List of Monumental sculpture projects 2015

  • 1 http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2015/02/sunday-robot-play.html
  • 2 http://shuengitswannjie.blogspot.fr/2015/02/interactive-reading-room-tea-house-2015.html
  • 3 http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2014/06/neo-ming-bed-luxembourg.html
  • 4 http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2013/02/yuzi-paradise-tell-moon.html
  • 5 http://swannbb.blogspot.com/2011/09/12th-changchun-international-sculpture.html
  • 6 http://www.saatchionline.com/Shuen-git

Tuesday 31 March 2015

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 19 : "The Voices", a trip into the mind of a serial killer with song and dance **half

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 19 : The Voices, a trip into the mind of a serial killer with song and dance.


"The Voices " **half  2015, Marjane Satrapi

Satrapi's "The Voices" is unusual in that it tells the story from the point of view of the mentally suffering patient who struggles to live an ordinary life, and have ordinary love stories.  

The theme of the story with the serial killer as star is a serious one and such film usually are thrillers, dark and obnoxious, what the movie goers pays for and enjoys.  
But here we see a sympathetic guy, clean looking, trying very hard to have a life.  

If he doesnt take his medication, he hears his dog and cat talking to him giving him two versions of life counselling.  One is kindly with a slow male voice, forgiving with very tolerant good sense - that of the dog, and the other nasty mean old man, giving cruel reality of why people kill - that of the cat.  

If he does take his medication, both the dog and cat are silent, just two animations un-animated as normal domestic animal are.  
Life with pills and medication is a drab.  No colors, no friends, no social interaction - without the pills, at least he sees the world and his life with full bloom colors - that is why he prefers to not take the pills?  If he stopped, his doc would have to inform the authorities and they will lock him away.  The pills are chemical handcuffs, so that he will be sedated without unusual surprises to himself and to the ones around him.  We all understand that.  And we understand him too, why he prefers to be alive instead of living a sedated life.

His history of mercy-killing of his mom - his mom was the one who hear voices and she asked him to help her, by killing her so she doesnt have to go back to the hospital - out of love for her, as a young boy he helped her.  With such a heavy story behind, the boy who normally already heard voices like her mom, developed into the young man that he became today.  His killing are all gestures of love, kindness for his loved ones.  All three women and a fourth one - his psychologist doctor - were all to be achieved as a love gesture.  He didnt want them to hurt anymore.

The film moves along v quickly, like a moving image comic book.  In a comic book, we could move quickly because readers know enough to fill in the inbetweens w his own imagination.  Here, it comes across as too curt.  A movie is not straight story telling, just like a painting is not only representation - there are details, nuances that are proper to the art form.  Here, all this is rather quick, done, next.

At the end, everybody dies.  The doc got saved just in time.  And he goes to heaven with Jesus and the 4 women dancing in hotpink+orange gowns - various cuts and styles to suit the four types of women.  First, sexy Brit girl curvious, second, girl next door pretty and kind, petite; third, wall flower obese fat sweet girl who normally would be the last to be noticed; and the doc, an old lady by now - she was not in the dancing in heaven scene.

The movie shows design, color, unity in esthetics, in humour, all in the end of talking about a subject seriously and making it light.  Even the bathtub factory has everything in pink, pink workmen overall, pink lift forks, pink stickers.  The scenes with office girls are v gd, women have ways of talking thats got hidden messages and their desires are unspoken but never the less very sharply shown, as an ordinary man - not one thats especially sharp - he would have missed all the dynamics and cues behind the apparently simple exchanged amongst the women in the office.  

All the women have their own problems with an interior life thats somewhat shown - even the doc revealed her own uncertainty of how helpful her actual well paying job really is.  

The film does touch on many layers of realities, and the social norms, and ethics of society+personal story from a workman to the office girls to the doc - the story is good.  If it were not so "comic bookfied, I think it makes a v interesting story for a movie.

But here, too quick, too rapid, as if the director is really afraid to touch the depth of all the serious problems in life.

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 18 : Learning to program with Minecraft - an online game.

