O+A Visits NYC
I’ve recently developed a door pull obsession, so when we entered the studio of Brooklyn Shoe Space through a leather-stitched pull, I knew we had found a good spot. We traveled to Brooklyn with the intention of furthering our understanding of leather and how it can be manipulated into a usable product. We left with more knowledge and also with our very own stenciled, glued, stamped and stitched bag.
Between Tarryn and me, our bags and experience with leather were extremely different. Tarryn’s textured brown hide had a much more pronounced suede backing, whereas my black leather was sleek, matte and flat. They both posed different challenges, hers being the hardship of cutting and seaming; mine, the delicacy of the matte black, which displayed imperfections with the slightest mishaps. In the end, the challenges faded and what began as a rolled hide transitioned to a usable backpack (within a day).
We left the shop that evening with a new accessory; one which came in handy for the rest of our trip. For our next adventure, we traveled north to Beacon, NY and visited the Dia Foundation. I went in rather blindly, not having researched much on the place, though it far surpassed anything I could have fathomed. Aside from the gorgeous ride along the Hudson River, the exhibits within the museum and the space itself (a repurposed Nabisco factory),were refreshingly impactful in their design & exhibit.
What I used to know of New York City was the museums with the undoubtedly impressive famous pieces of art, the Broadway Shows and their incredible productions and the skyscraping buildings which even my non-architect friends can name. This trip gave me a glimpse of the true city, its diverse culture and focus on art in all of its forms.