happy halloween/

michael anastassiades: time and again/ MAK geymüllerschlössel, vienna

I cannot believe I haven't posted these images until now. When I was first in Vienna last May, Michael Anastassiades' intervention at the MAK Geymüllerschlössel had just opened and everyone was raving about how beautiful it was. Of course I had a short amount of time in Vienna (packed with photo shoots) and so I missed it. But to my good fortune the show was still up when I returned in August! So on my last rainy Saturday, I ventured up to this amazing house filled with Biedermeier that is now the MAK Geymüllerschlössel.
I am drawn to Anastassiades' work for his extreme pared away simplicity. His restraint harks back to Brancusi in my mind. But this intervention is more than Anastassiades' beautiful objects in amazing Biedermeier interiors. In some rooms there is sound. It is quiet, so you hardly notice, but it is oddly affecting. In one particular room, the sound of clocks, heartbeats and whispers made me feel like I was entering into a room that was existing in two separate times (second to last image). I felt like there was a seance happening in another time that I could hear, or feel somehow. I guess that sounds kooky, but I don't know how else to explain it. The more I shot, the more I saw, the more I felt. The effect of this show is subtle and I think it can be easy to miss if you are just walking through. The key is to spend some time. The longer you stay in a room, the more it permeates you.
The show is open until November 25. If you couldn't already tell, I highly recommend a visit.
Thanks to the MAK and curator Thomas Geisler for allowing me to shoot.
All images MAK Geymüllerschlössel, 2012. ©Leslie Williamson

washed out colors/harsh sun

Venturing out to get coffee yesterday I had to make a U-turn to shoot these colors in the harsh sun. As everyone is bundling up and pulling out sweaters, I have to admit I am seasonally confused. I know it is from all the jumping from northern Europe to southern Europe repeatedly and the fact that I was working all summer long. I find myself scratching my head thinking "where did summer go?" Maybe that is why the colors here are so appealing and the way the harsh sun makes them almost disappear. They are suggestions of color. Now if I could just sit in this sun and let my mind wander untethered for about an hour...

saturday night pic/just because

from Věra Janoušková atelier in Prague.

julia kalthoff/nyt.people watching/outtakes

Outtakes today from my NYT People Watching post on Julia Kalthoff of Wetterlings Swedish Axe Works in Sweden. Editing is so heartbreaking sometimes. Glad I can share more images with you all here. I posted the second image before, but it is seriously my favorite image from the entire day. It may be one of my all time favorite pictures...

atelier brancusi/pt. 3

Last day of Atelier Brancusi images from my time in Paris.  Of course I had to lead off with the image of Brancusi's view camera. Brancusi's photographs have always affected me. He was rather diligent in documenting his space, work and himself. His self portraits are some of my favorites. See a nice self portrait of Brancusi as well as a great post on the space itself here. And thanks to my friends at the 189 who did a nice post on my images of Brancusi as well as my new book. That post is here. They say some really lovely things and I am always grateful for their support.
I am actually a little surprised by all the attention these Atelier Brancusi posts have gotten. AFAR magazine put it on their "what we're reading" last week and Remodelista did the same thing in their Roundup. So thanks to all of you for the love!
I am just getting back to work this week and starting to edit all the images and make it into my upcoming book. There is so much that I have not even shared from my two month adventure so expect a lot more interesting stuff. Coming soon a nice juicy post or two on the Bruno Mathsson HQ.

waiting.../bruno mathsson

I am sitting at home in SF waiting for the Fedex guy and so I figured I might as well start editing all the shoots from the new book. Where did I decide to start? Bruno Mathsson. There are so many places in his house I wish I could curl up at this very moment.  Of course then I would miss my Fedex delivery at home. Wishing I could be two places at once seems to be a theme since I have returned to San Francisco. What does it mean when being on the road feels more at home than actually being at home? I am still processing it all.
Have a lovely weekend friends. Be back next week...

gone fishing/

Hey everyone!
I am taking a bit of a break before I jump back in to finishing the book. That includes getting a Kickstarter campaign up and running and making a definite effort to just relax for the rest of the week. I'll be back ever so soon, though. I promise!

