DIY Halloween Dragon
Posted by Cynthia | Filed under Musings
It’s that time of year again. Our thoughts go all things spooky and spectacular. At the DeGrace house, we are big into a handmade Halloween. Simple, tactile and unique, it makes the experience of the day that much more special. Each of our boys has a connection to their chosen disguise through their own efforts to craft and create it. It is a time to rally the collective creative energy of the family, ultimately everyone teaching and learning from one another. It seems it offers the unique vision that anything is possible. Powerful indeed. Imagine it, and create it.
One of our most memorable recent projects was a Chinese Dragon. It began with the imagination of our youngest son. Like all projects it presented a myriad of design challenges and problems to solve. How to create a structure light enough to carry? Can I see where I am going? And perhaps most importantly, how do I still get to the door for candy? Paper Mache was the medium of choice, over an aluminum wire frame.
The Dragon has been used multiple years, by the boys together, as well as groups individually, with groups of their friends. The head hangs proudly in their bedrooms now. Like most creative adventures, there were benefits and outcomes we couldn’t have anticipated. Three young brothers learning to work together to walk in unison was priceless. Each taking a turn at the head to lead the charge. All equally invested, and valued. The gifts of collaboration and design. Happy Halloween!
Tags: Chinese Dragon Costume, diy, DIY Halloween Costume, halloween, interior design, Paper Mache Dragon, Sculpture
Aggregated Porosity Canopy
Posted by Cynthia | Filed under Inspiration, Musings
Tags: architecture, Digital Fabrication, FLOR, Sculpture
Creative play…
Posted by Peggy | Filed under Inspiration, Musings, Solutions
Today I thought I would take a break from my “What I saw in…” travel series and share the work of Jonas Jungblut with you. I was recently in Santa Barbara with two good friends (yes, I do love to travel!) and picked up the Santa Barbara Magazine to check out the arts scene there. I was immediately struck by the organic quality of Jungblut’s sculptures. Untitled (shown above) is made of driftwood found along the beaches in Santa Barbara. I suppose you could interpret this sculpture in many ways, but after reading up about Jungblut – originally from Berlin, Germany – being exposed to the gritty guerilla street art scene perhaps explains a lot. On the other hand, when the sculpture is set on sand, with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop, it tells a very different story.
A balancing act… not an easy task to achieve indeed, especially with a piece like this, 476 (shown above) are made of beach pebbles. I feel I could sit on the buff all day and just bask in its tranquility. The quiet delicacy of his work is, dare I say, contagious. Lately I’ve been feeling the need for (more) balance in life and the crave for quietness.
{ Photography by Jonas Jungblut / top / bottom image scanned from Santa Barbara Magazine Summer 2011 }
Tags: driftwood, Inspiration, Jonas Jungblut, santa barbara, Sculpture, stone
Jayme Plensa
Posted by Cynthia | Filed under Musings
Spanish artist Jayme Plensa is a familiar presence to those who have visited Millenium Park in Chicago. He is the creator of Crown Fountain, an interactive art installation which opened in July of 2004. The two glass brick towers, act as a display for digital videos on their facing planes. It appears as it water is spraying out of the mouths of the people displayed on these blocks. Visitors can be found splashing around in the pool of water on the beautiful black granite plaza, framed by Plensa’s towers.
Jayme Plensa has a new exhibit in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park which certainly looks like it is worth a look. I find these sculptures below to have such expressive and ethereal qualities. The forms of these objects become architectural, as they invite us to not only view, but to experience the piece three dimensionally. I am taken by the incredibly modern and minimal approach, and yet each piece is layered with significant detail, drawing me in for a closer look. The proportion is dead on, the play on scale effective, and the simplicity allows for the artists statement to be heard. On view now through September, a stroll through the beautiful grounds in Wakefield England, would no doubt be a thought provoking experience.
“2011 will also see Plensa’s first public art project in New York City. Echo will be presented from 5 May – 14 August 2011 by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. In the UK, Chichester Cathedralrecently announced Plensa’s winning proposal for the Hussey Memorial Commission, Together, expected to be unveiled in the Cathedral in 2012″. Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Crown Fountain Image by Brandon Farley
‘irma’ by jaume plensa at the yorkshire sculpture park in wakefield, england
image courtesy YSP / © jonty wilde via Designboom
Tags: art, Chicago, Crown Fountain, Jayme Plensa, Millenium Park, Sculpture, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Art of Fashion
Posted by Cynthia | Filed under Musings
VIRGINE. A brand new innovative high fashion, art and music platform set to revolutionize the way people interact with the fashion industry. Ahead of current styles and trends, a first glance at this opening spread makes it apparent they aren’t afraid to push the envelope. Artful sculptures made of coke cans, m&m’s, tide boxes and ipads. Visibly, there are some powerful creative forces at play.
I applaud the magazines positioning as well. “VIRGINE is seeking ways to increase societies’ devotion to charity contribution, so every issue our magazine’s first page will be dedicated to charity oriented advertisements.
In addition, we want to create a fashion platform that serves as a bridge between top industry professionals and up-and-coming artists to be showcased side by side under the esthetic and standards of VIRGINE.
Tags: architecture, art, Coke, design, fashion, FLOR, Ipads, m&m's, Sculpture, Virigine Magazine
