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James Casebere's photography possesses the poignant touch of a good installation; a window into a strange parallel world. Think of his works has snapshots of the wider enclosure. A stage set for ephemeral phenomena. A flooded state of dawn. Dim, unblemished ruins.

A brief study from my journal.

What do these images make us think of? Strangely the images can be so spatially informative that they could almost be a part of some architectural design process. The processes you see today are increasingly analytical: diagrams, iterations, graphing, generation. When was the last time you saw a diagram of dots, lines and colour coding that made you gasp for breath and whisper simply, "this is beautiful!"

Contribute2

New contributors on Creative Collision

Welcome to Adrian K and rawrs who've just come on board the Creative Collision blog. Their input will add some substance to the team we already have and, as every creative mind is so complexly unique, we should see some more range in our commentary and exploration.

Adrian K

An expert in utilising the computer in creative practice, I see Adrian adding a lot of what I can't add - practical experience using the computer as a fluent and dynamic tool. He is also a big fan of metal rock music.

rawrs

A sensitive and artistic creative practitioner which results in tendrils of far reaching influence, however big or small. At least that is the way I see her practice. She is also obsessed with eating, yet maintains an A+ figure.

Cheers to you guys,

Bobby Shen

Yearning

@mikefinch09

RT @sherlyholmes:

Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.

-Frank Gehry

Digitals

Adrian K

CGI has many uses, but what is interesting is how the functions vary.
Breakthroughs in computers and technology have lead to advances in photorealism - such as architectural renders, as well as advances in software and fabrication.

Generative works - such as those of Daniel Piker, advance architecture, in my opinion, as a science: the creation of mathematical forms and software to aid in design and fabrication of a product.

Points, lines, circles etc from Daniel Piker on Vimeo.

On the other hand, there are those who render images through 3d software such as 3ds Max to use CGI less like a scientist and more like an artist - a procedure illustrated very well recently by Alex Roman.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Explore

A new section to Creative Collision - creative travel. To wander and seek those moments of creative inspiration, or someone else's. Attention to detail and an instant of composition is all that is needed. The bigger picture, or the tiniest object it doesn't matter. Intrigue matters.

I decided it is a very valuable section to have around, especially since I plan on travelling a lot in the next few years. This year I'm going to Shanghai, next year probably Japan. It looks like I need to get out of the Asian countries...

All photos were taken on my mobile phone - these are three selected from the lot taken at Wellington in my recent trip there.

Wind

I'm in Wellington at the moment, tomorrow I will slowly work my way through the galleries - the main ones like Te Papa and the City Art Gallery (which was closed the last time I was here). I wish I could find some more but it isn't that easy... I've walked around quite a bit too.

Today I happened across a garage sale in a rather secluded alleyway. Lots to buy but I settled on a very old notebook. Perfect for a travel diary. Also, I think authentically aged items are much under-appreciated. With conservation work, it is the most important thing and I especially like it when older elements are designed in with the new in a wholesome and sensitive manner.

Will do a post on the creative capital soon enough, when I return to Auckland. This trip has past as fast as their famous winds.

Ghost

When caught at the right angle, the World Trade Centre appears to disintegrate to the sky behind. So the io9.com blog dubbed it the "ghost skyscraper". Ghostly architecture reminds me of one of my favourite photographers which I will definitely write about some other time - James Casebere. Photo taken by New York Times' David W. Dunlap.

Sun

The field of science offers an array of interesting images. Things we would never see, for instance minuscule microorganisms or unimaginably distant galaxies. Recently, with the NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, the sun in which we are so attached to has been put under scrutiny, and with that, a whole new way of seeing the sun.

To most of us, the sun appears as the morphing ball of light that allows us to live, grow and survive. It is also fundamental to how we create creatively - so much is visual because of its light, a culture. With new technology, science is seeing the sun in a whole new way. Fascinatingly, these images are quite a beautiful spectacle in its own right. I wouldn't mind having one of these framed to remind us of the sun's seed of light.

Guitar

I found two guitar photos in my collection (of creative goodness!). These two are in such a strong contrast even though they have that one common element of the guitar. The top is a photo of Heidi Klum for the Be An Angel photoshoot. The bottom one is a sensuously black image, by Obsidian-Fox, called JRock.

Virtual

Treehouse by Horia Dociu.

I came across this fascinating piece of Guild Wars computer art by Horia Dociu and so I visited his blog. It was just one cool thing after the other, from the posts, to the texture and simple layout. I looked through the whole long page's worth of content.


This isn't the first time I've been intrigued by computer art. Something about those Photoshoppy textures and dots give a whole new meaning to the graphics. Whereas video gaming splices you into virtual worlds, computer renderings and 'paintings' are a window into those worlds, fuelled by your imagination. Pictures like these are not merely thousands of words, they can initiate ideas, invoke the far reaches of the imagination - the only limit being you own mind.

Cell

Restoration of a monk's cell at the Monastery of St. Antony, south the Red Sea of Suez city, Egypt. The architectural value of this small and confined but sacred space is now restored and revealed for all to see.

From Art Daily.

Sail

Auckland, the City of Sails. Well at least we have something (although our marinas are fast becoming exclusive with hoards of en suite luxury boats). The canvas sail at the International Airport, that doesn't count.

Token gestures seem to be a theme in Auckland. Halfway down Queen Street there's a single sculpture with some Maori suggestions. It's an effort on the art side of things I guess, but much too stagnant. What does it do to the urban fabric? Nil. Does it affect the ebb and flow of the busy Aucklanders that stream through the footpath? No, it opts for withdrawing to the side, getting in no one's way, as if in shame.

Even the seating has a bit thought to it in Wellington CBD.

Wellington does many things to make their art interact with the city. The show always seems to take place in the centre of their large pedestrian walkways. Splashing bucket fountains, austere symbols strewn alongside the port, water features that encourage people to sit along the cascading waters - whether if it is "good art" is not the point. Having it there in an urban context makes all the difference to it's affect on the city environment.

Aotea Square, which is currently going through the long, painstaking elective surgery of planting a few more pohutakawas and a new concrete foundation, used to have some strange pieces. The middle of the square sported a weird water feature that resembled something alike to a block of bronze that wanted to be a defunct crystal. At the entrance of the square, there was a large Maori carving gateway. I can imagine one of those Japanese tourists seeing it and saying, "hey, its like a Shinto gate, but the NZ version." That effect is good! Let the mysteries of our little world make the world seem like a cooler place to explore. Let's ignore the Gucci and the (omg) Louis Vuitton handbag for $9999 and invest in some better public atmosphere.

View

City View by Kumi Yamashita

A stunning piece of installation work that I happened across on Twitter (via @bklynartprjct). To be frank, very little installation work moves me, but to think that this piece by Kumi Yamashita stands in Nanba Parks Tower, Osaka, makes me glad such a genre of art exists.

"Installation art describes an artistic genre of site-specific, three-dimensional works designed to transform the perception of a space." - Misty Belardo

In this elegant way - a play of light and shadow on the plane of the wall and transparent barricade - the 3D transformation almost takes on the qualities of an optical illusion. To me, this piece seems quite playful and I'd like to know what the artist's intention was with this piece. Puzzlement? A message? Or maybe the self expressive action of obsessing over every detail to ensure the piece comes off as a mystery?