kitchen landscapes

While researching collections for my graduate thesis one of my advisors shared with me the work of Monica Rosello and Jordi Guillumet. They published a small book of photographs of "alternative landscapes" made from arranging common kitchen equipment like a grater, string, shakers, baskets, espresso maker, and sponges to name a few. The book is called l'Armari de l'Arquitecte and it is in Spanish, so much was lost in translation, but the images were no less haunting.

[from l'Armari de l'Arquitecte]

[from l'Armari de l'Arquitecte]

[from l'Armari de l'Arquitecte]

While Chinese artist. sculptor Zhan Wang has taken this concept 10 steps further with his futurist interpretations of modern cities like London and San Francisco. Using mirrors, pots, plans, tea kettles, utensils and any other stainless kitchen utensil you can imagine he creates these scenes as part of his "Urban Landscape"

Most of Zhan's work is of abstract forms resembling stone/ rocks that have been coated in chrome, so these cityscapes are a departure from his normal repertoire.

His recent "On Gold Mountain" exhibition at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on just closed in May. The exhibit featured interpretations of rocks from Sierra Nevada, but Zahn also created one of his urban landscapes of the city of San Francisco. Stunning or maybe a "blinding" is more appropriate!

[SAN FRANCISCO from io9 http://www.io9.com/]

[LONDON from Williams College Museum of Art http://www.wcma.org/]

These certainly put my cereal box John Waynesque western town from the third grade to shame.

For more information on Zahn Wang check out the following sites:

http://io9.com/358920/sf-skyline-of-tomorrow-will-be-a-massive-chinese-kitchen

http://www.asianart.org/

http://www.wcma.org/

bar codes

So as most of my friends know I'm a bit obsessed with collections. More specifically the juxtaposition of like and unlike objects because the very essence of a collection completely eliminates the possibility of individuality. An object on its own does not demand the attention a collection of objects does, unless set upon a pedestal and displayed a single object on its own can go completely without notice.

I've been quietly examining this for the last 5 years with my polaroid project. I've taken hundreds of polaroids each representing something or someone that has made an impression on my life. They each have their own story. I have selected to group them into a giant collage which gives them another level of meaning. They themselves begin to form a composition. Each retains its individual story, yet one must look more carefully to uncover it.

I suppose the question I am trying to answer is what is more important. The individual story or the groups story? OR are they equally important? OR maybe it doesn't matter.

But I digress. I was recently shown the artwork of American artist Scott Blake (thanks MKL). He specializes in portraits, but uses bar codes to create pixelated collages. His subjects include the typical candidates such as Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Madonna, but also include Schwarzenegger, Bill Gates, and Ozzy Osbourne.

Now he doesn't just use any old bar code. He collects bar codes that are from materials relating to the celebrity subject. He's even experimenting with interactive pieces such as the Bruce Lee portrait where each bar code plays a scene from one of his movies.

To read more about Scott check out the following article from the Daily Mail UK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1021947/Pictured-The-amazing-portraits-Elvis-Madonna-entirely-bar-codes.html

Below is Scott's portrait of the Queen of Day time Talk Oprah in bar codes. (at the top are Elvis and Madonna)