Vernissage!

Ozone Showroom

I was at the opening for Ozone's new collection last night. It was all style and finesse, champagne and low rhythmic drones from the hidden surround sound system and– a fog machine. This scene was something out of  Zoolander. But seriously folks, the lights were minimal and elegant. According to Gilles, one of the designers, the swank studio is founded on a collective model where all partners ("invested to various degrees") participate in all aspects of the production. In general, however the physical forms are fabricated by others. The income is typically from private contracts. Everyone seemed to be doing quite well. We ended up here thanks to an invitation from new friends we met at the Obama inauguration viewing party at Harry's New York Bar. I was watching the black helicopter take Shrub away and I was overwhelmed by the pain of knowing he was going to Texas, my home state, where my mother is! Why there, why not Oklahoma!?!!?  I turned around to the nearest stranger and said in all my exasperated English - "Too bad he's going to Texas" and he answered  "Yeah too bad he isn't going straight to jail." So of course we were instant friends.  

Lighting by Ozone

Afterwards, we went to dinner at Maria Lousia for delicious pizza with our Obama friends, Colin (artist) and Celine (philosopher of aesthetics).  Collin and Celine are wonderful, intelligent, funny and warm people. Celine is understated but has an encyclopedic knowledge of art from a philosophical point of view.  So as a kind of party trick I asked her for the single artwork I should see at the Louvre. She said without hesitation see the Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault. 

 Then she said " I have to give you two."  She added Raphael's portrait of Baldassare Castiglione.

I imagine she was allowing for a breadth of experience but I have no real idea why these two. I am sure it will be very, very interesting to stand before them each and consider why.  She has published a paper about the horizon that I hope to link to soon.  Also, and I am so sad I can't take the course but she will be teaching a course on the aesthetics of walking next year! Maybe there will be a reading list or algorithm or even just a whisper about the course that I can find out about. I will share of course.