Drift: Snarkitecture

Design Miami 2012, Cool entrance installation by Daniel Arsham, Snarkitecture, DriftDesign Miami 2012, Cool entrance installation by Daniel Arsham, Snarkitecture, DriftDesign Miami 2012, Cool entrance installation by Daniel Arsham, Snarkitecture, Drift Click to enlarge

Well, it looks like Snarkitecture (previously here, here & here) has done it again! For this year’s Design Miami entrance the Brooklyn firm created this fun installation using inflated white tubes bundled together at different heights titled Drift.

Light passes between the tubes, at the same time shading the public from the direct sun. The tubes are also used for cushy seating. Fun and practical; success all around!

Photos courtesy of Snarkitecture; artinfo; and DesignMiami’s facebook.

via frame

Ann Hamilton: the event of a thread

cool art installation with swings, pigeons, and readings at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC. Ann Hamilton, the event of a thread, multisensory installationcool art installation with swings, pigeons, and readings at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC. Ann Hamilton, the event of a thread, multisensory installationcool art installation with swings, pigeons, and readings at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC. Ann Hamilton, the event of a thread, multisensory installationClick to enlarge

Upon entering Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC late this afternoon, I was struck by the dramatic quality of the lighting and staging of Ann Hamilton’s multisensory large-scale installation titled the event of a thread. With spotlights on the immense, billowing white cloth/curtain in the center of the hall, it’s hard not to feel that you’ve entered into some sort of theatrical performance. But the curtain is at the center of the “stage” suspended by ropes and pulleys, with all its movements attributed to the field of swings indirectly connected to it. The silky white cloth undulates as the swings’ velocities increase and decrease through the collective action of the swingers (aka the exhibition visitors.) There are bells that ring periodically, and harmonica-sounding noises all seemingly controlled by the swings. At the western end of the large hall, two people sit, surrounded by cages of homing pigeons, taking turns reading — at times reading in unison — philosophical phrases in a soft-sounding, almost whispery, tone that is heard through a series of speakers in paper bags throughout the hall’s floor. On the other end, a writer (Ann Hamilton herself, when I was there) sits with her back to the hall, viewing it only through a mirror, and responding through letters to the sounds and movements behind her. Oh, and the swings! Very fun and surprisingly, for me, not dizzying. Maybe it’s their very long chains that account for the slow and relaxing movement.

It’s hard to describe the soothing quality of the experience. Though entirely different in look, and much more low-tech in comparison, I had a very similar pleasant sensation swinging in the event of a thread as I did lying down in Ryoji Ikeda’s very electronic The Transfinite a year and a half ago in the same hall. It might, in part, be the space, or possibly the familiar dinging sounds, or it might just be the forced disconnection for an hour or two from computers, phones and the busy NYC streets. Maybe this is what yoga is like —I know, shame on me for never having tried it — but whatever the reason, the event of a thread is worth a visit. It will likely be even more fun this Saturday when it’s sure to be more crowded making the interaction between swings that much more evident.

And I almost forgot Emma’s favorite part: the pigeons! Starting next week (apparently they’re still new to the space and a bit intimidated) at the end of each day’s event (at 6:45pm) the pigeons will be released from their cages and they will fly across the hall to their large nighttime metal cage that hangs high up from the hall’s iron trusses on the other end, while a different singer will sing each evening. And the opposite will take place each day at noon in the other direction as the exhibit opens for the day.

The event of a thread will be at the Park Avenue Armory for the next month through January 6th. This Saturday, December 8th, admission will be free, otherwise it’s $12 for adults.

You can see the swings and curtains in action below:

Top photo by James Ewing courtesy Park Avenue Armory. All others collabcubed.

Balcon Additionnel: Julien Berthier

Humorous contemporary French sculpture and installation art. Balcony that attaches to all facades with boom. Street art. Julien Berthier. Fun.Humorous contemporary French sculpture and installation art. Balcony that attaches to all facades with boom. Street art. Julien Berthier. Fun.Humorous contemporary French sculpture and installation art. Balcony that attaches to all facades with boom. Street art. Julien Berthier. Fun.Click to enlarge

French artist Julien Berthier certainly has a sense of humor. His Balcon Additionnel attaches a Haussmannian-style balcony to any façade. How you ask? Via boom-truck that stays attached from below, keeping things construction-free. And funny, of course.

The rest of Berthier’s work is also worth perusing. Love-love (bottom three photos) is a functional and safe boat in the shape of a collapsed one. And there’s much more like that over on his site.

via ignant via swissmiss

Cubemusic: Craig Colorusso

sound and light installation by Craig Colorusso, cubemusic, East Prospect, Arkansassound and light installation by Craig Colorusso, cubemusic, East Prospect, Arkansassound and light installation by Craig Colorusso, cubemusic, East Prospect, ArkansasClick to enlarge

Sound and light artist Craig Colorusso, based in Boston, describes what he does quite succinctly on his blog: “Sometimes I make stuff you can hear. Sometimes I make stuff you can see.” On his website there’s a slightly more elaborate description: “…Exploring the intersection of sound, light, and space through sculpture since 2000. His installations consist of wood, metal, fabric, and electronics.”

His installation Cubemusic is made up of six aluminum cubes with cut-out shapes that light filters through, much in the way a child’s magin lantern does. The lights rotate and the intensity varies. In addition to the light, the installation emits an “eerie droning sound” referred to as Cubemusic by Colorusso.

Cubemusic will be on exhibit at East Prospect in Arkansas from December 6th through the 8th as part of a group show. For those of us far from Arkansas, you can get a peek at Cubemusic in the short video below:

Photos and video courtesy of the artist and Kevin Belli.

R Justin Stewart: Tense Fleece Installations

Fleece and rope sculptural installations, cool colorful installations by R Justin StewartFleece and rope sculptural installations, cool colorful installations by R Justin StewartFleece and rope sculptural installations, cool colorful installations by R Justin StewartClick to enlarge

Brooklyn-based artist R Justin Stewart creates both temporary and permanent installations using colorful fleece, rope, paint and pvc caps. The structureless fleece forms are stretched and, as tension is added to the ropes, the fleece contorts, acquiring its shape as it becomes rigid. Stewart’s installations are often forms of information maps, based on data that he has collected. He is interested in the connections between the fleece units and the relationships of the shapes to their neighboring units. The turquoise and blue installation (photos midway down from top) titled Distorting (a Messiah Project, 13C) is a research-intensive 3D representation of the concept of the Messiah, as it existed in the 13th Century. As the viewer moves through the installation, they will come upon QR codes embedded in the sculpture that can be scanned via mobile device to access bits of data represented by each fleece section.

You can see much more of Stewart’s work here and here.

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 11/30

Free and cheap cultural events in NYC weekend of 11/30, 12/1, 12/2. Art, Music, Theater, Dance, Architecture, Film, Food, Walking tours, fun events. Free/Cheap cool things to do in NYCClick to enlarge

This weekend’s picks for free and cheap things to do (11/30 to 12/2) in NYC. Cultural events in art, architecture, music, film, dance, theater, design, walking tours, food, and fun!

1. Art Egon Schiele’s Women. Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 and through 12/28. 11am to 5pm. FREE

Also in Art – Lee Friedlander: Mannequin at Pace/MacGill Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 through 12/22. FREE

2. Design/Learn/Shop 3DEA is a Pop-Up with 3D printing classes, demonstrations, and shop. Make it or buy it, either way sounds like fun. All weekend and through 12/27. 11am to 6pm. FREE

3. Art Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde at MoMA through 2/25. Fridays 4 to 8pm are FREE.

4. Art/Shop — Art in Boxes 2012: a large group exhibition which shows/sells one of a kind artwork – an idea for unique holiday gifts at affordable prices. All weekend and through 1/27/13 at AG Gallery. Noon to 9ish. FREE

5. Dance Lucy Guerin’s Untrained: Four dancers (two trained, two untrained), a square taped to the floor, and instructions on stage for them to follow as best they can. Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 at 7:30pm. Post-show artist talk on Friday. $20.

