Photographer Christophe Jacrot believes that there are only two ways to adequately photograph the world: capturing its pain or turning the beauty in the midst of it. In his work he aims to find the beauty in the storms, allowing his images of the rain in Hong Kong to evict an emotional, and almost romantic, response from his viewers.
Tom & James Draw is a unique collaboration between two brothers: James and Tom Hancock. The collaborative project is special in that Tom was born with Down Syndrome, adding a distinctive creative voice to James’ own, more artistic style.
In my work, I use a sewing machine to create thread drawings and installations by sewing into a fabric that dissolves in water. This fabric makes it possible for me to build up the thread by sewing repeatedly into my drawn images so that when the fabric is dissolved, the image can hold together without a base. These thread images appear as though they would be easily unraveled and seemingly on the verge of falling apart, despite the works actual raveled strength.
I am interested in the vulnerability of thread, its ability to unravel, and its strength when it is sewn together. I am interested in the connections between process and materials and the way that they relate to images and spaces. Tracing actions and environments through a process of repetition, translation and dissolving, I hope to trace absence. My work is a process of making as a way of tracing and preserving things that are gone, or slowly falling apart.
Statement by the artist, Amanda McCavour.
Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran uses leaves as his canvas when creating these extremely detailed and intricate miniature works of art.
Reversing Vandalism was a community art project that was initated in 2001 when the San Francisco Public Library began finding vandalized books hidden under the shelves. As the librarians began to catalog the damaged the books, they realized that over 600 of them dealt with GLBT issues, women’s issues, or HIV/AIDS.
Although the vandal was ultimately caught and held accountable for their actions, the librarians felt that simply discarding the damaged books would only reinforce the crime, and so they invited people from the community to turn the damaged books into works art, ultimately creating over 200 original art pieces from participants in twenty states and three countries.
To read more about the project and see additional works of art from the exhibit you can check out the library’s online gallery.
An interesting and artistic interpretation of the Ernest Hemmingway classic, The Old Man and the Sea.
Japanese artist Nobuhiro Nakanishi creates these photographic installation pieces by capturing images of a specific space over a period of time and then printing the images on plexiglass. The images are then presented in a sequence creating the illusion of fog and encouraging the viewer to move amongst the space and experiencing the work beyond a two-dimensional plane.
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”
Dr. Seuss
Forms is an ongoing collaboration between Memo Akten and Quayola. These visual artists are studying human motion, deconstructing each movement and exploring their aesthetic qualities. To see an excerpt from the final work click here.
New York City based artist and surfer Ran Ortner created this 19 foot long oil painting of water as a way to capture the wonder and vulnerability he experienced when out in the open water.
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.”
Neil Gaiman
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.”
Neil Gaiman
Mike Doyle created these models of deteriorating Victorian houses from over 50,000 lego pieces (per house!). When talking about his work he says he chose to do houses as a reminder of the vulnerability of life and the foundations in which we place our trust.
We hope this work can serve as reminder to be grateful for our support system and places we find our hope each day, to find that which is sturdy in the midst of what is crumbling.
