jeanne gang – DesignApplause

52nd edition of neocon 2020.

Jun 8, 2020

the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry celebrates its 52nd edition with the latest ideas, products, and experiences to inspire, connect and engage.

with nearly 1 million square feet of exhibition space, neocon showcases game-changing new products and services from leading companies and emerging talent—providing unparalleled access to the latest and most innovative solutions in commercial design.

keynote speakers: amanda williams, artist and architect, aw studio / frans johansson, author and ceo of the medici group / jeanne gang, architect and founding principal of studio gang / markus dochantschi, architect and founder and principal of studiomda
artseen [ details ]

call for entries riba awards 2020.

Jul 11, 2019

above > utec – universidad de ingenieria y tecnologia by grafton architects won the very first riba international prize in 2016. photography: iwan baan

the riba international awards for excellence – 20 stand-out buildings from around the world – comprises the riba international prize – the single best of them all – and the riba international emerging architect prize (a recognition for the shortlist’s young guns). presented every two years, and now on their third edition, the british institute’s awards have been gathering pace. past winners include celebrated, worthy works, such as the children village school complex in brazil by aleph zero and rosenbaum, and utec (universidad de ingeniería y tecnología) in lima, peru by grafton architects.

french architect odile decq will oversee the different judging panels that will select the acclaimed group of honors for 2020. photography: franck juery

above/below > 2018 previous winners, little village — the architects, gustavo utrabo and petro duschenes from aleph zero, designed children village in collaboration with marcelo rosenbaum and adriana benguela from architecture and design studio, rosenbaum. chosen from a shortlist of four exceptional new buildings by a grand jury chaired by renowned architect elizabeth diller (ds+r).

though [ riba ] is a british based institution the organizers wish to clarify, these awards are open to any qualified architect in the world for a building outside of the uk, of any size and type of budget. let the submissions begin.

[ 2020 grand jury ]

Protected: official u.s. entry for 2018 venice architecture bienniale – dimensions of citizenship – in the middle of a divine intervention?

May 25, 2019

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chicago design museum and thirst’s beautifools / memoir provides some great ideas.

Jun 10, 2018

the chicago design museum and chicago design firm thirst provide two venues of inspiration in close proximity to neocon happenings at block 37 located on state and randolph.

the museum show runs through 18 august and thirst’s pop-up through 13 june 2018.

chicago design museum reimagines container corporation of america’s stunning advertising campaign, great ideas of western man, great ideas of humanity: out of the container highlights a broad spectrum of human thought and reminds us that, sometimes, looking to the past helps to comprehend the present.

a portion of the show will highlight the great ideas of 826chi students, encouraging us to think about who decides what “great” means, and reminding us that great ideas can come from anywhere.

as a special component to the exhibition, 10 pieces reflect the quotes of distinguished chicagoans such as ida b. wells, buckminster fuller, and lászló moholy-nagy, designed by chicago artists and designers. learn more about great ideas of humanity, and see all of the artwork on the great ideas website

several steps from the museum is a pop-up one finds a display banner with drawings of two sets of hands being busy on their phones. the banner reads beautifools / memoir.

something is going on and this particular retail experience is luring its visitors into a very private, albeit abstracted, intimate relationship — a memoir.

in this pop-up installation we encounter fragmented relics and emotional dioramas left in the wake of two fools who were unable to swipe away an over-heated desire to feel intense closeness. longing for more under their index fingers, these two hid for some time behind many foolish masks… for crying out loud.

chicago designer rick valicenti, tells us that this installation is all an experiment in story telling. in the world of stories we are all familiar with film, novels, comics, opera, but here the designed setting is serving as a narrative platform.

valicenti is the recipient of the nation’s highest design honor bestowed by the smithsonian cooper-hewitt national design museum and he is chicago’s only graphic designer to hold this award. chicago architect, jeanne gang, and chicago product designer, scott wilson also holds this recognition.

valicenti is joined in the creation of beautifools / memoir by members of his branding design studio,thirst, and the 2018 thirst artist in residence, satoru nihei. mohamed dardiri added his craftsmanship to the many fascinating artifacts that compromise this very unique installation which even includes shou-sugi-ban, a japanese term that translates to burnt cedar board. the lost technique has been commonplace in japan since the 1700s and describes the art of charring ‘sugi” (cedar) planks used to protect the home.

hear here chicago with nick cave and studio gang. chicago architecture biennial and expo chicago.

Sep 13, 2017

navy pier welcomes world-renowned contemporary artist nick cave and international architect and macarthur fellow jeanne gang for here hear chicago, a new site-specific project that incorporates art, design and performance.

the collaboration will be featured at navy pier this fall as part of the free public programming for the chicago architecture biennial and expo chicago, the international exposition of modern & contemporary art.

the locally-based duo, cave and gang, are set to present a series of live productions in which cave’s performers will intersect and respond to a field of dynamic, custom-fabricated objects designed by gang and her practice, studio gang. the performance series includes cave’s newest performance work, up right, and internationally acclaimed heard. both feature his iconic soundsuits, accompanied by chicago’s most talented musicians, including jazz artist kahil el zabar, the chicago children’s choir and others.

studio gang’s “stage buoys” will define a flexible space for performance, responding to the spontaneous interactions of performers and the public. “our design features mobile objects, or ‘stage buoys,’ that will collectively define a space for performance,” said gang.

“reflecting the kinetic experience of nick’s performances, the mobile objects find equilibrium amid the movement of the
performers and bustle of the audience at navy pier.” the “stage buoys” are self-balancing, upright objects with a mirrored finish that react to, and reflect the movements of the
performers, and can be re-arranged for each performance. more than 200 “stage buoys” will demarcate the stage.

studio gang’s “stage buoys” will remain on display throughout the pier once the performance series wraps, serving as temporary art installations and offering guests the unique opportunity to view and engage with the pieces up close through
the course of the 2017 chicago architecture biennial.

responsive second concept proposal for chicago’s lucas museum of narrative art.

Sep 17, 2015

a new proposal view of the lucas museum of narrative art with cityscape from the south east. all new proposal renderings are courtesy of the lucas museum of narrative art.

Chinese architect Ma Yansong [ MAD Architects ] second concept presentation of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art responds to being too big and unruly for the lakefront and the existing buildings in Museum Campus. With 25% less building mass and 40% less footprint, the second iteration sticks to the initial concept though its new scale is now cooperating with the surroundings. Regretfully, the naysayers wanting the same unobstructed views of the lake from Lake Shore Drive that the seldom used ‘parking lot’ offers will still not be happy campers along with the tail-gaters.

a bird’s eye view of the lucas museum of narrative art and surrounding park setting.

Though the building went from 110 feet tall to 137 feet tall, the new proposal is more sleek, lighter looking. The landscaping design, by New York’s SCAPE landscape architects and Chicago’s Studio Gang Architects, responds to the new proposal and delivers Ma’s vision that the building’s form itself is a rolling hill, though now with new dunes and bike and foot flow winding around it.

rendering of the visitor experience on the public plaza of the lucas museum of narrative art. the plaza as well as the surrounding greenspace will be open and accessible to park visitors.

a look inside the lucas museum of narrative art. the diagram shows the spiral ramp, three theaters, galleries, classrooms and library.

an aerial view of the lucas museum of narrative art site.

There are still unanswered questions what happens to traffic when the Chicago Bears play at home therefore traffic-flow plans are in order and we want to see more concept details. And please don’t stop being critical. Ma and team is responding. And please don’t stop squabbling the ‘parking lot’ is the best option because there is land available for a ‘parking facility’ immediately west of the Drive. If you’re debate is the view from Lake Shore Drive is ‘unpleasing to the eye’ please suggest leveling Soldier Field.

an aerial view of the the lakefront site.

