LINEAR BEANFIELD CAROUSEL

This Room Is Alive

2009-10-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

LUIS from diluvio on Vimeo.

This is absolutely stunning. It is difficult to imagine the amount of work that went in to creating this video. Shot frame-by-frame with a digital camera and then then stitched together, it is inspiring to see the depth and breadth of narrative possible with this art form.
Much thanks to Brain Pickings for the heads up. Grab their feed now. All great stuff.

Mark Jenkins Hijinks

2009-10-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

I love this guys work. Many more installation photos on his website.
Be sure to check out the 'Street' page. (fyi - they are mannequins)

GPS Eye In The Sky

2009-09-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

I've been using an Iphone app called Everytrail for the past couple of weeks to log my walks with Tempo (my Australian Shepherd). It's a cool little app that uses GPS to map my course and record data about it (time, elevation change, pace, etc.). I can also take photos along the way and it records their location on the route. I then upload all of these to the Everytrail website where they can be viewed by the public. There is the option to make them private, but where's the fun in that?

Here are a couple of my recent walks... (you may have to click "hybrid" on the map)

Payton County Park

Bicentennial Park

The Everytrail folks also have a blog and the latest post was pretty interesting. The post refers to a New York Times story about GPS drawing. In a nutshell, GPS drawers map out and follow a course that will result in an image when viewed from a satellite.
Here is what it looks like...

(images from Everytrail Blog)

Jigsaw City - 4,619 Pieces

2009-09-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

3D reconstruction of Dubrovnik, Croatia, containing 4,619 images and nearly 3.5 million 3D points. Very similair to Photosynth (which I have never been able to get to work properly) but obviously with much more data and complexity.
While the puzzle comparison is obvious, I think sewing memories into a quilt captures the process and product more accurately.

Conveyance

2009-08-31T17:10:00.000-07:00

A fine example of urban design on the Ohio River in Louisville,
Kentucky.

PPS vs. Frank Gehry

2009-08-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

This evening at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the celebrated architect Frank Gehry talked about his life and works under the questioning of Thomas Pritzker. Until nearly the end, it was entirely captivating. Gehry was funny, illuminating, vivid, unpretentious-seeming. Over the years I've highly valued chances to hear people at the absolute top of their fields, to compare the experiences of hearing them speak about what they do. Some of them are as good to listen to as they had been to admire from afar. Others (often actors, athletes, visual artists) have no way of conveying in conversation what makes them so impressive in their own metier. Gehry is in the "good talker" category. Then the questions from the audience began. The second or third was from a fairly insistent character whose premise was that great "iconic" buildings nonetheless fell short as fully attractive and effective "public places," where people were drawn to congregate and spend time. He said he was challenging Gehry to do even more to make his buildings attractive by this measure too. Gehry didn't like the question and said that the indictment didn't apply to his own buildings. He said that the facts would back him up -- and as the questioner repeated the challenge, Gehry said that he found the question "insulting." Fair enough. The guy did keep pushing. On the other hand, anyone who has ever appeared in public has encountered questions a hundred times as personally challenging as this. But the questioner asked one more time, and Gehry did something I found simply incredible and unforgettable. "You are a pompous man," he said -- and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, much as Louis XIV might have used to wave away some offending underling. He was unmistakably shooing or waving the questioner away from the microphone, as an inferior -- again, in a gesture hardly ever seen in post-feudal times. I was sorry that I witnessed those thirty seconds. They are impossible to forget and entirely change my impression of the man. I was more amazed when part of the audience, maybe by reflex, applauded. When the video of this episode goes up on the Ideas Festival site, judge for yourself.
(From James Fallows blog for The Atlantic)

Gehry's famous quote "I do not do context" may cause many landscape architects and urban designers to cringe. Not me. I am glad he does not "do context" because he does not know how. Thats o.k.. He has trained and developed as an architect, and that should be his focus. As a landscape architect, I may have some thoughts and ideas concerning architecture, but I am not ready to design a building. I have no desire to and I might "wave my hand in a dismissive gesture" at anybody who would suggest it falls within my role as a landscape architect.
Now unless Gehry is taking on the site design and demanding his way, I say the blame for the disconnect between architecture and landscape falls on the shoulders of whomever hired him and city officials reviewing the site drawings.

