Friday, November 15, 2013

Art Public in Collins Park, Art Basel Miami Beach

Art Basel Miami Beach issued a press release about Art Public today, describing over 30 large scale sculpture and installation pieces in tantalizing detail.  I will be there for opening December 4th, before heading over to the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater to catch Alabama Shakes.  Art Public is usually one of my favorite of the "sectors" put on by Art Basel Miami Beach.  It has to be viewed once during the day and then again at night to get the full experience.

For the full press release go here.  Some basic information follows:

Public Opening Night, which is free and open to the public, takes place in Collins Park on Wednesday, December 4, from 8.30pm to 10pm. The Public sector is also free of charge and open to the public from December 4 to December 8. Collins Park is located between 21st & 22nd Street, in close proximity of the exhibition halls within the Miami Beach Convention Center and adjacent to The Bass Museum of Art.

For myself, there are some really interesting sculptors and installation artists this year and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for Miami.

Ursula von Rydingsvard makes massive volumetric sculptures out of red cedar, where she stacks square cedar posts and then carves them into organic forms. She is 70 years old (!) and one of the few women in the world to work in wood on such a dramatic scale.  There is a very well done NPR piece about Ursula and her work here, which includes a taped interview and some great pictures, including the one below.
Luba, 2010. Cedar, graphite, bronze. 212" x 139" x 88"
From the press release it appears Jeppe Hein will do another version of Appearing Rooms!

Appearing Rooms, Southbank Centre, London from Wikipedia
Richard Long has decades of experience to draw upon to create something special for Art Basel.  Here's an example of his work below, but exploring his website gives the impression that most of his work appears as more of an ordered arrangement of naturally occurring elements.
Box Hill Road River, London 2012

And last but not least is possibly a soundtrack of sorts for the evening.  A new sound installation by Mungo Thomson will be created with four musicians playing different instruments – clarinet, flute, violin and percussion – will imitate the song of crickets.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Miami New Times Art Basel Miami Beach 2013 Fairs Guide

The Miami New Times just released the 2013 Fairs Guide!  There are so many this year that I know I won't get to every one, or even most of them, but with a little luck and a lot of coffee I will see enough to satisfy me.  Although Art Basel Miami Beach at the Convention Center is the grande dame, the smaller shows have much to offer and spread the excitement Basel generates all over the city.



Pulse at the Ice Palace is easily one of my favorites.  Part of it is just the building itself, part of it is the contemporary art, part of it is the location away from the crowded shows at the center of the Design District and Wynwood.

formlessfinder's Tent Pile for Design Miami/ 2013
Design Miami/ is absolutely my favorite each year and I am always impressed by the breadth of the show more than any other.  The intersection of utility and art is at the heart of my job as an architect, and Design Miami/ has its heart in the same place.  I am not sure about the sand pile that design duo formlessfinder has planned in the front this year, but I reserve judgement until I see it's execution.  I loved 2010's entrance by industrial designer Konstantin Grcic's installed seats made of netting suspended from a metal structure as a concept and it was even more impressive sitting inside on a net chair.
Their pavilion for this year’s fair, TENT PILE, will have a foundation of 500 tons of sand supporting a custom-milled aluminum cantilevered roof. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf
Their pavilion for this year’s fair, TENT PILE, will have a foundation of 500 tons of sand supporting a custom-milled aluminum cantilevered roof. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf
For Design Miami/ 2013, formlessfinder will fabricate a pavilion using a material near and dear to the residents and visitors of Miami: sand. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf
For Design Miami/ 2013, formlessfinder will fabricate a pavilion using a material near and dear to the residents and visitors of Miami: sand. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf
For Design Miami/ 2013, formlessfinder will fabricate a pavilion using a material near and dear to the residents and visitors of Miami: sand. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf
For Design Miami/ 2013, formlessfinder will fabricate a pavilion using a material near and dear to the residents and visitors of Miami: sand. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf
For Design Miami/ 2013, formlessfinder will fabricate a pavilion using a material near and dear to the residents and visitors of Miami: sand. - See more at: http://www.designmiami.com/designlog/miami-shows/formlessfinders-tent-pile-for-design-miami-2013/#sthash.BXl3CIcm.dpuf

Check back at the Miami New Times Guide as they will probably add more events once they are announced.  So far the listing includes:

Art Basel in Miami Beach. December 5 - 8. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach. $42 day ticket, $90 permanent pass; artbasel.com.
Art Miami.December 3 - 8. Midtown Miami, 3101 NE First Ave., Miami. Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. $35 one-day pass; art-miami.com.
ArtSpot Miami International Art Fair. December 4 - 8. Midtown Miami
, 3011 NE First Ave. at NE 30th St., Miami. Wednesday 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., Thursday noon - 8 p.m., Friday/Saturday noon - 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. $15 general admission; aldocastilloprojects.com.
Arts Kuala Lumpur. December 4 - 8. Midtown Miami, 2235 NW Second Ave., Miami. Wednesday Vernissage, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. (invitation only), Thursday private viewing, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Admission is free; artskualalumpur.com.
Aqua 13 Art Miami. December 4 - 8. Aqua Hotel, 1530 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Thursday noon - 9 p.m., Friday/Saturday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Admission: $15 one-day pass; aquaartmiami.com.
Brazil Art Fair. December 4 to 8. Midtown Miami, 3501 NE Midtown Blvd., Miami. Wednesday/Thursday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday/Sunday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Admission: $15; brazilartfair.com.
CONTEXT. December 3 - 8. 
Midtown Miami, 3101 NE First Ave., Miami. Wednesday/Thursday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. $35 one-day pass; contextartmiami.com.
Design Miami/. December 4 - 8. Meridian Avenue and 19th Street, Miami Beach Convention Center. Wednesday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Thursday - Saturday noon - 8 p.m., Sunday noon - 6 p.m. Ticket prices TBA; designmiami.com.
Fridge Art Fair NYC: The Miami Popsicle Project.December 5 - 8. Performing Arts Exchange, 337 SW Eighth Street, Miami. Thursday - Saturday 2 p.m. - 1 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. $15 suggested donation; fridgeartfair.com.
Ink Miami Art Fair. December 4 - 8. Dorchester, 1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Wednesday noon - 5 p.m., Thursday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Admission: free; inkartfair.com.
Miami Project. December 3 - 8. Midtown Miami, NE 29th Street and NE First Avenue, Miami. Tuesday 4:30 p.m. - 10 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. $25 one-day pass; miami-project.com.
Miami River Art Fair.December 5 - 8. 
Miami Convention Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami. Thursday 6 p.m. - 11 p.m., Friday/Saturday noon - 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Free with online registration; miamiriverartfair.com.
NADA Art Fair Miami Beach. December 5 - 8. The Deauville Beach Resort, 6701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Thursday 2 - 8 p.m., Friday/Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission: free; newartdealers.org.
New Material Art Fair. December 5 - 8. Chesterfield, Lily and Leon Hotels, 855 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Friday/Saturday noon - 8 p.m., Sunday noon - 6 p.m. Ticket prices TBA; newmaterialartfair.com.
Pulse Miami. December 5 - 8. The Ice Palace Studios, 1400 North Miami Avenue, Miami. Thursday 1 - 7 p.m., Friday/Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. $20 general admission; pulse-art.com.
Red Dot Miami. December 3 - 8. Midtown Miami, 3011 NE First Ave. at NE 31st St., Miami. Tuesday 6 - 10 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. $15 one-day pass; reddotfair.com.
SCOPE Miami Beach. December 3 - 8. SCOPE Pavilion, 1000 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. Wednesday - Sunday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. $25 general admission, $15 for students, free for VIP cardholders; scope-art.com.
Select Fair Miami. December 5 - 8. Catalina Hotel, 1732 Collins Ave, Miami Beach. Thursday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. $15 suggested donation; select-fair.com.
SEVEN. December 4-8. Wynwood, 31 NW 29th St., Miami. Wednesday 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is free; seven-miami.com.
Spectrum Miami. December 4 - 8. Midtown Miami, 3011 NE First Ave. at NE 30th St., Miami. Wednesday 6 - 10 p.m., Thursday noon - 8 p.m., Friday/Saturday noon - 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. $15 general admission; spectrum-miami.com.
UNTITLED. Art Fair. December 4 - 8. Ocean Drive and 12th Street in Miami Beach. Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. $20 general admission; art-untitled.com.
Zones Art Fair Miami. December 3 - 9. Design District, 3850 N. Miami Ct., Miami. Tuesday through Monday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Admission is free; zonesartfair.com.



