The "Don Jones" Robotic Average

There are several ways in which one can mix present and past, history and technology. The practice of combining a variety of "ingredients" from different Eras can be considered even a kind of trend nowadays- I'm thinking of different fields, from art up to cuisine. Moreover, the economical crisis and the "eco-friendly movement" are forcing us to maximize the savings, cut consumptions or extra expenses and rediscover a lot of things from our past (or just from our basements).

What we miss, at this point, is a kind of quality index of these blends and combinations. We are way far from the initial candid interest for whatever has never been seen before. Now it's time to select and reward who works better than others.

In a previous review, I talked about Vanessa German and her moving work, so conceptually powerful and touching. Could we have a quality index, her work would be in a very high position. 

Today, I would like to bring to your attention another artist, Don Jones, presented at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts as Vanessa was.

The thing I most like about his work is not the meaning of each piece, but the huge creativity and quality of every robot he builds. In the the quality index I would invent, he would be likely rated a little less than Vanessa, but just because of my personal appreciation for the meaning of things. 

The blends he creates is magic, though, in terms of shapes and pieces - so perfectly they are put together. I've never seen such expressive spoons, forks, screws or bolts (just to mentions some of the basics of his work). 

To create his robots, he mainly uses contemporary and new metallic pieces, even though you can find old boxes as well. Vanessa's creations are given meaning by the very old pieces she selects and that you couldn't substitute. The composition would lack of its meaning. 

Don's relation with objects from our past seems to be more aesthetical, than philosophical or moral. As a result of this, his pieces are perfectly studied to capture your attention and give you pleasure for being  perfect like Vanessa's one are, even of for different reasons.

I love them because the mix of Yesterday and Today is so balanced and well thought that each piece leaves you with a pleasant sense of domesticity. I warmly suggest you to see Dan's work, and maybe to buy some of his robots. They could be cool Christmas presents and perfect "companions" for the rest of  the year.

Enjoy!

one of the working robots by Don Jones

PCFA Pittsburgh

Don Jones pieces are very interesting and on sale at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. You'll find them at the ground floor, temporarily set as "Holiday Shop" until December 30th, 2012.

TUE-WED 10-5

THUR-SAT 10-7

SUN 12-5

MON 10-5

more info at http://pca.pittsburgharts.org/holiday-shop-1

"Inventing the Modern World" and rediscovering the old one.

Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939

From the official website:

<<This groundbreaking exhibition explores the ingenuity and craftsmanship of decorative arts made for world’s fairs, from London’s Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1851, to the New York World’s Fair in 1939>>

When I first saw that the CMOA was guesting an exhibition about past World's Fairs, I hardly believed to what I was reading; I left Italy and Milan while the city was (almost) getting ready for our EXPO  - a kind current equivalent (in term of global visibility) of the old World's Fairs. Milano should be ready in 2015, but we are still not in great shape, with a lot of chaos around the project.

Before talking about the CMOA's exhibit, I would like to briefly introduce you what's going on in my city.

Milan's EXPO has a very noble and interesting theme: feeding the planet. Not an easy task, you could say, but you know... Italy: Small country that thinks bigger and then keeps the promises only thanks to our even bigger creativity. 

I know that we'll be ready for 2015, but we'll get there in a dramatic way, as usual.

find out more about the masterplan

At the Carniegie, though, the focus is on the Fairs that used to present the world the most innovative industrial production. The theme, in this case, is just the Industry. CMOA is displaying a number of interesting and precious objects. The exhibition is well organized and interesting: room after room, you'll see the evolution of the industry production according to the taste. And believe me: what a taste! 

