Saturday 26 April 2014

S n i p p e t * 5       L A D I E S     a n d     G E N T L E M E N




What an inspiring melange of color, material & forms!
Made from laser cut & turned wood, perspex & paint, this is a creation by London based illustrator, maker & art director Chrissie MacDonald. 

View individual pieces from this set here.


Tuesday 22 April 2014

W A T E R     S C U L P T U R E


A Sculpture can take any form it's creator desires. 

Years ago, I watched in rapt attention as a glass sculptor effortlessly shaped molten glass. The other day, kids, just back from school, had a wonder struck expression "Glass is made from sand. It can be melted!!" 

Isn't it amazing - so many forms of nature and the multitude of ways we can mould it...

So when I chanced upon the pictures below, I couldn't help but marvel at the skill of this sculptor who has created some fabulous work out of glass...ONLY to discover that these are actually "water sculptures" - momentary, magical, not even visible to the naked eye!



Germany based Heinz Maier has captured some of nature's 'acrobatics' through macro & high speed photography.



These pictures are a result of water drops & splashes intercating. By coloring the water, Heinz adds another dimension to this play of forms.




A split second can hold so much within...not perceivable to the human eye. How much is it that is there, still unknown, surrounding us??



Water - the word evokes responses like flow, fluidity. These pictures add to the repertoire with 'solid' & form...Can elements indeed exist in multiple forms & dimensions - an observer's world, is it?




Heinz Maier's work has added to my view of 'water'. Considering that Maier calls himself an amateur in the field, having started experimenting in 2010, one can confidently say that "Creativity has no bounds". The possibilities that surround us are endless - one just has to expand one's way of thinking, and, seeing!

All Images: Heinz Maier @ flickr  
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Sunday 20 April 2014

S n i p p e t * 4
S H E L T E R     M E     F R O M     T H E    W I N D

Yes, this is a Wind Shelter!
Designed by Ian McChesney for Blackpool, UK's South Shore Promenade, this Shelter rotates according to the prevailing wind direction and shields its occupants from wind.

"The shape was born out of a distillation of the key required elements: a vane, which will turn the structure, and a baffle that will shelter the inhabitant from the wind. The final shelters are 8 metres tall and manufactured from resilient ‘Duplex’ stainless steel. They sit on 4 metre diameter turntables, which incorporate dampers to control the speed of rotation." Ian McChesney's website

Wednesday 16 April 2014



C R E A T I V I T Y   I S   C O N T A G I O U S.... 

Text: Hina Nitesh

so said the scientist Albert Einstein.

Though it does not have much connection with the post that follows, it is a thought which has been going on in my head since morning. I think what I really like about this statement is the person who made it - proving that there are no boundaries to creativity.
Now coming to the subject of my post today - a furniture designer whose creations are made with rattan. I chanced upon Kenneth Cobonpue the much awarded designer quite accidentally but I have unearthed a treasure. The name is quite well known in Hollywood celebrity.



Kenneth Cobonpue exploits the material to the maximum to get forms which are gorgeous to say the least. A look at each of his creations will make you feel as if the material was meant to be used the way it has been used.

Each piece of furniture is an ode to the crafts and I was finding it difficult to select the images to put on this blog. I have put together quite a few, for more check out his website http://www.kennethcobonpue.com

Leaving you with some pics to enjoy....



















all images are courtesy Kenneth Cobonpue

Thursday 10 April 2014


S n i p p e t * 3    
S A I L I N G    T H R O U G H    T I M E

 
A monumental yet fragile looking sculpture caught my eye the other day, while researching paper sculptures -"Boat" by Chinese artist Zhu Jinshi.


Made out of the Xuan Paper, a material used in China since ancient times and known for its softness, strength & durability, the "Boat" embodies the artist's idea to "infinitely extend every moment".

