October 8, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Geraldo Zamproni: Pillow Talk

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Contemporary 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:

Top photo: Michele McVicar/EVG; bottom photo Eric Stoner; all others courtesy the artist.

October 8, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Atheist Shoes

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Continuing with her recent interest in shoe design, Daniela pointed me to the Atheist Shoes website which a friend had told her about. Probably one of the things we liked best is the catchy line on their impressively over-funded kickstarter page: “Now atheists have soles too!”

What seems to have started as a semi-goof, took off on reddit and then kickstarter, taking the prototype of the godless, Bauhaus-inspired shoe and making it a reality. Sure, the handmade, nice quality leather shoes look nice, but the concept is what really appeals to us. From the atheist soles to the black hole logo (“an inviting void, an exquisite blank canvas, begging to be filled with something meaningful to you”), to the idea of donating 10% of their profits to secular charities, demonstrating that you don’t need god to be good.

You can find out more about the background story on their kickstarter page and video, and if you’d like to buy a pair, you can do that here.

October 5, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 10/5

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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. 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.

October 4, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

EARonics on Sale!

EARonics on Sale?? Yes, it’s true! We’re having the OMG-the-iPhone5-is-Out-and-We-Still-Have-iPhone4-Cases-Plus-We’re-Moving SALE! All cases are now $15 and there’s still free domestic shipping and $5 international. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Tell your friends! Tell your family! Heck, tell your enemies!

Buy them here.

(And, yes, we are well aware that the Sotheby’s art handler above has a freakishly large hand coming out of his collarbone…but, hey, he’s got an EARonic!)

October 2, 2012 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

Architectural Shoes

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This post is dedicated to Daniela who called yesterday and mentioned that designing shoes in Rome for a month is the latest on her to-do list. Not being much of a shoe person myself, I foolishly questioned why that would be cool. I get it now. Though judging from this list, The Netherlands might be the place to go.

From top to bottom, left to right: Czech designer Pavlina Miklasova draws inspiration from wooden models of the Hellenic History Museum of Athens.

Dutch designer Leanie van der Vyver’s Scary Beautiful forces a new way of walking, leaning forward while refining a painfully fragile balance. See the walking video here.

French shoe designer Benoît Méléard designs for many designers but these crazy wooden platforms are from his collection.

Dutch designer Rosanne Begsma’s Pumptouw.

All of Dutch designer Marloes ten Bhömer’s collections are pretty radical. Beigefoldedshoe uses the tanned leather from the soles as the uppers too. Bottom photos are hers as well: Noheelshoe.

RISD alum Martha Davis designed the sculptural wooden sandals, second from bottom.

Oooh, and there’s also this 3D printed Macedonia Shoe designed by Finnish designer Janne Kyattenen. Wild.

October 2, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Bus-Tops in London

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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

October 1, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Anarchy Dance Theater & UltraCombos

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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.

September 28, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/28

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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/Typography – Concrete 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/Books – NY 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. Film – 5th 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/Fun – 10th 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/Music – RUCKUS 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/Fun – The 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/Performance – Bushwig! 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.

September 24, 2012 by collabcubed - 2 Comments

JR in Hong Kong

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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.

September 17, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Sing! Karaoke Kiosk

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The Sing! Karaoke Kiosk is an interactive multilingual installation designed by the Urban Republic Arts Society in Vancouver to encourage more interaction between the various culturally distinct communities within the city. The outdoor booth allows users to choose songs from a touch screen display and sing on the red carpet to the public. The custom player offers thousands of songs in Vancouver’s most widely spoken languages: Cantonese, English, Filipino, French, Japanese, Hindi, Mandarin and Spanish. Karaoke’s cross-cultural popularity makes it a perfect choice to get everyone interacting, or at least laughing.

via Canadian Architect

September 14, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 9/14

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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.

1. Art/Photography/Talks- Momenta Art presents Occupy Your BFF.Occupy Museums (Occupy Wall Street) will use the gallery’s resources to activate critical dialogue about the relationship between art and the market. Opening Reception, Friday 9/14, 6pm to 9pm. Exhibit runs through 10/28. FREE

2. Art– Randy Polumbo: Love Stream at Steven Kasher Gallery. Fun light sculpture exhibit partly in an Airstream trailer. Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15. Through September 29th. FREE

Also in Art: Johan Freeman and Justin Lowe’s Stray Light Grey multi-room installation at Marlborough Gallery. (See post) Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15. Through October 27th. FREE

3. Art/Performance – Steven & William Ladd: Shaboygen at The Invisible Dog Art Center, Brooklyn. Opening Reception, Saturday 9/15, 6pm to 10pm. Performances 7 & 9pm. Through November 3rd. FREE

4. Film – Solar Powered Film Series, at Stuyvesant Cove Park. Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15, 7pm to 10:30pm. FREE

5. Music – FIAF Opening Concert with Bill Frisell, guitarist at FIAF Florence Gould Hall Friday 9/14, 8pm. Advanced $30. At door $35.

6. Fashion/Performance– Williamsburg Fashion Weekend at Windmill Studios, Williamsburg. Friday 9/14 and Saturday 9/15 Doors: 8pm, Show: 9pm. $15 in advance. $20 at door.

7. Art Installation/Party – House Party: Andrew Ohanesian at The Boiler. Faithfully creating a spatially accurate, quintessentially American suburban home, which he displaces from its native suburban landscape by reconstructing it within the walls of the Boiler, a repurposed urban-industrial space currently functioning as a contemporary art gallery. Opening reception (House Party) Friday 9/14 7pm to 10pm. The Boiler, 191 N. 14th St. Brooklyn. Exhibit up through 11/18. FREE

8. Music/Light Show – The Joshua Light Show. live, colorful, psychedelic projections behind various musicians and bands including John Zorn and Lou Reed, at NYU Skirball Center. All weekend. Check listing for showtimes and bands. Tickets start at $20.

9. Architecture Walking Tour – Lost Streams of NYC, with photographer/historian Steve Duncan (see post). 2- to 3-hour tour (above ground). Saturday 9/15, 2pm to 5pm. $25

10. Architecture Talk – Andrew Moore: Images of Governors Island The renowned photographer gives an illustrated talk on the abandoned buildings of Governors Island. Saturday 9/15. 2pm to 3pm. FREE (the event is sold out, but it has been our experience with other talks, that not everyone who signs up, shows up.)

11. Architecture – Imagining the Lowline at the Essex Street Warehouse. A first glimpse at what the park might look like (see post). Starting Saturday 9/15 and Sunday 9/16 12pm to 6pm. Through September 27th. FREE

12. Music –Jim Lauderdale & The Honeycutters at Madison Square Park. Saturday 9/15, 3-5pm. FREE

13. Contest/Food– Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest, at Williamsburg Smorgasburg. Saturday 9/15 at 1 to 4pm. FREE

14. Food – Pig Roast at The Farm on Adderley in Prospect Park South, Brooklyn. Saturday 9/15 . 2pm to 8pm. $25/plate (including sides).

15. Dance – DanceNow at Joe’s Pub. Featuring the Top Ten Works from the 2012 DANCENOW Festival. Saturday 9/15, 7pm. $15 in advance; $20 at the door.

**UPDATES: Film – LCD Soundsystem’s Shut Up and Play the Hits at The Well, Brooklyn. Saturday 9/15, 7-11pm, 18+ to enter. FREE

Food – Unsold Supper in Union Square. Farmers contribute unsold produce that gets cooked and shared in exchange for creating a gift for the farmers. Barter of craft for food. Saturday 9/15, 4 to 6pm. FREE

Fun – NerdNYC’s RECESS a day full of tabletop games, from cards to Trivia and more at 440 Lafayette St. 18+ with ID. Saturday 9/15, 11am to 10:30pm. $20.

Check back for possible updates and take a look at our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for additional ideas. Enjoy!

September 12, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Hiroshi Fuji: Kaeru

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Japanese artist Hiroshi Fuji’s art revolves around “ways of transforming existences that are not valued by society into special existences.” One of the ways he does this is by using recycled materials in his art and inviting others—kids, artists, the public in general—to participate in its creation. He started a toy exchange system called “Kaekko” 13 years ago with over 5000 events having taken place in over 1000 locations across Japan and other countries as well. In his Central Kaeru Station – Where have all these toys come from? (Kaeru meaning to change, return, exchange) exhibit, which just closed in Tokyo last weekend, Fuji brought together over 50,000 toys collected over the years in the “Kaekko” project and created an installation that included works (such as this Toy Sauruses) made from the recycled toys, and the opportunity to bid on some of the works, along with interactive workshops for the community.

Photos: Reuters; Vancouver Sun; Amazing World Pictures; and 331

via voanews

September 10, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Hu Jieming: 100 Years in 1 Minute

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Shanghai-based multimedia artist Hu Jieming created this large-scale video piece titled 100 Years in 1 Minute. His goal was not to offer a panoramic view of history but, instead, to explore the possibilities of multiple combinations of the past century’s visual memory within one minute.

Using hundreds of, what look like, shoe storage bags to frame his videos, 10 high definition projectors, and 120 loudspeakers, Jieming compressed 100 years into 1100 artworks, creating 1100 1-minute videos that deconstruct many a masterpiece of modern times. The effect is noisy, wild and humorous. Jieming sees these purely as experiments; not as art or historical criticism.

Here is a video of the installation:

Photos: artnews, bjartlab’s flickr; shanghart; and echinaart.

via shangart

September 5, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NEON: La materia luminosa dell’arte

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Oh, I certainly hope someone brings this exhibit to New York. Neon: La materia luminosa dell’arte, currently at MACRO (Museo d’arte contemporanea Roma) includes works of more than fifty international artists who have made this simple artificial light source (neon)—typically used for signage—into the contemporary luminous art matter that it has become. Some of the artists represented are: Stefan Brüggemann, Bruce Nauman, Maurizio Cattelan, Dan Flavin, Claire Fontane, and, of course, at least forty-five more spanning almost sixty years, from the 1960s to the present.

The exhibit will be on view in Rome through November 11, 2012.

Photos courtesy of MACRO, artribune, and esoarte.

September 4, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

The Weird Girls Project & Converse China

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The Weird Girls Project (previously here) creator, Kitty Von-Sometime, was approached by Converse China to produce a series of videos featuring the Fall 2012 Color Collection of their Chuck Taylor shoes. The videos were to follow all of the usual applications of The Weird Girls Project and, excluding the shoes, the video concept and direction had complete free reign. The three-episode series was filmed in China: the first at the Great Wall; the second at a high rise building just on the south side of the river in Shanghai; the last at an abandoned fake Disneyland theme park an hour outside of Beijing. All three contain spectacular imagery and the requisite Weird Girls weirdness.

Below is one of the videos, but if you like what you see here, there’s plenty more to check out on the website.

September 3, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

Winkel & Balktick: Laboratory

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Saturday night, intrigued by their invitation/announcement, I headed over to the abandoned Pfizer headquarters and plant in South Williamsburg to experience Winkel & Balktick’s art/performance/music/dance event/party/experiment: Stranded V – Laboratory. The area around the plant’s location felt creepishly dark and desolate, but as I got closer it was interesting to see the groups of white-clad (the requested form of attire) young people emanate from the dark in all different directions — reminded me of that scene in Witness when all the Amish suddenly appear over the hills to help Harrison Ford. Anyway, the huge and vacant complex of laboratories had two of its large floors taken over by science-themed art installations, bars displaying test tubes, flasks, and beakers filled with colored liquids on light tables, as well as beanie babies in jars, performances such as hula hoopers with multi-color-lit hoops glowing in the dark, modern dancers dancing in shallow pools of a substance similar to Nickelodeon’s old green slime, and a band whose back-up singers consisted of projected talking heads. There were installations that included a cloth covered dome structure filled with red balloons, a seemingly nude man in a trapezoidal box with small slits where the viewer could watch him bathe in a milky mud-like liquid, and floating petri dishes en masse that created interesting patterns on the floor of their contents’ movement. There was many a science-themed table with lab assistants (aka artists and techies) to answer questions and guide you through their inventions reminiscent of a high school science fair, all the while the loud thumping beat of dance music could be heard (and felt) throughout the two occupied floors in dance club fashion. On more than one occasion I overheard comments to the effect of “Everyone who’s not at Burning Man is here.” Not sure of that myself, but kudos to Winkel & Balktick for coming up with a very interesting and unique (at least for me) event, with the added twist of mystery and intrigue.

August 30, 2012 by collabcubed - 0 comments

NYC Culture on the Cheap: Weekend 8/31

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Here are our free and cheap suggestions for things to do this Labor Day weekend 2012 (August 31 to September 3) in NYC. We’ve included some staycation ideas as well as fun and easy day trips within an hour or two from New York via public transportation.

1. Music- AM & Shawn Lee at the Knitting Factory. Friday 8/31. Doors 7pm. Show 8pm. $10 to $12.

2. Art – Avery McCarthy‘s Destination: Unknown. Includes a large, vast canvas framed by LED lights, allowing itself to be both an optical trick and aesthetic object: a modern day vanity mirror of total blackness. At Orchard Windows Gallery. 37 Orchard St. Fri, Sat, Sun 8/31 to 9/2. FREE

3. Day Trip/Food/Culture – Mitsuwa Marketplace A little taste of Tokyo only a bus ride away. In Edgewater, NJ, this shopping center immerses you in Japanese culture with a food court, books, magazines, toys and a supermarket filled with Japanese products. Take the shuttle bus from Port Authority. $3 each way. All weekend.

4. Music/Party – Swimming with Sharks at The Standard’s Le Bain. Saturday 9/1, 3pm-9pm. FREE with RSVP.

5. Architecture – Vertical Tour at the Cathedral St. John the Divine. No need to go to Europe to tour a spectacular church. This tour takes you up to parts of the Cathedral you never knew existed! Saturday 9/1, 12pm still available. $15 Get tickets here.

6. Day Trip/Art – DIA:Beacon in Beacon, NY. Beautiful galleries filled with spectacular installations and all your favorite contemporary artists. MetroNorth from Grand Central or 125th Street gets you within steps of the building, 80-minute train ride. Train and admission package: $31.50 for Adults. All weekend.

7. Food/Views – La Marina in Inwood. It’s a waterfront resort in Manhattan. Beautiful views of the Hudson and GW Bridge. Take the A-train.

Alternatively in Food/Views: Brooklyn Crab in Red Hook on the waterfront. Free Shuttle Bus or the IKEA Water Taxi from Pier 11. All weekend.

8. Architecture Tour – Before Brooklyn Bridge Park. Learn about the history of Brooklyn’s waterfront with architectural historian and author, Matt Postal Saturday 9/1, 11am.$20. Tickets.

9. Music – Troublemakers; Midnight at Arlene’s Grocery. Saturday 9/1, 12am. $10

10. Fun/Leisure – Unicycle Fest on Governors Island. World-famous riders will display their skills, and members of the public will have the opportunity to try one-wheel riding. Saturday 9/1 and Sunday 9/2, 12pm to 5pm. FREE.

11. Day Trip/Relaxation/Food/Fun – Spa Castle. Okay, maybe not so free or cheap but if you consider what a spa trip costs…this looks pretty good. We’ve yet to try, but have heard good things. A sort of “Disneyland” of spas, in Queens no less! Weekdays $35; weekends $45.

12. Fun/Music/Food/Culture – West Indian Day Parade and Festival, Eastern Parkway near Brooklyn Bridge Museum. Labor Day, Monday 9/3 starts at 11am.

Also, in Comedy/Improv: The Friday Night Sh*w at the Magnet Theater in Chelsea. Friday 8/31, 11:30pm $5.

Also, in Food/Music/Beach: Caracas Rockaway at Rockaway Beach at 106th St. has music events Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 4pm. (Though, lately, we’re partial to the beautifully wide unpopulated beach at 67th, if you’re okay with limited food and bathrooms…shhh.)

UPDATES:

Art/Music/Design/Experiment: Stranded V: Laboratory, a night of eureka moments, bold experiments and a Nobel-worthy science fair built by King’s County’s creative catalysts. Saturday 9/1, 10pm-5am, at the Pfizer plant in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Near the JMZ and G trains. 21+. $26 Tickets here.

Music/Food: Mister Sunday Labor Day Weekend Special; Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter at Gowanus Grove. Sunday 9/2, 3pm-9pm. $10 advance; $12 door.

Performance: The Moth StorySLAM, Monday 9/3 at The Bell House, Brooklyn. 7:30 doors; 8pm starts. $8 at door; $16 advance. 21+

Or check our previous Culture on the Cheap posts for links to Free Met Opera HD, PS1’s WarmUp, and ongoing museum exhibits that we recommend. Have a great weekend and check back for possible updates!

August 27, 2012 by collabcubed - 1 Comment

Tu Wei-Cheng: Happy Valentines Day

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Taiwanese artist Tu Wei-Cheng likes to create illusions and hoaxes with his art. One such work is his large-scale installation titled Happy Valentine’s Day: a chocolate shop complete with hearts, ribbons and pink walls, except that the chocolate boxes are filled with tiny chocolate tanks, guns, hand grenades and other arms and artillery.