Thursday, January 14, 2010

Gardening Lost Hope

Our theme this week is fantastical eclectica...

Jason deCaires Taylor's Underwater Sculpture Park would give me goosebumps in person. Can you imagine accidentally happening upon his sculptures?

TamCC Project

Vicissitudes

The Gardener of Lost Hope

The Archive of Lost Dreams

Taylor is environmentally-sensitive with his work, and his site explains that the sculptures "highlight ecological processes whilst exploring the intricate relationships between modern art and the environment. By using sculptures to create artificial reefs, the artist’s interventions promote hope and recovery, and underline our need to understand and protect the natural world. The sculptures are sited in clear shallow waters to afford easy access by divers, snorkellers and those in glass-bottomed boats. Viewers are invited to discover the beauty of our underwater planet and to appreciate the processes of reef evolution."

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Andrew Davidhazy is an RIT professor of Imaging and Photographic Technology who posts a generous amount of photography information online. He also shows some of his own fascinating photos, like these high speed ones. In particular, I liked the frozen lemon exploding, water rebounding out of cup, and the candle flames seen in schlieren beam. But the sneeze was also striking, in an "Ewww!" kind of way.

Candle Flames Seen in Schlieren Beam


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I like calendars that I can look at for a while and still see something new, which is why I have enjoyed calendars by these two artists:

Daniel Merriam

Thomas Barbey

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This article by Hugh Hart shows Terry Gilliam's terrific storyboards for the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and discusses how they were used. I think my favorites are the Hot Air Balloon and the Monastery, but then there's also Tony's Crag and the Doctor's Wagon...

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Have you heard of The Lightning Field by Walter De Maria? This huge land sculpture was new to me, although it has been up since 1977. It is made up of 400 stainless steel poles situated in a one mile by one kilometer area in New Mexico. The location is remote and in the desert -- you can't just casually go see it. There's a cabin where you can stay (from May-Oct) when you are visiting it, and they expect you to take your time. The foundation that maintains the installation says: "The Lightning Field is intended to be experienced over an extended period of time. A full experience of The Lightning Field does not depend upon the occurrence of lightning, and visitors are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in the field, especially during sunset and sunrise." They ask that you not post photos, which I have honored.

I found this article about a trip to see it very interesting: A Pilgrimage to The Lightning Field by Todd Gibson

Also, here's visitor information.

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