Welcome to the fascinating E-1027, the modernist escape designed by Eileen Gray at the Côte d'Azur. No other house embodies architecture and design history, intimacy, shared creativity, and even toxic masculinity quite like E-1027.⁠ ⁠ The name E-1027 is a code created by Gray and her lover, Jean Badovici. The 'E' stands for Eileen, '10' for Jean, '2' for Badovici, and '7' for Gray. It was their way of showing their relationship as lovers. The flat-roofed modernist masterpiece is the built embodiment of that love, but shortly after its completion, the couple split. However, the end of their relationship was not the end of the story of this house.⁠ ⁠ Badovici was a close friend of Le Corbusier and invited him to the house on several occasions. One summer, Le Corbusier painted all over the flat white modernist walls, sometimes in the nude. The murals infuriated Gray, who saw them as outright vandalism. And many art historians agree and view Le Corbusier's actions as a demonstration of domination, akin to a dog marking its territory. It is believed that Le Corbusier was jealous of the masterpiece, especially because it was designed by a woman. The house became an obsession of his, he even tried to purchase it many times but failed. ⁠ ⁠ It's impossible to identify the exact individual contributions of Gray or Badovici to this iconic piece of architecture. But for years, it was believed that Badovici was the sole mastermind, and some even thought that Le Corbusier had designed the house. A woman clearly could have not created such an archetype of modernist architecture, so the believe. So this house, meant to be a lovers' hideaway, became a great example of misogyny in architecture and society.⁠ ⁠ Jürgen Beck’s photographs of the house in "Sun Breakers" capture the original concept of the house. Its intimacy, its expression of openness, its flexible structure to accommodate the rhythm of the days. He captures the overgrown paths that take him to the house, sun drenched walls and leafy shadows. Beck directs our eye to Gray's design that takes into consideration people’s emotional needs.⁠ ⁠ In the words of Eileen Gray, "Formulas are nothing; life is everything." ⁠ Buy

Typologie, a captivating collection of design books that delve into the essence of everyday objects, has just released its fourth issue, and it's all about the humble wooden crate. We often encounter crates at outdoor markets. Stacked up like scaffolding and laid out on stalls, they are used to transport and display fruits and vegetables. Our eyes wander from leeks to turnips, while we tend to overlook these simple yet ingenious objects: a few slats of poplar wood, stapled together in perfect efficiency and function. Although this classic design has been around for over sixty years, its principle has remained more or less unchanged.⁠ ⁠ Partnering with The Vitra Design Museum, Typologie showcases 45 striking photographs printed in bichromie, 30 colorful illustrations, a thought-provoking text by Alexandre D'Orsetti, and a fascinating interview featuring Philippe Weisbecker, a French artist, Pierre Cornu, a historian, and Jean-Luc Baley, the director of a wooden crate factory. This issue meticulously inventories the crate's various shapes, manufacturing process, and history, bringing to life the enduring relevance of this often-overlooked object. If you're curious about the world around you and love thoughtful design, you won't want to miss Typologie's latest issue. Buy

Intimate and raw, tender and diamond-sharp - in both observation and style - this novel is about the intersection of two life phases and a reminder that the past lingers in the present, whether we want it to or not:⁠ ⁠ Asta is invited to a memorial. It’s been ten years since her university friend August died. The invitation disrupts everything – the novel she is working on and her friendship with Mai and her two-year-old son – reanimating longings, doubts, and the ghosts of parties past. Soon a new story begins to take shape. Not of the obscure Polish sculptor Asta wanted to write about, but of what really happened the night of August’s death, and in the stolen, exuberant days leading up to it. The story she has never dared reveal to Mai.⁠ ⁠ Moving between Asta’s past and present, Memorial, 29 June is a novel about who we really are, and who we thought we would become. It’s a novel about the intensity with which we experience the world in our twenties, and how our ambitions, anxieties, and memories from that time never relinquish their grasp on how we encounter our future.⁠ ⁠ In prose that shimmers like poetry, masterfully translated by Misha Hoekstra, Memorial, 29 June is an urgent yet tender reminder that sometimes pain is where the love is, and that grief, however thorny, should never go unspoken. Buy

Who doesn't like lying on their back, gazing up at the summer night sky and looking for the star formations they know. Telling each other the tragic story of how the big bear and the little bear found their place in the firmament.⁠ ⁠ This book is nothing less than a new map reinterpreting the celestial sphere with 35 new star patterns. ⁠ ⁠ Much like the 88 constellations that make up the officially recognised map of the celestial sphere, this new one is composed of recognisable shapes that reference people, animals and inanimate objects, expanding across the sky. In the tradition of Hellenistic astrology, each asterism* is based on viewable celestial formations and references our continuous hope in the stars. All star formations have been complemented with a modern myth, each based on a verifiable certainty (i.e. a fact) that addresses modern concerns.⁠ Buy