6. Film  ADC Butter: Night of Pop Culture and Popcorn – This month they’re screening two short films that have graced quite a few international audiences. Plus, a surprise or two. Fri 11/30 at 7pm. $10 advance, $15 at door

7. Film Drivers Wanted a documentary about taxi drivers directed by Joshua Weinstein. All weekend. Friday’s screening followed by panel discussion with director. $10. Showtimes and tickets here.

8. Music Men without Hats. SSSS…AAAA…You can Dance! Fri 11/30, doors at 6pm; show 8pm. $10.

9. Dance Portraits in Time: Amy Kail & Lesya Popil dance highly original movements with humor and pathos. Fri 11/30 at 7:30pm. $15

10. Music The Sweetback Sisters/Hadley: part country, part B52s. Fri 11/30 at 9pm. $10.

11. Peformance/Art/Theater – Aki Sasamoto – Centripetal Run the sculptural arrangement is a theatrical cosmology, and the performer unfolds, negotiates, and psychologically challenges its matter of factness. Fri 11/30 & Sat 12/1 at 8pm. $15.

12. Art Transmission of Thought | works by Ivan Rickenmann Amazingly realistic paintings of electrical outlets and cables by the Colombian artist. All weekend. FREE

13. Talk/Lecture  Space to Create: Panel discussion on topic of temporary usage models for nontraditional commercial space in arts programming. Sat 12/1 from 2 to 4pm. FREE

14. Theater  We are Proud to Present… a critically acclaimed and unique play. All weekend but some shows sold out. At the time of this post there were still tickets available for Sat 12/1 matinee.

15. Walking Tour Flatiron Walking Tour Sun 12/2 (and all Sundays) at 11am. 23rd St. and Broadway. FREE

16. Fun/Transportation/History Vintage Subway Train Rides, Sun 12/2 (and all Sundays) from 10am to 4pm through 12/30. $2.50

17. Music Francois 5+1: François Houle is a virtuosic and original avant-jazzimproviser and a notable composer as well as one of Canada’s premier clarinetists. Sun 12/2 at 9:30pm. $10 advance; $15 door

18. Art/Installation/Fun OPENS MIDWEEK – Ann Hamilton: The Event of a Thread – A multisensory installation, that draws together readings, sound, and live events within a field of swings inviting visitors to connect to the action of each other and the work itself. Opens Wed 12/5 through 1/6/13. Tues – Sundays 12-6pm. $12. Next Sat 12/8 will be FREE.

Additional events to keep in mind:  Brooklyn Night Bazaar continues every Friday and Saturday until 12/22.

Discovering Columbus ends this weekend, so if you haven’t been, this is your last chance! All weekend.

Be sure to check back for updates and peruse previous COTC posts for some additional ongoing events.

UPDATES:

Art/Performance/Music – Emergency Cheesecake: an evening of performance featuring young, New York City–based artists. Fri 11/30, 6 to 9pm. Pay-what-you-wish.
Art – NYU MFA Student Open Studios. Sat 12/1, 6 to 10pm. FREE
Music/Art – Sunday Sessions to benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts presented by Pitchfork and MoMA PS1. An afternoon of multimedia performances. Sun 12/2 from 4 to 7pm. $12

MOMO: Minimalist Geometric Street Art

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I’ve just discovered MOMO. Well, I actually think that I’ve seen his work before on the streets of NYC, but not until now did I absorb it. And I love it. Originally from San Francisco, minimalist street artist MOMO now lives in New Orleans after years in NYC and traveling extensively. Most recently he’s been working on Practical Geometry a developing set of tools to draft, design, and organize wall murals with adapted masonry techniques. Those geometric shapes with their thin stripes in beautiful color palettes are what initially caught my eye, but what I truly love are the MOMO Maker group of works that were installed throughout NYC a few years back with equipment invented by MOMO. Those are the ones I think I’ve seen before and I can’t get over how a few colorful shapes put together can make me so happy and have so much personality. I would love to have a wall full of these in my home. You can see a clever 3D interpretation by MOMO titled 5 Shapes that developed from the same concept, here.

Photos courtesy of the artist; Lois Stavsky; OutsiderMag; Tishon, Nicole Blommers; invisiblemadevisible; UKSnapper; Hargadon; shoehorn99; and ekosystem

via outdoor festival

Pablo Lehmann: The Scribe’s House

Studio Apartment installation made with book pages by Pablo Lehmann, Anthropologie, Miami, Argentinean ArtistStudio Apartment installation made with book pages by Pablo Lehmann, Anthropologie, Miami, Argentinean ArtistStudio Apartment installation made with book pages by Pablo Lehmann, Anthropologie, Miami, Argentinean Artist

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Argentinean artist Pablo Lehmann (previously here) has been developing his installation The Scribe’s House (La casa del escriban) for two years, and it is scheduled to debut at Art Basel in Miami this December. In the meantime, the NYC Rockefeller Center Anthropologie store has a variation of The Scribe’s House on exhibit. Composed of browned and torn book pages, the studio-like apartment installation has a collapsed bed, bookcase, and picture frame all made with thousands of book pages cut into strips and hanging from the ceiling, walls and covering the floors as well as in the shapes of the collapsed furniture. By cutting and layering, Lehmann creates texture and dimension.

Anthropologie is also selling a limited edition beautifully bound boxed set of photographs of the Scribe’s House installation, complete with white gloves for handling.

You can see photos of the more limited Anthropologie installation here and you can buy the boxed photos here.

Photos courtesy of the artist and Black Square Gallery.

Audiomurale: Adriana Ronżewska Kotyńska

Street art, graffiti, Mural in Elblag Poland based on the soundwaves created by townspeople's comments, Sound art mural, interactive street artStreet art, graffiti, Mural in Elblag Poland based on the soundwaves created by townspeople's comments, Sound art mural, interactive street artStreet art, graffiti, Mural in Elblag Poland based on the soundwaves created by townspeople's comments, Sound art mural, interactive street art

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This is an interesting project. Adriana Ronżewska Kotyńska, a Polish architect and painter interested in public art projects, originated the concept behind the Audiomurale and then executed it, with a team, on the wall of a townhouse in the Old Town district of Elblag, Poland, a town extensively damaged at the end of World War II that waited until the 1980s for major reconstruction. The mural is in part a revitalization effort. Kotyńska and her team conducted interviews with passers-by recording their remarks about their town. Selected opinions – including some unprintable remarks – were transferred onto a blank wall of a townhouse in the form of spectrograms (i.e. sound wave patterns); the ‘voice’ of Elblag. The project is intended as a temporary – though not short-term – intervention. The final mural requires a key which will be provided in the form of a display board with a QR code that will enable access to recorded interviews via a mobile phone.

You can hear the mural’s audio track here.

Thanks, Łukasz Kot!

Fernando Orellana: Assembly Line Art

Robots, Playdoh, humorous sculpture make in assemby line style by Fernando OrellanaRobots, Playdoh, humorous sculpture make in assemby line style by Fernando OrellanaRobots, Playdoh, humorous sculpture make in assemby line style by Fernando OrellanaRobots, Playdoh, humorous sculpture make in assemby line style by Fernando Orellana

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Visual artist Fernando Orellana based in Schenectady, NY, is fascinated by assembly lines. He loves the precision and efficiency, as well as the program-like quality. His robotic sculptures are created in a one-man assembly line fashion, repeating each step in multiple figures before moving on to the next.

Working in a variety of mediums, Orellana seems to keep with this assembly line theme transmitting concepts that range from generative art to social-political commentary. Whether it be in his robotic toy-like sculptures (Me and You or No Cuts, No Buts, No Coconuts) or his wall hung Play-doh and epoxy compositions (Extruder and Population), with machine-generated car-shaped (or people, or animals) Play-doh pieces in large quantities, ultimately reaching 429,674 automobiles as that is the number estimated to have been produced in 1947 (the year Henry Ford died) by the Ford Motor Company. Each panel of figures is then encased in epoxy for preservation as well as a cool effect.

You can see his extruding machine in action here.

