Blog 6 examples of Biomimicry

This picture(top right) is of an African termite mound compared to an Eastgate shopping center. Janine Benyus is comparing these structures because like the termite structure, the shopping center is built in such a way that it can maintain a constant temperature just because of the spacing and floorplan of the building. Termites build their tunnels in a specific way so that the their food, which is fungus, can grow. Fungus can only grow at 87 degrees farenheight. So the shopping center mimicked the termites ideas of tall structure.

http://langlor.com/blog/biomimicry-architecture/

This is a diagram of one of Eric Corey Freed's organic architecture. Freed describes his organic architecture as sustainable and natural tools to help the Earth while it helps us. In this machine solar technology is using biomimicry by taking in light in the same way as the leaves of a plant do. This is a very important example of biomimicry because it has to do with sustainability.

http://bloomingrock.com/?p=1343

This structure (top left) was built using digitally enhanced construction and fabrication techniques. It is called "Neural Sky" and was made by a collaboration of architecture students from California in 2010. It is based off of the way neurons are wired in the body. The different legs of the structure transmit information or light to the rest of structure much like neurons are transferred in our body mass.

http://langlor.com/blog/neural-sky/

blog by: Megan Leys

Section D

Oh the difficulties of art at the Walker..

This is the work of Yves Klein, which is titled: Assemblage of Used Paint Rollers (1956-1962). It is sculpture created using various sized paint rollers encrusted with paint. Visually it captures ones attention through the use of different textures and variation of color and sizes. However, how can this be considered a museum worthy piece of art? To me, it looks exactly like something I can find in a bucket in the corner of my garage. I found this piece to be confusing, thus making it a perfect example of a difficult piece of art which needed to be investigated.
Yves Klein is a French artist that can be classified as either a neo-dada or a post-modernist. Many of his pieces focus on the use of pigment and paint. He calls himself the 'painter of space'. However, he has worked with a vast range of media: photography, music, theater, film, architecture, painting, sculpture, performace, and theoretical writing. Currently his work is being exhibited at the Walker Art Center. The majority of this exhibit focuses on his creation of the color 'International Klein Blue'.
By knowing this, the use of paint and rollers makes much more sense. Klein has such a fascination with color that makes this piece have much more meaning to it than just what the naked eye can observe. Visually this is appealing due to the rhythm and movement created by the paint rollers.
Thank you Yves Klein for puzzling me with your art and giving me a reason to blog about your used paint rollers. It is much appreciated.

Trier's Element

The focus of a lot of my following blog posts will be on the filmmaker Lars von Trier from Denmark.

To give you a little information on him, he is considered to be (by many) the most controversial contemporary filmmaker in the world with such shocking and polarizing films as Antichrist, Dogville, Dancer in the Dark, and (the product of the film movement he co-founded named Dogme 95) The Idiots.

To some, von Trier is a perverse, self-righteous, narcissistic, exploitative madman using the guise of "the artist" to give legitimacy to his self-indulgent drivel. To others, von Trier is the voice of doubt in a world setting where Idealism and percieved Universal Truths and Standards reign supreme.

Whatever your opinions may be on the man, his work is undeniably complex, precise, and difficult. Along with these attributes of his work, his focus on detail and expression of technical skill and prowess is something even his harshest critics cannot deny.

I strongly urge those of you that have not heard of von Trier (which is understandable... his films are rarely shown in America, and CERTAINLY aren't advertised when they are) to investigate him and a few of (what I deem to be) his most important works.

If any of you wish to borrow some of his films, I own them, and would be willing to help you get started.

The film I recommend most to serve as an introduction to his body of work is Europa (1991).

However, if you wish to have a more "crash course" in Lars von Trier's controversy and art, you need look no further than last year's Antichrist... BE WARNED HOWEVER, THAT THIS FILM CONTAINS CONTENT AND IMAGERY OF A NATURE SO EXTREME THAT IT IS VERY LIKELY TO DISTURB, DISGUST, OR CAUSE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS! THIS IS NO EXHAGGERATION, AND I WANT TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT THIS FILM IS NOT FOR THOSE WITH DELICATE SENSIBILITIES OR THOSE THAT ARE NOT PREPARED TO VIEW UNCENSORED GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUALITY!

I own all of his films, including Antichrist, but several of them cannot go without a word of warning... Antichrist deserves a more special warning, because it is not only the most extreme of his films, but it is quite possibly the most extreme film ever made.

(this is HONESTLY no exhaggeration. When I went to a pre-screening in Chicago, a middle-aged man who had seen his fair share of violent films got up to leave during a particularly graphic sequence and lost conciousness in the isle)

What Art Should Be by: Jenny M.

We've all been confused by art we have seen at a museum, gallery, or online. "Why the hell is this art? It's SO stupid. I could do that with my eyes closed for Christ's sake!" Sometimes, it's truly frustrating to see art that is worldly successful, while we, as artists, struggle to get our name out. So, the question arises: What do you think art should be, and what shouldn't be considered art? As you'll soon find, it lies in the eye of the beholder...

When first considering art, people often think of "high art" and "low art." Some things are just easier to classify as art, such as the Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Polykleitos' Doryphoros, or even the Great Pyramids of Egypt. All of these pieces of art were labor intensive, and obviously had a lot of thought put behind them. They would, by many people, be considered high art. These people had extensive training in their field. Now, on the other hand, some people would consider Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, or Marcel Duchamp harder to consider high or true art. The issue with Pollock is that he merely took buckets of paint and splatter painted the hell out of them, Rothko just painted two or three squares on a canvas and said it was emotional, and Duchamp took a goddamn urinal and wrote "R. Mutt" on it. With these artists, the average person has much more difficulty grasping these pieces as art. It is essential with these contemporary artist that the viewer is informed of the message(s) these artists were trying to convey. Without Jackson Pollock, are perception of what is art would not have been tested, or the concept that anyone can make art. With Rothko, his pieces were meant to be about the "physical world conflicted with the sublime idea of the universal, supernatural "spirit of myth" (Gardner 1080). It is a simple expression of a complex thought. Again, it is paramount that one understands the meaning behind the art to fully understand it--to see it as art! And, with Marcel Duchamp, he wanted to challenge--no, destroy--the way we make and see art. He didn't even make the art. That wasn't seen as important. It was the fact that he chose it. He took something ordinary, with an everyday use, and placed it in an art exhibition to show it in a new light, with new meaning, and significance; it's normal function being lost, therefore creating a new thought for the object. He certainly changed what we used to consider art (and it being actually made by the artist too).

So, as it has already been mentioned, there are two forms of how we see art: high and low. However, regardless of some viewer's trouble in  seeing particular pieces as art, there is usually a greater thought behind the art. Art is something that is either created by someone, evokes a emotional response or feeling, and is either beautiful or hideous. Art comes in so many forms. And there will always be art that challenges us, confuses us, and even angers us (two words: Sherrie Levine), but that response is wonderful. That conversation that begins with an artist creating difficult art opens new conversations to what we consider as art. And with such art, art can continue to grow, and flourish, not die. But instead, thrive on.

Difficult Art at the Walker

http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/91020/die-grossen-blauen-pferde-the-large-blue-horses


Sometimes art makes me mad. It can seem like the artsist didnt care about thier own work or like the artist was jacked up on all sorts of drugs. Thats how I feel about Franz Marc, Die grossen blauen Pferde (The Large Blue Horses), 1911. I dont really see the beauty of this piece. It was confusing and seemed plain stupid. so I did a little research and found out that Franz Marc was in a group of artists called the blaue reiter (blue rider) and thier goal was to paint the thoughts of the inner mind instead of the real world. Marc used the curved lines and blue color of the horses to symbolize a closeness to nature. Maybe its just because this was painted in 1911 and i wasnt born until 1991, but i just dont care for it at all.

Designer Site Visit

So awhile ago we visited the studios of Anne M Cramer and woychick design as a class and overall the visit was pretty good. The day started at Anne's studio with an abundance of snacks such as m&m's, candy bars, and lots of pop. Needless to say I very much appreciated her kindness, and what she said about the fasion design world was eye opening. I am by no means an expert at that sort of thing. She was peppy and seemed genuinely excited to talk to us which was great, a good way to start the day. Then our group went down the block to visit Dan woychick at his studio. He is a graphic designer and works with a lot of non-profit groups like the red cross. he was a laid back guy who has a lot of expirience in the field. The day was pretty enjoyable as a whole, i learned a lot and appreciated the expirience.

nicole post 1

 
Steven Stahlberg's "One Last Time" conveys the sense of impending death of the young girl by the monster which encircles her. This work is completed digitally, and displays Stahlberg's masterful skill in the digital arts.