My Design Notes

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1 Apr 2011

Miró at EMMA
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EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art is exhibiting works of the Catalonian artist Joan Miró (1893-1983).

Many know Miró from his signature graphic style. But Miró was versatile; he was a painter, a sculptor, a ceramic and textile artist, and so on. This was the first time that I had a chance to see so many of his sculpture in one place. You can say that his works are surrealistic and humorous, but he had definitely an eye for form and space. He said that there is no non-figurative or abstract art. Every line and form has a meaning.

The exhibition has an interesting extension featuring works from seven Finnish artist who seem to have been inspired by Miró. A friend of mine, Kari Huhtamo is one of them.

EMMA's building used to be a printing press in the 1960s. It was altered to house a cultural center and was opened in 2006. EMMA is the largest museum in Finland.

Here are some snapshots from the exhibition.

(download)

Click here to download:
miro-at-emma-hslHcDiIyjsHABCIotJp.zip (1.75 MB)

Photos: Aarni Heiskanen, with permission of EMMA
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30 Mar 2011

Accidental art
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I walked by a construction site today and discovered some accidental art.
(download)

Click here to download:
accidental-art-eqnGecsxbueysdfcvBIp.zip (8.29 MB)

accidental art.
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13 Mar 2011

Light painting reveals the networks around you
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We are surrounded by wireless networks. This art & technology project makes WiFi networks visible in an amazing, yet simple way.

"This project explores the invisible terrain of WiFi networks in urban spaces by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs. A four-metre long measuring rod with 80 points of light reveals cross-sections through WiFi networks using a photographic technique called light-painting."

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi from Timo on Vimeo.
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15 Sep 2010

Art of movement
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I've always liked kinetic art: moving objects, lights, or liquids that interact in surprising ways. Kinetic art demonstrates how simple rules can create endless variation. In that sense it mimics nature without representing it.

Artists who make kinetic art are often "renaissance types". They can be mathematicians or engineers with an artistic inclination. Esa Laurema, a Finnish artist and engineer, comes to mind. I first met him in the 1980s when he made his light sculptures. He used car wiper motors to rotate mirrors that reflected colored light beams. The result was quite fascinating.

The following three videos show recent examples of kinetic art.

ART+COM has made a Kinetic Sculpture for the BMW Museum. It is comprised of of 714 metal spheres hanging from thin steel wires that are individually controlled by stepper motors.

Dutch Theo Jansen makes large moving "animals" that are wind-powered.

American artist Reuben Margolin creates large-scale kinetic sculptures that use pulleys and motors to recreate complex movements and structures. He explains his background and work.
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18 Aug 2010

Is Stendhal syndrome a thing of the past?
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"Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome, hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world." Wikipedia

We are exposed to hundreds of images or videos every day. The Internet is the biggest gallery that ever existed. Are we still susceptible to Stendhal syndrome? I'd argue that it is still possible.

When you visit huge museums or other places with an abundance of original art you can become overwhelmed. Not by the quantity alone but the quality, the history, the connection to the makers of the art objects - the feeling that this is something original and genuine. There is nothing between you and the real thing. I could imagine that a live concert with some famous artist might have the same effect.

On the Internet, however, everything you see is a reproduced by a device. The whole concept of an original is vague. What and where the original web page design? This does not imply that digital design or art is of less value than objects that exist in the material world. Originality is not tied to the physical uniqueness of a work but it is in the uniqueness of the experience.

Is Stendhal syndrome possible online? I haven't heard of any cases, but a visit to Vimeo or other sites that burst with creativity might trigger it.

Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo: State Records NSW
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12 Aug 2010

There is no objective criticism
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Some artist say that they never read reviews about their performances. Famous Finnish pianist, conductor and composer Olli Mustonen obviously did. He refused to play for several years in Helsinki because of a music critic of the leading newspaper. Mustonen new that he was (and still is) a great pianist, but somehow couldn't stand the poor reviews that the critic gave him, time after time. Was the critic harassing the artist, or was he honestly trying to be objective? Many supported Mustonen's decision and felt that he was attacked unduly.

We are taught not to take criticism personally. I think that's as difficult as trying to be objective. Here are some reasons why I believe we cannot give objective criticism:
- Personality - we reveal our own personality in our appraisals, like the critic of Olli Mustonen
- Values - we judge according to our values
- Context - we think what's right or wrong in relationship to other similar things
- Ideology - we interpret things according to our beliefs and morality
- Social pressure - we tend to conform with our social environment
- Experience - a nicer word for prejudice
- Knowledge - as experts we know better
- Fear - we don't want to be ridiculed
- Personal gain - sometimes a certain kind of evaluation can raise our status or further our aspirations
If objective criticism is a myth does it have any value? I think that designers and artist can still learn from it. It is, however, important to understand that critics are people, too.

Photo: iStockphoto
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26 Jun 2010

Timeless abstract beauty
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My co-operation with the Finnish sculptor Kari Huhtamo started off in mid-1980s. Back then I was one of the few architects using state-of-the-art 3D CAD modeling tools. Kari had a design for a steel relief that was going to be placed in a hall. I made a 3D model and some renderings of the hall with the sculpture.

In the 1990s I helped Kari on several occasions. We even re-enacted a sculpture competition process for a tv program that we scripted together. Kari has always been interested in virtual modeling. He works with modelers and animators to bring his designs to life before they are executed.

I just learned that Kari's sculpture is on display at the presidential summer residence in Naantali. You can see a photo collection of the works at http://www.huhtamo.com/exhibitions/kultaranta/index.htm (click on the photos to proceed).

Kari's steel mobiles make the weight of steel disappear. This photo shows a mobile made for the WM-data (now Logica) building in Helsinki (photo copyright Kari Huhtamo):

Visit www.huhtamo.com
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