Blank Space - Visual Design in Seattle, WA » sculpture

Perfect Pylon Power People

Riley — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:49:46 +0000

The Land of Giants is a design concept for high-voltage electrical pylons created by Choi + Shine Architects.

From their site:

Making only minor alterations to well established steel-framed tower design, we have created a series of towers that are powerful, solemn and variable. These iconic pylon-figures will become monuments in the landscape. Seeing the pylon-figures will become an unforgettable experience, elevating the towers to something more than merely a functional design of necessity.

It really is a fantastic idea. I love design that transforms physical spaces, and spaces don’t get much bigger than this. They have taken something that would usually be seen as a blight on the landscape and made it meaningful and beautiful. The sculptures are cool by themselves, but for me the interesting thing is how they might interact with the surrounding environment. They challenge the scale of the of vast terrain, the towers become a metaphor for the ways technology is making our world smaller. At one point they compare the pylon people to the statues of Easter Island, which I think is a great comparison. The best reason to build these might be for future civilizations to try and decipher them long after we go the way of the ancient Rapanui.

good fences make good neighbors

Riley — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:12:20 +0000

My dad makes cool random art sometimes. His big yard on the busy Airport Hwy is his gallery. I particularly enjoy this white picket patriotism piece he made to celebrate independence. The structure is 50′ long and 15′ high, pretty wild for citizens of Delta, OH (The Heart of it All). His blog, The Aristocrats, is not for the faint of heart.

SJCS Tz’dakah Caterpillar

admin — Sun, 23 May 2010 00:45:36 +0000

The Seattle Jewish Community School brought new life to its way of validating community service projects with this fun and unique living sculpture. Growing with each benevolent deed, this quaint embodiment of the center’s mission grabs the attention and cleverly reminds students, teachers, and visitors of the vital importance of charity. Infinitely more eye-catching than brass plates stuck to mundane wooden plaques, the interactive nature of the caterpillar ensures that any generosity will never go unnoticed or uncelebrated.

Woodworking created by John Belli

Giant Whale Sculptures in the City!

Mindi — Fri, 14 May 2010 19:41:58 +0000

I was walking down Broad Street in Philadelphia when I turned and saw these life size gray whales. Amazing. The artist Shay Church thinks about the long daunting migrations gray whales must survive each year. He describes his wet clay installations as migrations interrupted.

Just when you think you have seen everything you come across several beached whales on the gritty streets of Philly. Loved it! See more of Shay Church’s work here.

Seattle’s Tzedakah Caterpillar

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:56:00 +0000

This caterpillar was created for the Seattle Jewish Community School. It will house information about the students work of loving kindness (G’milut Hasadim) and charity (Tzedakah) throughout the year. Each body segment represents a month, and will grow each month throughout the year. The tail houses two Tzedakah boxes for the students to use each week.

Look at that beautiful eyeball—our partner John Belli is super talented!

Detail of the removable Tzedakah boxes in the tail.