Archive for August, 2015
Aug31
Echigo Tsumari festival dots countryside with art
2015 at 01:15 pm by admin | Comments Off
The sixth annual edition of the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan has drawn international attention since its opening on July 26th, decorating the Niigata highlands with a wide variety of artwork and installation pieces. The Triennale is designed to be a return to the rural art festival, shunning glorified urban art exhibitions in order to reintroduce visitors to art in the environment. This year’s Triennale is bigger than ever, boasting 380 works from 350 different artists from all over the world, including new works from artists like Yayoi Kusama, Cai Guo-Qiang, Paola Pivi, Annette Messager, Shilpa Gupta, Tadashi Kawamata, Lee Bul, Shinji Ohmaki, Navin Rawanchaikul, and Noe Aoki.
The works on display range from huge installation pieces to transformed barns, decorated train cabs, found art, optical illusions, and more. Along the way, visitors are encouraged to visit local cafés and enjoy the rural Niigata environments and atmosphere. Since its founding in 2000, the exhibit has been a huge inspiration for artists across the globe, and has spawned similar art movements in China and Thailand. The Trienalle will be closing on September 13th, 2015, so give it a look before it closes up for the year, or check out the event’s official website here!
Aug27
Build real architecture with EverBlock life-size bricks
2015 at 12:59 pm by admin | Comments Off
EverBlock Systems has taken the fun of miniature building bricks to a whole new level with their line of new EverBlock modular bricks! These large-scale bricks, made to resemble popular children’s building bricks like LEGO and Mega Bloks, offer an easy to use, quick alternative for temporary and modular architecture, and can be used for a variety of purposes, just like their classic tiny counterparts.
Coming in a variety of colors and sizes up to 12″ long, the EverBlocks can be used to make tables, shelves, bookcases, walls, displays, and even entire buildings! This is made possible through the EverBlock’s construction, which also come with connector clips, reinforcement rods, metal baseplates, and channels to allow power cables and LED strips to run through the structures. There are even plans for the future of EverBlock, including the use of modular windows and doors to expand the versatility of the blocks.
Aug27
Artist fills Covent Garden with balloon clouds
2015 at 10:26 am by admin | Comments Off
Charles Pétillon, French fashion designer and installation artist, has brought his balloon art to the public for the very first time with his new cloud-themed installation piece! Titled “Heartbeat”, this giant expanse of white balloons has taken over the Covent Garden market building in London, England, and includes over 100,000 individual balloons! These balloons come together to form a weaving cloud form that hands over visitors’ heads as they shop and relax, and are illuminated from the inside to create a vivid display for spectators.
The piece itself reaches over 54 meters, or 177 feet, in length, and will be on display until September 27th. Alongside the installation of “Heartbeat”, Pétillon also has a separate pop-up gallery near the Covent Garden which showcases his other work. These displays are set up in anticipation for the London Design Festival, which will open from September 19th to the 27th, making London a prime spot to see some awesome art in the coming months!
Aug25
MIT unveils revolutionary 10-material 3D printer
2015 at 10:53 am by admin | Comments Off
In a first for the still-growing world of 3D printing, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have unveiled their newest 3D printer, capable of printing with 10 separate materials at once! The new MultiFab printer takes advantage of a new photopolymer mixing system and fine printheads in order to accomplish this feat, giving the printer a huge range of versatility and possibilities that did not exist previously in modern 3D printers. The printer is also able to 3D-scan objects and then print around them, enabling the printer to quickly and accurate create solid cases and designs around pre-existing objects! On top of that, the printer is extremely affordable, coming in at only $7,000 as opposed to the $250,000 asking price for similar multi-material industrial printers. MIT scientists hope that their new printer will one day lead to an easy-to-use, practical solution for customers who wish to create complex 3D-printed designs at reasonable prices. Until then, check out the video below to see the MultiFab in action!
Aug25
KAWS collaboration exhibit coming to New Orleans
2015 at 10:44 am by admin | Comments Off
KAWS, internationally acclaimed artist and designer, will be bringing his artwork to the Newcomb Art Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana this September, but he won’t be alone! The new exhibit, titled “A Shared Space”, will feature works from KAWS himself alongside worked from artists Karl Wirsum and Tomoo Gokita, both of whom have served as inspirations for KAWS. The exhibit will be adorned by KAWS’ 16′ Companion statue, and feature 17 works from KAWS, as well as 26 pieces from Wirsum and 9 from Gokita, all of which are from KAWS’ personal art collection. The exhibit will be open from September 9th, which will also host a live artist talk with KAWS on the opening day, to January 3rd, 2016, giving fans plenty of time to go check out his art collection. Be sure to check it out this September!
Aug18
Tim Biskup to host exhibit in Hong Kong
2015 at 12:49 pm by admin | Comments Off
Tim Biskup, internationally renowned artist known for both his painting and vinyl figure artwork, will be opening his first ever exhibition in Hong Kong later this month! The new exhibit will be titled “Space Madness”, and will feature a slew of brand-new works by Biskup, as well as a variety of his older work to debut in Hong Kong for the very first time. The exhibit will be located at the Kong Art Space gallery in central Hong Kong, and will open its doors from August 27th to September 27th. Check out some of the previews for his new pieces here, and make sure to keep your eyes open for when the gallery opens later this month!
Aug18
Hand-carved art wheel debuts in Times Square
2015 at 11:10 am by admin | Comments Off
Artist and sculptor team FAILE has just introduced his art to the bustling crowds of New York City with their newest installation piece, “Wishing on You”! FAILE, which is a team comprised of artist duo Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller, opened their installation up at Times Square in New York City earlier this week, which re-imagines Asian-stlyed prayer wheels to match the giant city’s diverse history and cultures. The piece is made to be an interactive work, in which visitors are encouraged to spin the hand-carved wheel in order to power up the sculpture, illuminating LEDs and other gimmicks throughout the statue. The piece was created in partnership with Times Square Arts, and will remain on display until September 1st. The unveiling of “Wishing on You” also coincides with FAILE’s art exhibition at the Brooklyn Art Museum, titled “FAILE: Savage/Sacred Young Minds”, which will be open to visitors until October 4th. Be sure to check out all of FAILE’s art if you’re in the area!
Aug11
3Dvarius produces functional 3D-printed violin
2015 at 11:21 am by admin | Comments Off
French company 3Dvarius has worked together with musician, artist, and violinist Laurent Bernadac in order to create a brand-new functional 3D-printed violin! This new piece, which is printed as a single large part, is designed to be affordable, lightweight, and easy to use, thanks to a in-depth research process into the 3D-printed material and how pressure from the strings and use affect the plastic product. The end result is a fully functional electric violin that sounds as beautiful as it looks! This new violin shows the wide variety of uses for 3D printing that have to be explored, and will hopefully lead to more new and exciting uses in the years to come!
Aug11
Beach Bot draws Walt Disney portrait in sand
2015 at 10:58 am by admin | Comments Off
Science and robotics team ETH Zurich debuted its Beach Bot robot last December, which is capable of transforming any imported artwork or line art design into a large-scale pattern which it then scars into sand using a rear-mounted rake. After making sand art across the world over the past few months, ETH Zurich have collaborated with Disney Research in order to bring Disney’s iconic pioneer, Walt Disney, to life in sand art form! The Beach Bot created its latest work of art at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, even mimicking Walt’s signature in the sand below the portrait! Visitors to Disney World can check out this robotic masterpiece for themselves, and can be sure to see more Beach Bot artwork pop up worldwide in the future!