12 February 2009

Inspired by TED: Three astonishing art shows in Long Beach

Across from the Long Beach Arena complex where TED2009 just finished up, a more local -- but no less ambitious -- cluster of art shows inspired by TED are running through March 14. Phantom Galleries LA, a project that helps artists mount gallery shows in empty storefronts, presents three shows and performances in Long Beach around TED: "Emergence Enchanted"; "Super Elastic"; and "Bluetooth's Castle."

At the intersection of art and science, communication and dreamscape, "Emergence Enchanted" collects the work of 20 artists -- painters, sculptors, animators, videographers -- who explore the edges of science and creativity in fresh ways. Daniel Marlos from What's That Bug contributes two glorious images of arachnids ... Lita Albuquerque shows a powerful video projection called BeeKeeper that harnesses new pixel-handling techniques to explode and coalesce a life-size image ... and an eerily wonderful video work from Semiconductor imagines the life of magnetic fields (see a still above). I interviewed co-curator Stephanie Allespach via email.

What was your brief to the participating artists in this show?

Krista Chael and I started to think about the numerous artists we knew who were working with new technologies in their art, as well as artists who were engaging with scientific thought and theories. These artists' practices are as diverse as the speakers at TED. Some work within political activism (Fallen Fruit), while others take a more sci-fi approach (Micol Hebron and Nora Jean Petersen). Then we have artist like Lita Albuquerque who work in collaboration with software engineers/biologist, as well as drawing attention to the plight of bees in BeeKeeper. We wanted to create a dialog from the various approaches and hoped that something larger than the sum of its parts could emerge.

So we called the artists about the show and everyone responded with an overwhelming YES! They are all big fans of TED and wanted to participate.

How many gallery spaces are involved?

We have two main gallery spaces, a performance space, and we have a fourth exterior rotunda space which will exhibit a site-specific installation. We also have six separate windows at another location within the mall, displaying photographs of Anne Hars' clover/Financial Times pots. So that would be five locations within the mall. We kind of took it over.

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Two more TED-inspired shows run concurrently through March 14 in Long Beach. "Super Elastic" brings together large-scale works from four Southern California artists who question how we see -- and how art helps us visualize the unseen forces of physics. As curator Timothy Nolan writes: "Although each artist is very literate in the history of pattern-based abstraction, conceptually and aesthetically, they are inspired by and draw liberally from an infinite pool of scientific inquiry." And the installation piece "Bluetooth's Castle," from the Long Beach media collective FLOOD, celebrates the deep connection between innovation and mystery through sound.

You can see images from the shows here -- including clips from opening-night performances by Cloud Eye Control, Anna Oxygen and Miwa Matreyek. And learn more about about Phantom Galleries LA -- you might remember them from their work with James Nachtwey's TED Prize wish.

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11 February 2009

New-school motivational posters

Inspired by today's archive talk from Milton Glaser, we share these fresh motivational posters from ReadyMade. Taking a cue from the poster art of the last Great Depression, the magazine asked five artists to make a simple image that would inspire us to do good things. You can view and download all five -- or get inspired to create your own.

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10 February 2009

MoMA Atlantic Pacific: Art on rails

New York's Museum of Modern Art takes over a subway station this month, papering Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street stop with 50 images of classic modern art from MoMA. They write:

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, walk through the station to see images of works by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Charles Eames, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, and many other great artists, filmmakers, and designers.

We love it because, first of all, some of us go through that station. And because to spend 30 days seeing so much art, on your way to somewhere else, might open your eyes and do something good to your soul, unveiling connections between you, the city and your own creative genius.

Photo: Jeff Baxter / MoMA

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15 October 2008

Sleep overnight at the Guggenheim

Your local science museum might offer a "Night at the Museum," where kids in sleeping bags cuddle up alongside the stuffed mammoth diorama. But at the Guggenheim in New York, an overnight at the museum becomes an act of performance art. A centerpiece of the show "theanyspacewhatever," opening next week, is Carsten Höller's Revolving Hotel Room, a hotel suite on four rotating platforms, smack in the middle of the museum. Make a reservation, show up in your pajamas if you like, and become art while you sleep. The show run October 25, 2008-January 6, 2009. Reservations: 212-360-4373.

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16 October 2007

The illustrated woman: Maira Kalman on TED.com

Author and illustrator Maira Kalman talks about her life and work -- from her New Yorker covers to her children's books to her newest book for grownups, The Principles of Uncertainty. And yes, in person, she is as wonderful, as wise, and as deliciously off-kilter as her work. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 17:42.)

Watch Maira Kalman's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Maira Kalman on TED.com.

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20 September 2007

Simply John Maeda, on TED.com

The MIT Media Lab's John Maeda lives at the intersection of technology and art -- a place that can get very complicated. Here, he talks about paring down to basics, and how he creates clean, elegant art, websites and web tools. In his book Laws of Simplicity, he offers 10 rules and 3 keys for simple living and working -- but in this talk, he boils it down to one simply delightful way to be. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 16:10.)

Watch John Maeda's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about John Maeda on TED.com.

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