Tuesday 22 May 2012

Richard Wilson new commissions...

Slipstream by Richard Wilson

Sculptor Richard Wilson (b.1953) and creator of Turning the Place Over for Liverpool Biennial, is to create a new work, Slipstream, for the Covered Court of Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport when it opens in 2014. The model for the work will be on display at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition this summer.

Wilson described the work on Front Row on Radio 4 by saying something along these lines:

'Imagine filling the Terminal with clay, then taking an aeroplane and throwing it [through the space] so it spirals and twists its way through the clay, it will leave a void, and then imagine filling that void with plaster, that's what we're making, but we're making it like an aeroplane, in polished aluminium.'

At more than 70m (230ft) long and weighing 77 tonnes (77,000kg), it is said to be the longest permanent sculpture in Europe. According to Wilson it will be bigger than an A300 airbus, and nearly as long as 9 old Routemaster buses.

To read an article about the project, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18145268

The maquette for Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea by Richard Wilson

Wilson is also completing a temporary commission called Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea for the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea this summer, which is perhaps more interesting and certainly less corporate.


The work, whose title is a quote from the cult British 1969 film The Italian Job consists of a full-size model of a coach hanging over the edge of the roof of the famous Modernist building, recreating the end of the film where Michael Caine and his posse of robbers are stuck at the wrong end of the bus to the gold bullion they've just stolen as it teeters over a cliff.

Last year, DLWP hosted Antony Gormley's work Critical Mass on the roof, whereby 60 cast-iron figures based on the sculptor's body were displayed.

Wilson's work has a heavy nod to the Olympics with the colours of the bus and the gold reference, and will form part of the
Cultural Olympiad, and is due to be installed at the De La Warr Pavilion at the end of June 2012.

You can watch a short video where Wilson talks about the limited edition models available here: http://vimeo.com/42193456 A snip at £1,800.

Friday 18 May 2012

Color Jam comes to Chicago

Concept design for Color Jam

American artist Jessica Stockholder (b.1959) has been commissioned to produce Color Jam, a site specific installation which will open on State Street, Chicago in June. Installation is due to start on 28 May.


According to the artist, the idea is to create “an experience that elicits joy and encourages the recognition that things might be otherwise.” As people approach the prominently-located corner, flashes of colour will appear transforming the area from black and white to technicolour, with abstract shapes reaching the clouds on a skyscraper or stripes underfoot on the pavement. Intensifying upon reaching the intersection hosting the project, the four buildings will be jammed with a “volume of color,” as geometric shapes spill down facades onto the pavement, consuming the traffic lanes and pavement.


Flooded Chambers Maid by Jessica Stockholder, Madison Square Park, 2009


Although an experienced artist who has been working for more than 25 years, Jessica is a relative newcomer to public art. However, she previously created Flooded Chambers Maid, a temporary commission for Madison Square Park in 2009 (pictured above) using industrial materials and brightly coloured ready-made objects. To read more about, and view more images of the project, visit: http://www.jessicastockholder.info/albums/flooded-chambers-maid


Stockholder's site specific installations cross the traditional boundaries of painting and sculpture, and her work can be found in collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Whitney Museum of American Art. 


To read the full source article on MutualArt.com visit: http://www.mutualart.com/OpenArticle/Color-Jam-in-Chicago/70A74FB95F4F776B

Mutual Art also features an interesting article about public art on show around the world this summer: http://www.mutualart.com/OpenArticle/MutualArt/75A4DBC44E026B28/ 

HOUSE Festival in Brighton open til 27th May

Skip by David Batchelor. Photo: Bernard G Mills

HOUSE festival, which is now in its 4th year, opened in Brighton on 5th May and brings a series of new contemporary visual art commissions to the streets and public spaces of the city until Sunday 27th May.


HOUSE is the curated visual art arm of Brighton and Hove's Artists Open Houses which originally began in 1982 when it was set up by Fiveways artist Ned Hoskin. It is now a Brighton institution whereby people can see and buy work directly from artists in their homes. Artists Open Houses (AOH) was formally set up in 2004 by a group of Open House artists, with the aim of producing a brochure uniting all the individual trails around Brighton. 


The HOUSE festival is this year led by renowned British artist David Batchelor who has created two new commissions for Brighton. These include Skip and the Brighton Festival co-commission, Brighton Palermo remix, which can be viewed Wed to Sun 12.00 - 18.00 at The Regency Town House, 13 Brunswick Square, Hove BN3 1EH. Skip is on display outside Moshi Moshi in Bartholomew Square, Brighton BN1 1JS. 


Artists who have completed satellite commissions for HOUSE include Robin Blackledge, Caroline le Breton, Deb Bowness, Helene Kazan and CINECITY with Anna Deamer.


You can download a copy of the brochure at: http://www.aoh.org.uk/domains/aoh.org.uk/local/media/images/medium/HOUSE2012_Brochure_1_.pdf 

Tatton Park Biennial opens to the public

Whatever happens, I love you by David Cotterrell. Photo: Thierry Bal


The third Tatton Park Biennial in Cheshire opened to the public on 12 May 2012 and will be open every day between 10am and 7pm until 30th September 2012. The Biennial began in 2008 and is curated by gallerist Danielle Arnaud and Jordan Kaplan.


The 2012 Biennial, 'Flights of Fancy', takes the human urge to fly as its theme and includes 15 new artist commissions sited in and around the grounds, parkland and formal gardens of Tatton Park, as well as inside its mansion. 


Gleaners of the Infocalypse by Juneau Projects. Photo: Thierry Bal


This year the commissions include a number of fascinating structures alongside films and visuals by Aura Satz, Simon Faithfull, David Cotterrell, Jem Finer and Dinu Li. The films can be seen on-site in an ISO container, a caravan, a spaceship and a miniature planetarium, as well as on a brass plate in Tatton's Music Room. 


Empty Nest by Hilary Jack. Photo: Thierry Bal


There is a £5 car entry charge to Tatton Park which also applies to National Trust members (who have free entry to the Mansion and Formal Gardens)A Totally Tatton ticket is recommended for visitors to the Biennial, which allows entry to the Formal Gardens and Mansion, both of which exhibit Biennial artwork along with the parkland. This ticket also allows entry to Tatton’s farm. Adult £10; Children (4-15) £5;  Family (2 adults + 3 children) £25. Single attraction entry ticket: Adult £5.50, Child £3.50, Family £14.50




Wednesday 9 May 2012

Daniel Buren artwork opens in Paris

Photo: Francois Mori/AP

French septugenarian conceptual artist Daniel Buren(b.1938)'s temporary commission Excentrique(s), opens to the public tomorrow (10th May) at the Grand Palais in Paris. It is the fifth so-called Monumenta site-specific commission for the site and will be on display until 21st June 2012. Daniel Buren follows in the illustrious footsteps of the previous commissions by Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra, Christian Boltanski and Anish Kapoor, which began five years ago and happen annually.

Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

The 13,500 square metre Nave of the Grand Palais, which has a 45 metre glass vault, is a daunting prospect for any artist. Buren has filled the space with a canopy of coloured panels which float above head height, creating a kaleidoscope effect. This is supplemented by a series of mirrors which span part of the floor under the central dome.

Photo: Francois Mori / AP

It costs 5 Euros to get in but it looks like it would be worth it just to see inside the Grand Palais. If you pay 9, you even get a 'cultural educator' thrown in for that (whatever one of those is).

Photo: Francois Mori/AP

To read Adrian Searle's full Guardian article, visit: