Das boot is an online gallery/publication (vefrit), a periodical column for works on the arts. It is operated out of Dingaling Studio inc., located in lower Manhattan. Das boot  promotes and features creative individuals in all fields with a high degree of artistic and professional commitment to their work. Das boot presents internationally a new artist (or artists) on a regular basis, concentrating on the work content. The fields include painting, sculpture, architecture, fashion, design, music, literature, photography and more . . .   more about das boot

    Dingaling Studio, Inc.      © copyright note  Dingaling Studio, Inc. 1998-2002.         e-mail

Vefriti is an anonymous and sporadic commentator.

Below is the comprehensive das boot page. It contains the previous das boot gallery/publications (vefrit) in its entirety, w/intro on each artist by month. For current features go to www.dasboot.org  or click on the red boot on top. Scroll down to see the work, click on each artist for more info. This page has substance. ( 56k is 2:00 min )

Object/action figure.

Doug Bergert from the University of Minnesota

 

Hlynur Atlason

Christina Hale

Hulda Stefansdottir

In New York City through September we remind you of  the River to River Festival. Free events with

Katrín Elvarsdóttir (8/01) will have an exhibition at Galleri Skuggi in Reykjavik,
Iceland, June 29 - July 14, 2002.  Press release

Please e-mail us if you know of changes to this listing or any other events of note you would like to post.

Highly recommended: After 9/11 Solutions to a saner world captures the cutting edge of the conversation that followed in various media. Authors include Barbara Kingsolver
Bill Moyers, Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Arianna Huffington, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Arundhati Roy, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Tom Robbins, Naomi Klein, Mark Hertsgaard, Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, Robert Reich.  Published by alternet.org

Material-Connexion (the world's most definitive resource for new and innovative materials and processes) presents Bayer's Fantasia product designs and prototype displays. On view at Material-Connexion, 127 West 25th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001. From September 4th-...

Painter Etugrul Ates  is exhibiting at the Belenky Gallery and Y-Image, 151 Wooster Street, Soho New York 10012. tue-Sat 10:30-5:45, Sun 12-5:45. Up from May 16 through July 16, 2002.

Add you five cents to our new soapbox comments page.

Designer Josh Owen 01-00 recently launched his xox table, manufactured and sold by Bozart.

f e b r u a r y  -  m a y   2 0 0 2

das boot feature: Eric Cobb 

"Disappointing Visions for a New World Trade Center" Architect  
Kent Hikida discusses the current Max Protech show  

The Knitting Factory, presents: Skuli Sverrisson and Jim Black, play on February 23rd. Check on Jim Black's web page  for other updates. 

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ALI  SOLTANI AND FRANCINE LECLERCQ

DAS BOOT recently met with Ali Soltani and Francine Leclercq, in their Murray Hill studio in New York. They are New York architects and designers whose works have been exhibited and published in The United States and in Europe. The bulk of their work remains in the fields of architecture, furniture design and painting. Their architecture is of particular interest for our das boot feature and we take a look at some of their recent architectural works.

INTERVIEW

The Last House

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LAURENT ELIE BADESSI

Mr. Badessi is a French photographer exploring the relationships between the human body, nature and light. His models set against striking backgrounds of natural geological formations bring out a feeling of the human as somewhat alien yet part of these surroundings. These works all have in common a desire to establish a connection with the dissimilar elements. The results are at a level of discovering creation. 

[pic]

JULIE PAYETTE

Montreal; Mount Royal, Genesis of a City. 
The architectural and technological installation by the group AVEC bridged the gap between past and future, mountain and Montreal city, and between the city and its residents and visitors. 

a u g u s t   -  s e p t e m b e r     2 0 0 0

DOOR STUDIO

This unique design studio was taught at the Industrial Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design. It was an investigation into possibilities inherent in this object most often taken for granted in our daily routines. With 12 students, the studio explored existing doors, experimented with what environmental phenomena could equate a door as a passage, a threshold, a closure that defines an operable boundary. The studio scrutinized placements, mechanics, potential material uses, and how a door could be something one would not expect. Taught in fall 1999 by Olafur Thordarson and Karen Frome. 

