क्यू:My sister, a beauty, has a moneyman madly in love with her - he calls three times a day। A gallery owner gave her a print of Man Ray's famous (and costly) photo, Profile Study of a Woman, just because she is so special। I could go on, but you get the idea. Who does she want? A man who told her that he loves her but cannot see her, as he has another relationship he wishes to protect. When I tell her she should forget him, that he's a motivated Viagra user who does not wish for anything beyond the moment, she calls me a bellicose meddler. Why does she burn up so much energy thinking about this man while ignoring those who love her? Bellicose MeddlerDear Bellicose, One question, many possible answers. The first that comes to mind is that she has another relationship she wants to protect but enjoys a little fantasy and adventure in her life. Her protected relationship might be a lover or her father or her work. Is she talented? If so she may unconsciously realize that creative expression is her mandate right now, so she protects it by wanting someone who's not around. In other words, not a time consumer. Another possibility: she's experiencing the deep happiness of unrequited (at least practically speaking) love. This theme of longing pervades all romantic literature. Take historic folk tales from around the world. There's one about a cockroach in love with a cat who was Cleopatra in a previous life and whose motto was toujours gai, toujours gai. The cat, of course, ignored the cockroach, even though he hurled his tiny body at typewriter keys one at a time to write sad and beautiful (but of necessity short) poems for her. If you could have asked (too late; he is no longer with us) Anatole France, he would quote himself (we all do) by saying a man who wants a woman needs to buy a whip. Today many women enjoy cyber-relationships because they're supercharged, anonymous, and involve strangers who remain mysterious. If your sister is basically enjoying her dream of an unavailable man and going about the business of her life, fine, but if his remoteness is ravishing her sense of self, then you have to insist she get over him. * * * Dear Ann,The Middle East confuses me. Does justice need to remove the bandages from her eyes long enough to distinguish between the vicious and the unfortunate? Didn't Plato say that everywhere there is one principle of justice, which is the interest of the stronger/ Hussein goes after the Kurds, Israel goes after the Palestinians, the Saudis sell us oil but don't want an increased American presence in their neighborhood. I noticed how many Democrats supported Bush on the Iraq invasion, so it's a bipartisan idea, but I still wonder about why we're going there. No Expert Dear No,We're going there because Iraq is the third richest country in the world, Hussein is a warlord, and he's this close to being able to nuke American cities. The Arabs fear us because they are dictators, and they don't want their subjects, especially the women, getting ideas about freedom and democracy into their pretty little heads. To hate America is to hate humanity because we are a cohesion of all the races in the world. Soon we will have a population of 300 million, ten percent of whom were not born here. We have 600,000 elected offices. No other country so clearly represents the wishes and aspirations of mankind. * * * Dear Ann, In college I couldn't beat off the girls I was such a hunk. One Hour Photogenic, that was me. Other Big Men on Campus had to content themselves with my leftovers. I've always liked to wear jeans but now look like a denim burrito in them because of my beer belly. How do I get rid of it? I'll punch the next person who tells me to do sit-ups or crunches, because they just firm up the flab. The shape remains unchanged. Former Tom Cruise Type Dear Former,Do crunches and sit-ups. Just kidding. I wish I had met you when you were in college, as Tom Cruise is a big fave. For others, as well, as the fifteen movies he has made since Cocktail in 1988 have had a total domestic (only - we're not counting foreign) box office of $1.75 billion. But back to you and your tummy. There's hope. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Center in Boston have reportedly identified a specific enzyme in fat cells that cause them to cluster around the abdomen. Truly. You are not dreaming as you read this. If drug companies (can create medications to turn off this enzyme,, it could help abdominal fat burn away. Don't think the purveyors aren't trying. * * * Dear Ann,I was surprised to see that the Gap's Don Fisher appointed Disney's Paul Pressler as CEO. His predecessor, Mickey Drexler, came from Ann Taylor, and the other Gap execs have retail background as well. I mean, didn't Pressler run the Magic Kingdom and other Disney theme parks? I know you people at the magazine are into fashion, so I wondered what you think this man can do for the Gap. I'm asking because a relative was in the running, and he knew what he was doing and definitely could have helped the firm. Pressler, on the other hand, may well be set up for failure (which should make those who hired him feel guilty). No Longer a Gap Man Dear No, I see new lines for Gap, a chance for men to change their looks. They've been through the Italian-hetero-casual, the geeky-oenphile-sexually curious, the waiter-weight lifter, and suspect but circumspectly dressed styles. Now Gap may offer Pluto clothes, not for dogs, heaven forbid, but for men who always wished they were Sting. Or Bugs Bunny jackets for the overweight who would look best in togas. Jackets that will make those porker bellies disappear. And don't forget the girls. Daisy Duck house dresses would be good for those who feed their husbands, excuse them, pamper them, help them with their jobs, plus do the shopping, cooking, gardening, and cleaning. The Daisy line could feature (duh) daisy prints in jolly yellows and whites. A secondary line in sack cloth or burlap would work for the wives whose husbands call them stupid, accuse them of turning pages too loudly when they read, call their children disappointments. A Minnie Mouse line could feature black leather ensembles for the woman who wants to be a fashion gladiator on a budget. The security guard - policewoman look. Not your Pepto-dismal woman but not frou-frou either. * * * Dear Ann,Sometimes I think my wife belongs on a psych ward. I mean it. Her latest idea: we should buy a lighthouse. She claims the US government is selling them. Is this true? Married to Destiny's Illegitimate Child Dear Married, They are for sale and in fact, and, as Interior secretary Gale Norton said, "Lighthouses capture the spirit of the seafaring adventurers and tap into the call we all have inside us to be adventurers." For centuries lighthouses protected our coastlines, and now the government is not selling but giving away these landmarks to those who quality - historic foundations and others who can guarantee maintenance and preservation in perpetuity. Nonprofit groups, community development organizations and state and local governments are eligible to receive them. Individuals interested in historic preservation could join an exciting society or form one of their own and apply for a lighthouse. The program will continue until all of the 300 lighthouses involved are in safe hands. If any are not given away, they will be auctioned to qualifying individuals. To meet eligibility criteria, you must mail an application before the end of this year to: The US Lighthouse Society 244 Kearny St., Fifth floor San Francisco, CA 94108.* * * Dear Ann, I am so sick of watching my stock portfolio go down, and my stock broker is balancing a chip the size of Bidworth Boulder on his shoulder. Just thinking about him makes betrayal swell inside me like a balloon too inflated and climb to my throat. I feel like taking up kickboxing for our next visit. He has done nothing to stem my losses and appears to feel that the main function of his job is to collect his paycheck. Is anyone making money these days? If so, how? More Impoverished Every डे

अन्स्वेर: Dear More, Yes, those who invested in gambling stocks, especially those in the American Indian casinos. These stocks are up forty percent so far this year. Las Vegas is also on a roll and has become the number one clothing retail center in the world. We're talking gross sales of designer attire - Chanel, Armani et tous les autres Don't E-mail asking, "What about Rodeo Drive, Madison Avenue, the faubourg St. Honore, all of Milan?" None of the above comes in ahead of Vegas. Bottom line: people are more willing to bet at roulette than invest on Wall Street.