“While time only moves forward, the Boat can sail in any direction. The Boat's cultural resonance is constructed of time itself, continuously ebbing and flowing through our imagination.” Zhu Jinshi



Monday 7 April 2014


P A P E R   C I T I E S   w i t h   a   s o u l


At a glance, maps are a one dimensional expression of a place - a tool that defines to the viewer physical characteristics like extent, topographic features and connectivity. However, a place, let's talk about cities here - is much more than this. Cities are living, breathing organisms. They have distinct identities, a network of veins and arteries that keep them throbbing. Many modern cities have a rich history, they have gone through many churns and upheavels, some have reinvented themselves - all these changes peep out here and there from the city fabric.

A city can be alive, thriving, invigorating or dull, depending upon the when and where of the observer.  The observer has to make a "connect" with the city to be able to understand & experience it. Today's post brings to you City Sculptures by Mathew Picton, a Cartographer who infuses extraordinary elements into simple city sculptures, enabling a viewer to 'connect" with the cities he creates.

Let's read on to discover how...


Image: Saint Petersberg; inthemake.com

Picton is a Cartographer with a unique approach. 
He recreates cities - most of them rich in history & culture in 3D, with paper.

Image: Detail from Saint Petersberg; inthemake.com

These are paper sculptures with a soul - maps that have elements intrinsic to the city embedded in them. Elements that have been a defining voice in shaping this organism, that are an inextricable part of its past & present. These elements could be paper with text that relates to the time in history the model depicts, poetic descriptions, works of writers/ artists belonging to the place.  

The sculpture of Saint Petersberg above contains key dates in its history. Also included are works of famous writers & poets, in English & Russian. An interesting method has been used to indicate major historical events and how they affected the city e.g. areas with Russian text were not affected by the Great floods.. 

Did you notice sections with musical notes - the 7th Symphony by Shostakovich.


Image: Boston 2014
 
"I’m not looking for dry factual accounts of a place, instead I aim to work with literature that creates a more visceral, lasting impression of a particular place and time." Mathew Picton for inthemake.com

The Boston Sculpture depicts the city's evolution over time through use of different colored papers & varying heights. The Great fire of 1872 is depicted in the burnt & singed area.


Image: Venice 2012

And now a city that has captured the imagination & concern of people world over - Venice. Interestingly there is no blue in this sculpture - a color that immediately comes to mind when you think "Venice". You instead see a lot of grey - mud from the Venice lagoon, a reminder of the fact that this marvel is being reclaimed by the sea...


Images: Left: Dresden 1945;  Right: Dresden 1945 Burnt

"Some cities exist in the imagination more powerfully than others. I like to engage in specific events that cities have undergone as these are frequently the moments of pivotal change.....The additional cultural references provide width to the events, ways of seeing and imagining them, a sort of prismatic lens through which the events of history can be viewed and examined." Mathew Picton for rev-ma.blogspot.in


Image: Dublin, June16 1904




                Image: Moscow 1808, 1905, 2007 Duralar, enamel paint, pins, 2008

Mathew Picton has created several works in other mediums that are equally thought provoking. 
I am including a few here - maps again, that tell stories of cities..


Image: New Delhi  Duralar, enamel paint, pins, 2006


Image: Shanghai  Duralar, enamel paint, pins, 2006

“There is some intrinsic quality to cartography that goes beyond the scientific document – a beauty of form and detail, a record of past times and places, something that lives as a world in which imagination can flow; places to re-visit, places to re-imagine, a world to re-make itself in the imagination.” Mathew Picton in 'The Case of All Cities' published 2010

You can see more of Mathew picton's works here

All Images: Mathew Picton's website unless mentioned otherwise 

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Saturday 5 April 2014

SNIPPETS * 2 - K N I T T E D   D O O R S

Text: Hina Nitesh

Did I just say knitted and doors in the same breath? 
Yes, I did and no I am not out of my mind. 
There IS someone who knits doors!
Have a look...





Chitaso Ishikawa of Japan is credited with the doors that you see in this post.