Je Suis Charlie Hedbo!

Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot as the Madonna.

They are fighting the good fight for political plurality, just elections, freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Putin, the Russian orthodox religious establishment and the entire Russian justice system go to hell! FreePussyRiot.org

Juan Gris's Google

Google Inc. honored Spanish cubist Juan Gris today on their search homepage on the 125th anniversary of his birth.

Jan Gris's influential 1912 portrait of Pablo Picasso

Pepper Spraying Cop at Guernica

How would the Pepper Spraying Cop react at Guernica after it was bombed by the fascists during the Spanish civil war?

The Wynwood Building

The Wynwood Building is a refurbished warehouse in the middle of, what was once downtown Miami's warehouse district. This district became rundown and derelict until about 10 years ago when local artists and designers began to take advantage of the large interesting spaces available at low rental in a lively, but ramshackle, neighborhood.

In the past 15 years this area has changed from "no-go zone" into the hub of a stimulating and vibrant scene. So far the district has managed to pull this off without becoming gentrified, touristy or kitsch. The neighborhood still has a rough edge and a connection with it roots and the surrounding areas.

For me the Wynwood Building represents a striking and welcome return to the Cubist motif's that were first developed by artists such as Otakar Kubín during Cubism's heyday in Europe before World War I.

Citroen CV Cubist Makover

Just for fun...

Large Interior

David Hockney's "Large Interior, Los Angeles" (1988). In this painting David Hockney applies a cubist treatment of geometry to open up the interior of a large, modern, urban living space. Here the conventional tunnel perspective of a regular image is exploded giving us a fisheye panorama of the entire space.

Large Interior, Los Angeles (1988) - David Hockney
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The viewer's attention is initially drawn to the central living area, but then begins to wander and explore, the fireplace, the kitchen, dining area, even an external deck and outdoor garden invites us toward it. The floor, furnishings, walls and all the contours of the ceiling faces are folded open but without loosing any dimention or becoming flat. Light pours through the skylights and exterior opening illuminating the main living area with bright vibrant colours.

A Hockney exhibition of Yorkshire landscapes opens at the at the Royal Academy of Arts in London next year. The exhibition runs from 21 January to 9 April, to coincide with the London 2012 Festival, for the Cultural Olympiad.

Animaris Rhinoceros Transport

Animaris Rhinoceros Transport is a moving sculpture by Dutch artist Theo Jansen.

 

The sculpture is made from steel tubing with a polyester fiberglass skin. It stands just under meters 5 tall and weighs about 2 tons, yet it glides effortlessly across the ground powerd only by a gentle breeze.

Theo Jansen has been working since 1990 to create sculptures that move on their own in eerily lifelike ways. Each generation of his "Strandbeests" is subject to the forces of evolution, with successful forms moving forward into new designs. Jansen's vision and long-term commitment to his wooden menagerie is as fascinating to observe as the beasts themselves.

His newest creatures walk without assistance on the beaches of Holland, powered by wind, captured by gossamer wings that flap and pump air into old lemonade bottles that in turn power the creatures' many plastic spindly legs. The walking sculptures look alive as they move, each leg articulating in such a way that the body is steady and level. They even incorporate primitive logic gates that are used to reverse the machine's direction if it senses dangerous water or loose sand where it might get stuck. - Ted.com

Oh Bondage, Up Yours!

The BBC reports today the Punk Rock icon Poly Styrene, of X Ray Spex, has died today after a battle with cancer of the spine.

X Ray Spex's unique sound blended traditional punk fuzzbox guitar with the less traditional saxophone and the wailing vocal skills of Poly Styrene. The experiment was short-lived. Like many of the best Punk bands of their time they released just one album, Germ Free Adolescents, in 1978. Their music influenced and inspired a generation and is as powerful and poignant today as it was 34 years ago.