Looking at the Land: The Crowdsourced, Digital Exhibition from Flak Photo’s Andy Adams

He needs no introduction, but for new visitors to our site it is my pleasure to welcome back Andy Adams to Technology in the Arts. You may remember our conversation with Andy in May when we discussed the concept of Photo 2.0 and the role of Web 2.0 technologies in redefining the field of photography.

Andy’s newest success, “Looking at the Land: 21st Century American Views,” is a digital exhibition of 21st Century American Landscape photography. The exhibition, prepared in collaboration with the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, is a discussion (both in photographs and in interviews) with eighty-eight photographers on the practice and meaning of landscape photo-making in the 21st Century. On the website, Andy discusses the current status of the exhibition, including the presentation of twenty of the photographs in physical form at the FotoWeek DC 2012 festival.

Andy and I again had the chance to discuss the themes of photography and online-presenting, but this time focused on the process of organizing a digital exhibition, his experience with crowdsourcing creativity, and his thoughts on the effects of digital projection on viewing. While my full interview with Andy will be posted here on Technology in the Arts soon, I encourage you to view the online exhibition beforehand (available for viewing below).

[embed]http://vimeo.com/49855891[/embed]

Check back in next two weeks for more of Andy’s insight on the future of photography, digital exhibitions, and crowdsourcing creativity.

The Gelato Museum: I think a second visit is in order...

Ok, I’ll admit it; this post is probably less "best-practice" oriented than our typical Technology in the Arts publications. However, I guarantee it is more delicious, if that is of any consolation. Before heading to Bologna for the year, I crafted my list of “Must See and Do’s,” including both touristy and off-the-beaten track attractions. Occupying one of the top spots on my list (let’s just say it was either 1 or 2…) was the Gelato Museum Carpigiani. Yes, you read that correctly, a museum dedicated entirely to the history, culture and technology of gelato and gelato-making. Bliss. It is a brand new museum, opening three weeks ago just outside the center of Bologna in Anzola dell’Emilia. Carpigiani is a brand, one of the leading producers of gelato-making equipment (actually, two gentlemen on the tour, also American, use Carpigiani machines in their gelateria in Colorado). The company also founded the Gelato University, based in Bologna but with satellite campuses around the world (Argentina, Germany, Japan, Italy, Netherlands, China, USA, Scotland, and England). Students interested in learning the artisan craft of gelato making and managing a gelateria can enroll in a variety of courses. Have I already looked into the details? You betcha.

The Carpigiani Gelato Museum is a center of cultural excellence dedicated to the understanding and study of the history, culture, and technology of gelato and the expertise of the innovators who drove its evolution over the centuries.

Back to the museum- pristine, modern, and FREE for visitors. It also exhibits the history of gelato cone-making and features an enormous wall of gelato-related quotes from the world’s greatest literary, historic, and cultural figures (think Marcel Proust and Madame Bovary). Tours are available in English.

Carpigiani Gelato Museum, the first of its kind to delve into the history, culture, and technology of artisan gelato, a fresh, high-quality food that well represents Italian creativity and excellence throughout the world!

The following are a select few of the highlights from my tour:

- The organization of the exhibition: The museum charts the history of gelato, from 12000 B.C. to modern day. It is organized into color-coordinated epochs, so it is clear as you move through the exhibition when/where you are in its history.

- The exhibition offers varied media- over 20 original gelato-making machines, historical images and documents, and multimedia presentations.

- The exhibition on the history of cone-making, complete with antique cone shipping boxes from various manufacturers, was one of those "I-have-never-thought-about-the-history-of-cone-making-!" moments of brilliance.

- Each epoch is clearly defined- they form small clusters throughout the room. Above each cluster, to aid in the visitor’s visual understanding of the history, are authentic recipes of gelato (or whatever the frozen treat was before gelato became gelato) from that time period. Moving through the exhibit, visitors come to understand the evolution of gelato from a frozen drink of snow and wine for the wealthy and noble (few hanging recipes) to the universal treat (significantly more recipes) enjoyed more ubiquitously. It is a visually effective technique to compliment and emphasize the evolution of the consumption and creation of gelato.

- And last but most certainly not least, sampling. The tour culminates in the Carpigiani Gelato Lab aka the gelateria. They have a beautiful offering, ranging from traditional and popular flavors to flavors unique to the lab and ancient recipes. You can also arrange to celebrate your birthday in the lab (subtle hint to my friends and family...)

