Artist Stephen Doyle of Doyle Partners (of paper sculpture fame) just completed this excellent anamorphic projection for the New York Times magazine using blue tape. The project involved taping the various words of traits being taught at KIPP Infinity middle school in Manhattan, of which “grit” is one. The photo is great and I also enjoyed the making-of video showing just how it’s done. (via quipsologies)
Update: Zest!
In these installations by Astrid Bucio objects dissolve before your very eyes: a chair sanded into non-existence, and a pencil exploded into the tiniest bits. I would love to see more of these. (thnx, astrid for sharing your work with colossal!)
The Tropism Well by UK-based Poietic Studio is a modernized take on the water fountain. Sensing the approach of an individual the well begins to lean automatically as water is pumped into the stem, pouring enough water to fill a glass. The motion of the fountain is really quite elegant and certainly puts a twist on a common functional object. Via their website:
Through the synthesis of nature and technology, these structures explore the relationships we have with objects and spaces that surround us on a daily basis. The simple gestural connection creates a stimulating and symbolic moment. The Tropism Well uses natural laws of physics to function. Once it has seen you, the gentle bowing motion is created simply by moving water up and down the stem.
The catch is one would need a drinking vessel to successfully get a drink, so we might not see these on every street corner soon. However, I for one welcome our new water pouring overlords.
I love this installation from the recent Dutchville exhibition at the Netherlands Architecture Institute. Photo by Gabi Helfert.
This summer artists Joakim Kaminsky and Maria Poll went deep inside the forests of Medelpad in northern Sweden to create this uncanny installation entitled Clear Cut using a mirror-coated fabric.
However eternal it may seem this is not a natural forest. Like 90% of the forests in Sweden it is used for forestry consequently being continuously grown and chopped down in a 60 years life cycle.
Joakim and Maria wanted to connect these trees to time. They wanted the installation to visualize a memory of earlier generations of pine trees that had stood here and forecast the clear cut that will soon replace them. Perhaps the mirrors could absorb the light, colors and smells of this place and save them for the future?
It really looks almost as if forest has been severed in half, the treetops hovering above the bottoms. See more of the installation here.
I found this on a new blog called Toildrops, which from glancing at just the home page could be a new favorite.
Quintetto is a music installation by the Italian artist collective Quiet Ensemble that tracks the movement of fish in five vertical tanks and translates their movements into audio.
“Quintetto” is an installation based on the study of casual movement of objects or living creatures used as input for the production of sounds. The basic concept is to reveal what we call “invisible concerts” of everyday life. The vertical movements of the 5 fishes in the aquariums is captured by a videocamera, that translates (through a computer software) their movements in digital sound signals. We’ll have 5 different musical instruments creating a totally unexpected live concert.
Really lovely work. If you liked this, see also the sewing machine orchestra. (thnx, bernardo!)
Photo by Melchior Tersen via Andrew Harlow.
Books suspended above an entrance to the Istanbul modern art museum by Hanif Shoaei via Designspiration.
A window display for Harvey Nichols in Manchester via Lusik.
A mobile pop-up bookstore installation by NAM via Spoon and Tamago.
Book installation by Miler Lagos via CollabCubed.
Photograph by Angélica Vis.
Photograph by Stephen Beadles (previously). His comment: “Well this took forever.”
One of many awesome pieces by Betsy of Exploded Library (thnx, Gretchen).
Bookshelf wallpaper at the home of Abigail Ahern via The Selby.
Just a roundup of cool book-related things I’ve seen lately. Am I missing anything awesome?
If you liked this, see also: Waaaaaaaves!
Photo by Andrew Moore for New York Times Magazine. Click for detail.
Shortly after the Japan earthquake the nonprofit Bezos Family Foundation invited children from around the world to mail origami cranes to its Seattle headquarters, promising to donate $2 per crane to the relief efforts, up to to $200,000. A few days later a truck arrived filled with thousands of cranes. And then another truck. And then another. Eventually over 2,000,000 cranes arrived at the steps of the non-profit and the organization doubled its donation. Now, Brooklyn-based Brazilian artist Vik Muniz has been tasked with taking the cranes and making something incredible with them. Above, an image from the New York Times Magazine shows the progress of his meta paper crane mosaic made of paper cranes made from math homework, hall passes, love letters, Saran wrap, Kleenex, candy wrappers, and restaurant menus. Astounding! (via hyperallergic, ny times magazine)
