Saturday, November 15, 2008

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Another Point of View

Contrary to popular opinion, not everyone in Seattle is delighted by Obama's victory.

Architecture in the Age of Conceptual Reproduction

In 1936, Walter Benjamin wrote that "even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where in happens to be." As anyone with two eyes and any aesthetic sensibility will note, the two bastardizations of Pb Elemental's 12th and John Residence are anything but even a satisfactory reproduction of the the style of the original. As for presence in time and space, I suspect that for years to come, perceptive individuals will be able to see the authentic work and the copycats; they will be able to discern that which came to be through the "ritual" of creation from those that were hastily modified on the exterior to play off the original.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Election Night

Below is a short video I made documenting the election night celebrations on Capitol Hill and in downtown Seattle (and in case you were wondering, it was picked up by the website for Ebony and Jet magazines!). The only camera I had at my disposal was my Nikon digital camera in video mode. I filmed everything from my bike so please excuse any shakiness; I was trying not to crash.



I had never attempted to make a video before but I'm pleased with the results of using this small camera and iMovie. I'm currently having daydreams of a sort of public art projection project that could adorn the blank walls that so many buildings offer the streets. As for content, I was thinking themes that would likely be of concern to readers of this website like nature. Maybe we could start by showing clips from Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides on the blank side of the Sheraton and then move on to make something of our own? Click here for an example of projection on public buildings (though there are many out there).