Milan 2011: Triennale

The Dream Factory: The Arcimboldo of the Italian Design Factories by Marti Guixe

Yii: Crafts and Design from Taiwan: Explosion by Camo Lin, made with bamboo, cold cathode light kit, glass tube, cast aluminum, and plastic.

Yii: Crafts and Design from Taiwan: Exhibition designers' Nendo suspended inflatable tubes around each platform.

The first piece of the MINI La Strada exhibit, "You" outside the Triennale visitors were invited to leave messages on it.

MILAN 2011

The Trennale Design Museum hosted numerous exhibitions during Milan's design week including The Dream Factory, Yii: Crafts and Design from Taiwan, infinite innovation: a multisensorial enviroment of 3M technologies for Ambient Culture, and the installation MINI La Strada.

It's times like these I wish I lived in Europe. I would have loved to have seen this exhibit. It seems very different from the exhibits we hold here in the US.

The Valorised Designer

Because of the development of technology in the past couple of decades, designers now create and research everything by using the computer. The division between academic and creative work has pretty much disappeared, which has led to discussions and models based on how designers of today define the relationship between practical and theoretical work within their practice.

Whiteley continues on by discussing two models: the collapse model and the continuum model. The collapse model is the distinction between theory and practice, and how it collapsed and they now go hand in hand. The continuum model is the theory and practice exist on the same spectrum. They overlap in the middle, but exist separately on either end of the spectrum.

Then Whiteley describes five educational models that he himself observed over the years as an educator. The first is the formalised designer and in this model the academic study is considered to be a distraction from designing. The second is the theorised designer, which is "no distinction is made between those studying cultural theory degrees and the design students." The next is the politicised designer, which is the model has developed from Russian Constructivism and Productivism. It holds a black versus white perspective. The fourth designer is the consumerised designer, the primary concern in this model is to prepare students to work in a business or industry and to develop important skills and ignore the role of a designer as someone who is influential over environment, social , moral or personal influences. The final designer is the technologised designer, which relates to the development of technology and it assumes that "the most up-to-date technology must, by definition, offer a better or more relevant solution than its predecessors."

The valorised designer, Whiteley adds, are the "independently-minded, creative, constructive designers who are not just 'capitalist lackeys', ideologues, or 'technical whiz-kids'. but who bring understanding, flair, sensitivity and a social conscience to their task… the academy's responsibility is to society as a whole, not just the company who directly employs the designer."

In the end Whiteley states that "the new academy of the twenty first century must ensure that design students receive a true education, and not a narrow training…" In saying so, he believes design students should have a more than just a broad and general education. They should explore all fields of design, which in the end would help them decide what field they would be better off with.

New Toys

Amazing Sculpted Toys

"New Toys for Melancholics" is a solo show by "Pop Surrealist sculptor and philosopher" Gabriels. These toys are made from "polished hand-crafted bronze, life-like glass eyes, and scores of tiny internal intricate elements and organs." The opening is May 6th at the Toy Art Gallery in Los Angeles.

Gabriels stated, "Let it be clear: these are not sculptures, but toys and more precisely prototypes of Toys for Melancholics. They aspire to the industrial production on a large scale and to the indefinite propagation, in proportion to the planetary diffusion of the anguishastic-desperative Weltanschauung and of the consequent -- very legitimate, although not absolutely incontrovertible -- propensity to suicideness. In this sense, our Toys for Melancholics scrupulously respect all the standards of global melancholy quality in a petrified primeval landscape, addressing courageously to a public of adults, kiddies and lithopaedia."

I found this collection to be interesting. It looks like the art pieces could pass as home decor or even they could be minimized to be for worn as women's jewelry.

Metal Gate Makeover

A computer rending of the worms

Mary Heilmann

Jacqueline Humphries

New York Times Article

Metal gate makeovers will take place only at night in the "After Hours: Murals on the Bowery." This will coincide with "Festivals of Ideas for NYC." This festival will be held this Wednesday in NYC where artists from all different medias could show their work in what is called a "StreetFest." It is approximately two and a half days of workshops with speeches followed on Saturday and Sunday. It takes place along Bowery Street and in Sara D. Roosevelt Park by Chrystie Street.

The tents that the vendors will be under are also going to be a part of the art, artists are from the New Museum and the city Transportation Department and the Storefront for Art and Architecture competed to design tents. The winner designed "slinky-like structures" that resembled worms. The sections were 20 ft long. There were eight worms and they were raspberry and cyan colored. These will be set up along Bowery during the StreetFest between Prince and Rivington Streets. Inside the tents or worms will be 10 booths, such as the Hot Bread Kitchen booth.