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 18 : Learning to program with Minecraft - an online game.

 learning to program with Minecraft!

Monday 30 March 2015

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 17 : Cycling across China

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 17 : Cycling across China

http://journey-to-the-east.com/
bicycle trip across China, 3 british students did it! 

What would the trip be like if you did it?
Plan a trip and go!
How many people on the biking team? 3 to 4 
(dont ride by yourself, too difficult should there be a problem that arrises)
Team should spread out tasks: water+food, technical bike repair kits, map direction, contact person+budget managing, scribe ; photo, video and online blog (the usual) and a delicate hand drawn picture book on paper! 

The difference would be, what are the chosen views?  scenes?
Should we do it by car+bike, or just bike?

If you go by car, eventually when it gets tough, you could sleep inside your car.
On a bike, you are under the weather all the time. 

Would it turn out more comfortable like the millionnaire who traveled across the globe 27 times in his station wagon jeep?

How to finance such an ongoing project.

Which are the provinces/ sights that I want to cross?

1//  Great Wall, wild section
2// Shanghai
3// Yunnan
4// Guizhou
5// Anhui - Artist village new initiative to bring art back to the sources
6// QingDao - have never been there, must have German influences and architecture
7// HuangGuoShu - the second biggest water fall in the world, what does it look like now after 30 yrs?
8// Guqin Studios - for teaching and learning, what is the situation like now?  After the research paper by a researcher from Beijing (wife of WuWenguang) will verify the name w the conference proceeding
9// special foods etc Xian
10// documentary of Kaiping fortress homes, village organisation, and my homestead.

All on bike?
What are the organisation details needed?
How to finance this trip?

should you learn by yourself, or with others together?

獨學而沒友,則孤陋而寡聞 - in olden days, friends are also sources of news...
With fb and internet... your "friends" are everywhere, news are flung your way - how does that compare with old times "friends" - do we have a new generation of 獨學 people who need less real life friends?
Are there fb friends who would prefer to stay out of each others way? Like penpals in the old days, penpals are great, but not so interesting face to face?

Music video+classic paintings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erbd9cZpxps


Sunday 29 March 2015

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 16 : Human figure sculptures Jaume Plensa

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 16 : Human figure sculptures

Jaume Plensa exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Photo by Tony Hisgett


The sitting figure embraces a tree calmly.
Not only one, but several all taking the same pose.
The figure sits on top of a little mound - tiny hill
(Aren't we all sitting on our little hill in some sense?)
 A tree in the middle, we embrace our tree, or we encircle our tree.
 (Who doesnt have a tree that they must embrace?)

This is a spiritual sculpture. 
If there were only one such figure it is less powerful than several all identical.
If only one, it speaks of maybe one person - or maybe symbolic of all people - if viewers stretch the idea a bit more.

Here, many are sitting quietly in a green landscape, tree is doing well, grass is green, people are calm.

No one's hill is any higher than the other, all clear.

The tree - as many viewers joked - signifies the figure's manhood.  It works.  But would that mean women are not part of this scene, then it reduces the power of the work.
So, lets say this symbols works part of the time.  Not always, its visible and then not visible.  More power still to the work, this shimmering see it and then not see it.  
But, where is the power for the implied woman's womenhood?   And the shimmering womenhood?   If there is no such thing in this work, then, something is missing.  Plunk, less power, it falls back down to its original status of lesser power.  However, lets say, not all trees immediately signifies "manhood" to all people.  

A tree is much more than that!  A tree is anchor, home, shelter, its vegetation, oxygen, gives fruit, its plenitude of life!

Take one step back from the obssessive manhood/womanhood issue, in the eye of the person looking from above, everybody tends to their tree with equal validity.

If this is a permanent exhibition, after 50 years, the trees would become bigger and the person might be incrusted with the tree and grown higher as a result.

 Imagine that! How wonderful.

If its temporary, we still have had enjoyed this quiet, spiritual image, and it might stay in our minds.