vefriti 8

vefriti 10

vefriti 9

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ELENA CARLINI AND PIETRO VALLE

Italian architects Elena Carlini and Pietro Valle have worked both in the United States and Italy. They have curated numerous exhibits on artists and architects from around the world. Das boot here showcases some of their diverse works, which ranges from buildings to exhibit designs on both continents.

vefriti 7

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ANTOINE VERGLAS

French photographer Antoine Verglas was born in Paris in 1962 and moved to New York in 1990. He is in high demand in the fashion world as his unique style has propelled his creations onto the covers of numerous magazines like Maxim and GQ. He has captured models like Claudia Shiffer and Cindy Crawford. Verglas keeps ahead of his competition with a clear definition and a quality unique only to his eye. Das Boot here features a small selection of his photographs and a portion of his magazine covers.

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HERVE NAHON

Das boot has the pleasure of presenting you  these beautiful works of Hervé Nahon, who is a French artist living and working in Marseille. His works have been shown internationally in France, England, Germany and Iceland. His art work includes installations, video, photography and sculpture. See here a few of his ephemeral sculptures, created with melting wax, melting ice, dissolving salt and electric lights.

m a r c h     2 0 0 0

HARVEY TULCENSKY

New York artist Harvey Tulcensky was presented to das boot by free lance writer Laetitia Wolff (das boot 1999). Tulcensky's photography is on one hand careful while on the other highly spontaneous. His images seem to capture space and motion through observation. He has a strong sensibility for how light affects one's perception of place. Many of his images are extremely stoic in nature. Some have such minimal lighting, they're barely legible. Other images express motion and high tension while always refering to particular and very real places. His way of capturing images of "subjects" show his creative sensuality.

Text entitled "In the still of the night", by Laetitia Wolff.

V e f r i t i  6

f e b r u a r y     2 0 0 0

ELFIN FRIEDRICH VOGEL

New York Director Elfin Friedrich Vogel  was born in Wuppertal, Germany. After high school he left his native country to study violin and classical guitar in Switzerland, interrupting his life there with extended stays in Italy and France. In 1978 he moved to New York, where his focus shifted from music to theatre.

Elfin Vogel has given equal focus in his stage projects to new plays and important plays of the 20th Century as to the classics.

Elfin's next project is DEWPOINT, a new play by Vincent Sessa, and his third collaboration with this playwright. Elfin Frederick Vogel's productions have been reviewed in publications such as the Village Voice and the New York Post, he has also been featured in various radio programs such as WBRK and WAMC

j a n u a r y    2 0 0 0

JOSH OWEN

Josh Owen was born in the United States in 1970. The son of an archaeologist, he spent the summers of his youth on excavations in Israel. He holds a BFA in Sculpture and a BA in Visual Studies from Cornell University and an MFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has studied at Tel Aviv University and in Rome. Owen has been the recipient of several design awards and has shown his furniture and lighting designs at the Paris Furniture Fair, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City and the Material Connexion, also in New York City. He currently teaches product design at Philadelphia University and is the principal of owenlogikdesign, an industrial design studio located in Philadelphia, PA. Some of his innovative furniture and lighting designs are available through Minima and soon through Umbra.

biomorph lamp, aluminum and polypropylene hose, 1997

d e c e m b e r    1 9 9 9

THORRI HRINGSSON

Icelandic painter Thorri Hringsson [Þorri Hringsson] has had a very active painting career in Iceland. He studied at the Jan Van Eyck Akademie in Holland, after which he has set up numerous solo gallery exhibits, as well as participated in many group shows.  He is presently the head of the painting department of The Reykjavik School of Art. His works are part of various international, public and private collections.

BODVAR LEOS

Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, artist/illustrator Bodvar Leos graduated from the Icelandic School of Arts and Crafts in Reykjavik. After which, he worked for advertising and graphic design agencies in Iceland and eventually he opened his own studio in Reykjavik. He takes on commissioned drawings, comics and artwork for clients around Reykjavik city. His 15 years of work has produced a volume of drawings and artwork, some of it familiar to all Icelanders. His works have been featured in numerous publications including the main Reykjavik newspapers.

