Eyebeam Open Studios Fall 2009 / Art in New York City

Eyebeam (http://eyebeam.org) is the leading not-for-profit art and technology center in the United States. Founded in 1996 and incorporated in 1997, Eyebeam was conceived as a non-profit art and technology center dedicated to exposing broad and diverse audiences to new technologies and media arts, while simultaneously establishing and demonstrating new media as a significant genre of cultural production. Since its founding, Eyebeam has supported more than 130 fellowships and residencies for artists and creative technologists.

Eyebeam organizes open studios twice a year, and I had the pleasure to visit one of them by invitation of Matthew Borgatti, a designer + technologist I met on Flickr a few weeks before the opening. Here are some highlights from my collection of photographs and video interviews conducted during the show.

Because of this very long post, I have created jump links here:
+1 Sculpture: OMG LOL
+2 Electronics on Canvas: Les Années Lumière by Ayah Bdeir
+3 Fairytale Fashion
+4 Spaceman Lamp by Matthew Borgatti
+5 Deadly Sins (Snowglobes) by Ligorano / Reese
+6 Window Farms by Britta Riley
+7 Collaborative Interactive Video Remix
+8 See also
+9 Related SML Universe

1. Sculpture: OMG LOL (artist unknown. SML RFI?)

2. Electronics on Canvas: Les Années Lumière by Ayah Bdeir

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Current / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

The spokesperson of littleBits, a friend of the artist, talks to See-ming Lee about the sculpture / mixed media painting: a birds eye view of a little over 3 years of violence, strife, and very bright lights rocking Lebanon, remembered and replayed in 45 minutes of proportionally timed light display.

Ayah Bdeir
Les Années Lumière
22 x 30 inches
Electronics on Canvas
produced June 2008
in collaboration with Rouba Khalil

3. Fairytale Fashion

Fairytale Fashion (http://fairytalefashion) is a project created by Diana Eng (LinkedIn / Twitter / dianaeng.com), a fashion designer who works with science and technology. She is the co-founder of the NYC Resistor hacker group, and is popularly known as one of the designers in the Bravo TV series hit Project Runway.

Fairytale Fashion uses technology to create a collection of magical clothing in real life, and share their work in weekly research and development web videos. Here are some video interviews shot during the event:

3.1 Fairytale Fashion: Part 1: Overview (Diana Eng)

SML Simulcast: Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

3.2 Fairytale Fashion: Part 2: Projects (Diana Eng)

SML Simulcast: Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

3.3 Fairytale Fashion: Part 3: Public Collaboration (Matthew Borgatti)

SML Simulcast: Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

4. Spaceman Lamp by Matthew Borgatti

Matthew Borgatti (Facebook / Flickr / Friendfeed / LinkedIn / Twitter / Vimeo / sinbox.org) is a designer + technologist in New York. I met him originally on Flickr when I stumbled upon his Spaceman Lamp (Flickr set).

In the following video, Matthew talks to me about his concept, idea and inspiration behind his Spaceman Lamp project:

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Current / Facebook / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

5. Deadly Sins (Snowglobes) by Ligorano / Reese

Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese, two artists who have been collaborating on work together for over a decade in New York, chat with me regarding their new collectible sculptures limited-edition series Deadly Sins. The set of snowglobes are available individually, each of which contain one word from the seven deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride - and represented by a unique color.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Current / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

+ http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=633434761

+ http://ligoranoreese.net

Nora Ligorano

Marshall Reese

Seven Deadly Sins Snowglobes

Greed

Pride

Lust

Evil

6. Window Farms by Britta Riley

Window Farms (Flickr / windowfarms.org) are vertical, hydroponic, modular, low-energy, high-yield edible window gardens built using low-impact or recycled local materials.

In February 2009, through a residency at Eyebeam, Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray began to build and test the first Window Farms prototype. Growing food inside NY apartments is a challenge, but within reach. The foundational knowledge base is emerging through working with agricultural, architectural and other specialists, collecting sensor data, and reinterpreting hydroponics research conducted by NASA scientists and marijuana farmers. They have been researching and developing hydroponic designs that are inexpensive and made from relatively inexpensive materials. The working prototype is a drip system made from recycled water bottles, holding 25 plants. Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, basil, lettuce and kale are thriving.

I had to pleasure of talking to Maya Nayak, who explained to me how it works:

SML Simulcast: Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

7. Collaborative Interactive Video Remix by (artist unknown - SML RFI!)

Here's a video of it in action — I can tell you one thing, the kids love it!

See also

+ Eyebeam Open Studios Fall 2009 (Flickr set)

+ Eyebeam Open Studios Fall 2009 (YouTube playlist)

+ Eyebeam Open Studios Fall 2009 (Vimeo album)

Related SML Universe

Related SML
+ SML Pro Blog: Art

Related SML Flickr
+ Collections: Art + Artists
+ Sets: Art
+ Sets: Art (Most Interesting)
+ Tags: Art

Related SML Flickr Galleries
+ Fine Art 1
+ Fine Art 2

Related SML Universe
+ SML Fine Art
+ SML Fine Art (Flickr Group)
+ SML Fine Art (FriendFeed)
+ SML Fine Art (Twitter)

See-ming Lee by iDLg / 2009 / SML Thank You

You never know what would happen when you post photos of yourself on Flickr. An artist named iDLg (Flickr:iDLg / Twitter:iDLg2009) did some ink drawings of me from my self portraits... Lots of SML Love to him!!!









Related SML
+ SML Flickr Galleries: SML Me

DirtyPatrick's Toolshed = Cubist Constructivist Photography / SML Fine Art

I had the pleasure of visiting DirtyPatrick's studio (aka Toolshed) last Saturday and found some pretty incredible artwork:



DirtyPatrick's real name is Patrick Shawn Bradley (LinkedIn). He was born in Louisiana on December 3, 1966. He graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor of architecture in 1993, then moved to New York and became a designer for CNN as a broadcast visual designer for their on-air graphics department.



He now works full-time at R/GA as a senior visual designer. When he is not busy, he publishes a very popular fashion documentary which showcases the everyday fashion statements from the crazy people at R/GA.

His art can best be described as cubist constructivist photography. Each photograph will only be printed once and are signed and dated by DirtyPatrick himself. They can be printed at any size (maximum size: 5ft x 4ft). Pricing depends on the size of the print. DirtyPatrick is represented by SML Fine Art. If you are interested in his work, please email seeminglee+art@gmail.com.

More of his work can be seen at toolshed.us/catalog and flickr.com/dirtypatrick.

More DirtyPatrick
+ DirtyPatrick.com
+ DirtyPatrick's fashion documentary
+ Flickr: Dirtypatrick
+ Facebook: Patrick Bradley
+ Prick'D - DirtyPatrick's Video Blog
+ LinkedIn: Patrick Bradley

Related SML Universe
+ SML Fine Art
+ SML Flickr Tags: DirtyPatrick
+ SML Genius Pool
+ SML Gay Blog: Ideal Husband
+ SML Love: Dirty Patrick
+ SML Wiki: Dirty Patrick

SML Copyright Notice
©2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Gregory Kirschenbaum - AspireToGreatness.com - 2007.10.23 / SML Fine Art

Yesterday I was having lunch in soho and I passed by an artist named Gregory Kirschenbaum (Google). He uses metal pigment (zinc, copper, iron, bronze) with an array of acid to bring out the natural oxidation on cotton canvas. I did an adhoc video interview with him because I thought that great art ought to be shared:

YouTube: Gregory Kirschenbaum - AspireToGreatness.com - 2007.10.23 / SML Channel

About Gregory Kirschenbaum
Gregory Kirschenbaum (born 1969-09-21) grew up in New York with arts around him. His dad, Daniel Kirschenbaum, is an architect who helped design many New York public projects, including the La Guardia Airport.

Many people from the advertising world often mistaken Gregory to be related to Kirschenbaum Bond & Partners (Google). GK is not related to KBP by blood, but it turns out that KBP is a patron of Gregory. In addition, Gregory has produced some copper on cotton shirts which have been collected by the fashion icon Valentino (Wikipedia).

Collaboration
Gregory is currently collaborating with Andrew Cotton (Google) and will be having an opening on Saturday, 2007-11-03 at the Ward-Nasse Gallery, the only non-profit art gallery in soho New York City. The opening is scheduled to last for an unprecedented nine hours: from 3pm to midnight.

Opening Reception
Upcoming: Gregory Kirschenbaum + Andrew Cotton / Collaboration show opening reception
2007-11-03, Saturday, 3pm to midnight
Ward Nasse Gallery
178 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012

View Larger Map

Very inspiring work. Needless to say, I look forward to the event. Highly recommended!

SML Copyright Notice

©2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Synergy / 2007 / SML

Synergy / 2007 / SML, originally uploaded by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML.

SML Synergy = See-ming Lee + Synergy;

SML Copyright Notice
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Flickr / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

SML Copyright Notice

Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Paul Wirhun / Eggman

Source: Paul Wirhun: Art Statement

Paul Wirhun / SML

Paul Wirhun, also known as the Eggman and Rosie Delicious, creates gorgeously painted and crafted sculpture out of eggshells. He has been working with eggshells since he was a little boy through learning the craft of Pysanky from his mother.

Paul believes that eggs are events — not simply objects. In his own words:

[Eggs] are the confluence of primal life forces, sexual energies, that create new life — new beginnings. The shells are memories of these events.

Because eggs possess and symbolize new life, traditional cultures used eggs as talismans, i.e. power objects for magic and ritual. Each egg is a spherical space, a continuously turning pictorial plane around which images distort, challenging common perceptions.

His work has been featured in Time Out NYC Magazine, Rapture Cafe & Books, Craft Magazine as well as the New York Times.

Many of his creations are available for sale on his site:

Expertly crafted by hand, his creations are monuments to a living genius. Highly recommended.

Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee (SML Fine Art / SML Pro Blog). All rights reserved.

SML Circles / SML Groups / SML Universe

SML Flickr Set: SML Circles / SML Groups / SML Universe
(Thumbnails / Detail / Comments)

SML Circles = Small Circle + Medium Circle + Large Circle = All Circles;



Related SML
SML Circles
SML Fine Art
SML Flickr
SML Groups
SML Universe

SML Copyright Notice
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee (SML Pro Blog) / SML Universe. All rights reserved.

Cellular Automata / 2006 / SML

Cellular Automata / Bear Mountain, NY / 20060122.10D.38523 / SML

SML Flickr

• Bear Mountain (Tag)


• Bear Mountain / Study (Set) / SML Photographs (Set)


• SML Collection (Collection) / SML Location (Collection) / SML Studies (Collection)

Location

Bear Mountain, NY

SML Copyright Notice

Copyright 2006-2007 See-ming Lee. All rights reserved.

Bear Mountain in Black and White

Composition Study / Bear Mountain, NY / 20060122.10D.38444 / SML

I reprocessed some photographs from my Bear Mountain, NY / Study / SML Flickr Set into black and white as a way to focus the viewer's attention on the structure of the composition + contrast in tonal values + not be distracted by the contrast in hue.

Copyright 2006-2007 See-ming Lee. All rights reserved.

SML Fine Art ( 美術 / 美术 / ファインアート)

SML Fine Art / SML

SML Fine Art = Small + Medium + Large + Fine Art;

SML Fine Art= Small + Medium + Large + Architecture + Cinematography + Creativivity + Dance + Design + Drawing + Film + Graffiti + Intermedia + Literature + Media + Music + Painting + Photography + Printmaking + Scupture + Textiles + Theatre + Writing;

SML Fine Art (Flickr Group)

Colors

• Yellow = Magic / Magical


• White = Pure

Circles

• Inner circle = Base / Core / Interior / Internal


• Middle circle = Bridge / Transformation / Transition


• Outer circle = Exterior / External / Public Facing

Brand Attributes

• Creative


• Inspirational


• Magical


• Witty

Related Brands

Homo Magi (Logo / Flickr Group)
Meta Human (Logo / Flickr Group)
Life Celebrates Diversity (Logo / Flickr Group)

Wikipedia: Fine art

Fine art refers to arts that are concerned with a limited number of visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture and printmaking. Schools, institutes, and other organizations still use the term to indicate a traditional perspective on the art forms, often implying an association with classic or academic art.

The word "fine" does not so much denote the quality of the artwork in question, but the purity of the discipline. This definition tends to exclude visual art forms that could be considered craftwork or applied art, such as textiles. The more recent term visual arts is widely considered to be a more inclusive and descriptive phrase for today's variety of current art practices, and for the multitude of mediums in which high art is now more widely recognized to occur. Ultimately, the term fine in 'fine art' comes from the concept of final cause, or purpose, or end, in the philosophy of Aristotle. The final cause of fine art is the art object itself; it is not a means to another end except perhaps to please those who behold it.

An alternative, if flippant, reference to "fine art," is capital "A" art, or, art with a capital "A."

The term is still often used outside of the arts to denote when someone has perfected an activity to a very high level of skill. For example, one might metaphorically say that "Pelé took football to the level of a fine art."

That fine art is seen as being distinct from applied arts is largely the result of an issue raised in Britain by the conflict between the followers of the Arts and Crafts Movement, including William Morris, and the early modernists, including Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group. The former sought to bring socialist principles to bear on the arts by including the more commonplace crafts of the masses within the realm of the arts, while the modernists sought to keep artistic endeavour exclusive, esoteric, and elitist.

Confusion often occurs when people mistakenly refer to the Fine Arts but mean the Performing Arts (Music, Dance, Drama, etc). However, there is some disagreement here, as, for example, at York University, Fine Arts is a faculty that includes the "traditional" fine arts, design, and the "Performing Arts".

An academic course of study in fine art may include a Master of Fine Arts degree.

美術

美術是一種藝術，一般指除了建築藝術之外的造型藝術的通稱，一般分為兩大類，即：純美術和工藝美術兩類.

Wikipedia: 美术

美术是一种艺术， 一般指除了建筑艺术之外的造型艺术的通称，一般分为两大类，即：純美術和工藝美術兩類.

Wikipedia: ファインアート

ファインアート （fine art, fine arts）は、芸術的価値を専らにする活動や作品を指す概念。 日本語の芸術とほぼ同義であるが、とくに応用芸術、大衆芸術と区別して純粋芸術を意味する場合に使われる。芸術の中でも美術について使われることが多く、この場合、応用美術に対して純粋美術とも。

ファインアートは、ハイカルチャーを構成する一部分である。ハイアート(high art)はファインアートとほぼ同義だが、ファインアートは応用芸術との対比で、ハイアートは大衆芸術との対比で使われることが多い。

代表的なファインアートは絵画、彫刻であり、これに対するイラストやデザイン、工芸と峻別されるが、20世紀最後の四半期以降、その領域は互いに浸透し、区分は曖昧なものになりつつある。

SML Flickr Groups (http://smlGroups.com)

Homo Magi is a term to describe a sub-race of magic-using humans in the DC Universe. The Homo Magi evolved in a parallel but separate line, alongside Homo Sapiens. Homo Magi and Metahumans account for most of the superhuman abilities in the DC Universe. (Wikipedia: Homo Magi)

Ideal Husbands

Life Celebrates Diversity = all age + all attires + all builds + all classes + all colors + all cultures + all education levels + all flavors + all genders + all hair styles + all income levels + all interests + all lifestyles + all locations + all philosophy + all professions + all physiques + all races + all religions + all roles + all sexual tastes = all walks of life (Wikipedia: Diversity)

Meta Human is a term to describe superhumans in the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate (in the Marvel Universe) and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. Use of the term in reference to superheroes was coined in 1986 by author George R. R. Martin, first in the Superworld role playing system, and then later in his Wild Cards series of novels. (Wikipedia: Metahuman)

Meta Men = Men / Meta Humans

Meta Women = Women / Meta Humans

SML Fine Art = Small + Medium + Large + Fine Art

SML Men = Small + Medium + Large + Men

SML

SML = See-ming Lee = Design + Technology + Marketing Strategy

SML Copyright Notice

Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee. All rights reserved.

HDR: Manhattan Bridge in Black and White

Manhattan Bridge HDR / BW1 (on Flickr)

Setup
Canon EOS 10D
Canon 17-40 f/4L

Exposure Settings
CRW_35498: ISO 100, 30.0 s at f/9.5, 17mm
CRW_35499: ISO 100, 30.0 s at f/13, 17mm
CRW_35500: ISO 100, 30.0 s at f/6.7, 17mm

Variations
Manhattan Bridge HDR (color version)

Software
Photomatix / HDR Soft
Photoshop / Adobe

Background

When I shot these photos, I did not have a timer cable release with me. If I were to shoot these at a small aperture, I would have to set the camera on bulb while keeping my finger on the shutter release for the entire exposure. To minimize the risk of completely ruining the photos, I've decided to vary the aperture values for the different exposures instead of varying the time and keeping a constant aperture value.

HDR Processing

Note that it is generally not recommended that you vary the aperture values for images intended for HDR (Wikipedia: High dynamic imaging) processing. If you use software like Photomatix to perform tone-mapping, for example, the varying levels of focus on the photo will create blurry results. I have had to apply a bit more USM (Wikipedia: Unsharp Mask) than usual for this image. And if you view large, you can see that the grains are quite visible.

HDR Results

I am happy with the HDR result though--the wider aperture gave it enough exposure to show the golden reflection under the bridge, and the small aperture contribute to the oh-so-gorgeous star bursts from the lights.

Black + White Processing

By using Photoshop's channel mixer for the black and white conversion, I was able to manipulate the the local contrast further. The absence of color united the tonal values of the two orthogonal axis of the bridge. The overall composition seems to have improved, and now looks like a giant extruded plus sign with very heavy industrial ornaments.

B+W Results

The result is very rewarding and I'd like to thank Moxette for her suggestion to process this as a black and white photograph. :)

Related SML Flickr sets and collections

Manhattan Bridge, New York City / Project (Set)
HDR Photography / Project (Set)
SML Photography (Set)
SML Collection (Collection)

Related SML Pro Blog entries

Functional = Beautiful
Manhattan Bridge HDR
Photography = Composition
Photography / Philosophy
SML Collection = See-ming Lee + Design + Technology + Marketing Strategy
Theorizing aesthetics

SML Copyright Notice

Copyright 2005-2007 See-ming Lee. All rights reserved.