library58(digitalliteracy) It started innocently enough. While visiting the Rem Koolhaas-designed, Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library Danae Fallier began snapping photos of the iconic building and the books. When looking at the photographs she took that day she noticed that the text on the book spines had blurred and were no longer visible. It was then that her library series was born. The almost natural abstraction that appeared in those Seattle photographs motivated her to to start digitally manipulating a new group of library images. The photos in the library series are completely constructed. Gone is any text and added are...
Good Morning Mr. Orwell Redux
The satellite's amplification of the freedom of the strong must be accompanied by the protection of the culture of the weak or by the creation of a diverse software skillfully bringing to life the qualitative differences in various cultures. – Nam June Paik, Art & Satellite (1984) On January 1, 1984 Nam June Paik celebrated the first day of the year that George Orwell predicted humans will finally be controlled by mass media by unveiling his piece Good Morning, Mr. Orwell. The installation, which gave birth to video art, was a satellite TV compilation showing the positive utilization of mass media...
Nicolas Grospierre’s Infinite Library
The Never-Ending Corridor of Books The Never-Ending Corridor of Books and the Never-Ending Wall of Books are two components of The Library project by Nicolas Grospierre. Both are installations comprised of photographs placed in light boxes and shown in mirrors to create the illusion of endlessness. The Library project is not the representation of a specific library, but rather an attempt at representing the very essence of the idea of a library. It is loosely inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ novel The Library of Babel, where the author describes the universe as an “infinite and cyclic” library. The project is thus an attempt...
Selected Reading with Eric Yahnker
Selected Reading (Core of Conviction), Charcoal and graphite on paper, 100 x 72 in., 2012 Combining deep technical skill with a healthy sense of humor Eric Yahnker's work relieves much of the seriousness that one usually associates with an A-list artist. His witty pairings of objects with detailed drawings challenges and exposes the deeply ingrained duality that hinders our culture. His series Selected Reading highlights his approach by providing iconic cultural imagery with some challenging reading material. As the press release for his solo show last summer at Ambach & Rice states, Yahnker: deploys an unflinching comedic analysis of the Western world's fixation...
Protest Design: Disobedient Objects at the V&A
The act of protest has blossomed into also being an opportunity for tremendous creativity. In the first exhibit of its kind, the Victoria and Albert Museum has gathered a healthy sampling of items designed and produced by grassroots social movements since the mid-1970's. "From Suffragette teapots to protest robots" the Disobedient Objects exhibit "will demonstrate how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design." Inflatable cobblestones first used during the General Strike in Barcelona in February 2012 Everyday objects have become part and parcel of protest. From homemade gas masks...