April 10, 2013 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

cartonLAB: Venn Diagram

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The latest from the folks at cartonLAB (previously here, here, & here) is their one-third of the Mustang Gallery’s three-part exhibit installation Diagrama de Venn (Venn Diagram)—in Alicante, Spain—which consists of a cumulative and collaborative process between three groups of artists: cartonLAB, street artist Rosh, and Erre Gálvez. Each artist will take their turn inhabiting the gallery space with a work that intervenes, interacts, and adds to, the previous artist’s installation, each in their own unique style. In addition, for each installation, the public was (and will be) enlisted to help with the production and installation aspects.

cartonLAB, along with the help of graphic and package design students, among others, made giant cardboard box people, climbing the gallery walls, lying on the gallery floor, as well as sitting and flying through the space. You can see in the bottom two photos Rosh’s work that followed; spray-painting some of the boxes and reconfiguring them into piles and graffitied walls. We’ll have to wait and see what Erre Gálvez will come up with toward the end of the month with his typographic(?) take.

I really like the collaborative concept behind Diagrama Venn. It’s got a bit of a Layer Tennis feel, only in 3D.

Photos courtesy of cartonLAB and mag’s facebook

April 8, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Nadín Ospina: Pre-Columbian Pop

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Colombian artist Nadín Ospina was inspired to create Pre-Columbian style statues after unknowingly buying fake Pre-Columbian pieces. Much of Ospina’s work combines cartoon characters from U.S. mass entertainment culture with Latin American and Pre-Columbian artistic traditions. The result are stone statues of Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, the Simpsons and a host of other familiar cartoon icons. Using Aztec, Mayan, or Incan art forms with pop-culture imagery in an ironic and humorous manner, Ospina touches on themes of corruption and globalization.

Some of Nadín Ospina’s work will be on view as part of a group show titled Pre-Columbian Remix at the Neuberger Museum of Art at SUNY Purchase from April 28 to July 14, 2013.

Photos courtesy of the artist, galeria animal, and artnet.

April 5, 2013 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 4/5

Cheap things to do this we

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (4/5/13 to 4/7/13) in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture, film, design and general fun. Click through on images to event pages for more info or in the descriptions below.

1. ART: All Weekend – The Affordable Art Fair at the Metropolitan Pavilion. $15.

2. THEATER/FILM: National Theater Live: People Alan Bennetts much anticipated sixth play premiering at London’s National Theater, screened live. 7pm $25

3. TALK: All Weekend – The Talk Shop: Pop-Up Conversation Salon. 12 to 5pm FREE

4. FILM – All Weekend – KinofestNYC: Ukrainian Film Festival $12 to $15. See Schedule

5. ART/TECH: Fri 4/5 & Sat 4/6 through 4/20 – F.A.T. GOLD at Eyebeam: (Free Art & Technology Lab) brings together an international group of 25 collaborators comprised of artists, hackers, engineers, musicians, and graffiti writers, and invites the public to experience and engage with the collective’s groundbreaking projects. Fri – YouTube Open Mic Night and Sat – Your Art Party, both nights till 11pm and beyond. FREE

6. NATURE/WALK: All Weekend & through 4/22 – The Orchid Show at NY Botanical Gardens $20 to $25 (use discount code 9919 for 20% off)

7. FILM: Fri 3/29 – All Weekend – Upstream Color an intriguing looking film that doesn’t follow a linear narrative. at IFC. $13.50

8. FOOD: Sat 4/6 & Sun 4/7 – Smorgasburg returns to Williamsburg on Saturdays, at the adjacent location at East River State Park, and Sundays in Dumbo. 10am to 6pm. FREE

9. BOOKS/READINGS: Sat 4/6 & Sun 4/7 – Anarchist Book Fair with readings, workshops & films. LES. 10am to 9pm. FREE

10. FOOD: Sat 4/6 – SoHA Square Grand Opening. South Harlem’s Neighborhood Market Place. 10am to 6pm. FREE

11. ART/PERFORMANCE: Sat 4/6 – Swell Sound & Vison Festival: features digital projections, provocative performances and interactive installations offering multiple opportunities for audience participation. 8pm. Williamsburg. $10

12.THEATER: All weekend – Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto. $25 and up.

13. CREATIVE THINKING/ART/FUN: Sat 4/6 – Load OUT A Reuse and Repurposing RIOT. an afternoon of repurposing and recycling activities that showcase creative thinking about sustainability and the arts! 12 to 3pm. $5.

