Red Bull

As a hardcore red bull addict, downing 2 cans a day is normal for me. So after stacking a wall full of cans I had this idea of doing something sculptural with them. I thought I would google red bull and see what I'd get, and to my astonishment I stumbled into this amazing Art of Can campaign that seems to have been going on for years.

The Red Bull Art of Can is a "nationwide hunt for creativity and is open to everyone". Exhibitions have been held since 1997 throughout the US, Europe and as far as New Zealand. The rules are simple. Buy a can of red bull, enjoy it, and instead of throwing it away do something creative with it. And it seems like artists are relishing the idea.

Red Bull have been having a fantastic marketing strategy. I guess it began with the slogan Red Bull gives you wings and it just spiralled aggressively. Besides sponsoring and owning numerous sports teams, it established the Red Bull Air Race and owns 2 F1 racing teams.

After disappointing seasons at the beginning, one of the teams, Red Bull Racing managed to climb up the constructors championship ladder. The team was leading this year's championship, but an incident between the two drivers while competing for the First and Second positions cost them dearly and at the moment the team is a point behind in second place.

From a simple beverage drink, this company managed to influence sports, engineering and the arts. I wonder what's next for them?







The pictures in this post are from the Red Bull Art of Can Exhibition that took place in London at 2005, more can be found at this flickr set.

World Cup

FIFA World Cup Trophy.

It hasn't been the best of times in my life lately, with too many distractions keeping me away from taking care of this blog. But as the most watched and anticipated sporting event is knocking on our doors, I felt like I had to say something about it. Well, at least from an artistic point of view.


The world cup trophy is perhaps the most beautiful sports award I have ever seen. Perhaps even the most beautiful award at all. Maybe even the most amazing sculptural piece ever made. Unlike its predecessor, also known as the Jules Rimet Trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy have really stood the test of time in terms of its aesthetics, and perhaps even contributed in increasing the popularity and possibly even the status of the World Cup as the ultimate sporting event across the world. Being a sports fan generally and football particularly, nothing have ever captured me as much as the beauty of this trophy.

This significant sculptural piece was designed by Silvio Gazzaniga, who hails -as one might predict- from a nation with a strong passion to the arts, football, fashion, and even though its irrelevant, food. The Italian sculptor from Milan designed the concept and collaborated with a Milanese trophy and medal manufacturer, GDE Bertoni, in its production and are still in charge of its maintenance in behalf of FIFA. The company's other notable trophies include the UEFA champions league, UEFA cup, UEFA super cup as well as many other trophies, perhaps most notable for its beauty is the new Arabian Gulf Cup.

Where the older trophy was a representation of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, this trophy represents the "joy and greatness of the athlete in the moment of triumph". According to the artist, the shapes of two athletes are reproduced through lines that rise spirally from the base to open on top to contain the world, outlined in an amazing dynamic tension of the body of the sculpture, which symbolizes the athletes effort and exertion while expressing harmony, simplicity and peace.



The trophy at 1974 when it was first awarded.

Festival of Speed Art Displays

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual festival featuring a variety of historic motor racing vehicles. The festival started in 1993 in order to bring motor racing back to the Goodwood estate, a location steeped in British motor racing history. Since 1997, the festival honors a car manufacturer company each year.


Audi Art Display '99


Ford Art Display '03

Each year a different artistic display is installed in front of the Goodwood House. And just like Tilke's monopoly over designing new F1 circuits, Gerry Judah have been commissioned each year to design a new jaw-breaking sculpture starting with Ferraris in 1997.


Mercedes Art Display '01


Renault Art Display '02

This year's art display is an incredible artistic piece dedicated to Land Rover, celebrating the company's 60th anniversary. The naturally-rusted steel sculpture is 34m high, weighs 120 tonnes, and features five different Land Rover models. The form of the sculpture seems to be inspired by the rough mountainous landscape that these five cars are designed to endure.



Land Rover Art Display '08

Ladder

Ladder is a wood sculpture by David Nash realised at 1989. What really attracted me is how the form of the ladder resemble a living creature with arms and legs that seem to be in motion, bringing back life into what used to be a living being. It kind of looks like those giant talking trees in Lord of the Rings.

"In his environmental art, David Nash from Wales has concentrated on wood and makes use of existing natural features. He has created works with the theme ladder all over the world, in Japan, England, Ireland, as well as Karhusaari, Espoo. The sensation of ascending and descending expressed by the verticality, the transition from one space to another, are recurring themes in Nash’s art. For him, a growing tree, as well as a ladder, are like the Biblical Jacob’s ladder; they embody the connection between heaven and earth."

The art of assemblage

This interesting post got me motivated about a subject that is linked to my project. The post is about recycled sculpture by British-born sculptor Tony Cragg. Made from materials found in household trash to construction refuse, the installations take the shape of graphic forms from afar. Up close, the graphic shapes transform into colorful and detailed pieces.

This got me thinking about the art of assemblage, which apparently have been traced back to the 1930s if not earlier. In an exhibition entitled, "The Art of Assemblage" in MOMA that served as a starting point for this style, William Seitz (the curator of the exhibition) defined assemblage as "the fitting together of parts and pieces". The exhibition showed work done by major European artists like Picasso and Braque as well as less known American artists. Its known to the French as Bricolage and have been described as "savage thought". Its seems that assemblage have always tended to be a political statement. Its mostly associated with industry, accelerated production, consumption and therefore destruction. Perhaps the fact that most of these installations are made of "found objects" and the poor condition in which these "found objects" tend to be automatically associate these concepts with this style.

Yet what intrigued me in Cragg's work is that I find some positiveness in his work. It seems to me that instead of criticizing and attacking the world for creating this junk as most assemblage artists do, the use of bright colors and the graphic forms he shaped allows us to embrace this junk and find beauty in it. Compare his work with this installation by Louise Nevelson. Its called Sky Cathedral, found in MOMA and measures roughly 3.5 x 3 meters.

Lego

Lego is something that every kid must have spent part of his childhood playing with... most people grow up to be accountants or lawyers and leave that phase behind... few people however remain in that phase... and get paid handsomely for it.

Nathan Sawaya was a lawyer who did Lego sculpture in his free time... after realizing that his passion lies in his art and he is making more money from it... he decided to quit the lawyer thing and concentrate on his sculptures. The picture above is of some of his work for The Art of the Brick museum in the US.

More info here and here

Another artist (not as good though.. his work is more 2D)