The question asked of Gehry at this forum (by Fred Kent, President of Project For Public Spaces) was a perfectly valid question. It was simply asked of the wrong person.

What do you think?

2009-08-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Bruni and Barbarit

You Want Some Crack In Your Garden?

2009-06-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

There are lots of ways to introduce "garden" into the urban fabric. Street trees, container gardening, green roofs, vertically planted screens (green walls), seed bombs, etc.

CMG Landscape Architecture has put a twist on the practice.

The Crack Garden

A brilliant idea in concept and execution.

CMG's description...The hostile takeover of a concrete urban backyard by imposing a series of jackhammer "cracks". Inspired by the tenacious plants that pioneer the tiny cracks of the urban landscape, the formal rows of this garden create order in the random and mixed planting of herbs, vegetables, strange flowers, and rogue weeds.

(Photos from Inhabit)

"Green" Parks

2009-05-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Can tighther budgets equal greener parks? Park departments across the country, coping with belt-tightening, are forced to be creative and efficient with their resources. This sometimes results in more sustainable stewardship.

From Landscape Online...

A study by Landscape Structures Inc., a leading manufacturer of commercial playground equipment, and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) finds U.S. parks and recreation agencies fully engaged in environmental stewardship, although budget cuts threaten their progress.
Nearly 450 parks and recreation agencies participated in the Environmental Stewardship in Parks and Recreation study, which concluded in January 2009. The study goals were to quantify environmental initiatives and identify the challenges faced by parks and recreation departments.
The number one environmental challenges facing the agencies in the next two years is funding, followed by “struggling with the effects of reduced water supply.” Seventy-one percent of the agencies say they’re aware of the amount of water they use in their day-to-day operations, and many have taken steps to address this problem:
54 percent have implemented reduced watering practices
52 percent have installed water-efficient toilets and faucets
52 percent have installed water-efficient irrigation systems
15 percent use collected rainwater to supplement their use of fresh water
Other Findings
Eighty-seven percent of parks and recreation agencies rate their environmental stewardship practices “good to excellent,” while only 13 percent rate themselves “below average or poor.”
The study finds park and rec officials believe they should be the environmental leaders within municipal government and encourage members of the community to be better environmental stewards. In the last five years, environmental stewardship has become more important to 80 percent of agencies, and more than 60 percent believe their management team is well educated about environmental issues and procedures.
Parks and recreation officials were asked which stewardship initiatives they’ve adopted. The top five responses included using recycling bins for bottles and cans, reducing paper use by printing on both sides, programming appliances to switch to sleep mode when not in use, converting to compact fluorescent light bulbs and purchasing/using fuel-efficient vehicles.
Initiatives parks officials say they plan to adopt include programs to purchase environmentally-preferable products, design and construct green buildings, using biodegradable products in maintenance/cleaning, convert to compact fluorescent light bulbs and increase natural light in new and newly renovated buildings.
Many agencies look to develop a “green team” to focus on sustainability initiatives.
Pat Faust, president of Landscape Structures, hopes this study will encourage lawmakers and governmental leaders to support green initiatives and maintain proper funding of municipal parks and recreation programs.
“Only 13 percent of agencies produce an annual sustainability report that shares their environmental aspirations,” notes Barbara Tulipane, NRPA chief executive officer. “In this economic climate where agencies must fight for every dollar of government funding, success will often be determined by the awareness and mobilization of our constituents. This all starts by communicating our accomplishments and goals.”

Earth IS Art

2009-04-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this gorgeous macro-art in the form of satellite images taken by Landsat 7 and ASTER.
Proof that art is all around us.

Niger River, Massina Mali
Image taken 2/8/2003 by ASTER
Vatnajökull Glacier Ice Cap
Image taken 8/4/1999 by Landsat 7
Jordan
Image taken 5/17/2001 by ASTER
Aleutian Clouds
Image taken 6/16/2000
The Yukon Delta
Image taken 5/26/2002 by ASTER

Thanks to NASA for the clicks.

Ode To Topiary - Volume 1

2009-03-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Visibility

2009-02-26T11:24:00.001-08:00

Water Over and Under the Bridge

2009-02-26T04:38:00.001-08:00

With all of the flooding on Clinton St, we should replace the Clinton
St bridge with one of these... http://engineeringworks.tamu.edu/?p=412

Harrison Square

2009-02-19T06:08:00.001-08:00

Another quick n dirty iPhone panorama.

Courthouse Blue

2009-02-17T12:53:00.001-08:00

Harrison Square

2009-02-12T06:08:00.001-08:00

Quick and dirty iPhone panorama taken this morning.

Winter Photography 2

2009-01-29T17:04:00.001-08:00

Eeehh?

Winter Photography

2009-01-29T17:02:00.001-08:00

Can anybody (in Fort Wayne) guess what this is? (I know...it's an easy
one)

Harrison Square City Park

2008-11-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

The new City Park at Harrison Square is coming along nicely.

The first two images below are renderings showing the features of the new park. Included in the design are a performance stage and amphitheater, a fountain designed to be both visually stimulating and interactive (bring your swimsuits), a lushly landscaped perimeter, and a grassy hillside for lounging and enjoying the green oasis among the concrete, glass, and steel. The park will open in April 2009 along with the ballpark.

CLOSE-UP OF STAGE AND AMPHITHEATERVIEW OF STAGE AND AMPHITHEATER FACING SW
NOT SURE HOW I EXPLAIN THIS CONCRETE ENTRENCHED 2 GALLON BUCKET TO MY BOSS

GRATUITOUS FIELD SHOT

Unless, Of Course, You Hate Trees

2008-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Click and Zoom To Read

Go to the Friends of the Parks website for more info!

Fort Wayne's Second Newest Park

2008-10-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share some photos of the nearly completed Buckner Park Phase I improvements. Most improvements should be completed this fall exluding wetland plantings, which we will be installed next spring. The splashpad is finished but will not be turned on until late spring. Grand opening to be announced...

Buckner Park is located on Bass Road just west of I-69.

Pavilion with restrooms (picnic tables soon to come)

Column detail
Splashpad (wetland theme)
5-12 year old playground Playground with poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing

Planter
Parking lot bioswale (will capture and filter stormwater before discharging into wetland)

View from Bass Road

The photos above are from Phase I. Phase II and III will be completed as funding allows.

The map below shows the master plan for all 3 phases.

Bring On the Rain

2008-10-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Westbrook rain garden project is nearing completion so I stopped by and took a few photos. This is a Public Works project designed as a component of the city's flood control efforts.

Westbrook Avenue has been removed and replaced with a linear rain garden planted with a low-mow seed mix, native grasses and forbs (flowers). A berm was constructed along the west edge of the site to protect the remaining homes. The existing sidewalk remains as does the curb on the creekside of the project and most of the existing street trees. The curb was left to reveal the historical signifigance of the boulevard designed by George Kessler. George Kessler was one of the preeminent landscape architects practicing in the early 1900's and he developed park boulevard systems for Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend, and Terra Haute. He was also involved in designing the campus landscapes for Indiana University in Bloomington, Butler University, and Rose Polytechnic in Terra Haute.

View Looking NW from Clinton Street

View Looking SE from State Street Area
Former Westbrook Roadbed With Curb Remaining.

Do The Wave

2008-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Maya Lin's "The Wave Field"

on the University of Michigan campus

I get asked a lot, "What does a landscape architect actually do?"
My reply is usually something like "Well, they can do a lot of different things. From small-scale residential design to urban planning, from ecological restoration to regional land planning, from GIS spatial analysis to landscape art." The 'landscape art' thing often results in a bit of confusion. Many people conjure up an images of pastoral landscape paintings and as a matter of fact, do a google search on 'landscape art' and that is exactly what you get. I think perhaps 'landscape sculpture' better captures the idea of utilizing the earth and it's flora as an integral material in a work of art. The Maya Lin sculpture above illustrates that definition at it's most basic form. Manipulating topography as a means to reveal processes.
I am guessing that the guy or gal who has to mow this particular lawn is not terribly impressed. This particular form of art is intriguing to me because it is so experiential and often surprising.

