Here’s a fun-, if a bit precarious-looking structure for kids. Designed by the recently deceased Thomas Walker Luckey, an artist, sculptor and architect renowned for his one-of-a-kind climbing sculptures, this particular 35-foot “Luckey Climber” is found in Columbus, Indiana at the Columbus Commons. The indoor playground was completed in 2011 and judging from the reviews on Trip Advisor is (not surprisingly) a big hit with kids. The floating C’s alone had me sold instantly.
Click to enlargeAbout 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.
And here’s Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Reference Flow in action:
I can’t really say that I ‘like’ these sculptures by Chinese artist Cao Hui, but they certainly are hard to ignore and impressively executed. Cao Hui, based in Beijing, is known for his shockingly realistic sculptures of half-flayed animals. More recently he has applied this technique to the unexpected: furniture and objects. These resin and fiber sculptures, that surprisingly ooze entrails at their seams, are all part of Cao Hui’s interest in realisim, deception, and the artist’s power of control. The belief that the interior and exterior of everything possess a perfect logic is now humorously questioned by the artist. Definitely not for the squeamish.
LIGHTlab 5.1 designed by VAV Architects was located this past summer in Helsinki, Finland. The pavilion/installation served a dual purpose: as a retreat from the sun’s overpowering intrusiveness — typical of the long summer days in the Nordic city — and a place where light and its impact are understood and respected. In addition, the exterior of the structure acted as a natural sundial, capturing and mapping the passage of the day.
You can experience it a little better in the video below:
via afasia
UPDATE: See the post-visit post on this exhibit here.
Yes, it’s true! It seems like such a natural fit…Guggenheim rotunda… James Turrell skyspaces and skyscapes… but somehow it hasn’t happened until now. Well, not really now, but next summer: June 2013.
This is James Turrell’s (previously here, here, and here…yes, I’m a fan) first exhibition in a New York museum, though he’s had exhibits at galleries such as Pace, in addition to the long-term and ongoing site-specific installation at PS1 titled Meeting, and the very cool installation in 505 Fifth Avenue’s lobby. The top two renderings above give a pretty good idea of how the museum’s central void will look filled with Turrell’s signature style mood- and color-changing light in this new work. Other works from throughout the artist’s career will be displayed in the museum’s Annex Level galleries.
It should be noted that the bottom photo is not from the Turrell renderings, but rather a photo of the exterior taken years ago when the museum had their Dan Flavin exhibit. One can only assume that there will be a similar glowing effect (likely with a different color palette) from Turrell’s skyspace.
James Turrell will run from June 21–September 25, 2013.
I love all of these photographs from German photographer Robert Schlaug’s series Limited Area. Using digital manipulation, he drags pixels of color across (or, more often, up and down) to the edges, creating walls and cliff-like effects. Schlaug says he is interested in “Raising awareness in times of total sensory overload” as well as “Isolation or in distinct contrast to the surroundings—suddenly developed a unique form of language and suprisingly gets an aesthetic quality. The banal becomes the particular.”
via but does it float via this isnt happiness
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it seems that people have moved on from simply sporting a pink ribbon on their jacket lapel. Two, very different, creative approaches to raising awareness took place this past week, among many others I suspect. One, though bright pink and hard to miss, was a little more subdued and consisted of an installation created with 400 pink umbrellas forming a canopy over the street (much like an Ingo Maurer installation) in Sofia, Bulgaria. The other, a bit more of an in-your-face and slightly controversial approach, was a “bouncing boobie” flashmob in central London supporting the breast cancer charity Coppafeel!. From the mouths of Coppafeel!: “The whole point of Coppafeel! is that we go about awareness in different and engaging ways – we like causing a bit of a stir.” And cause a stir they did.
Completed last year, the High Trestle Trail Bridge in Boone County, Iowa was designed by public artist David B. Dahlquist of RDG Dahlquist Art Studio in response to a “call for artist” competition issued by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Purely sculptural, as opposed to functional or a structural part of the bridge, the final design has a blooming quality, or maybe camera-shutter-like effect, head on. Surprisingly, from the side, one can appreciate how spaced out the individual steel archways actually are. It’s interesting to see the lit-up nighttime version which has such a different, more futuristic look. Either way, I’d say it’s a very successful and striking design.
If you like this bridge you might also enjoy the Twist Bridge.
Well, artist Leo Villareal (previously here) has certainly been busy these past few months with two of his public art installations debuting in NYC and another one in upstate NY at Cornell University. Last month his Hive installation — a series of LED tubes that playfully reference games, in particular John Conway’s Game of Life, the best known cellular automata program — was unveiled at the Bleecker Street transfer station. Hanging from the ceiling, the illuminated hexagonal honeycomb has bright colored lights moving across the sculpture, exploring the brain’s compulsion to recognize patterns and make sense of them.
