so, first, i should start by admitting that i've been a total SLACKER in the blog department. but -- i'll at least attempt to amend that situation with a couple of totally killer things i've stumbled across recently. all worth a glance. some of which i'm excited to visit in person over the next few months!
first, and maybe most exciting to me: the underbelly project. the site is apparently not totally up and running yet, but to sate our street art appetite (or mine, at least!) there are a few blogs that show images of the work. what is it? some pretty well-known street artists ("rockstars," even, if you like that term. i don't, but just to clarify) have done up some fantaaastic walls of a disused train station in new york city. i don't personally identify the subway system in new york with its abandoned stations -- the ones in london have taken on something of a cult status over the years. but the underbelly project has enlisted some talented folks to paint an underground street art gallery. it's not open all the time, and hosts pieces most of us will never see. but artists like roa, and the london police are all in there -- i've raved about these two before here, and here -- doing up the place, in some cases in collaboration with others, to make some really astounding work that's mostly hidden.
some amazing photographs via lunapark on flickr here.
that's one thing i would kill to see.
but onto another...
via contemporist
this is probably the greatest small home i've seen in a long time. it's so simple. fluid, open, absolutely made of windows. that's what i like. i like windows. lots and lots of them! everywhere! you get the idea. toronto-based GH3 designed this house for an obviously amazing landscape. i remember rock like that when i was "survival camping" in ontario several years ago -- the way that the house looks like its jutting out of the stone is so awesome. not to mention it's the minimal hyper-modern style that i lalalove. i want to spend MY weekends here. clear out!
one of the galleries on my list to check out in london, in the spring? concrete hermit. currently showing kid acne, i can't wait to see what's on when i'm there in 2011. alternative contemporary art space -- and shop!! woo!! looks like my kind of place.
and last but DEFINITELY not least: POP: the genius of andy warhol by tony scherman and david dalton. if i had to recommend one book that i've read this year, it would be this one. hands down. if you have even the most vague, fleeting interest in andy warhol, not to mention a dying urge to know absolutely everything about him (ahem, me?) this book is absolutely worth the read. because, well, it's highly readable. it's a wild ride. he was an outrageous person who did outrageous things and surrounded himself with outrageous people. one might argue that those people were what made him outrageous to begin with. there are a lot of other names to swallow in andy's world -- he surrounded himself with a huge slew of people. but all of these characters are worth knowing.
the book isn't a comprehensive b-to-d bio. it's the 1960s; it's the decade that andy warhol established himself as possibly the most famous and prolific artist in the world. at least of the 20th century. the fact that one can find warhol's images or words stamped on anything from jeans and record album covers to drink coasters and necklaces is sort of self-explanatory. it's basically warhol's dream. this book is a joy. it's entertaining -- how can his life not be entertaining? it examines his lifestyle and how it related to his work. even though i personally wouldn't mind, it doesn't go into a bunch of technical this-means-that and that-is-like-that-because sort of art historical jargon. if anything, it dispels the notion the warhol's works "mean" much of anything at all. it's objective. and it's colorful without being gaudy.
anyway. READ IT. read it. readittttt. (paperback is out 11/23/2010!)
via contemporist
this house is alright -- picture below. i like it. i don't love it on the whole. but that being said, i do love that they incorporated graffiti into the exterior design. understandably, they're trying to make an artistic statement. even the name of the house is the "open air sculpture house" by marek rytych architekt in poland. it's a pretty luxurious modern space, chock full -- i'm sure -- of a pretty extensive art collection. but this doesn't matter.
what does matter is the graffiti, which is the only reason i thought this house was really worth posting about. i love that there's a "framed" section for graffiti on the outside, complete with lights. so it doesn't look like some kid with a spraycan came and just did whatever the hell he felt like -- it has a place, and it's lit like a framed piece of art in any other display -- except this is the back yard or something. i would totally love a designated place for graffiti on my house -- something that works with the design, looks like an outdoor artwork. because it is. it's great! smart thinking.
spectacular street artists coming your way! just discovered this guy, the mac, who has on a collaborative show at the robert berman gallery in los angeles with retna. the show is probably due to close soon -- it's been extended, and i'm super late finding out about it, obviously. i'm super interested in figural art -- it's always what i've been drawn to when i'm creating. there's something about really well-done images of people that can really move other people. there's a connection to be made -- el mac kind of has a combination of magazine glossies and guys like the one above -- some are just pretty faces, but some make you take a second. regardless, any of these i'd be delighted to run across on the street! :)
via contemporist
this house is the shit. i know that's not technical lingo, but wow, a yard of water!? it's like the pond swallowed up the lawn and made it more awesome. check out the photos of the interior of the house, also, which are just as fantastic. the landscape design along with the house, in this case, is absolutely spectacular. according to the info, the pond and landscaping was preserved from a house that previously sat on the lot and had to be removed. i think they did more than what they could -- they did what they should. it's so beautiful.
the stats: atherton house in atherton, california by turnbull griffin haesloop architects. and as usual, when i checked out their other projects, i was just as astounded and... in love.
via robots will kill
roa. i'm not sure it's possible to be a fan of street art without being a fan of roa. the work is understated in a way: black and white, simple, realistic. but it's profound. there are numerous photo collections of his work on flickr and on other sites. i have to share vandalog (the link takes you to a particularly alive-looking version of this same bird, which you must check out), and the link above features a large gallery of photos of roa's work.
street art by the one and only, the amazing alexandros vasmoulakis. i took this photo when i was visiting a friend in athens, greece earlier this summer. the green and yellow text below is not vasmoulakis (you can see his original work here, plus many others). he had a solo show earlier this year. this particular one is 'forever hungry' from september 2006. it's amazing it's held up so well. fabric's a little faded, but not gone. below is me underneath some more random paint about a block away. k for kate. :)
