Ai WeiWei does Barcelona in a pool full of milk

The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion is the object of an intervention that reflects upon the use of buildings and how we perceive them as unique and inalterable spaces.
Artist Ai Weiwei, one of the most distinguished figures of Chinese modern art and also one of the most controversial, has filled the swimming pools of the Pavilion with two very habitual elements of our daily life, but totally alien to architecture: milk for the outside swimming pool and coffee for the indoor pool. The intervention is a part of a series of installations by several artists and architects from around the world.
The performances are short and propose a new approach to the pavilion's architecture. The installations programme adds a new type of activity in the city based on the exceptional spaces of buildings. Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, from the SANAA studio, and Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue have carried out installations in the pavilions Antoni Muntadas, Jeff Wall and Dennis Adams among others.

To see more photos of the artist in action @ the pavilion click here.

For LIVE images from the pavilion (via webcam), click here.

Like birds on the wire

Birds... They can be scary, dirty, big, small, cute, colorful, cheerful, chatty... but they can also be a big source of inspiration... Shanghai furniture and product designer Zhili Liu has designed a series of ligthing inspired by birds. The bone China sockets, called Bird, hold each bulb at an angle. They can be hung in clusters, attached to a perch or displayed with a shade that represent bird's cage.

 

The cheap bakelite bulb sockets have been widely used in China for over 4 decades without any change. The bird lamps were designed to inherit the simplicity of the bakelite sockets but at the same time offer the user some more room for imagination.

Birds were source of musical inspiration to Jarbas Agnelli, who once saw a photo of birds sitting on the electric wires. He decided to make song, using the notes on the exact locations as the birds were sitting. And you'll have to admit, it sounds pretty cool, too.


Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

And to me, i could say it was the opposite. I wasn't inspired by birds firsthand, but when i took the pictures below, i thought of brids as well.

thank you for all that jazz

Saw this book today, The Jazz Loft Project, and just had to post this powerful image of Miles Davis.

innovation

"innovation is an emergent phenomenon that happens when a person or organization fosters interaction between different kinds of people and disparate forms of knowledge"

- murray gell-mann

via byassociation

photoshop magnet

If you are one of those who thinks no photo is complete without going through Photoshop, then this magnets are for you, you can easily place any photo or postcard your friends send you onto your fridge with the confidence you would be able to support it properly with Photoshop.

:)