Cool Artist: Marie Christophe

I came cross Marie Christophe's work through Emma Cassi's website {in a prior post}...and wow...gorgeous sculptural lamps and chandeliers galore. Marie creates pieces for the Dior shop in Paris, Hermés, as well as a host of other special installations and projects. They have a whimsical yet super chic feel that I love..some of them remind me of Eames drawings in three-dimensional form...

Vest Collective

toronto's vest collective will be debuting a new collection at the interior design show, feb 22-25. the event will be held at the direct energy centre and will feature new works from artists like jonathan sabine (the brass knuckle wine openers) and marta pietrzyk (coasters and coaster placemat). click here for more information...

[the letterpress guide is being updated this morning so tune in around noon for at least 30 more studios. also, stay tuned for a biz lady update and helpful downloads for all independent designers]

Cai Guo Qiang the art of explosions and more...

I initially came across Cai Guo Qiang's work earlier in the year in ARTiT, a Japanese / English magazine covering contemporary art hailing from Asia. Flipping through the pages of the magazine I was immediately drawn to his gunpowder pieces. I'm not usually drawn to abstract work, but in this case there's readable structure beneath the chaos caused by the controlled explosions. The well schooled Cai is also very prolific when it comes to his installation and performance pieces and though we won't get to see any of his gunpowder pieces at the MET (he had a solo exhibition in 2003 at the Asia Society and Museum) there will be plenty of other great pieces on view. The exhibition will be on display until October 29, 2006 and try being there at noon when the Clear Sky Black Cloud piece will be on view.

But back to the gunpowder, Art:21 has a video of him in the middle of producing one of his gunpowder pieces. Politically charged, he had this to say about his usage of gunpowder, "there are countries where you have trouble finding oil paint, but I have always been able to find gunpowder wherever I went."

Water diary by Song Dong

Coming from the same issue of ARTiT I mentioned below is an artist who's work is the opposite of Cai's gunpowder explosions (noticed it in my notes as I was reading about Cai). While Cai's gunpowder explosions are chaotic and leaves a permanent mark, Song Dong's water diary is subdued and disappears over time. The story of how his father made him practice his calligraphy in this manner (they were too poor to afford paper and ink) also lends a bit of credibility to this work (though i don't really care, the idea and photographs are so cool), so art can be accidental!

in another performance piece of his, he stamps the water repeatedly with a water block, perhaps the scientists mentioned in this Engadget entry (about writing on water) and Song Dong should talk. The scientists could in theory broadcast his work to other parts of the world, or increase the scale of it for more people to enjoy during a performance. Nice mixture of man and machine...