Touchscreen gestures brought to life

An artist has decided to immortalise gestures used with touchscreen products. In her project 'Multi-touch gestures', Gabriele Meldaikyte built 5 different sculptures that used the main gestures associated with touchscreen devices.

The gestures, which seem to be becoming second nature to most, including some babies trying to swipe a magazine to read it, are also seen as a signature of the Apple iPhone.

Gabriele believes that these will be completely different in 10 years time so wanted to immortalise them by translating this interface language of communication into 3D objects which mimic every multi-touch gesture.

Edinburgh's giant balloon sculpture

A sculpture made completely of balloons has been unveiled as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival at the National Museum of Scotland.

The piece was designed and built by American artist Jason Hackenwerth, who is known for his organic and biological forms made from latex balloons.

The sculpture, titled Pisces, is the artist’s interpretation of the legend of Aphrodite and Eros: in Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the Goddess of love and her son, Eros, escaped the fearsome monster Typhon by transforming into a tightly woven spiral of two fish, a figure which later became a constellation called Pisces.

The piece is made up of 10,000 balloons, which took 3 staff members 6 days to inflate before Jason and his assistant Leah Blair wove them carefully into this three dimensional structure.

Pisces will be on display in the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland through April 14th, 2013. More images are available on Flickr.

Touchscreen gestures brought to life

An artist has decided to immortalise gestures used with touchscreen products. In her project 'Multi-touch gestures', Gabriele Meldaikyte built 5 different sculptures that used the main gestures associated with touchscreen devices.

The gestures, which seem to be becoming second nature to most, including some babies trying to swipe a magazine to read it, are also seen as a signature of the Apple iPhone.

Gabriele believes that these will be completely different in 10 years time, and so wanted to immortalise them by translating this interface language of communication into 3D objects which mimic every multi-touch gesture.

Interactive art that mimics

Daniel Rozin's Mirrors seem to be pretty normal sculptures until you take a step closer, then they shift to mimic you. 

Currently exhibiting at Bitforms in New York until the 6th April, his 'mirror' pieces shift the patterns formed on them to mimic the viewers shape in real-time. This is done via cameras that detect shapes and cause the LEDs to change the pattern on the screen. Whilst not recreating a persons image perfectly, the screen will copy movements made until the person steps out of range.

The exhibition, called Angles, features some of the artists other kinetic work, which also interact with their surroundings and work on a principle of merging the geometric with the participatory.

Christo's big air package

Big Air Package from Christo opened this month at the Gasometer Oberhausen, Germany. 

It is reported to be both the largest inflated frameless envelope and the most expansive indoor sculpture ever created.

The 90 meter high inflatable boasts a volume of 177,000 cubic meters and uses 20,350 square meters of semitransparent polyester fabric as well as 4,500 meters of rope. Despite lacking a skeleton the 5 ton form fills the interior of a former gas tank.

Christo describes the experience as 'virtually swimming in light' as a result of the vast expanses of fabric, lit from above via skylights in the Gasometer.

Filled with diffused natural daylight and muffled sounds it becomes a place of tranquility.

The project runs until 30th December 2013.

Photos: Wolfgang Volz © 2013 Christo

Clouds inside create silver-lining for artist

Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde controls the weather and creates beautiful indoor clouds with the help of a smoke machine and dramatic lighting.

The fog machine emits dense vapour / smoke that makes contact with sprayed water and forms a small white cloud.

Smilde, who lives in Amsterdam, said he wanted to make the image of a typical Dutch rain cloud but inside. ‘I imagined walking into a classical museum hall with just empty walls,’ he said. 'There was nothing to see except for a rain cloud hanging around in the room. I wanted to make a very clear image, an almost cliché and cartoon-like visualization of having bad luck. Indeed there's nothing here and bxxxxcks, it's starting to rain!"  

The few people who have seen the clouds in person should consider themselves very lucky; each cloud only exists for a moment before dissipating.  

To document the clouds Smilde photographs them; the only proof of their existence if a viewer misses them.  

The first exhibit, called Nimbus, was created by Smilde in 2010.  

Watch videos of the creation of the clouds below.

