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Welcome to the Neighborhood: Homecoming

Lisa Yamada — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:05:13 +0000

Chinatown welcomes Homecoming, a new LA chic boutique, to the neighborhood

Chinatown is slowly becoming the equivelent to New York’s Fashion Avenue. Local designers are occupying loft spaces, and boutiques are popping up left and right. Located on the corner of Beretania and Bethel is the newest fashion boutique, Homecoming. Shop owners Emilie and Kiyoma Fuji opened their freshly painted yellow doors less than a week ago.

Getting styled in true LA fashion on my favorite day of the week: Shoesday

Straight from LA, the two have been stocking the shelves with designer labels and building a shoe wall that will literally knock your socks off. Dolce Vita, DV8 by Dolce Vita, Soludos, Manitobah and Jeffery Campbell grace the shoe wall, while polka dots, silk tops, knits and patterns cover the racks. Homecoming’s collection also includes menswear and accessories. Visit the clothes, shoes, friendly owners, and their pug puppy Nacho on the corner of Bethel and Beretania (across from Mark’s garage).

Homecoming is open Monday-Friday 11-6 and Saturday 10-6.

The Thin Line: Art & Design & Everything in Between

Jared Yamanuha — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:50:49 +0000

If there’s a wall dividing art and design, it’s less a monolithic brick barrier than a thin, transparent membrane through which ideas and people freely pass. Formal distinctions between the two have dissolved to the point where artists’ business cards frequently boast hyphenated titles, and designers, in turn, are celebrated in exhibitions in blue-chip galleries. These days, creative cross-pollination is the name of the game.

Case in point: The Thin Line: Art & Design & Everything in Between, the forthcoming exhibition by Matthew Honda (partner and graphic designer at Interval in Honolulu) and Benjamin King (illustrator and graphic designer in San Francisco). The exhibition, comprised of San Francisco natives and Honoluluans whose professional backgrounds include publication design, advertising, illustration, graphic design, art education, film and photography, will demonstrate how thin the line between art and design is at the moment.

This event will also offer a ticket auction for works being displayed. How it works…

1. Browse the gallery
2. Purchase an auction ticket for $3 each.
3. Drop the ticket into the box assigned to desired artwork.

You can purchase more than one ticket, and you may bid for as many pieces as you’d like. However, you can only win once.

At the end of the night, we’ll draw one ticket from each box and the selected ticket holder will be able to purchase their desired piece.

The Artists/Designers involved have agreed to donate the proceeds generated through auction ticket sales to Interisland Terminal/R&D

All artwork will be purchased directly through the artists/designers involved.

The Thin Line: Art & Design & Everything in Between
ii Gallery
687 Auahi Street (next to R&D in Kaka’ako).
Gallery opening/auction begins on Friday, May 25th, 6:30-8:30pm
Gallery closes on Monday May 29

For more information, click HERE.

Organik x Whole Foods Artee Event

Lisa Yamada — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:13:23 +0000

Hawai‘i’s leading sustainable beach lifestyle brand, Organik Clothing, along with Whole Foods Kahala will host ARTee Party this Sunday, May 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Whole Foods in Kahala Mall. Local artists from 9th Wave Gallery and Whole Foods will perform live art and create custom designs on vintage, soft Organik T-shirts made in the USA from 100 percent organic cotton grown without chemicals or pesticides.

This fundraiser is part of the 3rd annual “Shop Local” event with family fun activities, entertainment and giveaways. Organik T-shirts will be available for men, women and keiki with proceeds of sales to benefit the Art To Go program at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

Organik is a beach lifestyle brand dedicated to protect the environment with original designs printed on eco-friendly, sustainable and recycled clothing made from organic cotton, bamboo and materials made from recycled plastic bottles. Signature designs capture vintage nautical, beach, Hawaiiana and wearable statements along with colors inspired by the beach and nature.

Shop local, support your local artist and join Whole Foods, Organik Clothing and 9th Wave Gallery to raise awareness and funding for Art To Go at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

For more information visit organikclothing.com.

