Category Archives: NYC

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Sebastian Martorana: Marble Sculpture

contemporary marble sculpture, towels, NYU Steinhardt. 80WSEcontemporary marble sculpture, towels, NYU Steinhardt. 80WSEcontemporary marble sculpture, Martorana, Baltimore artist, LEGO, pillow, shirtClick to enlarge

If you follow this blog you may be thinking “MORE realistic stone sculpture??” And the answer is “Yes.” What can I say, I get a kick out of it and am impressed by the skill. I was walking by Washington Square Park today and happened to spot these marble towels through the window of 80WSE a New York University gallery. They made me smile. The draping is so well done and having placed them on towel racks made them all the more trompe l’oeil-ish. I went in, got the artist’s name and googled him out.

Sebastian Martorana is a stone carver and illustrator based in Baltimore, Maryland. His work was recently featured in the 40 Under 40 40th Anniversary exhibit of Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian.

From top to bottom, left to right:
Yours, Mine, Ours; Shed; Impressions; Homeland Security Blanket; (couldn’t find name of Lego figure or bag); Frustration 81/2 x 11. Photos courtesy the artist and Contemporary Wing.

Sebastian Martorana’s work is part of a group show currently at 80WSE through December 22, 2011.

If you like these sculptures you might also enjoy Chris Mitton and Vlad Berte.

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We Are Augustines

music, brooklyn band, rock, pop, chapel song, we are augustines

It’s been a while since we’ve posted about music, but I just heard this song (I may be late to the party on this) on the radio and really liked it. We Are Augustines are a Brooklyn-based band with their debut album titled Rise Ye Sunken Ships. I like everything about what I’ve heard and seen so far: both the music and the videos which show NYC in all its grungy beauty. The song above is Chapel Song and the video is by Matthew C. Mills.

via Soundcheck

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Pharmacophore: Architectural Placebo

modern dance, inflatable sculpture, storefront for art and architecture, HAt, Silas Reinermodern dance, inflatable sculpture, storefront for art and architecture, HAt, Silas Reinermodern dance, inflatable sculpture, storefront for art and architecture, HAt, Silas ReinerClick to enlarge

Last night, the three of us strolled over to the Storefront for Art and Architecture here on Kenmare Street in NYC, to catch the last 20 minutes of the sold-out dance performance Pharmacophore: Architectural Placebo from the street. Storefront’s fun cut-out façade, which opens the small sliver of a space to the sidewalk, allowed us to enjoy the rather unique dance performance. A collaboration between designers Seth Harrison and Ariane Lourie Harrison of Harrison Atelier (HAt) and choreographer Silas Riener. The third installment in HAt’s Pharmacophore series, the performance, along with the installation, explore the cultural and philosophical economy that surrounds medicine technology and the human prospect in the 21st century.

From the creators:
The installation at Storefront, incorporating set and costumes, evokes a hybrid pharmaceutical-cultural landscape: both a medical waiting room with inflatable “plants” and a radiological suite in which the audience sits apposed to translucent glass. The installation consists of 24 eight-foot, laminated glass and stainless steel structures, arrayed along the back wall of the gallery. Contoured seats are dotted with inflatable forms that, when unfurled, become spatializations of pharmacophores. The inflatable set pieces are used as costumes and props, and audience members use them as cushions.

Truthfully, we did not see enough of the dance performance to justify an opinion, but what we did see, we liked. The Merce Cunningham dancers pranced, tumbled and gracefully walked with their fun inflatable tubular costumes that match the props and seat cushions in the beautifully glowing blue setting. We loved everything about the installation: the appropriately sterile pharmaceutical feeling evoked by the lighting and plastic inflatables; the clear Muji raincoats that acted as lab coats and were worn by staff; the seats with their mod-waiting-room feel; but most of all, the way it all worked so well together and successfully integrated with the space. And if that wasn’t enough, Baryshnikov was in the small audience!

Pharmacophore: Architectural Placebo will be performed twice a night through this Wednesday, November 30th. Tickets are free, but reservations necessary. And then there’s always the street view, too, if you want to use the stroll-by approach. The installation, sans performance, will continue on view through December 3rd.

