ART! - Collaborations of Kin and Kind
We have to admit that at times we here at mnp can be somewhat constrained by tradition and our ideas of the world as it is. For instance, a tradition around here is ART DAY! and, on Fridays, you can pretty much expect it, regardless of what it is you really want to see. It is in that same sentiment that we apologize for having not yet brought you a piece of collaborative art. However fear not, for that ends today. Next week we will focus on collaborative art projects between people and other people. Today’s feature, one might say, is a sort of collaboration, but one between people and nature, man and insect.
What with all the creepy crawly activity around the mnp network this week: namely vermicomposting with red worms over at green.mnp, it seems only appropriate to bring you these awesome little jewels, by Hubert Duprat and some little insects.
The images above illustrate the results of an unusual artistic collaboration between the French artist Hubert Duprat and a group of caddis fly larvae. A small winged insect belonging to the order Trichoptera and closely related to the butterfly, caddis flies live near streams and ponds and produce aquatic larvae that protect their developing bodies by manufacturing sheaths, or cases, spun from silk and incorporating substancesa€"grains of sand, particles of mineral or plant material, bits of fish bone or crustacean shella€"readily available in their benthic ecosystem. The larvae are remarkably adaptable: if other suitable materials are introduced into their environment, they will often incorporate those as well. via
We first found out about this project at a cool blog, so we’ll give them the link love they expect and deserve. Below you can watch a video of these art-loving insects in action.
Collaboration between human being and nature is obviously the norm, and it’s funny that we think of ourselves as being somehow ‘outside’ of nature in relation to anything we do - even art. But working within the bounds of nature is no strange concept to our ninjas over at architecture.mnp
Keep scrolling down for more ART DAY! goodness you crave.
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Posted: September 28th, 2007
at 7:59am by black octagons
Categories: life,art,contemporary,fo' real?,science,art fridays
Comments: No comments
Project Insect
In keeping with the somewhat-theme of the day, here are some oil paintings by artist Jessa Heubing-Reitinger a wildlife artist.
Our Mission Statement
We educate the general public on the science of entomology, ecosystem preservation, and global conservation through the mediums of live performance, visual fine arts, scientific approach and interactive activities. From Project Insect About Page
I especially dig the cicada. Check out the Project Insect Page.
Posted: September 28th, 2007
at 7:58am by black octagons
Categories: art,contemporary
Comments: No comments
Watercolor Wows
The honorable shakymuni, Guatama once said in a sutra that "happiness is an orange." While that has nothing to do with this artist, we do appreciate Marlies Merk Najaka’s watercolors that are available through her site as limited edition giclee prints for putting us in a Zen state of mind. Most of the work up there is floral, if you like that sort of thing, and the pieces lend themselves very nicely to watercolors.
Check out her page and buy a print. Najaka was also featured in a 2003 issue of American Artists Magazine
"My work is always as much about what I eliminate in my painting as it is about what I include." Because of the unique method in which she applies her watercolors, Marlies is able to achieve richly toned and extremely complex glazes of color. Until recently, Marlies’ work had been almost impossible to duplicate using conventional printing techniques. "With the advent of Glicee printing, I am finally able to recreate my art. Giclee prints incorporate all of the subtle nuances of my original art so well that it is rarely possible for me to distinguish one from the other". link
We’re not sure who wrote that review, but it certainly seems accurate in description of the few pieces we included for you in this post. Let us know if you like what you see.
Posted: September 28th, 2007
at 7:56am by black octagons
Categories: art,contemporary
Comments: No comments
Mind Your Own Beeswax
This is a collage using beeswax by an artist named Kari who runs a blog which we link to in another post today.
This is my first attempt at using beeswax for collage and it is a great way to layer images. The layers are so easy to stick down and move around, plus you can change your mind if something doesn’t look right. I shall certainly use this method again. Link
We enjoy her interesting blog, Inkytinker’s Splats and we’re sure you will too. You can also check out some samples of her work.
Posted: September 28th, 2007
at 7:48am by black octagons
Categories: art,web,contemporary
Comments: No comments
Terrible Beauty
Ok, so maybe the concept of arranging a bunch of insect bodies in patterns creeps us out a little bit, too. However, when I saw these pictures from a (2005?) installation at the Textile Museum of Canada I couldn’t help but be taken aback. There are over 15,000 insects included here, apparently from the artists personal collection. The artist herself has dubbed the installation ‘Terrible Beauty.’
Jennifer Angus interrogates the languages of pattern, colour and materials found in a range of world textiles. In A Terrible Beauty, the artist reworks these formal elements and delves into culturally- and historically-specific precedents. Hers is a delightful yet satirical approach to artmaking that reflects upon the warmth and comforts of home, travel, storytelling, and the human compulsion to form collections and to induce order where the potential for disorder is overwhelming. Sarah Quinton, Curator
Check out the gallery here. Meanwhile, Jennifer Angus’, the artist’s, homepage may also be of interest.
Posted: September 28th, 2007
at 7:40am by black octagons
Categories: art,contemporary,fo' real?
Comments: No comments
Spider Web Art
Leaving no stone unturned, we now look at Will Knight’s Spider Web Art. One thing I must say is that only in New England could I see this happening. America’s a wild place people, but we certainly have it locked down in the northeast.
It took years before Will devised a system that worked. Luckily the old barns in Vermont are full of spiders, so Will had an endless supply of webs with which to experiment. Spider webs are fragile, nearly invisible, and difficult to get stuck and to stay stuck where you want them to. But eventually Will hit upon a mass-production system that now gives him a steady supply of webs — that is, when the spiders are in the mood. Link
The images are all of webs collected from Will Knight’s Spider Farm, in Vermont. Though it gives me definite heebie jeebies, it’s still pretty ill. Ill like WIll.
Posted: September 28th, 2007
at 7:30am by black octagons
Categories: art,web,fo' real?,9th dan
Comments: No comments
re: what a [GREAT] waste of time
Peter Zumthor
Posted: September 27th, 2007
at 11:27pm by Koookiecrumbles
Categories: art,architecture,photo
Comments: No comments
Cultura Sin Fronteras at expresAAons-artAAstAAcas
ninjas at large, expresAAones artAAstAAcas are opening their new gallery as well as previewing a commissioned mural from Mexico City on october 13-14- or just read the flyer!
Posted: September 27th, 2007
at 10:00am by Koookiecrumbles
Categories: contemporary
Comments: No comments