Language of Life: #Biomimicry in #Architecture, Art, Design and Science #Sydney #binarism #geekgirl

Language of Life - Biomimicry in Architecture, Art, Design and Science

What is the song a hummingbird sings? What do graffiti artists and street cats have in common? What formations are shared between a microcosm and the universe? Can buildings be interactive?

Biomimicry seeks to solve human problems using ideas from our biological world. Deeply embedded in nature are formulas that aid in finding solutions in our everyday lives. The exhibition ‘Language of Life’ showcases a shared interest between architects, visual artists, fashion designers and scientists in a collection of works that not only transcribe nature into their own fields, but identify and interpret what is useful to them, opening a conversation between these different fields.

Lucian Gormley and Hugo Raggett challenge the notion of architecture as static with their adaptive constructions of interactive hexagonal cells. Guy Morgan interprets the night sky in his vast paintings and video works that play with the psychology of vision, drawing out the colour that is there, but invisible to us at low light. Nicola Coady, combining two forms of culture, explores microbe colonies as living decorative devices by coating lampshades in yoghurt and allowing nature to take its course.

In contemporary design, architecture and the visual arts, we are increasingly working with material phenomena, interactive behaviour and complex, interdependent, structural relationships that are deeply embedded in nature. These works interrogate the familiar fabric of our existences that deem us human. Between nature and nurture, between artifice and art, they challenge our notion of the human/nature binarism.

Language enables conversation, by initiating communication, and this is what the exhibition aspires to do, opening a platform for interdisciplinary communication. ‘Language of Life’ explores artistic, technological, computational and philosophical trajectories through observations of natural expressions and biomimetic processes. The exhibition collates installations, paintings, animations, experiments and devices developed in different disciplines of the University of Sydney: Sydney College of the Arts; The Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning; Medical Science, and the School of Engineering. Curated by Dr Dagmar Reinhardt, Lecturer of Digital Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, and Greg Shapley, Verge Gallery.

WHAT: Language of Life: Biomimicry in Architecture, Art, Design and Science (art exhibition)
WHO: Artists include: Caitlin Abbott, Eduardo Barata, Iain Blampied, Nicola Coady, Michiru Cohen, Armando Chant, Kate Dunn, Lisa Fathalla, Lucian Gormley, Tyrone Jandey, Flora Mavrommati, Guy Morgan, Luke O’Donnell, Hugo Raggett, Donna Sgro, Ian Stewart, Alexandra Smith, Will Swan, Sara Sweet and Elmar Trefz. Curated by Dagmar Reinhardt and Greg Shapley
WHEN: Opening March 29, 6pm. March 30-April 6 (Monday-Friday 10am-5pm)
WHERE: Verge Gallery, City Road, Jane Foss Russell Plaza, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

CONTACT: Greg Shapley on (02) 9562-6218 or email g.shapley@usu.usyd.edu.au

Rayna Fahey’s politically dangerous exhibition – It’s Never Too Late To Mend #radical #craft #Melbourne #geekgirl

it's-never-too-late-to-mend

It’s Never Too Late To Mend – an exhibition of Rayna Fahey’s politically dangerous and exciting application of conscious craft love. A survey of Fahey’s commitment to the radical application of craft through the method of cross stitching.

Editor of radicalcrossstitch.com, co-founder of the infamous Craft Cartel and founder of the Melbourne Revolutionary Craft Circle, Fahey is best known for reclaiming ugly industrial settings and transforming them through conscious craft love.

Her work has featured in exhibitions across Australia, Aotearoa, Sweden and Lithuania. Fahey was also featured in the critically acclaimed documentary, Making It Handmade which screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival and on ABC2.

Making It Handmade will have a special screening at the Incinerator Gallery with its director Anna Brownfield in attendance.

Fahey said her work uses seemingly innocuous craft to communicate challenging concepts about society and our environment, in a thought provoking manner. ”In light of the recent resurgence in the popularity of craft, this exhibition is not only about asking questions about the reasons we craft, but is also a call out to the craft community to strive for excellence in design.

“I am truly honoured to be pressing these discussions in a building connected to such a strong design history of function and beauty.

“The exhibition challenges traditi onal views on the nature of craft and will allow audiences to get a fresh perspective on its use in the 21st century.

“Kitsch and irony have been used by artists for decades to convey their message, but I reject kitsch and instead pay upmost respect to the history and traditions of craft.“

It’s Never Too Late To Mend celebrates ‘domestic arts’ as more than just a passive pastime, showing that conscious craft is an active, intelligent and even politically dangerous craft,” said Miss Fahey.

Just as the Incinerator use to be used for burning rubbish and is now a gallery, Rayna Fahey is using traditional craft to make contemporary statements on the world around us.

It’s Never Too Late To Mend will have a twilight opening on Friday 13 April at 6pm. The exhibition will run until Sunday 13 May.

Making It Handmade will screen on Thursday 19 April at 7pm at the Incinerator Gallery.

Incinerator Gallery
180 Holmes Road
Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
incineratorgallery.com.au

Feature post: Next Nature – Fly like a bird, cooking apes, shoes that mend themselves and anthropomorphobia #design #nextnature #geekgirl

Fly like a bird, cooking apes, shoes that mend themselves and anthropomorphobia, public enemy number one. Welcome to another issue of the Next Nature newsletter, from the website http://www.nextnature.net/, which explores the nature caused by people.

Follow Next Nature on Twitter: and Facebook
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CONTENTS

-NANO Supermarket Call for Entries
-Next Nature Book Reviews + Discount
-Blog Highlights
-Next Nature Internships

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NANO SUPERMARKET CALL FOR ENTRIES

After two successful years touring the globe, the NANO Supermarket is now entering its second edition. Next Nature is calling upon designers, technologists and artists to submit their speculative nanotech products for the supermarket’s next round. A selection of the most innovative products will be shown in the physical exhibition space, and featured in the accompanying catalog. The best product overall will win a € 2500 prize. (some kind of money!)

Nanotechnology is an important emerging technology  – it radically intervenes with our sense of what is natural – yet most people are still relatively unaware of its consequences. The Next Nature NANO Supermarket is a physical “supermarket” that features debate-provoking visions on nanotech products that could be expected to hit the shelves between now and 2020.

For more information and examples of past products, please visit http://www.nanosupermarket.org

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BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

What is Next Nature?

In this snappy video from the 2011 Next Nature Powershow, Koert van Mensvoort answers the question: Just what is Next Nature?

11 Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design

In this 11-part series, we examine how designers can successfully integrate human-like forms and behavior into their work. Learn how to inspire with anthropomorphic design inspire, instead of confusing, irritating, or offending.

Apes Like Cooked Food and What that Means for Human Evolution

Humans are the only ape that cooks, but our ape relatives also naturally prefer cooked to raw food. Learn the surprising implications of cooked food for the evolution our super-charged brains.

Essay: Anthropomorphobia

Has fear of the uncanny valley become a major cultural affliction? This essay discusses how products are behaving more like people, and how people are quickly turning into products.

Protocell Shoe Mends Itself

If you’re tired of mending rips in your shoes, Rachel Armstrong has the (speculative) shoe for you. Using organic, semi-living cells, these shoes can sense and repair damage.

Fly Like a Bird? Get Human Birdwings

Engineer Jarno Smeets dreams of flying like a bird. Using accelerometers and a wiimote, Jarno is creating a pair of giant “wings” to propel a human into the sky.

Playing with Pigs

Ever wanted to play tag with a pig? Students at the Utrecht School of Arts have designed Pig Chase, an iPad game that allows players to remotely interact with piglets.

Fake Leaf is Twice as Efficient as the Real Thing

With a new “bionanodevice,” researchers have combined proteins from bacteria with nano-scale wire to create a “leaf” that generates electricity from solar energy and CO2.