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My sister, a beauty, has a moneyman madly in love with her - he calls three times a day. A gallery owner gave her a print of Man Ray's famous (and costly) photo, Profile Study of a Woman, just because she is so special. I could go on, but you get the idea. Who does she want? A man who told her that he loves her but cannot see her, as he has another relationship he wishes to protect. When I tell her she should forget him, that he's a motivated Viagra user who does not wish for anything beyond the moment, she calls me a bellicose meddler. Why does she burn up so much energy thinking about this man while ignoring those who love her? Bellicose MeddlerDear Bellicose, One question, many possible answers. The first that comes to mind is that she has another relationship she wants to protect but enjoys a little fantasy and adventure in her life. Her protected relationship might be a lover or her father or her work. Is she talented? If so she may unconsciously realize that creative expression is her mandate right now, so she protects it by wanting someone who's not around. In other words, not a time consumer. Another possibility: she's experiencing the deep happiness of unrequited (at least practically speaking) love. This theme of longing pervades all romantic literature. Take historic folk tales from around the world. There's one about a cockroach in love with a cat who was Cleopatra in a previous life and whose motto was toujours gai, toujours gai. The cat, of course, ignored the cockroach, even though he hurled his tiny body at typewriter keys one at a time to write sad and beautiful (but of necessity short) poems for her. If you could have asked (too late; he is no longer with us) Anatole France, he would quote himself (we all do) by saying a man who wants a woman needs to buy a whip. Today many women enjoy cyber-relationships because they're supercharged, anonymous, and involve strangers who remain mysterious. If your sister is basically enjoying her dream of an unavailable man and going about the business of her life, fine, but if his remoteness is ravishing her sense of self, then you have to insist she get over him. * * * Dear Ann,The Middle East confuses me. Does justice need to remove the bandages from her eyes long enough to distinguish between the vicious and the unfortunate? Didn't Plato say that everywhere there is one principle of justice, which is the interest of the stronger/ Hussein goes after the Kurds, Israel goes after the Palestinians, the Saudis sell us oil but don't want an increased American presence in their neighborhood. I noticed how many Democrats supported Bush on the Iraq invasion, so it's a bipartisan idea, but I still wonder about why we're going there. No Expert Dear No,We're going there because Iraq is the third richest country in the world, Hussein is a warlord, and he's this close to being able to nuke American cities. The Arabs fear us because they are dictators, and they don't want their subjects, especially the women, getting ideas about freedom and democracy into their pretty little heads. To hate America is to hate humanity because we are a cohesion of all the races in the world. Soon we will have a population of 300 million, ten percent of whom were not born here. We have 600,000 elected offices. No other country so clearly represents the wishes and aspirations of mankind. * * * Dear Ann, In college I couldn't beat off the girls I was such a hunk. One Hour Photogenic, that was me. Other Big Men on Campus had to content themselves with my leftovers. I've always liked to wear jeans but now look like a denim burrito in them because of my beer belly. How do I get rid of it? I'll punch the next person who tells me to do sit-ups or crunches, because they just firm up the flab. The shape remains unchanged. Former Tom Cruise Type Dear Former,Do crunches and sit-ups. Just kidding. I wish I had met you when you were in college, as Tom Cruise is a big fave. For others, as well, as the fifteen movies he has made since Cocktail in 1988 have had a total domestic (only - we're not counting foreign) box office of $1.75 billion. But back to you and your tummy. There's hope. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Center in Boston have reportedly identified a specific enzyme in fat cells that cause them to cluster around the abdomen. Truly. You are not dreaming as you read this. If drug companies (can create medications to turn off this enzyme,, it could help abdominal fat burn away. Don't think the purveyors aren't trying. * * * Dear Ann,I was surprised to see that the Gap's Don Fisher appointed Disney's Paul Pressler as CEO. His predecessor, Mickey Drexler, came from Ann Taylor, and the other Gap execs have retail background as well. I mean, didn't Pressler run the Magic Kingdom and other Disney theme parks? I know you people at the magazine are into fashion, so I wondered what you think this man can do for the Gap. I'm asking because a relative was in the running, and he knew what he was doing and definitely could have helped the firm. Pressler, on the other hand, may well be set up for failure (which should make those who hired him feel guilty). No Longer a Gap Man Dear No, I see new lines for Gap, a chance for men to change their looks. They've been through the Italian-hetero-casual, the geeky-oenphile-sexually curious, the waiter-weight lifter, and suspect but circumspectly dressed styles. Now Gap may offer Pluto clothes, not for dogs, heaven forbid, but for men who always wished they were Sting. Or Bugs Bunny jackets for the overweight who would look best in togas. Jackets that will make those porker bellies disappear. And don't forget the girls. Daisy Duck house dresses would be good for those who feed their husbands, excuse them, pamper them, help them with their jobs, plus do the shopping, cooking, gardening, and cleaning. The Daisy line could feature (duh) daisy prints in jolly yellows and whites. A secondary line in sack cloth or burlap would work for the wives whose husbands call them stupid, accuse them of turning pages too loudly when they read, call their children disappointments. A Minnie Mouse line could feature black leather ensembles for the woman who wants to be a fashion gladiator on a budget. The security guard - policewoman look. Not your Pepto-dismal woman but not frou-frou either. * * * Dear Ann,Sometimes I think my wife belongs on a psych ward. I mean it. Her latest idea: we should buy a lighthouse. She claims the US government is selling them. Is this true? Married to Destiny's Illegitimate Child Dear Married, They are for sale and in fact, and, as Interior secretary Gale Norton said, "Lighthouses capture the spirit of the seafaring adventurers and tap into the call we all have inside us to be adventurers." For centuries lighthouses protected our coastlines, and now the government is not selling but giving away these landmarks to those who quality - historic foundations and others who can guarantee maintenance and preservation in perpetuity. Nonprofit groups, community development organizations and state and local governments are eligible to receive them. Individuals interested in historic preservation could join an exciting society or form one of their own and apply for a lighthouse. The program will continue until all of the 300 lighthouses involved are in safe hands. If any are not given away, they will be auctioned to qualifying individuals. To meet eligibility criteria, you must mail an application before the end of this year to: The US Lighthouse Society 244 Kearny St., Fifth floor San Francisco, CA 94108.* * * Dear Ann, I am so sick of watching my stock portfolio go down, and my stock broker is balancing a chip the size of Bidworth Boulder on his shoulder. Just thinking about him makes betrayal swell inside me like a balloon too inflated and climb to my throat. I feel like taking up kickboxing for our next visit. He has done nothing to stem my losses and appears to feel that the main function of his job is to collect his paycheck. Is anyone making money these days? If so, how? More Impoverished Every Day Dear More, Yes, those who invested in gambling stocks, especially those in the American Indian casinos. These stocks are up forty percent so far this year. Las Vegas is also on a roll and has become the number one clothing retail center in the world. We're talking gross sales of designer attire - Chanel, Armani et tous les autres Don't E-mail asking, "What about Rodeo Drive, Madison Avenue, the faubourg St. Honore, all of Milan?" None of the above comes in ahead of Vegas. Bottom line: people are more willing to bet at roulette than invest on Wall Street.


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"Do not insult the alligator until after you have crossed the river" is a Haitian safety rule with which we agree. Our good health rule: rigorously adhere to Aristotle's Golden Mean and practice moderation in everything, or read Fashionlines.com. There are many reasons for number two, and one is that we periodically attend UCSF Foundation meetings where we hear as yet unpublished news from the cutting edge of medicine. We won't comment on whether any of us, even Christine, is good about Aristotle, as too much personal commentary interferes with the goal of objective journalism. The latest from UCSF covers a lot of territory; so we gleaned highlights, our favorite of which involves food supplements: "Ensure" is marketed to gain weight and build muscles; "Slim Fast" is marketed to lose weight, and yet a can of each has the same ingredients and number of calories. The three popular notions for fitness, in order of preference: no smoking, exercise every day for at least one-half hour rather than longer sessions a few times a week, and drink water. We would like to add two more: avoid Presa Canarios and people who are too enthusiastic about S-M. As a subset to the "hooray for water," we learned that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, which slows down the BMR (basic metabolic rate) and brings on fatigue and inability to concentrate. We heard some bad news about colas; for instance, you can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days. The active ingredient in colas is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8, and it will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. There was a lot of talk about DHEA, the growth hormone produced by the adrenal gland purported to reverse the aging process, turning fat to muscle and infusing the user with the mad exuberance of adolescence. The doctors at the University did a controlled clinical test of DHEA and discovered it does change the muscle/fat ratio by 10% but at the expense of severe joint pain, a swelling of facial features, and - in large doses - causing a horrible disease called acromegalia. Mentally the hormone makes no difference, until the onset of acromegalia. This study, to be published in the journals later this year, says not to take DHEA, period. The jury is still out on the question of ACE Inhibitors, but it is clear that they should be taken naturally in the form of fruits and vegetables rather than vitamin pills which are not well absorbed into one's system. Finally, the steroidal pain relievers, administered to avoid the internal bleeding aspirin can produce: their pain relief properties are the same as but no better than aspirin, and the same goes for the abdominal bleeds. Furthermore, the steroids knock out some people's bone marrows. So there you have it, kids: walk down to your juice stand for that smoothie, and if your feet ache by time you return home, pop an aspirin. Some people think pain is a lot of fun, but we don't, so after you take the aspirin, you might want to soak in a bath enriched with oils and green tea and surrounded with scented candles. That's the best way to keep your bodies from going back on you and betraying us to a nest of microbes. * * * The San Jose Cinequest film festival has come into its own, attracting visitors from around the US and abroad. This celebration of maverick filmmakers was opened by "Your Guardian," Bay Area Writer-director Kari Nevil's drama produced by Adrianna Pope Sullivan. The film stars Irene Bedard and Chad Lowe and tells the story of a girl raised by drag queens. It "is quirky and has heart," says Adrianna. It is fused by the differing attitudes of the sexes to love and family even in this contemporary anything-goes atmosphere. It's a rare movie achievement: a work of grace and beauty in an offbeat context. * * * Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, wife of George, had to turn down the position of the nation's protocol chief because she is battling breast cancer. We are counting on her to win and go to Washington in four years, because regardless of who is the Pres, she could serve us as no other. She dominated an era in San Francisco, put the "fun" in fund raising. Her benefit parties were so imaginative and delightful that her name on the invitations guaranteed sellouts. She was loyal to her community and friends, never dropping her original buddies as her fame expanded. She said, "Never complain, never explain," but unlike others who echoed, she lived by it 100%. She does everything 100%, and she will now, until she recovers. May it be