NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 10/5

Free & Cheap things to do in NYC weekend of 10/5/2012, Fun Free and Cheap NYC events in art, architecture, film, theater, dance, design, lectures, Art events, Theater events, Film, Festivals, FoodClick to enlarge

20+ free and cheap things to do this weekend (10/5 to 10/7) in NYC. Cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun.

1. Art/Performance Art in Odd Places: artists’ work & performances take over unexpected public spaces all along 14th Street. All weekend and through 10/15. Opening reception Fri 10/5, 5 to 8pm. See schedule. FREE

2. Film Bushwick Film Festival at Paperbox. All weekend. $10/day; $25 for full 3-dayPass

3. ArtAffordable Art Fair at the Tunnel in Chelsea. All weekend. $12

4. Design/Typography Get Out the Vote Poster Project exhibit (see post) at AIGA, 154 5th Ave. Fri 10/5, 11am to 5pm, through 11/30. FREE

5. Dance/Theater – Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero: Turbulence: an experimental hybrid of contemporary dance, improvised happening and political theater at NY Live Arts. Fri 10/5 & Sat 10/6 at 7:30pm. $15 and $20.

6. Art/Massage The Massage Performances with Sergei Tcherepnin, premieres a new six-channel composition to be played through your body. Fri 10/5 at 6:30pm. The Issue Project Room, Brooklyn. FREE ($10 suggested donation)

Alternatively: Past Futures, Present Futures Exhibit opening at Storefront for Art & Architecture. 7 to 9pm. FREE.

7. Film Haika Mutil & Miel de Naranjas by Imanol Uribe, Fri 10/5 at Instituto Cervantes 6pm to 8pm. FREE

8. Theater/Performance – Prelude NYC Theater & Performance. Multiple events at various venues. Fri 10/5. See schedule. FREE (first come first served)

9. Dance/MusicRob List: Play By Ear features anti-conceptual movement, dance, and song. Fri 10/5 & Sat 10/6. 8pm at The Chocolate Factory, Long Island City. $15

10. Art/Music/Food The Feast Pavilion: a modern day World’s Fair features immersive art installations, food trucks, music, and community booths that honor the work of today’s most remarkable innovators. Sat 10/6, 12 to 6pm. Followed by Dance Party 8pm to 1am. FREE

11. Music/Art The Autumn Bowl: live music by various musicians paired with live visuals in a stunning, immersive environment. Sat 10/6 at 8pm. Greenpoint. $12 tickets.

12. Architecture/ToursOHNY (Open House New York), Sat 10/6 & Sun 10/7. Various locations and times. Check site for details. FREE

13. Music Restoration Rocks! Music Festival. A day-long music concert of some of the most dynamic emerging and established artists performing on the Brooklyn stage. Sat 10/6, 12 to 5pm. Fulton Street, Bed Stuy. FREE

14. Art/Talk/Reception  BEYONSENSE: An Evening with Dr. John Perry, Hosted by Slavs and Tatars at MoMA. Sat 10/6, 8 to 11pm. Admission includes conversation, exhibition viewing, and cocktail reception. Plus a limited-edition print. $14 in advance; $18 at door.

Alternatively: Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays. Sat 10/6 from 5 to 11pm. Various performances, music, talks. See site. FREE

15. Music The Lisps: FUTURITY Album Release. Sat 10/6, 8:30 pm 92Y Tribeca Mainstage at 200 Hudson Street. $15.00 tickets

16. Performance/General Craziness Electrified with David Blaine at Hudson River Park, Pier 54 (near 14th St). All weekend. FREE

17. Theater Disgraced: a new play by Ayad Akhtar, directed by Kimberly Senior. Previews begin Sun 10/7 at 7pm. Claire Tow Theater. $20.

18. Stories/Performance The Moth GrandSLAM Championship at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Sun 10/7. Doors 6:30; Show 7:30. $20.

UPDATES: Film – The New York Film Festival has Discounted Rush Tickets available for some of their screenings announced daily on their website and go on sale 1 hour before showtime. All weekend and through 10/14.

Art – First Fridays at the Noguchi Museum in LIC. Fri 10/5, 10am to 5pm. Pay-what-you-wish.

