More water art!

These waterfalls are up and running to be seen through October 13, 2008 in the city of New York. They are found around the edges of New York city and are part of a public art fund that promotes public installations for over 30 years.

The installation at the Brooklyn Bridge is turning out to be one of the more popular. For a quick video, click here.

I need time and money to visit all of these wonderful places!

2008 Zaragoza Expo

This is a giant sculpture found in Zaragoza, Spain for their 2008 Expo. This event runs through September 14, 2008 and focuses on the timely themes of water and sustainable development.

There are over 3,400 performances by 350 international troupes and talents ranging from Cirque de Soleil to Bob Dylan to Daniel Barenbosim. (Who?) 

But the signature edifice is the Water Tower. It houses two sculptures and has a cafe at the top of the 250 foot building. This image is of a splash of water is sculpture form. 

This sure makes me want to go visit and to climb the alphabet and the tower!

Weird Fruit

What do you do with a horn melon? Good question. What an odd looking fruit. I guess it is, since it has seeds.

Anyway, apparently it tastes like cucumber with hints of line and melon. Just look at it to see that that makes sense. Once you cut it, you scoop out the translucent green jelly-like flesh. It is ideal for sauces and vinaigrettes. 

A Garden View Like No Other!

Now here is a garden view that one has to be there to appreciate. This amazing structure is found in London at the Kew Gardens. It is 59 feet tall and 656 feet in length. 

It was designed by Marks Barfield Architects to show how the treetop walkway enables visitors to enter the canopy of sweet chestnuts, limes and deciduous oaks to see birds, insects, lichens and fungi rely upon them.

As well as getting close to the trees, the structure promises a bird's-eye view of the site and the London skyline, including the Gherkin building and Wembly Stadium. That is when the weather and leaves agree to share their views.

Kew Gardens, which covers some 326 acres of meticulously manicured lawns, flower beds, green house, and forest, attracts more than one million visitors a year. At $25.50 (American) that's quite a bountiful harvest!

Who Wants Chicken Feet? I do!

And just what are these? They look like chicken feet. Well, indeed they are. But they have another purpose too. 

They are candlesticks! If only I could afford them.... They are $395 for a pair.

I guess, there will be no chicken feet candlesticks in my vegetarian home.

More Latte art

Click on this link and watch a printer create an image in the foam of a latte. It takes about two minutes, but the end result is kind of fun!

Ann Arbor Summer Festival

It's that time of the year again! 

Ann Arbor comes alive at night for the 25th season of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival! 

Free music! Free movies! The outdoor festival begins June 13 th and ends on July 6th. The trend each year is to introduce free family friendly outdoor entertainment. This year Dream Engine is coming to enchant us all! They will be preforming outdoors June 25th through the 28th at evening performances. There are two shows one called Conedancers and the other is Heliosphere. It is sure to be a favorite among kids of all ages! 

Other options include bands and movies at dusk on the giant inflatable movie screen. There is also various performing artists playing in the Power Center which is adjacent to the festival location. The following link will connect you to all kinds of free and some paid options. Check it out!

And don't forget to support your local folks by purchasing food and beverages while at the festival. Don't forget that it is a"free" event, but it won't stay that way if you don't make donations and purchases. So, go have fun and keep this Ann Arbor treasure free!

Discovering Tin Tin!

I know it is difficult to see this painting well, but look close. It is a painting of one of my favorite childhood heroes... Tin Tin! His faithful dog, Snowy is prominently shown in the middle surrounded by other characters from the series. 

Tin Tin was created by Belgian artist, Herge. He developed the comic strip into a series of graphic novels long before the term was well known. Tin Tin is a young crime solver who went on wild adventures! He was a favorite of mine in sixth grade.

This painting is in a Mexican restaurant on Boston University's campus. When I asked why a Mexican restaurant had a Tin Tin picture, I was told it was left over from when it was a French restaurant. It was an oddity to discover and unfortunately (in my eyes), not well known (Tin Tin, not the restaurant which was mediocre at best). 

Boston's Food Project

On a recent trip to Boston, I visited the Food Project. It is an organization that teaches kids about making the connection of where food comes from and how it is grown and prepared. Kids who want to participate apply for the opportunity to learn how to plant and cultivate a garden. The photo here was taken in the heart of Boston. Each season 60 kids learn gardening techniques, leadership roles and teamwork skills. But it doesn't end at harvest. They also learn how to prepare the food and then offer it to the less fortunate and some of it is sold at the marketplace shown here. This is a highly competitive program that has been incredibly successful and rewarding. To learn more or to donate to the organization, click here.

Canstruction

These sculptures are part of an art competition that is held yearly and regionally called Canstruction. It was started as a foundation by the Society for Design Administration. 

The participants use canned food items to produce each sculpture. Once the judging and viewing are complete, the cans are donated to local food banks. Thus far this organization has donated over 10 million pounds of food to needy food banks that distribute the food to the emergency feeding programs, soup kitchens, the elderly and day care centers. 

This coming year there are around 100 different competitions scheduled in North America. Keep you eyes open for opportunities to compete and support this wonderful cause!

Green Roofs

Green roofs are all the rage currently. They promise to reduce your heating and cooling costs as well as prevent stormwater run off by using the water rather than putting it into the sewer systems. 

This picture is not the ideal image, but I liked the location of the roof. One could turn it into a vegetable or a flower garden. How convenient to access your roof for your dinner?! Or if it where a flower garden with tall plants what a view from the terrace below.

This use promises to be seen more and more as time goes by. I encourage all to view one for themselves if they have an opportunity!