For those who can’t attend, below is a short video of the previous performances in the Pharmacophore series:

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Naoko Serino: Soft Sculpture

Jute, textile, soft sculpture, Japan society, naoko serino Jute, textile, soft sculpture, Japan society, naoko serinoJute, textile, soft sculpture, Japan society, naoko serinoClick to enlarge

Right now through mid-December there’s an intriguing exhibit at the Japan Society, here in New York, called Fiber Futures: Japan’s Textile Pioneers. I’ve yet to see the show, but the images look very interesting; not your average textile design.

One of the artists featured in the show is Naoko Serino whose soft sculptures are quite impressive. She describes her work as fiber art: three-dimensional expression using jute that contains light and air. Some of her works are small individual pieces, while others are large-scale installations. It all looks delicate yet has an imposing presence.

You can see Serino’s installation Generating–8 (third and fourth images down from top) at the Japan Society through December 18, 2011, along with the work of several other Japanese textile pioneers.

via the Japan Society, via my mom

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Yvette Cohen: Sculptural Paintings

Yvette Cohen, NY artist, 3-D Paintings, Cassina exhibitYvette Cohen, NY artist, 3-D Paintings, Cassina exhibitYvette Cohen, NY artist, 3-D Paintings, Cassina exhibitNew York City based artist Yvette Cohen was born in Cairo, Egypt and grew up in Paris and Montreal. In her art, Cohen seeks to create a balance of calm and intrigue. Her Ara Pacis Series (from the Latin meaning ‘altar to peace’) consists of richly colored oil paintings on shaped canvases with wood dowels. They appear three-dimensional, but in reality mount flat to the wall and sometimes floor. It’s amazing how the illusion of depth is created through her use of geometric shapes and painting technique.

Groupings of two, three or more of these oil paintings seemingly defy gravity and appear to exist in a boundless space, activating entire walls.

Hence the name of Cohen’s upcoming exhibit in NYC: Defying Gravity.

Defying Gravity: Sculptural Paintings will be shown at Cassina in Soho (151 Wooster Street) from November 8 to December 20, 2011. If you can’t make it to the exhibit, be sure to check out the rest of Yvette Cohen’s work on her website.

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Ariana Page Russell: Skin Art

dermatographia, skin art, skin tattoos, Magnan Metz, photography, collabcubeddermatographia, skin art, skin tattoos, Magnan Metz, photography, collabcubeddermatographia, skin art, skin tattoos, Magnan Metz, photography, collabcubedEm pointed me to Ariana Page Russell‘s work a couple of months back and now I see that the Brooklyn-based artist is having a show at MagnanMetz Gallery, here in NYC, at the end of the month. Russell has dermatographia, a condition in which her immune system exhibits hypersensitivity through the skin, causing painless, temporary welts that emerge when lightly scratched. She exploits this condition in her artwork by creating patterns on different parts of her body and photographing them as the skin becomes irritated and swells. A sort of skin tattoo. She has also created different wallpaper patterns using c-prints of her skin in all its irritated shades.

From the gallery’s site:
Russell’s recent work continues to explore the possibilities of flesh, using her skin as both source material and an entry to go deeper into the body and its emotions. Images of Russell’s abdomen appear throughout the exhibit: covering the gallery window; in a photograph of her torso blanketed in triangular welts resembling raised sails; and as the temporary tattoo mask that she manipulates over her face in the video, Blouse. In this piece, she exhales sharply into the mask to produce a fleeting, gauzy window. A sudden inhale collapses the window to create a skin-tight barrier with each breath. Blouse comes to a close as Russell removes the tattoo, her unadorned face remaining interrogative but naked of the revelatory mask.

Maybe not for everyone, but definitely pretty unique.

Ariana Page Russell’s exhibit titled Blouse opens at MagnanMetz on October 21st and runs through November 19, 2011.

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Bring to Light/Nuit Blanche 2011: Follow-up

Bring to Light Festival, nuit blanche, greenpoint, marcos zotes-lopez, eye, collabcubedBring to Light Festival, nuit blanche, greenpoint, marcos zotes-lopez, eye, collabcubedBring to Light Festival, nuit blanche, greenpoint, video, art installations, collabcubedClick to enlarge.

Last night, a night bookended by heavy rain showers here in NYC, fortunately offered a 2- to 3-hour precipitation-free window. Just enough time to ferry on over to Greenpoint and catch the Bring to Light Festival.

Though the ferry was quite empty, I was happy to see that the crowds obviously made it over by other means of transportation. It was one of those really nice NYC events, where everyone seemed so happy in sharing such a fun and unique experience. The brick and corrugated metal façades of the industrial warehouses on the Brooklyn waterfront made for the perfect backdrop and canvases for the various video projections and colorful light installations. There were over 50 works displayed, so naturally I can’t go over all of them here, and some I am not sure of the names or artists, but some of the highlights are pictured above starting with, possibly my favorite, a very Buñuelesque image:

Marcus Zotes-Lopez’s CCTV/Creative Control TV; a projection of an eye on the bottom of a water tower looking over the crowds.
Devan Simunovich & Olek, Suffolk Deluxe Electric Bicycle.
Not sure of this but possibly Colin Snapp, Sylvania.
Jason Peters, Structural Light.
BOB, Columbia Architecture Students, inflatable structure (left and right pics, outside and in).
Glowing pedestrians walking around in self-made light costumes.
Not sure about the colored bulbs.
Camilled Scherrer, In the Woods, interactive projection converting people’s shadows into creatures.
Chakaia Booker, Shadows, silhouettes on installation.
Others include a bench with light emanating from the slats and a person lying down within (à la Vito Acconci): projections of hands morphing into latex gloves; a glowing lung-like object that breathed; and Raphaele Shirley’s Light Cloud on a Bender, a glowing mist sculpture.

It was all very bright, colorful, and animated. You can watch the short video clips below for a better sense of the atmosphere. Next year, I’ll at least hang a glow stick around my neck before heading over.

Top photo courtesy the artist, Marcus Zotes-Lopez. Second photo from Alix’s flickr. All other photos taken by collabcubed.
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Bring to Light Festival

Light Festival, Nuit Blanche, Greenpoint, Art, InstallationsLight Festival, Nuit Blanche, Greenpoint, Art, InstallationsIf you’re in NYC, you might want to check out the Bring to Light Festival tonight in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Taking place simultaneously with “nuit blanche” events in other cities around the world, the festival will showcase site-specific installations of light, sound, performance and projection art from emerging, as well as established, artists re-imagining public space. The streets and waterfront of Greenpoint will be transformed.

Sounds like something that shouldn’t be missed.

The ferry schedule will be extended till midnight from East 34th St. Pier in Manhattan and N. 7th St in Williamsburg. You can see more on how to get there here. And more about the festival and artists here.

It all starts in 6 hours and 5 minutes…. 4 minutes…

via Flavorpill and NPR

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Jean Nouvel: Jane’s Carousel in DUMBO

Jean Nouvel, Jane Walentas, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo, collabcubedJean Nouvel, Jane Walentas, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo, collabcubedClick to enlarge.

I went over to the DUMBO Arts Festival in Brooklyn last Saturday and visited many an open studio, as well as new (to me) designy shops, the crazy sale at Desigual’s Pop-up Shop, and the large bubble-making contraption in the tobacco factory. All were fun to see, but the star of the festival was the recently opened Jane’s Carousel housed within a pavilion designed by architect Jean Nouvel, as he describes it: the jewelry box for the precious jewel.

The carousel and its box are a gift to the city from the Walentas family. Jane Walentas had been restoring the exceptionally elaborate 1922 carousel since 1984. Positioned on the edge of the East River between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, the views from the carousel are priceless, whether direct with the retractable doors folded open, or through the impressively thick acrylic walls that add a wavy, almost drippy, distorted quality to the Manhattan skyline. At night, the box acts as a magic lantern with curtains that come down and become screens, allowing the projectors in the middle of the carousel to project the horses’ shadows onto all four sides of the pavilion. I would imagine that to be a lovely sight from either bridge, the water, or Manhattan.

I have to confess that I was not initially impressed by the design when I saw it in the NY Times, but after speaking with one of the structural engineers involved in the project (Gilsanz Murray Steficek) I was assured that the photos did not do it justice. That may be the case here as well, so if you happen to be in NYC, I highly recommend taking a stroll over to Brooklyn Bridge Park and experiencing the size and majesticness of the carousel in person. If nothing else, you’ll get a spectacular view of both bridges and the skyline across the way.

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IBM THINK Exhibit at Lincoln Center

IBM Think, interactive screen, digital wall, IBM100, data visualization, collabcubedIBM Think, interactive screen, digital wall, IBM100, data visualization, collabcubedIBM Think Exhibit Lincoln centerClick to enlarge.

Today, my dad and I went to explore the new IBM THINK Exhibit at Lincoln Center here in NYC. We were greeted at the entrance by the very familiar (my father is a retired longtime IBMer) ‘THINK’ logo, still looking fresh today in the same slab serif type that I remember from the 1960s.

The exhibit is in celebration of IBM’s 100th anniversary and illustrates – via multimedia – the possibilities that science and information technology offer to ‘make the world work better.’ Beginning with its 123-foot digital visualization wall which streams real-time data from the surrounding Lincoln Center area with respect to traffic, air quality and water consumption, to its interior 12 minute immersive film, which then converts to multi-panel interactive walls mostly displaying the changes in science, technology and comparisons in the way we display information in the past and today.

It’s all beautifully executed. The Data Wall, in particular, is mesmerizing. Designed by the transmedia studio Mirada (started by director Guillermo Del Toro) in conjunction with a team of mostly faculty and graduates of the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts who designed the software, it’s a perfect example of art and science merging; animated infographics at their best. Also quite lovely, are the print exhibition graphics throughout the exhibit that are clearly a nod to the great Paul Rand.

The IBM THINK Exhibit is on the inclined Jaffe Drive at Lincoln Center through October 23, 2011. It’s hard to miss the spectacular digital wall from Broadway.

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Polly Borland: Disturbingly Funny Photos

photography, contemporary art, creepy, smudge, Paul Kasminphotography, contemporary art, creepy, smudge, Paul Kasminphotography, contemporary art, creepy, smudge, Paul KasminAustralian-born, longtime-London-based, currently-residing-in-LA photographer Polly Borland dresses up her models in costumes, makeup and, sometimes, spandex to create her own personal visual language. Somewhat creepy yet humorous, Borland’s photos hardly go unnoticed. Having regularly photographed portraits for several UK and American magazines including The New York Times and The Independent, Borland decided to change gears and create her own subject matter by adding a humorously disturbing theatrical element.

An exhibit of Polly Borland’s photographs from her Smudge series will be shown at the Paul Kasmin Gallery, here in NYC, opening September 22nd.

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“Social Media” in Chelsea

Chelsea, Social Media, art installation, NYC, globeChelsea, Social Media, art installation, NYC, globeTonight, as the cold air blew into town (what’s up with that, anyway?) so too did the crowds into Chelsea. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Chelsea so crowded. Part of the attraction was the opening of David Byrne’s installation, Tight Spot, the huge inflated globe squeezed in under the High Line. Byrne was there himself, looking tan and chipper, while we listened to his very deep, bass, pre-recorded distorted vocal sounds emanating from the globe.

Next door in the Pace gallery itself, was the opening of the show Social Media. Among the interesting pieces (in all honestly, it was a little too crowded to appreciate in its entirety) I really enjoyed Christopher Baker’s Murmur Study and Penelope Umbrico’s Sideways TVs.

The Murmur Study is instantly engaging and fun with all its ticker-tape spewing live Twitter status updates from twenty thermal printers attached to the gallery walls.

Sideways TVs by Penelope Umbrico made me chuckle. A large collection of miniature photos nicely hung separated from the wall and all displaying a collection of outdated TV monitors. Impressive how those things have trimmed down in the past few years.

There is plenty more to see at the Pace show and all the other galleries as well. Looks like the fall is here to stay and, just like that, another season of Chelsea art shows has begun.

Tight Spot will be on exhibit through October 1st, and Social Media runs through October 15th.

Top photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz for The Wall Street Journal
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Baguettes to Bentleys: Vending Machines

Cool Vending Machine, Fashion Week, Hudson Hotel, semi automatic, Morgans, NYCCool Vending Machine, Fashion Week, Hudson Hotel, semi automatic, Mondrian, BaguettesThis week as part of Fashion Week here in NYC, the Hudson Hotel’s already impressive, over-sized Semi-Automatic vending machine has been stocked with products from up and coming designers. Some of these include: Alice Ritter, Grey Ant, Jolibe (rabbit fur jacket), Public School (wool ties), Sang A (python clutch), and Ruby Kobo (Diamond bracelet). This is just one of many in a growing trend of nontraditional vending machines. The Mondrian Hotel in Miami has had their purple-illuminated machine for a couple of years, offering everything from sundries to extreme luxury items including a Bentley.

Recently the three of us (plus cousin Moni) were on the The Standard Hotel’s rooftop (Le Bain) checking out the view as well as the waterbed poofs and jacuzzis, when we noticed a vending machine selling bathing suits on our way out.

In Paris, French baker, Jean-Louise Hecht invented and installed a 24-hour baguette dispensing vending machine this past summer. The loaves are partially precooked and finish baking after the customer makes their selection.

Two summers ago on a trip to Barcelona, we happened upon the largest vending machine we had ever seen right in a subway station next to the turnstiles. It looked like the refrigerated section of a deli built right into the station wall.

And in Nanjing, China, a crab-selling vending machine has been installed with much success, selling live crabs in specially patented plastic cases!

Photo credits: top two Hudson Hotel; Mondrian Hotel; Baguette machine photos: Michael Euler, AP. Crab photos: screen shots from Hood News Network.
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Miler Lagos

art installations, books, sculpture, contemporary art, Colombianart installations, books, sculpture, contemporary art, ColombianColombian artist Miler Lagos works in several mediums including sculpture, installation and video. Much of his art is a metaphor for the fine balance between nature and culture especially in today’s state of diminishing resources.

For his upcoming show here in NYC, Lagos will create his installation piece Igloo, a 9-foot domed structure (see top photo) constructed of layers of reference books laid like bricks in a cylindrical shape. The igloo symbolizes the transfer of knowledge through generations at the same time serving as a shelter to protect from nature, despite its own fragility.

The second work from the top is Pie de Amigo (Foot of Friend) is an arc of stacked architecture books with one pencil placed in the leaves of each book that, if removed, would cause the whole piece to tumble.

Tree Ring Dating is a cross-section of a tree made from folded stock pages from newspapers, exploring the relationship between commodity and nature.

The last three pieces shown are: Silence Dogood; El Papel Aguanta Todo (The Paper Resists Everything) ; and Fragmentos del Tiempo (Fragments of Time)

Miler Lagos’ show Home opens September 8th at MagnanMetz Gallery in NYC.

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BMW Guggenheim Lab (follow-up)

NYC events, think tank, film screenings, architecture series, sustainabilityNYC events, think tank, film screenings, architecture series, sustainabilityI finally made it over to the BMW Guggenheim Lab earlier tonight to see a screening of Garbage Dreams, a film about the Zaballeen (garbage people) living in the outskirts of Cairo. The film was very good, but what I was most excited about was the Lab itself.

For a description of what the BMW Guggenheim Lab is, and is setting out to do, you can see our previous post. What the BMW Guggenheim Lab felt like, was an oasis of tranquility off the bustling, hectic thoroughfare that is Houston Street, especially at rush hour. The minimalist structure (designed by Atelier Bow-Wow from Japan) is surprisingly cozy, and remarkably quiet considering its few steps from Houston Street and Second Ave. Only the occasional mufflerless motorcycle disrupted the film and/or speakers. Also surprising was how well the screen projected even in the daylight. And once the sun did go down, the Lab was warmly lit by spotlights.

It’s these sort of things that make NYC such a wonderful place. Free, interesting events in a lovely setting, open to everyone, with something for most everyone. There are lectures on architecture-related topics and sustainability. There are family-oriented events. There are screenings of films as well as guest speakers that range from authors to television directors to inventors and much more. The BMW Guggenheim Lab is open Wednesdays through Sundays until October 16th in NYC before moving on to Berlin. Check their site for the calendar of events. Oh, and there’s a café run by Roberta’s and bathrooms on the premises as well, so there’s really no excuse for not stopping by if you’re in New York.

Top photo: Paul Warchol from the BMW Guggenheim Lab site.
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Miles Neidinger: Everything We See is Never Enough

art installation, nyc, found objects, contemporary artart installation, nyc, found objects, contemporary artClick on images to enlarge.

I was walking past the Flatiron building last weekend and came upon this art installation by Miles Neidinger in the Sprint store window at the base of the building. Everything We See is Never Enough is the name of the piece made of twist ties, vinyl tape, yarn, cellophane and tinsel. This is the first of Sprint’s “Art in the Prow” series of installations.

Miles Neidinger, an artist from Missouri, uses — as he states — “the crummiest materials” in his work:

From Neidinger’s website:
The crummiest materials are employed in this work, yet it insists on formal purity; the process of creation is strictly governed as a means of randomizing the final product. I ask the viewer to uplift twist-ties to the realm of architecture and elevate them to the realm of beauty.
Reversals are staged between banality and beauty, synthetic and organic. These concepts are balanced in such a way that the viewer can oscillate between a preconceived utility of an object and, its new found physical state. With this new physicality I enable the viewer to make new concept formations and, associations regarding familiar objects.

I think the newspaper installations are my favorites.

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JR in NYC and his Inside Out Project

JR in NYC, Houston Street Mural, Street ArtJR in NYC, Houston Street Mural, Street ArtJR in NYC, Soho street art.JR in NYC, Soho Street ArtJR, street art, NYC, Inside Out ProjectFrench street artist JR has hit the streets of New York City in full force this summer. With several murals up in downtown Manhattan and a series of smaller posters up in the Bronx, the closely cropped expressive faces and eyes are a fun surprise to see as you round the corners of NYC.

JR’s wish? To use art to turn the world inside out. His Inside Out Project is a “large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work.” The three of us participated in this ongoing event, with the help of our buddy Rence, and set out to post our poster under one of JR‘s massive Soho murals. As you can see above, our poster is a mere speck on the wall by comparison (click to enlarge for better view) and clearly no JR but, regardless, we had a blast putting it up and it’s great fun to be a part of this international well-meaning project.

If you’d like to take part in JR’s worldwide project, just upload a photo to the site and you’ll be contacted to make a donation before receiving your poster.

All images are linked to their respective flickr photostream. Those that don’t, were taken by us.
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Antony Gormley: Body as Place

sculpture, bodies, cool installations, art, woodsculpture, bodies, cool installations, art, collabcubedsculpture, bodies, cool installations, artClick to enlarge

I have to admit that I had never heard of British sculptor Antony Gormley, nor had I seen any of his sculptures, until last year’s wonderful show here on the buildings around Madison Square Park in NYC called Event Horizon. It was one of those New York City events that, once let in on, you wanted to share with everyone. 31 life-size sculptures of the artist cast in iron and fiberglass were positioned on the rooftops – and a few on the sidewalks – of New York’s Flatiron District. At first glance they looked like men contemplating jumping off buildings such as MetLife or the Flatiron, but upon closer inspection it became clear that they were sculptures. Then a Where’s Waldo quality would kick in and the hunt to locate all 31 of them would begin. I don’t think I ever quite spotted them all.

All this introduction is to say that I have since been very aware of Gormley’s work and am so happy to have been exposed to it finally. I can’t get enough of it. Every sculpture, in every form surprises and delights me. In all the different materials, styles, and installations.

Above are a sampling of Gormley’s body sculptures, as well as some images from his installation series Breathing Room where lights go on in a sudden, almost blinding, interrogation style in 10-minute intervals.

There is much more to see on Gormley’s site, and here is a 50-minute video of a lecture he gave in Chicago a few months back where he explains much of the thinking behind his work, including seeing the body as a place not an object, and as the subjective and universal condition of human existence.