14. ART/TALK/TOUR: Sun 4/7 – Breakfast with artist Jon Kessler at Swiss Institute and tour “The Web” installation with him. 12pm. $7 with RSVP

15. ART/VIDEO/FUN: Sun 4/7 – Abstract Currents: An Interactive Video Event with DJ Tamaryn at MoMA. 8:30pm to 11:30pm. $18

16. MUSIC: Sun 4/7 – Bonjour: music that freely crosses the boundaries between pop, minimalist and contemporary. 2 to 3pm. Suggested donation $5

17. MUSIC: Sun 4/7 – Sophie Auster sings her moody jazz- and post-punk-informed songs. 7:30pm $12.

18. ART/PARTICIPATORY: Sun 4/7 – Anarko Art Festival on the LES. Live collaborative multimedia art experience, both immersive and participatory. 7 to 11:30 pm FREE

PLUS…
>>MUSIC: Sun 4/7 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Xray Eyeballs at Webster Hall. 8pm $30 (Sold Out, but you never know if people are selling tickets…)
>>ART: Fri 4/5 – David Scanavino opening reception at Klaus Von Nichtessagend Gallery. 6 to 8pm. Exhibit up through 5/12. FREE
>>COMEDY: Wednesday 4/10 – Stef Comedy Jam at Launch Pad. Comedian Stephan Mark plus Free Beer and Pizza. 9pm to 4am

March 29, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 3/29

Cheap things to do this we

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (3/29/13 to 3/31/13) between bites of matzo or peeps, or neither. Events in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture, film, design and general fun. Click through to event pages for more info on images above or in the descriptions below.

1. ART: Fri 3/29 & Sat 3/30 through 4/6 – Daniel Rozin, Angles at Bitforms, cool interactive art. Love this guy’s work! FREE

2. DANCE/ART/PERFORMANCE: All Weekend – HeardNY: artist Nick Cave transforms Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall into a pasture for a grazing herd of 30 fantastical life-size horses. Accompanied by the sounds of live harpist. Daily Crossings at 11am & 2pm. Tours daily at 3pm. FREE

3. PARTICIPATORY/FUN: Fri 3/29 – Holi, Hindu Festival of Colors Dress in white and expect to get colors thrown all over them and you. At Solar 1 on the East River near 22nd Street. 4:30 to 7:30pm. FREE.

4. TALK/BOOKS – Fri 3/29 – Journalist Robert Caro talks to Frank Rich at the Strand. 7pm. Purchase of book or $20 gift card.

5. THEATER: Fri 3/29 & Sat 3/30 matinee – West Side Story. Tisch New Theatre presents a fresh take on a timeless musical. $20 to $35.

6. ART/PARTICIPATORY: All Weekend – New Museum’s Recalling 1993: Call from any NYC pay phone to hear what every neighborhood was like 20 years ago. See map. FREE

7. TALK/BOOK: Fri 3/29 – “Reading Images: Time/Site/Agency” an event that brings scholars, architects, artists and critics to closely look into images and construct arguments, narratives and observations that produce incisive readings of form, politics, representation and the interpretation of “Instant Culture’s” value or devalue in contemporary urbanism today. 7pm FREE

8. MUSIC: Fri 3/29 – Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt discuss their album Night and perform at Soho Apple Store. 7pm

9. FILM: Fri 3/29 & Sat 3/30 – Brooklyn Girl Film Festival, Williamsburg. $10 to $15 See schedule for films and times

10. MUSIC/PUPPETS/PERFORMANCE: Fri 3/29 & Sat 3/30 – Abigail Washburn: Post-American Girl – the folk singer and banjoist has created a stage piece employing Chinese shadow puppetry and sacred harp singing to tell the story of a young woman coming of age in our swiftly changing global order. 7pm $15

11. SPORT/FUN: Sat 3/30 – The Red Hook Criterium an unsanctioned race series consisting of world class road racers, track specialists, bike messengers, and urban athletes competing around a short, technical circuit. 9pm FREE

12. MUSIC/PARTY/FUN: Sat 3/30 – Red Hook Criterium After Party 10:30pm $10

13. COMEDY/PERFORMANCE/MUSIC: Sat 3/30 – Martin & Lawrence/Matt Thurber/The Canadian Romantic: An evening of random stuff with interesting people. Some comedy, some performance art, some dancing, some music, some tv, some juggling, some oil painting, some wrestling, some zumba…you get the picture. Bushwick. 8pm to 11:45pm. FREE