Music: The Vespers and The Deadly Gentlemen play in Madison Sq. Park, Sat 10/6, 3 to 5pm. FREE

Art: BYOB: Bring Your Own Beamer at Knockdown Center in Queens. Sat 10/6 at 8pm. Artists bring their projectors and project their art, initially an idea by Rafaël Rozendaal (see our post). FREE

Film – My Brooklyn with Kelly Anderson at UnionDocs in Williamsburg. Sun 10/7, 7:30pm. Thoughtful documentary on the issues of neighborhood gentrification. $9 suggested donation.

Film – Goodfellas at Habana Outpost‘s movie night in Brooklyn. Sun 10/7 at 8pm. FREE

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for some ongoing suggestions. Happy Fall weekend.

Li Songsong: Tunnel Installation

Tunnel installation, oil paint on aluminum, space shuttle like tube, walk through art installation, Chinese contemporary artTunnel installation, oil paint on aluminum, space shuttle like tube, walk through art installation, Chinese contemporary artTunnel installation, oil paint on aluminum, space shuttle like tube, walk through art installation, Chinese contemporary artClick to enlarge

Beijing-born and based artist Li Songsong is probably best known for his thickly applied contemporary oil paintings; some on canvas and others on aluminum panels. In his latest work, a tunnel-like installation at Pace Beijing, he inverts his usual style, leaving the aluminum as the exposed exterior, while the interior is made up of 91 sections of very thickly applied oil paint on differing shapes and textures in varying colors. The effect would seem to be a cross between entering a stripped away space shuttle and a 3-dimensional abstract painting. Cool.

Photos courtesy of Pace Beijing. Second photo Blake Gopnik for The Daily Beast.

Jean-François Fourtou: Tombée du Ciel

Fun and cool installation of upside-down house at Festival Lille Fantastic 2012, Fantastic Lille3000, Jean-Francois Fourtou, contemporary artFun and cool installation of upside-down house at Festival Lille Fantastic 2012, Fantastic Lille3000, Jean-Francois Fourtou, contemporary artFun and cool installation of upside-down house at Festival Lille Fantastic 2012, Fantastic Lille3000, Jean-Francois Fourtou, contemporary artClick to enlarge

French artist Jean-François Fourtou has always wanted to be an architect. Through a series of experiments in his studio in Madrid, Fourtou played with dimension and proportion, mostly distorting them, and applying these experiments to a decade-long project of installations on his property in Morocco. Tombée du Ciel (Fallen from the Sky), the upside down house inspired by his grandparents’ home in France, reproduced to scale and plopped on its roof with its entrance via window, is one of these works. Reminiscent of scenes from books such as Alice in Wonderland or Gulliver’s Travels, the experience of walking on the ceilings (or, if you’re Lionel Richie, perhaps dancing) must evoke both a disorienting and funny feeling. Can’t help thinking of Stray Light Grey a little bit.

Currently, Fourtou is exhibiting a version of his Tombée du Ciel as part of the Festival Lille3000 Fantastic 2012 in Belgium.

Photos courtesy of the artist; aeroplastics gallery; and AFP

via voanews

Bus-Tops in London

Double-decker bus stop tops, animated public art project during the 2012 Olympics in London, LEDsDouble-decker bus stop tops, animated public art project during the 2012 Olympics in London, LEDsDouble-decker bus stop tops, animated public art project during the 2012 Olympics in London, LEDsClick to enlarge

This is such a great public art project. From January 2012 up until just yesterday, a set of 30 red and black LED screens were installed on the roofs of bus shelters throughout the many boroughs of London. The project, sponsored by the Arts Council of England and the Olympics, was titled Bus-Tops and projected images up to those traveling on the upper level of London’s double-decker buses. If that concept alone isn’t nice enough, the added interactive aspect allowing anyone, of any age, to draw and submit their own artwork on the Bus-Tops site, with a chance for it to be projected on one of the many screens, is just genius. Taking a look at all the works (and there are hundreds of them ranging from typographic to illustrative, abstract to realist) showcased on the project’s website, some of the kid submissions are equally charming to those of their more sophisticated and slicker counterparts.

It’s a shame these couldn’t continue indefinitely. It would be great to see similar ideas executed in other cities as well.