soon. She is loved by so many. A loving person lives in a loving world, as people we meet are mirrors. Charlotte has lived in a loving world. * * * We enjoyed "Pollock," produced by and starring Ed Harris, which took ten years and grew out of the actor's obsession with the artist. Harris looks like Pollock, though he does not possess the extreme antisocial nature that alienated the painter from friends and family. "I got drawn in by Pollock's struggles as a person," Harris says. "I felt for him ... he was self-obsessed because he could not get beyond his own feelings or perceptions of things." The film shows showing painting as a way of life rather than an enterprise, and the script manages to avoid preachy cliches. Harris deserves congratulations for a remarkable portrayal, though it does not quite capture the man; Anthony Hopkins could not quite get Picasso, either; it must be that the spirit of a person is his own and cannot be imitated. "Pollock" deals with the artist during his abstract expressionist period when he created the drip paintings that made him so famous. Earlier he was preoccupied with graphic images like horses, bulls, trees, moons, organic forms, and rather cubist looking women; we thought he just wanted to be another Picasso, but his psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Henderson, explained the images differently. We met Dr. Henderson when he was in his nineties and still a riveting conversationalist. Jackson had given him a number of figurative drawings of his dreams to aid in interpreting them, and after the artist's death, he decided to exhibit them. They opened at MOMA New York to a storm of controversy, as the critics disparaged Henderson for showing confidential material. He was held up as a traitor by the psychiatric profession and described as a coolly detached mercenary who simply wanted to sell the works. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Dr. Henderson was the scion of a very wealthy family who became fascinated by Carl Jung and inspired to become a Jungian disciple. He did mostly pro bono work and stoically endured a family tragedy. His wife, a beautiful and brilliant poetess who was descended from Charles Darwin, suffered from incurable depression and spent most of their married life in institutions. Dr. Henderson was familiar with the dark side of the human spirit and could see its expression in Pollock's work, his dreams, and his life. The horses and bulls were heroes who balanced the artist's weakness, who were helping him discover and assert his soul and his individual identity. The figures were guardians, and they served him the way Poseidon, God of the Sea, served Thesus, and Prseus with his wise centaur Cheiron guided Achilles. Animals and godlike figures represent the whole psyche, Henderson said, the larger and more comprehensive identity that supplies the strength that the personal ego lacks. The female images (women, crescent moons) in Pollock's drawings show a vacillation between masculine activity and feminine passivity and a desire to be free of maternal bonds. His need to escape from the mother prison affected his relationship with Lee Krasner, not surprising given the content of the drawings. They also contain ambiguous areas representing a voyage to the unknown. Large empty spaces represent death. "The artist was deeply in the power of the dark aspects of life and preoccupied with death, partly from depression and partly from curiosity," Henderson concluded. There had always been doubt as to whether the artist's fatal auto accident was an accident or suicide, as there was no note. Dr Henderson said, "He was certainly suicidal, and if the wreck happened to be an accident, he would have found another way." * * * "You must understand the importance of keeping up appearances," your mother probably said, and we can assume Nicole Kidman's said the same thing. She and Tom Cruise had a smoothly functioning Hollywood marriage with particular career-enhancing benefits for her. All was well, according to a San Francisco man who is part of Cruise's omnipresent entourage, until Kidman began carrying on in public with such men as the peripatetic Russel Crowe. OK, they're both Australian and might have been trained to hold hands and kiss as a symbol of love of country, but you know how husbands can react to these events when the flashbulbs are popping. We gave up on the marriage when we saw "Eyes Wide Shut," the most irritating disaster in decades. The script and acting were indescribably stilted, and you couldn't even the part where she makes love to herself. OK, for a narcissist, loving another is a betrayal of the beloved, she didn't even come across as self adoring. Meg Ryan's fake orgasm in the restaurant during "When Harry Met Sally" was more convincing plus had the grace to be funny. Cruise was brilliant in "Jerry Maguire" and "Magnolia," and she was in "To Die For." They are two of the best, and to have done "Eyes" suggests they were so wrapped up in inner struggle and conflict that they couldn't see what a false note the movie struck. * * * The minute the name Malkovich appears on the marquee, we dash off to the movies; readers must be used to it by now. His latest, "Shadow of the Vampire," is a revamped story of the making of the 1920s German film, "Nosferatu," a defining masterpiece of German Expressionism. He plays the legendary director, F. W. Murnau, in this bitingly funny take on cinema verite, which features a real life vampire playing the lead. William DeFoe's campy vampire combines horror and humor, as does the rest of the film. When directors try this, it's usually the humor that takes over; we don't think anyone in the audience was actually frightened during "Shadow," but there were a lot of chuckles. It begins with Malkovich's amazing voice off camera saying, "Lens. Camera. Roll." Elias Mehinge, who directed "Shadow," must have been inspired by the scene in "Line of Fire" where we first encounter that Malkovich voice on the phone without seeing him. Could any other actor be as easily recognized after pronouncing one syllable? The story here, a one liner about how to shoot a realistic story, is not likely to rivet those who like plot driven films, but for Malkovich fans it is a feast. He is in every scene, beyond brilliant, and looking fabulous in his 20s German wig. We love you, John, and we loved the film. * * * We went to see "The Mexican" to decide who has the most star power; Brad or Julia. The winner: Julia. She lights up a scene with a radiance that subdues even his sexiness. Her acting is competent; it's her aura that makes her a star, even in this totally boring film.




