hyde or die

The MAK Center for Art and Architecture’s new project How Many Billboards? Art in Stead is starting to take shape, with the official opening next weekend.

The MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House is pleased to present its most ambitious project to date: How Many Billboards? Art in Stead. This large-scale urban exhibition debuts 21 newly commissioned works by leading contemporary artists, presented simultaneously on billboards in Los Angeles in February and March 2010.

Billboards are a dominant feature of the landscape in Los Angeles. Thousands line the city’s thoroughfares, delivering high-end commercial messages to a repeat audience. Given outdoor advertising’s strong presence in public space, it seems reasonable and exciting to set up the possibility for art to be present in this field. The sudden existence of artistic speech mixed in with commercial speech provides a refreshing change of pace. Commercial messaging tells you to buy; artistic messaging encourages you to look and to think.

via…

I can’t wait to see these going up around town.

February 19, 2010, 2:44pm  

Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND) is a non-profit art organization founded in 2009 by Director Shamim M. Momin, fromer contemporary curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and board member Christine Y. Kim, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Modern Art (LACMA).

LAND is a public art initiative committed to commissioning and producing site- and situation-specific projects with national and international artists, both locally and globally. LAND supports dynamic and unconventional artistic practices using a tripartite approach:

• Commissioning public projects of site- and situation-specific works with national and international contemporary artists

• Collaborating with a variety of institutions and organizations, such as universities, museums, and theaters as well as other types of spaces, industries, and entities

• Offering additional programs such as performances, workshops, residencies, discussions, and publications

LAND is an ongoing endeavor with three primary types of annual programming: LAND 1.0 projects are large-scale, multi-artist, multi-site exhibitions, LAND 2.0 projects feature a new commission by a single mid-career or established artist, and LAND 3.0 projects feature new work by lesser known or emerging artists

Donate here.

I am super excited that there are more and more organizations that are focusing on the cultural potential of our fair city.  Too cool.  I look forward to their future projects.

October 22, 2009, 1:23pm  

CHICAGO, IL. The much anticipated Burnham Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) of London, UK, has officially opened to the public in Millennium Park. The pavilion is located next to the UNStudio pavilion, which opened to the public on June 19. Both are located on the Monroe Street side of the park’s Chase Promenade.

More than 7,000 pieces of aluminum - no two alike - had to be individually bent and welded to create its curvilinear form. Then thousands of yards of fabric had to be custom tailored and tightly fit onto the interior and exterior aluminum-tube structure. This first-of-its kind installation stretched the limits of all involved – as a Burnham venue properly should – and its fabrication took longer than the original contractor expected.via…

Good thing we have someone in Chicago to go take pictures of this!!!

via outsiderart

August 04, 2009, 8:59am  

This week, Jean Parker Phifer, the author of “Public Art New York” (Norton, 2009), will be responding to readers’ questions about the city’s monumental sculptures, significant landscapes, artistic sidewalks and creative lighting, as well as how and why public art stimulates and enriches urban life.via…

You know, I was thinking about doing this in LA. Going around, taking pictures of public art, talking about how bad most of it is (minus the elephants at the tar pits, those are my favorites) and for a second I thought, now I can’t do it, then I realized it doesn’t matter and I am going to do it anyways. So, that is something for everyone to look forward to.

July 28, 2009, 11:49am  

Tara Donovan Untitled(Plastic Sheeting) 2009

In the same neighborhood is a more eye-grabbing sculpture by Tara Donovan, the artist known for spectacular accumulations of ordinary objects like plastic straws and disposable cups. Presented in the window of the Lever House Lobby, where it may be viewed from indoors as well as out, Ms. Donovan’s untitled piece consists of 2,500 pounds of plastic sheeting loosely folded into a wide box that is glassed in on the front and back and built into a freestanding white wall. via…

It’s so pretty.

July 27, 2009, 1:02pm  

David Černý edge, 1992

July 16, 2009, 3:24pm  

Luzinterruptus Fishing Light 2009

Their latest light “intervention”.  Cages hanging over a river in the north of France.

Why is France the hot spot right now?

July 07, 2009, 10:42am  

Choi Jeong-Hwa Welcome 2009

Someone has dosed my coffee with LSD or something.  I have searched and scoured and employed LACMA google alerts and no one, save me, has written anything about the fact that the entire Ahmanson Building is covered in ribbons.

It’s not on LACMA’s website, they barely mentioned it (no picture) on their blog in a very short interview with the artist that they just posted today, and the only reason it was on their twitter is because I asked them what this was.

The LA Times even has an article about a separate piece by the same artist for the upcoming exhibition and completely left this out.  I know I’m not the only one who has seen it, but why am I the only one talking about it? Remember when Christo did the gates in New York? You couldn’t get away from the publicity. It was in magazines, newspapers, blogs, and TV.  Am I the only one who thinks this is newsworthy? I feel like I’m begging, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask for someone to start a dialogue about this?  I know the show doesn’t open until the 28^th, but this is outside, easy to photograph (surrounded by Irwin Palm Trees and Burden’s Light? Come on!) and it COVERS THE BUILDING YOU CAN’T MISS IT!

I feel like I am talking to walls.

UPDATE: Ok, I guess they have a video on their blog entry about the artist but still.  I feel like this was a real opportunity for some sort of press and they missed it. 

Unless, they aren’t as stoked about the outcome as earlier anticipated? I know that I’m not overwhelmed, or whelmed, for that matter by the end result (quite a few things I would have changed in the art direction department on this one) but still.  It’s something, and something is always better than nothing.

June 19, 2009, 11:05am  

The Elastic Plastic Sponge created for Coachella by the Sci-Arc class taught by Andrew from The Functionality with Benjain Ball and Gaston Nogues of Ball-Nogues Studio? The result is featured on Archinect here.

May 21, 2009, 3:28pm