Here is a video that explains the project in detail and shows some of the animated works.

via demagazine

Anarchy Dance Theater & UltraCombos

Modern Dance combined with cool video projection mapping and audience interactionModern Dance combined with cool video projection mapping and audience interactionJapanese Modern dance combined with cool video projection mapping, Anarchy Dance Theater, Ultra CombosClick to enlarge

Interactive designers UltraCombos collaborated with Taiwanese dance company Anarchy Dance Theater, on their performance piece titled Seventh Sense which made its European debut recently at the TodaysArt Festival in The Hague. This viewer-centered performance detects all movements including those of the dancers and audience, allowing them to interact through visual effects. The audience becomes not just the viewer, but an active participant via the interactive projection mapping. Very cool.

For those of you in Spain, this Seventh Sense performance will be coming to Centro Parraga in Murcia, October 19 and 20, 2012, so you might want to catch it if you can.

Photos: Top three by Ed Jansen. Bottom three courtesy of Anarchy Dance Theater.

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/28

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC, 9/28 to 9/30, NYC cheap art, music, film, theater, food, architecture, dance events, Fun and cheap or free events in NYCClick to enlarge

Ay yay yay! So many free and cheap things to do in NYC this weekend and so little time. Here are over a dozen free and/or affordable cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun for the weekend of 9/28/2012 to 9/30/2012.

1. Art/Design/Classes – From Photoshop and Dreamweaver to Economics. Trade School a self-organized learning space that runs on barter. Opens Friday 9/28 through 10/28. FREE (with barter items or services) Sign up here.

2. Art Dev Harlan Untitled (Wave) at Christopher Henry Gallery All weekend. 11am to 6pm. 127 Elizabeth St. FREE

3. Theater/Installation Habit (see post) directed by David Levine. All weekend, continuously loops from 1 to 9pm, FREE.

4. Design/TypographyConcrete Poetry to Feed My Mind, post-World War II experiments in literature that looked beyond the simple signification of words and meanings to a new mode of visual and linguistic communication. At NYU Open House Gallery, 528 LaGuardia Pl., All weekend, 1pm to 4pm. FREE

5. Art/Design/BooksNY Art Book Fair, at PS1. World’s premier event for international artists’ books, catalogs, monographs, periodicals, and zines. All weekend, see website for hours and listing of events. FREE

6. Theater Gilbert & Sullivan Players I’ve Got a Little Twist at Calhoun Theater, Friday 9/28, 7pm. $10 adults; $5 students & seniors.

7. Art – Saga Sites exhibit, Landscapes of the Icelandic Sagas. Saturday 9/29 and Sunday, 9/30 at Scandinavia Housethrough 1/12/2013. FREE

8. Art/Fun/Food/Music Dumbo Arts Festival, All weekend starting Friday 9/28 night with Immersive Surfaces projection mapping show from 6pm to 9pm, continuing with vast number of events All weekend. Check site for event listings. FREE

9. Film5th Russian Documentary Film Festival, at Tribeca Cinemas. All weekend. Check site for schedule. $14.

10. Art/Performance SkowheganPERFORMS at Socrates Sculpture Park, Saturday, 9/29, 1:30–5:00pm. FREE

11. Food/Fun10th Annual Oyster Frenzy at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal. Includes Oyster-eating contest and Oyster-shucking contest. A variety of oysters, shooters and more. Saturday 9/29, 12 to 6pm. FREE entry. (Oysters are a la carte.)

12. Conference/Speakers/Art/MusicRUCKUS NYC is a one-day conference and concert on art and the web. Saturday 9/29 at Cooper Union, 10am to 6pm, (Registration starts at 9:30). $65 (Hey, that’s cheap for a conference.) $25 for just evening concert.

13. Food/Fun/Fair Chile Pepper Fiesta, at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Saturday 9/29, 11am to 6pm. 20th anniversary with a full roster of sizzling music and dance from spice-loving regions around the world. Sample dozens of award-winning hot sauces, spicy pickles, salsas and chile-chocolates. $15 adults; $10 Students over 12 and Seniors.

