radarboy

Another great minimalist video from Maxim Zhestkov

My current work, Look to the Sky, is a contemplation of our thoughts as a broadcast medium across the sky and beyond. , is on display this week at Fabbrica del Vapore as part of Salone del Mobile 2010.

Look to the Sky was made possible through the kind assistance of Mind The Box, a Berlin association that promotes cultural inter-city exchange, and Process 4 Labs.

I have always been fascinated by space as a representation of the future and the hope that it inspires. Look to the Sky is a physical representation of our imagination and of our thoughts as they are broadcast across the sky and beyond.

Inspired by German abstract sculptor Norbert Krick and his Raumplastik series. 30m x 8m. Plastic wire, fishing line, light.

Pics courtesy of Mind The Box

A beautiful minimal instillation by Japanese design studio Curiosity. Ping pong balls magically float in the air, suspended by jets of hot air, at variably lighted. Very nice indeed.

Says curiosity: “The installation is designed based on the idea of design freed from information, history and reference, a place of preserved time and apparent emptiness.

Design is about communication, the challenge of ‘Light-Light’ is to create a connection with a minimum of means. this language should transcend age, culture, history and genre using technology but make it disappear, enclosed in a space that would ultimatly vanish.

“Light-Light” gives the freedom to the visitor to be part of the installation as actor, able to interact, play, brake and recreate. it projects your own desire and dream into a vision where everything seems possible. ‘Light-Light’ is a place of discovery each individual create its own history when encounter the installation, from surprise to curiosity, from impact to intimacy. ‘Light-Light’ is a design liberated from shape and materiality only the experience remains.”

Check the video here:

Here’s a good idea of how it works, even if you don’t speak Japanese:

Check out Curiosity’s site for lots of other amazing stuff here.

I came across Tara Donovan’s work a few years ago, but forgot how utterly amazing an inspirational it is:

Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2003
Styrofoam Cups, Hot Glue

Tara Donovan, Haze, 2003
Stacked Clear Plastic Drinking Straws

Tara Donovan, Bluffs, 2005
Buttons, Glue

Very nice indeed. More works here: http://www.acegallery.net/artistmenu.php?Artist=8

I’ve raved about how much I love the work of Carsten Nicolai before. But just discovered his amazing book Grid Index

Grid Index is the first comprehensive visual lexicon of patterns and grid systems. It is an essential reference book for designers, visual artists, architects, researchers and mathematicians. From the simplest grids made up entirely of squares to the most complex irregular ones with infinitely unpredictable patterns of growth, the book itself is a work of art.

All visual information and forms, whether illustration, graphic design, painting or architecture are comprised of two dimensional grids and patterns, much like the way that computer information is made up of zeroes and ones. Based upon years of research, artist and musician Carsten Nicolai has discovered and unlocked the visual code for visual systems into a systematic equation of grids and patterns.

http://www.gestalten.com/books/detail?id=ceaea7651e30769d011efe5dd090007d

Lithuanian artist Zilvinas Kempinas uses unspooled video tape as a primary medium in his installations to create beautiful, fluid pieces. I’m quite chuffed he’ll be exhibiting at the Transmediale Future Obscura event in Berlin next week.

More of his work can be found here.

These screengrabs are part of a vast pool of sound reactive stuff I’ve been working on over the past year, which is finally getting into a presentable form.

After a long haitus, I completely rebuild the old award winning RBVJ in Processing – but it wasn’t as simple as I anticipated, and it’s still not 100% stable. Once it is I will release the code.

I’m not a programmer, I’m a designer/artist, whatever. However I do enjoy quite a few aspects of programatic design – the fact that code can lead you to unexpected places and taking on a life of it’s own can really surprise you.

I am really most inspired by the visuals of Raster Norton and Ali Demirel, which are pretty close to my own work in both style and substance. I’ve also been thinking plenty about space and I think, along with minimalism, these theme play out a lot in my work. I think the graphics also reflect the way my music production is moving.

I have always believed that club graphics should simple – there is too much noise in the world already – and the simplicity of the graphics allows us to go with the music and find meaning on our own, rather than being shoved down a visual mishmash. Not that these kind of graphics should necessarily be just shown in a club context, but that’s another whole conversation.

The plan is to combine the visuals with my live music/DJ sets – eventually controlling both light and sound through Ableton/OSC/Max.

Soon on a wall/dancefloor in Berlin. And beyond.

Project Links:
Gallery: Here’s the first of a three part set of screengrabs from my work:
http://radarboy.com/george/visuals1.html
Video: (Coming Soon – next week hopefully)

Some technical stuff:
I’ve decided to totally ditch Flash – it is just too verbose, annoying and slow. I actually considered moving completely over to Open Frameworks for speed, but eventually decided Processing was the best bet. Given the strides being made in ProcessingJS – the JavaScript port of Processing, the recent launch of Processing for Andoid and news that Processing 2 will be even better friends with OpenGL. Open Frameworks’ inability to publish on the web was also a clincher. Anyway, I digress.

My all time favourite favourite artist, James Turrell, is having a huge exhibition in Germany – his largest ever. Wolfsberg is not too far from Berlin – so I’m definitely going to make a plan to get over there. Roadtrip!

There’s not that much quality information about him on the web, so am happy to see this great video about his work:

http://www.kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de

We have some amazing motion graphics treats for you today. First up is Japanese artist Takuya Hosogane:

Next up is Australian designer, Benjamin Ducroz, with this beauty entitled: “Press +”

And I really love this one, Inserting the Mass, by Pylinsky:

I’ve been thinking a lot about negative space lately, so was quite happy to come across the work of fellow Berliner Peter K. Koch.

Interview in NY Arts Magazine

Johah Groeneboer at the Bellwether Gallery

Norman McLaren, was a genius animator and film maker best known for his groundbreaking and minimalist work for the National Film Board of Canada in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. One of the most important names in the history of animation McLaren was a also the godfather of music visualization. He won an Oscar in 1953 for his bizarre short film Neighbours. But here we pay homage to some of his more abstract work, most made without the use of a camera.

Norman McLaren Dots (1940):

Norman McLaren – Boogie Doodle:

Norman McLaren Le Merle (The Blackbird):

And finally, here’s a cool film about McLaren’s working method of drawing sound and played on the Moviola, with the great title of Pen Point Percussion: