contagious enthusiasm

Brains, Brains, Brains...

2011-03-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

You're using your brain right now. Its easy to forget how amazing that is. Check out The Brain: The Inside Story at the American Museum of Natural History so your brain can learn about itself. Theres lots of hands on stuff and neato science. If you can't make it, the website is pretty cool too. (image credit: Natchanit Sirisantana)

Global Africa Project @ MAD

2011-03-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

A few flicks from the Global Africa Project, currently on display at MAD.

"An unprecedented exhibition exploring the broad spectrum of contemporary African art, design, and craft worldwide..."
- Museum of Art and Design

I don't know whether it is unprecedented or not but there is certainly a broad spectrum of work on display. Free on Thursday evenings.

Laural Nakadate @ PS1

2011-02-13T09:52:00.000-08:00

Laurel Nakadate's work explores sadness, exploitation, and voyeurism. In her solo show at PS1, Only The Lonely, it is difficult to gauge where exactly the artist herself sits on the spectrum of those themes—that might be what makes the work so interesting. In viewing the show, which is mostly video, you become a voyeur yourself and are forced to decide, or at least deal with the concepts.

You watch the artist play dead on the side of the road and take off her clothes in the homes of older men she met at truck stops. You watch these ‘creepy’ men follow her through parking lots at night. Then you listen as Nakadate tells an adolescent girl half her age to strip. “Take off your shirt, don't you know how beautiful you are?” The girl in the video, who auditioned for the role, is shaking her head 'no'. Who is following who here?

Its easy to assume that the artist is a master of manipulation, tricking these characters, and maybe even tricking us into watching. In her most recent work, A Catalog of Tears, Nakadate photographed herself crying for 365 days in a row. She says she got the idea from pictures of people on Facebook. “You ever notice when you're on Facebook, all your friends are happy? Really? Is that true? All of my friends are happy?” Its a good point. Manipulation comes more naturally than we would like to admit.

A butterfly dreamt it was a designer...

2010-11-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

Experience design visionary Edwin Schlossberg, of ESI design, told my class the other day that it was important that we want to change the world, even though we won't usually be able talk about it. My lips are sealed, but if you're wondering what exhibition design is--or at least, is capable of being--watch this video of the Dream Cube.

DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO..

2010-11-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

...you'd be doing yourself a great injustice if you didn't see Fuerza Bruta in person instead. Video's not that good anyways.

Inspiration Has Vitamins...

2010-10-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

Artichoke Lamp by Poul Henningsen,1958. Poul was the first to seriously consider lighting design. Dude rocked it. I love that drawing, I saw that before the lamp. Then I did some Googling and found out the lamp was called the Artichoke Lamp and my head exploded.

Open Heart Videogame Surgery...

2010-10-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

At this exhibit in the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, visitors perform open heart surgery on a virtual patient using haptic technology. You get about 15 seconds of practice 'popping' virtual bubble wrap...then its time to cut the sternum. Admission is free.

One Day Poem....

2010-09-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

One Day Poem by Jiyeon Song.

"Using a complex array of perforations, the pavilion’s surface allows light to pass through creating shifting patterns, which–during specific times of the year–transform into the legible text of a poem. The specific arrangements of the perforations reveal different shadow-poems according to the solar calendar"

Via baekdal. Thanks for the tip Jenn.

Play On...

2010-09-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am who I am today because I played with Legos as a kid. I am sure of it. If you feel the same then you would appreciate the new Lego Store in Manhattan where you can buy legos in bulk or handpick your own kit from the worlds tallest "Pick A Brick" wall...awesome.

Writing on the Wall...

2010-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Paula Scher is a graphic designer who paints maps sometimes. Now she has adapted her paintings to the interior of Queens Metropolitan Campus in Forest Hills to create a stunning example of environmental design. I like it a lot.

Via pentagram.com

Dia: Beacon...

2010-09-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dia: Beacon occupies a former printing factory 60 miles outside of New York City, a short walk from the Hudson Line train station in Beacon, NY. Upon paying admission, you are presented with a small map, which you will need to navigate the building’s 240,000 square-foot floor plan.

Dia: Beacon’s collection focuses on works by mportant artist of the 60’s and 70’s including: Joseph Beuys, John Chamberlain, Walter De Maria, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, Louise Bourgeois, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman, Robert Ryman, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Robert Smithson, Lawrence Weiner, and others. Their work is well served here. The early twentieth century industrial architecture of the building provides plenty of space between exhibits and includes 34,000 square feet of glass skylights. As is often the case with art exhibitions, there is little context provided for visitors who are not already familiar with contemporary art history. However, in viewing this collection, visitors are presented with a comprehensive selection of works of this particular era.

The signage and graphics are minimal. There is no audio or video implemented, except where it is part of the artwork. There are no “new media” or “interactive” displays either. And yet, the exhibition is absolutely captivating. Sol LeWitt’s brilliantly simple drawing installations stretch floor to ceiling in several large rooms. Richard Serra’s sculptures impose on space with great physical mass while Dan Flavin’s light sculptures do so with almost none. These works and others are simply displayed, with room to breath, and illuminated by the sun. Great art shouldn’t be decorated, and need not be explained -- simply experienced.

Rising Currents...

2010-09-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

What will be the effects of climate change on New York City’s decaying infrastructure? Imagine yourself in Manhattan...standing in water. Sea levels are expected to rise 2 feet by 2080 and New York, once the greatest city on earth, could eventually become our Atlantis. MoMA and PS1 teamed up to address this issue in Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront.

In an architects-in-residence program program at PS1, five interdisciplinary design teams were asked to re-envision the coastlines of New York. Their solutions, including well executed written analysis, videos, models, renderings and drawings, is currently on exhibit at the MoMA. The amount of information conveyed by these materials may be too much for some visitors. A more immersive element may have improved interaction for this group. However, those interested in the project could easily spend an afternoon here.

Imagine wind farms and elevated “solar” roads power our neighborhoods. Your apartment building hangs from an armature over a floating wetland habitat. Rooftops collect rainwater and gradually disperse it to greenspaces where our streets used to be. You travel to work on an aquatic transportation system powered by bio fuel made from algae, farmed in reclaimed oil tankers. You go to lunch in wetland “blue parks” overlooking forests rising from vast trenches -- our first line of defense against flooding. Just off the coast, ocean ecosystems are thriving on retired subway cars and recycled glass reef structures. A planned, underwater oyster habitat off the coast of Brooklyn, named “Oyster-techture”, is used to clean our coastal water. Imagine yourself in Manhattan -- a shining example to the world, of what a city can be.

Older Than Dirt (Almost)

2010-08-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Rachel Susmann is traveling the world photographing the oldest living things. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak about her work at Creative Mornings last weekend. The plant up top has only 2 leaves which continuously coil around each other. The shrub in the second image has tiny branches which are so dense that you can stand on top of it!

You can support Rachel's quest (and maybe help save a tree) via her Kickstart blog and view The Oldest Living Things in the World on her google map.

You Wish...

2010-08-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

"Eu desejo o seu desejo / I Wish Your Wish (2003) is installed in the lobby gallery (of the New Museum) as part of the exhibition "Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other". Visitors are invited to select ribbons printed with a wish to tie around their wrists. When the ribbon falls off, tradition has it that one's wish will be fulfilled. Visitors may write another wish and place it in the empty hole. This work of art is based on a similar practice that takes place at the church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Our Lord of the Good End) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil."

You can participate online too.

Top Image courtesy of thelowdownny.com

A picture worth 1000000000000000....

2010-08-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Data Visualization sounds like it might be the most boring thing you've ever heard of...but it is so much fun to look at!

Watering The Ceiling...

2010-08-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Living Pavilion on Governors Island by Ann Ha and Behrang Behin. Open to the public until October 3, when it will be disassembled, and the plants distributed to community gardens and homes throughout NYC. Great idea.

It is the winning submission of the first ever Pavilion Competition put on by Figment.

Beautiful free women...all of the time.

2010-08-13T23:54:00.000-07:00

This month is the 90th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote in America! Because of this legislation--you, and I, and everybody else here is absolutely surrounded by beautiful, free women, all of the time. Personally, I fall in love with at least 6 a week on the subway (Thanks MTA!)
A couple weeks ago I posted a slide show of pictures from the Brooklyn Museums "American High Style" exhibition. Well...the sister exhibit; American Women at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is kind of like that. But it's not just about clothes...it was about women. Specifically American Women. And it was way better. NPR is running a story on the exhibit this morning.
Then President Woodrow Wilson had this to say about women's suffrage:
"Unless we enfranchise women, we shall have fought to safeguard a democracy which, to that extent, we have never bothered to create."
And of course, we did! So our great-grandmothers and grandmothers...our aunts and mothers, our sisters and cousins and friends and second cousins...and hopefully my nieces and more second cousins before too long! They can all express themselves! Nothing makes me happier than that.

