This week, apparently, artists creating with unexpected materials are striking a chord for me. In his Ordinary Behavior series, Kevin LCK has constructed dioramas within cardboard and paper models of familiar (if not always thoroughly modern) gadgets. The works are intended to interrupt assumptions about our behavior and interactions with others and with technology, and they are detailed, […]
Category Archives: Common Ground
03
Nov
Nov
We’ve taken the day off work to spend some time finally finishing an as-yet-underutilized alcove space in our apartment, assembling Ikea cabinets and turning into an alternative to my usual dining room table workspace. But never mind that. Our alcove space is one that doesn’t make sense, a holdout from a previous renovation that doesn’t […]
23
Apr
Apr
Have you ever had a game that became such a time sink that you had to completely delete the app to break free? Bloons was one of those for me; then came Dots. When Damien Hirst’s Flumequine came across my screen the other day, I nearly re-installed the game. I resisted, but barely. If you’re […]
I’ll go ahead and blame Valentine’s Day for this post—I suggest the squeamish scroll no further. (But it’s just so good.) Jack happened upon this gif last week: a kiss, filmed from inside the mouth of one participant. It’s horrifying, and off-putting, and really, reallyreally fascinating. You can’t look away, right? I was immediately reminded […]
Windowpane checks starting appearing all over the place last fall, making a grand resurgence in fashion and decor. The checks that are currently popular on everything from pants to pillows also bring to mind two stark, geometric works from contemporary artists Hyo Kwon and Jannis Kounellis. Click through to see more from Hyo Kwon and Jannis […]
There’s been some crazy weather afoot nationwide, and the high contrast, icy landscapes I poured over today brought me back to two works that I paired on Pinterest months ago. Sebastião Salgado works in stunning black and white photography; Eyvind Earle’s serigraphs carry similar subject matter into bright, voluptuous interpretations. You can find more in Eyvind Earle’s portfolio, and […]
As we finalize this our holiday card designs (last-minute, yes, because house) we’ve been thinking festive thoughts. Giant wall confetti caught my eye initially as a potential photo booth backdrop that would be inexpensive and exceedingly simple. (I resisted the urge to buy stacks of confetti wands—you’re welcome, Jack.) It was a scroll past Elizabeth’s pin […]
We’re (hopefully) heading into our last few weeks of transient living, though the end of the process has been as rocky as the start. One way or another, the house hunt will come to a close, soon. Thank goodness. If things seem sparse around here, I assure you that’s why; hopefully UJC life, too, will settle […]
This particular piece from Kazuo Shiraga caught my eye first because of the color: the rich plum was the perfect tone for a project we were working on, and the energy of the strokes—as it happens, he most famously painted with his feet while suspended above the canvas—drew me in. When I came across J.R. Schmidt’s processing posters last […]
Léo Caillard’s clothed classical sculptures have been hanging around my Pinterest boards for months waiting for the right context in which to share them – and this week, I happened upon their match made in GIF heaven. For Hipsters in Stone, photographer Caillard worked with Alexis Persani (who retouched the images) to present classical sculptures dressed as […]