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      An Annual ‘Giant Letter’ Installation Displays a Heartfelt Note from a 100-Foot-Tall Boy Named Bobby

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      Art
      #installation
      #letters
      #public art
      #street artJanuary 21, 2022Grace Ebert2020 in Austin. All images © Giant Letter, shared with permissionEvery year on December 12, a handwritten letter on oversized lined paper appears on a residential lawn in Chicago or Austin. The massive constructions, which stand between 8- and 12-feet high, are part of an ongoing project that shares heartfelt messages between an imaginary 100-foot-tall boy named Bobby and those who matter most in his life (aka his mother Lucinda, cat Mr. McFluffins, and Santa).Chicago-based artists Caro D’Offay and Laura Gilmore began Giant Letter back in 2012 as a way to connect with their community following the tragic killings at Sandy Hook Elementary. Marj Wormald joined the pair a few years later, and together, they’ve installed 10 iterations. “We’re trying to create an atmosphere,” D’Offay said in an interview. “The person standing there can in a way feel very small but also have big emotions. It can be transformative for someone, and they’re just walking their dog.”2021 in ChicagoDuring its decade-long run, Giant Letter displays have included microscopes and astronomy books, huge pencils and cups of tea, and of course, chocolate chip cookies and milk. Every piece also sets a “Bobby box” nearby that encourages visitors to drop in messages they’d like to share with the child. In the most recent version installed at the intersection of Glenwood and Albion avenues in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, a 35-foot tool stretches alongside a letter from Bobby’s mother detailing her cancer diagnosis. “I know this is a much bigger tape measure than you probably need but I want you to dream big and make giant magic!” it reads.Organizers say the 2021 installation will stay in its current spot indefinitely, although they’re hoping to transfer the project to a museum or gallery in the future. You can follow their progress on Instagram.2021 in Chicago2019 in Austin2016 in Austin2016 in Chicago2014 in Chicago2013 in Chicago2012 in Chicago2012 in Chicago
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      #letters
      #public art
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      Marked with Pattern and Texture, Hula’s Murals Appear to Emerge from the Sea

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      Art
      #murals
      #public art
      #sea
      #waterDecember 28, 2021Grace EbertAll images © Sean Yoro, shared with permissionTo paint his murals, Sean Yoro, aka Hula, yields to the shifting tides of the ocean. The Los Angeles-based artist (previously) paddles out to underpasses and concrete barriers only accessible by water where he balances on a surfboard with a minimal number of supplies—all paints, brushes, and other materials have to fit within the 10-foot space. There he renders portraits of women half-submerged in the sea and singular hands that appear to burst from the surface. “I had to learn not only a faster and more efficient way to paint while on a surfboard but also blending layers together needed to be able to adapt to the tides and other variables that might restrict certain areas of the wall,” he shares.The visibility of Yoro’s large-scale works shifts depending on the water level, allowing the celestial patterns that mark his subjects’ faces or splotches of paint on their backs to peek through. “I loved incorporating more surreal elements to my painted figures—always trying to balance the water and concrete aesthetics,” he says.In addition to his seaside murals, Yoro also paints smaller works on canvas and sells limited-edition prints in his shop. You can follow his latest projects on Instagram.
      #murals
      #public art
      #sea
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      A Spectacular Staircase by Alex Chinneck Uncoils as It Scales a 25-Meter Building in Brighton

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      Art
      #architecture
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #stairs
      #steelDecember 23, 2021Grace EbertAll images © Alex Chinneck, by Marc Wilmont, shared with permissionPart functional walkway and part dramatic sculpture, an outdoor staircase by Alex Chinneck unfurls into individual metallic ribbons as it climbs a brick building in Brighton. The latest work by the British artist, titled “A Spring in Your Step,” is made of galvanized steel and features a base with slatted rungs that gradually unwind into a trio of strips splaying outward over Circus Square.Chinneck is known for his surreal architectural interventions—these include melting facades, a condemned building that unzips, and twisting red post boxes—that upend ubiquitous designs in favor of bizarre counterparts. He shares about the new piece: “’A Spring in Your Step’ took three years to complete, weighs four tonnes, is 25 meters tall, and follows a non-repeating, expanding, and contracting helical form, making it my most complex sculpture to date.”Head to the artist’s Instagram to see the three-year process behind the spectacular sculpture and to explore a larger collection of his works.
      #architecture
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #stairs
      #steelDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      Paper & Glue: A New Documentary Follows JR Through Some of His Most Iconic Projects

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      Art
      Documentary
      Photography
      #film
      #public art
      #videoDecember 8, 2021Grace Ebert[embedded content]A new feature-length documentary goes behind the scenes with French artist JR to capture some of his most significant projects to date, including his poignant photographic work of a child peering over the U.S./Mexico border wall and pair of installations at a maximum-security prison in Tehachapi, California. Paper & Glue follows the renowned artist through the evolution of his practice from early graffiti days to his current undertakings—his anamorphic work at Florence’s Palazzo Strozzi earlier this year and his illusory transformation of the Louvre courtyard in 2019 are both evidence of his growth—that are increasingly massive in scope and impact and often shine a light on humanitarian issues.“The film is the culmination of years of my work and includes an archive of photography and videos that span back to my adolescence. At the time of many of these recordings, I had no intention or awareness they could be used in this way,” JR says. “I hope this film further uplifts the essentiality of art and the potential it holds to reshape even our most ingrained beliefs.“Paper & Glue is currently in theaters around the U.S. and premieres on December 10 on MSNBC.
      #film
      #public art
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      Bars of Light Pierce a Dilapidated Sydney-Area Home in Ian Strange’s Illuminated Intervention