Yes, I was most excited by the fact I was at a museum dedicated to one of my guiltiest pleasures. But what I quickly came to appreciate more was that the history of gelato, something I had never actually considered while indulging, is forever preserved and accessible to the entire world. Gelato, ice cream, soft-serve, you name it, is for many, just a fun, summer treat. But for Italy and Bologna especially, the history and consumption of gelato is so central to their cultural and culinary traditions. As we chatted with the chef in the lab and he encouraged us to “focus” as we sampled flavors, I was reminded just how precious museums are to preserving our cultural heritage.

Cutting-Edge Sound Research from One of Italy's Oldest Cities

Greetings from Bologna, Italy! Having completed the Carnegie Mellon portion of my dual-Master’s degree program, I am now enrolled at the University of Bologna’s Master’s program in Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts (GIOCA), aka Cultural Economics. While my blog postings will not be as regular as this past year, I hope to share with our TitA followers relevant news, trends, and projects from across the Atlantic, beginning with la Casa del Suono (House of Sound), in Parma, Italy.

The House of Sound focuses on the technological aspects of sound. It is an avant-garde artistic and technological project dedicated to everyone who listens to music and other sounds broadcast by technological instruments. - Published in a guide by the instituto per i beni artistici culturali e naturali

Housed in a restored church and managed by the city of Parma, la Casa del Suono opened its doors to the public in December 2008. It is a project produced collaboratively by the Casa della Musica and the University of Parma. La Casa del Suono serves as an educational space with a scientific and artistic collection exhibiting the technological evolution and social implications of sound reproduction and transmission; as a research center providing instruments for innovative and futuristic developments, projects, and technologies; and as a leader in scientific and musical activity. In this way, it serves as both a museum and a laboratory.

The three best things about the museum:

1) It is a stunning, modern and bright space with incredible movement and flow. Its collection and layout are neither overwhelming nor perplexingly organized. It is rather simple, actually. There are six “niches” or round rooms (at one time, chapels). Each highlights a stage in the evolution of sound reproduction and transmission. Each niche houses about 10-14 sound reproduction and transmission devices, ranging from different countries’ first phonographs and radios to portable devices such as the compact disc and the iPod.

The niches are: (1) Reproduced Sound: From the Phonograph to the Gramophone (2) Transmitted Sound: The Birth of the Radio (3) Sound at Home: A New Household Appliance (4) Pocket Sound: From the Mobile to the Portable and (5) Sound for All: New Consumer Goods and (6) New Sound: From Analog to Digital.

2) Each niche contains an interactive touch screen from which visitors can select one of the technologies on display in the room and then a song from a set playlist of typical music from that period. The selected song is played throughout the niche, audible to visitors inside the specific niche, but not beyond.

3) The culmination of the visit is a demonstration of the research and technological advancements taking place at the Casa del Suono. Two installations, the Sonic Chandelier and the White Room, apply the theory of Wave Field Synthesis. The Sonic Chandelier uses technology that creates virtual sounds sources that move in the space above the listener. In the White Room, visitors experience the sound quality and movement of 189 speakers positioned at the same height along the perimeter of the room, creating a two-dimensional sonic field and a TRUE surround sound experience.

The Casa del Suono, aside from its architecturally supreme space, extensive collection, and cutting-edge research, asks visitors to think beyond “History of Rock 101” and the evolution of music. It has viewers reflect on sound--how people have historically received sound; how the evolution of transmitting sound and music has transformed family life, politics, and society; and how electronic technologies continue to shape access to culture, art, and science.

If you find yourself in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the Casa del Suono is definitely worth a visit. It is an off-the-beaten track gem. And while you are in Parma for the day, treat yourself to a dish of the region’s pasta covered in Parma’s own parmigiano reggiano cheese. It will be a day for the books; you can trust me on that one.

A Little Sun, Solar Power, and Electricity: Olafur Eliasson at the Tate Modern

A little sunshine can go a long way, or at least, that’s what artist Olafur Eliasson has set out to prove. His exhibition, Little Sun, at the Tate Modern revolves around “solar power, the global energy challenge, light and its importance in and for life.” But at the center of it all, lies not the Sun, but a tiny solar powered lamp called a Little Sun! http://vimeo.com/41830924

Eliasson explains the Little Sun as follows:

Light is for everyone – it determines what we do and how we do it. This is why Frederik Ottesen and I have developed the solar-powered lamp Little Sun. Little Sun is a small work of art with a large reach. One part of the artwork is the lamp and the activities it enables. The other is the successful distribution of Little Sun in off-grid communities, its journey from production to usage.