Conversations and Salon: Art Basel announces talks program for 2013 edition in Miami Beach

This year's Conversations program in Miami Beach launches on Thursday, December 5 with the Premiere Artist Talk by the American multimedia artist Doug Aitken, discussing his recent nomadic project ‘Station to Station' in conversation with Artforum Editor Michelle Kuo.  Here is a nerdy but nice talk that Michelle Kuo gave at MIT about experiments in art and technology.


The Sunday edition of Conversations immediately caught my attention, and shares the same theme as Michelle Kuo's talk at MIT.

Artistic Practice | The Artist as Technologist
Offering fresh insights on dynamic models of artistic practice, this panel brings together artists whose work is related to current developments in technology and the realm of the digital. Among the questions: How does the increasing and growing relationship between humankind and digital systems or machines change our perception of art? How does technology and especially the internet unleash artists local boundaries and enables them a global spectrum? In what ways does technology and new media or systems catalyze creativity? Artist Commentators: Cory Arcangel, Artist, Los Angeles; Cécile B. Evans, Artist, Berlin; Camille Henrot, Artist, Paris; Robert Whitman, Artist and Co-Founder of Experiments in Art and Technology, New York with Moderator: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director, Serpentine Gallery, London

The afternoon Salon program is an open platform for shorter, often informal presentations that features artist talks, panel discussions, lectures and book launches with curators, museum directors, lawyers, and artists, including from the show’s Public and Film sectors

Conversations takes place daily from Thursday, December 5 to Sunday, December 8, 10am to 11:30am – and Salon daily Thursday, December 5 to Sunday, December 8, from 1pm to 7pm (Sunday to 4pm). Both programs take place in the Hall C auditorium of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Talks from the Conversations program are free to the public. Art Basel entry tickets include admission to Conversations and Salon.

The full talks program is available here.

High-quality videos of all Conversations and Salon talks will be available here.  

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Reflecting Back As Art Basel Miami Beach Approaches Again

With Art Basel Miami Beach now less than one month away, more information is finally coming out about Art Basel and all the satellite fairs, gallery shows, food festivals, pop-up stores, warehouse installations, music concerts and endless other possibilities that will festoon the entire first week of December.  I have been reading a lot and starting to draw up a plan of action to see and do as much as humanly possible - knowing from past experience that any plans made now are bound to change as new events get announced,  and once I am actually in Miami all those plans will be rewritten again to accommodate everything that will magically appear and steal me away.  This will be my fifth time at Art Basel Miami Beach, and each year progressively tops the last.  Individual events stand out from previous years and I hope this year adds one or two more to the list.


Although the Rubell Private Collection is open year round, Art Basel Miami Beach draws a huge crowd to their Wynwood warehouse.  I can't wait to see what the Rubell's have in store for us this year.  Opening Dec 4th, an exhibition entitled 28 Chinese is the culmination of the Rubells’ five research trips to China between 2001 and 2012 and their acquired artwork from twenty-eight artists. This will be the first exhibition in North America for many of these artists.

李姝睿, 室内彩虹, 2011, 布面丙烯, 70 7/8 x 94 1/2 寸 (180 x 240 厘米)
Li Shurui, Inner Rainbow, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 70 7/8 x 94 1/2 in.
2010 was my favorite year so far at the Rubells' warehouse and not because of the art, but because of the food (well and the coffee, thank you to Illy for providing espresso shots pulled from the X7).

Jennifer Rubell prepared us all breakfast that year by creating a Goldilocks inspired food installation piece entitled Just Right, where hungry patrons assembled piece by piece a perfect bowl of porridge  while winding through the rooms of a decrepit house located directly behind the warehouse.  I loved climbing through the wall.  I loved the orderly and shiny food items contrasting with the stripped walls, bare cinder block and exposed wiring.  I loved the porridge itself.

The best part was watching the crowd going through the whole process, especially navigating the hole in the wall between the warehouse gallery and the abandoned house with the installation.  Jennifer herself helped some people through, and even spent some time chatting up my friend.  I was impressed by her calm attitude given the extreme danger of potential legal action as women of a certain age daringly tried to spirit though the gaping hole in the wall wearing heels and carrying their porridge.

I look forward to another breakfast at her place, and a look inside the Rubell's collection.

Here's an interview from that time with Jennifer discussing the project from nowness.com


Art Basel Miami: Jennifer Rubell on Nowness.com

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Bruce Munro at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tennesse

Although I was traveling to Nashville to see Alt J perform at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, I got to experience the added wonder of Bruce Munro's light installation at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  This is the second time that a concert at the Ryman has also provided me an opportunity to see a spectacular show at the Cheekwood Gardens - the last time was in 2010 for Arcade Fire when I saw a massive outdoor Chihuly installation there.  The Chihuly exhibit was incredible, but there was something magical and sublime that made Munro's installation even better - it was designed to be viewed at night!


There were many highlights.  For my traveling companion, it was Light Reservation, an assembly of the teepee-like structures made of brightly colored spent fluorescent lights.  It's stark simplicity created a hauntingly silent Native American camp.  The reflecting pool nearby multiplied the visual impact. 

“The installation is about my enthusiasm for the imagination; but I also hope that Light Reservation presents people with an opportunity to ponder both the good and bad aspects of our recent history.”
– Bruce Munro 
photo from Cheekwood website
photo: Mark Pickhall from www.designboom.com

Please visit Design Boom to see all Mark Pickthall's excellent photos of Light Reservations and also Fagin's Urchins.


For me, the definite highlight was off the beaten path, to the right side of the old Cheekwood mansion, near the Burr Terrace Garden.  Munro had created another Field of Light, a signature installation that he has done before.  After going through all the other parts of the exhibition, it was a total relief to find peace and tranquility far from the crowd in this expansive Field of Light.  A thunderstorm that almost forced us to cancel our trip to the gardens was just starting to roll in, adding natural electric energy to the calm but charged field of artificial lights.

The Field of Light requires video to understand the super subtle "waves of grain" effect by the computer programmed lights.  This time-lapse video shows the complex set-up and illumination of the Field of Light.


Bruce Munro discusses the installation in this Creator's Project video below.  My favorite part of this interview is were Munro cheerily discusses the teepees - I don't think he fully understands the weight and the depth of the destruction of the Native American cultures by European settlers.  His story of using "redundant" fluorescent lights to protect his wife's chickens demonstrates the often winding road from observation to application in an artist's mind.


Sunday, September 22, 2013

100 years of water - Exploring LA's Aqueduct


Recently I flew to LA to visit an old friend, Lou Pesce, who works at the Metabolic Studio with artist Lauren Bon.  He is instrumental in coordinating and planning for the many projects that the Metabolic Studio has produced, which focus on bringing awareness to community issues in the Los Angeles area.  Lou and I traveled to Owens Valley where 100 years ago an aqueduct was built to carry water to the tiny city of Los Angeles.  Because of the water that the aqueduct brings to the area, Los Angeles has grown into the metropolis that it is today. 

In celebration of the centennial of the aqueduct's opening on November 5, 1913, the Metabolic Studio is organizing a 100 mule march along the entire length of the water's journey. Without the labor of the mules the aqueduct would not exist.




The final portion of the expedition will take place in the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles. The procession will arrive at the Cascades, where the Aqueduct ends, on Nov. 5, 2013, to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the aqueduct.

We traveled up Highway 395, which trails alongside the Aqueduct, to the beginning of LA's water supply at Owens River just north of Independence. Owens Valley is an arid valley with the Owens River nestled between the Sierra Nevadas to the west and the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains in the east.  The Sierra Nevadas create a rain shadow in the Owens Valley, creating a desert-like climate through which the Aqueduct runs.  This place is the setting for the California Water Wars, which  began when the Aqueduct was being planned and continued during construction.

Lou had already been to most of the places we visited, but he was also scouting new locations for events along the journey of the mule team.  We explored the headwaters of the aqueduct, where large gates control the flow of water from the Owens River, and where all the mules will begin their journey. We visited the Eastern California Museum in Independence which has a commemorative photography exhibit about the building of the Aqueduct. 

We ended up back in LA at the Cascades, the terminal end of the Aqueduct and the most visually appealing part.  The builders constructed an artificial waterfall by lining the bottom of the Aqueduct with concrete steps, creating a turbulent "cascade" as the water rushes down the mountains into Los Angeles.  The whole journey really brings an appreciation of the complex and delicate system that brings water to millions of people.  Exactly the kind of appreciation the Metabolic Studio is trying to create with the 100 mule march along the path of the LA Aqueduct.

The Cascades in 1913


The Cascades in 2013