Natalie Pendigrast
ideas, inspirations, doodles, thoughts & piecesThe Moon House
The concrete moon house designed by italian architect Antonio Cardillo in Melbourne has two parts to it. A public one which, looks like an upturned keel of a boat or a half moon in elevation that emerges from a pool. The private part is a long narrow building set against the perimeter which creates a portico open to the garden but is cleverly closed to the car park.
Dear Santa,
if your reading this, im not asking for much this christmas. just the winning lottery numbers please.
a cloud over london
no no i dont mean the wireless broadband cloud, though that is pretty cool too. This Cloud is a lightweight transparent tower composed of inflatable, light emitting spheres which will create a 3D display in the sky over London, fed by real time information from around the world. Sounds like its straight out of The Hitchhikers guide doesnt it?
The idea behind the cloud is to address our desire for information and stimulation and our growing consciousness about our impact on the future and the ecology. It provides two resources – energy and data. And this is where it gets cooler. People, the public, is what makes this thing work. We can chose to ascend the cloud by bicycle or by foot and each footstep contributes to the energy harvesting. Public participation isnt just limited to the people in London. People can chose to contribute by admission charges and their physical presence on location or by contributing towards a sphere and their ownership of a single LED.
Art class at the Moulin Rouge
The art world is synonymously exclusive, limited to the affluent and the accomplished experts. Ordinary people, comme moi, who enjoy art and generally know what they like dont usually have the means to access it. Which, is why I get very excited when i read about events like Dr. Sketchy.
Originally founded in 2005 by illustrator Molly Crabapple (with a fantastic name like that what else could she be?) in NewYork, Dr Sketchy now takes place in over 80 cities of the world. Described as Burlesque entertainment crossed with an art class, Dr Sketchy encourages the general public to enjoy the “beautiful burlesque performers, bizarre circus acts and rippling hunks of man flesh” over cocktails, forget their inhibitions about not being a good artist, move around follow their instincts and have fun! And fun is the keyword here, “draw some breasts with nipple tassels on – that usually gets a prize!”
Now tell me that doesnt make you want to rush out and buy yourself some drawing materials in time for the next Dr Sketchys?
thinking out of the box
The latest, really cool exhibition that has caught my eye is the work of Alex Box, trained artist turned make up star, at the Annroy Gallery. Her work, layers of paint applied in minute detail on human models, deconstructs conventional notions of beauty in fashion. Box says her work is “an emotional response to the impetus, the model, the mood and the melody.” And even at their most extreme and unreal her work remains beautiful – “the spirit of the person is clearly visible, not obliterated.”
Box’s creations for designers Gareth Pugh and Karl Lagerfield are also on display along with images photographed by Rankin for the accompanying book.
and the winner is…
The 2009 Prix Pictet has been awarded to Nadav Kander (above). Making the formal presentation Kofi Anansaid that the photograpphs were a “compelling call for action to tackle climate change, the most serious humanitarian and environmental challenge facing the world today.”
The 2009 commission has been awarded to Ed Kashi (above). Each year Pictet & Cie supports the work of a charity whose work mirrors the theme of the prize. For 2009 Pictet & Cie will support Azafady, a UK based, Malagasy-registered NGO. Kashi will visit Madagascar to produce a series of photographs that will highlight the issues Azafady are currently focussing on. An exhibition of the work will launch next years Prix Pictet competition in the Spring 2010.