Now, a close up of the bodies of the sitting figures: 

Its got words, letters inscribed all over the body of the person!  
The person has civilization itself grown from his body, from inside; expressions from his genes.


fun things


tooth picks with flags

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 15 : arm knitting

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 15 : arm knitting

For those who want to learn to knit, and never learnt, here is an occasion, use anything for wool, and your arms for needles!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMYRrOG27C0



http://www.supernaturale.com/articles.html?id=277



https://imprografika.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/knit-coage/



http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2011/02/the-knit-fort-a-flexible-playspace/
The Knit fort :
The Knit Fort is a gorgeous playspace created by Matt Ganon Studio.


好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 14 : Math puzzles; how many squares do you see?

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 14 : Math puzzles

This is the straight answer:






























The Original Question was: How many squares do you see?


























The non straight answer would include invisible squares... 
could you find the invisible squares?  
How many squares in total then? 


Can you find more?
How many are there? 


I see a few more, and they are here...



















 
Any more?
Are there anymore?


Some answers: 

thirtyish
quite a few
a lot
easy enough, just count them.











expanded invisible squares



total all inclusive  : 106 squares 

More coming...

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 13 : Qin Player Portraits, Qin History

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 13 : Qin Player Portraits

As we all know, Qin is the first of the 4 pillars of Chinese culture, so, who practices this art today?  Who are the Qin Players, and where do they play, who are they?

Arranging Portraits of Qin Players - man women, religious people, students.
Who are the players today and how do they interpret the idea of what a "Qin Player  " should be?

How much of this is could be classified as expressions of :  
"Musical Esthete",
"Meditative Zen self searcher", 
"Scholar and Researcher", 
"Musical Worker", 
"Anxiety of Status", 
"Role Playing Gamer".  

The above arrangement has no particular order.  
Its organised from selflessness, to selflessness with a range of in betweens.

The in betweens would be divided into smaller groups:
intentional attainment of selflessness, 
selflessness with a goal to transmit knowledge, 
selflessness in sharing something the worker enjoys, 
not selfless but more perfection of the self through consciously reviewing how self looks in the eye of the others, 
play acting a specific role - to enjoy a new self every now and then, a temporary new self - but during the temporary new self, its fun and play.

Maybe there are other categories will update as I go along.
Some categories need no descriptions because its duration is very short, due to time and ressources, so its recorded but no further elaborations are made.

Elaborations could be: sculptures, paintings, texts, photos.









Saturday 28 March 2015

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 12 : Questions from what I see around me, and answer.

 好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 12 : Questions from what I see around me, and answers.

Question : why my house is so jammed full of things? 
Answer: it makes me laugh, at myself. So incredible, so ridiculous, so so... home.

問:為什麼我的房子現在充滿東西?
答:它讓我發笑,笑我自己。如此不可思議,如此荒唐,如此, 如此...... 家。

(Here some 4 photos of what I see.)

Some answers:
Cheung Minghang:  因為珍惜,認為人和物都還有將來。

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 10 : PatchWork in Sweden, women's art; Joyce Wieland

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 10 : PatchWork in Sweden

Patch work quilts has always been "women's art" for hobbyists, and professional artists alike.  One of the most famous artist who worked with quilt is Canadian Joyce Wieland

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/canadian/Joyce-Wieland-Canadian-Artist.html 

Joyce Wieland (1930 - 1998 )

"I think being an artist is about following your own way, and having the courage to be who you are and what you are. To have self-knowledge ... that deep, dark discovery of self, part of which is maturing, part of which is creating wholeness."


Reason over Passion

"Reason over Passion" artist: Joyce Wieland, 1968
256.5 x 302.3 x 8 cm; quilted cotton

The classic quilt art are often so beautiful as a craft work, and we see them in homes and museums, small town exhibition halls, tourist fancy shops.  

But the one exhibition that somehow remained in my memory for a long time was a Swedish exhibition in Paris, it was a show featuring old quilts from materially difficult times.  

Somebody used all the old cloths, discolored, different shades of red, pink often very worn and made a quilt cover.  Somehow this quilt is very different from the fabulous pretty quilts I have seen since then.  

