Recent visitors to LACMA have noticed that the center of the BP Grand Entrance is now filled with a dense forest of bright, colorful plastic. The aptly titled HappyHappy is Korean artist Choi Jeong-Hwa’s site-specific installation created for the upcoming exhibition Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea (June 28–September 20, 2009). When the exhibition opens, visitors will be allowed to walk through HappyHappy and discover that the explosion of abstract shapes and saccharine colors are actually nothing more than floor-to-ceiling strands of thousands of household containers procured from local 99¢ stores.

 

 

Choi is considered the father of Korean pop art, and his enduring interest in popular materials and consumer culture is evident when you move through the rows and rows of plastic containers, many of which are manufactured in Asia and found in many Korean homes.
Consider this a sneak preview of Choi’s work. Installation of Welcome, a second site-specific project that will transform the façade of the Ahmanson Building, starts today…

Italian Graffiti Artist BLU does it a little differently.

http://www.blublu.org/
There’s plenty of Blu’s art online, but frustratingly little about the artist himself – this is the most complete biography we found. What we do know is that he’s an Italian street artist known for his incredibly compelling style and the well-loved innovative stop-motion animation MUTO. His work can be seen in London, Berlin, Prague, Barcelona, and all over Argentina. His website is full of wonderful things, including lots of sketches and photos of past painted walls.

International Pillow Fight Day | April 3rd 2010! Join the Fun!!!!

International Pillow Fight Day | April 3rd 2010

On Saturday April 3rd 2010, there will be massive pillow fights in cities around the world!  Check out the list of cities that participated in 2008 and 2009. Learn more about the urban playground movement.

Politics of Play

Great game to play with children & their families around the schoolyard.
Game 2: Plot Cast 
Plot Casting was inspired by interviewing peole about their desires for the neighborhood. Many people wanted more trees and would like to remove urban furniture and replace them with trees or plants. One gardener wanted to do "flower terrorism".   
How many players?
No limit

Type of game: team, competitive, adventure…
Participatory game for residents of the area

What do people need to play the game:
-pieces, board, architecture…
-People
-Materials to make flags.

Roles:
Players
Recruitment (getting people to play)
Referee ( to say "start" and determine winner)

Motivation:
Making the need for green spaces visible, environmental concerns. Teams acting like wind spreading seeds- distributive computing.

Inspirations:
The idea was inspired by a gardener from St. Ouen who wanted to do "flower terrorism". Giving the game a competitive, speed-based character which reminds of aggressive competition in economy to be first and faster than the competitors.

Who does the project benefit?
Local people (beauty, air quality)and for visitors (it makes it more attractive). Animals.

Who is it for (audience)?
Residents in the neighborhood

What aspect of "community" does it address?
The planted flags communicate to the people, and can bring up a conversation, make the need visible to locals and local politicians. A movement can emerge that makes people plant together, like a demonstration through planting.

Technology:
Take pictures as documentation, map with GPS the places where people want to have green and that could become plots. This map could also be sent to the mayor of St. Ouen.

Other Thoughts: (things you learned, unexpected outcomes…)
There is really a lack of green spaces in St. Ouen that people would really want to leave the area for that reason.

It was also surprising that people were afraid when we started talking to them and asking them questions.

References: (urls, projects, books)
Noderunners, C-Theory, Pac Manhattan, Paul Ardenne, Yuri Gitman, Carlos Gomez de Llarena, The Yes Men

http://www.futurefarmers.com/play/

Shape Lab, MOMA Feb 10-June 14

Come explore! Make discoveries about shape and art in our newest interactive space. In Shape Lab, families can experiment, build, draw, read, and create with a variety of kid-friendly materials and activities. Stop by the Lab before or after visiting MoMA’s galleries.

Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

Chill-Out Room

Need to just get away from it all?  Love looking at the night stars, but hate the biting mosquitoes? Then step into the Chill-Out room inflatable that would make NASA proud.
Making use of 31 interconnected hexagonal pillows, this comfy pod inflates to seven feet which should be enough room for you & your sweetie to snuggle hive-like under the evening sky.
A large entry portal gives you access, white PVC walls cocoon you soundly & a clear overhead panel offers you mosquito-biting-free views.  I think of this inflatable as more of an escape pod.  If the in-laws or kids are getting you down, climb aboard and roll your cares away.  That’s what I would do, find a good hill and start rolling.  I would never have been found if this was available to me in my childhood, for me it was just cardboard boxes and digging up rocks.
The Chill-Out inflatable was originally priced at $400 last year.

Mountain Hardware’s Stronghold Camping Tent

Whether you’re heading to the Himalayas or just to your favorite campsite, Mountain Hardware’s Stronghold Camping Tent has got you covered. The Stronghold is an impervious, double-walled ground tent, and its funky dome shape minimizes wind load over its surface area. To help circulate air, this Mountain Hardware camping tent has three zippered doors, a large roof vent and five perimeter vents. For cold-weather campers, a perimeter floor-band creates waterproof seats for carved snow benches. Supported by Yunan Scandium Expedition PF poles, the bar-tacked stress points and nylon pack cloth reinforcements add durability to the Stronghold. Retail price of around $3,000. Mountain Hardware.

Lunchbox Laboratory

Lunchbox Laboratory is a collaboration between Futurefarmers + the Biological Sciences Team at the National Renewable Energy Lab. Currently scientists are using algae to produce hydrogen and have discovered that it is a viable renewable energy form, in thatalgae is everywhere and it could also be used to produce biodeisel. One of the main hurdles for the research is to find the most productive strains of algae. Since there are potentially millions of strains, this task is monumental. Lunchbox Laboratory is a prototype for a potentially distributed research tool that would be sent to schools such that young scientists could do primary screening of a collection of algae strains. This would serve as a preliminary screening such that non productive strains would be ruled out and only productive strains would reach labs. This project enables students to participate in big science as well as network with other students nationwide to compare notes. http://futurefarmers.com/projects/lunchboxlaboratory

Cloud, Portable Meeting Room

Cloud is the portable room for meeting, resting and concentrating. The room is easy to transport from place to place and is installed in three minutes. A quiet fan keeps the room inflated as long as needed. Fan and bag included.http://www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com/Products/usd0/Furniture/Office/6136/Cloud+meeting+room

Snug Fit, Open-ended outdoor play materials!

Treehouse of my dreams

 

I could only dream of escaping to this tree capsule! 

 

... a slumber party of ideas!

 

Ideal for time outs.

Food Map Containers

Great resource for portable gardens that can be moved in & out of the classroom.
http://stores.foodmapdesign.com/Categories.bok?category=Food+Map+Container

PS216 NY Designed by Edible Schoolyard & Work Architects Design Studio

Public Farm 1 - Sur les Pavés la Ferme from WORKac on Vimeo.

Checkout the amazing project happening at PS216 in Brooklyn, New York!

Beyond Board!

Exploring cardboard to construct new ideas!