Kbaumlier

Author: Kbaumlier

Kristen Baumlier’s work spans the full spectrum of interdisciplinary media, including performance, interactive installation, video and audio works.

Cloud: A Fragrant Sculpture/Performance Project

Posted on January 26, 2013February 4, 2013 by Kbaumlier

Diane Borsato is a visual artist working in performance, intervention, video, installation, and photography. One of her recent projects that caught my eye recently was Cloud, a performance/sculpture project done in Fall 2012 where she invited 24 participants to wear a highly fragrant gardenia boutonniere to the opening reception of a new commercial gallery. During the opening, the volunteers mingled throughout the party, and the extravagant scent quickly overwhelmed the space.

The “cloud” of fragrance hung in the air for approximately one hour, after which time the performers and their flowers left the building.

Diane Borsato is currently Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studio at the University of Guelph, and lives in Toronto. Images and a list of participants of the performance can be seen on her artist website.

Image Source:
http://dianeborsato.net/projects/cloud/

Links:

http://dianeborsato.net/projects/cloud/

Statistics that Reshape Your World View: Hans Rosling and Gapminder

Posted on January 23, 2013January 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

I recently watched a TED talk by Hans Rosling, who is a professor of global health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. His current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the developing world, which he says is no longer worlds away from the West. His work indicates that the majority of the Third World is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity.

The way that he presents this – with unique data and a visual interest, makes the observations and trends “come to life.” Data and statistics of social and economic trends creates an interesting picture and predictions and trends come to life in flowing curves, moving bubbles, and playful color.

The material presented is drawn often from data from the United Nations, and is illustrated by visualization software that he developed in his nonprofit company, Gapfinder. World health, population, energy, and war come up in his presentation.

You can check out his talk on TED talks, and the software is free and can be used with any data at Gapminder.org.

Image Source:
http://www.ted.com – Hans Rosling Talk
http://www.gapminder.org/

Links:

http://www.ted.com – Hans Rosling Talk

http://www.gapminder.org/

Boston Tree Party: Planting One Tree at a Time

Posted on January 20, 2013January 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

The Boston Tree Party is an urban agriculture project where a diverse coalition of organizations, institutions, and communities from across the Greater Boston Area coming together in support of “Civic Fruit.” The goal of the group is to plant fruit trees in civic space and promote civic engagement. For the project, each community commits to planting and caring for a pair of heirloom apple trees. Apple trees must be planted in heterogeneous pairs (two different varieties of apples must be planted together) in order to cross-pollinate and bear fruit. The Boston Tree Party takes these trees as inspiration.

Together, these trees form a decentralized public urban orchard. As a conceptual art project, the Boston Tree Party explores the issues of food access; health; environmental stewardship; biodiversity; public space; and civic engagement.

The first apple orchard in the American Colonies was planted by William Blackstone near Boston in 1623. The oldest variety of apple in the United States, the Roxbury Russet, was developed in Roxbury, near Boston in the 1630s.

The planting campaign launched on April 10, 2011, and the first pair of apple trees were planted on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Later this year, the first group of participating Tree Planting Delegations each received a Tree Party Kit. These 37 Delegations consisted of 55 organizations ranging from schools to assisted living centers, synagogues to churches, and neighborhood groups to hospitals. The Kit allowed each community to design and create its own festive Tree Planting Party tailored to its own needs and interests. All across the city communities planted the seeds of Civic Fruit.

In 2012, 18 new Delegations, consisting of 23 communities and organizations, joined the party. A new updated map shows where the apples have been planted around the city, and you also can read the full list of Delegations who have participated since the project started.

Image Source:

http://www.bostontreeparty.org/

Links:

http://www.bostontreeparty.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9ZEfvrgB78E

Evol: Miniature Apartment Building Street Art

Posted on January 17, 2013January 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

Ever walk down the street and see a small apartment building on the street? German artist Evol makes “apartment art “ which is made by by building structures out of lockboxes or cardboard, or working directly on a wall. He then uses paint and stencils to make structures that look exactly like prefab apartment buildings. He will draw in details such as balconies and satellite dishes which make it look realistic.

The artist, who lives and works in Berlin, grew up in a German suburb, and sees the pieces as being portraits of the area that he grew up in. Many of the buildings were not renovated, and were places that showed a visible history of the residents, and the artist says that they “told stories of the people who lived there.”

Most street art is 2d, so these 3d structures stand out in terms of being public art. You can see more images of his work on his website at http://www.evoltaste.com/

It is hard to see in pictures what the pieces are – since they look so realistic.

Image Source:
http://www.evoltaste.com/

Links:

http://www.evoltaste.com/

Food Connect Brisbane: Local Food in Australia

Posted on January 14, 2013January 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

Even with more discussion about seasonal, local, and healthy food going on – it is very rare in most grocery stores. When I go to buy a tomato at the store, I am not always able to see how far it traveled, how old the tomato is, or what kind of corporation made it.

Food Connect Brisbane, located in Brisbane Australia was started in 2004 by Robert Pekin, and was formed to create a large venture of community shared agriculture in Australia to create transparency, accessible, socially responsible food. Food Connect Brisbane works in a few stages. First, seasonal local food is sourced and packed into different size fruit and veggie boxes. The food is delivered to the Food Connect Homestead locations where the boxes are created. The boxes are brought to a “City Cousin,” and location that you can pick up the food, which might be a community center or school.

Since its creation, it has grown and is being replicated in other areas in the country including Adelaide, Bellingen, Coffs Coast, Melbourne, Sydney and others.

On the website the group writes “Our delicious seasonal produce comes from local farmers living within a five hour radius of Brisbane who are paid a fair price for their hard work and who are encouraged to farm using the most sustainable methods possible. Our subscribers know where their food comes from and are invited to see for themselves on regular farm tours.”

Want a box of broccoli, corn, lettuce, Swiss Brown mushrooms, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, apples, bananas, a bunch of herbs and garlic or ginger? There are boxes for 1 person, 2, and a family/group of 4.

Image Source:
www.foodconnect.com.au/

Links: