Category: Art

Evol: Miniature Apartment Building Street Art

Evol: Miniature Apartment Building Street Art

Posted on 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/

 

Oyster Beds in the East Bay – Daniel McCormick at the Headlands

Oyster Beds in the East Bay – Daniel McCormick at the Headlands

Posted on by Kbaumlier

I recently got an update from the Headlands Center for the Arts, a artist residency center located in Sausalito, CA.  I was an artist in residence at the Headlands in 2005, and it is interesting to learn about current projects and events.  This year a new Alumni New Works program was created, where past artists in residence could apply to do a project for a month.

One of the recipients of this program is Daniel McCormick, who is an environmental artist.  In his recent projects, he has collaborated with scientists, conservation organizations, and regional regulatory commissions to create sculptural pieces that improve watersheds and locations of water.

McCormick is a former student of James Turrell and has a degree in environmental design from UC Berkeley.  Some of his past work has been in the form of woven basket forms made of green willow and found materials that are placed in eroded gullies and on the banks of rivers.

These sculptures are designed to “fit into the curves of the streams and gullies where they fill with leaves and twigs, collecting sediment that would otherwise suffocate the salmon and steelhead eggs in their spawning areas.”

At he Headlands, he will be installing some innovative San Francisco Bay native oyster beds throughout the East Bay Regional Park System and Merritt Lagoon.   By adding oyster beds, it is a way to help restore the bay’s ecosystem.  Oysters have to be grown in the top third of the water, where there is sunlight and oxygen.  After being installed, oyster beds need to be serviced in order to prevent algae growth which can kill the oysters.  Project updates will be posted on his website.

Image Source:
http://www.headlands.org 

 

Links:

http://danielmccormick.blogspot.com/

 

Apple Power! Art and Science Photos

Apple Power! Art and Science Photos

Posted on by Kbaumlier

I recently saw images of photographer Caleb Charland’s photo experiments where he works with art and science which include electricity, fire, and magnetism. One project he has been working on involves creating alternative power sources using vinegar, fruit, and coins to power a light, which is then photographed.

The process to make the images takes time and focus to setup.  To create power, Charland hammered 300 zinc-coated nails into apples which took 11 hours to setup. The zinc reacts with acid in the apples and creates electricity. The power then moves through copper wire and powers up the lamp. Each apple created 5 volts, and could power a LED for several hours.  The image was then created by taking a 4 hour exposure.

Check out his pictures on his website, and also the video online which documents the making of one of the images, which shows the process of making one of the images with apple trees.

Image Source:
calebcharland.com/ 

 

Links:

Video – The Making of Caleb Charland’s Apples and LEDs

calebcharland.com/

 

Faig Ahmed: Constructing and Deconstructing Language in Rugs

Faig Ahmed: Constructing and Deconstructing Language in Rugs

Posted on by Kbaumlier

Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed is an artist whose work focuses on the construction and deconstruction of traditional patterned rugs and carpets. Carpets were initially seen as a sophisticated form of writing rather than a decorative piece. Each element of the pattern was once a written sign. Ahmed’s work explores how a carpet is more a time structure than a graphical one.

In his recent installation, Thread Installation , he creates a visual deconstruction of the complex design of a rug. The patterns and outline of the rug start with the rectangular shape of the rug, but then the edges extend in long pieces of thread across the room. The effect is a rug that seems to be unraveled or created.
In his artist’s statement, Ahmed says “I’ve been always fond of investigating and researching every detail of anything that had interested me… I’m heretofore harried by a question others have left in childhood – “what is inside?” That’s why I’m changing habitual and visually static objects making them spatial, giving them a new depth. And this as if reveals the essence of this object – the object that was mediocre just a minute ago.”

Ahmed’s work can be see on his artist website www.faigahmed.com.

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

 

Links:
http://www.faigahmed.com/

Hang a Swing on it! The Swings Tampa Bay Project

Hang a Swing on it! The Swings Tampa Bay Project

Posted on by Kbaumlier

Swings Tampa Bay is a group that hangs hand-made hand-painted Swings around the city of Tampa Bay, Fl.  The swings are hung on trees, bridges, various structures, inside buildings, and in other locations.

The project came out of a environmental design project to hang classic red Swings all over downtown St. Petersburg, FL.  Reuban and Hunter, the team behind the project began to notice that a swing had a powerful effect on the community. “People that would have never even acknowledged each other were immediately magnetized to their new discovery and began sharing warm conversation and new experiences while pushing each other high up into the air,” they write on the Swings website.

They received a community award, and hosted a “Let’s Paint Swings” event where anyone could hand paint a swing to be hung or hang it themselves. 100 Swings were painted at the event. Since then there has been 5 swing painting events,  135 swings have been hung, and over 1028 swings have been painted.

Why not put a swing on it?

Image Source:
http://swingstampabay.com/

Links:

http://swingstampabay.com/