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      Art
      #architecture
      #installation
      #light
      #public art
      #site-specific
      #street artDecember 3, 2021Grace EbertAll images © Ian Strange, shared with permissionTagged with graffiti and marred by a chipped facade, a stately Victorian home in a Sydney suburb is the site of a brilliant site-specific installation by artist Ian Strange. “Light Intersections II” uses angled beams of light to impale the derelict structure and permeate outer walls, windows, and the ornate, metallic railing on the second-floor balcony. Illuminating the battered building, Strange’s monumental public work is one of his many projects that explores ideas of home through architectural interventions.The artist, who lives between Melbourne and Brooklyn, relies on the concepts of drawing to inform much of his practice, with a particular focus on how single marks alter perspectives and affect understandings of the material world. He explains:The lines of light in ‘Intersections’ are an attempt to place abstracted perspective lines back into the environment. These drawn perspective lines don’t appear in nature, but are staples in both painting, drawing, and architecture, used as a way of containing, representing, and changing the natural environment.Commissioned by the City of Sydney, “Light Intersections II” follows the artist’s 2019 project that installed a similar concept throughout the galleries and around the perimeter of Melbourne’s Lyon Housemuseum. Watch the video below for a tour of the radiant home, and explore more of Strange’s work on Instagram. (via Street Art News)
      #architecture
      #installation
      #light
      #public art
      #site-specific
      #street artDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      From Intricate Stencils to Vibrant Flowers, Nine New Murals Transform Blank Facades in Tbilisi

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      Art
      #flowers
      #murals
      #public art
      #street art
      #trompe l’oeilNovember 29, 2021Grace EbertMonkeyBird. All images courtesy of Tbilisi Mural Fest, shared with permissionSince Tbilisi Mural Fest began in 2019, the streets of Georgia’s capital have seen the towering, large-scale works of artists like Collin van der Sluijs (previously), Case Maclaim, and Faith XLVII (previously), whose celestial, intersecting circles are a highlight of this year’s event. The 2021 festival features nine pieces in total that range in aesthetic and subject matter, including a mythological, black-and-white stencil by MonkeyBird (previously), bold botanicals by Thiago Mazza (previously), and a striking trompe-l’œil papercut by 1010. Each monumental work addresses an environmental, social, or other relevant issue affecting today’s world, and you can find 2021’s lineup below. (via Street Art News)Thiago Mazza1010Faith XLVIIJDLLeft: Kade90. Right: David SamkharadzeAPHENOAH
      #flowers
      #murals
      #public art
      #street art
      #trompe l’oeilDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      A Cube of Scaffolding Encloses a Glowing Red Sphere That Looms 25 Meters Above Madrid

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      Art

      #climate crisis
      #installation
      #light
      #public art

      November 16, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      Photos by Ruben P. Bescos, © SpY, shared with permission
      As a visual metaphor for the intensity and urgency of the ongoing climate crisis, urban artist SpY erected a luminous orb that towers nearly 25 meters above Madrid’s Plaza de Colón. The large-scale work, titled “Tierra,” features a cage of construction scaffolding that encloses the massive sphere, creating a contrast between the two geometric shapes and casting a brilliant red glow on the surrounding area. Set against the backdrop of the bustling Spanish city, the installation “asks us to reflect on the way in which our home makes up a whole of which we form part and in which everything is connected as if it were a living creature,” the artist says.
      SpY is known for his public interventions, including ironic installations and a temporary park in the middle of Madrid, where he currently lives. Follow his upcoming projects on Instagram.

      

      #climate crisis
      #installation
      #light
      #public art

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      A ‘Staircase to Heaven’ Installation Ascends into the Sky as a Trippy Optical Illusion

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      Art

      #installation
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #site-specific
      #stairs
      #steel
      #video

      November 12, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      All images © Strijdom van der Merwe, shared with permission
      South African artist Strijdom van der Merwe’s deceptive “Staircase to Heaven” sculpture is designed to make you wonder. When viewed straight on, the towering optical illusion appears to ascend into the sky at an incline, although the 4.5-meter-tall work actually lies on a flat plane. Van der Merwe partnered with Taiwanese artist Chou Sheng-hsien to create the trippy sculpture for the Nanhui Art Project in Taiwan, which commissioned 14 public works to be installed throughout Taitung County.
      Built with steel square tubing that weighs about 240 kilograms, “Staircase to Heaven” is modeled after van der Merwe’s 2016 project, “Sculptures on the Cliff.” For more of the artist’s site-specific works and sprawling land art, check out his site. (via Laughing Squid)

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      #installation
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #site-specific
      #stairs
      #steel
      #video

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