Photos courtesy of the artist and artslant.

via Milavec Hakimi and Bomb

Matthew Mazzotta: Social Space Architecture

participatory public interventions, ecology, public involvement, community building, humorous art installations, street art, Matthew Mazzottaparticipatory public interventions, ecology, public involvement, community building, humorous art installations, street art, Matthew Mazzottaparticipatory public interventions, ecology, public involvement, community building, humorous art installations, street art, Matthew Mazzotta

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Boston-based artist Matthew Mazzotta creates participatory public interventions that aim to criticize, raise awareness, and bring a sense of openness to the places we live. I imagine bringing a smile to most people’s faces might be a goal as well. Mazzotta’s work focuses on drawing people in by curiosity and finding themselves as part of something unrehearsed. Reacting and interacting are key to his work as are community building, ecology and public involvement.

The top installation, titled Steeped in Exploration, was created in The Netherlands as a teahouse without tea.

From the artist:
The physical structure of Steeped in Exploration, made from all local materials, becomes a site of communal tea drinking. The tea served at the teahouse is not from the grocery store or peoples’ gardens, it is foraged by the people enjoying the tea on public outing that take us throughout the area based on knowledge and experiences of the people at the outing. Even the heat to boil the water for the tea comes from a local source, by transforming cow manure from local farms into energy (methane) through a methane digester.

In the following piece titled Looking for a Landscape, Mazzotta converted a standard city utility box into a portable viewing station. The structure is on retractable wheels, and the doors were hinged at the bottom opening downwards creating a cantilevered platform on each side of the box, complete with velvet cushions and mounted binoculars to take in the everyday urban landscapes.

Lastly, the video below goes through the function of Mazzotta’s Insertion Module, designed specifically as part of the negative space in architecture, camouflaged within the façade of a building, but when taken out opens up into a Tea House.

You might want to check out his Open House Project and Park Spark Project too.

via artsake

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 11/23

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC Thanksgiving Weekend 2012, 11/23 to 11/25, Art, Film, Theater, Performance, Food, Dance, Walking Tours, Music, Food, and Fun, NYC Free and Cheap Cultural events weekend of 11/23/12
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Free and Cheap things to do in New York City this post-Thanksgiving weekend. Quieter than usual, with so many people out of town, but here are some possibilities to squeeze in, in lieu of, or in between, the shopping madness:

1. Walking Tour Cross Park Promenade Tour. Discover many surprises in and about our beloved Central Park in this slightly over-an-hour tour. Fri 11/23, 12:30pm to 1:45pm. FREE

2. Art Ira Eduadovna: That. There. Then. Based on an iconic Soviet Television show, this six-channel installation recreates the architecture and staging of the original TV studio through four viewpoints. All weekend. 12-6pm at Momenta Art. FREE

3. Art/Music/Food/Crafts – Brooklyn Night Bazaar. Fri 11/23 & Sat 11/24 and all Fri & Sats thru 12/22. 6pm to midnight. FREE

4. Art — Picasso Black and White at the Guggenheim. Sat 11/24 (and all Saturdays) 5:45 to 7:45pm is Pay-what-you-wish. All other times through 1/23 $22 adults.

Also in Art – Sebastian Black at Karma.

5. Theater Ingenious Nature a play written and performed by Baba Brinkman about online dating and the personality clashes that ensue. All weekend at 7:30pm. Use code SOHO for $25 tickets.

6. Photography/Art  Joel Meyerowitz Photographs Part I at Howard GReenberg Gallery. Fri 11/23 & Sat 11/24. FREE

7. Comedy/Music/PerformanceGASHOLE: Hole-O-Matic 2012 …the “you pick ’em” very random pop show! Sat 11/24 at 8pm. $20

8. Film  Laurel and Hardy at Anthology Film Archives: 4 films 20 to 30 minutes each, Sun 11/25 at 4:15pm $10

9. Music/Performance This is actually post-weekend – Sirens in Surround Sound: an acoustic evening. Mon 11/26 at 7pm $15.

Also in Music: Joe’s Pub is having a 24-hour Black Friday Discount sale on select events. Check it out here.