14. ART/TALK: Sat 3/30 – MAAS Talks: Artist Richard Garet who interweaves moving image, sound and multimedia performance into his installations talks about his work with Seth Cluett 2pm FREE LIC

15. ART/CARTOONS/PARTY: Sat 3/30 Comiques: comics and drawings by Anne Emond Opening 7 to 10pm at CultureFix LES. FREE

16. FILM: Sun 3/31 – distENDed cinema: temporal flow in the wake of sound: “Crucial Fictions” at Outpost Artist Resources in Queens. First in a series of live AV events organized by David Linton 7pm to midnight. $7

17. MUSIC: Sun 3/31 – RSVP Only with music by DJ Trauma, Frei Speech & Danny Ocean. Easter Sunday Brunch Edition. 3 to 9pm. FREE with rsvp

18. DANCE/VIDEO: All Weekend – Lace Gries: The FIFTY Project. For his 50th birthday Gries invited 50 dance colleagues to meet him in a studio for a 50-minute dance encounter. Video documents of these are shown Fri & Sat from 1 to 4:30pm, in a double duet image. Presentations also Fri, Sat 5pm & 8pm. Sun 2pm. FREE with reservation.

PLUS…
>>TV/EXHIBIT: All weekend – for you Games of Thrones fans, well, a Games of Thrones Exhibition! FREE
>>FUN/PARTICIPATORY: Sun 3/31 – Check out everyone’s bonnets from tame to wild at this year’s Easter Parade. 10am to 4pm along 5th Ave. FREE
>>DESIGN: All weekend – NY International Auto Show. $15

March 25, 2013 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Alex Schweder: Performance Architecture

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Alex Schweder creates installations that he refers to as “performance architecture”. Based on the notion that relationships between occupied spaces and occupying subjects are permeable, Schweder’s works often invite interactivity. Visitors follow their visual architectural instincts and once engaged, their expectations and perspective are challenged; what at first seemed familiar becomes strange. Top two images are from the pivoting and rocking Stability, which relies on the position and weight of its two occupants (in collaboration with Ward Shelley.) Snowballing Doorway (third photo down) is an inflatable installation with two arches in mirrored orientation, participants can pass through the bottom arch until the upper up-side-down arch starts to displace it. The next two photos are of A Sac of Rooms All Day Long another inflatable structure with something too big inside something too small. Roomograph, which follows, works like a photogram with photosensitive material that when the lights go out, occupants see their outlines as shadows. Counterweight Roommate forces vertical movement to rely on the counter weight of its two occupants, and was continuously inhabited for five days at Scope Basel in 2011. Split Skin (bottom left) is an installation of licked together packing peanuts that melts and contorts when in contact with water and lastly, The Rise and Fall, offers visitors a ground-shifting structure that responds to their weight and their movements with relation to one another.

There’s much more information on all of these installations as well as many others on the artist’s site.

via haptic blog

March 22, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 3/22

Cheap things to do this we

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (3/22/13 to 3/24/13) in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture, film, design and general fun. Click through to event pages for more info, either on images above or in the descriptions below.

1. ART: Fri 3/22 & Sat 3/23 through 4/20 – Sergie Tcherepnin: Ear Tone Box. Works at the intersections of sound, sculpture, and theater with objects taking on hybridized personalities, inviting play between things and bodies. At Murray Guy in Chelsea FREE

2. THEATER/DANCE: Fri 3/22 and Sat 3/23 – Breaking Surface: merges dance, acrobatics, flight, water, & poetic imagery in a watery adventure that defies expectation. 8pm. $25

3. BOOK/MUSIC/PARTY: Fri 3/22 Celebrate Touré’s new book I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon with a dance party featuring a night of Prince music spun by Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest. 7pm. $5.

4. FILM: All Weekend – New Directors New Films: $12 to $15. See schedule

5. ART: Fri 3/22 – Anne Lilly: Temporal Tincture. Beautiful and elegant interactive kinetic sculpture (one of my favorites at Scope). Noon to 5pm. Reception 5 to 8pm Galerie Swanström, 136 Sullivan St. FREE

6. MUSIC: All Weekend – Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, and Nico Muhly at BAM. A few $25 seats left.

