While the Armory’s restorationists work to make antique wallpaper look exactly as it once did, Sachs’s replicas of real-world NASA gear replace high-tech materials with 3/4″ plywood and duct tape. The result feels like something a space-obsessed eight-year old might make — if he had access to power tools, skilled helpers and his parents’ life savings.

The exhibition, titled “Space Program: Mars,” updates a 2007 show at L.A.’s Gagosian outpost, in which some of these same sculptures were used to “go to” the Moon. As in that show, the Mars crew will conduct live events (May 31, June 7, and June 16) in which a combination of human performance — “astronauts” in Tyvek-and-tape suits — and carefully photographed scale-model manipulation will enact an imaginary journey to the Red Planet.

On non-performance days, the Drill Hall remains a place humming with activity. Necktie-wearing crew members zip from one side of the 55,000-square-foot hall to another on skateboards; they tinker with gear; they speak via walkie-talkie to Mission Control-ers monitoring dozens of old-school tube televisions. Around the space, visitors linger over installations that range from the familiar — a Winnebago in which astronauts suit up for liftoff — to the fanciful, like a small shed in which Mars explorers will be able to conduct traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.

Smack in the middle is the Landing Excursion Module, a life-size (or, to use the program’s pocket-protector lingo, “one-to-one scale”) replica of the vessel the real-life NASA used to land on the Moon. Sachs’s version, though, will keep astronauts entertained: an onboard library sports deep-reads like Ulysses, and guns in the canteen squirt tequila and Jack Daniel’s; for music, he offers his crew two Al Green cassettes. Here and elsewhere in the exhibit, every tool — each hammer and screwdriver and soldering gun — is labeled with a Sharpie, bearing both a serial code and a name borrowed from an art- or pop-world legend. (Some labels evince second thoughts: A broom once named for architect Le Corbusier now pays tribute to Kanye West.)

Visitors hoping to tour the LEM should allot an extra hour or so to their Armory visit. It’s off-limits to anyone who doesn’t undergo an “indoctrination” program consisting of some educational videos, a written and oral exam, and a short period of menial service — like sweeping up debris around the Mars Rover, a heavily modified golf cart.

The films are as entertaining as the tour, affording a peek inside the artist’s actual SoHo studio. There, employees are governed by the commandment-like “Ten Bullets” list and taught to love that miracle material, plywood. Viewers also get an informative analysis of the Sachsian color palette — where yellows are borrowed from Kodak and McDonalds, black comes in many forms, and purple is strictly forbidden.

All of this is easily appreciated as tongue-in-cheek whimsy, but Sachs (whose sometimes provocative work has in the past combined violent themes with luxury-brand icons) naturally intends further layers of meaning. He has told interviewers his NASA fixation isn’t just a childlike indulgence but a sort of homage to space missions that themselves were performance art — massively expensive projects with little practical value but ample resonance with humanity’s dreams and ideals. Here, juxtapositions raise questions about the money and energy spent not just on exploration but on contemporary art. They return a human scale to space travel, reminding us how primitive technology was in the days of the Moon missions, and leave us to marvel at the ambitions and accomplishments of that earlier generation.

And they let us envision a day when those “do it because it is hard” ambitions will return — and will hopefully be flavored with enough hedonism to equip future pioneers with a healthy liquor cabinet and a well-stocked iPod.

For details on live performances and talks, visit armoryonpark.org.

WHAT CAN’T YOU TRAVEL WITHOUT AND WHY? Polaroid camera because it’s my way of keeping a diary. Something sugary to eat because I have a sweet tooth. 

WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION? Holbox Island in Mexico.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ONE PERSON TO SHOW YOU “THEIR NEW YORK CITY”, WHO WOULD IT BE?  Macaulay Culkin. I just want to know what he gets up to these days.

WHAT OR WHO HAS INSPIRED YOU RECENTLY, AND WHY? I recently watched a documentary about the finning of sharks and the effect it is having on the world wide population of sharks. I am now getting involved with the charity ‘worldaid.org‘ to make people more aware of this situation as it needs to be dealt with. Worldaid.org and everyone on the team of this small charity has inspired me to get out of my own bubble and think about what i can do to help the world.

After an amazing debut NYC show at Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday evening, Adam Bainbridge, AKA Kindness, brought his best vinyl records (all the way from the UK), to treat fans and guests to an exciting and eclectic DJ set / live performance.

Joined on the decks by Ethan from Terrible Records, Ilirjana – The Pop Manifesto, Drew Heffron, and the lovely Chris Taylor from CANT & Grizzly Bear, the evening was a huge success with an all-night dance party ensuing.

