Artist Dominic Wilcox has created this amazing installation called “Field” for the London Design Festival that I think is just exquisite in both message and execution. Using 200 pairs of sustainable built shoes from Terra Plana with 400 laces, Wilcox added what he called “a touch of magic to the show laces as they rise up in unison and grow towards the window’s light.” See the video below for a description of the installation from the artist.
Tuesday September 29th 2009, 10:09 am
Filed under: Art
Drawing lines in the sand is interesting when you think about how the English idiom of to ‘draw a line in the sand’ is to essentially create some artificial boundary of which should not be crossed without consequence. This can be a serious matter but what if these lines were to cross, curve or basically dance across the shimmering grains at the edge of the sea…it becomes playful and fun, anything but serious.
San Fransisco-based artist Andres Amador paints, or rather rakes, beautiful lines into the sandy canvas of beaches in his California home city. In over the last 5 years he has managed to create over 100 pieces of tidal art. From a doodle he creates larger computer drawings to work out the details before launching into action with his rake. Since he must work according to the tides, his window of opportunity is limited so each design has to be carefully planned ahead of time.
Working with the constraints of the tides does make it challenging for crafting the pieces as well as allowing only for a short viewing time, but it is this temporary nature that makes them so exciting when a viewer is lucky enough to happen upon them. It’s a surprise, a discovery and a unique opportunity. It shows that beauty is everywhere, even if only for a small glimpse before disappearing.
Tuesday September 29th 2009, 8:33 am
Filed under: Random
Lately I’ve felt rather exhausted by the idea of green building design. Put a building in a tree, bury it or cover it in some unidentified field of green fuzzy stuff and it’s suddenly sustainable, no matter how absurd the concept may be. When I saw this sketch from one of my favorite sites, Variations on Normal, I couldn’t help but laugh in how appropriate it was in it’s absurdity. But let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to sled down that hill? I’ll take the penthouse suite please.
Most of the time I love looking at things that go way outside the box because, why not? It’s good fun. But so many times in architectural designs plants have become an accessory like wall covering or paint and gets tacked on in the most ridiculous ways and expected to survive or even produce food. Reaching beyond working solutions has almost become the norm and the photoshop renderings littering the blogosphere are beginning to look eerily similar in both style, content and that infamous greening filter. I find myself looking at drawings and constantly asking, what IS that patch of green? Lately reading has been less inspiring and therefore blogging as well which has sadly taken a backseat to my busy schedule as of late. Time to get back to it, things are piling up.