English designer. Paris 1867

Image from http://web.cmoa.org/ITMW/gallery.html

  The first World's Fairs used to present the most innovative production in terms of technology, furniture, supplies  for the house, fabrics but also new materials. While visiting, you'll be able to see reproductions or originals of drawings showing the overall organization of the fairs, by stands (by country). And then you'll see superb objects hyper-decorated, coming from a variety of countries. The piece I liked most were the few coming from Japan. The artesans were asked to give them a Japanese look but with Western shapes or treats. The result is elegant, despite the Western requests (I apologize for being a bit cynical, but I'm a fan of traditional Japan).
I must also give the right space to some French silk fabrics - really masterpieces-  as well as to some ceramics by Gio Ponti (Italian architect and designer, that did the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan). But once there, you'll see also very powerful original pieces from the US, with an astonishing accumulation of details. These were great attempts to "go international". I would read here the first "WWW". 

American designer. Philadelphia, 1876

Image from http://web.cmoa.org/ITMW/gallery.html

My personal pick is the last room, a little more contemporary. I couldn't prevent myself from taking at least these two pictures, about a glazed table with armchairs and glazed radiator, simply elegant and everlasting. But maybe not exactly comfortable. Doesn't matter: when it comes to be cool, forget about it. This is true now and in the Thirties. 

 Here you see the little radiator, on the left, and the table on the right.

The background is a picture of the complete environment.

American designer,  New York 1939.

The chair: my photo and the one from the catalogue.

Image on the right from http://web.cmoa.org/ITMW/gallery.html

The last two pieces that really got all my attention are kind of posters called the Panels of Progress, presented at the Chicago fair of 1933. From the official caption: <<Radio Broadcasting Panel - The Panels of Progress, part of Westinghouse’s display at the 1933 Chicago fair, used innovative materials to promote the company’s products of mass communication and electrification. Each panel was made of Micarta—a new laminate composed of canvas, paper, and Fiberglas—with designs in aluminum and steel, materials that resonate in Pittsburgh. Shown at A Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1933>>

American Designer. Chicago 1933

Image from http://web.cmoa.org/ITMW/gallery.html

American designer. Chicago, 1933

Image from http://web.cmoa.org/ITMW/gallery.html

Current World Fairs are pretty different from those in the past. They are called EXPO and they present themes that affect the current society and have a worldwide impact. 

Exhibitions like the old Fairs are still organized, but are fragmented in a myriad of events. Each industrial sector has its own fair: Design, Fashion, Construction, Vehicles, Food, Technology, Computers...

This fragmentation became necessary as we started mass production in such a powerful way that it was impossible to keep everything "under the same roof". Current Fairs seems to be very impactive at first, but then they risk of disappearing in the swirl of necessary renovation and updating process (that supports the hyper production of goods).

On the other side, current EXPOs try to fix a lot of problems (2010 Shanghai's theme was "Better cities, better lifes") but the risk, in this case, is to create just incredible "cultural Disneylands" very attractive but not effective.

The old World's Fair, by the way, were really inventing the modern world. And now we can learn from them how the past world and society were. They can easily be considered milestones, precious treasures for our knowledge.

Composting Graphics

These are two images I did for our Compost Signage.

From this:

To these: 

(this is used on a tag to indicate <You can add your compost>)

(this is used on the tag asking not to add other compost, to the one already composting)

The Nazi Olympics - Berlin 1936

As an Italian, I had a lot of occasions to visit exhibitions about the Holocaust and Fascism-Nazism. Moreover, I went to Berlin and also there I paid a visit to memorials and museums. They say: it's because we have not to forget. I'm totally aligned with this goal, but at the August Wilson Center I could really add that we have also to sincerely understand it. The current exhibition about the Nazist Olimpics in 1936 it is incredibly well done, clear and rich of contents. It is really a precious contribution to the memory and the understanding of an awful era. Written boards, pictures, videos, everything is incredibly clear and easily readable, with a path the explains the big History and the many individual Stories History is made of. 

(Image: The official poster for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games shows an Olympian rising above Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate. (1936). )

The theme is very painful of course, but the presentation is not approaching the subject of Holocaust in the typical way we are acquainted in Europe. It is schematic and effective in listing data and dates. Moreover, great attention is here paid to the Afro American Athlets that participated to those. Very touching and interesting, this is a part of the story that must me remembered as well. Racism is still rooted in our society and differences between ethnicities are still source of unfairness (just check out the unemployment rates between white people and Afro Americans: October, 2012!!).