The live performance was sensational, with Adam accompanied his two beautiful singers, Rebecca and Valentina in a number of his own songs, as well as some amazing karaoke-style renditions (including ‘Don’t Let Go (Love)’ – En Vogue)… Taking a hold of the laser lighting, Adam shone the colored lights down over the audience causing wild, ecstatic dancing and cheering. It was an awesome sight to behold. 

Guests included Dave P (Making Time), Prince Language, Eric Lodwick (Shining Mirrors), Diane Birch and Ariel Stark-Benz amongst others.

Big thanks to Terrible Records and Female Energy for hosting a wonderful launch party.

The recently opened Bowery Diner (sitting next door to the must-see, NewMuseum) is the perfect weekend brunch spot.  With to-die-for doughnuts, and a scrumptious selection of smoked meats, this is the place to cure all that ails you. GrandLife recommends ordering the corned beef hash or the French toast. Also this weekend, one of our favorites newcomers, ACME finally opens for brunch. If you haven’t been in to check this place out, and the lure of longer opening hours doesn’t get you there, maybe the beer-and-bread porridge, Pork Loin Sandwich, Danish doughnuts, or a grilled romaine salad will!

DRINK:

With the weather shaping up to be more summer-like than spring this weekend, finding a watering hole that allows for outdoor space or a breeze in Manhattan can be a task. Therefore, GrandLife are regulars at The Room; a dark and sexy, but open-ended beer & wine bar. Offering more than 70 varieties of ale (including many rare German and Belgian imports) and 30 types of wine (all available by the glass), this is the spot to spend a balmy evening with a cool drink.

SHOP:

French fashion house, Sandro are opening yet another NYC boutique this weekend in SoHo, on Prince Street. The Men’s and Women’s store features their Spring Summer 2012 collection which is a beautiful selection of this season’s colors and stylish cuts including blazers, short, tailored shorts, and well-cut shirting. The sleek and super-french store is a wonder of wardrobe staples and must-buys. Be sure to also catch the Loeffler Randall sample sale today and Saturday from 10am—5pm. It’s located at 525 Broadway between Broome and Spring Sts (fourth floor), and has a good variety of fashionable clogs, flats, booties and high heels.

PLAY:

This Saturday night, one of London’s most hotly anticipated and enigmatic musicians, KINDNESS will grace the TRIBECA GRAND HOTEL with a launch party celebrating World, You Need A Change Of Mind. Joined on the decks (and yes, there will be vinyl!) by friends, Chris Taylor (CANT / Grizzly Bear), Ethan of Terrible Records and Ilirjana Alushaj of the Pop Manifesto, this is tipped to be one of the parties of the year. If you’re in the mood for a late night dance party, head to LIT in the LES for Fac Off. Featuring sounds by the inimitable Andy Rourke (The Smiths), JETLAG, WILLIAM and Ole Koretsky, you’re gonna need a comfortable pair of shoes, because this dirty dancefloor’s going to get hot. And, if that’s not enough to get you excited and exhausted, and house music’s your bag, check out DJ JEREMY GLENN (future classic), presented by Kaviar Disco Club and Justin Miller of Have a Killer Time. It’s being held at Cameo in Williamsburg and will be an essential way to ensure an ultra relaxing Sunday is had.

EXPLORE:

TASTE OF TRIBECA – Our very own culinary maestro, Chef Richard Farnabe will be presenting a mouth-watering dish of classic stuffed zucchini flowers with local goat cheese at the annual TASTE OF TRIBECA Food Festival. Be sure to head to this treasure of a festival with an empty stomach! Canadian born artist, Tomás Saraceno has created a constellation of large, interconnected modules constructed with clear and reflective materials for the Metropolitan Museum’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. Visitors are free to walk through the surreal structure and experience for themselves. Watch this amazing video to see the construction of this unique art installation, which must be seen to be believed.

Known for his eclectic and diverse disco-heavy, house, electro sets, Prince Language is formidable behind the decks, and seamlessly douses party-goers in super sexy, non-stop aural pleasure.

As a great friend of GrandLife, we were thrilled to hear about a brand new release from the dance music maestro, almost 2 years in the making. 

In 2010, independent Hip Hop record label, Stones Throw Records released an anthology of released and unreleased tracks by Canadian musician and composer, Bruce Haack, a pioneer of electronic music.

Now, in 2012, an 8-track LP of Haack remixes has been released on vinyl as well as for digital download.

Titled, Bruce Haack Remixes which features the talented handiwork of Prince Language as well as other brilliant reworkings from producers, Samiyam, PB Wolf, The Stepkids, Jonwayne, Vex Ruffin, Jonti, this is an album not to be missed.

GrandLife chatted with Prince language about the release. 

GL: How did you first come across Bruce Haack?
PL: I first discovered him years ago when a friend played me one of his earlier, more experimental electronic records, either Electric Lucifer or Haackula.  It definitely blew my mind.  He was a pioneer in so many ways as a musician and engineer, and as a result his music was so unique compared to a lot of early synthesizer music.

envoy enterprises is a leading contemporary art gallery with a commitment to new artistic talent. Founded by Jimi Dams in 2005, envoy was the first gallery to abandon its prime location in Chelsea for the Lower East Side in 2007.

Celebrating the launch of Brendon Herman’s new exhibition entitled House Of Leaves, envoy will present an evening of great music and tasty drinks.

Of the show, the gallery presented this release:

“What Brandon Herman is realizing is that he’s using his art practice as a means to edit his past. 

For his new body of work, his childhood home becomes the location for a film he shoots in both live action and stills.  He edits the imagery down to a selection so sparse that there is no longer a discernible storyline.  A broken movie.   

Considering the fragmented nature of memories themselves, it makes sense that he offers images like these in replacement, if he truly hopes for the body to accept them as its own.

So this place of significance becomes recontextualized. Idealized. Infused with the excitement of having been part of a dramatic narrative, but since that narrative is not truly his own, devoid of any genuine emotional attachment.  Or at least I’d guess that’s the idea.  I wonder if he hasn’t created an equally poisonous decoy.     

Three stills depict various parts of the yard. There is a specificity and a static nature to them that makes me uncomfortable.  In a movie, if a location is shown to me, I know something is going to happen there.

The accompanying video piece, which resembles the opening sequence of a film, is similarly saturated with an air of anticipation.

The three remaining photographs are each either imbued with a foreboding or display an aftermath.  These are moments of tension. Moments that inherently lack sustainability, as I’m sure do the moments where he fully convinces himself he is either back there doing it over better, or has replaced whatever he is trying to erase.”  

-James Franco*
Los Angeles, April 2012  

Brandon Herman was born in Hillborough, California in 1983.  He graduated with a BFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in 2006. Herman has exhibited internationally, including in a recent project with Musac Contemporary Art Museum in Leon, Spain.  His work has appeared and been written about in such publications as Anthem, Artforum, Dazed & Confused, Eyemazing, Flaunt, Nylon, Soma, Tokion, V, and Vice, and is part of the Harvard Business School permanent art collection. 

This is Herman’s second solo show at envoy enterprises. 

* Fictionalized statement, not authorized by James Franco

Art Wednesday – Tribeca Grand Church Bar. Music by Leo Fitzpatrick. Complimentary Drinks from 7pm-8pm.

While a serious scene can sometimes mean food is an afterthought, not so at Ken & Cook. How could it be when managing partner Artan Gjoni and chef Richard Diamonte come from Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Mercer Kitchen, another downtown favorite not far away. The menu hews classic, flirting with European and American influences. 

Oysters are never a bad option. Here they’re elegantly arrayed on a seaweed strewn platter, salty and cold. Don’t miss the perfectly done squid, served as a refreshing salad with mint and spicy chilies — it’s a definite menu highlight. And while beet salads are on every menu these days, this one stands apart, with chunky baby beets in a rainbow of hues, mingling with greens and avocado.

Move on to pasta’s next — they’re another house specialty, toothsome and just ‘al dente’. Clam linguine features the sea creatures in shells and deep-fried as a topping that adds texture and crunch. It’s salty, chewy, and briny and you won’t stop till you’ve eaten every bite. Rich braised veal is served over thicker pappardelle with breadcrumbs, and it tastes like something somebody’s grandmother would make. She’d threaten to fatten you up with it, but you’ll want to finish it anyway.

Save room for the fried chicken. It’s difficult to but worth it, when the skin is this crispy and the meat (free-range Amish chicken that’s been pre-brined) is this flavorful. Meanwhile, the biscuit on the side is a carboholic’s buttery, dripping dream. The house burger is served, wisely, on pretzel bun, and monkfish arrives with an delicious pureed vegetable sauce you’ll want to dip fries in. Speaking of dipping, dessert must be piping fried beignets you dip yourself in a lemon ricotta glaze.

With a good-looking crowd and waiters smartly dressed in denim shirts, you’ll want to linger and have another glass of crisp rose, or maybe a cocktail like the refreshing Ruffian (tequila, mescal, St. Germain, and lime). And that’s just fine — because this is exactly that sort of place. 

Ken & Cook, 19 Kenmare St (Elizabeth St. and Bowery), 212-966-3058

Located at 68 Wooster Street, and running through to July 1st, the store is designed to highlight the new Herman Miller Collection, and features richly detailed furniture vignettes with accessories and objects to complement. Each is created to tell design stories past and present.

By the middle of the 20th century, the name Herman Miller had become synonymous with “modern” furniture. Working with legendary designers George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames, the company produced pieces that would become classics of industrial design.

Since then,the company has collaborated with some of the most outstanding designers in the world, including Alexander Girard, Isamu Noguchi, Robert Propst, Yves Béhar, Doug Ball, and many talented others.

While the Pop Up Shop is intended to serve as a showroom for the architectural and interior design community, it will also be open to the public seven days a week.

The Herman Miller Pop-Up Shop is located at 68 Wooster Street (between Spring and Broome Streets) and is open Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm, and Sunday 12 noon to 5 pm, through July 1.

Their untitled exhibition will be held at Feltraiger on Allen Street, which is an American-made menswear line produced in limited runs in Brooklyn, NY. Designed and operated by brothers Daniel and Jon Feldman, the line depicts a new American Classic Cool style.

Alexis Gross is a photographer, artist, and curator raised in New York. Having identified a natural passion for taking pictures, her photos are a true extension of her everyday existence. Alexis’s work has been featured in many skate, fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Wow and Interview, as well as stores and galleries including Bloomingdales. It’s certain her career is set to soar to great heights. www.alexisgross.com

Molly Stone’s portraits show reflective and intimate moments of her life creatively enough to fit the bill for both fine art and commercial sides of photography. Her inclination towards softer light and the intense emotional stillness she gets from her subjects, reel the viewer in. www.mollystonephotography.com

Magdalena Wosinska was born in Katowice, Poland and later moved to Arizona in the early 90′s. Now living in an old Highland park Hunting lodge, she remains busy with her metal band, Green and Wood and shooting with various clients. www.magdalenawosinska.com

GrandLife spoke with the three girls about their careers, dreams and hopes, in the lead up to their exhibition. Here’s what they had to say:

Check out the exhibition (work will be available to purchase on the evening):

WEDNESDAY, 16TH MAY 2012

7PM-11PM

Take your mom to Eataly for an exuberant mother’s day culinary extravaganza. Eataly is more than a supermarket with restaurants. It is an energetic marketplace, an opportunity to taste and take home the products of artisans who till, knead and press to bring you the highest quality products. Under one roof, Eataly have assembled the absolute best Italian producers from every region and the absolute best chefs to cook their wares. Your Mom will love you forever for it.

SHOP:

Pick up a cool and unique hand-picked arrangement from Flower Girl NYC on Orchard Street for your mom, and grab a few bundles for your own apartment whilst you’re at it!

If it’s intimates you’re after, GrandLife favorite ARAKS started their sample sale this week. Open until 6.30 pm Friday, this lingerie line carries some of the most beautiful mesh panties and bralettes, and has even featured on the big screen on the backside of Scarlett Johansson in Lost In Translation, no less. Hurry in to grab a bargain. 137 Grand Street NY, NY 10013.

PLAY:

Saturday night will be a blast at the Tribeca Grand’s LIVE FROM TRIBECA, with a huge line up of DJ’s as well as a special performance by LA based “sparkling, psychedelic-pop gems” Magic Wands. Recently touring & playing shows alongside The Kills, The Horrors, The Raconteurs, The Black Keys, The Virgins, as well as appearances at SXSW, Noise Pop and Lollapalooza, these guys are plugged to be BIG ones to watch. Following their performance, Erik Tonnesen will jump on the decks. Erik’s band Jump into the Gospel is making waves here in New York he’s also a member of a little electronic/dance/disco outfit known as Holy Ghost!. Joining him in curating the night’s soundtrack are The Rassle, Peter Gaston (Spin), and Ultragrrrl will be hosting the evening.

EXPLORE:

MoMa Ps1 is presenting the last in their Sunday Session series with an almighty bang. First up, in conjunction with her solo exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, artist Taryn Simon presents the extensive exhibition catalog in  conversation with Jenny Schlenzka, Associate Curator, MoMA PS1. To follow, DJ Afrika Bambaata will be celebrating Kraftwerk’s extensive influence on electronic music, with the distinguished DJs and producers to play tribute sets in the installation Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Over four consecutive weekends, invited musicians have explore different facets of the group’s pioneering sound that influenced musical styles as diverse as Electro-Funk, Disco, New Wave, Techno, and Hip-Hop.

In 1982 Africa Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force sampled Kraftwerk’s “Trans Europe Express” to create “Planet Rock”, one of Hip-Hop’s first hymns. Like many Rap and Hip-Hop musicians after him, Bambaataa used Kraftwerk’s melodies and sound inventions to electronically reinvent the rhythmic complexity of black dance music.
TICKETS ($10 in advance, $15 at the door).