Small Scale, Big Change

Primary School

Architect: Diebedo Francis Kere

Place: Gando, Burkina Faso

New Architecture of Social Engagement

MoMA

The organizers of this show Andres Lepik and Margot Weller used about two years of research to come up with 11 projects from all over the world. Projects that can give us an insight to what can be done and are done architecturally as a "Social Engagement". The show represents the change of focus in architecture as a help in changing the mindset of people and society. The need to use what we have, materials and space for a more environmental and a better public outcome. Teaching the inhabitants to better take care of themselves, and brick by brick building their own school like the project above in Burkina Faso, where 80% are illiterate.

"... We have to help come up with innovative ideas and help conserve resources and therefore help nurture a future free of crisis."

                       - Diabedo Francis Kere

Meti - Handmade School

Architect: Anna Herringer

Place: Village of Rudrapur, Bangladesh

Or in Bangladesh a school made of earth, clay, sand and straw.

"Imagine then the human ability to build with nothing but the natural material just under our feet - and with our hands..."

                       - Anna Heringer

Inner City Arts

Architec: Michael Maltzan

Place: Los Angeles California.

The Inner-City Arts complex in L.A. was first an unused garage in the Skid Row neighborhood. It was built in three phases and can be seen as an answer to the cuts that was made against Arts in School. In California 29% of public schools do not offer arts education. Now 10,600 kids takes classes at the Inner-City Arts center every year. What a bright light in a an otherwise unsafe environment. 

Housing for the Fishermen of Tyre

Architect: Hashim Sarkis Alud

Place: Tyre, Lebanon

This beautiful project with 93, 2-bedroom apartments is made for the Fishermen of Tyre who earns about 15$ a day. The Greek Orthodox church agreed to donate a parcel outside of the historic city center (the ancient city is on the UNESCO world heritage list) to the fishermen´s Al Baqaa housing cooperative.

With the help of the architect Hashim Sarkis they manage to build a home with their small budget that represents their lifestyle. 

Casa Familiar

Architect: Estudio Teddy Cruz

Place: San Ysidro, California

At the border of the United States and Mexico, between San Diego and Tijuana they are building; "Living Rooms at the Border and Senior Housing with Childcare". What? Senior Housing with Childcare? Is this for real? What a wonderful idea I thought. What better than to age and still have the youngest ones to look at for life and laughter?

This should be an inspiration to many more projects I hope. A great integration in a place where most of us would not even dare to stop our cars. Here they will integrate immigration services, education and job placements as well. 

If there were only more of these projects happening, they found about 12 others that could have been represented.. far from what we can wish for. But, seeing this actually happening makes me so incredibly happy and inspired.

With Love

Kristin

Guerrilla Girls & Hannah Wilke

Hannah Wilke

Marxism and Art: Beware of Fascist Feminism

1977

Contemporary Art From Their Collection

MoMA

After my Art Auction classes at NYU Friday, I went by MoMA to see one of the installation they have going on. A Chronological path from their collection with a view on economics, politics, gender and ethnicity.

I ended up focusing on the feministic movement and their late 70´s and mid 80´s humoristic, dark and successfull attempt on reaching the world. Top is a screenprint on plexiglass by Hannah Wilke and below a selection from the Guerrilla Girls portfolio "Talk Back: The First Five Years".

The Guerilla Girls started this sort of "Be Aware" Campaign with posters, books, appearances and bilboards, after a few of the Women had been a part of a Survey about Artists at MoMA. Shocked at how few Women were represented they started the Guerilla Girls.

This poster focuses on the New York Galleries at the time, and reflects on how many Women they were showing over two years. Many of these Galleries still exists. 

Honestly and sadly I don´t think that these statistics are very far from the truth of 2010. 

The Guerrilla Girls does not see a reason to quit... this year they were handed the the "Courage Awards for the Arts" by Yoko Ono. Check out their web site here.

What do you think? Has the Art world changed? Do you think female Artists earn as much as men now?

With Love

Kristin

Mind and Matter

Gego

Untitled, 1970

(Gertrud Goldschmidt)

MoMA

Mind and Matter

Funnily I wrote on Monday that we will see where my mind and experiences will lead me.

It led me straight to the "Mind and Matter" exhibit at the MoMA. And I swear it was coincidental, my heart actually skipped a beat when I walked right in on Gego. It was like I had asked for it, a continuation of the morning blog. Gego as an afterthought must be an inspiration to a lot of artists dealing with etchings and abstractions (like Tina Jonsbu).

Gego

Sphere, 1959

The exhibit centers around 12 international artists chosen for their alternative abstractions work.

Atsuko Tamaka 

Louis Nevelson

Hanging column 

from Dawns wedding feast

1959

I was standing in awe together with another spectator, who said he was a textile collector in Bangkok, while viewing the Louis Bourgois books. She used textiles that she had saved throughout her life for this wonderful project.

Louis Bourgois

Ode a' loubli 2002

Maybe hard to see here but there was three beautiful etched silver metal sheets by:

Rachel Whiteread

Untitled nets 2002

And yes by the way, the wedding dress has been ordered. Puh:) One more thing to cross off on my list.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. I am packing my boy gang into a heated car up the Hudson River to a cute town called Elizaville for a visit and strawberry picking!

Love Kristin