The sculpture; by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond stands 114.5 meters tall, and used approximately 1,400 tons of steel, over half of which was recycled. The sculpture design incorporated the five Olympic rings. It loops and twists in a jungle-like manner.

Of course with every prolific piece of art comes controversy, it wouldn’t be public art if that wasn’t the case – many London residents find the sculpture in-exonerating.

Alex Needham of the UK guardian quoted yesterday in his article, Open thread: With the Orbit Olympic sculpture, is there too much public art, “The Times’s Libby Purves … describe(ed) the Orbit as ‘a piece of vainglorious sub-industrial steel gigantism, signifying nothing’.”

Albeit the controversy there are absolute magnificence’s inherent in the piece, for example a trip to the top allots a view unlike any other, an eagle eye view of the complete perimeter of London, in all direction.

Approximately 5,000 visitors a day can be accommodated in going to the top of the tower; Britain’s largest piece of public art, to pear over London.

In addition, it is true that many despised the Eiffel Tower when it was first built and look how has come to be loved.

In an article Jill Lawless posted on artdaily.org, Kapoor is quoted stating, “‘St. Paul’s (Cathedral) was hated when it was begun … Everyone wanted a spire — but now the great church’s dome is universally loved.’ He said if a groundbreaking structure works ‘it starts to do something to you and your concept of beauty changes’.”

And many would say, isn’t that the real purpose of public art anyway? If it doesn’t challenge us then is it doing its job?

The tower was officially named ArcelorMittal Orbit, after steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal the European billionaire who is funding the project. The commission is part of London’s plans for the 2012 Olympic Games. The sculpture is taller than Big Ben and The Statue of Liberty.

The tower also represents an enigmatic and collaborative partnership of design and fabrication; the architectural and structural engineering components are quite radical.

As we discussed in our post on Orbit back in April 2010, another perspective on this piece is its representation of the creative aspect of the Olympic Games; allowing them to be not only a chance to generate revenue in the form of tourist dollars, but viable opportunities to enrich public and cultural space through the development and construction of significant public art.

Mayor Johnson, among others, was among those who selected Kapoor from a list of artists competing for the commission, which was said to have included Antony Gormley and architect Caruso St. John.

Kapoor, an Indian-born British sculpture is best known as a past winner of the Turner Prize, and his ever popular installations like “Marsyas” which was displayed at London’s Tate Modern in 2002 and “The Bean,” formally called Cloud Gate, a stainless steel sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park.

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Nothing proves this better than Calgary’s Comic and Entertainment Expo this past weekend at the BMO Centre.

Fire marshals were turning people away after the BMO centre hit capacity on Saturday.

The event has not-so gradually increased in attendance from 3,000 guests in 2006 to an estimated 50,000 this year.

Jenna McMurray with the Calgary Sun in her article Comic con organizer admits growth ‘overwhelming’ quoted an attendee explaining,

“I’ve been going to comic (conventions) for years and years and I’ve never been to one where they had to stop selling tickets because of capacity … Geek culture has kind of hit the mainstream.”

In actuality, this isn’t a new thing. There has been evidence of comic culture’s growing popularity for years. Arguably, comic art has been influencing visual arts since inception; it’s just interesting that now it has hit a new kind of mainstream, with a “cool” factor.

“The first evidence of sequential art” — in effect, the same aesthetic as shown in the narrative panels of a “Superman” comic book – “can be seen in 10,000 year old cave drawings discovered in Spain,” says Cynthia Connolly, curator of Artisphere, in an article by David Hoffman, titled, Comic book art gets its due.

The 60’s was a quintessential example of an era where comic book influences moulded the art scene. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein are key examples.

“Their fascination with using old-style comic strips as subject matter was depicted in their work, with its hard-edged and precise compositions that both documented and parodied pop culture imagery,” explains Hoffman.

Bold black lines, use of negative space and colour composition, were elements that made both Warhol and Lichtenstein’s work unmistakable.

This style is apparent in modern graffiti art as well. Artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey are well known for their international work, often stencilled, with sharp lines and use of negative space.