In some households, there will be a Little Sun that beams during the night. The lamp is also being sold at the Tate Modern and with every purchase, it will be made available at a lower price to those who do not have access to electricity. Furthermore, visitors will be able to create light graffiti using the Little Sun! Yet the luckiest will be those who participate in a blackout event in the Surrealism galleries and use their lamps to see the art!

http://vimeo.com/45573593

But once the lights are turned back on, it’s important to note that Little Sun is not just an exhibition, it’s a for profit company!  One that seeks to expand its distribution networks into the depths of darkness to bring electricity, prosperity, and economic growth to all.

Their business model is similar to TOMs in that they will provide a reduced price Little Sun to off-grid communities for every lamp that is bought. Some additional points regarding their business goals are mentioned below:

We will ensure that Little Sun is made available where typical commercial interests would not reach.

We will focus our energy on the point where the need is most: where electricity is unavailable, unreliable, unaffordable, or unsustainable.

We will drive profit to this point of need – far beyond where industry normally goes.

We will help create and nurture small sustainable businesses by supplying them with Little Suns and providing the support they need to create profit.

We aim to make light, energy, and profits available everywhere.

Little Sun is a stellar example of a project that spans the fields of art, science, and business! Here’s to a little sunshine going a long, long way!

Museum Laboratories and Chrome Experiments!

It truly is difficult to write about an experiment untested with a hypothesis unknown, and in a lab unseen. But I’ll make an exception because Google is the scientist behind it. All that we know about the Chrome Web Lab, we know because of a minute long YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhs0YHUPV24

“See the magic of the web brought to life through 5 Chrome Experiments.

Open to the world online. Live from the Science Museum, London.

Launching in beta, summer 2012.”

Instead of making grandiose, naive, and most likely, faulty predictions, all I will say is that where there is Google, there is oodles and doodles of interesting innovation. So this participatory exhibition at the London Museum of Science is one to experience and experiment with.

Coincidentally, another equally experimental space, called the Laboratory for Museum Innovation, is in the works at the Dallas Museum of Art. Having secured $300,000 in funding, the lab will soon launch a  round of  pilot projects designed to address museological issues such as : Access to Collections; Visitor Engagement and Participatory Culture; Advancing Digital Scholarship; and Transformative Infrastructure. The following was mentioned in DMA’s press release:

“The Laboratory will mount a series of short-term pilot projects that will investigate and focus on enhancing educational resources for K-12 students and teachers; expanding data and information on its collections to aid scholars and visitors; deepening understanding of how visitors encounter works of art; and improving global distribution of content from the Museum and its audiences.”

It’s going to be a summer of scientific experimentation in museums. A fine meeting of cultural and statistical significance!

The Meta-Museum: A Work of Art Depicting Museum Visitors Admiring a Work of Art

Before you head off on summer holiday, take a look at the newest addition to the Museum of Fine Art, Boston’s, Arts of the Americas wing. Warren Prosperi’s realist painting, “Museum Epiphany III,” depicts museum visitors amid the 19th-century paintings and sculptures in the Penny and Jeff Vinik Gallery of the Museum.

Those years I spent studying and copying at the MFA, I got to see the life of the museum. There’s different types of people who are always moving through the gallery. At one point I said, “All this vibrant life in the museum is a painting in and of itself.” So I started a group of paintings about the works of art, and the museumgoers, and their relationship to each other. - Warren Prosperi in a Boston Globe interview

“Museum Ephiphany I” and “Museum Ephiphany II” also feature specific locations in the Museum and were purchased by Museum trustee, David Croll. “Museum Epiphany III” will be one in a series of potentially 25 paintings.

What a turn of events when visitors become the subject of the art they view.

(Photo courtesy: David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Beautifying the City through Public Works of Art

There may be no better way to beautify a city (or most cost effective way, in many aspects) than by using public works of art. As I have written about before, cities, especially cities that are losing population and/or facing severe budget shortfalls, are turning more and more to public art to revitalize areas and encourage more tourism. And as I wrote about last week, cities are turning more and more to what makes them unique, a significant change in focus from the tried and true method of trying to outdo or outclass your neighbors. Gone are the days (I hope, at least) of cities competing for visitors by building bigger stadiums or concert halls in an attempt to prove that they are, in fact, the most exciting city this world has ever seen.

In light of all this talk about urban renewal, green spaces, and new works of public art, what are some of the latest and greatest pieces of work on display? A number of outlets, including the New York Times, the Atlantic and others, have recently taken a look at works from across the world, and I have assembled them here for your viewing pleasure!

The New York Times recently took a look at a new project in Mexico City that seeks to provide both aesthetic pleasure and help the environment: a set of three “eco-sculptures” that comprise a sort of urban garden in the city. As you can see in the image above, these arches, comprised of thousands of plants each, are an attempt to beautify the city and help ease pollution in the large metropolis. Installed by a local non-profit, the sculptures are part of an overall effort to help green a city that is not particularly known for having a sustainable reputation; as the New York Times reports, these three sculptures are just a small part of a broader garden movement, and the attention these works of art have received are bound to make the effort that much more noticeable.

Over in Los Angeles, a new public art project has taken a little of bit of nature and transported it, visually at least, to an urban area. Artist Paige Smith has crafted little miniature geodes, crystals that form inside of some rocks, and installed them in unassuming places around the city: inside pipes, brick walls, or even the cracks of a wall. Smith has created little 3D sculptures made of paper to have the appearance of geodes, and the result is a unique little diversion from the normal city wall. She’s up to a dozen installations across the city, and you can see a full map of locations on her website.

(Photo courtesy of Paige Smith)

In St. Louis, public art is being used to help solve a problem: how do theatres make their patrons more efficient? In other words, is there a way to encourage patrons to stay longer and keep themselves busy, instead of just standing around waiting for the show to start?

A piece is going up in the Grand Center neighborhood of St. Louis that is designed to encourage patrons and visitors to stay a while. Titled “A Chromatic Confluence,” it will be a mazelike sculpture made up of about 20,000 feet of different colors of string. The overall structure will be fairly large in size, about 25-feet by 65-feet, and will be lit up at night, as you can see below. Hoping to draw in patrons and foot traffic, it is an attempt to grab people’s attention and give them something to do before the show starts. The piece is the first of a planned series of public art projects in the St. Louis area, in an overall attempt to bring more culture and artistic pieces to the city.

(Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Overseas, the city of Manila is moving ahead with public art, but is doing so in an attempt to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Manila has the distinction of being one of the world’s most polluted cities, and attempts have been made in recent years to help cut down on emissions and improve air quality.

Courtesy of the Atlantic, a local Philippine company has created a paint which it claims can help purify the air while being used, and since the discovery, murals have been painted all over the city in attempt to not only beautify areas of the city that been victims of neglect and destruction, but also help the environment as well. The BBC recently filed a report about the paint and the attempt to improve the city through public art.

(Photo courtesy of The Atlantic)

These are just a few of the examples of cities using public art to help improve the aesthetic quality of their cities. Many more projects are underway, popping up in cities all across the United States and the world. What are some of your favorite public works of art in your cities, or perhaps favorites you’ve seen in others? Feel free to comment below!

(Top photo courtesy of the New York Times)

Rivers of Ice: Exhibitions at MIT Museum and Everest Base Camp

An exhibition at the Mount Everest Base Camp is no ordinary undertaking. The location itself is bound to generate a few shudders. But for an organization named GlacierWorks, no glacier is too remote a location to increase awareness about the potential impact of glacial loss on Asia’s water supply. Incidentally, for those far from the Himalayas but close to Massachusetts, their work is also being exhibited at the MIT Museum. GlacierWorks is an organization we have written about in the past because of their unique use of “art, science, and adventure” to document changes in the Himalayan glaciers. Through a process of matched photography, using images by 20th century photographers such as Vittorio Sella and Sir George Mallory, they are able to note the decrease in glacial mass that has taken place during the course of the century.  The results are presented in compelling photographic exhibitions that narrate a story of loss in the highest reaches of the Himalayas.

For an exhibition titled, Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya, the Everest Base Camp couldn’t be a more appropriate or beautiful location.  “Set against the magnificent backdrop of Mount Everest and the Khumbu glacier, Rivers of Ice presents visitors with a chance to admire the vast beauty of the High Himalaya while reflecting upon the profound changes taking place in this seemingly impermeable landscape.”

GlacierWorks stresses how some of the most important rivers in Asia (Indus, Ganges, Yellow, Yangtze etc.) rely on the Himalayan glaciers for “seasonal flow of fresh water”, and any change in that flow can affect millions of people downstream.

“Data collection in this vast and remote region is impossible for all but the most seasoned climbers, and each glacier has unique characteristics that prevent broad generalizations about the region as a whole. Nevertheless, scientists agree that there is a trend of melting beyond what can be expected to occur naturally.”

Since Everest Base Camp is a mountaineering mecca of sorts, Rivers of Ice is sure to affect the daring mountaineers who tread upon the very glaciers exhibited. Yet more importantly, the cause for concern is destined to wind its way down the Himalayas; to India, China, and the international community as a whole. Those with little to no inclination for steep inclines and frosty conditions can keep up with the exhibit via GlacierWorks’ Facebook and Google+ pages. You can also follow the exhibit on their Twitter, where it will be promoted using the hashtag, #icegallery.

If you wish to see their photographs in person but are daunted by the notion of a journey to the base of Mount Everest, you can make a far less taxing visit to the Rivers of Ice exhibit at the MIT Museum.  Rivers of Ice seeks to “trigger public dialogue as scientists and policymakers work to better understand the glaciers’ potential impact on the fresh water supply in Asia, and on global environmental issues in general.”

As the MIT Museum explains, the true plight of the Himalayan glaciers has led to a certain degree of controversy in academia. A scientific report earlier this year concluded that the Himalayan glaciers had in effect seen no decrease in ice between 2003 and 2010; the loss of glacial ice had been compensated for by an increase in ice in the caps. Understandably, the behavior of these glaciers confounds climate scientists. Yet they remain a rare, unexplained exception as the study shows that glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland are losing mass at significant rates. Globally, a total of 536 gigatonnes of ice have been lost between 2003 and 2010.

The MIT Museum goes on to say the following:

“As our thinking about Rivers of Ice evolved, we came to realize that the exhibition gives us an ideal platform for opening discussions about climate change, about water resources and, fundamentally, about how science works. Acquiring scientific knowledge is a back-and-forth, trial and error process. As the research continues, we hope for more clarity, but we're prepared for more disagreement about what exactly is happening to the glaciers in the Himalaya.”

GlacierWorks photographs are an excellent opportunity to delve into the conversation about climate change. And even as we wait upon clarity regarding the Himalayan glaciers, the broader trend of glacial loss could not be clearer. It’s easy to forget about climate change when you live under perpetually sunny skies.  But a trip to the Himalayan glaciers on GlacierWork’s website or the MIT Museum will definitely give you something to shiver about.

The Google Art Project Welcomes You to the White House

Ever wanted to take a tour of the White House? Well now you have a chance, and you can do it all from the comfort of your living room. The Google Art Project, a site devoted to presenting high resolution photographs of hundreds of works of art and museum tours from some of the finest museums in the world, including the Palace of Versailles, the Van Gogh Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has unveiled its latest project, a captivating look inside the world’s most famous residence, the White House.

As part of what the White House calls its “commitment to opening the doors of the White House to all Americans,” the site primarily does two things. First, it presents images of dozens of paintings and works in art in stunning high resolution quality; and secondly, my favorite part, it offers a 360-degree view of many of the “public” areas of the White House, giving you your own personal tour!

The White House is the latest location added to Google’s Art Project website, which has steadily grown in recent months by adding some of the top museums in the world to its collection. It really is a site to behold and a must visit for arts lovers everywhere; by taking some of the world’s best collections and putting them online free of charge for the world to see, it really does represent one of the best ways to merge technology with the arts to generate enthusiasm and excitement for the stunning works of art that are now viewable in all their high definition glory.

For the paintings and works of art themselves, Google features what they call a “gigapixel” camera that offers an extremely high resolution look at some of the most famous paintings in the White House collection, including Gilbert Stuart’s famous portrait of George Washington. Viewers can zoom in and examine the paintings in EXTREMELY close detail, all the way down to the brushstrokes, just as you would if you were to view them in person, right?

You’ll find hundreds of paintings, sculptures, pieces of furniture, and more available for view. You’ll also find a portrait of almost every former president as well. Some of my favorite presidential portraits, which I have seen before on either book covers, in print or elsewhere, were immediately noticeable and fascinating to view up close and in so much detail. Some of my favorites include Aaron Shikler’s portrait of John F. Kennedy, John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Teddy Roosevelt, George P.A. Healy’s portrait of a sitting Abraham Lincoln, and last by not least, John Trumbull's portrait of my favorite founding father, Alexander Hamilton.

The coolest part of the site however, if you’re like me, is the virtual tour. In recent months, Google has made headlines by starting to take their Street View cameras indoors to start photographing businesses and places of interest to add to its Google Maps site. What Google has done here is to take those Street View cameras inside the White House and presented a “museum view” of the public spaces inside. Here is where you can walk around and give yourself a tour of two floors of the White House, seeing sights like the East Room (where indoor press conferences are usually held) and the China Room, where presidential china collections dating back to the 18th century are held.

Not everyone will have the chance to visit Washington and take the White House tour (which is a hard ticket to come by, and even if you can get on the list, usually requires a several months long wait), but thanks to Google, we now have the next best thing, viewing many of the sights you would see on a tour on your computer screen.

This may be one of the few things everyone can agree on when it comes to the White House: having an opportunity to view the magnificent works of art from the White House collection in such high resolution is a welcome treat, and worthy of praise. I encourage everyone to check out the site and go exploring!