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  maria.simonelli

The Human Scale at ACMI

29/6/2013

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The documentary explores how urban environments impact and enhance human life and happiness based on a thesis presented by Danish architect Jan Gehl. 

The human scale is investigated with a series of ten examples of cities from Hong Kong, China,New York,Copenhagen, Dhaka  and Melbourne

http://www.acmi.net.au/lp_human_scale.aspx 

The film starts with noting 50 % of the world’s population lives in urban areas and by 2050 this will increase to 80%. 

Life in a mega city is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness and severe health issues due to our way of life. But why? The Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behavior in cities through 40 years. He has documented how modern cities repel human interaction, and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account.
  
This is the main thrust of thinking that drives Gehl and his associates: by building cities that encourage citizens to reclaim public space, the city (and even megacity) can become a more inhabitable space for humans.

He also uses statistics eg  How many people pass this street throughout a 24 hour period? How many percent of those are pedestrians? How many are driving cars or bikes? How much of the street space are the various groups allowed to use? Is this street performing well for all its users? 

Jan Gehl made his first studies in Italy and later he inspired the planning of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, for 40 years. His ideas inspired the creation of walking streets, the building and improvements of bike paths and the reorganization of parks, squares and other public spaces throughout this city and in many other cities in the Nordic region. Around the world cities like Melbourne, Dhaka, New York, Chongqing and Christchurch are now also being inspired by Gehl’s work and by the developments in Copenhagen.

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Light and the Winter Solitice

21/6/2013

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Dark light 

This looks like a spectacular piece at Hobart's current Dark MOFO.
A large scale public piece that creates a 15km tower of light made up of 49 searchlights to break the black evening. 

This is Spectra, Ryoki Ikeda's installation that forms the central plank of Beam in Thine Own Eye, and the word is people seemed pulled towards it unable to resist its allure.

http://i.imgur.com/uBO4kgw.jpg

Grand Sculpture Light and steel in Melbourne Fed Square

The Helix Tree by Bruce Ramus is a grand sculpture of light and steel in the centre of Melbourne City at Fed Square. Inspired by the naturally occurring shape of the helix, the sculpture is constructed from 21 curved steel beams fitted with hundreds of LED lights. Like branches of a tree, the beams spiral 13 metres high into the sky from a central trunk. The Helix Tree uses sound-responsive technology via which voices of Melbourne bring to life its unique and vivid light displays.

http://vimeo.com/67788230

Square of Light
A series of community driven short videos to address the question "When does the light turn on'? sharing diverse views on what it means to be part of contemporary Australia.
http://vimeo.com/groups/squareoflight

..........and for something different see how the northern hemisphere sees this Summer Solstice with National Geographic photos 


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/pictures/130621-pictures-june-summer-solstice-celebrate-culture/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20130621news-summersolscel&utm_campaign=Content#
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Do the Maths

20/6/2013

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Bill McGibbon - Global Warming Forum

A few weeks back i was fortunate to attend the Bill McKibbon Forum in Melbourne 'Do the Math'. Bill was in full force giving a succinct assessment of where the science on climate change is at and the call to action.
He gave a strong argument that made sense on so many levels particularly the economics.

There is already a movement made up of cross sectional, multi-age and diverse cultures...this isn't a green issue- it's a humanity issue.

A recent film (40 mins) by 350.org outlines the argument at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fY-8OUuJ9Ms#at=11

More information available at
http://world.350.org/australia/

The event also yet again catalysed for me the role art and artists can play to engage and educate the community, and provide another social perspective to influence our response to this issue.

Special thanks to Climarte Arts for a Safe Climate for arranging tickets to event.
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Wasteland ...spoiler alert..a transformative ending

16/6/2013

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This is probably a well know story by now, but really worth a revisit as I think about the power of art. I viewed the film 2012 Wasteland that follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys back to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump.

Filmed over 3 years he finds an eclectic group of 'catadores' or garbage pickers of the recycled materials in the dump. We get to know their back-story and the way this extraordinary act of art consequently changes their lives forever. 

Muniz's initial objective was to paint the catadores with the garbage, but something much more eventuates through his collaboration with these amazing people who engage in creating the actual pieces before they are photographed. It's more than a series of paintings as they begin to reinvent themselves. 

He recreates photographic images out of the garbage, that were exhibited in London, sold as individual art works and photographic pieces and generated prize money from various art and film awards... and the funds went back to the catadores. 

I was so moved watching this journey, to see these amazing people present with such dignity and the journey that Vik himself goes through. The power of the process is evidence of the transformative power of art.

“We are not pickers of garbage; we are pickers of recyclable materials,” Tião, an impoverished Brazilian catadore, or trash picker, declares to a talk-show host. 

Film website at
http://www.wastelandmovie.com/index.html

Trailer at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNlwh8vT2NU

There's also a great short piece on TED about Vik Muniz 
http://www.ted.com/talks/vik_muniz_makes_art_with_wire_sugar.html
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What makes art?

10/6/2013

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Having just completed a unit in Masters of Contemporary Art (VCA), I was asked by close friends why Im so interested in pursuing art. I always find myself saying something a bit glib. Well I've just heard the most succinct  response from Richard Serra about what makes art....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWoiAf_qMA4


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Silkworms and robots combine to make sculpture

6/6/2013

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http://io9.com/thousands-of-silkworms-and-one-robot-made-this-intricat-511217252
Working under the assumption that silkworms are nature’s original 3D printers, researchers at MIT Media Lab's Mediated Matter group have created a  domed sculpture from silk fibres woven by a robotic arm — which was then completed by over 6,500 silkworms.

The finished project is called the Silk Pavilion, an effort to explore “the relationship between digital and biological fabrication in design.” The researchers hope to leverage their findings into designing 3D fabrication techniques that are more in line with organic, natural processes. 

To create the dome, the researchers programmed a robotic arm to imitate the way silkworms move and deposit silk when building their cocoons. The bot then laid down one kilometre’s worth of silk fibre across flat  polygonal metal frames to create 26 panels. These frames were then used to create the dome, which was suspended from the ceiling.

And then the fun began: Some 6,500 live silkworms were individually placed on the dome, where they deposited their silk and completed the structure.

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 'But why is this art?"

1/6/2013

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Film: 
Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present


Marina has been redefining what performing art is for 40 years using her body as the vehicle. 

This film follows the artist as she prepares for an important milestone in her life through a major retrospective of her work at MOMA, New York. 

The interviews with her are very reflective and insightful and a chance for her to respond to a question she must have been hearing for many years... 'But why is this art?"


ABC
Artscape: Don't Try This At Home - Performance Art in Australia


http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3732889.htm

Screened on the eve of Kaldor Public Arts Projects' major art installation 13 Rooms, Artscape: Don’t try this at home - Performance Art in Australia explores the art of performance, touching on some of the international artists Australia has hosted, as well as retracing our own significant contributions to the form through to its current manifestation in the digital era.

13 Rooms
http://kaldorartprojects.org.au/13rooms/
An exhibtion of living sculpture. 

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    Author

    I’m influenced by contemporary issues and interested in questioning everyday patterns by intervening and provoking alternative forms of discourse.

    I hope that my artworks assist to transition a viewer to make connections between disparate ideas and give a different perspective on something they are already aware of.

    Above all I value the awake, curious and creative mind that cross pollinates ideas to join the dots and build new ideas. 

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