This faded quilt had much more than formal beauty.  
It speaks of human spirit beauty from the inside to the outside.
I have tried to find a photo of the said quilt, but not yet succeeded.

So here, I show some fabulous quilts, made in non-material stricken times.



StripedCity_m

Patchwork in Sweden

Kaffe Fassett`s Quilts in Sweden

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 9 : Futuro House

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 9 : Futuro House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H44jLsyPdjk




Fibreglass in the 50s, 60s
http://www.futurohouse.net/photos.htm
http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/

Futuro and Shark Fiberglass Sports Car

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 8 : Adult Coloring Book ; self colored in wall paper, Osmo the portrait software

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 8 : Adult Coloring Book; PS, studio painting, studio sculpture.

http://gizmodo.com/why-millions-of-grownups-are-buying-this-coloring-book-1694045777

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832.html 
New type of de-stressing activity, coloring books for adults.  
These turns out to be a few Mandala's - not exactly for self expression.  Real adult coloring books have found some buyers.  (link here... stay tuned)

Coloring books/ surfaces/ paint by number sets are all great ideas for people who use the activity for de-stressing or pass time, these are hobby activities.  
In fact, once you started, if you are the curious kind, you probably will extrapolate and find lots of other things to color in - this is when the work becomes interesting.
Many years ago, I saw a black and white wall paper which was designed to be colored in by hand whenever you like.
Just a few days ago, an artist published a coloring book for adults these are pretty flower, bird pictures.
Then ipad has a new drawing application, you could take any photo and trace an outline - then, of course color away!  
DIY portrait software for ipad voted best invention of the year by Time Magazine. Osmo.
https://www.playosmo.com/fr/schools/

Are these portraits equal to artists portraits?  We will see in another article what are the differences between software treated images and hand painted images - the non digital painting.

Using Photoshop, we had tools to reduce any drawing with any style of representaion, chalk, mosaic, charcoal. It was all possible many years ago.

With all these available tools, how do they differ from say, the traditional oil painting activity?

Photoshop was created for many purposes, including touching up photos, making prettier the composition etc.

What has all these nifty tools and technology give us and how will they make visible what is still impossible to replicate with software?

Would a "charcoalised" portrait be the same as a real charcoal drawing?  The artist still must make many decisions to render the work to something originally his.

Similar to automatic translation softwares, it gives you a rough outline, then you tweak all the funny areas.

Similar to in the olden days, the master sculptor gets a lot of apprentices who rough out the sculpture block, then the master comes to do the fine parts.  Because the apprentice is unable to tell which line is important, how to fine tune details etc.

Similar to the olden days, when master painters in their huge studios creates monumental paintings. These 4 meter x 3 meter paintings you see in the Louvre, the giants ones are mainly first painted by apprentices - then, the master comes and adds his painterly eye and touches.

So we have now colorings books for adults - we want to see our own hands doing things, but we dont have the mental time and energy to focus, so a little coloring for fun to enter the age of pre-school days, we could color in and feel happy.

Next:  what kinds of "coloring" books are available today? (to be cont'd)

 


 

Friday 27 March 2015

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 7 : 實時計算機造-動畫影片 Machinima

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 7 :  實時計算機造-動畫影片 Machinima

http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2013/11/machinima-eitc-conference-paper.html

Machinima 是 Machine計算機 + Cinema影片

的動畫影片.  這類動畫利用實時計算機圖形引擎,來創建的一種合成電腦圖像動畫。大多數的實時計算機動畫都是從電腦遊戲裏的人物預定動作借用過來, 加上新的遊戲規則, 再把這新的畫面, 故事取橋段錄影再編輯成影片.  玩家(MMORPG : massive multiple online role playing games = 大規模, 眾多人物在線角色扮演遊戲) 操作人物 - 如同一種電玩傀儡娃娃 - 與其他在線的玩家共同創作的實時動畫視頻遊戲的計算機動畫。
我 的興趣和創作的主要焦點是 通過新媒體的平台 - 如虛擬世界 - 把中國古代藝術文化帶到當代.   透過各種當代數字實時動畫, 我嘗試把古中國文化保存及介紹; 以便當代的跨國世界人- 老少來者都不拒 - 都可以體驗; 無論有強烈儀式化, 需要典範的, 到從容自由自在的, 各式各樣的中華文化的詩意; 都可以開始親近.
我現在介紹三類主要實時電腦動畫.  連帶精選的例子給大家分享.  每種類型的主要挑選原則以其獨特創新的用途及表現手法的藝術性為先.  大多數的在線玩家的"粉絲"作品將不會被包括在內.

