Motoi Yamamoto uses more than a tonne of salt to create exquisitely detailed mazes. These 'sculptures', akin to sand painting, creep through existing spaces, invading, flaunting the nature of salt itself. In a Co.Design article, it was reported that one of these pieces in Cologne were deconstructed by its viewers and they were allowed to redistribute the salt to where ever they wanted, be it sea or soil, to 'contribute to new life'. Interestingly, a comment points out that salting the soil was a cruel form of ancient warfare; salted soil allows nothing to grow as experienced by areas with soil salinisation. What is this bitter twist at the end of this elegance? Salt versus sugar? These works are not solely visual, but on a sensory level, the sheer presence of salt adds a gustatory influence - that salt can sting the tongue.
Blog community projects are increasingly popular and the anonymity of the net is harbouring the voices of thousands. The Postsecret community is a project of epic, international proportions where anyone can send in their deepest secrets written on self-designed postcards. Often the ones featured are witty manifestations of an individual's darkest, most unspeakable secret.
PostSecret has surely become the much needed sounding board for many and in a fairly creative way. Although text and image are designed, many aren't pretty and graphic design works. Most are jarring to the eye and collide, squeezing vivid text amongst a forceful image. Each make a strong statement, as strong as the person who expels the secret.
Aelita Andre has somehow made it to international fame as the youngest of 'great' painters, an abstract expressionist no less. But sorry, wasn't the abstract expressionist ideology so mid 1900s? Why the rebirth? Why a child?
I do have suspicions that hype and some incredibly PR savvy supporters (ie parents) behind the girl made this happen. I do think she is having the time of her life and a fun one at that despite her life not yet really having begun. But listening to the critics and analysts harking on about how she is a natural, that something within her is creating these 'consistent' works, the freedom of expression that lies stagnant within our own age of art. Come on.
Although Aelita does not know it, the style of work that she plays with does indeed have a history, even if she doesn't know about it (which the critics continue to marvel at). Did not Jean Dubuffet and the Art Brut movement crave the blank slate innocence of a child's mind and created art in an attempt to simulate the 'purity', the rawness of being truly free creativity? Well here we have a child, who is painting away happily, four years of age with little direction except a vast amount of prodding encouragement and all the art supplies one could ever dream of! Look at her studio space; that which no other child would be allowed. Is this freedom or molding?
Some of the comments on her art talked of purity, a clarity of thought in contrast to Pollock's murky fields. Everything is a spur of the moment alas justified by this 'consistency' in her oeuvre. One may think that she achieves what no adult artist could (leave alone the fallen wings approach of the Art Brut practitioners). She is influenced though. By the sheer resource that is given to her and the pickled fame that has been introduced by some ambitious art worldian, she has joined the leagues of the controlled. In the video you hear her say: "Welcome to MY space", sounding like some worldly architect. Aelita has already become part of the art gallery institution (her New York debut was last weekend). Innocence is being robbed of her.
So is this going to turn to mush, cheekily I might add, like her paintings? We have to keep in mind that although she is here, in this labelled prodigy status, Aelita can inspire us with her not-a-care-in-the-world fun art experience. Let's not allow the thousands of dollars get in the way of that.
Lunch at Vue, top of Mercure Hotel, Customs Street East, Auckland. It had some wonderful service, although expected of a place like this, especially since there weren't that many patrons during high lunchtime. Nice light lunches without being skimpy - the food itself was quite regular (wish it had some more X-factor). A wonderful view if you sit in the right place (sea view is great minus the extreme winter sun. A good range of seating caters for all sorts of occasions. Also connected to a great lounge/bar area. Can't wait to try it for dinner!
In talking to others about the various disasters, I stumbled across what I think is a really strange gut reflex. These people, who weren't directly affected by the disaster, said that not only did they feel sorry for the people in disaster zones, but they felt remorse that they were fine whilst others were in torment, trauma and struggle.
Snap out of it. If you're one of those people, there is no reason to feel that way, when you are basically empowered to help those in the midst of tragedy. They are random events, freak moments of nature and everyone has to do their best with the circumstance that is presented at their doorstep.
Yuka Murai recently wrote an article about the fashion scene in Tokyo. In Japan, a custom called jishuku after a disaster entails that a solemn practice of common empathy is observed - those who did not undergo the trauma should suffer with the people affected. The fashion industry, a rather flamboyant discipline, was naturally expected to tone down during this period of shared mourning, however, there were certain creatives that believed in the rejuvenating power of creativity and continued practice after such catastrophic events. Yasutoshi Ezumi (pictured design), Fernanda Yamamoto and Van Hongo all stepped up against tradition to keep the dialogue of fashion alive in the strange stagnancy that threatens shocked societies.
This goes to show architecture is not the only creative practice worth endeavouring in the recovery phase - people crave normalcy and an effort to work and help those in worse off situations is infinitely more effective than shutting down completely. Creative vibe can also boost the morale of those having to live through post-disaster recovery such as grassroots movements like Gapfiller. Forging a new spatial identity instead of lingering on the lost, the gaps and the perished enables the right way forward to reveal itself - it is recovery, there is potential, but everyone has to strive forward to achieve it.
Motoi Yamamoto uses more than a tonne of salt to create exquisitely detailed mazes. These 'sculptures', akin to sand painting, creep through existing spaces, invading, flaunting the nature of salt itself. In a Co.Design article, it was reported that one of these pieces in Cologne were deconstructed by its viewers and they were allowed to redistribute the salt to where ever they wanted, be it sea or soil, to 'contribute to new life'. Interestingly, a comment points out that salting the soil was a cruel form of ancient warfare; salted soil allows nothing to grow as experienced by areas with soil salinisation. What is this bitter twist at the end of this elegance? Salt versus sugar? These works are not solely visual, but on a sensory level, the sheer presence of salt adds a gustatory influence - that salt can sting the tongue.
Lunch at Vue, top of Mercure Hotel, Customs Street East, Auckland. It had some wonderful service, although expected of a place like this, especially since there weren't that many patrons during high lunchtime. Nice light lunches without being skimpy - the food itself was quite regular (wish it had some more X-factor). A wonderful view if you sit in the right place (sea view is great minus the extreme winter sun. A good range of seating caters for all sorts of occasions. Also connected to a great lounge/bar area. Can't wait to try it for dinner!
