"...This is not important, except that it is possible to continue. Writing about art seems to me more and more dangerous. There are too many words troubling the wonderful silence of the visual."
much more of this insightful interview between gomez and ernesto neto here.
designer martín azúa (out of barcelona) on the concept behind his Nest House:
"The life in the city is complicated when thinking of the most basic necessity and sometimes absurd obligations. Freedom is reduced in what you have or need. Birds don’t pay the rent. They settle into a place and use the closest resources. Their nests form a part of nature. Learning form them, we came up with the idea to build the nest house of simple metal structure and some rope which are completed with natural materials like leaves, branches etc… It doesn’t take any space as it is hung on a tree with a thick tape not to damage it. Once installed it can serve as point of observation or an essential habitat in which you can spend a night. The nest house allows us a perception of the natural space of animal, plant and human life."
the rest of his inventions are equally whimsically beautiful. thanks to labour of heart for the link.
well, the joseph cornell exhibit at SF MOMA was as inspiring and evocative as i could have hoped. i floated through the gallery rather than walked, increasingly intoxicated by each piece. i saw the real constructions behind the representations i had seen in books, and i met new works of which i hadn't been aware existed. i made my little contacts with a kindred soul. i felt resentful that photographs were forbidden. then, when one of the guards saw me writing in my notebook with a pen, she made me put it away and gave me one of those eraserless half pencils they always give you to fill out forms with. i hate writing with those pencils. they are the stingiest of writing instruments.
one of the works of cornell that i had never seen or heard of was a compilation of his "Goop Joe's Poultry Pages," a charming series of collaged newsletters that he constructed and sent during the early thirties to his sister who had a poultry farm. follow the link to see more of them. the one to the left concerns a watermelon-eating contest. included are "quotes" invented by cornell from the alleged participants. this from the first prize winner, mr p. warts montgomery bildge: "of course there seems to be a lot of glory and tinsel fame connected with winning a watermelon contest, folks, but when i think of the hours my wife will spend with the vacuum cleaner getting the seeds out of my ears, i cannot help but say like the prophet of old; "all is vanity."
sadly, i accidentally deleted all the pictures we took on the staten island ferry. it was a rather magical ride in which, as soon as we passed the statue of liberty, her torch lit up. then we turned around and manhatten had turned its lights on too. this trip had a sense of timing about it, as if everywhere we were was were we were supposed to be. ah. we were was where we were. this is somewhat what i mean.
camilla put in a link to artist do ho suh in her blog yesterday, and ever since i saw his "perfect house" installations i haven't been able to stop thinking about them.
here he created entire interiors out of translucent nylon sewn to shape. box pleats and gathers. a mere slip of a house.
a seashore home and the conquest of mildew, but not frailty. use a large needle and don't worry if it grows blunt.
slipcover.
bedskirt.
must needs a doorbell, for no one would hear you if you knocked.
