Giant flower paintings by Michael Lin, 1938 Endless Column by Brancusi in Rumanian, Walking polar bear in London, Blood works by Jody Pinto in the 1970s, The four horseman by Jason deCaires Taylor wait to drown in the Thames with global warming, Didier Faustino’s view towers, Obelisk Art 450 opens in St. Augustine, Florida, Climate deniers installation in Australia, The art of the rake with beach and snow artists, Indian stepwells, Antti Laitinen engaging nature in Finland, Land paper drawing by Hyun Lak LIM in Korea, Big Needles by Wolfgang Buttress and of course, Banksky’s Dismaland in the UK.
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PLEASE SEND ME MORE BALLS from 2015. ag@glennweiss.com
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Over the last couple of weeks the Mayor and Police Commissioner of NYC have proposed to return the new Times Square pedestrian space to the cars. REASON: Topless women with painted breasts and few aggressive cartoon characters. Yes these “street entertainers” working for tips can be annoying for a second, but it is Times Square !! If NYC would declare the plaza as a “park”, then regulations could be enforced. As a “street”, the police can only stop activities for endangering the public, generally for blocking the flow of pedestrians. If the plazas are eliminated, then the police can easily remove the “entertainers” from the sidewalks which they do through out NYC. The plazas have too much space.
Personally, as the 2008-2011 Public Art Manager for the Times Square Alliance, I think this is a great opportunity to solve the legal issues pedestrian Broadway. Either “park-like” regulations could be established for the pedestrian spaces in the roadways throughout NYC — or — some, like Times Square, could become parks. The problem with both ideas is that the wide-open, anything can happen feeling of Times Square may be lost. This “feeling” is the only thing left of the old Times Square and old New York that arts community baby boomers miss so desperately. As a NYC resident from 1979-86 ( age 23-30 ), I missed it too much.
In 2010, I had lunch at the “Polish Tea Room” (Edison Hotel) with City College’s leftist philosopher, Marshall Berman. Berman LOVED Times Square despite and because of its commercialism. I asked him what the art program should do. He replied “Keep it a little dirty.” Is the Police Commissioner and Mayor listening?
“Times Square is the heart and crossroads of our city and the world for tourists and New Yorkers alike. Since Broadway first closed in 2009, Times Square has become less dangerous and more enjoyable. Retail has thrived and pedestrian injuries have been reduced by 35%—think Vision Zero. The new $27 million plazas have helped commuters get onto subways faster and made it easier for workers to get to their jobs. Plazas give tourists a place to rest, theatergoers a place to buy tickets and wait for shows, and office workers a place to eat lunch or watch the world go by.
“NYC Police Commissioner Bratton and Mayor de Blasio want to rip up the pedestrian plazas. We can’t let that happen.
“Aggressive street performers and ‘desnudas’ are an enforcement problem. They aren’t a plaza problem. Ripping up the $27 million plazas won’t stop the behavior; it will simply move it onto already crowded sidewalks and into traffic.
“Tell Police Commissioner Bratton, Planning Commissioner Weisbrod, and Mayor de Blasio that New Yorkers demand thoughtful solutions, not shortsighted reactions.
]]>Using mirrors to make an infinite space by artists is less exciting than the standard funhouse. With the artists’ projects, the activity is only visual. Your own body and body of others distract from the infinite as the human being is always too dominate. For that reason, some artist use windows rather that stepping into the infinite space.
Where the funhouse appears random, the space of the contemporary mirror box is always Cartesian. Infinite space is marked by the grid of abstract rectangles of land or sky in a perfect geometry such that the territory numbered. With numbers, the territory can be found again in the future. Yoyoi Kusama does her best to prevent the Cartesian grid with balloons, hexagons and random tinkling lights.
Below are three artists with mirror rooms. To identify. Lucas Samaras (1966) has a mirror covered table and chair in the center. Yayoi Kusama ( 1965, 1966, 1991, 2011, 2013) has made many versions of the mirror with spotted sculptures or sparkling lights. Thilo Frank (2012) looks like Samaras except the participant is in a swing.
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Eurasia and SHOUT competitions, Party hats for Dutch security cameras, Mexican sculptors in London, Mumbai taxis, Kingston Sculpture Biennial, WD mural in Athens, Exposition HABITER, Atelier Van Lieshout at the Ruhrtriennale, Senegal building, NYC mid-century mosaic and moving a Japanese tree.
]]>Recently, I stumble upon the work of German artist, Ottmar Hörl , as an example of an alternative method to support and produce public art. Rather than seek the approval and funding on the local art’s establishment, the artist seeks agencies more engaged in civic celebrations or tourism. Less artist evaluation and more excellent public relations and photographs. Fun and colorful are important qualities. ( I am not discussing the “parades” which is organized by non-profits or cities, not artists. Surprising to me, the parade idea is only 17 years old. 1998 in Zurich )
The elders of the alternative funding of public art are Seward Johnson (85 years old) and Christo (80 years old). For many years, Seward Johnson has been leasing his sculptures for public places. The “celebrating the familiar” series is comprised of lifesize painted bronze figures engaged in slightly odd activities. His giant reproductions of famous iconic media moments in American culture include the VJ Day Kiss in Times Square and Marilyn Monroe’s rising dress from “Seven Year Itch”. These figures are guaranteed to appear on the local newspaper front page and local TV news.
Christo supports his public works by selling parts of the installation ( umbrellas and gates), original drawings and limited addition prints in the gallery system. Additional income is gained from royalties earned in the sale of unlimited edition posters on the open market for $25-$100. Of course Christo receives a great deal of civic support in the form of volunteers, permits, police and promotion. And he, unlike Johnson and others, is firmly part of the art establishment that assist with the permissions. Johnson is frequently hated by the local art establishment that believe the display of Johnson’s work lowers the standards for artistic quality.
Below are a few other
Cracking Art Group Plastic Snails In addition to rental fees, the group sells for $350 the 21 inch tall snail and up to $2500 for large plastic animals.
Rubber Duck and Rabbits by Florentijin Hofman Since Sao Paulo in 2008, the duck has floated in 13 cities. The posters sell for $50-200 bucks. Amazon sells $38 dollar stuffed duck and $4 greeting cards.
Friends with You. Lease inflatable installations and buy toys. The older toys were available on amazon for for $8 -15 each. Recently they are only selling through galleries and art organizations.
Montreal Music Swings 21 Balançoires Art group: Daily Tous Les Jours. Knight Foundation may provide matching funds to tour in USA.
Jen Lewin, The Pool, Since developed for Burning Man in 2009, Lewin has presented in The Pool in 25 cities. The rental fee, installation and transportation can be more that $50,000.
Film Producer, Taylor TR Gourley has created a few civic event, but Slide the City has been a dramatic success in just two years. He earns money by selling the “slide” for $20 a single ride and he frequently sells out with online sales prior to installation.
Back to Horl. He produces installations of hundreds of meter-tall plastic figures. The figures are generic and resemble plastic, plastic or resin miniatures of famous people or animals that might be sold in a gift shop at a historic site or catholic church. He also makes genomes that firmly locks part of his artistic investigation in the realm of bad taste or lower class aesthetics – or irony about them.
In the past few years, Hörl has made installations honoring the birthdays or anniversaries of significant figures including Karl Marx. Richard Wagner, Martin Luther, Charlemagne and Goethe. Others are symbols such as the Berlin Bear or Hessian Lion. Fairly tales and teddy bears arrive in plastic, too. http://www.ottmarhoerl.de/
The hundreds figures, animals and fictional characters are generally repeated on a grid to create a field or carpet. These fields of little men or creatures are located on a plaza or lawn adjacent to a building or place related to the subject matter.
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Projects on Facebook at glennweiss.100 . Friend me. Travis Threlkel of Obscura Digital, Lee Jae-Hyo, Arte Sella, Javier Corvalán Arquitectura, Rudy Ricciotti Architecte, Ben Eine, Alejandro Duran, Os Gemeos, Kwang Young Chun. The building by Javier Corvalan tilts to open and close with a hand cranked wench.
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