Archinect - News

'Keeping the culture going': Inside the restoration of a heartfelt mural at the Watts Towers in Los Angeles

2021-10-12T15:24:00-04:00

“The mural had fallen into disrepair, its imagery so faded from the sun that some shapes were barely recognizable. On a trip to L.A. in 2017 to restore one of his murals, Davis visited Watts Towers and noted what terrible shape the work was in. It gnawed at him, how fragile the mural was, slowly and quietly deteriorating in plain sight.”

The mural-lined Watts Towers campus is currently at the end of a three-year conservation effort being overseen by LACMA. The largest is artist Alonzo Davis’ tribute to acclaimed visual artist and former Watts Towers Arts Center director John Outterbridge, who died last year. Davis, who founded Leimert Park’s famed Brockman Gallery, executed the painting in 1980 but has since become unable to do the restoration work himself.

In his place, a team of local artists is working to clean the mural in time for next month and very much in the spirit Outterbridge’s vision of intergenerational artist mentorship and community involvement.

“It represents his spirit and sense of community, symbols that reflected my thinking about him,” Davis told the LA Times. “The mural may have faded, but his memory won’t.”

Architecture and Japanese anime shine in the release of a new book by Les Jardins des Pilotes

2020-04-27T09:26:00-04:00

Futuristic megacities and out-of-this-world cityscapes created for Japanese animated films have influenced video games, films, as well as architects and designers. Similar to the work of Syd Mead and his highly influential artwork, Japanese anime has developed a special relationship with how fictional built environments can look and feel. From beautifully hand-drawn sketches, storyboards, and paintings, anime artists and creators have expanded the worlds of Japan's "ultramodern animated films."

AKIRA - Final production background. Image courtesy of Anime Architecture/Les Jardins des Pilotes

The non-profit organization, Les Jardins des Pilotes, has dedicated their time gathering and showcasing the influential worlds of these fictional spaces in their latest book Anime Architecture. Author and curator Stefan Riekeles showcases the work of famous Japanese artists and their iconic cityscapes found in animated films like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Metropolis, 2001, to name a few.

Metr...

German government offers €50 Billion aid package to artists

2020-03-26T13:50:00-04:00

The German federal government is stepping in with a sweeping aid package for the country’s creative and cultural sectors. The staggering €50 billion ($54 billion) in backing comes less than two weeks since Germany first made its promise of support. The three-part package includes up to €50 billion ($54 billion) in aid for individuals who are self-employed as well as for small businesses. It will come in the form grants designed to help with overhead costs like venue rentals and artist studios.

According to Artnet, the funding will also support media enterprises, including newspapers. "We know the hardships, we know the desperation," said culture minister Monika Grütters in a statement. "The cultural sector in particular is characterized by a high proportion of self-employed people who now have problems with their livelihoods." Grütters expressed the federal governments awareness and recognition of the importance of creative industries, reports Artnet.

Ai Weiwei-designed home goes on the market for $5.25M

2019-07-01T13:21:00-04:00

Ai Weiwei, artist and activist, has dabbled in architecture more than once in his career. From his Bird's Nest collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron to his work on the Jinhua Architecture Park, Weiwei's interests in architecture would eventually draw him towards a residential project. Located in Ancram, NY, the home's first owner had built it as a vacation retreat for Chinese-American businessman and renowned art collector, Christopher Tsai.

Rear view of main house. Image © Michael Bowman Photography

Guest house. Image © Michael Bowman Photography

Weiwei collaborated with the Swiss architecture firm HHF to design the art enthusiasts getaway home. Built on 37.5 acres, the house comprises a large main house consisting of 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The main house is a connection of cube-like sections equaling to 3,700 square feet. In addition to the main house, Weiwei designed an additional guest house with a timber structure and corrugate...

Following Ghost Ship tragedy, city authorities and artists clash over DIY venues

2016-12-15T13:35:00-05:00

“If you don’t understand anything about this world, or what that space was, or who these people were, your first reaction is going to be: ‘Why don’t you just bring this place up to code?’ And it’s a very quaint notion, and it would be good if that’s how the world worked [...]” “There are so many interlocking problems that are fundamental, it’s hard to know where to begin. In almost every case, there are existing code violations to the building before they even move in.”

DIY Space, After Ghost Ship: Safety, community and informal venues after Oakland's tragic fire, ft. S. Surface and David Keenan on Archinect Sessions #91

Boyle Heights activists want all art galleries to GTFO of their neighborhood

2016-07-15T17:57:00-04:00

"We’re not against art or culture," [says Boyle Heights activist Maga Miranda.] "...But the art galleries are part of a broader effort by planners and politicians and developers who want to artwash gentrification." "We’re saying that they need to make a bigger effort to amplify the voices of the people that are gonna be most affected by this, and that doesn’t happen to be artists in this situation. It happens to be people who can’t afford to live here anymore."

Amid widespread gentrification in LA, activists in Boyle Heights have been scrutinizing the art galleries that set up shop there in recent years — including significant spaces like Self Help Graphics, which helped put the Eastside neighborhood on the cultural map. While activists want to prevent developers from taking control and “artwashing gentrification”, some gallery owners have expressed mixed reactions. The debate gets even more convoluted considering that some activists are also working artists.

Zaha Hadid transforms Zurich gallery in homage to artist Kurt Schwitters

2016-06-17T14:03:00-04:00

Upon first glance, the “Kurt Schwitters: Merz” exhibition is an enticing haven of artistic talent. The retrospective opened earlier this week at the Galerie Gmurzynska in Zurich. An exhibition involving Zaha Hadid is sure to be a visual treat, whether it's her work that is on display or if she designed an exhibition's setup. Hadid's design for this particular exhibition...is the late architect's homage to Kurt Schwitters' famous Merzbau.

See more photos of the exhibition on Bustler.

Artist Daniel Buren spruces up Gehry's Fondation Louis Vuitton with colorful intervention

2016-05-13T20:18:00-04:00

Thanks to in situ artist Daniel Buren, the white glassy curved sails of the Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris have received a generous splash of vibrant color — or 13 colors, to be exact...Developed in collaboration with Frank Gehry, Buren's temporary piece, titled “The Observatory of Light“, made its official debut this past Wednesday. It took 29 nights over a period of five weeks to apply the dyed filters and white 8.7 cm-wide strips throughout the building's 3,528 glass panes.

Read more about Buren's intervention on Bustler.

Portrait of the artist as a young woman: inside the mind of Eva Hesse

2016-05-11T21:07:00-04:00

“2 wires + weights + tape + thin foam rubber” - one of Eva Hesse's shopping lists

"LeWitt’s admiration of Hesse is well documented, and the two are the subject of a powerful travelling exhibition exploring their mutual influence, now at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Converging Lines, until 31 July). But one of the most memorable accounts of their relationship comes from an interview with the artist Carl Andre in the new documentary. “Eva was the love of Sol LeWitt’s life, and Eva loved Sol,” Andre says. “I once asked Eva, ‘You know, Sol’s a great guy, a great artist, and he loves you. Why don’t you…?’ She said: ‘You don’t go to bed with your brother.’” Hesse’s journals back up this point. In 1966, she writes: “Sol gave it to me today. He wants more than our closeness; he wants total, complete relationship. I can’t blame him, but I can neither help him. I cannot give him what he wants.”"

How L.A. can reboot its "creative economy" so artists can actually live in town

2015-12-11T14:26:00-05:00

But if L.A. is going to remain a creative capital, its civic and cultural leaders are going to need to do more than offer really great talk about how great we are...This can start with the Otis Report on the Creative Economy...If this report is to be more than just a feel-good data dump, it could use some solid recommendations on how L.A. compares to other cities culturally and how we might improve the situation for artists and cultural organizations, both small and large.