Swing to infinity

An installation at the Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark by German artist Thilo Frank, allows visitors to swing into the infinite.

“The Phoenix is closer than it appears” is a 4 x 4 x 8 meters box that contains a swing in the center, and the inside is covered in mirrors on all sides, creating infinite versions of yourself as you merrily swing away the time.

The external is also mirrored to reflect the scenery of the room it is housed in, whilst also providing solitude for those inside the box.

This is an innovative and fascinating piece of art, and we hope that it comes to the UK one day.

Swing to infinity

An installation at the Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark by German artist Thilo Frank, allows visitors to swing into the infinite.

“The Phoenix is closer than it appears” is a 4 x 4 x 8 meters box that contains a swing in the center, and the inside is covered in mirrors on all sides, creating infinite versions of yourself as you merrily swing away the time.

The external is also mirrored to reflect the scenery of the room it is housed in, whilst also providing solitude for those inside the box.

This is an innovative and fascinating piece of art, and we hope that it comes to the UK one day.

Sculpture from stacked chairs

For the 2012 Abu Dhabi Art Fair Japanese artist, Tadashi Kawamata, created a huge structure out of chairs.

"Chairs for Abu Dhabi" took five days to create and reached the 20 foot high ceiling of the gallery it was housed in.

It created a focal point for the event and a pavilion for people to try to escape the hustle and bustle of the fair and proved to be a popular meeting point.

Tadashi is renowned for using recycled materials or scrap, using metal, wood, plastic and, in this case, used chairs, ranging from sofas and benches to stools and arm chairs.

A stunning structure that 'pays homage to humanity’s diversity, unity and interconnectedness', according to the artist.

Images from Daniel Suarez for Reuters

'Ugly' public buildings get make-over

A Dutch designer, Roeland Otten, has decided that power substations and public toilets are too unsightly and so has given them a make-over.

The project has taken him to Rotterdam and Amsterdam, where he has used different methods to make the buildings blend in to the urban landscape. 

‘City Camouflage’ employs mosaic tiles, paint and photographic prints affixed to the outside of these small buildings to make them less visually offensive.

A variety of creative solutions has either helped them to blend in or provided the public with an insight into what they are actually for.

Sonic fountain

Ever felt that the sound of water dripping was slightly rhythmic and musical? If not you may want to reconsider after seeing the new installation at the 303 gallery in New York by American artist Doug Aitken.

The piece, called Sonic Fountain, is part of the gallery's 100 Years exhibition and features five rods that drip water into a pool below. The dripping is not random; it is released at special intervals to create a variety of patterns and shapes, with the sound amplified by the location and the pool itself having been specially excavated out of the floor of the gallery.

The piece is quiet and tranquil with a milky white glow coming from the pool and a breath like rhythm from the water drops.

Watch a video of the exhibition below.

Tree roots emerge from ceiling

Giuseppe Licari, a Rotterdam-based Sicilian artist, has transformed a gallery space into an underground lair. His latest work is a network of tree roots hanging from the ceiling, resembling organic chandeliers, titled ‘humus’, which refers to the soil layer that is essential for trees and plants to grow.

The work gives that feeling of entering a world below ground, where you get an exclusive peak at a hidden sanctum, a space which normally gives life and stability to trees in a park or forest.

The central theme for his work is the relationship between humankind and nature, and growth and decay, as seen by the dead tree roots being displayed for inspection, along with the condition of the soil they grew in within their urban environment.

Canstruction returns to New York

Although delayed by Hurricane Sandy, Canstruction is finally returning to New York City.

The event, which we have featured before on it's trip to London, involves 25 teams of architects, designers, engineers, and the students they mentor,  who are tasked with constructing sculptures out of cans of food, which are then donated to feed the hungry. The event uses over 10,000 cans of food donated by those taking part and the general public, and are distributed by City Harvest.

The event is travelling around North America, and is a fantastic spectacle for both the innovative designs made only from cans, and also the good it does to support those unable to buy food for themselves and their families, including those effected by the hurricane.

The construction of structures for the New York section will take place on the 31st of January and the finished articles will be on display to the public from 1st February to the 11th, with free admission, although visitors are encouraged to bring a donation of canned food.