Singing Ringing

Created by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of Tonkin Liu, the Singing Ringing Tree was designed to take advantage of the perpetual winds buffeting the hills of Lancashire, England.

Sounds like choral humming to me, but I have a bad ear. Take a listen for yourself in the video below.


But wait there’s more. The tree was one of four structures commissioned by a progressive public art program. The development of the project, the construction of the tree and the official launch of this permanent installation are covered in the following profile.

Vectorial Vancouver

Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has mounted the interactive light sculpture Vectorial Elevation in several cities.  His current installation was commissioned by the 2010 Cultural Olympiad and the City of Vancouver and runs through February 28.  The best part is that unlike the Olympic Games, which require years of training, determination and sacrifice in order to participate, anyone with an internet connection can join this event and transform the skies over Vancouver.  Click here to learn how.  See what others have done in the public time-lapse videos below.

From 2010timelapse


Here's an entire night with music from KitsKam.

The Beast Master

Theo Jansen is a kinetic sculptor and creature builder. He creates wind powered, alien looking beasts whose movements have a life like quality. Check out his Animaris Rhinoceros and see for yourself.


Take a tour of Jansen's studio and see how he puts it all together.


Jansen talked about his work at the TED Conference in March 2007.

Listening Post

Listening Post by Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen grabs text fragments from internet chat rooms and spits them back out via synthesized voice in realtime.  (Admittedly, this is a rather coarse description of a truly exquisite piece.)  Having toured internationally and won many awards over the years, Listening Post can be considered a "blockbuster."  First seen at the Whitney Museum in 2002, it's good to be able to revisit with this video.

Flora and Harmony

Electrical appliances and stage equipment come together to form Flora and Harmony. Creators Niklas Roy and Wojtek Kucharczyk describe this work as a "technoid, kinetic indoor jungle“.

This interactive exhibit attempts to engage you through all the senses. Come gaze at the structure's complexity, feel the breeze from the electric fans, smell the air freshener, handle the controls, eat the candy.

Kinetica

The second annual Kinetica Art Fair, produced by the Kinetica Museum in London, concluded yesterday.  Over 35 galleries and art organizations participated with over 150 artists exhibiting.  From the website:

The Kinetica Art Fair provides collectors, curators, museums and the public with a unique opportunity to view and purchase artworks from leading international galleries, artist's collectives, curatorial groups and organisations specialising in kinetic, electronic and new media art.  Kinetica's aim through the fair is to popularise artists and organisations working in these genres and to provide a new platform for the commercial enterprise of this field.

Here's the coverage from London's Channel 4 News


and a slide show from Where the Art Is.

Fiber Wave

Makoto Sei Watanabe, creator of Fiber Wave, classifies the project as a work of environmental sculpture. Illuminated by the sun. Animated by the wind. This one was made for the great outdoors.


There's also an indoor version of the work for you less outdoorsy types to enjoy. Click on the photo below for information and photos of Fiber Wave 2.

Mech Cloud

Much like its organic namesake, the appearance of Cloud is in constant flux. Created by David Rokeby, the work is composed of 100 individual elements suspended from a grid and manipulated by computer automated motors.


You can find this piece in the Great Hall at the Ontario Science Centre.