More about arts districts on Archinect:

Venice Beach's ongoing grapple with the tech titan invasion

Downtown LA's vision of an architecture and design super cluster

How one urban planner is helping revamp a Miami suburb "without gentrification"

With a little compromise, illegal urban squats like Ljubljana's Metelkova Mesto can do a city good

How Many Artists Does It Take to Make an Arts District?

New Orleans deliberates how to dismantle statues of U.S. Confederate figures

2015-08-18T09:36:00-04:00

The question of the monuments’ removal comes after several US states...have withdrawn the Confederate flag, acknowledging it as a symbol of racial hate...The [statues] are on public land 'which means that African American tax money is being used to maintain them', [says Carol Bebelle, co-chair of the Mayor’s committee for racial reconciliation]. 'What does it mean to be a city that pays tribute to part of its history that was about oppressing the major portion of its population?'

"Kinetic" steel museum in New Zealand pays tribute to illustrious sculptural artist Len Lye

2015-08-04T15:51:00-04:00

The Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth, Taranaki in New Zealand stands as an emblem of the sculptural works and philosophy of acclaimed artist Len Lye, who was a prominent figure in the kinetic sculpture and experimental film movements throughout the 20th century. Celebrating its grand opening late last month with the Govett Brewster Art Gallery, the Centre is the culmination of a more than three-decade endeavor in building a permanent home for Lye’s archive of work. As an expansion to the Govett Brewster, the Centre is the only museum in the country that is dedicated to a single artist.

The New Plymouth District Council financed the building through an extensive government-led fundraiser and commissioned New Zealand practice Patterson Architects Associates to design the new building. Keeping their true client — Len Lye — in mind, Pattersons fused significant elements of the artist's inspirations into their design, including Maori motifs, Greek classical temples, and the manipulation of ...

Get a peek of Steven Holl's "Ex of In" experimental artists' residence in Rhinebeck, NY

2015-07-20T19:58:00-04:00

A handful of Steven Holl-designed buildings will be popping up in the next few years, with the groundbreaking of the Maggie's Centre Barts in London last month and construction of the Queens Library already underway in New York. Steven Holl Architects recently announced the groundbreaking of another New York-based project called the Ex of In House, slated for completion in May 2016 in the village of Rhinebeck.

Located in a rural forest landscape, the house is a physical manifestation of the firm's ongoing research project "Explorations of 'IN'". Established in June 2014, the research project explores and challenges the clichés of architectural language and commercial practice, including drawings and studies entitled with colorful names like Triple Venn Diagram Mutilation and Hybrid Combinations: Tesseract within a Cubic Sphere.

↑ Models and watercolor drawing by Steven Holl

As a non-profit extension of the locally based "T"Space art gallery, the 918 square-foot artists' residence aims...

Florida rental home wrapped in foil for art's sake, confusion ensues as expected

2015-06-11T13:53:00-04:00

Neighbors haven't quite wrapped their heads around what's going on at 402 Ashland Ave., where aluminum foil covers every inch of a house on three sides and dangles like silver earrings from trees...They've asked resident [and artist] Piotr Janowski...He explains that it's an outdoor art project, inspired by Florida's beauty. Code enforcement is still trying to determine if the project is violating any ordinances...

Janowski tells the Tamba Bay Times: "This is art. In their thick, bureaucratic books, I'm sure they have nothing against this."

Oh, Florida. Maybe this artist could give Janowski a few tips, but hey, to each their own.

Feast your eyes on Do Ho Suh's immersive home installations in this short film

2015-05-29T14:05:00-04:00

Seoul-based cinematographer and photographer Nils Clauss put together a new film highlighting the works of esteemed sculptor and installation artist Do Ho Suh. Suh's site-specific pieces play with the boundaries of identity and revolve around the physical and metaphorical malleability of space, whether that's captivating viewers into monochromatic structures made of thin translucent fabrics or putting them on edge with houses teetering off the roof of a building.

Clauss' mini film highlights Suh's "Perfect Home" exhibition at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan from 2012-2013.

Spare a few minutes and check out the video below.

Richard Serra engages with the Qatari desert landscape in his new sculptural piece

2015-04-30T18:51:00-04:00

Richard Serra’s new sculpture, 'East-West/West-East,' is a set of four standing steel plates rolled in Germany, shipped via Antwerp, and offloaded, trucked, and craned into place in the middle of the western Qatari desert...the steel is the same that he’s used in his other pieces, and it will oxidize in the same way, albeit more quickly in the hot, salty conditions of the Brouq Nature Reserve. The plates will [ultimately] turn a dark amber—approximately the same color...as the Seagram Building.

Artist bedecks decrepit Bates Motel in ghost-white before eventual demolition

2015-04-24T14:34:00-04:00

This project [titled 'Projection'], announced last October, is probably the first time in a long time that the old inn (aka the Sunset Pacific) has gotten so much attention. The Bates—whose nickname is as much a callback to 'Psycho' as it is to the motel's location near the intersection of Bates and Sunset—has been vacant for decades, except for the squatters and the occasional, totally fun-looking, likely illegal party

Artist Vincent Lamouroux went all out in covering Silver Lake's Bates Motel in stark white limewash for his piece titled, Projection, which officially opens on April 26. As of now, the derelict landmark will eventually be razed to make room for three mixed-users.

Toshiko Mori designs pro-bono a new artists' residency in Senegal

2015-01-15T15:45:00-05:00

The rural village of Sinthian in southeastern Senegal is home to the THREAD arts center, a new artists' residency and cultural community space set to open this March. The idea for the arts center originated from the long-term efforts of doctor and local Sinthian leader, Magueye Ba, who spearheaded the project with environmental sustainability expert Moussa Sene and The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. The project has already gained deserved recognition with a selection for the 2014 Venice Biennale and an AIANY award.

Designed pro-bono by New York-based Toshiko Mori Architect, the art center's design incorporates local materials and building customs. While local masons and villagers provided their expertise on working with bamboo, brick, and thatch, Mori rendered those materials into a contemporary geometric design that complements its surrounding flat landscape. The structure's most notable feature is its inverted roof that can collect and retain rainwater to provide for 40% of the ...

‘Choral Fields 1-6’ of MIRRORCITY in London ponders the urban city’s rhythmic flow

2014-10-30T23:18:00-04:00

For as long as digital technology continues to creep into every part of our daily lives, so will the discussion regarding its impact on everyday reality. Over at London's Hayward Gallery, the MIRRORCITY exhibition features the multimedia works of London-based emerging and established artists that address the dilemmas, consequences, and experiences of living in the digital revolution. MIRRORCITY will be at the Hayward Gallery until January 4, 2015.

One of the MIRRORCITY artists is Emma McNally whose Choral Fields (1-6) graphite drawings are featured in the exhibition. If McNally's name sounds familiar, she exhibited her beautiful cosmos-inspired drawing/space body of work in the Drawing Room's "Abstract Drawing" last year. Similar to drawing/space, McNally's Choral Fields offers a metaphysical, cartographic perspective to contemporary urbanism.

10x10 London auction renders 100 drawn perspectives around The Shard

2014-10-30T18:14:00-04:00

10x10 Drawing the City London is an annual fundraising event established by British architect Tim Makower and organized by charity group Article 25 that gets its name from the 100-square grid that captures one particular area in the city of London.

Each square of the grid is assigned to 100 participants, who are typically some of the U.K.'s most well-known and emerging architects, designers, and artists. Participants will then create and donate an original work of art inspired by the buildings and public spaces within their assigned square. For 2014, The Renzo Piano-designed Shard will be the center of the grid.

This year's set of participants include notable names and 10x10 favorites like Norman Foster, Ivan Harbour, Sheila O'Donnell, C.J. Lim, Piers Gough, Chris Wilkinson, textile designer Celia Birtwell, artists Norman Ackroyd and Roger FitzGerald, and 10x10 founder Tim Makower himself.

Online bidding for the art begins November 4 through November 25, followed by an exclusive evenin...

NIMBYs go to court over "modern" home; Zaha gets an apology; global warming rages on: News Round-Up for August 25, 2014

2014-09-02T20:07:00-04:00

Friday, August 29:

MIT's MindRider helmet draws mental maps as you bike: The prototype is currently being used to create a mental-map and guidebook for NYC, and an upcoming Kickstarter campaign will attempt to fund the project for commercial sale.
In Beirut, a grassroots push for more grass: Lebanon's fifteen-year civil war made much of Beirut's green space inaccessible or dysfunctional. The Beirut Green Project is trying to bring at least a modicum of green space back to the city's residents.

Thursday, August 28:

Norwegian artists plan to open art academy in North Korea: Nothing's final yet, but the school is committed to its disbelief in sanctions or boycotts on art.
Alvar Aalto gets a close look from Google's Cultural Institute: Google's cameras go inside the famous Finnish architects studio, as well as a selection of his works, for a curated photo-exhibition.

Wednesday, August 27:

China considering drastic ban on coal: Chinese news outlets claim that work is underway to ban coal in Bei...

"Birdbnb" exhibits elaborate birdhouse replicas of over 50 Airbnb listings

2013-12-20T17:28:00-05:00

Whether you're flying out for the holidays, staying at home, or you happen to be a migratory bird searching for a stylish pitstop in the midst of your seasonal travels, you might want to check out the birdhouses in Airbnb's "Every Traveler Deserves a Home" campaign that launched on Dec. 16. Strict practicality aside, the quaint factor of "birdbnb" is hard to ignore.

Airbnb paired up with ad agency Pereira & O'Dell for their first integrated marketing campaign to promote travel and hospitality by aiming the spotlight on nature's most frequent flyers. A team of artists commissioned by Airbnb crafted over 50 birdhouse replicas of the company's home listings around the world.

Other participants include ornithologist Carolyn Atherton who consulted in the campaign, miniatures experts, and a behind-the-scenes film directed by Alma Har'el.

The short film (linked below) shows the artists having fun as they make the birdhouses and dance to musician Zach Shields performing his o...

Donald Judd’s SoHo Loft Opens After $23 Million Makeover

2013-05-31T12:05:00-04:00

Donald Judd bought 101 Spring Street, an 1870 cast-iron building, in 1968 for $68,000. He stripped the dilapidated building down to its plaster walls and wood floors, illegally removing distractions like fire sprinklers. Then Judd (1928-1994) spent decades turning the spaces into a showcase for his art and a place to rest his head on a bed made of wood planks. It’s carefully related to the colored tubes by Dan Flavin that march across the room, echoing the rhythm of a gorgeous row of windows.

Alexander Brodsky - It still amazes me that I became an architect

2011-12-14T20:33:57-05:00

At the beginning of his career, Alexander Brodsky is part of the “paper-architecture“ movement even though at that point, at the beginning of the eighties, there is no movement in the true sense yet. The notion “paper-architecture” rather expresses a typical limitation to architectural creativity in the Soviet Union of the time: Young architects who would refuse to fit in with the established architecture system would have no means to carry out their projects...

a,DOT INTRODUCING THE 52 ARTISTS!

2011-09-01T17:14:28-04:00

Chicago Women in Architecture is excited to announce the 52 artists that will be featured in the “architects.DOING OTHER THINGS” exhibition organized by CWA as part of Chicago Artists Month 2011, the sixteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant visual art community presented by the Chicago Department of Tourism and Culture. For more information, visit www.chicagoartistsmonth.org

Opening night is October 6th so be sure to mark your calenders!

And be on the lookout for upcoming posts as we introduce the women behind the artful work of architect | artists, a talented network as diverse as Chicago's neighborhoods.

FYI, poster design is a collaboration between Mindy Viamontes and Myself.