14. Food/Music/FunThe Atlantic Antic Street Festival, Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. Sunday 9/30, 12 to 6pm. FREE

Alternatively: DayLife Festival, Sunday 9/30. Orchard Street in full effect as a 3-block special event with food, fashion, a full line-up of top-tier DJs, and games such as Twister, badminton and urban croquet. FREE

15. Film Two awe-inspiring, informative, and entertaining documentaries, What’s For Dinner? and Vegucated, Saturday 9/29, 1-4pm at Anthology Film Archives. Part of Climate Week NYC. FREE with eticket.

16. Art/Classes Figure Drawing classes at Brooklyn Art Space. Saturdays & Sundays, 3-hour sessions open to all. $12. See site for times.

17. Music Global Festival Central Park Great Lawn w/ Neil Young, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, K’Naan, Saturday 9/29 at 5pm. All ages. FREE, register.

18. Music Get tickets for Of Monsters and Men at Terminal 5, November 21, 2012. $25. (Oops! Sorry, sold out)

UPDATES:

Art Museum Day! Saturday 9/29, Free entry to a list of Smithsonian-affiliated museums (see map): includes Morgan Library, Museo del Barrio, Museum of Folk Art, The Asia Society, Studio Museum in Harlem and many, many more nationwide. Sign up for a pass for two. FREE.

Art Lucas Samaras: XYZ opens at Pace (W. 25th St) Friday 9/28 and Saturday 9/29 through 10/27. FREE

Fun/Music/PerformanceBushwig! Festival of Drag at Special Project Robot in Bushwick. Saturday 9/29, 3 to 11pm. FREE.

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for some ongoing  suggestions. Enjoy.

Karyn Olivier: Sculptural Play

Double Slide, contemporary scultpure, slide sculpture, Karen Olivier, Socrates Sculpture ParkExtra long see saw, contemporary scultpure, play sculpture, Karen Olivier, Socrates Sculpture ParkExtra long see saw, contemporary scultpure, play sculpture, Karen Olivier, Socrates Sculpture ParkClick to enlarge

I vote Karyn Olivier to design the next playground in town. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Olivier studied undergrad and graduate school in the U.S. Her work includes sculpture, photography, videos, and drawings, but here I’ve just included some of her sculptures. These pieces, at first glance, are humorous and playful, but the artist speaks of nostalgia, betrayal, dysfunction, danger, and isolation in her work. Maybe not the best words to associate with a real playground. Nonetheless, these are quirky and appealing sculptures that seem to call out to be played with.

via Skowhegan Art

Habit: David Levine

Experimental theater, installation and avant garde theater at Essex Street Market, Habit, 8-hour looping performance, Crossing the Line FestivalExperimental theater, installation and avant garde theater at Essex Street Market, Habit, 8-hour looping performance, Crossing the Line FestivalExperimental theater, installation and avant garde theater at Essex Street Market, Habit, 8-hour looping performance, Crossing the Line FestivalClick to enlarge

Not usually much of a theater-goer, this week has been the exception, especially when it comes to experimental theater. Today I stopped by Habit directed by David Levine; part avant garde theater, part installation, Habit is described as “The Real World meets No Exit.” A two-bedroom, one-bath apartment set, with sheetrock walls and windows, what seems like actual plumbing, and a kitchen, has been built in the middle of the Essex Street Market’s Building B. For a full 8 hours every day, three actors perform the looped play, strictly observing the script, but without stage directions. They are confined to the set, but can wander around as they please. Apparently, each loop presents a different iteration of the play. The audience watches from around the perimeter of the set, through the numerous windows. There’s not a lot of action (at least the 45 minutes or so that I was there) but I did witness tension and come-ons between the three, as well as a fair amount of snacking and tea-drinking, and a wardrobe change or two by Viv in her bedroom. It feels very voyeuristic to watch the play through the windows, more so than if you were watching the same action take place from a seat in an audience. It’s pretty interesting. I’d be curious to go back and experience a different time of day, much in the way that Christian Marclay’s The Clock was interesting to experience at different times of the day/night, though I’ve always been more of a film person, so that may have had more of an allure for me.

Habit is presented by PS122 & FIAF’s Crossing the Line Festival, through Sunday, September 30th, from 1 to 9pm daily at the Essex Street Market, Building B, Essex St. between Rivington and Stanton. And it’s free!

