At Ark Journal we explore the spaces around us, the objects we put in them and the people who make them. ARK JOURNAL VOLUME XII considers the connections between home and design, not just the structures and objects but also the immaterial, the atmospheres and sense of belonging that shape our daily lives and our society. Central themes are materials – their origins and the cultural and historical influence on our daily lives – and craftsmanship and tradition that are integrated into modern design for visual appeal but also to instil meaning and authenticity. We explore how design influences emotions and behaviour by creating intimate and thoughtful spaces that nurture creativity and contemplation. HOMES: a New York townhouse preserves a Danish sensibility, while a brutalist concrete house set among trees in Antwerp tells a noir-ish story. Two apartments in Berlin, both centred around art, reflect different lives and interventions. INTERVIEW: With the passion of a revolutionary provocateur, Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at The Museum of Modern Art, investigates design in all its forms, forever widening its scope and possibilities. INTERVIEW: In a rural home/studio outside Tokyo, Japanese fashion visionary Jun Takahashi cultivates the concepts of chaos and balance that pervade his runway collections, his art and his new furniture designs. LIVING ARCHITECTURE: An austere and angular home of shadows and light in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, mirrors the landscape and the city through materials. DESIGN: Can collectible design reframe the narrative to encompass a deeper appreciation of craft and considered contemporary objects? CASE STUDY by stylist Pernille Vest: Objects marked by the patterns and patina of time embrace and express the transient beauty of life. ART: The watercolours of Ylva Carlgren capture fleeting moments of clarity in forms tangible and ephemeral. ESSAY: Architect Mathias Mentze ponders the vernacular chair, the one that perhaps came about before there was such a term as designer, and PORTFOLIO traces the chair as object and symbol through time. Ark Journal is more than just a publication; it’s a celebration of the beauty and simplicity that defines Scandinavian design and architecture. Language: English