Daryl Roberson, a founding partner of Studios Architecture, is a man with the Clint Eastwood easy charm and general appearance, except that Daryl dresses in the tweedy blazer/striped tie manner of a clubman rather that the fringed leather and tooled boots make-my-day look. We spoke at a Bix lunch consisting of frisee salad with fresh artichokes and grilled salmon with Orso, and he shared a bit about his life and philosophy. When he speaks of his work, his enthusiasm shines through his eyes, his voice, his gestures, which try to describe the spaces under discussion in the air. It's akin to "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the door and see all the people," but more unconscious and sophisticated. He avoids sketching on the table linens, though his restraint clearly derives from great effort. One can picture what the cloths and napkins look like at home. Hopefully his wife has a good laundress. Most architects' wives need them. Daryl has a persuasive verbal ability and is brilliantly able to articulate the firm's mission and his own principles. Like all the best, he avoids the architecture jargon, like calling windows "fenestration penetrations." Instead he speaks in everyday language but with a pronounced ability to enable the listener to visualize. Any novelist would envy his talent for the word picture. He comes across as lacking in arrogance but rather in possession of a quietly steady creative vision; it's almost as if he humbly stands aside from it. The Studios group was founded in 1985 by Daryl, Gene Rae, Phil Olsen, and Erik Sueberkrop, all FAIA, and the firm has offices in New York, London, Paris, Washington, DC, and San Francisco, and the members' hundreds of projects include the Shanghai Grand Theater in the Peoples' Republic of China, Societe General in Paris, France, 3Com Corporation in Dublin, Ireland, Knoll International GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany, Apple Computer, UK, in London, England, the International Trade Mart in Osaka, Japan, and Discovery Communications in Miami, Florida. This is not Daryl's first group venture; he always believed in the synergy of approaching projects in a diverse fashion and gaining the uniqueness of several perspectives. His first venture, Environmental Planning and Research, was undertaken when he was starting out in San Francisco, not quite on a shoestring, but the next thing to it. He and his partners bought a broken-down 19C brick warehouse in Jackson Square, retained the exterior and gutted the interior. To achieve sufficient space, they had to dig down; the way people who are building underground garages do, and still create a well-lit, attractive work environment. Needless to say, the group pioneered novel lighting techniques. The environment they created reflects the Studios' perspective of today: the space should reflect the client firm's mission. Is it ecology, metaphysics, a marriage of high art and science, the relationship of society to the built environment? Ergonomics? What matters is an underlying sense of purpose, and a strong design ethos; Daryl and his associates value balance, and it is sometimes a delicate balance between practical problem solving for the complex programmatic perspectives of a multifaceted company and the commitment to architecture as a high art. Innovation is the underlying cornerstone, and the design should be leading edge. Architecture is nothing less than making joys perpetual, and if an architect wants change, his whole spirit needs to be that change. When inspired by a great project, his thoughts will break their bonds, his mind transcend limitations, his consciousness expand. "Why is being corporate architects something to confess?'" दर्य्ल asks. "We just create our work, taking a new building type and moving it to a new expression. Clients have generally come to us for the right reasons," he says, "they are looking to us to push the design."
The Shanghai Grand Theater, located across from the People's Square in the central section of the city, is an 1800 seat hall for opera, ballet, and symphony performances. The 600,000 square foot building includes an orchestral shell, rehearsal areas, dressing rooms, and other backstage facilities. Studios and Team 7 collaborated after winning an international competition, and they created a three-tiered auditorium space incorporating the latest technology in stage design, theatrical lighting, and electronic acoustics. The curvaceous interior deliberately contrasts with the formal geometry of the building's exterior, and the warm wooden elements rest softly within the translucent glass and steel container. There's superior acoustics and intimate seating configuration, and, following the tradition of grand theaters, a five-story main lobby with dramatic architectural impact, whose elements include golden limestone, a transparent curtainwall, and a double grand staircase. being in this building is a moment by moment emotional experience even before the orchestra leader takes his place and the musicians begin to play.
The Société General's million-square-foot investment banking headquarters in La Defense district of Paris features a 297 raked-seat assembly hall, a 260-seat brasserie/restaurant, and a variety of meeting rooms that accommodate twenty to sixty people. The mandate was for work spaces that encouraged discussion and the exchange of ideas, which anyone who has seen Parisians arguing and gesticulation in the little outdoor cafes can appreciate. The French have a saying, "De tous ceux qui n'ont rien a dire, les plus agreables sont ceux qui le font en silence." Translation: Of all those with nothing to say, the most agreeable are those who do it in silence. We will not comment on whether the French pay attention to this homily ancienne or not; we will just say the spaces in this building would want you to say something and make it good. They inspire creative thought. Studios designed the sort of socializing space usually associated with public areas. Alluding to Baron Hausmann's redesign under Napoleon that created the spoke wheel pattern and grand boulevards of the French capital, these contemporary architects created circular stone-clad rotundas in each hemisphere of the floor which are focal points of long tapering corridors. Studois' philosophy is to try to contribute to the advancement of society; it's all about making people feel better about what they do every day. Judging by this building and its inhabitants, it works. The multi-phased manufacturing complex 3Com built just north of Dublin represented a true design challenge: make a factory beautiful and user-friendly. Studios' team devised a design that referred to the components of a medieval Irish castle: tower, keep, and moat. The strategy was to separate the functional program into discrete elements, then manipulate them into a "village" of smaller proportions than the average factory. There is a pond with a glass enclosed pedestrian promenade running parallel to it, and, inside the buildings, a variety of materials including concrete unit masonry with horizontal bands of engineering brick. This project typifies Studios' approach: hierarchies are played down; instead spatial drama and architectural materials signal the youthful, no-holds-barred nature of the workplace.
Knoll International's 7000 square foot showroom stands in an existing building near a tree-shaded river in Frankfurt. This is a friendly, intellectual German community, and the showroom is sin a district full of museums, so the space had to be sophisticated and esthetically outstanding. Studios' design utilized simple basic materials like unfinished wood, glass, and metals to create a naturalistic environment; the geometries of the space reflect furniture design, in an indirect way. The primitive tressel-like construction has an understated power that balances the design and pragmatic function. Franz Kafka said, "Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." The people working in this building are bound to stay young.
Apple Computer Europe and Apple Computer UK wanted research, training, and conference facilities in London, and they selected Studios' design for its liveliness and elegance. A three-story atrium at the center of the space creates a vertical town square, an area providing circulation, meeting, and social space, as well as service offices for managers and leaders. A man who never exchanges opinions is like standing water, and his creativity is likely to become petrified. This design reinforces the creative working community by drawing employees together and fostering ideas that arise from chance encounters and physical proximity.
The International Trade Mart in Osaka shows a sympathy for that country's art traditions. The art of Japan has always been dominated by nature - mountains, trees, water and rocks. Motion has always played a part in the recording of nature - the wind that bends the trees, a stream that dashes through a rocky bed, the flight of a bird. The other main artistic influence has been Buddhism because it was through art that this religion reached the people. The Golden Age of Buddhist sculpture, which lasted for seven centuries, began in Japan Studios' 2.1 million square foot (these architects know how to do large) Trade Mart is part of a center that showcases products from around the world. Extensive use of red, and mandala- like spaces of an open grid are a nod to Buddhist art, and miniature waterfalls that drop almost nine meters from the atrium to the entrance lobby evoke a feeling of nature.
Yes, Studios can definitely do hi-tech, since you asked. Take Discovery Communications in Miami, Florida. Here is a state of the art television production facility capable of broadcasting simultaneously seven channels in three languages around the clock. Studios created a design that had to incorporate acoustically sensitive audio and visual production areas with master control and satellite transmission components, as well as office space for 200 members of the creative and marketing staffs. The architects incorporated utility distribution elements constructed of recycled timber to create a humanistic environment in a high-tech company.
The people at Studios have phenomenal creative output and amazingly high staff morale। One reason is the good energy talent generated, and the other can be found in Daryl's reply when asked about the firm name, Studios. "There were a lot of questions about whose name would come first when we started the firm, but we felt the coming together should be open-ended. The question was the individual versus the group, and we decided on the group." END
"Do not insult the alligator until after you have crossed the river" is a Haitian safety rule with which we agree. Our good health rule: rigorously adhere to Aristotle's Golden Mean and practice moderation in everything। There are many reasons for number two, and one is that we periodically attend UCSF Foundation meetings where we hear as yet unpublished news from the cutting edge of medicine. The latest from UCSF covers a lot of territory; so we gleaned highlights, our favorite of which involves food supplements: "Ensure" is marketed to gain weight and build muscles; "Slim Fast" is marketed to lose weight, and yet a can of each has the same ingredients and number of calories। The three popular notions for fitness, in order of preference: no smoking, exercise every day for at least one-half hour rather than longer sessions a few times a week, and drink water. We would like to add two more: avoid Presa Canarios and people who are too enthusiastic about S-M. As a subset to the "hooray for water," we learned that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, which slows down the BMR (basic metabolic rate) and brings on fatigue and inability to concentrate. We heard some bad news about colas; for instance, you can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days. The active ingredient in colas is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8, and it will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. There was a lot of talk about DHEA, the growth hormone produced by the adrenal gland purported to reverse the aging process, turning fat to muscle and infusing the user with the mad exuberance of adolescence. The doctors at the University did a controlled clinical test of DHEA and discovered it does change the muscle/fat ratio by 10% but at the expense of severe joint pain, a swelling of facial features, and - in large doses - causing a horrible disease called acromegalia. Mentally the hormone makes no difference, until the onset of acromegalia. This study, to be published in the journals later this year, says not to take DHEA, period. The jury is still out on the question of ACE Inhibitors, but it is clear that they should be taken naturally in the form of fruits and vegetables rather than vitamin pills which are not well absorbed into one's system. Finally, the steroidal pain relievers, administered to avoid the internal bleeding aspirin can produce: their pain relief properties are the same as but no better than aspirin, and the same goes for the abdominal bleeds. Furthermore, the steroids knock out some people's bone marrows. So there you have it, kids: walk down to your juice stand for that smoothie, and if your feet ache by time you return home, pop an aspirin. Some people think pain is a lot of fun, but we don't, so after you take the aspirin, you might want to soak in a bath enriched with oils and green tea and surrounded with scented candles. That's the best way to keep your bodies from going back on you and betraying us to a nest of microbes. * * * The San Jose Cinequest film festival has come into its own, attracting visitors from around the US and abroad. This celebration of maverick filmmakers was opened by "Your Guardian," Bay Area Writer-director Kari Nevil's drama produced by Adrianna Pope Sullivan. The film stars Irene Bedard and Chad Lowe and tells the story of a girl raised by drag queens. It "is quirky and has heart," says Adrianna. It is fused by the differing attitudes of the sexes to love and family even in this contemporary anything-goes atmosphere. It's a rare movie achievement: a work of grace and beauty in an offbeat context. END Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, wife of George, had to turn down the position of the nation's protocol chief because she is battling breast cancer। We are counting on her to win and go to Washington in four years, because regardless of who is the Pres, she could serve us as no other. She dominated an era in San Francisco, put the "fun" in fund raising. Her benefit parties were so imaginative and delightful that her name on the invitations guaranteed sellouts. She was loyal to her community and friends, never dropping her original buddies as her fame expanded. She said, "Never complain, never explain," but unlike others who echoed, she lived by it 100%. She does everything 100%, and she will now, until she recovers. May it be soon. She is loved by so many. A loving person lives in a loving world, as people we meet are mirrors. Charlotte has lived in a loving world. * * * We enjoyed "Pollock," produced by and starring Ed Harris, which took ten years and grew out of the actor's obsession with the artist. Harris looks like Pollock, though he does not possess the extreme antisocial nature that alienated the painter from friends and family. "I got drawn in by Pollock's struggles as a person," Harris says. "I felt for him ... he was self-obsessed because he could not get beyond his own feelings or perceptions of things." The film shows showing painting as a way of life rather than an enterprise, and the script manages to avoid preachy cliches. Harris deserves congratulations for a remarkable portrayal, though it does not quite capture the man; Anthony Hopkins could not quite get Picasso, either; it must be that the spirit of a person is his own and cannot be imitated. "Pollock" deals with the artist during his abstract expressionist period when he created the drip paintings that made him so famous. Earlier he was preoccupied with graphic images like horses, bulls, trees, moons, organic forms, and rather cubist looking women; we thought he just wanted to be another Picasso, but his psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Henderson, explained the images differently. We met Dr. Henderson when he was in his nineties and still a riveting conversationalist. Jackson had given him a number of figurative drawings of his dreams to aid in interpreting them, and after the artist's death, he decided to exhibit them. They opened at MOMA New York to a storm of controversy, as the critics disparaged Henderson for showing confidential material. He was held up as a traitor by the psychiatric profession and described as a coolly detached mercenary who simply wanted to sell the works. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Dr. Henderson was the scion of a very wealthy family who became fascinated by Carl Jung and inspired to become a Jungian disciple. He did mostly pro bono work and stoically endured a family tragedy. His wife, a beautiful and brilliant poetess who was descended from Charles Darwin, suffered from incurable depression and spent most of their married life in institutions. Dr. Henderson was familiar with the dark side of the human spirit and could see its expression in Pollock's work, his dreams, and his life. The horses and bulls were heroes who balanced the artist's weakness, who were helping him discover and assert his soul and his individual identity. The figures were guardians, and they served him the way Poseidon, God of the Sea, served Thesus, and Prseus with his wise centaur Cheiron guided Achilles. Animals and godlike figures represent the whole psyche, Henderson said, the larger and more comprehensive identity that supplies the strength that the personal ego lacks. The female images (women, crescent moons) in Pollock's drawings show a vacillation between masculine activity and feminine passivity and a desire to be free of maternal bonds. His need to escape from the mother prison affected his relationship with Lee Krasner, not surprising given the content of the drawings. They also contain ambiguous areas representing a voyage to the unknown. Large empty spaces represent death. "The artist was deeply in the power of the dark aspects of life and preoccupied with death, partly from depression and partly from curiosity," Henderson concluded. There had always been doubt as to whether the artist's fatal auto accident was an accident or suicide, as there was no note. Dr Henderson said, "He was certainly suicidal, and if the wreck happened to be an accident, he would have found another way." * * *







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Daryl Roberson, a founding partner of Studios Architecture, is a man with the Clint Eastwood easy charm and general appearance, except that Daryl dresses in the tweedy blazer/striped tie manner of a clubman rather that the fringed leather and tooled boots make-my-day look. We spoke at a Bix lunch consisting of frisee salad with fresh artichokes and grilled salmon with Orso, and he shared a bit about his life and philosophy. When he speaks of his work, his enthusiasm shines through his eyes, his voice, his gestures, which try to describe the spaces under discussion in the air. It's akin to "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the door and see all the people," but more unconscious and sophisticated. He avoids sketching on the table linens, though his restraint clearly derives from great effort. One can picture what the cloths and napkins look like at home. Hopefully his wife has a good laundress. Most architects' wives need them. Daryl has a persuasive verbal ability and is brilliantly able to articulate the firm's mission and his own principles. Like all the best, he avoids the architecture jargon, like calling windows "fenestration penetrations." Instead he speaks in everyday language but with a pronounced ability to enable the listener to visualize. Any novelist would envy his talent for the word picture. He comes across as lacking in arrogance but rather in possession of a quietly steady creative vision; it's almost as if he humbly stands aside from it. The Studios group was founded in 1985 by Daryl, Gene Rae, Phil Olsen, and Erik Sueberkrop, all FAIA, and the firm has offices in New York, London, Paris, Washington, DC, and San Francisco, and the members' hundreds of projects include the Shanghai Grand Theater in the Peoples' Republic of China, Societe General in Paris, France, 3Com Corporation in Dublin, Ireland, Knoll International GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany, Apple Computer, UK, in London, England, the International Trade Mart in Osaka, Japan, and Discovery Communications in Miami, Florida. This is not Daryl's first group venture; he always believed in the synergy of approaching projects in a diverse fashion and gaining the uniqueness of several perspectives. His first venture, Environmental Planning and Research, was undertaken when he was starting out in San Francisco, not quite on a shoestring, but the next thing to it. He and his partners bought a broken-down 19C brick warehouse in Jackson Square, retained the exterior and gutted the interior. To achieve sufficient space, they had to dig down; the way people who are building underground garages do, and still create a well-lit, attractive work environment. Needless to say, the group pioneered novel lighting techniques. The environment they created reflects the Studios' perspective of today: the space should reflect the client firm's mission. Is it ecology, metaphysics, a marriage of high art and science, the relationship of society to the built environment? Ergonomics? What matters is an underlying sense of purpose, and a strong design ethos; Daryl and his associates value balance, and it is sometimes a delicate balance between practical problem solving for the complex programmatic perspectives of a multifaceted company and the commitment to architecture as a high art. Innovation is the underlying cornerstone, and the design should be leading edge. Architecture is nothing less than making joys perpetual, and if an architect wants change, his whole spirit needs to be that change. When inspired by a great project, his thoughts will break their bonds, his mind transcend limitations, his consciousness expand. "Why is being corporate architects something to confess?'" Daryl asks. "We just create our work, taking a new building type and moving it to a new expression. Clients have generally come to us for the right reasons," he says, "they are looking to us to push the design."
The Shanghai Grand Theater, located across from the People's Square in the central section of the city, is an 1800 seat hall for opera, ballet, and symphony performances. The 600,000 square foot building includes an orchestral shell, rehearsal areas, dressing rooms, and other backstage facilities. Studios and Team 7 collaborated after winning an international competition, and they created a three-tiered auditorium space incorporating the latest technology in stage design, theatrical lighting, and electronic acoustics. The curvaceous interior deliberately contrasts with the formal geometry of the building's exterior, and the warm wooden elements rest softly within the translucent glass and steel container. There's superior acoustics and intimate seating configuration, and, following the tradition of grand theaters, a five-story main lobby with dramatic architectural impact, whose elements include golden limestone, a transparent curtainwall, and a double grand staircase. being in this building is a moment by moment emotional experience even before the orchestra leader takes his place and the musicians begin to play.
The Société General's million-square-foot investment banking headquarters in La Defense district of Paris features a 297 raked-seat assembly hall, a 260-seat brasserie/restaurant, and a variety of meeting rooms that accommodate twenty to sixty people. The mandate was for work spaces that encouraged discussion and the exchange of ideas, which anyone who has seen Parisians arguing and gesticulation in the little outdoor cafes can appreciate. The French have a saying, "De tous ceux qui n'ont rien a dire, les plus agreables sont ceux qui le font en silence." Translation: Of all those with nothing to say, the most agreeable are those who do it in silence. We will not comment on whether the French pay attention to this homily ancienne or not; we will just say the spaces in this building would want you to say something and make it good. They inspire creative thought. Studios designed the sort of socializing space usually associated with public areas. Alluding to Baron Hausmann's redesign under Napoleon that created the spoke wheel pattern and grand boulevards of the French capital, these contemporary architects created circular stone-clad rotundas in each hemisphere of the floor which are focal points of long tapering corridors. Studois' philosophy is to try to contribute to the advancement of society; it's all about making people feel better about what they do every day. Judging by this building and its inhabitants, it works. The multi-phased manufacturing complex 3Com built just north of Dublin represented a true design challenge: make a factory beautiful and user-friendly. Studios' team devised a design that referred to the components of a medieval Irish castle: tower, keep, and moat. The strategy was to separate the functional program into discrete elements, then manipulate them into a "village" of smaller proportions than the average factory. There is a pond with a glass enclosed pedestrian promenade running parallel to it, and, inside the buildings, a variety of materials including concrete unit masonry with horizontal bands of engineering brick. This project typifies Studios' approach: hierarchies are played down; instead spatial drama and architectural materials signal the youthful, no-holds-barred nature of the workplace.
Knoll International's 7000 square foot showroom stands in an existing building near a tree-shaded river in Frankfurt. This is a friendly, intellectual German community, and the showroom is sin a district full of museums, so the space had to be sophisticated and esthetically outstanding. Studios' design utilized simple basic materials like unfinished wood, glass, and metals to create a naturalistic environment; the geometries of the space reflect furniture design, in an indirect way. The primitive tressel-like construction has an understated power that balances the design and pragmatic function. Franz Kafka said, "Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." The people working in this building are bound to stay young.
Apple Computer Europe and Apple Computer UK wanted research, training, and conference facilities in London, and they selected Studios' design for its liveliness and elegance. A three-story atrium at the center of the space creates a vertical town square, an area providing circulation, meeting, and social space, as well as service offices for managers and leaders. A man who never exchanges opinions is like standing water, and his creativity is likely to become petrified. This design reinforces the creative working community by drawing employees together and fostering ideas that arise from chance encounters and physical proximity.
The International Trade Mart in Osaka shows a sympathy for that country's art traditions. The art of Japan has always been dominated by nature - mountains, trees, water and rocks. Motion has always played a part in the recording of nature - the wind that bends the trees, a stream that dashes through a rocky bed, the flight of a bird. The other main artistic influence has been Buddhism because it was through art that this religion reached the people. The Golden Age of Buddhist sculpture, which lasted for seven centuries, began in Japan Studios' 2.1 million square foot (these architects know how to do large) Trade Mart is part of a center that showcases products from around the world. Extensive use of red, and mandala- like spaces of an open grid are a nod to Buddhist art, and miniature waterfalls that drop almost nine meters from the atrium to the entrance lobby evoke a feeling of nature.
Yes, Studios can definitely do hi-tech, since you asked. Take Discovery Communications in Miami, Florida. Here is a state of the art television production facility capable of broadcasting simultaneously seven channels in three languages around the clock. Studios created a design that had to incorporate acoustically sensitive audio and visual production areas with master control and satellite transmission components, as well as office space for 200 members of the creative and marketing staffs. The architects incorporated utility distribution elements constructed of recycled timber to create a humanistic environment in a high-tech company.
The people at Studios have phenomenal creative output and amazingly high staff morale. One reason is the good energy talent generated, and the other can be found in Daryl's reply when asked about the firm name, Studios. "There were a lot of questions about whose name would come first when we started the firm, but we felt the coming together should be open-ended. The question was the individual versus the group, and we decided on the group."