Valencia (Spain) walking within museums and architecture

Interesting blog about museums and fashion

I have been follwing this blog Exhibiting Fashion, by a New York based museum professional ( from the about page, but I still do not get why not sharing name) for sometime now and I can say I read with interest and curiosity.  It is simple, as in clear and straightforward, in the layout and design, with good content, rich in comments and visuals and with international information.  I definitely recommend reading it.

"From Garden City to Green City", exhibit at the Garden Museum (London)

From Garden City to Green City is an eloquent and appropriate exhibit to raise awareness about the "green movement" at the Garden Museum in London (GB)


The concept is expressed as:

From Garden City to Green City, explores the many visions, designs and projects that have inspired the ‘green city’ movement over the last 150 years.....

MSK Ghent, entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts

The MSK Ghent, is the Museum of FIne Arts in Gent (BE).  They have launched a new website iwth content in different languages, which makes easier to receive international recognition.  This post is about the reception-entrance area, which at the time the pictures were taken offers a seasonal christmas decoration.

The area is an open plan self-explanatory room with an easy access from the exterior and a easy reading of the possibilities the entrace is ofering.  As a four walls- four doors room, there is no doubt what to do: seeking information, entering the exhibiton spaces, heading to the cafeteria/restaurant or reaching the museum shop.

Though the building's architecture is massive, the entrance is quite minimal but has the advantage of a glass ceiling which gives an airy atmosphere to the space.

You can also discover the Flemish Art Collection: 

... is the structural partnership between three art-historical museums in Flanders: The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, the Groeninge Museum Bruges and the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. (from the website)

housed in the three above referenced museums, the catalogue offers detailed information.

"Indian Jewelry" exhibtion in Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden (NL)

A recent visit to the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, offered a nice surprise in the form of a small exhibit about "Contemporary Indian Jewelry".  The museum is going under renovation and it is due to re-open in fal 2012, therefore the collections/exhibitions on display and amount od spaces open to public are limited.

The exhibit is the part of the museum currently open to public, in the main room dedicated to Asia but in a small space, which is not a problem to offer some substanctial content about the subject.  It is curated by Saskia Konniger, who is researching for the museum about Indian traditions, and has conceived the show after two field trips to several regions in India: Rajasthan (Bikaner and Jaipur) to study the work of goldsmiths. After the trips, her findings has incoporated some new pieces into the museum's collection.

general view of the exhibition

I found the exhibit very appealing, condensed and well presented both in terms of pieces and layout, though the cases where the pieces were shown had too many reflects and the quality of craftmanship was at times difficult to be appreciated.

Panels and labels and auviovisuals were instructive, as well as the wall covered by photos and images from (we must guess) the researcher's travels together with and local iconography.  That was a touch of artistic connection with the pieces shown that converged with the anthropological vision, as an inmersion into some aspects of Indian culture.

The catalogue contains good visual documentation, but (as informed from the museum's desk) it has only been published in Dutch, which from a quick reading is a pit,y for it surely contains valuable information that would allow to better understand the content of the exhibition.

Images of some of the pieces on display:
 

"Kaj Franck : Finnish design icon", The exhibit at the Design Museum Gent

A visit to the exhibit "Kaj Franck - Finnish design icon"shown at the Design Museum Gent, shows that the power of escandinavian craftsmen and the quality of products from almos any of the artists/designers that have worked since the last decades of the XIXth century.

The exhibit's concept is about showcasing the work of Finnish craftsman and designer Kaj Franck, who was considered a reformer of design. The year 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of his birth.  The show brings some of the best objects designed by Franck.

His work captures very much the essence of the Finnish design, he removed from the pieces everyting that was not essential and conceived lines and colors to work as function.

Franck worked as designer for the best companies of the moment, such as Iitala or Arabia.  But his influence was perhaps most important, as he taught at the School of Arts and Design in Helsinki, and a vaste number of future designers passed by his classes.

 

The show is organized in partnership with the Design Museum Helsinki, Finland, the museum has just opened a new exhibition that tries to unveil the significance of the Finnish design.  The city of Helsinki is also celebrating being the World Design Capital in 2012.

Happy New Year 2012!

Best wishes for the new year 2012, a year full of museums!

Urban farming as an exhibit in a museum: P.S. 1 NY

I am currently working on documenting a “green construction” of a building conceived as a work of art to be settled in the outdoor space of an art center (will post about it soon) and when doing some reasearch on the topic, I came across the exhibit named Public Farm 1 in P.S.1, that opened in mid 2008.

The concept designed by WORK Architecture was about : 

Public Farm 1 will function as an urban farm while providing an outdoor social space for the summer.  …..   P.F.1’s intent is to educate thousands of visitors on sustainable urban farming through the unique medium of contemporary architecture.

It looked an experiment between ecology, urbanism and architecture, but all based in a museum space.

Expo "Mehr Licht" by Chema Alvargonzalez, at Centro Arts Santa Mónica, Barcelona

 "Mehr Licht", major retrospective exhibition by Chema Alvargonzalez, artist dead in Berlin in 2009.  At the Centro Arts Santa Mónica, Barcelona, the beautiful show is about the artist's light luggages and the association of words, images and the everimposing colored light.

