Artist Peter Callesen- Out Of Nothing

Check out this amazing paper art made out of

ONE PIECE OF PAPER!

Peter Callesen, a Denmark based artist, says in his

Artist Statement:

I find the A4 sheet of paper interesting to work with, because it is probably the most common and consumed media and format for carrying information today, and in that sense it is something very loaded. This means that we rarely notice the actual materiality of the A4 paper. By removing all the information and starting from scratch using the blank white 80gsm A4 paper as a base for my creations, I feel that I have found a material which we all are able to relate to, and at the same time is non-loaded and neutral and therefore easier to fill with different meanings. The thin white paper also gives the paper sculptures a fragility which underlines the tragic and romantic theme of the works.

I love the element of depth and shadow in these shadow box pieces- also made using one piece of paper

And using color and cut out paper

Mr. Callesen's exhibit Out Of Nothing is presently showing in Sweden and will be at the Haugar Vestfold Art Museum in Norway in 2011

All images via http://www.petercallesen.com/index.html

Do you LOVE it?

Pavillon du Bonheur Provisoire- Beer Crate Building

The Atomium in Belgium is familiar to many.  This architectural feat was designed in 1958 as part of a world expo which was the first to take place after WWII.  The Atomium is 102 meters high and has nine interconnected spheres, made to represent an iron crystal- magnified 165 billion times. The Atomium was not intended to survive beyond the 1958 World Fair but its popularity and success soon made it a key landmark in Brussels and beyond.

As a 50th anniversary celebration architects: Shin Bogdan Hagiwara, Thierry Decuypere and Jorn Aram Bihain, designed the Pavillon du Bonheur Provisoire- (Temporary Hapiness) a 600 meter temporary building made entirely of beer crates.

In the Architect statement:

We desired the contents of the pavilion to ask, 50 years later, what the notions of progress, universalism and happiness had brought in their time through the system of international exhibitions.

With the constructive principles of universality and reusability, we decided to use a material extracted from the daily life of an ordinary consumer.

 

It took approximately 33,000 empty crates of 'Jupiler' beer, 19 workers and 3900 hours to create this architectural wonder- complete with arches, domes and columns.

The intention is to: Understand[] that the sense of the temporary can only be truly successful when it is free of waste, [thus] the pavilion is built using a[] usual and ephemeral component which after the event returns to its normal daily use.


I love the idea that not only is the material recycled but that it is put BACK into use.
The line: the sense of the temporary can only be truly successful when it is free of waste
- is brilliant-

To link to the architects page:

Shin Bogdan Hagiwara & Shizuka Hariu Architecture

Link to Atomium Museum webstite: http://atomium.be/nt

Must Be Fall-

Here are some meals we made over the last week-

(Vegetarians Beware)

Dr. J, made this Manhattan Fish Chowder- We've never used this recipe,

but it turned out great and was a lovely hardy meal with crusty bread.

Flank Steak is one of my favorite meals to make- Here I served it with a dollop of creme fresh, Sriracha hot sauce and spinach made with our curry paste
and coconut milk- We ate this with with warm pita bread-

Oh Lamb how we love thee- Lamb Chops with a mint puree on a bed of arugula.

(What is with my cous cous obsession? It's just SO easy to make!)

A Hand Roll-

SO easy and ingredients sure to satisfy everyone-

Even the monkey who is revolted with seaweed can eat some rice and protein-

This is a great 'make your own' meal- which is always a sure way to get a monkey to eat their dinner.

Even though it is still hot here in the Mojave Desert I can feel the rhythms of our meals changing-

What is your favorite Fall Food?

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

www.soulemama.com/soulemama

Sukkahs For Sukkot- Sukkah City NYC

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is a time to celebrate the harvest season.

Traditionally, during this seven day period, families build temporary dwellings to commemorate the time of wandering that the Jews endured for 40 years, after their Exodus from Egypt.

Often times sukkahs are decorated using food that is harvested in Israel during this time.

Every year NYC holds an art and architecture competition called Sukkah City in Union Square Park.  The winning entry will stand in the park over the seven days.

These are photos of three of the twelve finalist

These last two did not make it to the finals but I like them. 

The Amber Clouds project is made using beeswax and envisions protecting its inhabitants in an ethereal glow, emanating from 4-1/2 beeswax walls-

I would imagine it would smell amazing and I love the concept.

The last one is along the lines of what I think most sukkahs look like.