Hoffman also wrote, “‘Past generations viewed the comic as ‘throw-away’ art printed on newsprint, not fine art to be collected, but we have grown to accept and enjoy the comic as a familiar genre,’ said Connolly, adding that it is now ‘a powerful influence within contemporary art circles’.“

Staff at the Calgary’s Comic and Entertainment Expo is savvy to the rising popularity of comic culture in pop culture. As such they are already looking for venues or options to expand capacity for next year’s Expo, which will be from April 26-28, 2013. Ticket sales strategy may also change to reflect the demand. Whether only advanced ticket sales, or expanding the venue space, staff is already brain storming options.

Did you attend Calgary’s Comic Con this year, or any comic con for that matter? If so what did you think! Any examples of comic book influence in public art? We’d love to hear!

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The piece was greatly received throughout it’s time exhibiting on the Fourth Plinth in Central London’s Trafalgar Square.

The Fourth Plinth is a sought after local for well-known international artists to display their work. The Fourth Plinth Program is funded by the Mayor of London and Arts Council England.

The nature of the Fourth Plinth Program is that public artwork is specially commissioned; an ongoing, ever-changing series of public art pieces. Over the course of Shonibare’s display, the city fell in love with the piece.

A public fundraising appeal was hosted to raise funds to keep Shonibare’s Nelson`s Ship in a Bottle on public display. The appeal was a success and Shonibare’s piece will go on permanent display at the National Maritime Museum in London.

He is quoted in an article by Mark Brown in the guardian sharing that “The piece was wholeheartedly embraced by the public while at Trafalgar Square and I am glad that the same affection for the work will continue at Greenwich.”

The opening is April 25th, which coincides with the National Maritime Museum’s 75th anniversary.

The piece measures 4.7 metres in length and 2.8 metres in diameter. The ship has 27 sails which are made of fabric representing African culture. It is a scale model of Nelson’s HMS Victory. It will stand outside the new Sammy Ofer wing of the museum, where onlookers can enjoy freely.

Shonibare`s work is highly regarded by the local London residences. In 2004 he was nominated for a Turner Prize and of four nominees the general public voted him as their favourite by 64% on a BBC website poll.

Shonibare was born in London in 1962. At three he moved with his family to Nigeria. He returned to London when he was 16 and studied art.

He is interested in issues of race and class and explores these topics using a variety of media; painting, sculpture, photography, and installation.

Have you ever visited the Fourth Plinth in Central London’s Trafalgar Square? What public art pieces do you love in your city? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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From April 20-23 the Park Avenue Armory will host 50 international art galleries as they participate in the famous exposition.

SOFA is most keenly described as an event dedicated to exploring the question – What is art? Its rich display will bridge the mediums of design, decorative and fine arts. Attendees will gaze upon the array of international contemporary art and design.

Sofaexpo.com provides a brief tour of many of the fair’s highlights including some of the following:
“From London, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art presents wood artist Christian Burchard, who organically exploits the Northwest Coast’s native Pacific Madrone Burl with its wide range of beautiful color and textures, ‘letting the green wood find its own shape as it dries.’

At Ornamentum, from Hudson, NY, Stefan Friedmann presents David Clarke, one of Britain’s most highly innovative silversmiths, who whimsically subverts entrenched silversmithing and metalsmith traditions, often taking them to surprising extremes. In 2010, Clarke was awarded the UK’s prestigious Jerwood Contemporary Makers Award.

Furniture artist/designer Roger Heitzman at William Zimmer Gallery, from Mendocino, CA, strives for harmony in visual design and function with his flowing lines and graceful curves carved out of solid wood,” and many, many more.

Even the venue itself is a work of art, thanks to New York architect David Ling who transformed the Park Avenue Armory into a time-traveler’s delight, exploring art and architecture as is transcends time periods from the Victorian-era to modern time.

Ling’s creativity seeps through the pores of the building beginning with the foyer. The architect/designer explains, “This procession leads visitors from the stately, Victorian-era foyer of the Armory through a long, narrow tunnel, tantalizing you with the prospect of an unknown but exciting journey.”

And as described on mutualart.com:
“The destination: (is) The Armory’s exhibition hall, modernized by Ling’s cutting-edge design, which will hover above the exhibition stands of the 50 participating international art galleries.”
‘Floating high over the exhibitions will be a huge cube of light, out of which smaller blocks of light explode, traveling to all points within the hall like newly formed stars,’” says Ling.

