If weather patterns were people then Nalani Kanaka‘ole would be the rain. Ancient Hawaiians have a ‘ōlelo noe‘au (wise saying) about precipitation: ‘Ue ka lani, ola ka honua (When the heavens weep, the Earth lives). As a mother and kumu hula, Nalani echoes this sentiment. She is a well of knowledge in any and all things Hawaiiana. Like rain watering plants, Nalani is nurturer who grows the Hawaiian culture in the students of Halau Kekuhi and son Kuha‘o Zane. Aunty Nalani also can bring the thunder and lightning– hula demands discipline and dedication, especially concerning the related arts to the dance.

She uses traditional design processes, like ‘ohe kapala (bamboo printmaking), to create breathtaking pieces. On Saturday night, for the ITO: Interisland Travelwrights event, Nalani Kanaka‘ole speaks about the giant sculpture that will surely leave its viewers astounded and asking questions. Attendants of the Saturday evening event– at the Parc Hotel from 5-7 p.m.– will have an opportunity to query Nalani about her inspiration of the sculpture.

Don’t sleep on this rare opportunity to hear one of Hawai‘i’s most artistic and intellectual minds expound on ‘ohe kapala, art, design and much more. Nalani Kanaka‘ole is going to make it rain this Saturday night. I hope you get the opportunity to see the rainbow with us.

Interisland Terminal – 2010 from Interisland Terminal on Vimeo.

Photo courtesy of Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Interisland Terminal: When and why did you decide to open Reed Space?

Jeff Staple: I opened Reed Space in December of 2001. I felt there was a deficiency in what I was looking for in a retail store. I have a clothing company called Staple, so we deal with a lot of retail stores all over the world. I was frustrated with a lot of what I was dealing with so I decided to take those frustrations and channel them into a new concept. I have many friends that are also fashion designers and they also shared the same frustrations. So I knew I was onto something. There was definitely a void that needed to be filled.

What does Reed Space mean to you? Describe the store.

First and foremost—a community center. It’s a gathering place for artists, designers, creators, tinkerers, free-thinkers, and all the people that support the aforementioned. So we feature a myriad of different things: books, magazines, zines, design publications, hard-to-find music, clothing, footwear, accessories, bags, jewelry, art, events…basically all-encompassing. Today a catchall phrase for this is “lifestyle boutique.” But back in 2001 when we opened, it was pretty radical. The number one question that gets asked from people who walk in is “what is this place?”

You travel a lot. What are 5 traveling tips you’d like to share?

1. Join a network and stick with it. StarAlliance, OneWorld, whatever… Get a credit card that gives you points towards it as well. You buy a $20,000 thing and use the card; that’s equivalent to 4 trips from New York to Tokyo! Memberships rewards are KEY to smooth travel.

2. Pack light for a stress free experience. Ideally, you should also have your hands completely free. That means no duffels and sidebags. It might not be your ideal look, but a backpack wins over other bags on any day.

3. Speaking of bags, I highly recommend getting luggage from a snowboard company. When it comes to hauling shit all over the earth in adverse conditions, snowboarders pretty much have that locked down. SO take from what they’ve learned. Recently I traveled from JFK to LAX and the wheel came off on my Burton wheelie bag (baggage handlers did it). I went to the local Burton dealer in LA and he fixed it in about 3 minutes. I can pretty much tell you Samsonite, Tumi, Mandarina Duck, et al would not have been able to provide the same service or knowhow in that tight crunch.

4. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Do yourself a favor. Don’t rely on the airline attendants to get you water when u need it. Buy a bottle prior to boarding (but AFTER security check) and bring it on the plane with you. Yes even in business and first.

5. The people working for the TSA are only doing their jobs. So getting into with them is a complete waste of your time. Follow what they say…keep it moving..,inhale/exhale and you’ll get through it. The tip from “Up In The Air” is real and I’ve been doing it for years. Avoid lines with kids, families, large groups, old people, and people who look like they haven’t been on a trip in years. Here’s a tip. While you’re on line, put all the metal objects on you into your coat pockets. Then when you get to the x-ray, just throw your coat in…when you exit, just put your coat on and you can practically “reassemble” yourself while you’re walking to the gate.

Favorite font / why?

I gotta say Helvetica even thought it’s fully used, abused and raped. But I like it because it lets the design and concept speak. It’s not a “me first” font. It steps aside and lets the content speak for itself.

Three current inspirations / trends / ideas?

The need for printed publications.

Electric means of transportation.

Reevaluating what “family” means.

What do you want to while you’re here in Hawaii?

Stand on a surfboard.

]]> http://www.interislandterminal.org/news/grotesk/feed/ 0 http://www.interislandterminal.org/news/inventorypreview/ http://www.interislandterminal.org/news/inventorypreview/#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:02:49 +0000 sarah http://www.interislandterminal.org/?p=1383 Just some of the many books that will be carried at Reed Space HNL!
Jose Parla – Layered Days
Sue Kwon – Street Level
Steve Powers – Studio Gangster
Parra – A Book Full Of It

The inspiration for REED SPACE HNL is our desire to see a return of independent bookshops in Honolulu featuring thoughtfully selected titles to nurture the intellect and creative capital of this community. Renowned graphic designer and brand developer jeffstaple will curate the bookstore’s selection of art, architecture and design books.

We’ll have full information on the website soon, including a special preview evening event on July 28, and a jeffstaple lecture event on July 29 at Halekulani. Sign up for the Interisland Terminal email list to keep updated.

Special thanks to Waikiki Parc Hotel, Tuaca, Nobu Waikiki, AIGA Honolulu, Staple Design, Reed Space, UH Press, and Princeton Architectural Press.

Interisland Terminal is proud to present MOVING HISTORIES: TYPE IN MOTION, a ground-breaking Flash animation online exhibit depicting pivotal and dramatic moments in world history by graphic design students at the Department of Art & Art History, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). Visually and conceptually adventurous, the seven works by seven emerging designers explore complex, sometimes tragic, events in history from Hiroshima to 9/11. The online exhibit will be available to view starting on December 9, 2009 at www.interislandterminal.org.

All of the works included in the exhibition originated as projects in a UHM Digital Design Course taught by Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Chae Ho Lee. The designers were asked to interpret a historical event using Flash, a multimedia platform which adds vector and raster based graphic animations and interactivity to web pages. The resulting work, an exercise in new perspectives and creative vision, challenges how one sees these moments in time and in some cases broadens our understanding of them. “The designers were asked to use only text and a limited palette of colors in their designs. The important role and creative potential of typography in an online project should never be ignored. These projects are to be read and experienced,” says Chae Ho Lee.

Another unique element of the online exhibit will be the inclusion of one public submission to the gallery. One section of the exhibit will be devoted to outlining the design problem and providing resources for members of the public to create an animation in Flash and submit it for consideration. Interisland Terminal, using community feedback, will select the design that demonstrates the best combination of historical explanation, innovated design, and clear communication. The creator if the selected design will be awarded a copy of the Flash software package sponsored by Adobe. Interisland Terminal hopes to receive submissions from both experienced Flash designers and novices. Wei Fang, Interisland Terminal’s curator of Contemporary Art and Design comments, “The relationship between Interisland Terminal and UH’s Dept of Art and Art History represented by this exhibition is almost as exciting as the works in the exhibition itself. We are working together to develop a dynamic pipeline of opportunities for young, emerging artists and designers in our community.”

FEATURED DESIGNERS: John Cruz, Daniel Park, Angelica Rabang, Michelle Saoit, Aki Takebayashi, Jimmy Tran, Hiromi Zimmerman

Interisland Terminal presents RVDV:HI Drawings by Rinus Van de Velde – Opening Night from Interisland Terminal on Vimeo.

Video by Henry Mochida