第一類: 生活實用及教育

醫療用途, 教學用途: 外語, 建築, 設計, 時裝, 危急情況模擬訓練, 社交禮節, 禮儀; 綱上買賣商業, 虛擬商店, 廣告活動
" 第二人生" 2003- (SecondLife = sl)的 在線的免費虛擬世界平台- 這是最大最多人用的沒有既定的遊戲元素的創作平台.  所有見到的人物,互相, 故事都是用戶創造的, 是他們自己的微形, 精神內在轉化成畫面的世界. "第二人生"開始時是空白的.  只提供存儲圖形工能及引擎建設工具, 沒有腳本。因此,它是不是一個遊戲,而是一個在線工具,分享實時圖文信息 - 實時打造扮演角色的各種要素 。
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyiiWxNguGo 
The Drax Files: World Makers [ Episode 13: Creations for Parkinson's





利用secondlife來作治療用途的 第二個例子 ( 27 march 2015 ):
http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2015/03/stroke-victim-saves-herself-second-life.html#more

Second Life for disabled


第二類: 藝術, 文化, 實驗, 創造

有或沒有腳本的遊戲記錄編輯成動畫電影藝術。
這 包括原形遊戲的人物及動作被大幅度改編情節來創作成新的另類, 非主流電影故事. 玩家使用在遊戲中已預設的塲景, 動作來創造要說的故事 或 音影藝術效果。玩家本身就是主角; 與他人互動的過程就是故事的來源.  他可以很抽離地造實驗, 也可以將自己作為縮小的自我來延伸到真身上.

這類的重點在於開發還未存在, 或現實中不可能存在的情景.

例 1 : 一個行為藝術作品: 實時環球性共同參觀一朵花的內部結構, 和在裏面遊走及與偶然相遇的人交往.

例 2 :  創建一座單間雲中高樓: 一朵有電梯功能的小花蕾為家!  而這朵花蕾屋是有真人接收的聖誕禮物.  這個建築創作的藝術性遠遠超過一般的實用性, 是個別人類感情世界透過象徵性實物呈現的共通詩意藝術性創作.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbroeNoRfRk&list=PLCC11C8482D665F29 

Vola Vola : film maquette shot in Secondlife as preparation for the real life feature film




Documentary: Life 2.0   1h40mn;   
Director:  Jason Spingarn-Koff
Presented by : Oprah, OWN Documentaries
 

 Life 2.0
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwD7u7wwcY



第三類: 商業

視頻遊戲動畫作商業用途的經濟效益和電腦遊戲動畫的應用狀態。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nSJpzzN4Ug
 
 Drax Files: interview of a motion capture artist in sl from Scotland




以上各類都有例子, 請各位自行進入, 啟動在線錄像觀賞.
http://swannbb.blogspot.tw/2013/11/machinima-eitc-conference-paper.html


Shuen-git Natasha Chow  
Interdisciplinary Artist


=========

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 6 : Chinese words

好奇藝術 Kunstkammer 6 : Chinese words

Something I love that has accompanied me for many many days, through good times, bad times.  Chinese words, my lovely pictures, my ideas, my dreams, my feelings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfV5Ig-ZYFk#t=95
Chinese words 


Thursday 26 March 2015

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 5 : Food in the City / sushi bar/ salade bar/ wonton noodles/ teacoffee cantines / Interior design as art work/ Chinese garden in a Museum

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 5 : Food in the City / sushi bar/ salade bar/ wonton noodles/ teacoffee cantines/ drinking bars  (to be cont'd)

Everyday art work - why is it that people dont really care for "high art", they prefer to get better "everyday art" instead.

A sushi bar by Kuramata the famous Japanese designer who created a most famous chair with embedded rose had been interior designer for a sushi bar.  This bar has been acquired by M+ as an art work for a good price.  Should a working sushi bar be removed to be put on display as a non-working sushi bar?  I think the original sushi bar was most attractive not only because of the interior design but because of the kind of people who eat there!  And the cook, the conversations, and the dim lighting on a narrow street before entering the sushi bar.

This is a little like the Chinese Garden thats partly replicated in a famous Museum in New York.  It truly gives the dimension of the original Suzhou garden and has the calm and beauty of the essence of the garden - but how far away it is from the real living garden! 
Is this the best we could do to display interior design?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C92bYFQDTzA


Interior design is not a walk-in fixture to be visited and viewed (and in a museum setting its not even allowed to be walked in probably).  

It is a frozen structure with no live action.  

Of course, I could imagine for special evenings, for special people under special circumstances, a fancy sushi event might happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgqIB_5_LR0

 

----
Some questions I have for the museum experience designers:
What is the real art of interior design for a restaurant?
To eat good food sit in a memorable place with memorable people.
----
What are some of the choices we have in HK today?
So we start with the planning of a day and insert a necessary casual eating event.

Could be ::
1// shopping - lunch - more shopping
2// going to a talk - lunch - visit an exhibition
3// meeting with a friend - lunch - going to a movie
4// after work - quick dinner with a friend - go to a movie 
5// going to a lecture class - lunch - more classes
6// going to work - lunch with colleagues - work some more
7// working in the atelier - lunch break - more work
Sometimes you read about a writer describing their bar hopping experience and on the street.  You feel that the entire time spent was not so much about drinking nor about the bar but the cinematic moments on the street where you come across teenage girls all made up to have some fun and their miming adult talks, their boredom, sadness, the no-way out period of adolescent life.

Sometimes you read about ordinary people picking the usual McDonalds and the food and how they really dont see their surroundings, they just eat and go.

Then, there is the famous wonton noodle place - you line up for more than half an hour to eat the famous nostalgic noodles with your girlfriend.

Or that French restaurant, newly started by two young people who graduated from French cooking school - and they serve a somewhat nice French menu with waiter, waitresses in the classic black and white uniform aprons and all.  The service is cordial, warm, charming, its entertainment.

What is truly HK?  When I go to HK, is the normal Starbucks so interesting?  No.  Are all tea/coffee cantines equal no.

So, maybe I will visit some and do a critique of them with pictures.  

I remember one situated in MongKok area, the decor is contemporary, efficient well designed, nice.  And there was a front open kitchen area for noodles and back kitchen where dishes are really cooked.  

The waiter and waitress and cooks are all in the late middle ages, as they were very efficient, they served the super fresh steam fish menu and they gossiped about an eccentric client who just exited.  The colorful vulgar language they throw at each other is so local.  They are not putting on a show, that is their everyday playful/working life.  

Everybody works hard, and what we encounter everyday is in real time.  
Its the real thing.   
Not frozen time and space without interaction.






 

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Lemon Panda's virtual world photography

Virtual World Photography of dream homes in Secondlife by LemonPanda

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lemonmeringuepanda/with/16524534557/


Ghanaian-artist: El-Anatsui; anime festival

http://animefestival.jp/ja/festival/competition/feature/ TAAF(Tokyo anime award festival)2015各部門入選作品 長篇動畫入圍: 1.Extraordinary Tales 2.Jack et la mécanique du coeur(Jack And The Cukoo-Clock Heart) 3.Lisa Limone ja Maroc Orange tormakas armulugu(Lisa Limone and Maroc Orange; a Rapid Love Story) 4.MUNE 5.Song of the Sea(海洋幻想曲) ===


 http://artdaily.com/news/76926/Exhibition-features-massive-site-specific-installation-by-Ghanaian-artist-El-Anatsui#.VRJeFWZCsUuExhibition features massive site-specific installation by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui


El Anatsui, Gli (Wall), 2010, Aluminum and copper wire, Dimensions variable, Installation at the Akron Art Museum. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY. Photo by Joe Levack, courtesy of the Akron Art Museum.

