5.26.2009
the smallest garden.
chae young kim.+URBAN CAMOUFLAGE PROJECT 05
++THE SMALLEST GARDEN
+ idea...
I grew up at the unique place where had been developed by the government's scheme for more accommodations around the capital city. When my family moved to that place, constructions had not been finished yet, so it gave unusual combinations around the city.
I had the benefits of civilisation with all the new buildings with the latest technology at the one side of the city, but suddenly I met the native village in pristine wildlife at the other side of the city just across the road.
In these interesting surroundings, I had medical treatment and also natural healings in nature, an amazing healer mentally and physically, during my weak and sensitive childhood.
I found the interesting connection between man and nature in this way, with mathematical structures of nature, for example Fractal Structure which explains the concept that the smallest elements of things construct the entire universe, has been an important motif for the designs.
+ process...
- studies about the structures of plants (which can be extended further to entire nature) and using mathematical graphic programs by which you create images with scripts and formulas
- lineations which reflect basic elements of nature
- unique impression of hand drawings along with keen digital emotions at the same time
- subtle optical illusions from a distance by printed on fine silk and tufted
5.22.2009
peter buggenhout.
Konrad Fischer Galerie is proud to announce the first German solo show of Belgian artist Peter Buggenhout.Peter Buggenhout (born 1963 in Dendermonde, Belgium) challenges the state of contemporary sculpture by introducing quite unusual materials: waste, household dust, animal hair, blood and intestines. The basic structure of his amorphous but very complex sculptures is created out of abject materials: trash, debris, rubbish. Oscillating between indescribable apocalyptic chaos and the quietness of a Chinese scholar stone, these works are referring to nothing else but themselves.
In his series “The Blind leading the Blind” - named after the famous painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder - Peter Buggenhout assembles pieces of waste and covers them with thick layers of affixed household dust. His series of wall-based sculptures entitled “Gorgo” is made of waste textiles, horse hair and black animal blood. The title references the Medusa legend: art functions as a shield mirroring an almost unbearable reality. A third series in Peter Buggenhout’s oeuvre is named “Mount Ventoux”: it is formed out of bleached animal intestines stretched over polymorphous shapes out of polyurethane foam. The title goes back to the poet Petrarca who was trying to catalogue the whole world but overlooked the mountain just in front of him.
In the stacks of waste material used as a core for his installations the process of selecting abject materials is completely “independent of aesthetic considerations”, as the artist comments. There is no specific aim for a particular form. And there is no context. Oftentimes Peter Buggenhout works on several sculptures simultaneously. A sculpture is finished when it is completely abstract and devoid of all symbolic content.
5.19.2009
i want to go.
Fairy Stone State Park, the largest of Virginia's six original state parks, is home to its namesake "fairy stones." These rare mineral crosses and the park's scenic beauty, rich history and ample recreational opportunities make it a local and regional favorite. The 4,537 acres that make up the park were donated by Junius B. Fishburn, former owner of the Roanoke Times, in 1933. The Civilian Conservation Corps originally created the park, its lake and many structures still in use there.
The Legend of the Fairy Stone: Many hundreds of years before Chief Powhatan’s reign, fairies were dancing around a spring of water, playing with naiads and wood nymphs, when an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away. He brought news of the death of Christ. When these creatures of the forest heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept. As their tears fell upon the earth, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses.
For many years people held these little crosses in superstitious awe, firm in the belief that they protected the wearer against witchcraft, sickness, accidents and disaster. Fairy stones are staurolite, a combination of silica, iron and aluminum. Staurolite crystallizes at 60 or 90 degree angles, hence the stone's cross-like structure. Found only in rocks once subjected to great heat and pressure, the mineral was formed long, long ago, during the rise of the Appalachian Mountains. The stones are most commonly shaped like St. Andrew’s cross, an "X," but "T" shaped Roman crosses and square Maltese crosses are the most sought-after. The rare staurolite stones are found elsewhere but not in such abundance as at Fairy Stone State Park.
{growing up, my dad had some of these stashed away in the drawer and i was endlessly fascinated...
finally, he gave me one to wear on a necklace and i still do.}
remembering...
Appealing to the tendency among Victorian women to incorporate the importance of friends and family into their work, hair served as a tangible remembrance of someone. Often, close companions exchanged hair as tokens of friendship. Hair was also sometimes taken after a person’s death as a means of honor and remembrance
make.
visit.
make.
visit.
5.16.2009
haenyeo.
e haenyo, literally meaning "sea women", are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju. They are representative of the matriarchal family structure of Jeju.
[edit]History of haenyo
Until the 19th century, diving was mostly done by men[citations needed]. The job became unprofitable for men since they had to pay heavy taxes, unlike women who did not. Women took over the diving (which was considered the lowest of jobs) and, because of the great dependence on sea products in most places on Jeju, became the main breadwinners. It could also be said that women simply were more adapted for the job, with their bodies keeping them warmer and being more suited to swimming than a male - with more bodyfat and a lack of protruding external genitalia. With that, they often became "the head" of their family. On Mara Island, where sea products accounted for almost all sources of revenue before it became increasingly attractive as a tourist site, gender roles were entirely reversed. Often men would look after the children and go shopping while the women would bring in money for the family.
This evolution clashed with Korea's Confucian culture, in which women have traditionally been treated as inferior. As a result, administrators from Seoul (unsuccessfully) tried to bar the women from diving, ostensibly because they exposed bare skin while at sea.
Haenyo are skilled divers who are known to be able to hold their breath for more than two minutes and dive to depths of 20 meters. The divers must also contend with other dangers such as jelly fish and sharks. [1].
Starting from the late 1970s, exports of sea products to Japan such as abalone and conch have made the sea women richer than ever, allowing them to fix their houses, build new ones inJeju City and send their daughters to college. However, there is a threat to the haenyo's continued success: with their daughters choosing to work in the island's tourism industry or in the big cities, the haenyo will most likely disappear. While in 1950 there were as many as 30,000 haenyo on the island, in 2003 there were only 5,650 sea women registered as divers, of whom 85% were over 50 years old. With the number of sea women declining and with tourism giving Jeju men more opportunities, it is unclear what will happen to their daughters' status in their communities and home, though it is unlikely that the matriarchal family structures will continue to survive.
(obviously from wikipedia) ,more here.
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