the third space is a monthly newsletter featuring Jess, Patty and Inga's reviews on third spaces they love. We post monthly on our website, thethirdspace.xyz
Usagi
Words: Jess Chang
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Rating: 25/30
Usagi, a self-described cultural hub for creatives, attracted my attention with its understated hues, natural materials, and clean lines. I was feeling withdrawn from the plethora of cultural venues after my year in Taiwan. When Usagi appeared as the first result of a quick Google search for "bookstore cafés Brooklyn," I was ecstatic.
My first impressions of Usagi are based on my five senses. The woody aroma of matcha tea, the subdued jazz hop boppin' in the background, and the varying lighting tints all captivate my attention. I take a closer look around and note that the room is clearly split into three sections, as mentioned on Usagi's website: the café, the bookstore, and the art gallery. Each room appeared to have been designed with a specific purpose in mind.
At the kotatsu in the café, I overhear a couple on their first date. The warm lighting creates a welcoming environment. They shift their gaze to their surroundings—a Noguchi chair, an architectural wire sculpture, and PHAIDON coffee table books on Japanese design. This area reminded me of the kissatens I frequented in Taiwan and Japan, except that the furniture builds were way more abstracted. The lighting transitions fluidly to the art gallery, which is wide, airy, and cooler in hue than the café space.
In the gallery, negative space surrounds a maze of mobile walls, mounted under barely noticeable tracks. I later learn that the interior is designed by Sou Fujimoto, one of my favorite Japanese architects. Openness, flexibility, transparency, and coexistence of variety and simplicity, the design principles Fujimoto is famed for are exemplified through his use of adaptable track-mounted panels, allowing for an infinite number of ways to frame and position the artwork. The shōji-inspired panel layout aims to strike a balance between simplicity and variety, function and beauty, qualities that appear to be diametrically opposed but coexist like yin and yang.
In an interview, he claims ‘My projects are about nature and architecture,’ he says, simply. ‘A place for humans, integrating various scales from small to large, and the coexistence of simplicity and variety.’
The gallery's topology successfully creates an atmosphere akin to wandering through a garden of art, the display becoming a work of art and theatricality in and of itself.
The bookstore, which houses an anthology of books on art, design, philosophy, poetry, and architecture, completes the layout. Both variety and simplicity are reflected in the way the books are displayed against the wall—some lay flat, others lean on each other, and some face forward. Several wheeled bookshelves surround the wall, reinforcing Fujimoto's design ideals of variety and simplicity once again.
Fujimoto's principle of adaptability is based on traditional Japanese homes, which have one floor for all human activities (sleeping, eating, speaking, and sitting). Due to Japan's dramatically fluctuating climate, which ranges from high humidity in the summer to snow in the winter, as well as the natural disasters that strike the island, such as typhoons and volcanic activity, rooms must be constructed to accommodate these changes. It's no surprise that adaptability was a key consideration in the design of this space, given New Yorks' similarly ever-changing seasons and local creatives' ever-changing needs.
Usagi, which means "spring" or "renewal" in Japanese, is undoubtedly a third space for flourishing ideation and collaboration, rather than for independent, focused work. Because it is a large open space, there aren't enough wall entities to absorb the acoustics; loud noises reverberate through the space. But as a space for creative exploration, it not only matches Professor Ray Oldenburg's definition of a third place precisely—not isolated first (home) or second (work) places—but it also is literally divided into three different functions. Because of the versatility of this mixed use hub, I could picture myself making several trips on any given day—in the morning to grab a cup of matcha latte in the café, during the day to collaborate on projects with my friends, and at night to wander around the art gallery.
The Third Space Rating
Scent - 4
Vibes - 5
Textures - 4
Lighting and Thermal - 5
Acoustics - 2
Accessibility - 5
Total rating: 25/30
Art Omi
Words: Inga Chen
Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Rating: 27/30
Sculptures peek out from behind tall grasses. As soon as we pulled up in our rental car, we saw what looked to be a larger-than-life ram head among the trees.
Art Omi is an outdoor sculpture & architecture park stretched over 120 acres in the Hudson Valley. I spent hours walking the grounds, admiring the sculptures in quiet wonder. The best way to experience this beautiful space is unrushed and unguided. Just wander any which way and come upon enormous monoliths that make you look up to the sky, mesmerized in thought.
What is the artist is trying to make you feel? Why did they choose this particular grassy knoll? What about the landscape inspired them? In a museum, you typically see an art piece with a backdrop of pure white to place all the focus on the piece itself. What I love about these sculptures is that the background is sky, clouds, tall grasses. The background is subtly, yet persistently changing: shadows cast by the moving sun, clouds float by at whim, grasses quietly whisper to each other in the wind. The juxtaposition of man-made sculpture, with its sharp edges, straight lines, and bright colors, contrasted with the wild, organic natural landscape, makes me think about how humans have irreversibly left their mark on this earth.
What compelled a human to make something as large as this, not for survival, but for the purpose of art?
This one appears to be a furnished apartment suspended in the air, overlooking the grounds.
This one seems to imply an oil refinery, except it seems like 70% of the size. I wonder if it's commentary on how disruptive it is the serene green landscape.
Then I come upon this one and it's immediately my favorite. Once I've dreamed up my own story behind the sculpture, I wander over to the plaque to see what the artist has to say.
Eureka calls back to the slender gabled canal houses of 18th century New York, vestiges of 40 years of Dutch rule. Just before the pandemic, I was in Amsterdam, admiring the canal houses from the river. Instead of recreating the facade of the canal house, Brian Tolle has created the rippled reflection in the flowing waterway. Aside from the artistry, I couldn't help but be awe-inspired by the ability to use sculpture to freeze an ephemeral moment in time - a simple reflection in the water.
They say a column evokes the building blocks of civilization. This beam says it's at a perfect 83.5 degree angle - neither here nor there.
This one is called Sisyphus, the figure from Greek mythology who is punished for cheating death by being forced to roll a boulder up a hill forever. There is such movement in this piece, it seems like it is being actively formed.
A third space is not home, and it's not work. It's a place to go at your leisure, to engage with friends, family and community. At Art Omi, one seems to have an asynchronous conversation with the artist about something deeply human. It's a visceral experience. Go solo, or go with friends — either way, Art Omi is a creative sanctuary that is as soul nourishing to visit as reading a good book.
Scent (5/5)
Vibes (4/5)
Textures (5/5)
Lighting (5/5)
Noise (5/5)
Inclusivity & Accessibility (3/5)
https://artomi.org/
420 Kent
Words: Patricia Mou
Location: Williamsburg, NYC
Rating: 21/30
New York City is probably one of the only cities where you can fully gage the culture of an establishment by its doorman and lobby aesthetic. Some lobbies emanate austerity and opulence. Some signal power and exclusivity. Others invite you in with a warm embrace.
The lobby in Williamsburg’s 420 Kent stopped me in my tracks with its lush and light-filled space. Cold air washed over my sweat coated body as I inhaled eucalyptus sweetened with musk. Abstract sculptures littered tastefully across the foyer. Their weight balanced against the lightness of waltzing shadows casted through metal arches.
Behind a wreath of bonsai branches, cherry blossoms, and origami, a doorwoman stood alertly with a bun pinned elegantly at the nape of her neck.
Her sharp eyes melted into softened creases, as she smiled at my wide-eyed gawking. Just beyond her stood a wall of ivy, its tilt luring my eyes towards an unruly garden encased in a glass cube. In its center, a metal staircase swirled vertically into the heavens.
It was precisely this culmination of sensory euphoria that compelled me to explore further.
Throughout the day I began to uncover more pockets of thoughtfully designed public space for its tenants: a manicured japanese garden spilling into the ocean, warmly-lit workspaces with oak accents, and corner nooks overlooking the Williamsburg bridge. Japanese elements interplayed cozyily with Scandanavian design, modern yet warm, quiet yet bold.
The intention of the spaces were self-evident: inviting, communal, and decadently green in contrast to the concrete jungle across the shore.
Scent (4/5)
Vibes (4/5)
Textures (5/5)
Lighting (4/5)
Noise (3/5)
Inclusivity & Accessibility (1/5)
Total (21/30)
See you next month!
Cheers,
Patty, Inga, & Jess