“Today, Rotterdam is a hub for landmark buildings and experimental construction, with new projects including MVRDV’s market hall and the OMA-designed De Rotterdam. The Stairs will be built next to another of these new additions – the railway station by Benthem Crouwel, MVSA and West 8.”
Category: visual
A Transformative Plan For An 80-Story Wood Skyscraper In London
“The use of timber could transform the way we build in this city,” said PLP partner Kevin Flanagan. “Timber buildings have the potential architecturally to create a more pleasing, relaxed, sociable and creative urban experience”
19th-Century Storm Chasers And The First-Ever Photos Of Tornadoes
“In the 19th century, when photography was developing into a mass medium, a few intrepid early adopters pointed their glass plate cameras at one of the most intimidating natural forces on Earth.”
How Did The Ancients Make Bronze Casts Of Marble Statues? This Animation Will Show You
“Lost-wax casting, a sculpting technique dating to the Chalcolithic period, is an elaborate process. Its many steps include spruing, slurrying, burnout, and metal chasing – terms lost on your average sculpture 101 student. Why go to all the trouble? The process allows for the creation of exact, hollow (and therefore lightweight) metal copies of existing marble sculptures, which weigh a ton and are otherwise difficult to reproduce.”
The New Tate Modern: More Galleries, More Performance, More Women
“The new Tate Modern will open on 17 June with around 60% more gallery space provided by its 11-floor Switch House extension. In the basement, floor 0, will be The Tanks, the world’s first museum spaces dedicated to live art.” Says new director Frances Morris, “There is a commitment now to show the real history of art and the contribution made by many women who have been overlooked for many reasons.”
Boring Architecture Is Literally Unhealthy For Us
“A growing body of research in cognitive science illuminates the physical and mental toll bland cityscapes exact on residents. Generally, these researchers argue that humans are healthier when they live among variety – a cacophony of bars, bodegas, and independent shops – or work in well-designed, unique spaces, rather than unattractive, generic ones.”
The New Guy Taking Over The Art Gallery Of Ontario: I’m Super-Excited
Stephan Jost: “The institution of the museum is one of the few places where you can come and self-educate on your terms. ‘Do you wanna know about African art?’ We can help. One of the exciting things about being [at the AGO] is that, yeah, I know something about photography; I know something about Old Master prints and in three years I’m sure going to know something about Canadian art!” Avidity, it seems, is his middle name.
Are Museum Expansion Projects Worth It?
Depends, of course. Changing tastes demand different ways of serving audiences. Yet expansion-as-vanity-project is highly alluring. Adrian Ellis suggests what’s really at stake in these projects.
Everyone Hates Art Fairs (So Why Are There Even More Of Them?)
“Fairs aren’t as good as gallery or museum shows because they’re anti-contemplative—nobody looks at any piece of art for very long. That’s why so much on view is bright, shiny, gimmicky, pseudo-shocking, and easy to comprehend. Fairs are predicated on quick looks and one-stop shopping, actual and metaphorical.”
Reconsidering Robert Mapplethorpe
“It’s easy to forget that when first widely exhibited in the 1980s, his photographs of men were brash and disconcerting. His ascent in the art world provided generations of gay artists the courage to examine their own sensibilities without self-censorship.”