The BMW Museum in Munich stands as a testament to the brands rich heritage, but also automotive design. Munich sits on my list of dream vacations to take as much for the chance to visit the BMW Museum as the opportunity to attend Oktoberfest (picture James Bond mixed with Beerfest). A multiple award winning feature of the BMW Museum is its Kinetic Sculpture an abstract symbolic representation of the design process.
The installation consists of 714 metal spheres hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually controlled stepper motors. Covering a six-square-metre area, the spheres enact a seven-minute long mechatronic narrative, creating a representation of the form-finding process in different variations. Moving chaotically at first, the sculpture evolves into several competing forms and eventually resolves as a final shape, which hints at the outlines of well-known BMW automobiles such as the 327, the 1500, the Z4 coupé and the Mille Miglia 2006. The cycle is synchronised with a graphic light strip running around the walls and texts and audio quotes from senior BMW figures on the company’s values and design aims.
Celebrating it’s five year anniversary as a leading venue for today’s best emerging street artists, Jonathan LeVine Gallery (map) is hosting a group exhibition to commemorate the occasion. The exhibit, running through March 27, features 36 artists, including WK Interact, Shepard Fairey, Ron English and Dan Witz. The opportunity to see all of this talent under one roof at the same time won’t come along often, so be sure to add this show to your calendar!
Canadian artist Sean Martindale, known for his guerilla gardening, recently created this amusing installation in Grange Park, Toronto. Made up of 21,633 feet of nylon string, from the side the work looks like nothing more than a spider web city, but viewed from the front the strong connects to spell out the always evocative “FREE”. Sean says “The word FREE refers to the public aspect of my projects, where I create work experienced primarily by accidental audiences. I outlined the word FREE by tying strings within and through the properties of the barrier / constraining structure of the chainlink fence.”
Much like the pixels on your computer screen that form the text and images you see, Ran Hwang uses pins to create beautiful pieces of art. Up close the works may look like nothing but a chaotic mess, but from a distance Hwang’s true artistry and vision pop out. See more here.
Ok, this is really weird - and not like funky cool weird, but like demented Max Hedron on acid weird. Yet somehow this is still a nice background on both Barry McGee as a man and his work. For more with Barry, check out this old Swindle interview.
Perhaps getting tired of having their street installations stolen, art conglomerate FAILE has decided to release their latest works for sale online. Amongst the already sold out new prints and bronze statues is the still available (maybe) Scuba Horse. Standing approximately 12″ high, the statue is exactly what you would expect, a horse rocking some scuba gear. If you want one, the price tag is a mere $12k and is being offered on a first email, first serve basis, so act fast. Buy it here.
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