The ‘view of the lake’ from Lake Shore Drive argument however, is only angle-deep. Here’s why. If you really wish to see the lake, don’t settle for views from LSD. It’s a whole new world being at the water’s edge. Seriously.

a side-by-side comparison of the lakefront site as it currently exists and how it will look with the museum and accessible, added green-space in place.

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

big yellow taxi | joni mitchell | 1970

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, in development for Chicago’s lake shore museum campus, will celebrate the power of visual storytelling through collections and exhibitions of narrative painting, illustration, photography, film and cinema arts, animation and digital art. The Museum’s highly innovative facility is designed by Beijing-based MAD Architects. The Lucas Museum’s collection, conceived and initiated by George Lucas, continues to develop and grow in order to fulfill the Museum’s educationally driven mission.

chicago architecture biennial lakefront kiosks.

Aug 5, 2015

above> chicago horizon – grant park

The shoreline of Lake Michigan has always played a central role in Chicago’s urban identity. During the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, architect Daniel Burnham sought to incorporate the lake into the fairgrounds, and his 1909 Plan for Chicago proposed to reclaim the entire length of the lakefront as a place of leisure for all inhabitants of the city—an idea realized during the 20th century. Today, the lakefront is a celebrated and heavily used public space that is a major destination for both visitors and local residents. It features over twenty miles of public parks and beaches, as well as pedestrian and cycling routes.

The Chicago Park District currently oversees over forty kiosks that punctuate the shoreline, which during the summer offer food, retail, and recreational services—ranging from beverages to clothing to surf rentals.

The Chicago Architecture Biennial will unveil four new kiosks. One will be decided through an international competition, and the other three will be designed through collaborations between local architecture programs and internationally-renowned architects. The winning competition entry and the three commissioned kiosks will be displayed in Millennium Park during the Chicago Architecture Biennial (October 2015 – January 2016). In the spring of 2016, all four kiosks will be installed on the lakefront.

[ grant park ]
Grand Horizon won an international design competition organized by the biennial drawing 421 entries from 40+ countries. The jury likened this steel-framed, flat-roofed structure, to that of Chicago’s Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. After being displayed in Millennium Park, the kiosk moves in 2016 to Queen’s Landing, an empty plot east of Lake Shore Drive and opposite Buckingham Fountain. The plot is named from a 1959 Chicago visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

“Instead of creating an object that people would look at and marvel, we created something that would be inhabited, something that would create an interface between the biennial and the public at large,” said Providence, R.I., architect Aaron Forrest. He designed the kiosk with fellow faculty members at the Rhode Island School of Design: architect Yasmin Vobis and structural engineer Brett Schneider.

The competition winner, Grand Horizon, will receive the BP (BP is the biennial’s lead sponsor) Prize, which includes a $10,000 honorarium and a $75,000 budget to realize the design. It’s estimated to relocation to Queen’s Landing will cost another $25,000.

The other kiosks will be built in collaboration with Chicago’s architecture schools. The biennial is supplying $50,000 apiece for their construction

above> montrose beach pavilion

[ lincoln park – montrose beach ]
At Lincoln Park’s Montrose Beach, Nigerian architect Kunle Adeyemi calls for a pavilion that boldly projects over stepped limestone blocks at the shoreline’s edge. The School of the Art Institute will collaborate on the project, which could serve as a grab-and-go version of a restaurant at Montrose Beach, Herda said.

Built out of concrete and limestone and meant to recall the stone blocks that protects the city’s shore, the cantilevered pavilion will project out over the beach providing shelter and a meeting place on the beach. The School of the Art Institute will collaborate on the project. The kiosk will be represented in some form in Millennium Park but won’t be built there because of its complex construction.

above> cent pavilion – north avenue beach

[ lincoln park – north avenue beach ]
Chilean architects Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen have designed a 40-foot ziggurat made of stacked wood shapes. Wide doors will lead into the ground floor of the kiosk, which will contain a commercial space and be lit by skylights, Sarah Herda, the biennial’s co-curator, said. Collaborating is the Illinois Institute of Technology.

above> summervault – harold washington playlot

[ harold washington playlot park – 5200 south hyde park blvd ]
Colorado architect Paul Andersen and Chicago’s Paul Preissner create a ‘freestanding hangout’ inspired by the look of a Persian garden. A vaulted metal roof protects two triangular spaces — one retail, one communal. The University of Illinois at Chicago collaborates.

The Jury for the Lakefront Kiosk Competition includes:
David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates
Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang Architects
Joseph Grima, Chicago Architecture Biennial
Sarah Herda, Chicago Architecture Biennial
Sharon Johnston, Johnston Marklee and Associates
Michael J. O’Brien, BP
Rob Rejman, Chicago Park District

[ Chicago Architecture Biennial ] @chicagobiennial

chicago unveils a chinese developer’s plans for its third tallest building.

Dec 18, 2014

the wanda vista, a burly 88-story mixed-use river-front mega-tower.

the city of chicago unveiled a jeanne gang designed skyscraper designed to reside on the chicago river. the developers, the wanda group, which is controlled by mainland china’s richest man, wang jianlin, and chicago-based magellan development group, propose a 2016 groundbreaking. chicago mayor rahm emanuel’s administration portrays the project as the largest real estate investment by a chinese firm in chicago and one of the largest in the united states.

the skyscraper is planned for an east wacker drive riverfront site.

interior riverfront view of the tower, the $900 million mixed-use project will contain a 250-room five-star hotel, 390 condominiums and about 9,000 square feet of retail space.

interior south view of wanda vista.

though no height was given at the unveiling, the tower’s height has been previously reported as 1,148 feet, which would make it chicago’s third tallest building, behind the 1,730-foot willis tower and the 1,388-foot trump international hotel & tower. close runner-ups are the 1,136-foot aon center and 1,128-foot john hancock center.

the project would reside in the lakeshore east development, which is bordered by east wacker on the north, lake shore drive to the east, randolph street to the south and columbus drive to the west. gang’s world-renowned 859-foot aqua tower is also part of the development. aqua tower is said to be the tallest building designed by a female architect. wanda vista will raise that bar.

[ studio gang architects ]

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MAD architects + studio gang win chicago’s george lucas museum.

Jul 28, 2014

above> rendering of northerly island is from the framework plan | 2009 | courtesy of studio gang architects | click > enlarge

Four days after announcing that Chicago would be the home of The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA), today George Lucas announces the architects: Ma Yansong, founder of Beijing based MAD architects and Jeanne Gang, founder of Chicago’s Studio Gang Architects. VOA Associates, based in Chicago, will serve as the executive architect and lead the implementation of MAD’s design.

The museum will be designed by Yansong and Gang the surrounding landscape and a pedestrian bridge to Northerly Island, a peninsula east of the museum site. The proposed site is a parking lot located between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. In addition there are three adjacent Museums – the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium, all comprising a 57-acre parcel on Lake Michigan known as Museum Campus.

Yansong is a precocious figure for Chinese architecture, having made a name for himself around the world as a business leader and innovative architect. Recently named 2014’s Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Fast Company‘s 100 Most Creative People in Business, Yansong founded MAD Architecture in 2004 in Beijing, and earlier this year announced the opening of another office in Los Angeles.

absolute towers aka marilyn monroe towers | 2011 | courtesy of mad architects

aqua tower | 2009 | courtesy of studio gang architects

Gang in 2009 designed the tallest building in the world to have a woman as lead architect, her first skyscraper, and in 2011 a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow and Genius grant winner, the same year named in Fast Company‘s ‘Masters of Design’. She was recently honored with the 2013 National Design Award for Architecture, from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. She found Studio Gang Architects in 1997.

The Lucas release said of the team, “We are bringing together some of the top architects in the world to ensure that our museum experience begins long before a visitor ever enters the building,” said George Lucas, founder of the LMNA. “I am thrilled with the architectural team’s vision for the building and the surrounding green space. I look forward to presenting our design to the Chicago community.”

The project requires the approval of the Chicago Plan Commission. There’s opposition from both the open-space advocates and Chicago Bears fans who use the parking lot to tailgate. In addition there’s a key legal issue. In 1970, after the 70-story Lake Point Tower and McCormick Place convention center was built, a law was passed to pay attention to the city’s 14 policies for the shoreline. One policy says no further private development east of Lake Shore Drive. To be determined – is the Lucas Museum classified as a private or public institution. The three museums of the Museum Campus all occupy buildings that they own, but the museums were built long before the law took effect.

Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel heavily lobbied for the Lucas Museum and made the studied decision to include Gang in the task force that selected the site. The open-span advocates also are aware, or should be, of Gang’s body of work, rich with the restoration of wildness to nature in urban settings. Her projects tackle social problems, notably how to create environmentally sustainable cities. Gang believes that the design of institutions such as museums or aquariums not only reflects human culture but can also shape it.

The museum will be home to more than 500,000 objects including ‘Star Wars’ and Norman Rockwell art. No price tag has been announced but figure on $1 billion – Lucas pledged $700M when talking to San Francisco about this project. Conceptual drawings are expected in September 2014 and the museum plans to open in 2018.

The runner-up was Amsterdam’s UNStudio who built a pavilion in 2009 in Millennium Park for the 100th anniversary of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago. Another on a short-list was London’s Zaha Hadid Architects who also built a pavilion for the anniversary.

courtesy of mad architects

[ MAD Architects ] is a global architecture firm committed to developing futuristic, organic designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern spirit of nature. MAD’s works incorporate sustainable design and advanced architecture technology to achieve harmony with natural and urban environments. With its core design philosophy of the “Shanshui City,” which is a perfect combination of city density, functionality and the artistic conception of natural landscape that aims at composing a future city that takes human spirit and emotion at their cores, MAD endeavors to create a new balance among society, the city and the environment through new forms of architecture. More than 80 architects from all over the world work in MAD’s offices in Beijing and Los Angeles.

courtesy of studio gang architects | ©sally ryan photography

[ Studio Gang Architects ] is a collective of 50-plus architects, designers, and thinkers whose work engages pressing contemporary issues and their impact on human experience. Honored with the 2013 National Design Award for Architecture from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, the Studio acts as a laboratory—testing ideas on various scales, from cities and environments to material and physical properties. Cross-field research, collaboration, and iterative experimentation using both digital and analog technologies are integral to the Studio’s process. Each project is designed to resonate with its specific site and culture while addressing global themes such as reuse and sustainability. [ new yorker profile ]
[ VOA Architects ] is a 40-year-old nine-location global architectural design firm. VOA Associates, whose designs include Roosevelt University’s 32-story vertical campus in downtown Chicago and the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C., will implement Mr. Ma’s design. “We will take the concept design and create a digital sculpture that will serve as the blueprint for construction,” said Michael Toolis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, VOA Associates. “Each aspect of the museum will be digitally created using technology that enables us to test daylight, create interactive models and examine how the design performs in different environments.”

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ask the right question. expo chicago 2013.

Sep 21, 2013

The second annual Expo Chicago, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is dedicated to strong and innovative art and design. This year’s design amplifies Studio Gang Architects (SGA) previous experiments using suspended large-scale sculptural elements to define distinct areas for gathering and relaxing, while simultaneously creating an optical experience of the art and activity that shifts as visitors move through the space. Refining the Expo floor’s organization (a grid cut through by a strong diagonal pathway) will also increase ease of navigation and further enhance the art’s visibility.

left > right / modern wing exhibit | pre-Expo assembly

In both Expo 12 & 13 SGA incorporates the firm’s collaborative, inquiry-based and research-driven approach presented in 2012 in an exhibition in Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. “Full-scale mock ups test the capabilities and behavior of materials, as can be seen in the hanging “Rope Rooms” in the exhibit. Investigating and uncovering a material’s properties such as fluidity, viscosity, bending, or stiffness, independent of a particular project, is often beneficial for the work that may come next.”

left > right / cutaway cabinets & bend | snarkitecture | 2013

Renowned architecture firm Snarkitecture serves up Cutaway Cabinets, a new series designed by Snarkitecture for MCA Chicago Pop-Up Bookstore at EXPO. Appearing at first as simple white boxes, the cladding of each cut-away in a series of irregular excavations. The openings reveal an internal spine whose surfaces create a range of display and storage options. In addition, Bend, a series of upholstered foam elements provide seating under the main center cone, designed by Snarkitecture in partnership with Volume Gallery, Chicago. Bend debuted at Design Miami 12.

todd glickman, director of new business and strategy | my new secret tribe

While at MCA’s pop-up we discover ‘artist designed footwear’ Bucketfeet, a globally inspired footwear brand that connects people across the world through art! The two-year-old Chicago-based company has designer Scott Wilson [Minimal] as one of their advisors and was asked by Tony Karman to come to Expo. [ details ]

[DesignApplause] Todd, the concept, how does art and design reside in Bucketfeet?
[Todd Glickman] That’s a very interesting question. On the design side we’ve tried to create a silhouette to where the shoe is functional. If you look inside the shoe it’s all organic soft cotton canvas with a removable latex insole that has bubbles under the ball of the feet. So you’ll like your shoe for the aesthetic and they’ll last a long time and be very comfortable.
[DA] Do you have ‘Secret Tribe’ in a size 13? I’d like to wear them to Vernissage tonight.
[TG] The right question, yes, we do!

eugin batz | spatial effect of colors and forms, an exercise for color-theory, from a course taught by vasily kandinsky, tempera over pencil on black paper | 1929>30 | bauhaus-archiv berlin

art |architecture |design | 1917 > today
[ de stijl: mondrian and his influence ] [ bauhaus ] [ lessons from the bauhaus ]

In the art world, DesignApplause attempts ‘objects-only’ which could include a sculpture, or a photograph or painting of an Air Stream trailer for example. However, typically the art conversations are pieces by designers that reside in design galleries. For Expo 2013, for the first time, we put this question to the dealers we talked to: is there any architecture or design inspired art in your booth today?

The very first gallery…

steam | alexandre arrechea | magnan metz gallery | 2013

[DA] Alberto, is there any architecture or design inspired art in your booth today?
[Alberto Magnan] Alexandre Arrechea is a Cuban born artist. He works a lot with design and art. This piece is represents Chicago bridges which are all stacked on each other and this is a design project he has going.

multicolored cube | alois kronschaeger | tierney gardarin | 2013

[DA] Cristin, we were talking about the design influence on this artist.
[Cristin Tierney] This is the work of Alois Kronschaeger. He’s based in Brooklyn and originally from Austria. He works in the arenas of fine art that crosses over into design, fashion and architecture. He’s about to have a large scale installation which will be part art and part architecture, 10,000 sq/ft of experiential art, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson opening October 4.

untitled | gyorgy kepes | robert koch gallery | 1939>41

[DA] Ada, do you have design or architecture influenced work displayed today?
[Ada Takahashi] Ron, you are going to like this artist. Gyorgy Kepes taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He taught a class on light and design. In this photogram you can see he’s playing with numbers and letters as design elements. Gyorgy was very influential here in Chicago and Moholy Nagy asked him to teach.
[Robert Koch] I’m an architect.

