![land[e]scape](/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/landescape01.jpg)
land[e]scape, an exhibition curated by Eric C. Shiner and featuring 14 contemporary Japanese Artists, ends next Wednesday, October 3rd, at the Onishi Gallery in New York City.
Archive for September, 2007
Crysis, one of the most anticipated PC games of the year, has a bonus DVD now available with pre-orders. From the developer of Far Cry, Crysis is built on the new CryEngine2, possibly the most graphically advanced realtime 3D game engine. Not apparent on the case, the DVD is an Art Disc. Included are concept art, in-game renders and marketing art with some images over 4K resolution. This bonus is available at Gamestop or former EBGames outlets.
Hummer Selector Commercial
| September 25th, 2007 | Advertising and Automotive |
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Joseph Kosinski, whom I worked for at KDLAB and on the Mezzo commercials, has revealed his latest directorial effort, this time for Agency Modernista! and Hummer. Now on the web and airing nationwide, see the Hummer transform and shift from one harsh environment to the next at josephkosinski.com.
Also, check out the websites of some other creatives involved. Director of Photography Claudio Miranda, VFX by Digital Domain, Motion Graphics by GMUNK and sound design from Stimmung.
HALO 3, the anticipated savior of Microsoft’s unprofitable XBOX Division, has just debuted. I’ve never had much interest in HALO. The first title, generally considered the superior effort, failed to live up to its hype. The more interesting game exteriors were too often replaced with endlessly cloned interiors that only served to pad the game’s length, epitomized by the universally reviled Library mission. The Warthog vehicle mechanics coupled with its popular multiplayer capability was a milestone for console games, but didn’t captivate against comparable multiplayer fare on the PC. The premise was sufficiently engaging, but ultimately a hodge-podge construct blatantly ripped from Ringworld and Aliens, plus countless others. Granted I’m a cynical jaded gamer disappointed with the lack of design progress exhibited by the games industry over the years.
The game’s iconic protagonist, the Master Chief, whose identity remains obscured, is a stroke of brilliance. We desire to know the Master Chief’s identity, yet his obscurity serves gaming perfectly as the Master Chief becomes synonymous with the player. Overall HALO does manage to hit the right note where others haven’t and has subsequently become the Star Wars of gaming. This of course aided by a marketing campaign for HALO 3 that is more reminiscent of Nike than Microsoft. As highlighted by the following commercials spearheaded by Agency McCann, San Francisco.
The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification has gained traction in the past year. The rating system offers certification at four levels, Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum dependent on the amount of credits attained by pursuing sustainable building methods, optimizing energy and water efficiency and other eco-friendly strategies. ArTect.net has previously reported on LEED certified buildings, notably AIA’s 2007 Top 10 Green Buildings and on 7 World Trade Center.
Architectural writer Eve Kushner has written an article on maverick Florida developer Frank McKinney’s pursuit of the seemingly paradoxical “Eco-Mansion”. It’s an interesting story that provides insight into the LEED certification process. Read it at Design Build Network.
The Photographic Works of Kristopher Grunert
| September 20th, 2007 | Architecture, Photography and Websites | | Bookmark 0 Comments
An excellent architectural, industrial and landscape photographer was recently brought to my attention. Kristopher Grunert’s photography blurs the line between commercial work and fine art. His rendition of modern industry and his careful consideration of compositional lines, atmosphere and lighting evoke the work of Charles Sheeler and Michael Kenna, with a distinct edge that borders on the cinematic.
Continue reading ‘The Photographic Works of Kristopher Grunert’
Le Corbusier Exhibition
| September 19th, 2007 | Architecture, Books and Exhibitions | | Bookmark 0 Comments
The Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, will be hosting the exhibition Le Corbusier - The Art of Architecture in collaboration with the Netherlands Architecture Institute and the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Opening September 30th, the exhibition will run through February 10th. Perhaps the most important architect of the twentieth century, Le Corbusier’s work as exhibited is featured in a hardcover book available via Amazon or the Vitra Design Museum Shop.
Commercial Space Travel
| September 17th, 2007 | Aircraft, Architecture and Identity | | Bookmark 0 Comments
Scaled Composites and aerospace designer Burt Rutan’s successful suborbital flights of SpaceShipOne in 2004, paved the way for commercial space travel. The following year Scaled Composites and Richard Branson’s Virgin Group created The SpaceShip company, which will initially manufacture five SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicles for Virgin Galactic.
A prototype of SpaceShipTwo, VSS Enterprise, is slated to be unveiled later this year and features an interior designed by firm Seymour Powell. As in SpaceShipOne, circular windows, a total of fifteen, are scattered across the cabin including the floor and ceiling. The high-G’s exerted onto passengers during the climb and reentry have been reduced by ergonomic seats that automatically recline and shift.
Earlier this month Foster + Partners revealed their winning design for the world’s first private spaceport, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority Building, created in collaboration with engineering design services firm URS, SMPC Architects, PHA Consult, Balis and Company and Exploration-Synthesis Partners. This spaceport will be the launching pad for Virgin Galactic and SpaceShipTwo.
Another Pinnacle for Burj Dubai
| September 13th, 2007 | Architecture and Exhibitions | | Bookmark 0 Comments
According to CBC News, the Burj Dubai yesterday claimed the crown of the tallest freestanding structure in the world, surpassing Toronto’s CN Communication Tower (558m). In August it had already attained the title of world’s tallest building, climbing beyond Taiwan’s Tapei 101 (508m).
On June 8th, ArTect.net reported on a Burj Dubai Exhibition at New York’s Skyscraper Museum. Originally slated to end its run by September, the exhibition has been extended till October 14th. Extended coverage follows.
Laden with intriguing subtext, Jeff Wall’s preconceived photographs capture modern life whilst referencing the history of art and literature.
The latest exhibit of photography’s “Painter of Modern Life”, will end its Chicago run in eleven days at the Art Institute. Originating earlier this year at MOMA New York, this traveling exhibition will conclude its tour at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from October 27 through January 27, 2008.
