Art Colossal

Mother & Child Vol. II Raises over $15,000 to Support Separated Immigrant Families

A heartfelt thanks to the 60+ contributing artists and hundreds of attendees all helped make Mother & Child Vol. II a huge success. The benefit gallery show, which we co-produced with Sugarlift, has raised over $15,000 and counting. 100% of proceeds will be split between three non-profits who provide direct aid and legal support to separated children and families at the U.S./Mexico Border.

We are proud to help further the causes of Kids in Need of Defense, The Young Center, and The Florence Project, and couldn’t have done it without the generosity of the following artists: Aaron Li-Hill, Adam Lupton, Ali Cavanaugh, Alonsa Guevara, Amanda Scuglia, Amber Lia Kloppel, Anna Park, Annie Wildey, Antonia Barolini, Chiaozza, Chris Herrera, Collin van der Sluijs, Danica Lundy, David de la Mano, Dina Brodsky, Elicia Edijanto, Ericka Jeffries, Erik Hougen, Faith47, Grace Lang, Guno Park, Helen Robinson, Hillary McCarthy, Icy and Sot, Jacob Brooks, Jaime Molina, James Razko, Jen Gennari, Jess X. Snow, Jonny Sun, Joshua Henderson, Klone, Kristin Texeira, Lauren Matsumoto, London Kaye, Lujan Perez, Lydia Fu, Marcelo Daldoce, Mark Powell, Marshall Jones, Maude White, Melanie Vote, Michael Meadors, Michelle Doll, Nicolas V Sanchez, Pat Perry, Patty Horing, Pepe Salgado, Pixel Pancho, Ramiro Davaro-Comas, Rubin415, Seth Globepainter, Shamona Stokes, Shana Levenson, Sonni, Swoon Studio, Tatiana Ortiz-Rubio, Tiffany Bozic, Valerie Lueth, and Vicky Barranguet.

Missed the opening but interested in shopping incredible art? All available works are framed, priced between $100 and $1,000, and ready to ship worldwide at motherandchild.shop. Help us reach our goal of $20,000!

Design

Sanded Down Versions of Mass-Produced Chairs Speak to an Economy in Crisis

Dutch designer Frank Tjepkema of Studio Tjep created the Recession Chair in 2011 as a response to the world’s economic crisis. To produce the work, Studio Tjep sanded down a mass-produced IKEA chair to a ragged and skeletal structure. “The resulting object is barely functional as it most likely won’t withstand the weight of the person it is trying to support,” said Tjep in a statement about the chair, “much like a society plagued by recession.”

As an opposing gesture, Tjep cast the work in bronze, adding strength to the chair’s areas of fault. You can see various states of the chair in the images below, including a partially sanded version of the chair in white, and several examples of the piece fully cast in luminous bronze. To view more examples of Tjep’s work with architecture, objects, and interior design, visit their website. (via @designers_need)

Photography

Manmade Patterns and Uncanny Shadows Photographed From Above by JP and Mike Andrews

U.K.-based brothers JP and Mike Andrews began taking aerial photographs of the Earth after a year-long trip experiencing the incredible landscapes found in the Australian Outback. Using a drone, the pair have continued to capture natural and manmade scenes across the world, stumbling upon unique patterns that can only be discerned from above. JP and Mike are attracted to sights that exemplify how “weird and wonderful the world can look from above,” such as the shadow from a cargo ship imitating the shape of a city skyline, or a loaded parking lot creating a dense fabric of interlocking lines.

The pair publish their photographs under the name Abstract Aerial Art. You can view more of their work on Instagram, and purchase prints of their images on their website.

Art

Sculptural Carvings of Mankind’s Best Friend by Gerard Mas

The likenesses of domestic dogs and cats are deftly carved into tree trunks and alabaster stone by Spanish sculptor Gerard Mas. Using very minimal materials, Mas creates the signature folds and frowns of French Bulldogs, the sleek muzzles of English Bull Terriers, and the inquisitive faces of Siamese cats. Mas forgoes additional pigmentation, restricting the coloration of each animal to dark “fur” achieved through charring the carved surface.

Mas is also known for his contemporary updates of Renaissance women blowing bubble gum bubbles and sporting bikini-outlined sunburns. The artist is represented by Barcelona gallery 3 Punts, and most recently exhibited at KunstRAI art fair in Amsterdam. He shares his in-progess and completed sculptures on Instagram. (via My Modern Met)

Craft Design

A Father Transformed Data of his Son’s First Year of Sleep into a Knitted Blanket

Seung Lee tracked the first year of his baby’s sleep schedule with the BabyConnect app, which lets you export data to CSV. Choosing to work with six minute intervals, Lee then converted the CSVs into JSON (using Google Apps Script and Python) which created a reliable pattern for knitting. The frenetic lines at the top of the blanket indicate the baby’s unpredictable sleep schedule right after birth. We can see how the child grew into a more reliable schedule as the lines reach more columnar patterns.

As Lee neared completion of the blanket, he shared, “All the disparate pieces felt really fragile but as I seamed it together, wove in loose ends, and removed stitch markers, it felt more and more sturdy. Something that I’d been handling like a delicate bird egg started to just feel like a blanket.” The Seattle-based comic artist, crafter, and coder shares updates via Twitter and his website. (thnx, Jennifer!)

Animation

Negative Space: The Vast Emotional Landscape of a Father-Son Relationship Packed into an Animated Short

We’ve written previously about “Negative Space”, and the highly-anticipated stop motion animation short is now available in its entirety on Vimeo. Co-directors Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata explore a character’s relationship with his father over his life, from fanciful childhood memories to the somber realities of aging and adulthood. “Negative Space” is adapted from a poem of the same name by Ron Koertge, which centers on the rituals of packing one’s possessions, passed from father to son.

You can step behind the scenes in a making-of video to see how the heartstring-tugging, Oscar-nominated film was created. Porter and Kuwahata share more of their animated films, including personal and commercial projects, on Vimeo.

Design

Neko Cup Creates Adorable Napping Cat Sand Sculptures

If you’re walking along the beach this summer and you see a group of napping cat sand sculptures, there’s a good chance it’s the work of a Neko Cup (neko is the Japanese word for cat). Neko Cup is the latest product from Japanese design brand h-concept. Made from biomass plastic (bamboo and scallop shells) the hollowed out object creates a silhouette of a napping cat.

It can be used on the beach, in your park’s sandbox and, in the winter, with snow. And when it’s not in use, it also functions as ab adorable little sculpture. Designer Yuka Morii says she loves seeing cats sleeping on the sidewalk and she wanted to preserve that warm feeling she gets when she spots one out of the corner of her eye.

If you’re in Japan you can purchase one from the h-concept online shop. They come in white, beige and black and retail for 2,916 yen ($26.95). (Syndicated from Spoon & Tamago)