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 4 : Urban City / Street Art in HK

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 4  :  Urban City / Street Art in HK  (to be updated ...)

Street Art is a truly DIY movement.  Once a fresco/ graffiti has been commissioned even if the graphcis is exactly the same, that graffiti would become a poster, or a paid message sign or an advertisement bill board.  The status of Street Art is no longer valid as a free form self expression.  However, a lot of large advertisement bill boards, if executed with flair and beauty, becomes treasured street art.  ie. Wine advertisements in French small towns.  People keep the old paintings because the people like it, its part of their daily lives, drinking wine, so nobody sabotage these frescos.  You see a lot of them in Angouleme and anywhere in any old town.  There are also pseudo vintage frescos in the style of old times, but in fact they are newly created in a steam punk style.  These would be wall paintings not your ordinary street art graffiti work.



The beauty about street art is that, its for the pleasure of anyone passing, it is not a painting locked up in somebody's vault as an investment.

Hong Kong is a very tightly packed city, every inch belongs to someone for some commercial purpose and has been watched after by neighbours, owners, police and security guards.  Even taking a photo anywhere you might see suddenly a police or security guard jumping out from somewhere to stop you.  

Lets first take a look at some interesting occasions of how graffiti happens in different places around the world. 

1// in films, or documentary videos, even in online games - these gives us a condensed account of "how it happened"
Film:
"Be kind, rewind" - the film opens with young energetic imaginative wanting to have some fun.  scene 1: They paint the underside of an overpass bridge which is part of a street. end scene 2: Their graffiti has been repainted by some younger new kids.
Here the walls are used as a giant size temporary "black board" of a sort.  You could cover existing posters, and I will cover your "has been" graffiti.  The wall belongs to everyone, unofficially.  
The charm of this type of unofficial community wall is what graffiti art should be.  It is not a wall "reserved for art".  It is a wall taken over by the ones who feels the urge and it doesnt really bother anybody that much.

Little kids draw on their walls too - in apts.  I visited a famous professor who retired already.  Inside their home on the walls are little kids scribblings.  He smiled and said its his grandson's doing, the grandson said, he could paint better than anyone!  In his smiles, he love this "graffiti work" more than any famous calligraphic work you could find in books.
Its linked to his grandson - to the ones he treasures.  His treasure.

There is something of similar indulgence in the movie, the cops should catch these kids, but they are only kids, they are not going to be put in jail, right?  They probably did something like that when they were kids.

2// go see some instances where it happens - if possible
In less visible countryside, seaside little islands on hiking trails, sometimes on village homes, you see a phone number:  plumbing, tel:xx 00 22 45.  So on so forth.  Or maybe a penis and some cursing words - in Chinese and often in English too.  These are bathroom, no mans land type of graffiti.  Never pretended to be art.

Mosaic tiles installed by foreign artist.  
This raises the question:  if local people, the public dont see this as art, by force of their existing reputation, should this be "enough credit" to occupy a public space as treasured art?

Talisman sheets posted by local artists:  If I dont believe in Taoism, these superstitious papers, do they have a right to stay posted?  If I posted Christian posters would that amount be the same?  If somebody posted a Buddha image, without words somewhere in public, would that be interpreted as good will and blessing?

3// try to do something somewhere yourself?
Try to post something just visually pleasant - say flowers, or pretty women, somewhere in public, what might happen?  Not in critical political moments - such as the chalk flower incident, but ordinary day to day without specific social events setting?  If in the ordinary day to day setting, people could accept some wild flower painting, maybe the city could tolerate much more self expressions?

The city has accepted Kowloon Kings graffiti for many years - because everyone knows he is an old man, with a slightly unusual obsessional occupation.  It might be taken as non-calligraphy, littering visual mess all over the place.  But he found his place to express himself.  Now, we have commercial minded company selling his graphics on "designer objects", cloth, wall paper.  Did the Kowloon King graffiti change?  Or, the scenario changed, whats old school becomes vintage chic.

