Escape vessel? I think so. Now, if only one could power it with good intentions….

Tomás Saraceno’s art explores possible visions of a better world, generating poetic, playful propositions for a human life in balance with the planet. His works occupy the border regions between science, art and architecture. They can include anything from spheres and cloud creations to flying gardens, space elevators and futuristic dwellings. The dream of a weightless state and the possibility of a human being moving freely above the clouds, free of the confines of gravity, and free from national borders, recur in several works. [Source> artfacts.net]

Thank you [deconcrete.org]. For some more [workshop Thomas Saraceno]

On May 2, 2010 at exactly 15:00 hours (U.T.C.), the world will…

We don’t know yet. But the New York Times is offering a pretty cool opportunity for us to find out. They’ve extended a global invitation for amateurs and pros alike to take out their cameras, and attempt to “capture this singular instant in whatever way you think would add to a marvelous global mosaic; a Web-built image of one moment in time across the world.” (nytimes.com) Once you have taken your photograph (and they ask that you do it as close to the time as possible!), you then upload the image to the Times link that will go live at 15:00 hours (U.T.C.). This is not a photo competition. EVERY photograph will be hosted on their site for the entire world to see. Still, the LENS blog will highlight their favorite snaps.

” What matters more than technique is the thought behind the picture, because you’ll only be sending us one. So please do think beforehand about where you will want to be and what you will want to focus on. Here are the general topics:

Religion
Play
Nature and the Environment
Family
Work
Arts and Entertainment
Money and the Economy
Community
Social Issues”

Seems pretty inclusive.

The e-party is sponsored by the LENS blog on the New York Times Website. Definitely check it out! Read the official invitation at lens.blogs.nytimes.com

TO FIND OUT WHAT TIME 15:00 hours U.T.C. is for you, you can use this World Clock Converter. Or do the math. : )

“(T)heories of cultural transmission do not fully account for

how culture is learned by active and inventive individuals.

People do not learn all that culture presents to them, and

different individuals do not learn in the same way. [...]

(P)eople construct various meanings about [art] that are

connected to their sociocultural experiences. Because people’s

lives are diverse and complex — they live in multiple cultures,

different people can construct many different kinds of

meaning.”

JoEllen Fisherkeller, Everyday Learning About Identities

February is not exactly the most ideal time to be moving when you live on the east coast, but somehow the promise of creating a new home is enough reason to trudge out in the cold through the earlier hours of the morning with all the belongings you can stand to hold dear and get into the shady freight elevator.

Life is just full of surprises sometimes. Surprises like 3,000 square feet of apocalyptic, post-industrial space perched over the future of on-coming trains and a new school. Everyday, walls and foundations are tumbling next door to me, shaking the walls of my feeble factory-conversion, illegal residence. I moved in a dragonfly pull-out couch, painted the walls sage, crushed velvet, and chalkboard.

A few years back someone tagged “detox the ghetto” on the side of this building that, to the uneducated eye, might very well epitomize the ghetto. The tag is facing the railroads that take commuters between suburban New Jersey and New York City 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. “I know that building,” my friend John tells me when I point out the tag, “DTG,” with a smirk on his face.

On a clear day, around 5pm the sun shines with a distinct orange light that only shines at this repose during Januaries and Februaries in the northern hemisphere that illuminates the name of the place I call home. I can feel the eyes of all the men and women traveling by on the locomotives who look up at the bold letters illuminated by the heaven light that (sometimes) shines on Newark, New Jersey.

That light shines in my windows, welcoming me home.

Solstice. Festivities. Resolution.

As the man says, “how sweet it is!”

If you are in Chicago you only have 13 more days to experience the wonders of the exhibit “Take your time: Olafur Eliasson” currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

You’ll have to forgive my enthusiasm but this is by far one of the be exhibits of modern art I have ever seen. Olafur Eliasson is a Scandinavian-Icelandic artist whose work integrates architecture, geometry, light, image, and space in order to pull the audience into the landscapes of his worlds.

When encountering his work people are at once amused and confounded by the manipulation of the micro-environments Eliasson creates.

Entering the exhibit in Chicago you walk through a long white corridor lit by yellow fluorescent bulbs attached to the ceiling. The casual eye does not notice at first, however as you walk through the hall everything becomes a little shadier–grayer to be exact.

The optical effect of the white walls combined with the yellow light erases all color from your vision in the hallway except for blacks and yellows. Everyone before you looks straight out of a 1950s sitcom against a yellow backdrop. Eliasson erased the color from your world. And this is only the beginning of the exhibit.

Olafur Eliasson must have gazed into a kaleidoscope when he was 5 years old and never looked back. Each piece of work in this collection is unique, yet they all have a magical way of pulling you in and making you experience the world immediately around in unexpected ways.

Here are some teaser photos.

An evening at Dodger’s Stadium

Wednesday night lights. Cool sunglasses.

You don’t need beer to take off your shirt and have a good time.

Represent LA.

Indulgence of East and West: Matcha Green Tea Powder and Bittersweet Chocolate.

Check it out LA Times.

Summertime in Los Angeles.

If you can’t make it down to Mikawaya in Little Tokyo, check out this recipe for some cool and creamy homemade green tea ice cream.