A humorous tribute to Matteo Thun, one of Italy’s most distinguished designers and architects, and his work. In the summer of 2009, Swiss artist Walter Pfeiffer made an extensive trip from Zurich to the Italian island of Capri, taking shots of some fifty of Thun’s design objects en route. Yet, rather than doing a mere documentation of these items, Pfeiffer created highly lively “tableaux vivants.” The artist was accompanied on his journey by Thun’s two then teenage sons, who thus form the main visual narrative of the book and appear in many pictures together with their father’s creations. A brief introduction by Matteo Thun’s wife Susanne and an index of the depicted design gems round out this extraordinary and entertaining visual travelogue. Buy

Kein Morgen (No Tomorrow) brings together photographs of parties, raves and afterhour clubs of the early 1990s. The faces captured by photographer Werner Amann reflect the ecstasy of a moment of departure, a glimmer of autonomy and freedom. The pictures were taken in Berlin, Frankfurt, Dortmund, New York, Zurich, Paris and Riccione, in clubs such as Omen, Tresor, E-Werk, Limelight, Tunnel and Sound Factory as well as at raves such as Mayday and the Berlin Love Parade. Short texts by Leif Randt look back on this time from today's perspective, a quarter of a century later. What remains is the feeling of a historic moment of understanding and solidarity.⁠ Buy

The book "Ceremony" argues that our modern way of thinking is not as rational and secular as we believe. Instead, it is influenced by Christian origin myths that emerged during the Middle Ages, when capitalism began to take shape. This publication will constitute a critical reference point for those seeking to construct and envisage a “counter-cosmogony” to the dispossession, slavery, and extractivism of modernity — which together endanges planetary life. Buy

Seven Logics of Sculpture examines contemporary sculpture through a present-day gaze, filling a gap in art theory.⁠ ⁠ Whilst discussions about installation art, performance art, or other 3D art forms are widespread, the discourse on sculpture seems to be stuck in historical, material, or thematic frameworks. ⁠ Valiz see a loss for our understanding of art in general, and of sculpture in particular. So this book explores ‘seven logics’ of sculpture—not as a historical overview, but with a contemporary analytical approach, drawing from literature, philosophy, psycho-analysis, architecture, and mundane daily culture—that help understand specific manifestations of sculpture and the active perception by the viewer. It relates to aspects such as the senses, the skin, the body, objecthood, narrative dynamics, the shaping of space, fragmentation, and montage.⁠ ⁠ Seven Logics of Sculpture opens up new ways of looking at, understanding, and appreciating sculpture, placing the medium at the heart of art’s experience; how sculpture can be shaped, assembled, encountered, seen and embodied. Buy

Not happy with the cold weather? Considering how long the Berlin winter lasts, there's still plenty of time to reach for the knitting kit and knit yourself some warm jumpers... And honestly with the book by Lærke Bagger at your side, it couldn't be more fun!⁠ Her mantra "Better unique than perfect" fits perfectly with the new DIY and upcycling of vintage clothing that is currently taking over fashion. Laerke is a trained textile designer and has been knitting with recycled materials since she was a teenager. So this book does not only teach you knitting scrunchies, socks, jumpers or even a ball gown, but also how to do it with recycled materials, yarn scraps and incorporating real found objects. In the process, you will be encouraged to stand by imperfections.⁠ Buy

This cahier is a visual sketchbook for an exhibition by Marlene Dumas at the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens. It puts Dumas' work in dialogue with the museum’s collection - the enigmatic Cycladic antiquities, dating from 3000-2000 BC. The visual correlations are mesmerising. The millennia-old pieces of statues speak to us in the same timeless language as Dumas’ contemporary works. ⁠ ⁠ Although the exhibition has been postponed towards 2025, this anticipatory publication already arose from Dumas’ enthusiasm and affection for this combination. ⁠ Buy

How to Design a Post-Fossil World with the Sun?⁠ ⁠ Polluting energy systems based on finite fossil resources are destroying our planet and threatening its inhabitants. We all know that by now. And at the same time, there is this infinite (at least in human terms) energy of the sun pouring down on us. ⁠ ⁠ This book is about what we know about solar energy, what we can already do and what we hope to be able to do in the near future. And so it is divided into exactly these three parts: the first explains how we have designed with the sun in the past, providing a visual timeline of the historical development of solar power. The second part looks at the present: Where are we now and what is solar design? It provides examples of innovative solar design in architecture, fashion, mobility and product design. Finally, the last part looks to the future and asks how we can ensure that solar energy does not become the asbestos of the 21st century.⁠ Buy

Black German-language fiction has a long tradition that has come alive in many movements. From early works of fiction, such as the first novel by Black author Dualla Misipo at the end of the Weimar Republic, to current titles.⁠ ⁠ With "Resonanzen - Schwarzes Literaturfestival", a three-day festival took place in May 2022 that provided impulses for rethinking, reimagining and further developing perspectives and experiences within the German-language literary scene. The publication accompanying the festival presents the short stories of the six invited authors, traces the discussions of the jury and shows the diverse traditions, influences and references of authors of the African diaspora in Germany.⁠ Buy