Organik and Whole Foods Host ARTee Party at “Shop Local” event to raise awareness and money for Honolulu Museum’s Art To Go

Retracing Paradise

Kelli Gratz — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:44:05 +0000

A walking tour of downtown Honolulu, past shapes, under shadows, through more than 200 years of history.

The architecture of Hawai‘i tells an intricate story of the spirit and history of the kanaka maoli, or Hawaiian people, from the first Polynesian settlers to early European traders and missionaries. Materials of wood, lava, pili grass and coconut fronds were the basis of the Hawaiian home and illustrate the level of intellect and resourcefulness specific to ancient Hawaiian builders. From above, verdant landscapes fill the lines of the urban grid and offer those below shade and a resilient connec- tion to nature, a concept deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture. Today, structures of concrete, steel and glass sprout from the pillow of green, glimmering in the sun’s rays, creating a dra- matic panorama against the Ko‘olau Moun- tain range. The juxtaposition of the man-made with the natural forces at play provides an urban experience unique to Honolulu.

Historically, Honolulu has served as the cultural, political and economic hub of Hawai‘i for more than two centuries. “When the mis- sionaries first came here in 1820, there was no power, they didn’t have guns, they didn’t have military weapons, they came with ideas and it was through collaboration with the ali‘i [chiefs] that they had any affect on the islands at all,” says Thomas Woods, the executive director of Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives in Honolulu. “They were partners.” As merchants and missionaries began to settle and build accommodations with building tech- niques native to their geography, the ali‘i and royal family were eager to adopt foreign styles of architecture, radically and forever altering the built landscape

A quick 15-minute drive from Waikīkī, downtown Honolulu contains nearly 200 years of architecture within a one-mile radius. From the first missionary housing and church, to contemporary high-rises like the First Hawaiian Center, Downtown Honolulu is a heterogeneous mix of building forms and styles from every major historical period of Hawai‘i, with a growing list of complexes that are declared National Historic Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown Honolulu can be subdivided into four environs: Capitol District, Central Business District, Water- front and Chinatown, each with its own distinctive architectural composition.

An easy stroll through downtown Honolulu, past some of the landmarks listed below, makes it easy to explore Hawai‘i’s architectural history and to discover how building techniques of the past have come to shape our city today.

Originally published in:

Visit innov8magazine.com to view the full issue.

Crystal Visions, Gypsy Fall 2012 Collection

Lisa Yamada — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:40:28 +0000

Inspired by the mystery of the stars above, GYPSY releases their new magical collection Crystal Visions.

The collection features super soft fabrics in neon hues with graphic prints & sparkling details.Each piece is handmade in Hawai‘i and entirely one-of-a-kind. The Crystal Visions Collection evokes an otherworldly energy and a lust for the beyond.

For more information or to view the full line, visit madebygypsy.com

AMALGAMATE: Open Call to Hawaii Artists

Lisa Yamada — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:35:17 +0000

Yuzu, Where Looks Can be Deceiving

Erika Forberg — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:56:37 +0000

As a sushi enthusiast, it is difficult to understand how anyone could deprive themselves of food so tasty. I imagine owner Isamu shared the same confusion when he added “veggie sushi” as an alternative to Yuzu’s sushi menu.

The veggie sampler presentation is beautifully executed (as seen right) and is a perfect alternative for vegans, vegetarians and veggie lovers. The sampler includes: tomato, carrot, eggplant, shiitake mushroom, lotus root, eringi mushroom and yuba sushi.

Prior to taste, the veggie sampler appears to be standard fishy goodness. The most remarkable resemblance is the peeled tomato sushi. The appearance and texture are synonymous with tuna sashimi. Naturally, the taste was completely different, which left somewhat of a disconnect between my brain and palette.

For the traditional, non-vegan/non-vegetarian sushi lover, the temari sampler is the gateway to sushi heaven. Yuzu prides itself on presentation. Instead of wrapping the fish with seaweed and rice, the sushi chef allows the fish to wrap bite-size rice balls and tops it with homemade sauce. According to the menu, the ball-shaped sushi gets its name from temari balls, which are made from leftover scraps of kimono fabric. In Japanese, “te” = hand + “mari” = ball

Whenever I eat sushi, I have to factor a hot dish into my meal. Yuzu offers fresh, hand-cut udon, yakitori, organic Yukon fries and omlettes.

The creativity doesn’t end with the sushi. Yuzu offers lotus root pizza. That’s right, pizza. The pizza is crustless, sauceless and meatless. The Japanese variation consists of cheese and lotus root. It is recommended to pair the pizza with a Yuzu hot sauce from California. It adds heat to the dish and adds a little moisture.

After dining at Yuzu, I began to question my diet. I asked myself, “Why don’t I eat like this everyday?” All items are healthy and surprisingly delicious!

Yuzu is located on the ground floor of Ala Moana Hotel, located at 410 Atkinson Dr. Hours: Friday & Saturday until 1 a.m.; lunch 11:45 a.m. – 2 p.m.; dinner 4:30-10 p.m. For more info, visit yuzuhawaii.com.

DJ Compose on Deck

Lisa Yamada — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:55:22 +0000

If you’re out in Los Angeles this week, be sure to support local boy Jay Ablan, better known as DJ Compose, at the Los Angeles regional of Red Bull Thre3style. He’s competing for a chance to win a ticket to the Thre3style National Finals in Orlando.

To hear a sampling of Compose’s good time vibe, visit soundcloud.com/dj-compose. Be sure to check out our FELLAS issue featuring Compose, hitting stands May 15.

Language Arts by CJ Dunn

Lisa Yamada — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:45:00 +0000

This First Friday, The Human Imagination will feature the work of CJ Dunn on view at their Nuuanu and Pauahi Streets gallery space. Originally from Honolulu, Dunn is a graphic designer based in New York City specializing in custom type, lettering and branding work. For this exhibition, Language Arts, Dunn has created a series of hand painted signs using traditional sign painting techniques as well as an original typeface that has been laser etched, letter by letter, into individual wooden blocks. These blocks are set up as an interactive piece, magnetically attached to the wall, so viewers can arrange the blocks into words. Along with this exhibition, The Human Imagination is releasing a limited edition t-shirt with lettering by CJ Dunn, available exclusively at The Human Imagination.

Previously CJ Dunn’s typographic work has been exhibited at the Type Directors Club and The Idyllwild Arts Academy, and he has created custom type, lettering and branding for clients including Nike and Kidrobot.

Language Arts
New works by CJ Dunn
May 4 – May 30, 2012
Opening reception: Friday, May 4, 5 – 10 PM

Located in the heart of Honolulu’s Chinatown, The Human Imagination is a the latest concept from the IN4M brand. Equal parts retail space, gallery and creative office, The Human Imagination echoes its namesake and prides itself on its constant evolution. For more information, go to TheHumanImagination.info or call 808.538.8898

Modern Dance in Waialua

Lisa Yamada — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:17:38 +0000

Classes are held every Thursday:
Beginning Class, 6-7 p.m.
Intermediate Class 7-8 p.m.
First class is free!
$10 per class or $35 for 4 classes

Waialua Art Center
66-935 Kaukonahua Rd.
(Next to Paalaa Kai Bakery)
Charlie de Morais Teixeira started dancing fairly late at the age of 18 when she moved to New York City. She studied primarily Martha Graham technique and took classes at the Merce Cunningham and Alvin Ailey Studios. On scholarship at the Graham School, she performed with the Second Company at Lincoln Center.

Teixeira brings her expertise to Waialua. Every Thursday night, experience modern dance on the beautiful North Shore! Hers is a class for individuals who have been previously trained in ballet or modern dance, or for those looking to explore new forms of expression. While there will be an emphasis on technique and form, the primary focus will be on staying present in the moment, hearing the live accompanying music and letting go in the low-stress environment.

Contact nsmoderndance@gmail.com or call 808-391-0774 for more information.