UPDATES:

Performance Art: Situation Zero – Sound and performance artists from all over the country come together for a night you won’t forget! Sat 11/24, 9 to 11pm. $10 suggested donation.

Performance/Music/Fundraiser – Gowanus Ballroom Fundraiser and FlutuArteNY, a night of live music to help raise funds for the Gowanus Ballroom and Serett after Hurricane Sandy. Sat 11/24 at 6pm. $15 donation.

Music – Signature Riff’s Festival of the Unknown:  Think of it as a “secret” or “blind” lineup of bands. Sun 11/25 at 7pm. $10 advance; $15 door.

Enjoy!

David Meyer: Imposed Order

Imposed Order by David Meyer, installation with concentric circles of letters and words made from piles of flour spelling out Chance or Design, typography installationImposed Order by David Meyer, installation with concentric circles of letters and words made from piles of flour spelling out Chance or Design, typography installationImposed Order by David Meyer, installation with concentric circles of letters and words made from piles of flour spelling out Chance or Design

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Delaware-based sculptor David Meyer’s work ranges from installations to simple objects that compel the viewer to take a second look. His installation Imposed Order is composed of three words “Chance Or Design” repeated continuously in concentric circles. The type is created on site, sifting flour into piles to form each letter. The scale and physicality of the piles of text are designed to create an illusion of permanence.

You can see much more of Meyer’s work on his website.

via ISC

Martynka Wawrzyniak: Smell Me

olfactory art, olfactory self portrait, smell chamber, sweat, tears, hair, Martynka wawrzyniak, Envoy Enterprisesolfactory art, olfactory self portrait, smell chamber, sweat, tears, hair, Martynka wawrzyniak, Envoy Enterprisesolfactory art, olfactory self portrait, smell chamber, sweat, tears, hair, Martynka wawrzyniak, Envoy Enterprises

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I popped into Envoy Enterprises the other evening, after The Silent History Walking Tour, intrigued by the spare-looking gallery and the title of the exhibited show – Martynka Wawrzyniak: Smell Me. The Polish artist, living in NYC, in essence (no pun intended) created an olfactory self portrait. What exactly is an olfactory self portrait you ask? Working with a research team of Hunter College Chemistry students under the guidance of professor Donna McGregor, Wawrzyniak underwent multiple experiments to collect aromatic elements from her body, and ultimately exhibited them. Partly displayed in elegant perfume bottles/vials that held the scent of her sweat in one, tears in another, nightshirt in a third, and hair essence in the last, while on a separate stand were three candles in beakers titled Martynka Candle #1-3 which were made from paraffin that had been applied and then scraped off of the artist’s body and would emit her scent if burned. If this wasn’t odd enough, there was a type of smell chamber in the back with a little diagram outside, indicating the different scents emanating from holes in the small private room. Presumably the extractions on view outside the room were intermittently sprayed into the chamber one scent at a time, but the result was more of a general unpleasant odor, though I did not react as negatively or extremely as the woman who stepped in right after me and ran out gagging.

All in all, a strange exhibit. Not since Peter De Cupere’s work have I come across anything like this. Upon looking up Martynka’s other work I saw this piece called Chocolate that, though mildly disturbing, at least must have had a more pleasant scent while filming:

Enzo e Nio: Armed Women & Girls

Enzo and Nio, New York Street Artists, saintly school Girls with guns and ammunition, wheat pastings.Enzo and Nio, New York Street Artists, saintly school Girls with guns and ammunition, wheat pastingsEnzo and Nio, New York Street Artists, saintly school Girls with guns and ammunition, wheat pastings.Enzo and Nio, New York Street Artists, Olek and Jilly Ballistic collaboration, saintly Girls with guns and ammunition, wheat pastings.

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Enzo and Nio are New York based street artists whose work has been appearing throughout the city, as well as in Europe, and as far as New Zealand (see second photo from top.) They have several series and recurring themes in their work. The one above of saint-like women and girls armed with weapons (often accompanied by a Latin phrase) is one, but they also have fake “Pull in Case of Emergency” boxes as well as a series of monogrammed bombs with their own initials. In some cases there’s overlap, as in the top photo. They’ve collaborated with Olek and Jilly Ballistic as (see fourth photo from top) and their Cocksharks rarely go unnoticed.

Apparently, they don’t like discussing their work, leaving it to each person’s own interpretation…so interpret away.

Photos from Enzo and Nio’s facebook and tumblr pages; Toirock’s flickr; Dave Krugman; Modica-Way; Cinde Meade.

via buzz patrol

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 11/16

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend of 11/16/12 in Music, Art, Design, Film, Theater, Dance, Food, Festivals, Fun, Free and Cheap NYC events. Cool Fun

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Free and cheap things to do this weekend (11/16 to 11/18) in NYC. Cultural events in art, architecture, music, film, dance, theater, design, food and fun.

1. Art Sinister Pop at the Whitney Museum focuses on the darker side of the 60s and 70s Pop art scene. All weekend, but pay-what-you-wish on Fri 11/16: 6 to 9pm.

2. Graphic Design ADC Young Guns Exhibit at the Art Director’s Club Gallery. 106 W. 29th St. Fri 11/16 10am to 6pm. FREE

Also in Design & Illustration – Creative Carnival: 100 illustrators and photographers will be creating new original work throughout the night, accompanied by a live DJ, with carnival-style food and a bar. Fri 11/16, 5:30 to 10:30pm. FREE RSVP

3. Talk/Discussion Free to Be Blasphemous? A Conversation on the Legal Principles of the Freedom of Expression. Fri 11/16 FREE.

4. Talk/Book/Cartoonist Legendary Underground Cartoonist Aline Crumb Discusses Her New Book, Drawn Together. Fri 11/16: 7-8pm: $10 Strand Gift Card or Purchase of Book.

5. Readings/Photography Lines of Sight: Readings of photography in fiction. a public reading of passages from fiction that describe photography explicitly, as a subject, or adopt photographic strategies of framing, staging, or manipulation. Fri 11/16. 7pm $5

6. Film/Talk  Meet the Filmmaker: Edward Burns talks about his new film The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. Fri 11/16. 6pm FREE

7. DanceThe Barnard Project at New York Live Arts. Fri 11/16 $20

8. Reading Moby-Dick Marathon: first-ever marathon-style reading in New York City of Herman Melville’s American classic, Moby-Dick, Or, the Whale. All weekend. Check listing for locations and times. FREE.

9. Theater Critically acclaimed Skin Tight: encompasses dance, an original score and extreme physicality. All weekend and through 12/1. $25.

10. Arts/Crafts/Food Renegade Crafts Fair Holiday Market in Williamsburg. Sat 11/17 & Sun 11/18; 11am to 6pm. FREE

11. Peformance/Party/Theater/Music/Cool Fun – Lucent Encounter: Experiential nightlife experience. An immersive nightlife party featuring roaming performance artists dressed in costume who interact with guests, a fortune teller, as well as DJ duo EC Twins and much more. The entire Liberty Theater is a Transformation Station, to renew the soul and the spirit. Sat 11/17 (and every Saturday through 1/26) $30

12. Art/Installation The Glass Sea  a Rikers Island Jail Cell installed in Soho. Open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.  in Petrosino Square. By artist Jessica Feldman with designer Steven Gertner. All weekend. Through 11/25. FREE

13. Dance/Performance/Circus Donka: A letter to Chekhov Renowned circus artist Daniele Finzi Pasca presents this imagistic love letter to Chekhov. All weekend. Tkts start at $25

14. Walking Tour/Experiment  The Silent History. short walking tour of Lower East Side field reports, presented live by Kevin Moffett, Matt Derby, and Eli Horowitz. Refreshments to follow. Sat 11/17 at 3:15pm. Details here. FREE.

15. Theater The Exonerated at Culture Project tickets $25 All weekend with code SANDY.

16. Music Fall Open House and Sunday Sessions, filmmaker-turned-guitar shredder Jim Jarmusch and Dutch lutist Jozef Van Wissem are releasing their second album, The Mystery of Heaven. Sun 11/18, 5 to 6pm. $10.