scenery | kathy taslitz | the international sculpture center | 2013

[DA] Sonya, …… ?
[Sonya] Kathy has a pretty diverse background. Her mom was an artist. She was an advertising account executive and morphed into a photo stylist in fashion and home furnishings. She’s now an award winning interior designer. Scenery is fiberglass, video projection and sound, which is about as diverse as her background.

the artist | moto waganari | hollis taggart galleries | 2013

[DesignApplause] Martin, …… ?
[Martin Friedrichs] Moto Waganari is a German architect who’s given name is Lutz Wagner. He works in a CAD program to design these beautiful sculptures. Mostly figure studies but also other things. He then prints them on a 3D printing process. Key essential elements of his work is also the shadows that his works cast. He’s very particular about what source of light is used.

spin-the-spin | alice aycock | galerie thomas schulte | 2012

[DA] Gonzalo, …… ?
[Gonzalo Alarcón] Alice Aycock studied architecture but her degrees are in fine art. But you can see the architectural influence , especially in the 70s installations, as many of her works, her elements of minimalism hybrid forms, computer programming, to create a complex combination of architectural and sculptural pieces. this piece represents her current study of energy of the city, a spinning off and colliding of thoughts and ideas.

aluminum diamond curtain | tim prentice | maxwell davidson gallery | 2013

[DA] Charlie, …… ?
[Charles Davidson] We’re looking at a piece of kinetic sculpture by Tim Prentice, a very successful architect but found his true love was really making artwork. Most of his sculpture is to define wind currents. And he designs each piece from the perspective that he thinks about where the piece is located so they really react with the intended space.

[DA] Charlie, I see a pavilion from Tim on the horizon. I’ve talked to 10 galleries already and I am hit and miss on the backgrounds of the art that draws me into the gallery. I was drawn in by this piece that looks like the Foster designed 30 St Mary Axe building in London (2001>2003) and thinking the building inspired this artist.

beehive temple | mary ann unger | maxwell davidson gallery | 1987

[CD] A debatable assumption. This is a mockette of a larger piece which is on the campus of Lehigh University. This is the wooden study by Mary Ann Unger who died in 1998. A lot of her drawings are very geometrical and architectural.

headdress | pedro s. de movellan | maxwell davidson gallery | 1997

[DA] Back at you Charlie.
[CD] We’re looking at a sculpture by Pedro De Movellan, an American sculpture who does all kinetic work who works in wood, metal and mostly carbon fiber now. His father was an architect and his mother an artist.

Did not find an artist on premise to tell their own story. But did go off-site Friday night to see Herbert Murrie who has a fine art degree and started as an artist then to a very successful graphic design practice for 30-plus years while still painting and now back to painting full-time for five years.

notes & thangs colors & bangs | herbert murrie | jennifer norback fine art | 2009

[DA] Herb, does your design training play into your art?
[HM] My process, especially the collage which does not look like collage, is both technical and complex, and there are pieces that have to be designed, constructed. Add ‘chance’ which has two meanings; in English it can mean accident or hazard. In French “avoir de la chance” means to be lucky. I have questioned for a very, very long time if there is a destiny for us or is it completely blind; the push pull between accident, destiny and luck.

Sadly I’ve run out of time. I’ve only asked 12 galleries and found eight hits. What if all 100 were asked? Not to mention IN/SITU and special exhibitions. And the range went from “Jaume Plensa would not liked being lumped in with architects and designers” to Robert Koch saying “I’m an architect.” Here’s what I’m thinking: and it’s not attributed to Yogi Berra or anyone else but me and it makes sense to me. “You can take the this out of that, but you can’t take the that out of this.”

Expo Chicago 2013 is a very tight and fussy show.

event> Expo Chicago @expochicago
date> 19 > 22 September 2013
venue> Navy Pier’s Festival Hall
general admission> 20 > 22 September 2013 | Sunday 22 Sept. 22 | Fri + Sat 11a > 7p | Sun 11a > 6p

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