Famous for the 1991 international bestseller Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, Canadian Douglas Coupland resumed his work in visual arts in 2000, following a 10 year hiatus that coincided with his international literary fame. A recent edition to his body of work is this beautiful ‘digitised’ sculpture of a killer whale that is now a resident of Vancouver’s Convention Centre. Imposing, unique and decidedly post-modern, the metal structure with it’s nighttime illumination is a dazzling new icon for Vancouver’s charming harbour….
You have chosen to view posts that have been given the tag: Public Art
Digital Orca by Douglas Coupland
Generation X author creates beautiful new Vancouver icon....
July 28th, 2010
Regent’s Place Pavilion by Carmody Groarke
dramatic pavillion adds golden light to London's Regent's Place...
February 18th, 2010
A mixed use business, retail and residential quarter on the north side of Euston Road, British Land’s ‘Regent’s Place‘ development already has public art from the likes of Antony Gormley and now, thanks to architects Carmody Groarke – in collaboration with engineers, Arup – now has an awe-inspiring new pavillion with LEDs embedded in the cobbled surface below that bathe the steel plate, suspended eight metres high by thin poles, in an ethereal golden light. The result of a competition run by The Architecture Foundation in 2007, Carmody Groarke’s pavillion “examines how the public space is defined without enclosing it” and with grace, elegance and sheer sophistication, answers the competition brief to mark the Osnaburgh Street entrance to Regent’s Place with a self-assured swagger…..
Like it or not, the festive season is upon us, but it doesn’t always have to mean tinsel, overcooked turkey and Slade…. Christmas can be about fantasy, fashion and frozen wonderlands, and that’s exactly the bold step that Mayfair’s Art Deco jewel, Claridges, has taken with their breathtaking new Christmas tree by John Galliano for Dior. Complete with snow leopard, dragom flies and parrots, the wonderfully bizarre tropical/winter wonderland is so very chic and marks the hotels first fashion collaboration for their famous Christmas tree.
“I am thrilled that Dior is collaborating with Claridge’s this Christmas. I love to visit Claridge’s when I am in London, particularly at this time of the year – and I hope to bring a twist to the traditional tree. I want to combine the festive with the innovative, the spirit of Dior with the beauty of Claridge’s, and create something spectacular that will inspire the perfect start to the season!”
John Galliano, Dior Creative Director
Naoshima Public Bath ““I♥Yu”
traditional Japanese bathhouse becomes a work of art
December 1st, 2009
Japanese sentō are traditional communal bathhouses that have seen an unlikely resurgence in recent times, now, thanks to the Naoshima Fukutake Art Museum Foundation and artist Shinro Ohtake, the humble sentō is taken one step further and transformed into a public art space. The Naoshima Public Bath ““I♥Yu” (the Japanese for ‘hot water’ is pronounced ‘Yu’) is a unique art/community project that, as you’ll see, looks sensationally kitsch in it’s exterior and becomes even more brilliantly bizarre as you enter the space (images of which we were unfortunately not granted access to use) thanks to it’s peculiar collection of Japanese artifacts that include an aircraft cockpit, the bottom of a ship and even a small elephant statue from an erotic museum, we kid you not. It really has to be seen to be believed, so head over to their website and download the ‘photo index’ from the ‘Inquiries’ link at the top, you’ll not fail to be amazed by the exotic surrealism of this one-of-a-kind art masterpiece….
On a more positive note than our last street art post, we can confirm originality and the true spirit of street art is not dead. Gaia is one of our favourite artists with a unique ‘wheat paste’ style that has been copied the world over, this brilliant little movie by Nicolas Heller documents the process of Gaia’s work from design through to pasting on the street. We adore the pink balaclava, check it out.
To mark the end of five years in her home, ‘Monty’ is inviting an assortment of close friends and artists to form a creative collective who will take over her Barcelona apartment and create installations in each room, re-imagining her private living space as a public gallery. Open until the 23rd of this month from 5pm to 11pm, Su Casa Es Mi Casa is an art and design project similar to that of The Front Room which we featured back in December, the collective will install a number of ‘micro-shows’ that they claim will interact to form a ‘grand exhibition’, resulting in Monty’s once private space becoming a public art gallery.
With Tate Modern’s recent street art exhibition and the rise of Steve Lazarides’ galleries, works from upcoming and increasingly established urban artists such as Paul Insect, JR, Faile and of course that little-known character, Banksy, to name but a few have become as popular as mainstream contemporary art and street art looks like it is here to stay as a recognised art form. Of course, finding rising stars is now the name of the game for art dealers keen to make a quick few quid, maybe they should be casting their eye to the streets of Madrid and the work of the elusive SpY, a former graffiti artist turned ‘urban remodeler’.
Your Message Here is a shop window art installation which has been conceived by Something’s Hiding Here for Urban Outfitters’ Philadelphia store, which faces the institute of contemporary art. Allowing visitors to the project website the ability to submit their own messages to be displayed on the wood marquee, the installation is an ingenious combination of the power of modern technology and traditional industrial signage. The romantic notion that anybody, anywhere can be a part of this project is what makes it so appealing. Every day the new messages will be featured on the website, so keep checking back for updates, and why not have a go yourself.
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from The Import
We caught up with New York based artist Devin McGrath who, in his beautifully crafted, unique style, bashes out darkly inspirational artworks with an enviable ease……
Clean and crisp, thoughtful illustration is a strong presence in the delightful portfolio of Welsh, Manchester based graduate Gareth Hughes.....
They love fellow Bristolian Banksy – in no small part due to making them a lot of money – but rate Tracy Emin as “nonsensical shit”. Here's our studio spotlight on Taxi Studio.....
The Dead Photos is an inspiring collection of macabre, touching, humorous and enlightening images that offer a delicate insight into the fragility of human life.
Half English half Japanese, London-based Jiro Bevis knocks out record covers, club flyers and editorial pieces with a ridiculously cool, 1980s retro vibe to them....
It’s great to see a company have a strong visual identity running throughout their brand – and that’s just what Stockholm based Bedow Creative have achieved for Sweden’s largest organic grocery store, Eat! Ekoaffären.
Founded by the rather talented duo of Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton, Tappin Gofton is a London-based studio that knock out some wonderfully distinctive work
We asked the Portland studio some questions, which they blindly ignored – instead providing us with a delightful insight into their wonderfully twisted minds. Enjoy…..
Decidedly Brazilian, thanks to it’s colour and vibrancy, Rubens LP’s style is the perfect accompaniment to summer – and anyone who uses bulldogs in their work is sure to receive high precedence with us…..
Rolling out across Europe in coming weeks is this, rather difficult to watch, advert for Sony’s new range of 3D TVs – courtesy of Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer....
Devin McGrath
Gareth Hughes
Taxi Studio
The Dead Photos
Jiro Bevis
Eat! Brand Identity
Tappin Gofton
The Official Manufacturing Company
Rubens LP
Sony 3D TV Advert