Impactant display with the obscurity/light as the protagonist, but is easy to get used to read between the lighting sculptures and move around to look for clues to understand the artist's statement.

The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum launched

Just launched the Valentino Garavani archives and virtual museum!

The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum is an unprecedented digital fashion experience showcasing five decades of fashion history.

There is a quick start link at the botom of page with instructions of use and navigation, but to watch images you would have to download an application and then launch it.

After downloading the desktop application each visitor can create their unique route through the galleries, to discover and enjoy every aspect of Valentino's extraordinary world

It is an experience somehow between 3D, video game and virtuality, that tries to implement the visit with documentation and general information on the couture house, the personality of the designer/couturier and the work of the firm along the years.  Though in principel very interesting, I am not sure if the idea of "playing" with an external application would encourage visitors, but the concept is according with times and online living of many projects.  No news about the possibility of a physical museum to be soon a reality.

Here is the video at the Valentino youtube channel from the press conference for the official presentation in New York: "... Valentino is available to masses ....., welcome to future ......" Anne Hathaway, presenter of the event with participation of many personalities, among them was Amit Sood, creator of Google Art Project.

David Lister: "Art galleries should be like cinemas – open to audiences every night of the week"

A recurrent topic for discussion, a new perspective from David Lister

... Art galleries should be like cinemas, theatres and opera houses. They should open at the most socially convenient hours, nationwide.

Read more in:  Art galleries should be like cinemas – open to audiences every night of the week

Future Guggenheim museum in Abu Dhabi is on hold

The future new museum Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi is on hold, but some say Emirates have just cancelled constructions fo the museum designed by F. Gehry:

.... Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong admitted that there was a slow-down in the project, due to a review ordered by the rulers. “It is going ahead but slower,” said Armstrong.

 Another vctim of the "long financial crisis"?


Full story in The Art Newspaper

Video channel at V&A Museum

It is becoming more usual that museums open their own news pages via a video channel in their website.  A good example is the V and A Museum, London
V and A museum, video channel

looking at contemporary art?

Power of making, and interesting exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museums (London)

In September the Victoria and Albert Museums, London opened an exciting exhibit, Power of Making, curated by Daniel Charny and in cooperation with Crafts Council.

The show is about:

"The V&A and Crafts Council celebrate the role of making,...... Making is the most powerful way that we solve problems, express ideas and shape our world. What and how we make defines who we are, and communicates who we want to be.  For many people, making is critical for survival. ...."

It is a rather prvocatve, but appropriate statement in current social movements.  The exhibition and the different events complementing the mise en scene, are a proof of the power of museums as learning places, as well as a translator of social paradigms and movements that need a showcase to discover many arts proposals.

A good start of the show is this video from the exhibit's website at Vand A, that is also a striking three screen film installation by filmmaker Juriaan Booij

Power of Making from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

The exhibiton well deserves a visit to understand the importance of crafting for having a creative life.

Act for culture in Europe and sign the we are more manifesto now: www.wearemore.eu/manifesto

Act for culture in Europe and sign the we are more manifesto now: www.wearemore.eu/manifesto

Culture in Europe needs not only the sector's attention, but also everyone's action. Please read this manifesto, vote and share with others so that we can colect all the signatures needed to make possible the goal ofthe campaign. Thank you.

Es Baluard (Mallorca) - Opening of "Los Carpinteros: Constructing the world"

Images from last month's opening of the exhibtion Los Carpinteros. handwork – Constructing the world (works from The Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection , with presence of founder Francesca von Habsburg) at Es Baluard (Palma de Mallorca), a contemporary art museum/center inscribed into the historic part of Palma into the bastion that for centuries surrounded the city and

 ... the exterior areas are conceived as exhibition spaces and places to walk and follow the perimeter of the walls.  The 17th century reservoir is also an exhibition area and is used for different events in the museum’s programme. The new building is part of the old Renaissance bastion. The 21st Century and the 16th Century buildings coexist harmonically.  (from tne website)

It is an impressive building with well designed interiors and transitions where the indoors/outdoors work well.  The terraces are also considered exhibition spaces and invite to walk. or relx among them.   The museum is integrated into the urban estructure of the city, but also open to the harbor promenade, offering fantastic views and a perfect scenary for the high scale sculptures installed in teh terraces.

As for the exhibition, a collection of works by the Cuban artistic duo, rooted into the conceptual art, was  well organized, clear in the design of the spaces and somehow seaking a spectacular display that some pieces did accomplished, but I would rather have had the installation of the tables/water/lamps in a more open area where visitors could easily have walked thru the works than hae it packed in a small space, it was losing some of its power.  The second huge installation of an wall and pieces of it hangng from fine threads was much better located and created a kind of interesting three dimensional tromp l'oeil that was very much photographied.

The exhibit can be visited till almost the end of January 2012.

Images were taken with phone Nokia 5230.