7. DANCE: All Weekend – DanceBrazil at the Joyce Theater. Tkts $10 and up.

8. FILM: All Weekend – The Films of Stanley Kubrick at IFC: $13.50

9. FOOD/DRINK/MUSIC/FUN: Sat 3/23 & Sun 3/24 – The Big British Invite will take place from 12pm-6pm. Drinks, dance, express manicures. FREE

10. MUSIC/FOOD/FUN: All Weekend – Freetown Produce Festival with Cajun Music and Cooking. Day Passes $30 to $37. See schedule

11. ART/TALK: Sat 3/23 –Artist Hans Haacke and Irving Sandler in Conversation on Haacke’s practice, including his contribution to the German Pavilion at the 1993 Venice Biennale. 3pm $8

12. MUSIC: Sat 3/23 – Fredericks Brown & Jean Grae: a double bill of Soul and ground-breaking hip hop. 7:30pm $20

13. COMEDY/PERFORMANCE: Fri 3/22 & Sat 3/23 – NYC Improv Fest. See schedule for shows. $8ea/$40 for Fest Pass

14. FOOD: Sat 3/23 & Sun 3/24 – Big Cheesy Competition: Seven Grilled Cheese sandwiches from 7 chefs compete: $25 (This is apparently sold out.)

15. MUSIC: Sun 3/24 – Lucy Michelle & The Velvet Lapelles at Mercury Lounge 7:30pm $10

16. ARCHITECTURE/WALK: All Weekend – Go for a stroll on the brand-spanking new bouncy Squibb Park Pedestrian Bridge with yet more spectacular views of the NYC skyline. FREE

17. FOOD/WALKING TOUR: Sun 3/24 – Big Onion Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour. Combines the history of the diverse LES with a series of small food sampling, or “noshing” stops from local shops. 1pm $25 with RSVP

18. TALK/ARCHITECTURE: Sun 3/24 – Surfrider Foundation: Mobilizing Grassroots Activists in Coastal Conservation at Beach 94 in the Rockaways. 1 to 3pm. FREE RSVP

Check last week’s COTC, or the week before, for some ongoing events. Enjoy!

March 21, 2013 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Drop the Beat: Wesley Chau

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Drop the Beat is a wearable electronic drum set designed by RISD Senior industrial design student Wesley Chau. Inspired by Laurie Anderson’s concert film “Home of the Brave”, Chau aims to elevate the artist’s presence during live performance. The neoprene vest gets velcroed with drum pads embedded with piezo sensors. The result is a one-person band allowing for flexibility and movement. Fantastic! Make sure to watch the video above to see it in action. Check out Chau’s other designs on his site. I especially like this pill box.

March 19, 2013 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Morag Myerscough: Environmental Graphics

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English designer Morag Myerscough creates environmental graphics combining a great sense of color with a great sense of typography; what could be better? Having started Studio Myerscough in 1993, the studio has collaborated with important architects and worked on spaces that range from museum exhibitions to five children’s dining rooms for the new Barts and The Royal London Children’s Hospital (four of which can be seen in the top four photos.) All of Myerscough’s work exudes happiness and fun, which seems like the perfect combination to bring a little joy to a children’s hospital. There’s much more to see on Studio Myerscough’s website as well as over on the Supergroup site.

via étapes

March 18, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Matchstick Necklace: Joseph Escobar

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Originally from California, Joseph Escobar is currently finishing his senior year at RISD in industrial design as well as being co-director of 2ndLife — a non-profit, student-run, material upcycling center — and bringing the project to a storefront, including designing the retail space this past year. If that’s not impressive enough, he’s a part time sous chef to boot. But back to his design work: Escobar’s Matchstick Necklace was at the Senior ID Show and caught our eye. Made using 100 packs of matches, the necklace can be worn in both its unburned or burned state, yet clearly best to avoid having it on when lit.

You can see more of Joseph’s great jewelry work here and follow updates on his design-sustainability projects over on his blog.

Photos: Joseph Escobar

March 15, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 3/15

Cheap things to do this we

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (3/15/13 to 3/17/13) in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture, film, design and general fun. Click through to event pages for more info, either on images above or in the descriptions below.

1. MUSIC/ART/PARTY: Fri 3/15 – Broken Angel Block Party: Fundraiser with music and art to help 82-year-old Arthur Wood find a new home. 4 to 8pm. Benefit after Party from 8pm to 1am $10.

2. ART: Fri 3/15 & through 1/4 – Applied Design MoMA ranging from a mine detonator to a vessel made by transforming desert sand into glass using only the energy of the sun. Also on display are 14 videogames and more. FREE Fridays from 4 to 8pm.

3. ART: All weekend & through 4/28 – Jon Kessler: The Web – An immersive installation that addresses the significance of the internet & mobile devices in our lives. 12 to 6pm. FREE

4. FILM: All Weekend – Philip Roth: Unmasked at FilmForum. FREE tkts available first-come, first served at box office day of show.

5. FILM: All weekend & through 4/25 – Cinebeast’s Subway Series: subway-themed features, docs, and video ephemera at various theaters around the city, and even busking with short films underground. FREE to $12.

6. FUN/FOOD: Fri 3/15 – The Slush Pile: Friday Night Happy Hour. Bottles of wine for $15, buckets of beers from $12 to $24 grilled cheese and board games! 4 to 8pm

7. THEATER: Fri 3/15 & Sat 3/16 – RogerandTom: mind-bending, head-scratching, meta-meta-quasi-romanti-tragi-dramedy 7pm $15 to $18

8. FILM: All Weekend – Foxy: The Complete Pam Grier. $9 to $13

9. ART: Sat 3/16 6 to 8pm & 3/17 to 3/31 – The Wonder Cabinet exhibit brings together an eclectic group of artists, sculptors, costumers, video artist, holographers and more to compose a narrative together in a walk-through cabinet of curiosities. FREE

10. FILM/FOOD/DRINK: Sat 3/16 & Sun 3/17 – Spoons Toons and Booze St. Patrick’s Day cartoon episodes, all you can eat ceral bar and White Russians

11. ART/DESIGN: All Weekend & through 8/4 – Sagmeister & Walsh: Six Things: known for their experimental typography and striking visual imagery $12 FREE on Saturdays.

ALSO: All Weekend – Barbara Bloom: So to Speak A museum collection. $12 or FREE on Saturdays.

12. FOOD: Sat 3/16 – Fourth Annual Best Wings in Brooklyn Competition 2pm FREE

13. WALKING TOUR/ARCHITECTURE: Sat 3/16 – Remembering Ada Louise Huxtable in Midtown. 2nd of two architecture tours of modern architecture: 11am. $15 to $20

14. ART/DEMONSTRATION: Sat 3/16 – Katagami (a Japanese paper-stencil dying technique) will be demonstrated at Cooper-Hewitt. 10am to noon. FREE for members. $20 non-members.

15. MUSIC: Sat 3/16 – Vocal Electrofolk: Africa to NY – Helga Davis joins esteemed cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, and Zimbabwean vocalist Netsayi joins the evening with Black Pressure 7pm. $15

16. MUSIC: Sun 3/17 – Genghis Hans at the Ace Hotel: mixture of indie rock, pop, and electro. 10pm FREE

17. WALKING TOUR: Sun 3/17 – Hell’s Kitchen: The Political History of the NY Irish, Walking tour. 1 to 4pm. $12.50

18. COMEDY: Sun 3/17 – Invitation to a Beheading St. Patrick’s Dy Edition. Stand-up. 8pm $15

MORE…
>>ART: All Weekend & through 8/4 – Monumental Works by El Anatsui $12.
>>ART: Fri 3/15 & Sat 3/16 through James Turrell: Roden Crater and Autonomous Structures. Pace 57th St. FREE
>>MUSIC/FUN/FILM: Sun 3/17 –50 Years of Cassettes showcasing music by primarily tape-based artists Aki Onda, G. Lucas Crane, Emmanual Ferrant, and Rinus Van Alebeek. In additionalso watch a series of experimental films shot on PixelVision by Sarah Halpern while eating tape-shaped snacks. Bushwick. 4pm. FREE RSVP>>FOOD: All Weekend & through 3/31 – Chinatown Restaurant Week: roughly 20 restaurants offering meals for $20.13.

March 14, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Jamie Wolfond: Inflatable & Frumpy Furniture

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Daniela went to the RISD Senior ID Show last week and reported back with lots of exciting work and photos. We’ll be featuring some of these talented designers in the next couple of weeks, but first, here is an impressive RISD Furniture Design Senior: Jamie Wolfond. Not only are Wolfond’s designs super creative and fun, but his choice of materials are unusual and seem to be a lot about their feel and texture. The Lunar Stool (top two photos) is made with foam, while his Ball Ottomans are yoga balls whose shapes have been morphed by steel and air. The Emergency Bench is another clever inflatable object broken down to a mere three pieces. Make sure to check out Jamie’s site for more of his work as well as interesting videos documenting his process. And click on his name while you’re there, too.

