The Decliner

For his final student project at Rice University, Viktor Ramos presented structural forms of gigantic scale to depict how architecture could be used or grafted along the Oslo Accords to unite Israeli and Palestinian territory into one “continuous” entity within the West Bank.

The scope and implausible nature of the massive, snaking bridges darting in and out of the landscape denote the absurdity of attempting to create a rational, applicable solution to the partitioning of the region. You can access all of the project’s visual works here.

What is innovative about Ramos’s presentation, entitled The Continuous Enclave: Strategies in Bypass Urbanism,  isn’t simply the political and social statement, but also the proposition that partitioning can move beyond a “2-D” solution and project itself into the air, as if the West Bank barrier had been designed by some abstract artist to slice into the airspace above the two respective regions.

All else aside, Ramos presents a visually stunning study. Moreover, what makes his idea all the more meaningful, perhaps, is the fact that similar projects have been proposed seriously by others, such as the RAND Corporation: Behold, the RAND Corporation’s futuristic”Arc” solution to the West Bank partition:

The research team develop a detailed vision for a modern, high-speed transportation infrastructure, referred to as the Arc. This transportation backbone accommodates substantial population growth in Palestine by linking current urban centers to new neighborhoods via new linear transportation arteries that support both commercial and residential development.

The concept here is to create an infrastructure “corridor” that links urban population centers, serving as an artery of sorts for commercial activity, as well as basic necessities such as food, water, and energy. It’s not so much the technology involved that makes the project unusual, but rather the literal interpretation of creating two parallel, walled-off societies inhabiting the same region, and abiding by the physical requirements of Israeli and Palestinian territorial claims.

(Via BLDGBLOG)

I’m always drawn to reading ad copy, particularly for products that I will never be able to afford, or would never want to own, could I even afford them. Some of the worst copy you’ll ever see is sometimes produced for real estate advertising, which is usually exploding with florid descriptions.

Regardless of the actual quality of a development, the location, or the square footage available, any brochure you read or website that you visit will do its utmost to convince you that this is the place, the most fabulous mid-range condominium you could ever hope to inhabit. Many do a terrible job accomplishing the latter.

The Morning News published a fun article recently entitled “The Hyperbole Towers,” which borrows copy from luxury New York city property marketing collateral and mashes them together into one long, ridiculous advertisement:

The living room is its own light-filled universe, well removed from the foyer and its comings and goings. Welcome to living room impact (sic) 20! The space is replete with the warmth of textured concrete and the understated elegance of a zinc light sculpture.

So, inspired by that article, I thought that it might be interesting to see the complete inverse of this experiment, and make copy for a luxury condominium sound as unappealing as possible:

• Constricted, oppressive, darkness-filled…[redacted]’s condominiums reject contemporary, highly functional design concepts by unknown and unproven architects [redacted] and [redacted]. The units range from one bedroom to one bedroom with a damp den, with two-level loft units completely unavailable. Homes feature low-end finishes, minimal storage and closet space, and none offer balconies and terraces with dramatic views of the city.

• With a community clubhouse, motel-style pool, and a decidedly outdated fitness center, [redacted] offers modest new condos in Northern Virginia within hours of traffic-congested Reston, Dulles, and Leesburg, where you can sample a severely limited mix of shopping, entertainment, and fast-food options.These one-, two- and three-bedroom sub-par condominiums by [redacted] feature diminutive designs (no lofts), hastily completed balconies or patios with building-interior views, and designer bathrooms with inexplicably small soaking tubs and single vanities.
• Offering breathtaking service alley views, nearby access to crime-infested Adams Morgan, over-priced Dupont Circle and 16th Street, [redacted] offers the best of DC living. Located on Meridian Hill, adjacent to the forlorn cascades and historically unsafe promenades of Meridian Hill Park, [redacted] offers a cosmopolitan experience like no other. With a graceless facade of brick and cast stone overly adorned with obtrusive bay windows, recessed balconies and French doors, [redacted] exudes turn-of-the-century excess. Its elaborate design clashing uncomfortably with neighboring architecture, providing a thankless companion to the classic Meridian and White-Meyer houses just across 17th Street. Each of the 29 town homes and English-style flats afford cumbersome entry to the joyless spaces within.

Remember, for all your future real estate ad copy needs, look no further than The Decliner.

I was rummaging through the Internet Archive’s video/documentary section the other day (I’m usually looking for bizarre PSAs about riding buses or making new friends), and I came across this interesting documentary by French director Claude Lelouch, entitled “Iran.”

At first, I thought that the notion of a travelogue film with no dialogue at all seemed dull, but it really is a very interesting piece of film. Some brief segments alone make it worth watching, such as a camel race, and revealing pieces of everyday life in what looks like Tehran and various other locations.

The film was released in 1971, and documents an interesting period in Iranian history — eight years before the Shah of Iran was overthrown, and the country’s government came under the control of the Ayatollah Khomeini. There is practically nothing to suggest what would later come in that decade for Iran here, the society depicted by this short film seems heavily influenced by the West (some serious polyester swinging 60’s action throughout). If you skip to 16:01, you can watch the Shah ride a horse in a white turtleneck. Or, go to 09:24, and watch a woman wearing what looks to be some sort of leather mask look through a microscope (I have no idea).

According to the Internet Archives, Lelouch shot six miles of footage to put together this nineteen minute film. The work was intended as a gift to the Shah’s wife, and sponsored by a multinational petroleum pipeline construction firm.

If you’re not inclined to watch the film, you can also look through a photo album put together from shots throughout the documentary here.

self portrait. midas touch. by Noah Kalina

You might be familiar already with a video Noah Kalina produced a few years back, in which he assembled a self-portrait taken every day over the course of six years (be sure to pause the video and scroll manually for a different effect). You can also view a photo montage of that video here.

That video was viewed by (as of today) over 12 million individuals, which is very popular, even by YouTube standards. That recognition allowed him to segway into his next project, which was a series of self-portraits with various celebrities.

Listed on his website is a series of photos that I particularly enjoyed, titled “what happens in vegas…” which uses the element of his immutable self-portraits’ expression against the supposed glitz and commercial appeal of the Las Vegas strip.

What I liked about these series of shots, aside from the obvious humor of the concept itself, is that they make an interesting point while still avoiding the cliche. The alienation that comes across is not self-righteous or railing against superficiality, but simply points out the fact that, despite all efforts, sometimes there is just no connection to be had with your surroundings.

It’s the sort of feeling everyone experiences at least once in their life: a vague feeling of detachment, not quite hostile… just remote.

Be sure to visit Noah’s website, as there is a lot of good work posted there, aside from the self-portrait shots.

(Special thanks to Noah Kalina for giving me more info about his work for this post.)

Origin 5, Patrick Winfield (2008)

I’m always a sucker for good composition. Also, Polaroids have always held a special place in my heart–the results are like a mix of happy accidents with a good, basic understanding of framing/angle/timing (and sometimes they’re just accidents).

I enjoy the way Winfield assembles a lot of his polaroid composites: they’re good, in the traditional aesthetic sense, but don’t feel contrived. His online portfolio lists his compositions from the last three years, though 2008 seems notable as he begins to use solid color shots to put together a lot of his pieces, as well as a stronger preference for a larger number of individual shots.

You can read a short interview with Patrick Winfield here. In addition to photography, his background includes stop-motion animation, graphic design, and paintining — all of which seem to come through in these composites.

The Economist has great art direction in general, but the letter below sent in by a reader in Poland makes a good point: they do go overboard with “ethnic representation” in some of their accompanying photography.

The editorial mindset is still sometimes one of seeing Eastern Europe as the fringe frontier — though, in many ways, it still is in terms of foreign capital investment (and that is their perspective, after all). Though it’s worth noting that they are one of the few magazines that bother to cover a wide spectrum of issues that aren’t so much as a blip elsewhere, like Latin American politics (that don’t involve heads of state meeting with Fidel Castro or the FARC).

