Dig is an exhibition and performance at Storefront for Art and Architecture by Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture that explores the architecture of excavation. Storefront’s distinctive gallery space will be filled with a solid volume of EPS architectural foam, engulfing the existing interior in an unyielding flood of white. The volume will then be excavated using simple tools – hammers, picks and chisels – to transform a stock industrial material into a strange, unexpected cavern for both work and play.
An exhibition will document an ongoing dialogue between ideas of notational precision and fabricated looseness. This negotiation of design logic with sculptural intuition sets the stage for the interaction between the artist and viewer. Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture will both create and inhabit Digfor the duration of the subsequent month-long installation, carving spaces from solid infill in a performance open to public view. The façade of Storefront will act as a human ant farm, framing the work occurring within for outside passerby. Inside the remaining gallery space, a cave-like entrance will open into the solid form, inviting viewers to watch the excavation of an unreal space in real time.
Dig is an experiment between the precision of the architectural plan and the looseness of the unknown. The installation and performance explore an intersection of primitivism and contemporary architecture; the complexity of the final surfaces and form suggests a digital origin and conceals the simplicity of a space made entirely by hand. The solid volume is excavated and inhabited by basic necessity, but also engages in careful play with the existing architecture of Storefront. Dig uncovers the inconceivable within the conceivable.
At the close of the installation, the material was returned to the manufacturer and recycled into rigid foam insulation.
Zimoun, an artist from Switzerland, works primarily with sound. What started as a fascination as a child grew exponentially, so much so that he is now often referred to as a sound architect.
His works are minimal and focussed. Humble materials such as cardboard, cotton balls, plastic bags and wire are elevated above their everyday associations by repetition and the introduction of (hundreds of) motors to achieve an air of elegance. The conscious restraint that is evident in his work amplifies their impact. His works are immersive, drawing the spectator into the space of its sound. Here are a few videos of a few of his freshest pieces:
Certainly improvable in terms of style (taste?), but definitely a very interesting concept is this white living room that can be transformed with a mouse click into any design you desire. Working like a life size digital picture frame, the white furniture serves as a canvas for the imagery of two 3D projectors, which allows the user to change the texture style of the room into anything desired. The masterminds behind this project are Mo Assem and Ruben van Esterik from the Netherlands. They are working together as Mr. Beam and have a whole lot of other very interesting projects involving 3D projectors.
In this installation at the Arts Institute Chicago, Simon Heijdens has created a window which changes according to external weather conditions. Triangles of special film are applied to the glass. The film is linked to monitors which monitor wind currents passing the glass and allow the film to change from translucent to transparent letting more or less sunlight in.The window changes throughout the day, creating beautiful shadows and patterns on the walls, echoing the changes of nature.
Heijdens writes:
As the angle of light and patterns of wind are continuously changing throughout the day and year, the perpetual character of the artificial space is reconnected with an evolving, unplanned natural timeline.
The installation is part of the Hyperlinks exhibition and is on display until July 20th, 2011.
On show until February 2011 at the Johanssen gallery, Berlin, Milan based designers Carnovsky, developed this wallpaper which changes with different coloured light. Already beautiful as it is, different coloured filters reveal animal illustrations amongst the technicolour tangle of images. Its amazing to see the animals emerge and disappear with the change of lighting. The wallpaper was designed for Italian brand Janelli&Volpi. Described by the designers as an exploration into the surface’s ‘deepness’, along with the wallpaper, the RGB print has been applied to smaller scale prints and objects which also are displayed as part of the exhibition.
An installation by Japanese architect Ryuji Nakamura is being exhibited at the museum of modern art, Tokyo. Constructed entirely of paper and glue, the delicate structure is over 53.9 m2 with the longest side measuring 16m and the whole installation the height of an average person. Nakamura designed the installation so it can never be viewed in its entirety.
The lines of paper are meticulously attached to one another to create a lace-like structure with a weightless appearance. Cornfield sits like a low, fine mist in the gallery space and the complex geometry allows tiny glimpses through to the other side of the room. With its complexity and subtlety, Cornfield is a stunning piece of design.
The “Objective” exhibition shows a selection of London based Japanese designer Tomoko Azumi’s furniture, spanning from 1995 to 2010. Included are her table-chest, AT-AT desk, hexad tables, arc chair, ro-ro rocking chair, spin tables and shingle chests.
Throughout her career, she has made a point of working with medium-scale furniture manufacturers who share her same vision for function and quality. on show are models, drawings and watercolor sketches which relate to these collaborations.
The gallery exhibition, presented by Rocket/Jonathan Stephenson is on til November 20. so hurry in order to see it!
Trust a city as cool as Berlin to have a museum housing letters salvaged from store and factory name signs. The Museum of Letters, better known as Buchstabenmuseum, is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 with the goal of preserving and documenting typography and signage. They collect letter forms from all origins and languages for their public exhibitions, and to promote typography and signage rescued from a rubbish dump death, they host events to develop appreciation for the items they display. It is heart warming to know that at least some of the beautiful signage disappearing from old shopfronts end up in a safe new home.
Sara Leonor, associate designer at B3 Designers, will launch her first piece of functional art at Tent London tomorrow.
Sara’s desire to create sculptural volumes from geometric shapes and patterns resulted in Zeed, a striking chair that replicates a seed’s ability to grow by stacking. The unusual chair is currently available in oak, beech and steel, but can be manufactured in a range of materials. It features strategic magnets, giving stacked chairs stability.
I recommend going over to stand E26 of Tent tomorrow to see this one of a kind chair for yourself, in the mean time check out www.saraleonor.co.uk for more details.
This is the most amazing craft project that I have seen in a long time, and therefore I find it worth to mention it also here: Dalton Ghetti from Connecticut, USA is a carpenter and creates sculptures. Sculptures made from pencils, in particular from the pencil lead. To achieve his amazing results, he only uses three tools: A razor blade, a knitting needle and a knife. The longest time so far he took for making the interlocked chain links – it took two and a half years to finish this micro sculpture. So far he didn’t sell any of his sculptures – he just gave them away as presents to friends. Dalton, I wanna be your friend please!