March 14, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Jérémy Laffon: Hollywoodoscopies

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French artist Jérémy Laffon uses chewing gum sticks to create precarious structures and installations. Whether placing the gum in the style of a house of cards, or stacking them in spiraling columns, or creating a parquet pattern with them in a floor installation, Laffon’s pieces have an unstable and ephemeral quality that the artist plays up at times, forcing collapse by bending or heating the sticks, ultimately swinging into a different dimension.

Laffon’s work is being shown at the Association Limousin Art Contemporain in Limoges (his hometown) through March 23, 2013.

Photos courtesy of the artist; documentsdartistes; and galerie gounod

via junkculture & designboom

March 13, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Dinner For Two: Rachel Lee Hovnanian

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One of the crowd-pleasers at this year’s Armory Show was the mixed media installation Dinner for Two by Rachel Lee Hovnanian; an elegantly set 16-foot table with a multi-tiered (wedding?) cake standing tall in its center while a holographic-looking mouse nibbles away at it. At each end of the table is an LCD screen with a three-minute looped video of a couple, the man on one end and the woman at the other. Their eyes never seem to meet as they look down and around while the familiar sounds of texts and ringing cell phones are heard relentlessly. Hovnanian comments on the piece (via artinfo):

“We’ve forgotten what is real. Fast food chains replaced cafes; children think a package of pink powder mixed with water is real lemonade made with freshly squeezed pink lemons. We think we have 1,000 real friends on Facebook. We are sucked into our screens and can’t find the time to separate from technology. Only when the power is down, or if we are visiting a remote place with no wireless, can we take a break.”

Perfectly demonstrated.

Photos: Collabcubed; bottom courtesy of the artist.

March 12, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Hense: Recontextualizing Church

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What could be better than a graffiti mural? Multiple graffiti murals on one building. In this case, a Church in Washington D.C. Atlanta-based artist Hense was commissioned to paint the former church in D.C.’s up-and-coming arts district. Along with a small crew, some rollers, brushes, spray paint, acrylics and more, Hense and his team covered every inch of the structure with de Kooning-esque colors and Pollock-esque splatters and scribbles. Talk about an extreme makeover! The vibrantly colored transformation sits across from the future home of a 20,000 sq. ft. museum, how appropriate for this sculptural work. Hense’s installation is the perfect combination of contemporary abstract art and classic architecture that defines the artsy neighborhood. You can see Hense’s latest painted building in Atlanta, the WCAC, over here.

via i-ref

March 8, 2013 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 3/8

Cheap things to do this we

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (3/8/13 to 3/10/13) in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture, film, design and general fun. Click through to event pages for more info, either on images above or in the descriptions below.

1. THEATER: Fri 3/8 and Sat 3/9 – Danny and the Deep Blue Sea: One-act play set in the Bronx where a man & woman emerge from their dark pasts into an empathetic embrace. 7pm FREE

2. ART: All Weekend – Spring/Break Art Show at the Old School in Nolita. 20 curators curate non-traditional art with theme of New Mysticism. Noon to 9pm. $5

3. FILM/TALK: Fri 3/8 and Sat 3/9 – Fusion Film Festival NYU’s premiere film and tv festival celebrating women in film. FREE

4. DESIGN: Fri 3/8 & through 4/5 – We the Designers: Reframing Political Issues in the Obama Era FREE

5. ART: All weekend – Independent Art Fair. Featuring over 40 international galleries representing fourteen countries. FREE

6. ART: All Weekend – VoltaNY Art Fair. (One of my favorites) This year in Chelsea. 11am to 8pm Sun to 6pm $15. 82 Mercer.