Many visitors to the sculpture are so overwhelmed by the experience that they immediately pass out, as you can see in this photo.

Road Trip Field Trip

2008-08-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

I am happy to serve as the Committee Chair for the 'MediaLab' which is 1/2 of a new non-profit art and science lab here in Fort Wayne. (the other 1/2 being the 'TekLab')
This exciting new facility will be called TekVenture and I encourage you to follow the link for a better description than I can give. I will say that it is going to be AMAZING! As we search for a permanent building we are in the process of putting together a mobile lab to showcase on a smaller scale what TekVenture is all about. It is called, appropriately enough, the 'TekMobile'.

Yesterday, my son Logan and I traveled with a group of TekVenture Board and Committee members to the Fab Lab, housed within the walls of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
We were lucky enough to get a private tour and we participated in one of the "projects" that the Fab Lab offers. The 'project' - to create with a computer graphics program an 'object' which was sent to a laser cutter and fashioned out of the material of your choice. One might think that creating graphics on a daily basis as part of my job would make this exercise boring or routine, but no. I typically hand draw or computer generate 2 dimensional graphics rendered on 2 dimensional paper, so adding this 3rd dimension was a rush. Logan and I could have spent all day (all week) there making prototypes for the next big widget, but were kicked out for salivating all over the equipment. Actually, our time was over and the lab was closed to the public yesterday as there was serious work going on by some young geniuses working on a circuit board building curriculum for the lab and on the One Laptop Per Child Program.

The experience at the Fab Lab multiplied my desire to see TekVenture get off the ground and to provide a place for artists and scientists of every age to interact and to CREATE.

Green Man

2008-07-03T09:31:00.001-07:00

This is an old post from my old blog, but I thought I'd share it with any new readers because it is that cool. Keep an eye out for a similar landscape art project in Fort Wayne next summer!

This public art installation was conceived by sculptor Kathryn Jordan and artist Cliff Wright and was commissioned by the Brighton and Hove Arts Commission in Southeast England. The commanding , living sculpture is intriguing to me as an amalgamation of our ideas of flesh, soil, flora, and soul. The idea that the sculpture seems to be reaching out from within the earth, to display the earth, is a powerful and intriguing image. This, in my opinion, is the type of public art that truly engages the public. It is living, growing, changing, integrating, and adapting to it's setting; unlike the iconic, monolithic sculptures made famous by artists such as Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Burren.

Here are a couple more of Kathryn Jordan's living sculptures (giant Chia Pets?)

Not Just A House

2008-07-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Architect Eric Clough took some liberties when designing the remodel of this Upper East Side $8.5 million apartment. Without his clients knowledge, yet alone permission, he designed into the house a series of clues which might lead the family to an unexpected and delightful surprise - if they ever noticed them.

Read the NY Times story here...

and see more photos here...

Would you not KILL to live in a place like this?

Tag

2008-04-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

This the trailer for the upcoming documentary "Tag".
It was written and directed by my Minneapolis buddy Chad Calease.
It is being produced by Rick Fuller who you may know from the Flaming Lips doc "Fearless Freaks".
Chad, aka Waxieus is the founder of Thin Films.

Check out his first stab at film-making, the short titled "Whistle" and see if you are not as eager as I am to see "Tag" in it's entirety.

The Trees Are Wearing Skirts

2008-02-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

For reference, the first picture below shows what our Swinney Park looked like last Tuesday.
Yes, it is flooded. (see the swingset in the background)
By Thursday the temps has dropped to 7 degrees causing all the flooded areas to freeze solid. When the water receded it left the trees "clothed" with an ice tu-tu.
Amazing what nature can provide for eye candy.