a series of cool street painting... turning the gutters into super cute animals
December 17, 2008
April 14, 2008
April 13, 2008
Wooster Collective
The Wooster Collective is a group who's website is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world.
They also publish comics with selected work of their favourite artists:
They also publish comics with selected work of their favourite artists:
Conflux Festival
Conflux is the annual NYC festival for contemporary psychogeography where international artists, technologists, urban adventurers and the public put investigations of everyday city life into practice on the streets.
Here are some examples of the great works that have been shown at this festival:
Have a Seat by Caroline Woolard
At night, Caroline Woolward fixed a dozen seats on street posts so people could take a rest:
I feel that this architectural intervention allows any pedestrian to experience the monotony of everyday life in a new way. Perhaps this small fissure in reality will open doors for the public to re-evaluate the status quo. [...]
Anyone can rest without removing themselves from the reality of urban bustle and going to a picturesque park.
Picture is from WMMNA where you can find also more info.
Waste Carrier by Gertrude Berg
Gertrude Berg made an outfit where she could store her personal trash sorted in different bags and carry it during the festival:
For the duration of one week I will wear this uniform to all occasions, except for sleeping, and any other circumstances that would make it impossible for me to wear it. My interest lies in the experience of the extra weight on my body accumulated by waste material that normally is put out of ones sight as soon as possible. As bags could easily be subjects for suspicion in public places and on public transportation systems in NYC, I am also challenged by the reaction I will receive from the public and the officials.
Picture is from WMMNA where you can find also more info.
Here are some examples of the great works that have been shown at this festival:
Have a Seat by Caroline Woolard
At night, Caroline Woolward fixed a dozen seats on street posts so people could take a rest:
I feel that this architectural intervention allows any pedestrian to experience the monotony of everyday life in a new way. Perhaps this small fissure in reality will open doors for the public to re-evaluate the status quo. [...]
Anyone can rest without removing themselves from the reality of urban bustle and going to a picturesque park.
Picture is from WMMNA where you can find also more info.
Waste Carrier by Gertrude Berg
Gertrude Berg made an outfit where she could store her personal trash sorted in different bags and carry it during the festival:For the duration of one week I will wear this uniform to all occasions, except for sleeping, and any other circumstances that would make it impossible for me to wear it. My interest lies in the experience of the extra weight on my body accumulated by waste material that normally is put out of ones sight as soon as possible. As bags could easily be subjects for suspicion in public places and on public transportation systems in NYC, I am also challenged by the reaction I will receive from the public and the officials.
Picture is from WMMNA where you can find also more info.
Madrid Abierto
An annual event that gives artists the opportunity to place their performances and installations publicly in Madrid.
One of this years installations is by Dier + Noaz, Estado de excepción, a fake military post that alerts people of the fact that their living environment is changing through more and more security systems being set up.
One of this years installations is by Dier + Noaz, Estado de excepción, a fake military post that alerts people of the fact that their living environment is changing through more and more security systems being set up.
February 14, 2008
Hidden life in natural objects
In northern cultures like Iceland, natural objects are often the home to hidden people, gnomes, dwarfs, elves, fairies and so on
Picture via chiff
February 13, 2008
Green River
by Olafur Eliasson
The artist poured non-toxic dye into the rivers of different cities in the world (here it's Chicago) to draw people's attention to the environment they pass everyday.
From an interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist:
HUO: So the idea was to make the city visible for its inhabitants, who no longer take any notice of the way it works or what's special about it. What you did was aimed at challenging their perception of their environment as something changeless and reassuring.
OE: Right. I wanted to get a fix on how the river is perceived in the city. Is it something dynamic or static? Something real or just a representation? I wanted to make it present again, get people to notice its movement and turbulence. For a few minutes there it was "hyperreal". In some respects the history of cities is the history of how they're represented and most of the time this is done by accentuating the classical, monumental structures that suggest power. The way we experience public spaces is more to do with the way representation and iconography influence our senses and our habits of seeing. A lot of people see urban space as an external image they have no connection with, not even physically.
The artist poured non-toxic dye into the rivers of different cities in the world (here it's Chicago) to draw people's attention to the environment they pass everyday.
From an interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist:
HUO: So the idea was to make the city visible for its inhabitants, who no longer take any notice of the way it works or what's special about it. What you did was aimed at challenging their perception of their environment as something changeless and reassuring.
OE: Right. I wanted to get a fix on how the river is perceived in the city. Is it something dynamic or static? Something real or just a representation? I wanted to make it present again, get people to notice its movement and turbulence. For a few minutes there it was "hyperreal". In some respects the history of cities is the history of how they're represented and most of the time this is done by accentuating the classical, monumental structures that suggest power. The way we experience public spaces is more to do with the way representation and iconography influence our senses and our habits of seeing. A lot of people see urban space as an external image they have no connection with, not even physically.
Life is a Laugh
An installation by Brian Griffiths in the London Underground:
From the website:
Conscious of the transitional nature of both the site and its occupants the work taps into the character of this fleetingly captive audience, exaggerating a sense of expectation tinged with boredom, mental doodling and day-dreaming.
From the website:Conscious of the transitional nature of both the site and its occupants the work taps into the character of this fleetingly captive audience, exaggerating a sense of expectation tinged with boredom, mental doodling and day-dreaming.
