmont Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, with the Emerging Professionals that wanted to learn more both on sustainability and luxurious spaces. Despite the two things could seem a bit in contrast, the Fairmont (as a chain of luxury hotels) has showed us that it is indeed possible to go green, from the first day of construction and on a daily basis, and be really classy.

Our tour started in the lobby of the hotel, located at 510 Market Street, Downtown PGH. We were brought around by a very special guide, Julie Abramovic, Public Relations Manager at the Fairmont Pittsburgh.  She explained us how the whole building was carefully built, trying to save on materials and reducing the distance between production of the pieces and their final location. She said that even the furniture was selected to be as much "local" as possible. A regular luxury hotel, would order pieces from other continents (Europe in primis, for the American hotels). The Fairmont Pittsburgh is a LEED GOLD project (since the opening in 2010) thanks to the way it was built and how it is run, every day. Julie ensured that the approach to sustainability is usually pushed from the Staff, even in the maintenance area. From the offices to the kitchen, everybody is well aware of this mission. A team of engineers would also improve the daily routine, with specific projects to improve the life of the hotel.

Plants in the lobby, in collaboration with the Phipps Conservatory.

A part of the tour that I really enjoyed was the one presenting the archeological findings, collected during the construction. Archaeologists were hired to make a catalog of pieces, dated around the 19th century. Many bottles and kitchenware, together with objects from historical businesses existing in the area, are now displayed in the common areas of the Hotel. You can see them on the first and second floor, and on each floor, as well.

Our tour was including also a visit in one of the suites; sustainable and rich at the same time:

The complimentary water: each floor has the ice vendor and a water dispenser. You can have it from there, and not bottled in a factory. 

Not sure it is sustainable, but God bless whoever invented the TV hidden in the mirror of the master bathroom. Very chic.

And then the views, from such an hotel, cannot be forgotten: another good reason for attending the tour, and maybe get a room there, for a special occasion.

The First Art of.. the year 2014

Despite the temperatures outside weren't those to stimulate any mental faculty, I took the bus and reached the area of the Galleries along Penn Avenue. All in all, it was January the 3rd, the first Friday of the month and of the 2014: I felt like celebrating the beginning of both with a pinch of art.

Here an anthology of the interesting things I saw, in order of apparition:

• Modernformation Gallery

“Our Interconnected World: art and science at the Environmental Charter School”

Presentation of works by kids attending the “Thinking Lab” at the ECS. Students are supported as they tap their creative energies through an exploration of concepts where art and science meet. Students explored Frick Park and then reproduced their memories and sensations through watercolors. Despite the simplicity of the pieces, the overall presentation was very nice and upstanding. All the pieces were on sale, for a reasonable price. I would say that this is a nice lesson of genuine democracy of art. And for one time, I mean it in a positive way. 

I loved the many comments from the students, while and after doing their masterpieces. 

Being a very weak "watercolorer", I totally agree with the statement underneath:

•  Stuff N Such Society

(Basement of Most Wanted Fine Art)
"Darth ad Dolls"
The pieces below captured my attention because... sincerely: they are funny. My favorite piece is the Young Luke Skywalker, painted on Darth Vader. It's almost philosophy there. Almost...

Below, Jia Ji, the artist. 

• The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination

"Make Moves" by Billy Shannon

It is rare, nowadays, to find something interesting in ready-made art. But Bill Shannon did some interesting indeed, and I loved the section of the gallery in which he is displaying some of his found pieces, after being offered a second chance. I found them elegant and very expressive. And a talk with the artist allowed me to discover some stories behind some of them. 

The writing DREAM is composed with salvaged and selected letters, from a building in demolition. And the "love chair" below, was and industrial piece transformed in a comfortable seating. Much more appealing, but still reminding of how tough life (and love) can be. But apparently, it's up to us to make the things more comfortable. Some pillows will help.

Below: a gigantic panel with a scene in the middle. It's a sort of castle made of pieces found in many different occasion, and put together by recollecting memories and images.

Below: pieces found in industrial sites and along railroads. All the pieces can be found and stored for a long time, and being used only when there is a clear vision for them. Billy said that he could go back to work on certain pieces even after months. Art is never finished, in a way, and each piece is the demonstration of a life that keeps evolving, even in objects.

I love the lamp, hanging from the ceiling, but probably from much further away.

• SPACE GALLERY see more here

"Behind our scenes"

up to 01.26.14

This exhibition is all about photography, but there are some works that become almost spatial, if you consider the content and the staging of the pieces. I loved the photos by Annie O'Neil and Nacy Andrews, about an abandoned red-light theater. Some prints were very nice and the overall use of colors very pleasant and well developed. 

"Eleanor's Animal Farm" by Dennis Marsico was very interesting as well, with spatial short-circuits between the world of a 14 months old kid, and the world of adults. She is playing in her world, full of plastic animals. And a true cat, sharing its food with the toys. Other works by Dennis were also displayed, even if this was the one that most stimulated my fantasy.

Barbara Weissberger (in the image below) was displaying some photos about magic and organic collages, full of colors and hidden meanings. The overall composition was very different from piece to piece, in a pleasant complexity in front of which you can spend a fair amount of good time. 

(image above taken from the SPACE Facebook Page. ©SPACE Gallery)

• Future Tenant

"Shame of the city"

up to 01.12.14

Cool experiment of a group of artists, selected by Joseph Lupo. Each artist had to interpret a page from a comic magazine on Iron Man. Some interpretation were hilarious, other very psychological, and many were just great to see. Something to check out in person, before the exhibit closes on january 12th. If you are Downtown, stop by - you won't be disappointed.

(above: official poster from Future Tenant website. ©Future Tenant)