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Federico Babina's architectural flag illustrations deconstruct the notion of borders to imagine an alternative world

2024-06-14T13:27:00-04:00

Today is Flag Day in the United States and in celebration of the country’s first adoption of the national flag as a symbol of unity in 1777, we’ve decided to present some of the select architecturally inspired works of the Italian-born graphic designer Federico Babina.

Babina describes his approach: “I like trying to explain the world I see through different techniques of expression.” Indeed, as Jasper Johns' own six-decade experimentations in vexillography showed us, flags are as much cultural symbols as they are communication devices to be manipulated by various (and sometimes opposing) parties in order to accomplish different political and social aims.

Federico Babina's architectural flag artwork

Babina crafts his own versions of national standards using elevations, section drawings, plans, and silhouettes that are sometimes representative of each country's endemic architecture to give forms which, in turn, fit into the visual field to create imaginative counternar...

36-foot-tall television wall illuminates Charlotte's largest mixed-use development

2019-09-23T13:45:00-04:00

Legacy Union is a 10-acre mixed-use development that is intended to be a community gathering place that pays homage to the past of Charlotte, N.C. while celebrating the promise of its future, according to a press release. The project is designed by LS3P, HKS, and Landdesign. It stands 33-stories tall and comes in at about 950,000 square feet.

To accompany the project, Second Story has designed an algorithmically powered 4k monitor, called Unify, that never shows the same composition twice. It captures the essence and twinge of clouds and water, and explores color through a dynamic display of movement.

The monitor measures an impressive 64 feet wide by 36 feet high.

How do you visualize the effects of climate change? Architect Iwo Borkowicz and artist Alicja Biala use data visualization to inform the public

2019-07-22T13:50:00-04:00

In this hyper-visual world, it's becoming more challenging to keep the general public informed and engaged with pressing issues, specifically issues relating to the environment. The quickly changing landscapes, rising sea levels, and temperature fluctuations should be enough of a warning for others to take notice. However, Alicja Biala and Iwo Borkowicz illustrate these issues using public space, data, and art.

Located beneath MVRDV's Baltyk Tower stands Biala and Borkowicz's 9m-tall installation. At first glance, the colorful structures would capture anyone's attention. The intricate patterns and distinct individualist shapes may satisfy social media thirsty individuals, but the message behind each piece represents something far more important.

(L) Totem showcases how much water is used during food production. (R) Totem illustrates plastic use. Image © Alicja Biala and Iwo Borkowicz/Totemy

Totem Diagram. Image Alicja Biala and Iwo Borkowicz/Totemy

Totemy is a multi-layered set of t...

Trevor Paglen is a 2017 MacArthur Fellow — #TBT to our encounter with the experimental geographer 12 years ago

2017-10-12T19:19:00-04:00

The mysterious images of the physical manifestations of military power hover between abstraction and information, between the inscrutable and the mundane. They are at once compelling as visual compositions and chilling as photographic documentation of activities that are otherwise based on speculation.

The 2017 MacArthur fellows have been revealed. Artist and geographer, Trevor Paglen, won the award for his work on surveillance infrastructures. Twelve years ago, we followed Paglen on his field work and spoke with him about experimental geography. The full feature by Bryan Finoki is available here.

Image via MacArthur Foundation