The idea for the ideas festival began in 2008 when the New Museum was moving into their new building. "The festival 'seemed like it was something that was missing' from the city, said Lisa Phillips, the Toby Devan Lewis director of the New Museum" (New York Times).

"The idea for 'After Hours,' with the painted roll-down gates on the storefronts, came to mind as Ms. Phillips talked with Ms. Remen and Yvonne Force Villareal of the Art Production Fund, whose mission includes expanding public participation in art. 'The street has a different life when the stores are closed,' Ms. Force Villareal said, 'but how do you bring artists into the public realm?'" (New York Times)

I was intrigued by this article because I think it's a great idea in getting artists of different medias to come together and create artistic neighborhoods. It is also a collaboration of street art and street fairs.

Skeletal Jewelry

BoingBoing.com

Etsy.com

Joyeria Osea by Sofia Sanchez is sold on the Etsy store website. This Argentine jeweler sells fingerbone rings, sternum necklaces, and bone cufflinks. The prices of her unique collection of "anatomical pieces" ranges from 80 to 345 US dollars. The pieces are Bronze Silver Plated. Even though this isn't the most desired materialistic item in the fashion world at the moment, it's still interesting how people are coming up with different ideas for jewelry and clothing.

We should care about a species extinction.

CWA (Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder) asks "Why should you care about species extinction?" CWA brought a conference together of all different people in our society to ask this important question. The conferences held by CWA are free and open to the public. Lately, there has been word that a lot of coral reef have been dying. Coral reef may not seem like they play an important role in the aquatic life, but they do.

Peter Hildbrande (an atmospheric scientist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center) states that, "Coral reefs supply a lot of the basis of the food chain in the ocean. If we wreck up the climate, then we change concentrations of carbon dioxide in the air, which means we're changing the pH levels in the water, and that chemical change damages the shells in the coral. As coral die, that damage has effects right up the food chain to the large fish that we eat."

If one food source is taken away from another source then that species will become extinct and it will affect the fish that we consume. Sooner or later this drastic change will affect us negatively and we will be the main cause for the destruction of aquatic life and later on, other species.

Business Cards

Layout:

• 8 Cards (per sheet) for this one, 10
• File new, letter size
• Half inch on each side, 3/4 inch on the top and bottom (guides from ruler)
• 2 inches down from the top guideline

Sidewalk Chalk? It's Illegal in Australia!

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kids-sidewalk-chalki.html

I read an article about the banning of sidewalk chalk in a cafe in Nunawading, Australia. After I read this I laughed because it's just ridiculous. If a parent is worried about their kid accidentally stumbling into traffic isn't it the parent's fault for not watching their child? To me, this is just a naive and unfair ban. This better not influence the U.S. to do the same because I would fight for kid's benefit.

Goals, Aspirations and Wants

Be a Fashion Photographer
Have a variety of Cameras
Work for Christian Louboutin Shoes
Work for Cosmopolitan
Work for Vogue
Work for W Magazine
Work for Chanel
Work for Seventeen
Have a home by a park so I can always watch Summer turn to Fall in the trees
Go far with coaching in Rowing

Second Interview

Name: Troy Smith

Troy was my coach for four years while I was with Sagamore Rowing Association. He is still coaching in Oyster Bay, NY. He is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. His first job was as a local paper boy. He went to the University of Nebraska where he majored in Fine Arts. I asked him a bunch of random questions to see what sort of answers I would get. So I asked him what his childhood dream was and he responded "to design video games." When he was little he was really into PacMan and Dig Dug, which is where his inspiration came from. He told me that his favorite memory was when he travelled through Turkey for 3 months. He said he enjoyed meeting up with old friends and learning about a different culture and trying to pick up the language. I asked him what are some of his interests and he said woodwork and his dogs. He has two dogs. He said he loves the two shows, Spartacus and Breaking Bad. He told me his favorite movie is "Shawshank Redemption." I figured he would pick a movie I had never heard of. His favorite quote is, "Never expect to find anything, if you haven't lost something." I'm not sure who said that, but i'm guessing he made it up. Troy is also living with his girlfriend, Debbie and their daughter Rose on Long Island.

March 10, 2011

Illustrator-
Creating a Personal Logo:

File: New (Letter Size)
File: Place (Image)
Select Pen Tool
Set Stroke and Fill
- No fill
- Stroke = Black
Using the Pen tool draw what you want out of your original picture
Click the picture, then click delete. This will create a black outline of what you mapped out
Select figure, then click Fill box (Black)
Effects: Stylize - Round Corners ( .139 suggested number)

State of the Art on Exhibition Design

Exhibition design is crucial for the artist in how they present their latest work. If the exhibition set design isn't appealing it won't grab the attention of the art goers. Top museums like the MoMA and Metropolitan believe that the artist's work cannot be presented without a planned design and setup. Each exhibition carries a certain flow from one piece to another, which is what gives the pieces exhibited a much better status. The MoMA recently had one of Andy Warhol’s exhibits displayed. It was his Pop Art collection of work and he had a more private exhibit held on the 6th floor. It was his film of a long and passionate kiss. You walk up and you enter down this long dark hallway and you enter the room where the film is played and it is projected on a big white wall. The way the hallway led up to the film helped to make the piece even more exciting to witness, which is why the art of set design and display are so important.

Dah! Excitement!

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/03/08/hacking-an-old-lens.html

This made me extremely excited because they have found a new attachment for past photography methods that is made of plastic that can be used with a new camera. This makes me happy because now I can explore all the different kinds of methods there are without being constricted to the newer methods and techniques!

First Interview:
Name: Amanda Kane
Age: 19

She is currently a student at Long Island University studying to be an English teacher. She's a very sweet person and one of the most polite people I have ever met. She lives with her parents, Barbara (Bobby) and Cliff, her fiance, Matt, and their new baby, Jett. She hopes to teach English at a local High School near Oyster Bay. Amanda was a US Rowing Champion for Sagamore Rowing Association in High School.

Tweet Tweets

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Laptop....MEET MY FACE!
12 hours ago

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Jennifer Rubell is AWESOME. New Idol. I can't remember if she was the artist we discussed in my Art History class last semester.
12 hours ago

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Two cars dove in front of me today, my classes dragged extremely long, I'm exhausted and my feet are sore (stupid shoes). It was a good day?
12 hours ago

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Spending the weekend with my sister, Jess, her husband, Tony and the BAMBINI, Rocky <3
20 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
I want to carry my suitcase, not be shoved in one.. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/nyregion/20suitcase.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
20 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Putting a gun to better use rather than for violence. http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/walton_creels_pop-pop-pop_art_18547.asp
12 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
It's funny how people will make the weirdest accusations for things they cannot explain.
12 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
It's so cold I think I'll wear 10 layers of sweats today. Sounds like a plan, Stan.
10 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Yesterday I had three encounters with people who were flat out rude..
10 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
I keep forgetting about Twitter. I'm not a big fan of "tweeting."
6 Feb

stephanieols Stephanie Anne
Today was the first day of my Computer Graphics class. It went well, but I'm nervous about one of the projects.
1 Feb

Seriously?!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/02/28/technology-3d-printers.html

When I first saw this, I honestly didn't see the spaceship right away. I stood back and thought, "This has to be a joke." I don't really see the art in practically playing with your food like that. When we grow up we're constantly yelled at for making waffle houses out of our breakfast or pushing our food around until it's mushy and looks like it was regurgitated. It's a different thing if you use food like Jennifer Rubell. She uses art in a unique way where she takes large amounts of different kinds of food and uses it with a fun and interesting twist. In one of her exhibitions she made an entire room out of pink cotton candy.

Well I Won't Be Taking Any Trips to Harlem Anytime Soon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/nyregion/20suitcase.html?_r=1

This is definitely another reason why I'm paranoid and don't want to do that project for this class where we have to meet new people. I want to carry my suitcase when I go on a trip....not be in one.

The victim was Betty Willams, 28. Williams was a "strung-out prostitute" who had been to Rikers Island, a prison in NYC, several times. Hassan Malik, her murderer, is a 55 year old Navy Veteran with a long criminal history. Williams went by the name of Jackie.

Williams was a crack addict and had been renting a place from Malik to use for sex. One night Williams brought a drug dealer back to her apartment to buy drugs after he left she took a hit to get high, whereas Malik had taken Seroquel, a sedative and had fallen asleep.

When he woke up he found Williams over him hitting him with the iron bottom end of a frying pan. She was screaming "Where's my money at?" and threatened to have him killed. Malik took the frying pan away from Williams and hit her over the head twice. She continued to fight him and she grabbed a wire from his VCR and wound it around his neck, but again he grabbed it away from her and used it against her, choking her with it, killing her.