© photo from http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/

The presentation introduces the historic background, in Germany and all over the world, and then presents the issue: Germany and Hitler that do want the Olympics to be in Berlin, but had to cover the regime of oppression the wordl knows is going on there.

From this, all the exhibit explains the different positions on that event: the Jewish community (German and American), the US government, the US Olympic Committee (historically independent from the government), Europe point of view... but the most interesting point of view is the one of the Afro American community.

Before the events, lots of marches and public debates were held all over the world. At first, USA seemed to be  mainly contrary to those Olympics by Hitler. The Afro American community (we are in the 1936) was very disappointed by this position, affirming that also in the US they were discriminated as well, not being able to freely attend sport competitions.

In the end, USA participated (and consequently all the rest of the world did) in order to <guarantee the fairplay and the respect of human rights>. 

Germany got the biggest number of medal, but US did well also thanks to the Afro America athletes (that were anyway presented as "helpers" by German newspaper.

In the end, Germany created the most gorgeous Olympics ever, very welcoming for everybody, and this distracted a lot of people, from really understanding what was going on.

Here http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/Holocaust-Center-of-Pittsburgh-and-August-Wilson-Center-Partner-to-Present-The-Nazi-Olympics-Berlin-1936-Exhibition/ you can find an interesting article about the way the exhibit is organized, with related activities.

Another interesting feature of the exhibition is the presence of original videos that show how sports were played in the Thirties. Pretty amazing and different from today.

An exhibition to remember, and to understand.

Unblurred - first friday's on penn

First Friday of every month, you know where to go, in PGH.

http://friendship-pgh.org/paai/unblurred/

Yesterday night, despite the rainy cold night, I went to Garfield on Penn, by bicycle, with a friend. First stop is Calabria's pizza, of course. Then, get the gallery crawl starting.

I won't explain you what each gallery did, but only post here some pictures of the most interesting things I saw. Interesting for good or bad, there is no unappellable judgment here. Just considerations about what people want to tell us. Let's listen to them.

  MODERNFORMATIONS:

cristian breitkreutz wants to tell us something about a struggling life. Among all his displayed works (that didn't make me crazy for buying them, by the way) I just select these. I found interesting the similarity to some famous paintings. I'm pretty sure I could have found more links, but this is it, for now.

(name of the place n.a.)

This place is short on Penn, but very deep in the building. And at the end of it I found a lot of old chairs, each is different. Each must have seen a lot of backs, I would say. Each is ready for guesting the next guests. Music, probably. The displayed art was not that interesting, but the chairs were somehow uncannibly photogenic. 

IMAGEBOX: 

Photographs transformed into kaleidoscopes - by Andrew Karaman. An elegant game for the eyes. 

 ARTESAN TATTOO GALLERY: 

Amazing collection of stories, readable on each picture displayed in a very effective way. The theme is not new, but the pictures are very good and well printed. Caldwell Linker is the photographer and at the Artesan Tattoo Gallery you can also see the book about the work. I wish I were braver, and buyed that. This is a good example about how to talk about something. And you don't need words to tell it. 

Since the picture (on the right) was playing with the concept of double life, I played a little with Photoshop, coz I wanted to meet both the personalities (on the left, my editing). Nice to meet you both!

And for the first time, since the cold weather attracted less crowd, I noticed the flooring of the place. 

All made out of1 cents!

IRMA FREEMAN GALLERY: 

Good lessons of photography also here, but not only - as usual for the IFG. Mainly related to PGH, I just selected few works I thought were very well done. 

 Gallery on Penn@Winebiddle

It finally opened, after a summer of work in progress. This is my first visit there. Very nice space, furnished with old armchairs that totally deserve a visit there. Oldish but goodish. 

The best is the working old charcoal burner, working, with an old guy telling stories in front of the fireplace. Nice nice nice!

In time of Elections, I leave you with a quote by President Wilson.

See you "next" Friday.

Vanessa German and Charlee Brodsky: a good medicine for our lives

The Pittsburgh Center for The Arts is a special place in Pittsburgh. Every time I get there, I know I will learn something. I never pretend to find there the meaning of life, but for sure you can find a variety of plausible possibilities. Well done, well displayed.

This time, even if I waited until the last week (the show will close on October 28, 2012) it's Vanessa German and Charlee Brodsky's time. It is very nice to see two female talents under the same roof, with ways of expressing themselves (and themes) so different. In the whole, after watching both the presentations, you feel a sense of completeness. Each artist presents a 50% of Life. Together they are the whole. 

Vanessa German is the energetic energetic vitality of life. She is the Community, she is the History of America, she is the Memory of her brothers and sisters, of the past and of the present days. Her exhibition 21st Century JuJu is a magic of individual and universal memories (of the Afro American community, mainly).

Her pieces, created from blending old objects together -sometimes with modern ones- are simply astonishing  . You feel the History, but in front of each character or "doll" you cannot avoid to think about our society today.

The composition of each piece is very dense of meaning and messages. But nothing is left to chance. You can tell that because the colors are perfect, the volumes are balanced... It is exactly like reading a poem, and Vanessa is also a poet, eventually.

You cannot avoid or escape from this atavistic power, also because she directly involves you. This is evident in my favorite pieces: "dolls" with little mirrors that suddenly capture your image. So you are in the game, you cannot avoid it, because she is talking exactly with you, no one else. It's you that created the problem, it's you that have to face it, it's you that can be part of the solution. This is what she seems to tell.

I'm talking of problems, you see, because the masterpieces that I called "dolls" are pretty serious about that. Their components are not only knick-knacks found at the flea market. They are verses of the complex poem she is saying. And it is a poem of a community that suffered a lot, and still does. 

More than dolls, these are totems or, as I could recollect from my personal experience, even kind of holy statues of a laic religion. 

Charlee's exhibition Good Dog on the upper floor, is completely different and I had the pleasure to discover it little by little, as I was walking through the rooms. While Vanessa is the body, you could say Charlee is the mind. Vanessa's work is tridimensional (sculpture) and Charlee's is bi-dimensional (photography). 

Charlee Brodsky is a professor of photography at CMU and her pictures are a great lesson of photography, indeed. So balanced in terms of lines, highlight, accents or shadows... Each picture is accompanied by a sentence or a writing. You could easily forecast them just by looking at the picture, so much appropriate they are. 

 But the most important part of her work, even if I don't want anyone to put a label on this, is that in each picture you can see her dog Max. But she's not a dog photographer. This ain't funny, as you could think. The sentences are deep and the presence of the cute dog is always intense and dramatic, in a way. She knows, that what you feel. She knows about art, composition, photography, colors, literature, poetry, books, people... And she knows the city and the urban environment. Her work is a reflection upon life and urban realities that allows life (and certain situations) to show up.

The dog, Max Brodsky, is the main tool she uses to discover relationships and the world. Because animals know the world, and their curious approach to it is exactly what can start the first sparkle of Charlee's engine. The second tool she uses is the camera, to capture the exact moment and the perfect combination of light and volumes. Both are artists here, Max and Charlee.

Charlee is able to get strict to the point with a "simple" click, but then has the knowledge to match them with books that can exactly explain what is she feeling (or he is, coz here everything passes through Max).

Mary Shelley, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Beckett... These are the most emphasized quotations (I love this one of Beckett...).

The exhibit is a lot about Nature and the City, I would say. It is very powerful also this work, even if different from Vanessa's one. Together, the two presentations are exactly what you need to give meaning to your days. One should "take" both every once in a while. Just like a good medicine: a vaccine against superficiality.