Up at Cornell University, Villareal’s installation titled Cosmos was just debuted last night at the I.M.Pei-designed Johnson Museum. The constantly changing work is composed of nearly 12,000 energy-efficient LEDs on a grid hanging from the ceiling of the museum’s Mallin Sculpture Court. Software designed by the artist and his team will generate new patterns throughout the life of the installation. The work was named Cosmos in honor of Carl Sagan whom Villareal admired and who spent a lot of time at Cornell.
Last, but certainly not least, the Buckyball, a Buckminster Fuller-inspired installation of a geodesic sphere within another geodesic sphere will light up Madison Square Park in NYC starting this Thursday, October 25th through February 1st, though some have already caught glimpses as the artist set up the work this past week. Part art, part science & technology, part structural engineering, all three installations are sure to appeal to most everyone.
Here’s a preview of the Buckyball in action as well as the Hive below that:
This is already making the rounds and likely to be everywhere soon, but it’s just too fun not to post about, especially since we do like a unique bridge. Paris-based architecture firm Atelier Zündel Cristea (AZC) proposed the above bridge in response to a competition brief for A Bridge in Paris. With enough bridges already in existence over the river Seine to facilitate the flow of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, AZC thought it would be fun to offer a more playful way to get from La Rive Gauche to La Rive Droite and vice versa: an inflatable bridge equipped with giant trampolines, allowing visitors to bounce across the river. Each section measures 30 meters in diameter with a trampoline mesh stretched in the center. Held together by cord and inflated with air, the bridge forms three subtle arches.
Though AZC’s design received third prize in the competition, I have a feeling that it will become a reality via someone, somewhere, even if only as a temporary structure. It’s just too great not to.
via designboom and cool hunter
Free and cheap things to do this weekend (10/19 to 10/21) in NYC. Cultural events in art, architecture, music, film, dance, theater, design, food and fun.
1. Design/Technology/Workshop – Making Things Possible: hands-on workshops and demos in 3D Printing (Makerbot plus more), metal lathes, and scrap-metal constructions at Story in Chelsea in conjunction with GEGarages. All weekend, check schedule for workshops and times. FREE
2. Architecture – Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park exhibition opening (see post), Fri 10/19 at AIA Center from 6 to 8pm. FREE
3. Walking Tours/Design – WalkaboutNYC’s Tour of Creative Agencies, Fri 10/19, 12 to 6pm. FREE with RSVP. Check schedule. Some are sold out others still available.
4. Art – Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone at MoMA through 1/28, nbd that we’re related to, and big fans of, one of the people who worked on the exhibit. Free Fridays 4 to 8pm.
5. Music – John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders, Stephin Merritt, Aaron Neville, Nick Hornby, just to name a few. Fri 10/19 at 8pm. $25 to $35. Just a few seats left, last I checked, so hurry.
6. Architecture/Design/Film – The Architecture & Design Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas. All weekend. Check schedule for films and times. Tkts $14/$11 for AIA members.
7. Music – Ponderosa and Neighbors Live, Fri 10/19, 6pm & 8pm, respectively at the Apple Soho Store. FREE
8. Art/Improv/Comedy – ARTPROV is a unique hilarious and entertaining show that brings together different artistic mediums to inspire each other and create new works of art together. Fri 10/19 at 9:30pm at The Tank. $7 to $20.
9. Art/Fun – BYOB (see post) at The Autumn Bowl, Fri 10/19. Artists bring their own laptops or slide projector of work. $5 before 10pm. $10 after. Free with beamer.
10. Theater – Doubt at Gloria Maddox Theater W. 26th St., Fri 10/19 & Sat 10/20, through 11/18. Check for times: $20
11. Music – CMJ Party Day at Pianos, Sat 10/20, 12pm. Bands include The Orwells, Born Ruffians, Ava Luna and more. $3 Bloody Marys. FREE entry. 21+
12. Food/Fun – Social Soup Experiment at the High Line. Communal style meal on the High Line. Last year was lots of fun! Gave tickets away this year for a visit to my daughters, which beats soup any day. Sold out online, but last year there were tickets available at the event. Sat 10/20, 12pm at the 14th St. $7.
13. Theater/Reading – R.A.W. Reading Series and the presentation of Lindsay Joy-Murphy’s Rise, Fall by LabRats Theater Co. Sat 10/20, 8pm in Ft. Greene. $5.
14. Dance – Monica Bill Barnes & Company at Skirball Center with Ira Glass. Sat 10/20 at 8pm & Sun 10/21 at 3pm. $26
15. Comedy – Comedy Outliers: Stand-up Comedy Show, Sat 10/20 at 7pm. Lilly O’Briens. Murray St. FREE (Get there early for seats!)
16. Art/Lecture/Food/Music/Performance – Fall Open House and Sunday Sessions, Sun 10/21, 12 to 6pm at PS1 in LIC. $10.
17. Graphic Design/Lecture – The Public Side of Paula Scher the Pentagram partner talks about her 18 yr collaboration with the Public Theater Sun 10/21, 2:30pm at the Public. Call 212-967-7555 for tkts. FREE
18. Food – 3rd Annual Havemeyer Sugar Sweets Festival, Sun 10/21, 10am to 4pm in Williamsburg to benefit the City Requilary. FREE
Check back for updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for ongoing suggestions. Have fun!
UPDATES:
Art – High Line Open Studios Chelsea, All weekend, 12pm to 6pm. FREE
Food – The Brooklyn Curry Experiment: Sample around 20 of the best curry dishes Brooklyn has to offer plus every ticket entitles you to one free Brooklyn Brewery beer. Sun 10/21, 1 to 4pm at Public Assembly in Williamsburg. $15.
Readings – Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories. Sun 10/21 at 7pm. FREE
Music – The Sea and Cake / Matthew Friedberger. Sun 10/21 at doors at 7:30, show 8:30. $15 to $18. 21+
German artist Carsten Nicolai has inaugurated his audiovisual installation titled Unidisplay at HangarBicocca in Milan. The 40-meter long piece has the ability to make sound perceptible on an optical level with minimal aesthetics translated into variations of black and white along with acoustics. There’s a propensity towards abstraction and the infinite in this installation, as well as play with the concepts of time and space. Brings to mind Ryoji Ikeda’s The Transfinite.
I find these kinds of exhibit incredibly soothing in person, in addition to enjoying the immersive quality.
You can see some of the audiovisuals in the video below:
via mousse
I signed up to see Ben Rubin present his Shakespeare Machine (previously here) at the newly renovated Public Theater last night and was surprised by a number of things: the beautiful lobby; the impressive and perfectly displayed multimedia sculpture in the center; the spectacular collage of Paula Scher-designed Public Theater posters on the wall behind the ticket booths (I’ve been wanting to do something like this at home forever); all this with an amazing party including a open bar and tasty food, to boot!
The Public has created what they describe as a “welcoming piazza” with extended steps out front that lure you in to the new lobby. The bar at the entrance is very striking with the chandelier-like Shakespeare Machine above it. And, in Pentragram partner Paula Scher’s signature style, it’s a typography lover’s delight. The bar, the information booth, the archways, the staff t-shirts all play with the Public’s chunky variants on the Akzidenz Grotesk typeface. Talking with someone at the party, I learned that the sunken type on the arches was particularly challenging. The asymmetric positioning of the signage type adds to the uplifting quality of it all.
Oh, and we can’t forget the Shakespeare Machine, which was the main reason for my visit. A couple of technical glitches in the beginning were quickly ironed out and the sculpture played with the Shakespeare text as humorously and cleverly as the space that surrounds it. Close to a million words are shuffled by statistician Mark Hansen’s algorithms that choreograph the text into situations such as a series of “To be or’s” that are followed by unexpected, alternative, and smile-inducing, Shakespearean text rather than the expected “not to be” which also makes an appearance later. The cycle runs roughly 5 to 10 minutes with variations in visual effects, from inverted type to such high-speed text that it becomes abstract. The Shakespeare Machine will be on full-time during the theater’s hours of operation.
Kudos to all involved in the revitalization: Ennead Architects, Paula Scher and her team at Pentagram, Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen, as well as many, many more, I’m sure.
You can see a snippet of the sculpture in action below. The voices are not part of the sculpture, but, rather, actors for the event:
Click to enlargeContemporary Brazilian artist Geraldo Zamproni graduated with a degree in Architecture/Urbanism and seems to be playing with both in his art. His large red inflatable pillows are perfect examples. These fun cushions have been squeezed under museum ramps and concrete slabs just to name a couple of examples. This week at least one of the pillows can be found “at large” on 14th Street in NYC as part of the Art in Odd Places event. I looked for the pillow on Saturday while roaming 14th St. trying to find the not-very-clearly-mapped-out works in the festival, but it seems to have been sitting all the way east between Avenues B and C as per the top photograph that I found.
Zamproni’s pillow installations (which have a similar fun surprise quality —as well as color — to the Red Ball Project) have appeared in museums throughout Brazil, from Brasilia to Curitiba, in Peru, Argentina, and Spain. I’m going to keep my eyes peeled (I’ve always found that expression a little disturbing) this week to see if the AiOP catalogue’s “at large” location description will include points on 14th Street closer to Union Square.
You can see Zamproni inflating one of his pillows in the video below. Interesting to see how he even enters it to smooth out the seams:
Click to enlarge20+ 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. Art – Affordable 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/Music –Rob 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/Tours –OHNY (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.
Click to enlargeBeijing-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.
Click to enlargeFrench 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.
via voanews
Click to enlargeThis 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
CollabCubed 