Super. This is work by German artist (I do like artists from other countries, I swear) Eno Henze. He describes his art as a “collaboration” between himself and the machine. The abstract quality and the organic textures of The Human Factor series attain a surreal, but warm effect. The results, as you can see, really go beyond the mechanical process he has chosen.

Judging by his portfolio, Henze has been experimenting with generative art for some time now. His Ambush series is another great example.

There is certainly no shortage of feelings of “I told you so” in hearing that the glitzy “Las Vegas of the Middle East,” Dubai (or Dubai City), has hit a wall with the global recession. Dubai has been both admired for its rampant growth and wild building projects (such as The World), as well as reviled for its unflinching promotion of the superficial: gated communities of mini-mansions, exclusive hotels, and an endless club and party culture.

Still, it’s important not to be too premature in claiming that Dubai is done for. It’s true, many of the construction projects seem to have ground to a halt and property prices have taken a real hit, but there is still plenty of capital in the emirate. The problem is, of course, that Dubai’s growth is pinned to the disposable incomes of the upper echelons of international society, as well as the elite circles of its oil-rich neighbors, and both have been hit all at once.

There is a good clip from DW-TV currently posted on smashing telly! (below) — and a scathing article to go along — documenting the deteriorating financial situation in Dubai. Recently, we have begun to hear stories of hundreds of abandoned cars in the lots surrounding Dubai’s international airport, as service sector employees and others affected by the declining situation flee to avoid their creditors, and potential jail time. Most of these individuals have been those with the fewest ties to Dubai, “guest workers” that thought it better to flee with whatever cash was at hand and abandon their property for a return home.

The commentary posted on smashing telly! makes good, though ultimately shallow points: Yes, Dubai is based on the promotion of “pleasure travel” and in attracting the attention of the over-privileged, but it also happens to be a hub of finance and trade spurring other growth in the area, not simply an endless row of hotels. And while the concept of an insta-city might not be to everyone’s liking, to dismiss the ingenuity that has sprouted in what was once a modest trading port is shortsighted.

What Dubai does lack is a clear project to spread its wealth down, as its concept of growth is still based on ideas promoted by the UAE’s insulated royal family. Hopefully, the current slowdown may serve as a reminder that a country, or an emirate, can’t simply be built from the top down.

You guys, marriage is under attack. As we speak, ground forces organized by the ACLU, MoveOn.org, and the Human Rights Campaign (and SAURON) are assembling outside of your state to undermine your heterosexual union, destroy your family, and kick over your mailbox.

The video below, “One Man. One Woman,” was released by West Virginia for Marriage (www.wv4marriage.com).

This gem of video and sound editing goes into explicit, terrifying detail:

Yellow states are flashing because of lesbians and something involving courts and lawyers! Large numbers and graphics! And the words “mother” and “father” are crossed out on a blackboard — what does that mean??

This is terrible, something horrible is going to happen. Oh my god, look at this, there is a sniper after this heterosexual couple in West Virginia and their beautiful children. Are you listening? Hello?? Run, get indoors!

(Via Political Machine)

Fundament, by Andreas Fischer

Artists creating sculptures based on data sets isn’t exactly new, but Andreas Nicolas Fischer, a German artist based out of Berlin, does it particularly well.

Two of Fischer’s sculpture projects, Fundament and Indizes, are based on economic data. Fundament is a beechwood/plywood sculpture based on a mapping of the world’s gross domestic product in 2007, along with a measure of worldwide derivatives (like bonds, stock, mortages) volume. Indizes is an abstract series of polygons made out of plywood that track stock market data from the S&P 500, NASDAQ and Dow Jones, from January to November 2008 — which is a straight shot down, if you can imagine. I suppose this might not be the best choice for the lobby of a finance bank.

Fischer has a lot of other good work to be viewed at his website. Check out Reflection, a data sound sculpture, reminiscent in style to the work of Louise Nevelson.