Hack the City Open Call #hack #cities #ireland #mashup #geekgirl

Hack the City Open Call :: Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Call closed 20 January 2012 :: Exhibition 22 June – 7 September 2012 :: Festival 11 – 15 July 2012
Science Gallery is seeking proposals for its 2012 flagship exhibition HACK THE CITY launching in June 2012. Currently more than half of the world’s population lives in towns and cities. This trend is expected to continue. Between 2025-2030 of the approximate 8 billion people who will live in the world 5 billion will live in cities. Yet the majority of our city infrastructures are based on inherited historical layouts and systems. Science Gallery’s 2012 flagship exhibition and festival HACK THE CITY will rethink our cities from the ground up through the spirit and philosophy of the hacker ethos – to bend, mash-up, tweak and cannibalise our city systems, to create possibilities, illustrate visionary thinking and demonstrate real-world examples for sustainable urban futures. The exhibition and events will explore hacking for good – the repurposing of useful resources, the innovators who customise existing tools for new uses and who purposefully challenge existing hierarchies.
http://www.sciencegallery.com/hackthecity

Artist call out to participate in Splendid #ArtsLab #collaboration #geekgirl

WHO
—————————————————————–
Calling creatives of all stripes who have an inquisitive mind, an innovative approach and a desire to collaborate to participate in the 2011 Splendid program.

Splendid is open to artists (under 30 years or in the first 5 years of their practice) who work in the visual arts, theatre, dance, design, installation, architecture, digital media, sound, text and other creative pursuits.

WHAT
—————————————————————–
We are seeking the next generation of young and emerging artists to participate in a 3 week intensive residency to dream up ideas
and create work for festival audiences.

The Splendid program offers participating artists opportunities to work collaboratively in a dynamic environment that encourages critical thinking and experimentation. “Splendid is attractive because you are dreaming up ideas while having to apply them to a real life rampaging rock context.” – Willoh S. Weiland, Splendid Artist 2010.

The Splendid program includes a residential Arts Lab, mentorship and opportunities to tour your work to major festivals around the world.

Collaborations and ideas conceived in the Arts Lab may enter a 4 month consultation and development period. Project proposals will then be submitted for presentation at Splendour in the Grass 2012.

The Lab will be facilitated by leading local and international artists including Fernando Llanos (Mexico – video art), David Clarkson (innovative physical theatre), Natalie Jeremijenko (USA - environmental art & design), Craig Walsh (site-specific projections), Paul Gazzola (Berlin – collaborative practice), Técha Noble, The Kingpins (art direction and performance) and more. Successful applicants to the 2011 Splendid program will:* Attend the Arts Lab from Monday 25 July to Friday 12 August, 2011.

* Participate in artist talks and a festival symposium.
* Receive tickets to Splendour in the Grass 2011.
* Submit a concept proposal for a new work to be commissioned by
Splendour in the Grass.
* Be given a fee to cover accommodation, travel and incidentals.

Still unsure of what we’re about? Come along to one of our briefing sessions. Meet people who have been through the Splendid program. We’ll let you know what Splendid is, why we do it and what we’re looking for from artists around the country. Find out when we’re visiting your city [http://www.splendid.org.au/events.shtml].

WHERE
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The 2011 Splendid Arts Lab residency will take place over 3 weeks in Lismore, NSW and the surrounding (rainbow) region and will include attendance at Splendour in the Grass at Woodfordia, QLD.”Different regions inspire people in different ways and to
escape the city and work in the country where the stories are different and the landscape is bigger can often be an inspiring change for artists.” – Julian Louis, Artistic Director of NORPA (Northern Rivers Performing Arts) and producing partner of Splendid.

WHEN
—————————————————————–
Monday 25 July to Friday 12 August 2011

HOW
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Complete the Splendid 2011 Application Form. Download it HERE
[http://www.splendid.org.au/documents/application_form.pdf].