To see more of these structures and the source of all photos visit: Sukkah City

Thanks for visiting: Ren Lady Of The Arts

Beans, Beans They're Good For Your Art

I did this Bean Mosaic project with the monkeys and they enjoyed it.  We've done 'real' mosaic art before but this is a quick and easy project that was easy to clean up afterwards.  I bought a bag of mixed beans and gave them some glue.  We started off  'filling up' the pictures from a coloring book.  Once their creative juices were flowing they made some of their own designs using blank paper.

This project is great for exercising those fine motor skill- with both the sorting and the meticulous gluing and placement.

Questions to consider while creating:

What materials (medium) are we using to create?

What texture does this medium (beans) create? 

What sort of effect can you create with the raised and recessed areas? (Depth)

Could this be considered a sculpture? (trick question- no it is two dimensional) 

What is your favorite FAST art project to do?

Two, Two Minute Fishes

Fish is a very healthy and easy dinner to make. 

These dishes involve little prep and cook quickly. 

I like to think of them as great weekday and dinner party meals.

The first one is an Ahi Tuna which I usually pick up in frozen from Trader Joe's. 

After defrosting, rinse and pat dry then just add a sesame crust and sear it.

(on 'high' for a minute on each side). 

We love it with a wasabi mayo.

Black sesames (not pictured here) make for a nicer presentation

Another easy fish dish is Alaskan Cod with a miso glaze.  

Again the fish is rinsed, patted dry and then the glaze is spread on and it is baked

(depending on the thickness of the fish, for around five minutes at 400).

My rule of thumb with fish is that it is better for it to be under-done than over done.
I get my miso at Whole Food in the refrigerator section. 
I usally 'make up' my wasabi mayo and miso glaze recipe- but just google it.

Ahi Tuna served with cous cous and a zucchini/ tomato stir-fry made using sesame oil and salt.

 And again cous cous and green beans with sesame seeds, oil and salt.
To learn more about sustainable fish

What is your favorite fish recipe?

Vast Natural Beauty

I enjoyed reading all the comments from my post last week regarding the wilderness. 

Our friend Stephen Yoo took some really amazing photographs on a recent family vacation to Alaska and Yukon.  He is kind enough to allow me to share them here. 

I love the feeling of vastness that his photos portray as well as the calming effect the natural magnitude has.

Don't these look like postcards!?

Love this action shot!

This one is like a breath of fresh air.

Stephen writes a blog about: All things colon, rectum, and anus
If you ever need a butt doctor (colorectal surgeon) and you are in the Beverly Hills area, in my bias opinion, he’s the one to see!

(all images are by Stephen Yoo )

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

www.soulemama.com/soulemama

Wilderness

Recently we watched two films that both have beautiful glimpses into the vast unrelenting wilderness that constitutes so much of Alaska.

Into The Wild is a film/story that most everyone is familiar with. The 1996 novel is a true story written by Jon Krakauer based on the journals of twenty-three-year old Christopher McCandless. Chris graduated from college and went on a two year adventure- which culminated in the wilderness of Alaska. Although this film, directed by Sean Penn, got good reviews when it first came out in 2007- I didn’t see it until last week.  I had convinced myself if would be like the Tom Hanks film Castaway where he talks to a soccer ball for the better part of two hours.  Into The Wild is nothing like that- it is a well done film with several story lines.

Another film we saw that I had on my film list for over a year is Grizzly Man. This is the story of Timothy Treadwell, a bear enthusiast who’s been dubbed Grizzly Man due to his passion for documenting the grizzly bears. For ten seasons (summers) he lived among the bears mimicking their behavior and adapting to their lifestyle. Many people think this guy is nutz. I am on the fence regarding his mental capacity or if he was a man simply driven by his passion. This film is predominantly film footage that Timothy Treadwell shot over his ten summers, with some well integrated interviews done by director Werner Herzog.

It does not give anything away to say that both of these men were conquered by the Alaskan wilderness.

Are you fascinated by unrelenting wilderness or terrified of it?

Books As Design

I love this library desk which is located at TU Delft University in the Netherlands.

It is made of recycled book with a glass top.

Here are a few more images from the universities architecture library that I love:

The seating reminds me of the chairs from the Lou Ruvo Center by Frank Gehry 

I love projects that inspire the use of books as art. 

You might remember my book project

All the library images were found via Recycle Art

And all library photograph are by Ellen Forsyth

Do you use books as a design element in your home?