Tape up street art

Mark Jenkins, an artist living in Washington DC, makes art from packing tape.  Jenkins then places his art in odd public spaces that can either bring frustration, confusion or laughter to the lucky people who come across it! 

Jenkins explains his process: “The process is really simple: wrap the object and/or person (perhaps yourself), and then cover it using the plastic film. Then wrap this figure in packing tape. Take a pair of scissors or a knife and cut one end. Take the cast out from inside and then seal the hole. Your model is now ready.”

Here are some of my favorites!

Street Fair

Nature's Carousel

Sweet Parking Meters

Overgrown Phone

Bring It Down

An Afternoon Swim

Baby Tricks

“Interfacing street sculpture in public space creates an installation environment that turns regular space into art space. Signs and people and everything around a street sculpture—they all become part of it. A two-dimensional work, being confined to surfaces, doesn’t have as much of a capacity.”

Thanks to my colleague Justin for the cool find.

For more on Mark Jenkins, check out his website or Twisted Sifter.

Savage Beauty

From May 4–August 7, 2011, Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  A friend of mine went to see it and said it brought her to tears.  I would love to get the chance to see it before it comes down.

In the meantime, The MET has a great blog up about the show with videos, commentary, photos, explanations and words from models, friends, designers and McQueen himself.

Separated into 6 different galleries,  the exhibition includes approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from McQueen’s prolific nineteen-year career.

While I have included a selection of some of my favorite pieces shown on the blog, I highly suggest taking a trip through the pages and videos yourself.  You won't be disappointed.

Ensemble, No. 13, spring/summer 1999

White cotton muslin spray-painted black and yellow with underskirt of white synthetic tulle.

 

This dress was created live with 2 robots spraying a white dress while model Shalom Harlow spun like a music box dancer.... A must watch video!

Ensemble, It's Only a Game, spring/summer 2005

Dress and obi-style sash of lilac and silver brocade; jacket of lilac silk faille embroidered with silk thread; top of nude synthetic net embroidered with silk thread.

Inspired by Peter Weir’s film Picnic at Hanging Rock, the collection itself was staged as a live chess game (see video), and the inspiration for the chess game came from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.









I love how the the mannequin in this particular dress has a helmet of hair covering her face. Most of the other pieces have armor or fabric covering the mannequin's face.

Dress, Sarabande, spring/summer 2007
Nude silk organza embroidered with silk flowers and fresh flowers

“Jellyfish” Ensemble 
Plato’s Atlantis, spring/summer 2010
Dress, leggings, and “Armadillo” boots embroidered with iridescent enamel paillettes.

Part of the Romantic Naturalism gallery, Plato's Atlantis was the last fully realized collection the designer presented before his death in February 2010. Inspired by Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859), it presented a narrative that centered not on the evolution of humankind but on its devolution.

This outfit in particular was almost the exact outfit Lady Gaga wore in her Bad Romance video.

Ensemble, No. 13, spring/summer 1999
Prosthetic legs of carved elm wood.

Part of a beautiful ensemble that included, a brown leather corset and cream silk lace skirt, these gorgeous prosthetic legs were carved specifically for Aimee Mullins. Mullins is a world-class Paralympic athlete, and she actually modeled the boots for his 1999 show.  Most people viewing the show assumed they were wooden boots, but in reality, they were the model's legs!

Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen
“Coiled” Corset- The Overlook, autumn/winter 1999–2000
Aluminum

The “Coiled” Corset was created by casting the model’s torso in concrete to get an exact form, and then literally formed coil by coil, front and back.  The model was placed into the corset, and then it’s screwed all along the side, and up the arms, and beside the neck. There are tiny, little bolts, so the model’s actually screwed into the piece.

Inspired by the coiled necklaces of the Ndebele people of southern Africa, McQueen gave jeweler Shaun Leane the daunting task of transforming the necklace into a corset, pushing the boundaries of how jewelry should be perceived and how it should be worn.

“You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition.”

—Alexander McQueen

Munday on a Monday

Oliver Munday is a graphic designer that co-founded “Piece”, a socially based design collaborative, with Bernard Canniffe and Mike Weikert. Piece believes that designers can play a significant role in positive change and social justice.  In 2010 Munday was named one of PRINT magazine's “20 under 30,” in the new visual artists review.

He created this slightly disturbing, yet amazing 3-D alphabet created from melted and molded plastic green army men and unbelievably detailed hand-drawn jacket using a Sharpie!

For more information about Munday and his work, go to ArtNectar
or his website.
























 

Pickle Things

Clearly food is important to me since I have multiple posts that involve it in some form.  And here is yet another!  I love these little handmade recycled felt toys by Pickle Things!  They are cute as decoration or for playing.  Check out all of their styles on Etsy.