Clara Lieu: Falling Series

Beeswax self-portrait sculptures reflecting depression and anxiety by Clara Lieu, Contemporary sculpture, RISDBeeswax self-portrait sculptures reflecting depression and anxiety by Clara Lieu, Contemporary sculpture, RISDBeeswax self-portrait sculptures and illustrations reflecting depression and anxiety by Clara Lieu, Contemporary sculpture, RISDVisual artist Clara Lieu (also Daniela’s freshman drawing teacher at RISD last year) has created an interesting (and creepy) series of sculptures as part of her Falling project. A visualization of her personal experience with depression and anxiety, as well as the sense of loss of control, Lieu worked with actress and model Marianna Bassham, to recreate these emotions and expressions.

From the artist:
These fine art prints titled “HidingI – XIII”, depict a human face emerging out of darkness. I sculpted a relief sculpture of a face out of ceramic clay, created a silicone mold, and cast the sculpture in beeswax. The sculpture was then lit with dramatic lighting, photographed digitally, and then manipulated in Photoshop.

Lieu works in many mediums including printmaking, illustration, sculpture, and painting. You can see much more of her work on her website, and buy some of her work in her etsy shop. And here is an interesting interview where she goes into detail about her work.

UFO House: Roberto Sanchez Rivera

Roberto Sanchez Rivera designed house to look like a spaceship, UFO Home, Close Encounters in Puerto RicoRoberto Sanchez Rivera designed house to look like a spaceship, UFO Home, Close Encounters in Puerto RicoRoberto Sanchez Rivera designed house to look like a spaceship, UFO Home, Close Encounters in Puerto RicoClick to enlarge

This is not just an interesting-looking home, but also has an interesting story behind it. Retired teacher of industrial arts, Roberto Sanchez Rivera, who lives on the south side of the island of Puerto Rico, built his home to look like a spaceship, complete with lights and audio effects that sometimes play the tune from Close Encounters of the Third Kind  and other times salsa. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house was built for about $150,000 and almost everything in it has been ingeniously created from discount store knickknacks and discarded auto parts. Objects such as the kitchen table and bathroom garbage can were designed to hover above the ground, while lamps are made from objects such as stove burners and lead pipes. Each room has a different personality and color scheme.

What possessed Rivera to design such a home? Love. As a teenager he had a girlfriend that left him after three months. From that moment he decided to build a home like no other to impress this girl. Even the location, up on a hill, visible from the main road, was chosen with the hopes that she would inevitably pass the house and notice it. You can read the whole story here but, in the meantime, needless to say Rivera has a new girlfriend and one unique home.

Photos: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

via The NYTimes

Numen/For Use: Field

D-day Festival, Zagreb, Numen/For Use, Field, cool installation, grass carpet suspended within a former slaughterhouseD-day Festival, Zagreb, Numen/For Use, Field, cool installation, grass carpet suspended within a former slaughterhouseD-day Festival, Zagreb, Numen/For Use, Field, cool installation, grass carpet suspended within a former slaughterhouseClick to enlarge

The Croatian-Austrian collective Numen/For Use (previously here) created a fun installation for the D-Day Festival in their own city of Zagreb. The suspended Field, executed in a former slaughterhouse, underwent the entire vegetative cycle from sprouting to disintegration. The grass field was grown on a floating piece of fabric, converting the designers into urban farmers and making them aware of the fragility and power of life. The growing field was not tied down to the ground, contradicting the usual assumptions that earth is an immobile mass of infinite weight and a two dimensional surface. I especially like the fact that people could wander under, as well as above, the installation, peering up through the holes in Whac-a-Mole style.

This might be a nice addition/substitute for the proposed Lowline project. Just a thought…

via frame

JR in Hong Kong

JR, inside out project, photo portrait street art in Hong Kong, Connaught Street Footbridge, collabcubedJR, inside out project, photo portrait street art in Hong Kong, Connaught Street FootbridgeJR Hong Kong Connaught Road Footbridge, street artJR, inside out project, photo portrait sculptures Galerie Perrotin in Hong Kong, Patterns exhibit
Click to enlarge

French street artist JR (previously here and here) is at it again! This time in Hong Kong. The immensely appealing photographer has pasted 16 large-scale portraits of Hong Kong city dwellers looking up, along Connaught Road footbridge in the center of the city. And, if that isn’t fun enough, he’s got an exhibit of his first sculptures titled Pattern at Galerie Perrotin through November 10th, 2012.