xx
L-

musee de la chasse/paris

atelier brancusi/pt. 2

Part 2 of Atelier Brancusi today. I didn't get too far into the circumstances of where this space is in the last post and Andreas was kind enough to comment on it. Atelier Brancusi is located right outside the Centre Pompidou in Paris and is run by the Museum. Renzo Piano designed the space it is in (he designed the Pompidou as well with Richard Rodgers). I have to be honest, I am more interested in the feeling that the space evokes than the space itself. Brancusi was an avid photographer of his space and himself. I find his images  to be some of the most beautiful documents of an artist and his atelier. His images are so much more resonant with the feeling than other images of atelier's from this era. Maybe it is because he is documenting his own space, but it feels like it is something more. I like to wonder about that...

nyt.people watching/julia kalthoff

My latest People Watching post is up on the NYTimes T Style blog. check it out!

atelier brancusi/paris

When I was in Paris last week, I made sure to go to Atelier Brancusi. I love Brancusi for too many reasons to list here. Brancusi left his studio and all its contents with the express instructions for it to be recreated in it's entirety for people to visit. It took the French Government awhile to get it worked out, where it would go and how to present it faithfully. So I have been so curious to see how they achieved this. Would it be faithful to his wishes? Would it feel authentic to all the amazing photographs Brancusi took of his own space? They had a lot to live up to. Unsurprisingly, my feeling about it are conflicted. But it is hard not to just lose oneself in Brancusi's life's work and most famous pieces that he kept in his own collection. These images today are just the first main studio. There will be more.

details/maison victor hugo

On my last day in Paris, I wandered in to Maison Victor Hugo on Place Des Vosges. I was there years ago, but I didn't really remember what it was like. It is not an authentic interior in any way, but the space is interesting. The Chinoiserie room is the best. I love the tassel details and the mix with the carpet.

one day in paris/

After this two month adventure of shooting amazing houses (and many other things), I ended up with just one day in Paris to myself. My last day of the trip. I haven't spent time in Paris, without jetlag, for about 15 years. I originally had planned to stay a bit longer but I quickly realized that Paris would be lost on me. I was just too tired. But still, I had a really lovely day through the rain and drizzle. Here are some random shots from my phone. I shot a bit more on my proper camera but haven't even looked at them yet. Expect a post on Atelier Brancusi soon. I went crazy there...
There are a couple from the Palais Royale, one of Atelier Brancusi, a shot of the interior of Maison Margiela and the beautiful Arts at Metiers Metro stop.
It is nice to be back in California, but I am moving at half speed it would seem. The adrenaline of travel has worn off. So I'm taking a little breather and then I jump into the next phase of making this book. Editing.

travel day/california bound!

The last leg of this amazing trip is today. I am jumping on a plane from Paris to San Francisco. In other words I am heading home. Looking forward to a little rest before I jump into all the editing I have to do.
This image I shot above Italy somewhere. I loved the way the clouds were nestling the mountains.
See you in California!

cabinet war rooms/london

While I was visiting London a couple of weeks ago I went to the Winston Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms. For those of you that are unfamiliar, this was the secret bunker where Winston Churchill and the British government worked and planned during WW2. I remember my first visit when I was 19. It had a huge effect on me. The idea that a door would be locked and not opened for 30 years was so thrilling somehow. I was thinking about it is fair to say that my obsession with preserved and "time capsule" interiors started here. The first time I was there I was not even shooting (I did not start taking pictures until I was 20 or 21), so I brought my camera this time. Of course it was so dark it was like shooting in night time and the images are all grainy, etc. but I still love it in there.
On another note, I was working on this post yesterday and had to laugh when I realized that everything is beds. You see yesterday I did my last shoot for this trip (whohoo!!!) and it had the funniest effect on me. I just got sooo sleepy! I am practically narcoleptic, falling asleep anywhere and everywhere. Even my subconscious is telling me I need some rest though the edit of this post! Guess it is a good thing I am heading back to California early tomorrow.

antwerp/

I cannot get this creepy doll out of my head. I went to have a coffee a La Chascona yesterday before I jumped on the train and was compelled to photograph her again. Isn't she crazy? Why do I keep thinking about her? Look at her strange hand gesture.
But you can see from the last image why I returned to La Chascona. How cute is just the mix of coffee cup, saucer and creamer alone- AND good coffee!
Of course, I am in Paris now and shooting my last shoot of this trip today! Crazy!

centraal station/antwerp

Another travel day today but I have to say, it is so hard to leave Antwerp! I really love it here. But promises have been made for my return so I feel sure I will be back in the colder months. On to Paris and my last scheduled shoot of the trip!