After that he called a friend to come to help him hide the evidence. They put her body in a black garbage bag and shoved her body into a suitcase. He wheeled the suitcase out of his building at 11:30 PM on Dec. 21. He walked the suitcase up First Avenue and down 114th St and then decided to leave it by some garbage cans. A few moments later a homeless man found the suitcase with a leg popping out, he then called the police.

It kills me to live in world where horrible things like this happen. I can't understand why anyone would kill another and have no guilt.

Let Me Crochet You a Necklace?

I found this interesting European Artist, Julianata, that crochets jewelry. Some of the designs are a little out there, but the pieces I posted are something I would actually wear.

I think her thought process behind making jewelry out of yarn is because women today wear scarves as a fashion statement. Most women when they leave their place to go to casual event they leave the jewelry at home and instead wear a knit scarf.

Pop Art....Literally.

Walton Creel's Pop-Pop-Pop Art

Even though I probably wouldn't see an Art Showing of this type of art, I respect the meaning behind Creel's work. Creel states, "My main goal was to take the destructive power away from the gun. To manipulate the gun into a tool of creation and use it in a way that removed it from its original purpose..." Other artists have used guns in their work in other ways besides hunting. They have melted guns and shaped them differently or have taken photos using high speed film to capture a bullet in action hitting its target. When Creel first started using a gun in his work he wasn't sure what direction to take, but he knew he wanted to "deweaponize" the gun. The artist uses aluminum instead of canvas because the canvas would be too stressed with the amount of bullets he would shoot through it. He also paints the aluminum before shooting because when the gun fires it knocks off a little paint around the bullet holes, which adds something to each piece.

Lost Technology Through the Ages?

How Were The Egyptian Pyramids Built?

I know this wasn't one of the sites we were supposed to visit, but I found this article really interesting. I've always found Ancient Egypt to be fascinating ever since I was a kid. This morning, my sister, Jackie said she had watched the movie, "The Fourth Kind," which is about, as IMDB describes, "An ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up." She said after she was scarred by the movie she stayed up until 4 am. watching a scifi show about the Wonders of the World. The show explored the suspicions of how they came to be. She continued to say that they were created by Aliens. I thought that was crazy because that would mean that Pyramids were created by aliens and not Egyptians, which I didn't believe to be true. I researched it and I found a few articles, but this one stood out to me because it stated how scientists found pyramids to be built and how it has been proven in some ways. I learned that 20,000 to 30,000 workers were paid in tax breaks to build the pyramids and statues of the pharaohs we see in Egypt today. Some were suspicious because The Notre Dame Cathedral took almost 200 years to construct. Whereas the pyramids were to take no longer than 23 years to build, which some believed to be impossible.

Photoshop

February 3, 2011

In photoshop we learned how to crop our pictures to a specific size.

We also learned the terminology for the light areas and dark areas of a photo. The light areas are highlights and the dark areas are shadows. We briefly discussed how to change the lightness and darkness in a photo and how to use curves.

We also discussed how to speak while presenting. The presenter should engage their audience by using eye contact, speaking in an upbeat and enthusiastic tone, asking their audience if they have any questions or would like to comment, and the presenter should not look at the powerpoint presentation if they have one projected.

I am mostly looking forward to working with photoshop. I have used photoshop before for photography projects outside of school. I have it on my laptop, so I am familiar with what we did today.

I added the picture above because I thought it was funny. =)

Mubarak Speaks

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/01/egypt-mubarak-speaks.html

I read this short post on boingboing.com and it was about the massive protests in Egypt and Egypt's president Hosni Mobarak. He announced that he will not be running for president after 30 years. Egyptians were happy that his 30 year run was finally over, but they do not want him to remain in the country. Protestors said they will continue to protest unless Mobarak flees. Mobarak stated that he will not leave and he will remain in Egypt until he dies. On the news, he apparently said he wanted his son to run, but our president, Obama sent word to Mobarak that his son should not run because Egyptians are unhappy with the direction Egypt has been going in. I'm honestly angry about all of this because Americans who were currently in Egypt were rushed out of Cairo's airport and Obama advises that he does not want anyone traveling to or through Egypt at this time. I have been planning on going to Egypt since I was a kid for my 21st birthday and I have a strong feeling that these political and social problems will not be resolved by the time my birthday comes next winter.