The Table, pencil on paper, 1996

n o v e m b e r    1 9 9 9

VERETTA

Born in Kansas, photographer Veretta Cobler moved to New York City to pursue her art and now heads V-Group photographers.

Veretta shows a wide interest in the many aspects and inter-relationships of art forms and expressions as it relates to photography: fine arts, portraiture, still life, nature, entertainment and theater, fashion, music, spirituality and traditional indigenous culture. Her photographic work has remained essentially spontaneous and intuitive. She continues to design her studio sets while at the same time working and experimenting in new fields like digital photography and creative photographic collages.

For the last ten years, she has been currently undertaking a major work on documenting rituals and ways of American Indians in Arizona and New Mexico.

o c t o b e r    1 9 9 9

DAVID PROVAN

Designer/sculptor David Provan, with his wife Ann, established PROVAN, a New York-based design firm. PROVAN’s approach to design exploits the tensile strength of steel resulting in a collection of spare, highly-refined furniture of striking lightness and grace. Since its first appearance in 1995 their innovative work has been featured on television and in numerous publications on four continents.

His furniture and sculpture have been seen in galleries and museums such as Grace Borgenicht Gallery (New York), Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art (Korea), Mindy Oh Gallery (Chicago), Wenger Gallery (Los Angeles), and Fiterman Fine Arts (Minneapolis).

Laurie Anderson "Songs and Stories from Moby Dick" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music BAM, New York City.  (Featured show for opening of the BAM Next Wave Festival). Opera House  Oct 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16. Skuli Sverrisson (das boot July 1999) plays   with Laurie Anderson and will tour with her to the west coast and Europe.

s e p t e m b e r    1 9 9 9

SHoP

Four architecture projects

The works of SHoP/Sharples Holden Pasquarelli, consist of various contrasting architectural projects that explore site-generated concepts. This means wrappings, translucencies, structural sculpture, passage and other architectural brainers. Space-time and bent reality is present throughout their works, whether their projects contain god himself or sex as we'd want it. The facade of the Museum of Sex is as distorted as a sophisticated musicians improvization, while the structure of The Church of Greater New York is strung through holy space like a materialized violin concerto.

Das Boot shows here four of their current works, the Museum of Sex, Mitchell Park (Greenport), The New Church of Greater New York, and V-Mall. Each of these projects are presently in construction or design development phase.

once there was  M O M A , now there's :

M   O   S   E   X

Museum of Sex, New York City

a u g u s t   1 9 9 9

ANNIKA BERGLÖF

Annika Berglöf recently completed her shows at the RVS Gallery in Southampton, New York and The Bergman Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden. Since her graduation at the New York Studio School, she has been active with her work and been featured in various magazines, including the Manhattan Magazine in New York. Das Boot here shows nine of her large  paintings.

Process. 1998. Acrylics, 125,5 x 105 cm. 

> Annika Berglöf paintings <

DARRYL CURRY

Darryl Curry is a New York composer and playwright. He had his works commissioned by various playhouses in New York City. Mr. Curry was a playwright at The Third Step Theater Company in New York where he received critical claim for his Elephant Piece and Quitters. 

Mr. Curry recently wrote the score for Pomerance Elephant Man (not to be confused with his Elephant Piece) on stage Sept 2-25 in New York City.

Das boot features here a couple of his written-compositions. The first is a portion of The Elephant Piece, the other Time's Here (An other Species Monologue).

The Elephant Piece

Time's Here
An other Species Monologue

j u l y   1 9 9 9

BO JACOBSSON

Swedish sculptor and welder Bo Jacobsson has a Midas touch for the high profile designers. This is the man who actually built the sinks at the Paramount Hotel and materialized the visions of numerous architects and designers. Here is a sample of his portfolio, including his own sculptural works.

Metal frame bed, original design by Bo Jacobsson, 1994

> Bo Jacobsson <

MELISCA KLISANIN

New York rug designer Melisca Klisanin is mainly known for her woven rugs. She claims her work is "in constant change", as her materials reach from the old hand crafted world to materials of our industrial age. She has been featured in various publications and exhibits. Das Boot here shows some of her rug designs.

