Ether at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Last week I was invited to take part in the Access week at Pembroke College, Oxford. The programme is a week-long, intensive introduction to the academic world for school leavers. The calibre of students and their response was extremely impressive and thought provoking.

Dr Peter Claus, who is responsible for establishing the programme and related educational hubs around the country, invited members of the Sculpting with Light team to speak about the developments so far. I gave a talk with Dr Giles Gasper on medieval and modern cosmology, explaining my practice and the developments of the project so far.

As an extra challenge, I was invited to install an impromtu sculptural piece in the Chapel. It was a real treat to try out some ideas with a fast paced deadline in a very unusual space. They were keen for me to be daring and I did just that with intentionally limited materials and a very rough concept, proving that limitations can indeed work to our advantage. The above images are the result of the week long installation of 'Ether'. Ether is constructed of 12km of nylon thread which weaves in and around the chapel. The video projected through the piece gives the illusion of an etherial substance floating before you, with the circles of light following you as you move.

itscolossal:

Pacific Light [VIDEO]

rcruzniemiec:

Desert Air

Images from the third book by photographer George Steinmetz whose preferred method of capturing the images of the earth below him is from the suspended seat of his powered paraglider.

pandamandium:

Interactive Chambers of Color - Chromosaturation_Carlos Cruz-Diez

travelingcolors:

Rio Tinto, Huelva | Spain (by Fran Ojeda)

devidsketchbook:

Architects of Air - LUMINARIA | EXXOPOLIS

To commemorate the 20th luminarium, and to celebrate its long association with Nottingham, Architects of Air returned to its roots to involve local people. In partnership with Lakeside Arts Centre local community groups were enlisted in the ‘Windows Project’ workshops to make the intricate ‘stained glass’ windows of the EXXOPOLIS cupola based on a tiling design by Sir Roger Penrose.

The luminaria are designed by company founder, Alan Parkinson, who started experimenting with pneumatic sculptures in the I980s. 

Each luminarium is an original design. The principal difference between the different luminaria is found in the rendering of the domes and in the layout of the tunnels.

The domes are the large chambers rising up to 10 metres high that provide the focal points. The tunnels connect the domes and determine the journey the visitor will take. The luminaria also feature ‘pods’ - alcoves where people can sit and relax out of the way of the other visitors.

Each luminarium is a dazzling maze of winding paths and soaring domes where Islamic architecture, Archimedean solids and Gothic cathedrals meld into an inspiring monument to the beauty of light and colour.

more: MIRACOCO | MIRAZOZO | AMOCOCO | LEVITY II | LEVITY III

mydarkenedeyes:

First look: Gabriel Dawe’s stunning new thread art in Italy.

Gabriel Dawe created Plexis no. 19, a stunning thread installation thats beautifully spread across two balconies in the atrium of a historic villa. The early 19th century neoclassic house, called Villa Olmo, was acquired in 1924 by the municipality of Como and is now open to the public only during cultural events and art exhibitions like this.

Plexus no. 19 consists of two thread structures streamed across an upper and lower balcony that is meant to be experienced from different angles or at different times of the day. As Dawe tells us, “When the sun comes in during the morning, it is fantastic. Having those window-shaped light beams add a dimension to the installation. I always like when I get direct sunshine on them because it emphasizes the layering of the thread in very interesting ways.”

With two assistants, he constructed this installation in about a week. His greatest challenge was working to the confines of the space. “Because of the historic nature of the building, I wasn’t able to touch ceiling, walls or floors to screw in my structures,” he says. “So I resorted to fixing them to the railings, which in great measure restricted what I was able to do. In the end, it worked out pretty well; it really exceeded my expectations how well the installation inhabits the space.”

Via My Modern Met.