Trash Project
A Good Day Project by the Global Wellness Organisation
From their website:
'It's a GoodDay to reduce the trash' is the message behind this project. Keeping material useful is quite a challenge for us humans. Hopefully we will become better at it soon. Because a garbage dump is not a very nice playground for kids to grow up on.
We are working on how you can participate on this project. It's bound to have something to do with two balloons, a black edding, some carton, tape and trash.
From their website:
'It's a GoodDay to reduce the trash' is the message behind this project. Keeping material useful is quite a challenge for us humans. Hopefully we will become better at it soon. Because a garbage dump is not a very nice playground for kids to grow up on.
We are working on how you can participate on this project. It's bound to have something to do with two balloons, a black edding, some carton, tape and trash.
Augmented Trashcan
A project by Urban Atmospheres/ Eric Paulos, Tom Jenkins
This trashcan can sense if something is thrown inside or taken out, can weigh the trash and projects its treasures back to the street.
Like this, people reflect more on the things they are throwing away and might even start playing.
Two questions from their website:
What representations and potential interactions with discarded human traces will intrigue, excite, disgust, and inspire urban dwellers into a new awareness and participation in this part of the city's physicality and their daily lives?
How can technology embedded within the city�s infrastructure facilitate and provoke story telling?
This trashcan can sense if something is thrown inside or taken out, can weigh the trash and projects its treasures back to the street.
Like this, people reflect more on the things they are throwing away and might even start playing.
Two questions from their website:
What representations and potential interactions with discarded human traces will intrigue, excite, disgust, and inspire urban dwellers into a new awareness and participation in this part of the city's physicality and their daily lives?
How can technology embedded within the city�s infrastructure facilitate and provoke story telling?
January 20, 2008
Visual trickery
An example of visual trickery, playing with existing things without doing anything to the object physically.
traffic sculpture in London
Here's one of my favorite funny art piece located near my place when I was in London. First I saw it, I thought there must have loads of accidents happen for sure. But I saw none!!! all the drivers seem to be able to manage it perfectly :-PJanuary 17, 2008
January 16, 2008
Work by Santiago Cirugeda
Strategies for subversive urban occupation
Public Domain Occupation with skips
Sevilla, 1997
House enlarging with scaffolding
Sevilla, 1998
Tree occupation with insect house
Sevilla, 2001
from his website:
Reasons for building one-self an urban reserve can be as many as citizens are, that dare doing it. What man can certainly say, is that this personal and intimate action takes place outside everything politicians and professionals may plan, it follows ways that are labelled by difference, by independence, and it makes obvious that the citizen plays a very important role in the development and construction of the environment he lives in.
Public Domain Occupation with skips
Sevilla, 1997
House enlarging with scaffolding
Sevilla, 1998
Tree occupation with insect house
Sevilla, 2001
from his website:Reasons for building one-self an urban reserve can be as many as citizens are, that dare doing it. What man can certainly say, is that this personal and intimate action takes place outside everything politicians and professionals may plan, it follows ways that are labelled by difference, by independence, and it makes obvious that the citizen plays a very important role in the development and construction of the environment he lives in.
Public gardening interventions
In Istanbul, 2005 via Culiblog:
Smack dab in the middle of the Üskudar ferry terminal, ad hoc growers have cultivated tomatoes in all of the planters.
City Farming Plant Modules by N55, 2003
Smack dab in the middle of the Üskudar ferry terminal, ad hoc growers have cultivated tomatoes in all of the planters.
City Farming Plant Modules by N55, 2003
Work by Forays
High Waterline
by eve s. mosher
From the website:
High Water Line is a public artwork on the New York city waterfront designed to create an immediate visual and local understanding of the affects of climate change. I will be marking the 10-feet above sea level line by drawing a blue chalk line and installing illuminated beacons in parks. This line marks the extent of increased flooding brought on by stronger and more frequent storms as a result of climate change.
From the website:
High Water Line is a public artwork on the New York city waterfront designed to create an immediate visual and local understanding of the affects of climate change. I will be marking the 10-feet above sea level line by drawing a blue chalk line and installing illuminated beacons in parks. This line marks the extent of increased flooding brought on by stronger and more frequent storms as a result of climate change.
NoPark
by Natalie Jeremijenko/ xClinic
NoPark returns “no parking zones”—mostly those associated fire hydrant placement- -to low growth mosses and grasses. These micro engineered green spaces prevent storm water run off, use foliage to stabilize the soil, and to provide a durable low maintenance surface cover.
NoPark returns “no parking zones”—mostly those associated fire hydrant placement- -to low growth mosses and grasses. These micro engineered green spaces prevent storm water run off, use foliage to stabilize the soil, and to provide a durable low maintenance surface cover.
Urban Play
Urban Play is an upcoming event/ project by Droog Design Amsterdam, curated by Scott Burnham.
Urban Play believes that street-level inventiveness, energy and innovation is the future of creativity in the city. Created as a catalyst to inspire creativity in the public domain, Urban Play will launch in 2008.
Also more info on his website
Urban Play believes that street-level inventiveness, energy and innovation is the future of creativity in the city. Created as a catalyst to inspire creativity in the public domain, Urban Play will launch in 2008.
Blinkenlights
by Chaos Computer Club
CCC transformed a large building in Berlin into a gigantic display that could be controlled online or via cell phones – for creating animations, messages, playing pong...
CCC transformed a large building in Berlin into a gigantic display that could be controlled online or via cell phones – for creating animations, messages, playing pong...
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