Walk Up In It...

2010-08-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Big Bambú by Mike and Doug Starn is an evolving sculpture/exhibition on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I snapped these photos of it myself because I like doing that. But some really, really good pics of the construction can be seen here. It is up until October 31st. The walkway into the sculpture is scheduled to climb to 40 ft by next week! You can, and should, get free tickets.

Put Some Tape On It...

2010-08-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! Check out that sexy geometry, in tape, by Austin, Texas based artist Rebecca Ward. This installation, Stella Was Right, is currently showing in San Paulo, Brazil at Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS), as part of their Rojo Nova workshops. All images courtesy of www.rebeccasward.com. Go there, look at the pictures, watch the video. Its great. Then go see her work at The Visual Arts Center in Austin in September 2010. (Thanks to Michael Yates for the tip.)

American High Fashion: Reppin in Brooklyn

2010-08-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Flicks from The Brooklyn Museum of Art's American High Style exhibition.

"To mark the new relationship between the Brooklyn Museum and the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum presents an exhibition of some of the most renowned objects from its costume collection. American High Style consists of approximately eighty-five dressed mannequins and a selection of hats, shoes, sketches, and other fashion-related material that will reintroduce the collection, long in storage, to the public. "

--Brooklyn Museum of Art

This exhibit was exclusively about the clothes. There are no fashion opinions, no elaborate sets, no distractions, and minimal emphasis on historical contexts. I especially liked seeing the designer's sketches of shoes and the men's "Morning Gown" circa 1825 (above, slide 6).

The exhibit has closed but if you are interested in fashion history, check out the virtual styling tool online. It allows you to view each piece from the exhibit and create your own 'looks'.

Walk On It.

2010-07-18T19:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to PS1 Contemporary Art Center for the Greater New York exhibition:

"...the third iteration of the quinquennial exhibition organized by MoMA PS1 and The Museum of Modern Art, showcasing some 68 artists and collectives living and working in the metropolitan New York area" --PS1

I spent about 2.5 hours soaking it up and still missed a lot. Mostly because there was TONS of video & performance video work, which takes a while to experience. It was great to see so many interpretations of the medium in one place though, it got me really exited for video as a visual art medium. You should definitely check out Rashaad Newsome's "The Conductor (fortuna imperatrix mundi) & The Conductor (primo vere, omnia sol temperat)". That one is a lot of fun.

There were several installations as well. The photo above is of David Adamo's Untitled (the rite of spring). I also liked Naama Tsabar's interactive sound sculpture, Untitled (speaker wall) which consisted of two freestanding walls of speakers wired in back with guitar strings which you could pluck to manipulate the amplified feedback the piece produced.

I really like this exhibition because it recognizes that people don't want to just see art--they want to watch it--to experience it, manipulate it, and even walk on it sometimes.

PS1's Young Architect Program

2010-07-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

The 2010 winner of PS1's Young Architect Program (YAP), "Pole Dance" by SO - IL has been up since June. I just got to see it today. The photos show the same area before and after a crowd showed up for some tasty music. What impressed me about the installation was how adaptable it was to the crowd. It was fun to see and interact with before --but when it got crowded, the colorful balls became places to sit and the playful structure allowed the masses to get their dance on, unobstructed.

As You Can See...

2010-07-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

I love a good visual aid. This one clearly demonstrates that an artist is the center of a flower.

I Am Here.

2010-07-16T12:31:00.001-07:00

My first blog post via cell phone at the American Institute of Graphic Artist (AIGA) National Design Center! This interactive exhibition, "Design Journeys: You Are Here" is aimed at promoting cultural diversity in the design community. It features a 'post-it note' installation, a community mural that you can draw on, and the work of 25 diverse and exceptional graphic artists/designers.

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It's Log, Log, Log!

2010-07-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

I love this mural by Sodalitas Collaborative Art Group. Recycled paper rolled into logs, then sliced into round paper tiles for the mural. (Photos courtesy of Shea Little, David Lee Hess)

The N-Train To 59th

2010-07-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

New York City is a pretty inspirational place. There are a lot of creative people here. This is the first installment in a series of digital video collaborations with the people I know/meet in NYC. The poem is by my new friend Hannah Miet, and is part of her Hello Absurd World project.

Green Since The 90's

2010-05-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

I recently did a logo redesign for some great people at Computer Resellers, a computer recycling & repair center in Macon, GA. They wanted something that would bring them "up-to-date" and reflect the nature of their green business.