7. ART: All Weekend – Fountain Art Fair smaller independent galleries, collectives and artists who wish to gain access to a larger audience. $10

8. FILM/VIDEO: All Weekend – Moving Image Contemporary Video Art Fair takes place in a tunnel! 11am to 8pm through Sat. Sun 11am to 4pm FREE

9. FOOD: Sat 3/9 – Vegan Spring Break Shop-Up: Vegan & gluten-free baked treats and more. 12 to 5pm FREE

10. ART/TALK: Sat 3/9 – Tumblr Art Symposium: part discussion and part exhibition, explores the fast-evolving artistic landscape of Tumblr, 6pm to 1am FREE with RSVP

11. FILM: All Weekend – Queens World Film Festival 2013: $10

12. MUSIC: Sat 3/9 – Wahoo Skiffle Crazies at Union Hall. Doors 8pm. $8

13. FOOD: Sun 3/10 – FSNYC’s 3rd Annual Duck-Off. 1pm to 3pm. $25

14. PERFORMANCE/ART: All Weekend & through 3/15. The Introducing Series at The Windows, Roger Smith Hotel: 13 artists, who represent a broad range of young makers and experienced performers, will exhibit their presence in this space for a full 12-hour day. FREE

15. ART: All Weekend – The (Un)Fair: Guerilla-style art show in a 19th Century Hell’s Kitchen building with almost 100 works. 11am to 8pm. FREE

16. ART/FOOD: Sun 3/10 – LES Gallery Stroll noon to 6pm and Brunch at various locations from 1 to 3:30pm. Brunch with RSVP FREE

17. ART: All Weekend – Nathan Sawaya & Dean West In Pieces; LEGO art and photography collaboration; 10am to 6pm through 3/17 FREE.

ALSO in LEGO: Fri 3/8 & weekdays through 3/20 –Piece by Piece Sean Kenney LEGO sculptures and artwork. FREE

18. MUSIC: Sun 3/10 – Organist, composer and friend Harold Stover plays works by Cesar Franck & Camille Saint-Saens. 5:15 at St. Thomas Church. FREE

MORE…
>>FILM/FUN: Fri 3/8 – Movieoke at Videology. Karaoke for movie geeks! 8pm. FREE
>>ART: All Weekend – New City Art Fair, Japanese Contemporary Art. In Chelsea. FREE
>>ART: Sat 3/9 – Bushwick Gallery Late Night. 6pm to 10pm. FREE
>>WALKING TOUR: Sun 3/10 – Exploring the Glamorous Afterlife at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx. 1pm to 3pm. $18.

March 6, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Jennifer Rubell: Nutcrackers

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First time I saw one of New York-based artist Jennifer Rubell’s Nutcrackers was last year at the NY Frieze Art Fair, but now I came across her website and see that the fun pecan-crushing mannequin was only one of 18 life-size female interactive sculptures, all surrounding a pedestal containing one ton of Texas pecans. Not surprisingly, Rubell used to write about food before turning to art where she frequently employs food and drink as part of her often participatory installations that blur the lines between performance art, installation and happenings. The pile of nuts beckons to the viewer to take one and place it in the mannequin’s inner thigh (or, in the case of the one at Frieze, a little higher.) Then, by pushing down the upper leg…voila(!) the nut gets cracked.

Rubell likes the idea of breaking the traditional boundaries between viewer and artwork, also evident in her other installations such as Padded Cell, a freestanding room insulated with pink cotton candy.

Here is one of the Nutcrackers in action:

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Rubell; video by PaperMagazine

March 4, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Erik Johansson: Skrapan Illusion

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Some of the works Swedish photographer, based in Berlin, Erik Johansson creates are street illusions. He sees photography as a way of collecting material to realize the ideas of the mind. Last fall, Johansson was commissioned by the Stockholm shopping mall Skrapan to create a perspective illusion for their 5th anniversary. Being one of the tallest buildings in the city, they wanted to incorporate the view from the top of the building into the optical illusion. From the right angle, Johansson’s installation tricked the viewer into the 3D illusion of being on top of the building looking down from the safety of the sidewalk.

Here’s a video for more of the effect:

All photos by Erik Johannson

via inspir3d

March 1, 2013 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 3/1

Free & Cheap things to do this we

Free & Cheap things to do this weekend in NYC (3/1/13 to 3/3/13) in art, music, theater, performance, dance, architecture, film, design and general fun. Click through to event pages for more info, either on above images or below descriptions.

