June 2, 2015
Rabbit and Dragon
Happy Tuesday, ya’ll! Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Personally, we could’ve gone for a second holiday weekend again! That being said, I am thrilled that we’re kicking off features for our Brooklyn Pop-Ups. Today I have the pleasure of spotlighting Rabbit and Dragon. The design team will be bringing their work to our very first Pop-Up this Saturday, June 6 at East River State Park. Get ready to feast your eyes!
Rabbit and Dragon was founded by ceramicist, Mariko Tanaka & designer, Izzy Lezcano in 2013, and is a multi-disciplinary studio where they handcraft all of their designs ranging from textiles, 3D paper models, candles and ceramics. Their design aesthetic is clean, modern and functional, and their philosophy is to create one-of-a-kind, high quality works.
Rabbit and Dragon balances form and function with a unique and playful aesthetic. Mariko Tanaka makes her ceramics using hand-building, wheel, or slip casting techniques to create her pieces. Izzy Lezcano works with a combination of paper and textiles, mixing hand printing and dyeing techniques along with fine art digital prints.
Rabbit and Dragon evolved from Mariko and Izzy working at the same design firm in NYC. Their shared tastes in minimalist designs bonded them together, and soon they began to create a collection of products that they themselves would want – things that were beautiful and unique, but that they couldn’t really find anywhere else.
Mariko grew up in Texas, the West Coast and Japan, drawing influences from the mix of cultures. She first worked with clay her first semester in college and fell in love with the medium. “What I love about working with the clay, is that the process begins with coercing a very soft, malleable material and yet the output can be this very clean geometric, smooth or refined object. I take inspiration from Japanese design philosophy that embodies simplicity, asymmetry, and subtlety in creating works and find the understated and minimalistic pieces are most beautiful. Presently I’m focused on creating a bright modern feel that are functional. I’m also very excited about my newest ceramic mini cheese boards, which I’ve started mixing dark and white clays bodies to create a natural clay patterned effect. All the pieces are hand-built so you can see and feel the tactile quality of each piece come to life.”
Izzy has been living and working in NYC for the past 4 years, originally from the UK, where she studied Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art. This combination of design, nature and art, allows her to draw inspiration from a range of creative fields. Since living in NYC she has found much inspiration from the surroundings, be it in the local architecture of Greenpoint, the iconic water towers or the leaves of the local street trees. She works with a combination of paper and textiles, mixing hand printing and dyeing techniques along with fine art digital prints. Her work ranges from paper prints to indigo dyed cushions, each one handmade in Brooklyn.
Recently, Izzy and Mariko collaborated to create a new line of beautiful dinnerware plates made by imprinting one of Izzy’s hand cut lino print of botanical design onto clay, which Rabbit and Dragon will present at our Pop-Up!
We cannot wait to have Rabbit and Dragon join us at our Pop-Ups this Saturday at East River State Park! If you’re just as excited as we are, take a look at Rabbit and Dragon’s online shop and keep up to date with them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.