Experiment with Nature » installation

The Bucket Board

Steve Ebert — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 17:17:15 +0000

Brooklyn based artist, director, and all-around stuff-maker, Mac Premo, was tasked by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness for this past years’ Earth Hour (which occurred March 28th, 2015 at 8:30PM). The project asked him to take something already existing in the world (namely, trash) and re-purpose it into something useable and beneficial to daily life.

As a highly accomplished assemblage artist, Mac was already a pro at digging through dumpsters, and after reaching out to Encinitas, California-based skateboard company Sanford Shapes, they settled on creating skateboards out of discarded paint buckets. Using a process similar to the one we used in crafting our hand-made cruiser decks (LINK HERE), they pulled discarded buckets & wood, planed them down for pressing and routing, then finished the process with fine-sanding and drilling holes for mounting hardware. The results were pretty phenomenal – watch the well-made and entertaining video above, check out photos of the process and finished decks along with some of Mac’s other work below, and visit his portfolio HERE.

Georges Rousse – Single Perspective Installations

Steve Ebert — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:54:25 +0000

Sometimes it’s all about your point of view. Georges Rousse creates mesmerizing windows into another world by meticulously crafting his single perspective installations, creating 3-dimensional paintings that come together when you stand in the perfect spot.

Check out the video on his process, see the examples of his work below, and visit his website HERE.

Jay Nelson Art

Steve Ebert — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 23:03:12 +0000

Here at Shwood we are constantly searching for inspiring ways to think about and use natural materials. Recently, we were blown away by the creativity, craftsmanship, and playfulness of these live-able sculptures that bridge the gap between art and life.

Bay Area fine artist, Jay Nelson, is not concerned with all of his cuts and angles being perfect. In fact, he would prefer it if they weren’t. He believes these imperfections and the workarounds required to solve problems make the end result more fun. In his own words, “art should be fun.” Through his process of experimentation and problem-solving in his projects, he has learned to embrace the imperfections and the unique results that they generate.

See some videos and photos below to find out more about some of Jay’s projects and hear him give his unique and inspiring perspective. You should also definitely visit his website to see more of his work.

The Museum of Arts and Design – Against the Grain

Josh Fulfs — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:05:36 +0000

New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) current exhibition is clearly something that would resonate with us here at Shwood. Titled “Against the Grain“, the exhibition features 57 artists from around the world who use art as their medium and utilize everything from the simplest of hand tools to the most advanced technology.

From MAD’s website:

The exhibition emphasizes the way artists, designers, and craftspeople have incorporated postmodernist approaches and strategies into woodworking—deconstructing vessel shapes, playing on the relationship between function and form, and utilizing woodturning and furniture techniques in the creation of sculpture and demonstrating exciting possibilities through the use of technology.

If you’re in New York, be sure to go check out the exhibition. For everybody else, you can watch an introductory video and look through more photos over at MAD’s website.

The Edge Effect

Jillian Barkley — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 20:05:35 +0000

Artist Daniel Kukla substitutes mirrors for canvases to create dynamic desert images you’d swear were paintings. The photographs were captured in Joshua Tree National Park, where the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts meet. Kukla states:

“While hiking and driving, I caught glimpses of the border space created by the meeting of distinct ecosystems in juxtaposition, referred to as the Edge Effect in the ecological sciences. To document this unique confluence of terrains, I hiked out a large mirror and painter’s easel into the wilderness and captured opposing elements within the environment.”

View the full body of work at danielkukla.com

Poetic Cosmos of the Breath

Jillian Barkley — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:38:54 +0000

Everyone remembers parachute day in elementary school gym class; grabbing a side of the seemingly-enormous circle of rainbow fabric and trying hard to ruffle it up high enough to run underneath. This is kind of like that, times infinity. Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno calls this live-installation project Poetic Cosmos of the Breath. Participants gathered around a giant foil circle that began to inflate at sunrise. Gradually reflecting the sun’s rays throughout its interior, the cloud-like wonderland became filled with colors and light, creating a surreal visual engulfment for those inside.

See more of Saraceno’s work on his website: tomassaraceno.com

Cornelia Konrad

Jillian Barkley — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:02:06 +0000

Cornelia Konrad creates site-specific installations by implying a sense of weightlessness to ordinary objects. The German artist’s sculptures appear to be frozen in time and space, gracefully suspended in the air as if the otherwise ordinary landscape has begun to float away. You can see Konrad’s diverse body of work at her website: www.cokonrads.de

NeSpoon

Jillian Barkley — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:13:21 +0000

Polish street artist NeSpoon created this installation at Oak Beach on the Baltic Sea. Using lace, spray paint, and a few pieces of driftwood, these pieces fit seamlessly into the landscape as if they’d grown there naturally.

Check out NeSpoon’s many other lacy installations from around the world by viewing her portfolio here.

Jean-Paul Bourdier

Jillian Barkley — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:28:24 +0000

Artist and architecture professor Jean-Paul Bordier proves that when it comes to experimenting with nature, just a little imagination can go a long way. Bordier creates powerful landscape manipulations using rather simple techniques such color blocking and inverse stone-stacking, and the results are breathtaking.

See his full body of work at jeanpaulbourdier.com.

STRANDBEEST

Jillian Barkley — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:51:47 +0000

Artist Theo Jansen has (rather successfully) set out to create a new species. These self-propelling creatures rely only on wind-power to administer their movements. Like with any life form, Jansen’s “Animaris Gubernare” have evolved over time, becoming more intuitive and more efficient. Check out his TED Talk to learn more about the amazingly simple yet highly fascinating anatomic structures of these giant beach crawlers.