The ever morphing rock sculpture

These rock and concrete sculptures are ever changing. Why? Because there is a war between the builder and the destroyer. 

They are just outside my office door and the builder recreates them after the destroyer tears them down. 

What on earth does the destroyer get out of this transaction? What does it say about a person who takes pleasure in demolishing the work of another? Sad commentary to be sure.

I'm keeping my eyes open to see who both of these folks are. A mystery to be solved! Stay tuned....

These pictures are NOT animated...

...your eyes are making them move. 

To test this, stare at one spot in each picture for a few seconds and everything will stop moving; or look at the black center of each circle in the first picture and it will stop moving; but when you move your eyes to the next black center, the previous one will move after you take you eyes away from it.

Kind of fun!

A different sort of "public art"

I received an email with pictures of these cats stating that people have paid up to $15,000 to have their cats "painted". A quick check at snopes and this is indeed an urban legend. (These are photoshopped pictures of cats). However, I have to admit, that they are pretty nicely done and although they aren't "public" since they can't move around to be seen. I figured what the heck, they are still nice to look at. My favorites are the fish (very nice) and Charlie (clever)!

milliner genius!

My love affair with hats is cemented every time I spot a Philip Treacy hat. He is one of the most unconventional hat makers I have ever seen. I was lucky enough to attend a show that Cranbrook Museum hosted in 2006. Once you get to know his work, it is readily identifiable. Some would call it crazy, but as with every brilliant artist, one should view a large portion of the work before you make hasty decisions about the work.

One of his more famous recent commissions was a hat for Camilla Parker Bowels for the recent royal wedding of Queen Elizabeth's grandson to a Canadian woman. Pictures of the wedding include photos of Camilla's hat as well as two young ladies with Philip Tracey hats. The butterflies version is shown here.

Hats are one of my favorite accessories! And Philip Treacy is a milliner genius!

Just what is Festifools?

This is a kitty puppet that was showcased at the Festifools 2008 parade in Ann Arbor. Festifools debuted on April Fools Day 2007 and in one short year has grown into a huge celebration of puppet creation for the public! This video shows clips from Millennium Park in Chicago and the second half is from Festifools 2008. For more on this event see the bottom of this blog.

Paintings by Lola

I found these while surfing the web. They have such a feeling of innocence and remind me of my early childhood when one could run out their back door and play for hours with the neighborhood kids. Time was easier then it seems. Life was slower and people were able to enjoy the little things, like wild life. My walks with my dog beget short interactions with bunnies and deers which remind me to slow down. Thanks Lola. I like your art.

Muffin Cars on the loose!

This photo shows an electric muffin vehicle. A what? Yep. A car shaped like a muffin!

It was originally introduced at the yearly Burning Man event in 2004. More recently it showed up at the third annual Maker Faire at the San Mateo Event Center and Expo center. Over 65,000 people came to the event that showcases a gathering of folks from all walks of life who blend science, technology, craft and art to make things goofy and grand. Sounds like an event after my heart!

The above link takes you to brief interviews with some of the items that were showcased, including the muffin maker who is listed in fourth position as Acme Muffineering. How can you resist?

Government sponsored art!

Who says the government doesn't sponsor art? Here is proof in the pudding!

The United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III Military Transport with the 14th Airlift Squadron located at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, files away after releasing flares over the Atlantic Ocean. Smoke from the flare reveals a crisp, dramatic, startling, and beautiful visual of the turbulent air - including two vortices's each with an "eye" - created by the plane as it flies through the air.

Pakistani Painted Truck Art

In Pakistan, art is not necessarily confined to galleries; it is

also found on the road. All around Pakistan you will find brightly colored and decorated trucks. They are covered with paintings, ornaments, reflectors, woodcarvings, and other decorations, which become the most recognizable features of the county. They are the world famous "art trucks". 

Almost every single truck in the country is it's own masterpiece. They provide a moving canvas for the artists, who express their feelings through the medium of art and splendor of colors. The cost for this transition to the truck owner can be as much as a third of the total truck cost. All across Pakistan, this folk art has turned village lanes, city streets and long-distance highways into a national gallery.

More latte art

Now how could I resist posting this? 

Creativity is everywhere! 

Orphan Works Bill

Orphan Works Bill

It started simple enough. This was a bill introduced to help libraries and museums preserve disintegrating works by duplication when the copyright owner can not be found. After years of bouncing around congress, it has become a monster. Currently, copyright is granted the moment a work is created. This new Orphan Works legislation proposes a change in U.S. copyright that would (indirectly) require artists, illustrators, photographers, and any creative individual to actively maintain and defend their copyright by registering each and every work with privatised registrars. Failure to do so would leave everything you've ever created as an artist up for grabs by anyone who wanted to copy, reproduce, create derivative works for, or flat out steal your work. This only hurts the little guy and the large corporations love it. Get informed! A great explanation can be found right here.

Easter Island Heads

I found these sculptures in the Nichols Arboretum in the spring of 2007. If you look closely you'll see that they are small heads fashioned after the mysterious stone carvings on Easter Island. This mystery has always been of interest to me, so you can imagine my delight to encounter these while walking one afternoon. I loved this piece so much that I wanted to make a flip book showing the approach to the sculptures while walking toward them. Unfortunately my camera broke after this photo was taken, so this will have to do in it's place. It's as close as I could get before it's demise.

I was never able to find out who made these delightful pieces. They remained in place for about two or three weeks and then disappeared. This is my personal thanks to the artist for sharing their vision with the rest of us.