Here is the old logo...

and the new...

The icon is inspired by stacks of old computer monitors, and is an adaptation of the traditional recycling icon (reduce, reuse, recyle). This logo looks 'new' without being trendy. It should stand up well in its rapidly changing technological environment. I have some really cool stuff in mind for those cubes too, I'll keep you posted.

Problem Solved.

2010-05-24T22:23:00.001-07:00

bp, you 0we me.

Dude, This is Way Finding

2010-05-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last February, I did a proposal for some wayfinding signage at Big Medium (see portfolio p. 11). The model below shows key wayfinding points in red.

Well, yesterday we installed the main signage just in time for Springboard, an East-Austin art showcase. Simple though they are, it made a big difference in how people negotiated the Big medium labyrinth.

Nice Guys, Mean Sno-Cones.

2010-05-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

Summertime in Texas! It is really hot and I love it. I did a logo and some graphics for Margo's Corner, a chain of sno-cone stands in Weslaco, TX. These sno-cones are for real ya'll. The owner, Eduardo Margo, is a second-generation sno-cone connoisseur and a former Sous-chef for the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio.

Scoopin' em up and boppin' em...

2010-03-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Check out this nifty illustration I did for artist Matt Norris's amazing pill bugs.

These things are so cool!

The making of "Gain"

2010-01-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hey! I'm going to break down how I created the image on page 4 of my portfolio. The piece is called Gain.

First, I took pictures of this sexy laundry detergent bottle.

Then I pulled all of the photos into Photoshop to "cut out" the background.

Next, I resembled the photographs.

Finally, when I had it just right, I printed the image and cut it out (This time in real life--with scissors!). If you look closely you can see in the picture below where the print is held on to the steel by magnets. That is not a Photoshoped background, those are real life magnets!!!!!!! That is how I did it. Check it out

Brazos Street Sound Project

2010-01-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

One project I am reworking is The Brazos Street Sound Project, a public art piece by Sodalitas art collaborative. I helped them out making a digital model from their sketches. If everything goes according to planned they will install the project on Brazos Street in downtown Austin some time in the not-to-distant future. This an interesting project for me because it is a permanent public space audio art installation...very cool. Above is a clip from the city plans, followed my some drafting I did for my portfolio today.

My Studio

2010-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Getting reacquainted with my studio today. We missed each other. My studio is part of a studio complex: Big Medium Studios. In addition to having a studio there, I also work for Big Medium. You can learn more about us if you want at bigmedium.org.

Late night geometry

2010-01-16T02:33:00.000-08:00

MXTS field sketch

2010-01-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

Last nights was good field sketchin' weather so I returned to the sight of Music By the Slice '09 (see portfolio pg. 19) to make this dimensioned drawing. This sketch will become a 3D rendering for the MXTS portfolio page. It's gonna be great.

letters of recomendation

2010-01-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Shea Little

Jayne Lawrence

Ken Little

These super talented people wrote me letters of recommendation. Shea is Executive director of Big Medium. Ken and Jayne are professors at UTSA. Their names link to their websites. Thanks you guys!

sex ed exhibit idea

2010-01-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

I had this idea for a sex education exhibit to target high rates of teenage pregnancy and/or STI's. I did these illustrations today to accompany the idea. A few more of these and I should have pretty solid portfolio piece.

Website up!

2010-01-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

I put up a simple website where you can see my portfolio and resume. Check it out.

All my new projects will be debuted here on the blog before I assemble the new portfolio next month.

Options...

2010-01-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

Some peeps been askin' me: "Adam, where do you want to go to school?"

Well, here is my list ya'll:

FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, M.A. Exhibition Design.
Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington D.C., M.A. Exhibition Design
ISU, Iowa State University, Aimes, M.A. Environmental Graphic Design
Portfolio Center, Atlanta, Graduate Certificate in Graphic Design/Art Direction

I can't say I have a favorite. They are all great programs with their own strengths. I wish I could go to all of them.

Art Imitates Art...

2010-01-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

It took me a couple days to wrap my brain around 3D-Studio Max. I built this model based off a lamp I made in 2008. Not bad eh?

Here we go!

2010-01-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Well, it is the first day of the new year and I am waiting for the trial version of 3DS MAX 2010 to download--seemed like a good time to start a blog! The idea is to document and get feedback on my work while I touch up my portfolio for graduate school applications.

Help me out! Leave feedback. Criticize. Tell your friends.

So yeah, here we go.