Kowloon city inspired online video game: sl Kowloon Gate
 

4// Organised participation in a "Big Draw" event? 
Around the world near Oct, there is a "Big Draw" event.  This event is to give voice to people who dont normally draw pictures.  Its an educational initiative.  People find fun, and discover their innate talents - or simply inner joy in doing something without any implication of risk, use, and being free.

5// Do the graffiti thing if you catch an occasion!  Catch as catch can.

Artist: Penab (location to be verified)

Tuesday 24 March 2015

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 3.1 : Character analysis on FB

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 3.1  :  Character analysis on FB; fine tuning the YOU

On facebook, there are often character analysis, English word proficiency, how well liked you are, how old of a soul you have, what kind of flower are you, what kind of tree are you etc etc, all these little tests for amusement.

The interesting thing is - this is all part of the DIY movement.
Understanding yourself through reviews from various angles.
Seeing how others see you, how tests see you.  
And maybe you will be able to fine tune your destiny and become a more you YOU.

Shuengit Chow 的分析結果:
「先鋒型人格」
你是非常非常難得的人才,按照研究結果,每900,000人裡,才會有一個像你這樣的人出現,是非常非常稀有的強大人物。你具有不可思議的策略能力,加上 你的殺手型謀略性格,往往會使你成為一個最偉大且厲害的先鋒者,在各種領域內,你都會是一個最令人懼怕,最不想與你為敵的天才。
※原創內容,版權所有,請勿抄襲,違者必究。

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 3 : French Movie :: "An Ideal Man" **half; Harcourt photomaton; DIY

好奇藝術 (Kunstkammer) 3  :  French Movie :: "An Ideal Man" **half

Going to the movies in our small town, it ressembles a seaside resort - even though its only river side.  Not many people in the screening room.  New sofa style red plush seatingsWhats nice about going to the cinema by strolling down the main street seeing a person or two is that, it feels like "my town", "my home" which is very different from going to see a movie say at the National Library MK2 - which is an intellectual stylish huge complex with monumental landmark glass tower book architecture settings.  My favorite cinema - for nostalgia for home - is my home town cinema then the MK2 for an interesting discovery of new books, new comics, new gadgets and the Harcourt photomaton!

One of our current day happiness generating trend is the DIY movement.
Create your own glamourous studio portraits.

One of the greatest creation of our times is to enable each person to shine their own souls - through photos, through making toys, through self expressions of all types helped along with softwares, tools, and makerwares!

"An Ideal Man" (Un Homme Ideal) 2014 **half    Pierre Niney

The movie is like a comic book made into film story.  A lot of unbelievable story logics must be overlooked to get the story moving.  And Pierre Niney, huge cute eyes very prettily handsome actor could be a Disney character himself but in the flesh.  His character is slightly slimy but we find him sympathetic anyway because he came from nowhere to be in this huge mansion with everything.  The stealing-others script as his own writer is unconvincingly coupled to a pretty well to do princess of a girl friend - who is a literary critic/professor of a sort.  Totally unconvincing is that how could a fake writer convince a critic on a day to day live in basis for 3 years without revealing who he really is?  We move on, many more jumps of disbelief.  We arrive at the end, he faked a killing of himself, and ends up back at his janitor job.  With a face and manners as chicly polished as this, who would believe he would go back to being a janitor?  Wouldnt that be a waste?  No author he is, but surely this character smart enough to worm his way in and out of tight spots would be onto something more fitting ?   That is why this movie is a simple story for distraction, a simple comic books story.

But it is a fun movie, suspense.  Well put together as a comic book would be put together.
In comics, you jump from frame to frame, it is up to the reader to fill in all the in betweens and skip the disbelief to enjoy the graphics.  

This movie is a regular comic book made with real life actors.   

As we walk home from the local cinema, that somehow is very nice.  All fine, quiet, comic book movie night.   

Royal Palace Nogent

Image result for royal palace nogent















Harcourt photomaton
http://www.studio-harcourt.eu/en/studio/actualite/26