> Rugs by Melisca Klisanin <

SKULI SVERRISSON

Icelandic musician Skuli Sverrisson is known for the work he creates on his electric bass. Sverrisson always concentrated on extracting sounds that explore various peripheral techniques. His solo performances are very powerful and sedative compositions. It is the kind of work that one would not normally expect to hear from a bass player, subliminal and often void of rhythm.

Sverrisson plays around the world, and mainly in New York City. The numerous musicians he plays with all share the same thirst for creative work and are an integral part of his work.

Moby Dick : Sverrisson in performance with Laurie Anderson, on tour 1999

j u n e   1 9 9 9

ALI  ADIB  SOLTANI

Architect  Ali Soltani (Das Boot Sept 1998) wrote an essay for das boot, with his thoughts on a subject dear to many an architect and interior decorator.

excerpt :  In construction amongst the builders, vanilla is a loan word, it is generally referred to gypsum wall board paint and plastic laminate, quick, easy and cheap, "a vanilla". Show them a Ryman painting and they'd say: what is this its just white its a vanilla, a child could do it ... . The irony of it though is that indeed, a child could.....

VANILLA

June 5 thru August 6. 529 West 20th Street. Tel 462-2600

June 3 thru July 16th. 526 West 26th Street. Tel 627-0974

Olafur Thordarson / furniture-art / 1989-1999

Sound installation : Music For Furniture by Skuli Sverrisson. Exhibit poster design by Hjalti Karlsson

June 18th-July 13th.   26  2nd ave. Opening reception June 18th, b. 6-9pm.

m a y  1 9 9 9

studioSUMO

Sunil Bald and Yolande Daniels are partners in studioSUMO. Their architectural work is generally of an investigative nature. They have had their work exhibited in Japan as well as in various New York galleries. Dasboot shows here one of their many projects which they entitle "Wall-Eye".

Their New York  Wall-Eye project was a time based installation. It took place during a one month time period in 1997, in a public plaza across from the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.

> Wall-Eye <

ANGELINA JOLIN

Image designer Angelina Jolin has worked with the top people in the fashion industry. She is a multi-talented stylist, art director, production coordinator and writer for various fashion magazines. She is well known and respected in her field.

Angelina has been working on her craft for more than ten years and now has her own production company. Before this she was modeling in Paris, Italy, New York and Sweden -which is her home town. She lives in New York but travels extensively for her work.

Das boot asked her for some of the more diverse work she had created in collaboration with well known photographers and models. Enclosed are thirteen images from her extensive portfolio.

Photographer: Dan Bengtsson

< Angelina Jolin <

4 BEGASSTO 

May 7 through June 11   Furniture exhibit at the Klisanin Ross Gallery on 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street, New York City. See the design work of  Michael Graves Digs, Melisca Klisanin, Christopher Ross and Olafur Thordarson.  Reception is on Sunday May 16th, b. 6-9

583 Broadway, May 11-May18, Exhibit "window" showing works of various designers, including : Michael Graves Digs, Olafur Thordarson, Melisca Klisanin, Christopher Ross, Michael Whitney and Stephen Burks

Olafur Thordarson

at the ICFF

a p r i l  1 9 9 9

GUÐMUNDUR GUNNARSSON

Icelandic architect Guðmundur Gunnarsson, born Reykjavik, works out of his architectural practice in downtown Reykjavik. Aside from his built projects in Iceland and Greenland, he has been active with research on Icelandic architecture. Among other things, he has published his own essays on Icelandic architectural history up to the present and co-produced the first architectural tour guide publications for Reykjavik, published in 3 languages. He was invited by das boot to submit writings on Icelandic architecture.

Gunnarsson has been an active member in the Icelandic Architecture Association, where he currently serves as the president.

< The Icelandic Turf House >

JUDY CHOI

Korean-American painter Judy Choi has always painted with passion alongside her architecture career. She worked as an architect in California and New York. In California, she combined her two arts by specializing in trompl'oeil painting. Since then, her paintings have mostly expressed her experiential sensibilities. Presently, Judy Choi is undertaking a larger painted project, a mosaic of portraits.  Das boot chose to introduce some of her work that shows her keenest sense of observation.

< Judy Choi paintings >

v e f r i t i   I I

m a r c h   1 9 9 9

FRANCINE LECLERCQ

French artist Francine Leclercq has in the last few years concentrated her work on paintings like no other painter. Avoiding realms of representation, she manipulates the materials;  paint, canvas and frames through processes of peeling, layering, molding, casting, dripping and weaving. The results are a series of paintings that border craft and mechanics. They portray a thorough understanding of painting as medium while the end is always in progress.
Leclercq is presently sponsored by the Soho20 Gallery in New York and her upcoming exhibit there in SEPTEMBER will include many of these incredible works.

A6  Kiss, 20 x 20 cm, 1998

<  Leclercq Paintings >

LAETITIA WOLFF

French freelance writer and exhibit coordinator Laetitia Wolff was invited by Das Boot to write an article of her subject choice. As a freelance writer she has taken on work writing for various magazines on design and architecture, such as Italian design magazine Abitare, French Magazines Intramuros and [dizajn], as well as a cover article for Columbia University's architecture publication Newsline. Recently she has organized the Young Guns II NYC Exhibition for the Art Directors Club in New York City, where she is the editor of the Annual.

The Music
of
Sonia Jacobsen

....sometimes the melodic phrase collapses soon after and drifts away in evanescent quotes of jazz standards, tango reminiscences or Eastern European languid moods. Emerging from silence, the melodic phrase discloses itself to disquieting accords, to aquatic harmonies in dangerous imbalance, fading away in sliding descents or exploding into a brief strident cacophony...

>   "The Music of Sonia Jacobsen"   <

text and sample sounds

f e b r u a r y  1 9 9 9

ÁSGEIR SMÁRI EINARSSON

Icelandic painter Ásgeir Smári Einarsson established himself on the forefront of the Icelandic arts scene during the 1980´s. His Reykjavik solo exhibits attract much deserved attention and at this point he has opened up his private gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark : Gallery Copen.

He is best known for his paintings of urban situations, a tough and somewhat underexplored subject. His way of dealing with the Reykjavik midsummer light is a strong element in his work, where buildings portray an alive, oddly proportioned and foggy environment.

< Ásgeir Smári paintings  >

MICHAEL HAVELY GRAVES

Furniture designer and architect Michael Havely Graves is partner in Brown/Graves, inc., furniture design/manufacturing company based in New York City.  Their best known piece is the Perch Kitchen/Barstool, now widely published along with their other collaborative work.

Michael Havely Graves is designing furniture on his own and will be present with a great new line of designs at the New York International Contemporary Furniture Fair this spring. Be on the look in the near future for this strong furniture designer, who has a strong insight into the making of objects and knows how to give them boldness and character.

Perch Kitchen/Barstool, Brown/Graves, 1997

< click here for Michael Graves furniture >

  This February starts a commentary by anonymus contributors to das boot. The commentary is scheduled as the wind blows and appears under das boot pseudonym

VEFRITI

V E F R I T I

j a n u a r y  1 9 9 9

ROSE MARIE WOULFE

New York City fashion designer Rose Marie Woulfe has years of experience and tons of great clothing designs. The nature of her incredible work encompasses higher-style that is ultra feminine, to a most refined outrageous. Rose Marie Woulfe provided das boot with some of her sketches, and a private collection that demonstrates her sense of elegance, to a region within the bizarre.

Grace Jones has worn her clothes, what else do you need to say.... Other clients  include Kirstie Alley, Andie McDowell, Kathie Lee Gifford and Maureen O'Boyle. She has provided clothing for stars on MTV, the Phil Donahue Show, Oprah and Melrose Place shows and much more.

Persian cat "woody" in drag

< click here for Rose Marie Woulfe fashion design <

ANDREA  M. LOCKETT

Poet Andrea Lockett  is currently putting together a collection of her work. We discovered her brilliant wit at a poetry reading in Tribeca, New York, where with great passion she read her ironic, political and often erotic poetry.

Caribbean Love Song

If I bite you like a Mango,
If I pop you like a grape,
If I suck you like a soursop,
You'll know I'm on the make.

If I zest your yellow lemon,
If I shake your breadfruit tree,
If I split you like a coconut,
What will you think of me?

If I slurp you like persimmon,
If I munch you like a pear,
If I pry at your papaya,
Perhaps you'll know I care.

If I section your star ruby,
If I tongue your tangerine,
If I prod your promegranate,
We are gonna cause a scene.

If I peel your ripe banana,
If I squeeze your orange juice,
If I guadamize your guava,
Beware love is on the loose!

click here for more

Andrea Lockett  P O E M S

Because of a high volume of talents, we decided as of January to feature more than one person per month

Recommended Architecture reading: Architecture Theory since 1968 by K. Michael Hays. Excellent compilation of the most influential architecture writings between 1968 and 1993. (cba)

d e c e m b e r  1 9 9 8

ERTUGRUL ATES

Turkish painter Ertugrul Ates has exhibited his paintings throughout the world, mainly in the United States and Turkey. His work has been widely published, including several books written on his art.

His exploding of the flat canvas and fragmentation of the subject matter results in other worlds which are left to interpretation. Ates works with a clear sense of scale and spatility that through representation pushes the bounds of  compositional structure. Blurred perceptual views reflect his Turkish background while his personal aesthetic sensibility is soft and clear.

WOUNDED HERCULES, 127 x 127 cm, 1992

<   Click here for Ertugrul Ates paintings   >

Listing of exhibits

Recommended concert in New York City : Icelandic Bass player Skuli Sverrisson will play at the Knitting Factory on January 1st and 2nd. Also he will play in the Cooler (14th Street) on January 4th

Because of some great feedback, we have added a readers comments page. Please write what you think of das boot content.

Update: Einar Örn Gunnarsson´s
book was published as planned, and is being translated into english. We´ll
keep you posted on reviews.

n o v e m b e r  1 9 9 8

ERIC  J. COBB

Architect Eric J. Cobb recently completed an extraordinary house in Seattle Washington. It is a tour de force of material use, detailing and extremely fluid spatial qualities. The program called for a modest and informal residence for the architect's parents.

He works out of his own architectural practice in Seattle. Prior to this, he was for 5 years a project architect at Smith Miller + Hawkinson architects in New York City and graduated with his Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in 1990.

All photos by Mr. Paul Warchol, except #8 by Eric Cobb.

This house has also been published in: THE NEW AMERICAN HOUSE 2, Oscar Riera Ojeda, Whitney Library of Design 1997 and NEW AMERICAN HOUSES, Matteo Vercelloni, Edizioni L'archivolto 1997

COBB RESIDENCE,  Seattle, Washington. Completed 1996

>   Click here for the Cobb residence    <

"....As a building, the structure is an abstract assembly of few carefully selected materials. Wood, glass, steel and wallboard are joined and positioned according to specific use, necessity and composition. Material and detail string the spaces...."

o c t o b e r   1 9 9 8

EINAR ÖRN GUNNARSSON

October has an excerpt from Mr. Gunnarsson's  latest novel, Tear Of The Bird Of Paradise, slated for publication this very same month, in Reykjavik Iceland. The book has already been translated into German and will be translated into English in the coming months.  Mr. Gunnarsson's books always manage to receive controversial reactions as his uncanny writings manage to stir up a certain portion of his readers. In his new book, Mr. Gunnarsson has molded a psychotic personality, and writes the novel from inside this delusional mind. The character Mr. Gunnarsson  creates is hilarious while at the same time it is a tragic one. It reflects Gunnarsson's deep sense for psychological confusion and how the frailty of the human mind is so easily corrupted with an individuals unfortunate circumstance.

The publisher is Ormstunga in Seltjarnarnes, Iceland, with a full English translation forthcoming.

Tár Paradísarfuglsins, novel
. . . and the bird of paradise wept
Published in Iceland 1998

     Excerpt from chapter 12 :

     I boiled the water, made the coffee extra strong and was reminded of when you invited Anna and Thomas over for supper. That’s when I pretended to be sick, walked around in my pajamas and spoke in an unusually soft voice so that everyone would notice my apparent lack of energy. I was able to invoke perfect sympathy from all present, when I said I felt to dizzy and could not stay up any longer. As soon as I got into my bedroom I hurried into my clothes and sneaked out of the house. I walked in the soft snow to the illuminated house of Anna and Thomas. Certain of nobody being at home, I broke my way in through the back window.
    I always thought this house was disgusting. The pink bathroom rugs, the wallpaper, the crystal vases, the gold leaf rococo furniture, not to mention the oil paintings always happily painted in some nice weather. In here was the Mecca of bad taste, the most expensive loss of taste in all of Iceland. Nobody has a right to make his home in this manner.
    I walked with confidence through the house, as I knew you were just beginning your appetizers, babbling in your empty ways about some shopping trip to Scotland.
    Smashing every single vase, one after the other, I cut the decorative pillows into thousands of pieces, kicked the arms of the rococo sofas and sliced the oil paintings with your sharp knives.
    After I had gone berserk in the apartment and destroyed their furnishings, I threw my self onto the bed of their sweet daughter, who was now studying literature in Spain. She was about as beautiful as a woman can be, the way she hides truth with her cunning nature. All women are hookers except for you, mother. With my pants at my heels I remained clutched in her arms until I ejaculated into a pink floral silk pillow.
    This secret adventure with the student I had in the back of my mind enriched life so that on the walk home, I got an erection.
    When I sneaked in the door I heard your cheerful voices from the upper floor. I got undressed, went under the covers and tried to stay warm. Later, I put my Pajamas back on, walked up into the living room and told you I had been sleeping. I asked for an aspirin for my pounding headache.
    Deep inside I was proud of what I had done. There they all sat, unaware of the things I had done and I knew it would never enter their minds that I was the one. When I said goodbye to those two, I felt I had committed a bit of a perfect crime.

> chapter 6 EXCERPT <

s e p t e m b e r   1 9 9 8

ALI  ADIB  SOLTANI

Ali Adib Soltani was born in Tehran Iran. He is a New York based Architect, who with partner Francine Leclerq has worked on numerous architectural  projects. Most have been within New York City, but others  in Europe and Asia. Prior to his partnership with Leclercq, he was a collaborator with Livio Dimitru and Gaetano Pesce, and studied Architecture at Pratt Institute in New York.

The following piece is one of numerous written compositions and poems by Mr. Soltani.

M U S E

IN                         THE
A R  I  T  H  M  E  T I C
INTERLACE             OF
L   E    T    T   E   R   S
GOVERNED             BY
THE          DEAFENING
MUTENESS             OF
VOWELS,      W    O   R
D    S       HAVE       AS
THEIR      TASK      TO
MAKE    A    THOUGHT
VISIBLE,                  AN
OBJECT                   OF
THEORIA                 OR
SPECTACLE                 ,
THEY        CAN         BE
REGARDED         THEN
AS                 BUILDING
UNITS                      OF
LANGUAGE;              AS
ARE                        THE
MATERIALS         USED
FOR     THE     MAKING
O                                F
A R C H I T E C T U R E
AND     AS     IS      THE
TASK                        OF
A R C H I T E C T U R E
TO                DESCRIBE
THE           CONDITION
OF      A      SITE       IN
ITS              UNFOLDED
MOMENT                  OF
HORIZON.                 AS
THE              THOUGHT
S    P    A    R     S    E  ,
REQUIRES              THE
LANGUAGE,           THE
ORDERING               OF
WORDS    SO    CHAOS
R   E   Q   U   I   R   E   S
ARCHITECTURE,        T
HE                MATERIAL
COLLECTION           OF
E   L  E   M   E   N  T   S
ORDERED      SO      BY
THE       DANCE        OF
KOSMOS.      AS         IN
L  A   N  G  U  A  G  E  ,
A R C H I T E C T U R E
IS     A     TREMULOUS
ALTAR         DESTINED
TO     ERODE       INTO
RUINS,                  .   .  .
WHENCE                THE
ECHO          OF           A
MELODY   PLAYS   .  .  .

              a.s. 1998