reflection

Posts tagged
with reflection

Animation Art

Futuristic Shapes Mirror Human Movement in a Responsive Animation by Universal Everything

A new project designed by the global design collective Universal Everything (previously here and here) mimics the unique movements of visitors at the entrance of the exhibition AI: More Than Human at The Barbican in London. Future You presents a non-human animated figure that wiggles, shifts, and bends in tandem with the user, presenting up to 47,000 possible variations in appearance. The animation also evolves alongside the user, becoming more agile as it learns movements specific to the visitor’s body. The exhibition opened earlier this month and runs through August 26, 2019. You can see more animated and responsive works by Universal Everything on their website, Vimeo, and Instagram. (via Colossal Submissions)

 

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Our Future You installation is now alive at @barbicancentre for #aimorethanhuman

A post shared by Universal Everything (@universaleverything) on May 16, 2019 at 3:24am PDT

Art

Dozens of Mirrored Prisms Respond to Movement with Dazzling LED Lights

All images © Alan Tansey

Mirror Mirror, a recent commission by the Alexandria, Virginia’s Office of the Arts, is a reflective semi-circular structure which hides a prismatic array of mirrors at its center. The multi-colored panels are placed at sharp angles within the round sculpture, and refract dazzling, geometric patterns of light as the sun hits its interior. The work was produced by New York-based design studio SOFTlab, who was inspired by the lens used in the city’s historic 19th-century lighthouse. The Fresnel lens was an advanced technology at the time, and uses a series of prisms to create a bright and direct light source as a navigational aid.

In addition to reflecting Alexandria’s waterfront and the surrounding urban environment, the outdoor installation has LED fixtures that respond to visitors’ voices and bodies. Each vertical component of the structure is activated to produce light, allowing the work to be brilliantly illuminated, even after the sun sets. A demonstration of how the sculpture reacts to human movement can be seen in the video below. You can view more works by SOFTlab on their website and Instagram. (via designboom)

Design

Mirage: Doug Aitken’s Mirrored House Creates a Kaleidoscopic View of the Surrounding Swiss Mountains

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

For this year’s Elevation 1049, a series of site-specific installations dotting the mountain town of Gstaad, Switzerland, the chosen theme is “Frequencies.” In response, Los Angeles-based artist Doug Aitken (previously) installed a house-shaped structure made almost entirely of mirrored surfaces that reflect the mountains, skies, and trees. Aptly named Mirage Gstaad after the region and its optical effect, the ranch-style structure echoes the snow-covered landscape while also disappearing into the surrounding environment. The structure’s angled walls and ceiling easily bounce light, which creates a kaleidoscopic view of the area’s mountain peaks when seen from within.

The materials for the structure were sourced locally and transported by truck to the site back in November before the snow season began. Aitken and his team tell Colossal that the location and materials were chosen in collaboration with local authorities to “be conscious of environmental issues, such as the fritting (the aluminium stripes) that were added to the reflective surface for the safety of birds.”

Having launched alongside the program at the beginning of February 2019, Aitken’s structure will continue to reflect the changing landscape of Gstaad for the next two years. Admission to the mirage and other Elevation 1049 installations is free. For locations and directions head to the project website, and for more of Doug Aitken’s work, follow his studio on Instagram. (via designboom)

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Stefan Altenburger.

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Torvioll Jashari.

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Torvioll Jashari.

Doug Aitken, Mirage Gstaad, 2019,
 Part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, Gstaad, Switzerland.
 Image courtesy of the Artist; Photo by Torvioll Jashari.

Photography

New Synchronized Photographs of Swimmers by Mária Švarbová

New photographs from Slovakian artist Mária Švarbová (previously) continue her exploration of strangely melancholy poolside scenes. Coolly detached young swimmers in matching outfits are frozen in synchronized positions, a surprising diversion from the usual youthful exuberance of kids in pools. A statement on her website describes Švarbová’s unconventional work: “Maria’s postmodern vision boldly articulates a dialog that compels the viewer to respond to the mystery, loneliness, and isolation of the human experience.” You can see more of her work, including non-aquatic subjects, on Instagram.

Art

Take a Walk Through Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Narcissus Garden’ Inside an Abandoned Factory in the Rockaways

All images: Rockaway! 2018 featuring a site-specific installation of Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama. Artwork ©YAYOI KUSAMA. Artwork courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London/Venice; and David Zwirner, New York. Image courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo: Pablo Enriquez.

The Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York has a reputation for being a popular destination for those seeking respite from the oppressive heat and congestion of the city during the summer months. Those venturing out to parks and beaches between now and Labor Day (September 3) will have the opportunity to experience a site specific installation of Narcissus Garden by Yayoi Kusama (previously), presented by MoMA PS1 as a part of the Rockaway! 2018 free public art festival.

The installation is situated inside of an old train garage at Fort Tilden and is comprised of 1,500 mirrored stainless steel spheres. The spheres reflect the graffiti-covered walls and rusted beams of the dilapidated building, so while the viewer is walking among the shiny garden, they are also seeing the destruction that Hurricane Sandy caused to the structure and to the region back in 2012. Rockaway! 2018 is the third iteration of a festival said to be a “celebration” of the recovery efforts that have taken place over the years, but the state of the building chosen for Kusama’s installation shows that things are still not back to normal after the devastating natural disaster.

Narcissus Garden was first presented in 1966 as a part of an unofficial performance at the 33rd Venice Biennial. The silver spheres were then made of plastic, and Kusama stood among her garden with a sign that read “Your Narcissism for Sale.” “What was most important about Narcissus Garden at Venice was my action of selling the mirror balls on the site, as if I were selling hot dogs or ice cream cones,” Kusama once said in an interview. The spheres were sold for $2 each.

The current installation is not for sale, but it is free and open to the public Friday through Sunday and on Labor Day from noon to 6pm. (via Hyperallergic)

Photography

Synchronistic Images Captured in Soviet Era Swimming Pools by Photographer Maria Svarbova

Photographer Maria Svarbova is fascinated by the sterile, geometric aesthetic of old swimming pools, especially those built during the Socialist Era in her native country of Slovakia. Each scene she photographs is highly controlled, from the subjects of her works to the bright colors and dramatic shadows that compose each shot.

“The figures are mid-movement, but there is no joyful playfulness to them,” says Sarbova’s artist statement about the project. “Frozen in the composition, the swimmers are as smooth and cold as the pools tiles…Despite the retro setting, the pictures somehow evoke a futuristic feeling as well, as if they were taken somewhere completely alien.”

The series, In the Swimming Pool, began in 2014 and is her largest to date. Recently she published a book on the project through The New Heroes and Pioneers aptly titled The Swimming Pool Book which you can order on Bookshop. To see more of her photographs centered around Eastern European pools, head to her Instagram or Behance. (via Visual Fodder)