17. Food 10th Anniversary Chili Takedown. Sun 11/18 at 2pm. $15

18. MusicSunday Night Live Music Series at the Ace Hotel. Sun 11/18 at 10pm. FREE

UPDATES!

Dance/Performance – Pivotal Works: The Vilcek Foundation Project, Sat 11/17 & Sun 11/18 Joyce Soho. $15

Dance Party/Fun – Soul Clap and Dance-off with Jonathan Toubin. Sat 11/17 at 11pm. $7

Art/Donation/Interaction – Load OUT!: A Reuse and Repurposing RIOT Sat 11/17, 11am to 3pm. $5 to participate.

Readings/Performances/Fundraiser – Sandy Hates Books Hurricane Relief Fundraiser with Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, Paul Auster and many more… Sat 11/17. 12 to 9pm. $10 suggested donation. RSVP.

Art/Music/Performance/Food/Fundraiser – Queens Museum of Art Rockaway Fundraiser, with artists, performances and food with proceeds going to the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance. Sun 11/18, 12 to 4pm. No donation is too small or large.

Music/Benefit – From Brooklyn with Love Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert at Union Pool. Sun 11/18, doors at 4:30pm. $20 min donation.

Film – Short & Sweet: Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. Sun 11/18 at 7:30pm. $9.

Check back for more updates!

Timothy Goodman: Writing on the Walls

Illustration, Graphic Design, Writing on the walls at the Ace Hotel, FlexFit, Fun Decor, typographyIllustration, Graphic Design, Writing on the walls at the Ace Hotel, FlexFit, Fun Decor, typographyIllustration, Graphic Design, Writing on the walls at the Ace Hotel, FlexFit, Fun Decor, typography

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New York based Timothy Goodman is a designer, illustrator, art director and teacher. For the Ace Hotel in NYC, Goodman hand drew 99 picture frames creating a dense wall of ‘discovery’ about NYC for the common tourist staying in the room. Each frame contains a different fact/love/thing/tidbit/or place that the artist likes in the city. At roughly 120 feet, the art was drawn imprecisly to capture the spontaneity of the city, using markers and opaque black paint.

Just this past August, Goodman, in a similar style, created a wall mural for FlexFit Headwear at the Magic S.L.A.T.E. trade show in Las Vegas which he drew in real-time during the first day of the show. He came up with the idea of hand-lettering Tupac Shakur lyrics to Keep Ya Head Up on 500 sq. ft. of wall space, going round and round for about 9 hours. Apart from the great illustrated type, I’m amazed at how perfectly aligned he keeps it all. You can see a video of the FlexFit installation below:

Exit Sign Art

Sculpture and installations that use Exit signs, Exit Signs as ArtSculpture and installations that use Exit signs, Exit Signs as ArtSculpture and installations that use Exit signs, Exit Signs as Art

Exit sign art, installations and sculpture made with exit signs, Ingo MaurerClick to enlarge

About a year and a half ago, Daniela and I popped into the Charles Bank Gallery on the Bowery and were welcomed by Allen Grubesic’s modified Exit sign reading “EXCITING”. We both found the sculpture very clever. Since that day, when perusing gallery and artists’ websites online, I’ve run into many other sculptures and installations that repurpose old exit signs or are simply influenced by them. Also, when Emma interned at a gallery the summer before last, one of the tasks assigned to her was to research inexpensive exit signs for one of their artists who was planning to use them in his work. That’s when I realized there was some sort of trend here. I started bookmarking these works as I came across them and though there are some that I’ve lost in the shuffle, this is a roundup of most of them.

From top to bottom and left to right: Nicholas Consuegra, Untitled; Allen Grubesic, Exciting; Bobbybabe, Exit; Kelly Mark, Exist;  Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Reference Flow; Cecile Colle & Ralf Nuhn, Exit Wall; Dana Depew, Exit Strategy; Ingo Maurer, Exit (and bottom); Foreign Flash, Exit Installation; Ji Lee, Exit, Word as Image; Marke Johnson, No Exit; Lowe+Partners, Axe Ad Campaign; Philip Cheater, First Emergency Fire Exit

And here’s Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Reference Flow in action: