Vitalize

Burnside is arguably the busiest street in Portland — a major vein, dissecting four cardinal ventricles of this city. Aēsop’s West End shop sits in the heart of it all, on an iconic downtown intersection.

To paraphrase Aēsop’s description, it is a dark and pensive space. On the exterior two historic facades, brick painted black and punctuated by factory windows, join at a vibrating street corner.

The windows reflect an even deeper tone — like a murky pond, the bottom disappears. Once inside, your eye runs along the walls, scanning charred Doug fir planks, shou sugi ban style with rich grain and a subtle, almost metallic hue.

The rows are splintered by stacks of neatly organized bottles, white and black and pharmaceutical in nature. From the back wall, a long antique wash basin stretches out as a perpendicular beckoning to cleanse and interact — a cornerstone offering in every Aēsop experience.

“The vision of this collaboration was to revitalize a connection to raw biota from which modern architecture and design were born.”

It is with meticulous research and contextual consideration that every Aēsop offering is executed. A sensory journey of Aēsop's caliber is somewhat of a holy nebula, conjured with and permeated by ethics of sustainable design, local relevance, respectful functionality and unparalleled aesthetic diversions. In selectively working with architects, artists, designers and creatives renowned for embodying Aēsop's intelligent design principles, their collaborations actualize prodigious visions. On its own, the West End space effuses the compulsive sterility of modern, minimalist design. The vision of this collaboration was to contrast that feeling, a clinical bareness, with richer, organic forms — revitalizing the connection to raw biota from which modern architecture and design were born.

The show is comprised of individual moments; a narrow space has to be incrementally digested. It resulted in a discovery process, opportunities to contemplate vignettes of contrasting sentiments. Overall, this exhibition sought to fragment entire ecosystems into singular moments, with a focus on temporality and process.

Deciduous species came into leaf, understory plants bloomed. Kaleidoscopic soils analogized the particulate microcosm of roots and life. Used wire was held in the wash basin, a mesmerizing oxidized patina juxtaposed against raw, gnarled copper. Moss crept towards products, an amoebic patchwork mass absorbing oils and scents from passersby.

“The role of this exhibition was to illuminate the magnetic effects of living matter within these contemporary settings.”

Plant matter and minerals, the stuff of this earth, animated or slathered onto bodies — there’s a greater conversation of cyclical existence and purpose. This exhibition highlighted the diametrical oppositions in this cycle: life facing death, whole alongside distilled, burgeoning sat upon salvaged.

Credits: Photography & Cinematography: Josh Sales, Venue: Aēsop West End