1. ARCHITECTURE: Fri 3/1 – Great American City & the Future of Urban Studies Conference. 1 to 7pm. FREE

2. ARCHITECTURE: Fri 3/1 – Join TsAO & McKOWN at its office for drinks, informal conversation, and a behind the scenes look at recent and upcoming architecture projects. 6:30 to 8pm. FREE

3. DANCE: All weekend & through 3/24 – Harkness Dance Festival at 92Y. Check schedule. $20

4. THEATER: All weekend – Guillermo Calderon’s Neva. The story of Anton Chekov’s widow and two actors waiting to rehearse The Cherry Orchard on Bloody Sunday. “Political and human” Use code WINTER2 for $36.50 tkts.

5. ART/TALK: Fri 3/1 – Stephan Pastis creator of the comic strip, “Pearls Before Swine,”discusses his book, “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made.”: 6pm FREE

6. ART: All Weekend & through 6/9 –No Limits: Alexandre Arrechea playfully reinterprets 10 iconic buildings such as Chrysler & Empire in large sculptures along Park Ave. from 54th to 67th Streets. Walking Tour with the artist Sat 3/2, 4pm to 5:30pm. Meet at 54th and Park. FREE. Update: As of 3/1 in the afternoon, only two sculptures were up. Seems like there’s a delay, and I’m not sure what the story is with the walking tour now…

7. ART/PERFORMANCE/FOOD/FILM: All Weekend and through 3/9 – Cold Castle at Family Business: small-scale life installation performance experience. Join them for tea on Sat 3/2 or brunch, a film screening or dinner on Sun 3/3. See schedule here. FREE

8. FOOD: Sat 3/2 & Sun 3/3 – NY Vegetarian Food Festival 10am to 5pm. $5 General Admission. $30 all day pass.

9. FILM/TALK: Sat 3/2 – Nick Offerman from ‘Parks & Recreation’ discusses his film ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’. 3pm FREE

10. MUSIC: Sat 3/2 – Sasha Siem w/ Matt Siffert . Official Launch of her debut EP “So Polite. doors 6:30pm. Show 7:30pm $15 adv. $20 door.

11. ART/DESIGN/TECH: Sat 3/2 – Art Hack Day: God Mode: 60 artists and hackers explore the idea of God Mode and produce new, collaborative projects. Join the teams on Saturday starting at 7:00pm for an exhibition, live performances, and party. FREE

12. MUSIC: Sat 3/2 – Deer Tracks at Pianos 10pm $10.

13. FILM: All weekend – First Time Film Fest: A series of directorial debuts by big-names and newbies as well as panels and Q&As. $15

14. FILM: All weekend – CineKink 10th Anniversary of the Kinky Film Festival. most screenings $9 to $10. Check schedule.

15. FILM: All weekend & through 3/10: Globus Film Series: a retrospective of rarely shown films produced in the 50s and 60s from Japanese Film Studio Shintoho: $9 to $12

16. INTERACTIVE ART/TECH: All weekend & ongoing: DVD DeadDrop (see post) https://collabcubed.com/2013/02/27/aram-bartholl-dvd-dead-drop-more/ interactive art installation. Bring a blank dvd and take home some art. 24/7 FREE

17. FILM: Sun 3/3 – NYC Premiere of The Sapphires, distributed by The Weinstein Company, big hit in Australia: 7pm. $15

18. ART/SCIENCE/TALK: Sun 3/3 – The New Yorker Cartoonists, 3 cartoonists explore creative illusion with neuroscientist Richard Restak. With audience interactivity and a pre-ptrogarm allery tour. Tour 5:15. Talk 6pm $25

More…
>>Music –Fri 3/1 – Battle of the Boroughs Queens! Bands duke it out for the best in their borough and city. 7pm. $15 includes 1 glass beer/wine.
>>Architecture/Fun/Art – Sat 3/2 – Urban Factory Scavenger Hunt and Tour leads you through the industrial past & modern manufacturing present of LIC. Hunt 11am; Closing reception 5pm.
>>Art – Sat 3/2 – Headscapes, a group of Brooklyn artists create installations showing what goes on in their heads, in an empty warehouse in Long Island City. Opening 2 to 9pm. FREE
>>Art – All weekend & through 4/5 – Sandra Gibson & Luis Recoder’s Topsy-Turvy: A Camera Obscura Installation in Mad Sq. Pk.
>>Performance Art – Sun 3/3 & through 3/15 – The Introducing Series, Season 2, a 2-week occupation of The Window at 125, introducing 13 artists working in the field of performance. Different artist each day. See schedule. FREE
>>Music – Sun 3/3 – Thurston Moore performs with Chelsea Light Moving. 7:30pm. FREE