All photos courtesy of the Inside Out Project and Galerie Perrotin.

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/21

Free and Cheap things to do in NYC weekend of 9/21/2012, NYC Free and Cheap Events Fall 2012, Art, Music, Theater, Film, Food, Performance, Fun Events in NYC, Free, Cheap, AffordableClick to enlarge

This weekend’s picks for free and cheap things to do in New York. Affordable cultural events in art, music, dance, theater, food and general fun for the weekend of 9/21/2012 to 9/23/2012.

1. Art/Architecture- Tatzu Nishi’s very fun installation: Discovering Columbus (see post), an elevated living room surrounding the statue in Columbus Circle. All weekend and through 11/18. FREE with reserved timed pass.

2. ArtRegarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years at the Met. All weekend and through 12/31. Pay what you will or suggested admission.

3. FilmThe Coney Island Film Festival, All weekend. Screenings and parties range from $7 to $12.

4. Art/Design Process 01:Joy, at the new P! Gallery in Chinatown, 334 Broome St. Friday 9/21 and Saturday 9/22, FREE. Also related: Saturday, 9/22 from 3 to 5pm the artists Carrion-Murayari, Conaty, and Martens in Conversation at Projects Projects (161 Bowery 2nd Floor) FREE with RSVP

5. Theater Shuffle performed by the Elevator Repair Service in the stacks of the Brooklyn Public Library. Friday 9/21 and Saturday 9/22, 7 to 9pm. Use code BROK for 20% off tickets.

6. TV/Film/Book Actress Penny Marshall chats and signs her new memoir at the Strand, Friday 9/21, 7 to 8pm. Purchase of book or $10 Strand Gift Card required.

7. FilmWilliamsburg International Film Festival, All weekend, different locations. Check schedule. $5 to $10.

8. Food Le Grand Fooding Brooklyn, Saturday 9/22 and Sunday 9/23, Brunch in Williamsburg $20, Lunch in Ft. Greene $15. Get tickets and details.

9. Music/Performance/Art/Food Fourth Arts Block (FAB)will take over East 4th Street for its annual arts extravaganza. An afternoon of free performances by local artists, with multiple indoor and outdoor stages showcasing dance, theater, & music, local artisans and gourmet food vendors, art installations, Saturday 9/22, 1 to 5pm FREE

10. Music Heritage Blues Trio at 3pm followed by Rory Block singing the blues at 4pm. Saturday 9/22 in Madison Square Park. FREE

11. Film/Documentary Detropia at IFC. A lyrical and exquisitely shot meditation on abandonment, decay and unexpected renewal of Detroit. All weekend. Co-director Rachel Grady will be at the 6:10 show Saturday 9/22 for a Q&A. $13.50

12. BooksBrooklyn Book Festival at Borough Hall, Sunday 9/23, 10am to 6pm. FREE

13. Music Rupa & The April Fishes at Le Poisson Rouge, Sunday 9/23 . Doors 10pm. $15

14. Theater The Exonerated with Stockard Channing & Brian Dennehy at Culture Project. 1/2 off Sundays. Sunday 9/23 . Tickets from $15.

Also in Theater – Get $15 tickets now to Sorry by Richard Nelson at the Public Theater 10/30 to 11/18 before they sell out.

15. Food Get 1/2 price tickets now for next Sunday’s (9/30) Pickle Palooza above Bowlmore on University Place. $15.

UPDATES:

Performance/Food 10th Autumn Moon Festival, Sunday 9/23, 11am to 5pm. FREE

TV/Fun – Emmy Screening Party, at Brooklyn Winery, Sunday 9/23, 7 to 11pm. FREE 21+

Art/Music/Party Animamus Art Salon Tube Party at Low Brow Artique, Sunday 9/23 at 7pm. $10

Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for additional suggestions. Happy weekend!

Discovering Columbus: Follow Up

Discovering Columbus Installation/Living Room at Columbus Circle by Tatzu Nishi, cool exhibit, public art, NYC, fun artDiscovering Columbus Installation/Living Room at Columbus Circle by Tatzu Nishi, cool exhibit, public art, NYC, fun artDiscovering Columbus Installation/Living Room at Columbus Circle by Tatzu Nishi, cool exhibit, public art, NYC, fun artDiscovering Columbus Installation/Living Room at Columbus Circle by Tatzu Nishi, cool exhibit, public art, NYC, fun artDiscovering Columbus Installation/Living Room at Columbus Circle by Tatzu Nishi, cool exhibit, public art, NYC, fun artClick to enlarge

This is it! The day New York art lovers have been waiting for. Tatzu Nishi’s Discovering Columbus (previously here for background) opens to the public and I’ve got my free pass to stop over later, however, I couldn’t resist the sneak peek from the VIP listers. The large elevated living room is just as described: built around the famous Columbus Circle statue, that stands tall on the coffee table in the center of the room. The wallpaper print is made up of iconic New York City American images ranging from the Empire State Building to a mustard-slathered hot dog, Elvis and Mickey Mouse. There’s even a TV. Totally nutty and fun. I, for one, am really looking forward to this.

Discovering Columbus will be up through November 18, 2012. Visit the Public Art Fund’s website to reserve your timed free pass.

Photos: AP/wsbtv; Sam Horine/gothamist; vidiot’s flickr; and nymayorsoffice’s flickr.

Vik Muniz: iPhone Photos

iPhone Photos with Schneider iPro Lens by Vik MuniziPhone Photos with Schneider iPro Lens by Vik MuniziPhone Photos with Schneider iPro Lens by Vik MunizClick to enlarge

Brazilian artist Vik Muniz—known for his photographs of his creations ranging from portraits made with melted chocolate, a Medusa in a plate of spaghetti, to his enormous portraits of local favela garbage workers in Rio made from the recycled garbage they collect—shot a series of iPhone photos using a Schneider iPro Lens attachment, leading to some interesting shots. The top one, in particular, is pretty amazing.

via Musée

Caitlind Brown: Cloud

Nuit Blanche Calgary, Cloud installation made of lightbulbs and pull strings, light sculpture, interactive, cool installationNuit Blanche Calgary, Cloud installation made of lightbulbs and pull strings, light sculpture, interactive, cool installationNuit Blanche Calgary, Cloud installation made of lightbulbs and pull strings, light sculpture, interactive, cool installationClick to enlarge

How fun is this? I love it! Calgary-based artist and filmmaker Caitlind Brown created this wonderful large-scale light installation/sculpture titled Cloud, exhibited a few nights ago at this year’s Nuit Blanche in Calgary. Made with more than 5,000 reappropriated domestic light bulbs (only one in every six bulbs actually needs to glow), in addition to compact fluorescent bulbs and chain pull strings, Cloud invites viewers to wander through a rain of pull strings switching lights on and off. When audiences activate the Cloud‘s inner sphere of light bulbs it creates the illusion of lightning on the cloud’s surface. Too clever!

Photos courtesy of James Tworow, Lori.Jane, and Posilucky’s flickrs.

via inspired

S.Alt City Project

Interactive QR code Mural in Syracuse, S.Alt city, street art mural, Irene Cheng & BrettSnyderInteractive QR code Mural in Syracuse, S.Alt city, street art mural, Irene Cheng & BrettSnyderInteractive QR code Mural in Syracuse, S.Alt city, street art mural, Irene Cheng & BrettSnyderInteractive QR code Mural in Syracuse, S.Alt city, street art mural, Irene Cheng & BrettSnyderClick to enlarge

A mural for downtown Syracuse, designed by architects Cheng+Snyder, celebrates both Syracuse’s industrial past and its current status as an artistic hub, apparently. At first glance, the image is historical, depicting a pump house and brine distribution center. On closer inspection, viewers realize the image is a mosaic composed of dozens of unique QR code tile, each linking to a contemporary arts organization in the greater Syracuse region.

Between this mural and the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennial, it looks like people are starting to find interesting uses, as well as engaging ones, for the ubiquitous codes that never seemed, at least to me, to get people scanning.

Thanks David!