He goes on to describe the concept of the exhibition hall as being a celestial, astrological theme, based the concept on the Big Bang Theory, creation, re-creation and energy.

In additional to the remarkable venue and host of displaying galleries there is also an impressive lecture series.

From presentations such as Rock – Linen – Lead, by UK artist Sue Lawty (browngrotta arts, Wilton, CT) as she explores “the journey of her understated and abstract works which are strongly influenced by a comprehensive engagement with remote landscape, geology and the passage of time… explor(ing) repetition and interval in raffia, hemp, linen, lead, stone or shadow,” …

To Haiku in Clay by Japanese artist Shozo Michikawa (Erskine, Hall & Coe, London) as he speaks on his latest work; ‘pots…which have a contemporary feel, yet are somehow timeless; they have an almost impractically sculptural appearance, yet serve functional purposes; they reflect an urban aesthetic, but simultaneously look as if they have grown from nature.’ Simon Martin, art historian, writer and curator,” sofaexpo.com.

SOFA goes to Santa Fe August 2-5 and Chicago November 2-4.

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For businesses and services in the area of Downtown Washington this is exciting. Tourism is great for business. However most of the outlying communities don’t see the bulk of the tourist traffic, making business as usual pretty dry.

There have been a few proposed solutions to this predicament including the Circulator, bright red buses that commute amongst the city’s busy streets. The most recent solution however is public art to the rescue!

The 5×5 project is the District of Columbia’s newest endeavour to promote Washington’s city neighbourhoods.

Five curators were given $100,000 to select and work with five artists or artist teams to create a total of 25 temporary public art exhibits to showcase in public spaces throughout the District.

From March through August the pieces are on display throughout the city.

“Tourists don’t know about the truly rich communities we have outside downtown,“ says Mary Beth Brown, the public art coordinator for the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which is co-sponsoring 5×5 along with the Cherry Blossom Festival. “We wanted to excite people and get them out and exploring,” Journalist Amanda Erickson, quoted in her article titled Washington, D.C.’s Tourist Trap.

5×5 is a project ran by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH). “DCCAH is responsible for providing grants, programs and educational activities that encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities, so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience the rich culture of (the) city,” as quoted on www.the5x5project.com/overview/.

The various projects explore different concepts and mediums, worth delving into a little deeper. Here is a sample of some of the works:

Artist Clare Rojas is exhibiting at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Her project explores the relationships between men, women, society, and nature. Her colourful geometric shapes are painted vividly on the exterior of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, in a narrative style.

Rojas is an internationally renowned artist. She has exhibited with Deitch Projects, New York, with the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK and the Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco.

Brandon Ballengée’s installation is located at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. His piece, titled Love Motel for Insects is an outdoor light installation. The work resembles large dragonfly wings. Ballengée incorporates ultra-violet lights on sheets of blank fabric that attract insects. People can then get a closer look at the nocturnal insects it attracts so as to learn about them.

The 5×5 website describes Ballengée as an artist who “Explor(es) the boundaries between art, science and technology (and) creates multidisciplinary works out of information generated from ecological field trips and laboratory research.”

Deborah Stratman & Steven Badgett’s exhibit is visual and auditory in nature. The piece titled, Polygonal Address (PA) System is a pentagon shaped raft sitting in the water at the GangPlank Marina. The pentagon is solar powered and it spins. In addition it has a sound system that plays audio recordings of public addresses and protests made in the District. This piece will be exhibited from March 20th – April 25th, and the audio program from 10-7 daily.

Other works in the 5×5 project are listed at http://www.the5x5project.com/locations/.

Feedback on the project appears positive so far. After visiting Washington for the opening weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Jack Krajewski reported in his article on blackbookmag.com,

“I came away with a better understanding and appreciation of DC culture and got to see aspects of the city which I never really knew existed … it’s clear that the DC art scene is on the rise, and has earned a spot alongside the creative capitals of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.”

What do you think? Will 5×5 help disperse the volume of tourism traffic throughout Washington, D.C.? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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