Thursday, May 6, 2004
Book of the Moment
On Tuesday this week, the latest book by Jane Jacobs, the renowned author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and Cities and the Wealth of Nations was released. Titled Dark Age Ahead, the book deals with the decay of culture in North America and the imminent arrival of our own dark age. Although the title and synopsis sounds bleak, like most of her books Jacobs finds a way to shine an optimistic light upon her observations of culture and our environment.
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
(Un)Conventional Cooling
My friend The Bellman recently posted information on a couple of cooling methods, both for foods but both with possibility for greater application.
Firstly, the pot-in-pot cooling system was developed by Nigeria's Mohammed Bah Abba, who referenced basic thermodynamics to devise a relatively simple container to cool fruits and vegetables in his native country. Placing damp sand in the cavity between two clay pots, Abba has extended the life of eggplants from three days to 27, while spinach lasts almost two weeks instead of one day. The invention is a recipient of a Rolex Prize for Enterprise.
And secondly, NPR's Fresh Air broadcast a piece on a freezer that uses sound waves instead of chemicals. A 190-decibel note fluctuates rapidly to produce pockets of hot and cold air, the cool air funneled into a case refrigerating, yes, Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
Firstly, the pot-in-pot cooling system was developed by Nigeria's Mohammed Bah Abba, who referenced basic thermodynamics to devise a relatively simple container to cool fruits and vegetables in his native country. Placing damp sand in the cavity between two clay pots, Abba has extended the life of eggplants from three days to 27, while spinach lasts almost two weeks instead of one day. The invention is a recipient of a Rolex Prize for Enterprise.
And secondly, NPR's Fresh Air broadcast a piece on a freezer that uses sound waves instead of chemicals. A 190-decibel note fluctuates rapidly to produce pockets of hot and cold air, the cool air funneled into a case refrigerating, yes, Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
Finally, Something Good's on TV
Over at RE.|Design News, today's post features a product called groovetube, a translucent plastic box that fits onto your TV screen via suction cups. Just turn on your television and watch as the grid of boxes changes colors, an abstraction of the image underneath. Cool stuff.
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
Open to the Public
On Saturday, the First of May, the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois reopened to the public after the Mies van der Rohe-designed house was purchased by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois in a December auction. Bought from British real estate developer Peter Palumbo for $7.5 million, the Council will charge $20 for a one hour tour of the house and its grounds.
Arguably one of the greatest private residences of the 20th century, the Farnsworth house - located on a flood plain next to the Fox River about 60 miles southwest of Chicago - has been threatened by floods on at least two occasions, the most recent in 1996, after which extensive repairs were necessary.
After visiting Farnsworth House about five years ago during Palumbo's reign, I would definitely recommend a tour to anyone interested in Mies, Modernism, or architecture in general. Unlike other seminal Modernist works like Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, the site of Farnsworth House has not been encroached by development; in fact its property was expanded from 10 to 150 acres by Palumbo, keeping the sensation of a break from distant civilization.
Arguably one of the greatest private residences of the 20th century, the Farnsworth house - located on a flood plain next to the Fox River about 60 miles southwest of Chicago - has been threatened by floods on at least two occasions, the most recent in 1996, after which extensive repairs were necessary.
After visiting Farnsworth House about five years ago during Palumbo's reign, I would definitely recommend a tour to anyone interested in Mies, Modernism, or architecture in general. Unlike other seminal Modernist works like Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, the site of Farnsworth House has not been encroached by development; in fact its property was expanded from 10 to 150 acres by Palumbo, keeping the sensation of a break from distant civilization.
Monday, May 3, 2004
Monday, Monday
This week's update:
The Emerson Sauna in Duluth, Minnesota by Salmela Architect.
Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:
The American Academy in Rome announced the 2004-2005 Rome Prize winners late last week(thanks to Eleanor).
The National WWII Memorial, although to be dedicated on May 29, is already open to the public. NPR features a piece on the memorial's design.
Slideshows of Japanese architecture (thanks to Eric M.):
The Emerson Sauna in Duluth, Minnesota by Salmela Architect.
Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:
The American Academy in Rome announced the 2004-2005 Rome Prize winners late last week(thanks to Eleanor).
The National WWII Memorial, although to be dedicated on May 29, is already open to the public. NPR features a piece on the memorial's design.
Slideshows of Japanese architecture (thanks to Eric M.):
Matsushima Yacht House and Miyagi Stadium by Hitoshi Abe
Koga General Park Cafeteria by Kazuyo Sejima
K-Museum by Makoto Sei Watanabe
Sunday, May 2, 2004
Art, Defined?
This morning's CBS News Sunday Morning featured a piece on the 2004 Whitney Biennal at the Whitney Museum in New York City. Correspondent Rita Braver describes the show as an exhibit that often makes viewers ask, "is this really art?"
Some people might say that by virtue of being part of the esteemed show, everything on exhibit is art, though this belief has been questioned by artists like Andy Goldsworthy through site-specific and temporal artworks that could never be contained between the walls of a museum.
Containing, at the Biennal, works as diverse as paintings, sculptures, rooms made of corn starch or lights and mirrors, and even recycled video game images, the questioning of art's definition would seem to be a topic of concern beyond other ideas the artists are trying to convey. If art is defined by its medium, then is something made from an old Mario Brothers game art, even though it abandons the traditional media?
These and other questions came to me after seeing Neil LaBute's latest film, 2003's The Shape of Things. (Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen this film and want to, you might want to skip the rest of this post and come back after you've watched it.)
In LaBute's film, the director takes aim at art and what can be classified as such, particularly when it comes to the manipulation of a human being. When English student Alan falls for art student Evelyn, we know that she defines art in radical ways, at the time of their meeting when she is going to deface a classical statue by spray-painting a penis over a plaster fig leaf applied to the statue's genitalia in protest long ago. Her motives appear honest, valuing the artist's original vision over its current state. Immediately, though, her actions are suspicious as her "vandalism" is as much a defacement of the artist's vision as the fig leaf.
Eighteen months later, at the end of the movie, we learn that Evelyn's thesis project is Alan, as he changes (convincingly by actor Paul Rudd) both physically and emotionally over the course of the film. Evelyn's explains that her media are the human body (skin) and human will. The viewer can't help but be shocked by this revelation, though she makes a good argument for her thesis, founded on the belief that all is art and that art changes things. Seemingly irrefutable, the film does not take a clear position; is her project art or is it hurtful manipulation?
What the film does do is give the viewer a lot to think and talk about, about the film, about art, about relationships, about ourselves, ... Personally I believe that art is ever-changing, confounding expectations and raising questions. A lot of art today does that, unfortunately deterring a lot of people from experiencing art that may appear esoteric or lacking in beauty. Ultimately art is defined by ourselves, by what we like, what we choose to believe, what we think about, and what we're exposed to.
Some people might say that by virtue of being part of the esteemed show, everything on exhibit is art, though this belief has been questioned by artists like Andy Goldsworthy through site-specific and temporal artworks that could never be contained between the walls of a museum.
Containing, at the Biennal, works as diverse as paintings, sculptures, rooms made of corn starch or lights and mirrors, and even recycled video game images, the questioning of art's definition would seem to be a topic of concern beyond other ideas the artists are trying to convey. If art is defined by its medium, then is something made from an old Mario Brothers game art, even though it abandons the traditional media?
These and other questions came to me after seeing Neil LaBute's latest film, 2003's The Shape of Things. (Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen this film and want to, you might want to skip the rest of this post and come back after you've watched it.)
In LaBute's film, the director takes aim at art and what can be classified as such, particularly when it comes to the manipulation of a human being. When English student Alan falls for art student Evelyn, we know that she defines art in radical ways, at the time of their meeting when she is going to deface a classical statue by spray-painting a penis over a plaster fig leaf applied to the statue's genitalia in protest long ago. Her motives appear honest, valuing the artist's original vision over its current state. Immediately, though, her actions are suspicious as her "vandalism" is as much a defacement of the artist's vision as the fig leaf.
Eighteen months later, at the end of the movie, we learn that Evelyn's thesis project is Alan, as he changes (convincingly by actor Paul Rudd) both physically and emotionally over the course of the film. Evelyn's explains that her media are the human body (skin) and human will. The viewer can't help but be shocked by this revelation, though she makes a good argument for her thesis, founded on the belief that all is art and that art changes things. Seemingly irrefutable, the film does not take a clear position; is her project art or is it hurtful manipulation?
What the film does do is give the viewer a lot to think and talk about, about the film, about art, about relationships, about ourselves, ... Personally I believe that art is ever-changing, confounding expectations and raising questions. A lot of art today does that, unfortunately deterring a lot of people from experiencing art that may appear esoteric or lacking in beauty. Ultimately art is defined by ourselves, by what we like, what we choose to believe, what we think about, and what we're exposed to.
Machu Picchu 2004
The first, second and third prize winners in the Machu Picchu 2004 Architecture Competition, sponsored by Architectum, have been announced and are currently on display in an online, virtual exhibition. The program, a hostel in Cusco, Peru, was intended to celebrate the importance of the historical site of Machu Picchu while also celebrating the natural context. Click below for the winner's boards, or check the virtual exhibition to see all 264 entries.
First Prize - Giuliano Valdivia Zegarra, Alvaro Pastor Cavagneri, Hernán Perochena Angulo, Edith Suárez Málaga, and Renzo Borda Bustamante from Peru
Second Prize - Geanpaolo Pietri and Teresa Schiavone from the United States
Third Prize - Claudio Navarrete Michelini and Nayib. Tala G. from Chile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)