Piu Kapoor

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate has received nearly unanimous praise since it was unveiled for Millennium Park's opening this summer. For those curious about the artist and his other works, the Galleria Massimo Minini in Brescia, Italy is hosting a one-man show on Kapoor.



The image above shows an installation made especially for the show, similar to Cloud Gate in its large size and the viewer being able to walk under the sculpture. Each piece also affects the viewer's perception of their surroundings as they move around and under it. Looking at the image of the large artwork in Italy, it is refreshing to think that Chicago has received a sculpture that is specific to its location - the skin reflecting and warping its context and the sky - something that might not be as effective elsewhere. Kapoor's ability to find an appropriate expression for each installation's context makes him a very important artist today.

For those able to make it to Italy, Kapoor's one-man show runs until December 23.

Events Galore

A few end-of-week events in Chicago of note:

Sustainable Communities: Learning from the Dutch Experience, highlighting "highlight innovations in green design; environmental safety; public policy; economic incentives in building sustainable communities; architecture and design." Speakers include Aaron Betsky (NAI) and Nathalie de Vries (MVRDV), though Ben Van Berkel (UN Studio) has cancelled. The symposium is taking place today and tomorrow at the HUB-Center of IIT at 3241 South Federal.



Designight 04, AIA Chicago's "festive evening celebrating architecture and the 49th Annual Design Excellence Awards" for AIA Chicago members. Festivities are in the Grand Ballroom of Navy Pier with special guest speaker Aaron Betsky making his rounds while in town. I will post news on the winners early next week after they are made public.



And if you're not affiliated with the AIA, check out:



Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Friday for members and Saturday for the public. "This major traveling exhibition provides the first comprehensive, interpretive examination of contemporary photography from China produced since the mid-1990s."

ArchiRaid

Browsing through the News section over at Archinect, I came across these links of interest:

Let It Be, Philip Nobel's critique of the four High Line finalists, from Metropolis Magazine. Nobel's stance that architects rely too much on buildings, even though they have created a situation where they have responsibility for everything from "the spoon to the skyscraper", is reinforced by three of the four finalists' entries, one being the winner. He argues that in this case the appropriate solution should have valued landscape over building, as in the TerraGRAM entry.



Built to thrill (classic) and Built to thrill (new), travel suggestions for the architourist. Capitalizing on a renewed interest in architecture, much like Time magazine's Great Buildings of the World, Budget Travel magazine picks twelve buildings in each category, all obvious to architects and students of architecture, but many new or unknown for the general public. Not surprisingly, all the names in the new section (outside perhaps Taniguchi) are big: Calatrava, Gehry, Libeskind, Hadid, Foster, Piano, Herzog & De Meuron; or at least they're getting big as their designs push public architecture in new and interesting directions. Of the 24 structures, I've yet to visit only eight of them (four in each section), though given the chance to catch up I would opt for visiting ones on the classic list over the new, particularly Park Guell, Fallingwater, and Mesa Verde.



and



Open access vs. donors' influence, an article in the Christian Science Monitor about the private money in the public Millennium Park. As public space in the US is becoming more and more privatized, the actual definition of "park" is changing, as is the role of public bodies in the creation and upkeep of parks. Witness not only the design of Millennium Park and its various features named after donors (Pritzker Pavilion, BP Bridge, SBC Plaza) but more importantly the closing of the Park to the public a week after its opening for a donor party. While no similar closing is anticipated in the future, it's clear that it could happen. Makes me wonder if a truly "public space" should ever be closed to the public, or is a new hybrid public/private space created?

The Price of Viewing Art

The Museum of Modern Art recently announced that admission to its downtown location, to be reopened on November 20, will be a whopping $20 (an increase of eight dollars over its current admission price), making it the most expensive art museum in the country. Citing higher insurance and security costs, decreased tourism since September 11, higher employee salaries, and costs related to its expansion, most likely the cost increase will work, at least for a while, with Yoshio Taniguchi's addition the star of its reopening. Also, MOMA's yearly membership will become more enticing ($75 individual and $150 family) since admission would be free for members. And, as the New York Times points out, the expansion will allow more of MOMA's collection to be displayed, making a day at the museum more worthwhile.



In comparison with other museums:

$20 - MOMA, New York (flat fee, free on Friday evenings)

$12 - Art Institute of Chicago (suggested admission, free on Tuesdays)

$12 - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (suggested admission)

$10 - MCA, Chicago (free on Tuesdays)

$0 - Tate Gallery, London (admission fee added for special exhibitions)

$0 - J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles ($5 fee per car for parking)

Genius Carpenter

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, today announced that James Carpenter is the recipient of one of the 23 MacArthur Fellowships this year. Carpenter, "an artist and sculptor with a strong background in developing new and emerging glass and material technologies," will receive $500,000 in five equal installments over the next five years, to do with whatever he pleases, no questions asked, one of the perks of winning the prestigious award.

Monday, Monday

This week's update:

Ceramics Park MINO in Tajimi, Gifu, Japan by Arata Isozaki.

The updated book feature is Made in Tokyo and Pet Architecture Guide Book by Atelier Bow-Wow and others.



Some unrelated links for your enjoyment:

Architectural Styles of America. Get educated on American architectural styles, especially everybody's favorite, Postmodern Commercial Architecture. (Thanks to Jim K. for this link)



School Blog Project, Kansas State University. Occasional posts on Brad Kingsley's fifth year of architecture school at my old school; part of Archinect's School Blog Project.



Green Day. Unleash the punk inside you with Green Day's latest, American Idiot. I am.

Sickening Sprawl

Today, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that, "Suburban sprawl [is] sickening". While this may not come as a surprise to many readers, a study by Rand Corp. found that, "people in high-sprawl regions have more health problems such as diabetes, breathing difficulties, migraine headaches and high blood pressure...[and] that living in a high-sprawl area has the equivalent effect on your health as aging four years."

While the study does not determine the causes of these results, researchers, "cited an earlier study that found people who live in high-sprawl areas walk less, weigh more and have a higher rate of high blood pressure."



Additionally, the author of the Sun-Times piece puts his spin on the findings, indicating that Chicago has an above-average "sprawl index",* with areas like Atlanta, Detroit, West Palm Beach and San Bernardino suffering the worst sprawl.

Regardless, Chicago's outer suburbs are sprawling and alternative developments, growth regulations/restrictions, or some other mechanism may need to be enforced to help in what is now being told to the public is a health problem. Hopefully this study will be a slap in the face for developers, the local governments, and other parties who perpetuate sprawl and will be a step towards creating healthy and sustainable communities for those who choose to live outside cities.

*Update 09.28: Chicago's sprawl index, according to the article, is 121.2. A higher number indicates less sprawl than a lower number.