Taylor Callery featured on Kinofest 2011 #festival #film #art #geekgirl

Identity-Theft

Taylor Callery is a 29 year old illustrator, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (USA).
His designs combine traditional and digital skills.
His portfolio includes collaborations with The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Billboard Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Progressive, Toronto Life, Report on Business, Dirt Rag Magazine, and more.

Philosophy: Stay Humble, work harder than you ever have, and stay true to yourself.

http://tcalleryillustration.com/home.html

http://kinofest.com/exhibition/taylor_callery.html

Check out Kinofest for how to submit to this #awesome Digital Film Festival

From Hello Kitty to The Ghost in the Shell #exhibitions #rmit #anime #melbourne #geekgirl

Do you remember Astro Boy? Have you ever owned anything emblazoned with Hello Kitty? Have you or any person you know become addicted to the iconic Pokemon?

Are you an anime (Japanese animation) fan? Did you know that manga inspired anime and that every year, about 670 million manga magazines and 480 million manga books are sold in Japan?

Welcome to the world of Japanese characters and take a look behind the scenes of constructing a successful anime film, in two playful summer exhibitions at RMIT Gallery.

Two exhibitions: JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters  and Revolutionising Anime: Production I.G’s pursuit of ultra-realistic fantasy, officially open at RMIT Gallery: Thursday 3 February, 2011 from 6-8 pm.

RMIT - Innocence_2

Exhibitions run to 19 March, 2011

JAPAN features figures, panels, film and character-related products will showcase representative animated characters from the 1950s until the present day.

The 60-year history of Japan since the end of World War II can be characterised through the history the Japanese fondness for characters, which have permeated Japanese life from manga to TV and computer games and especially character goods.

RMIT Gallery
344 Swanston Street Melbourne
GPO Box 2476V
Melbourne Vic 3001, Australia.
www.rmit.edu.au/rmitgallery
Admission Free – All Welcome

McLuhan Galaxy 2011 Understanding Media Today #Barcelona #geekgirl

Call for Papers :: Deadline 7 January 2011

The International Conference McLuhan Galaxy Barcelona 2011 Understanding Media,Today will be held in Barcelona 23 – 25 May 2011 to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Canadian thinker Marshall McLuhan. The aim is to bring together researchers, scholars and McLuhan Fellows to reflect on different aspects of McLuhan’s contribution. The conference in Barcelona will be networked to a series of conferences that are going to take place in Toronto, Berlin and Rome in other dates, to celebrate the 100 Anniversary of McLuhan.

This is an excellent opportunity not only to review McLuhan’s thought but also to update them in relation to contemporary questions centred in the digital forms of production, co-production and consumption of intelligence, memory, self, identity, desire, body, art, design, collaboration and technology in the society of knowledge. Authors are encouraged to submit previously unpublished papers/abstracts to the topics that are being addressed by the conference.

http://www.mcluhangalaxy.net/

Mess & Noise Bike Fest – curate a night of bands for the upcoming Bikefest #Melbourne #festivals

Mess & Noise:
http://www.messandnoise.com/news/4117764

Bike Fest website:
http://www.melbournebikefest.com.au/

See bicycle parts, frames and components transformed from their typical functionalities into works of art. The Circular Bike comprises donated bicycles from Monash University’s Uni-Cycle bike share scheme. The bikes have been deconstructed from their singular bike form and reassembled to create a single, circular structure that can be ridden and enjoyed by many.

Contrasting the traditional chandelier with the functional form of the bicycle wheel, the Bicycle Chandelier merges the mechanical with the decorative to create a suspended work of art. Created using lights, wheels and aluminium rims donated by Velocity Wheels.

Fest runs (cycles through to): 25th – 28th November, 2010

tattoo you, on a busy day ~ old skull- the spikes n the gloves #punk #spikes #tattoo #geekgirl

http://tinyurl.com/33lvwkb