ALLURE AND IMPACT OF A COLOR

Tracing back through time, pink's journey unveils a fascinating narrative. It plays a significant role in shaping cultural norms and societal expectations, particularly concerning gender. Initially perceived as a symbol of masculinity in Western cultures, it gradually transitioned to symbolize femininity by the mid-20th century. Contemporary movements challenge these stereotypes, advocating for pink's inclusivity and versatility in self-expression.

Pink's influence extends far beyond its aesthetic appeal. In the realm of art and design, pink serves as a powerful tool for communication and expression. Artists and designers harness its vibrancy and versatility to convey myriad emotions and themes, ranging from innocence and romance to boldness and rebellion. From iconic artworks to modern-day fashion statements, pink continues to captivate audiences with its visual impact. As we look ahead, the future of pink appears promising and dynamic. With evolving cultural attitudes and societal norms, pink's significance is poised to transcend boundaries and inspire diversity in innovative ways.

The article A deep dive into the color pink by Liz Huang landed in my inbox as a part of the Creative Mornigns newsletter. It offers an interesting overview for understanding the color pink's history and symbolism. I put a metaphorical pin into a particular anecdote described in the article exemplifying a fascinating intersection of art, freedom, and the debate over public and private property:

// In 2014, Surrey NanoSystems (SNS) invented the blackest color in the world, naming it Vantablack. They promptly managed to anger the entire art world by granting divisive artist Anish Kapoor exclusive creative rights to the substance.

Artist Stuart Semple responded in a conceptual and practical way by inventing the “Pinkest Pink” and giving all people the right to purchase and use the pigment — except for Anish Kapoor. In order to purchase it, you are required to assert that you are not Anish Kapoor and you will not give the pigment to Anish Kapoor.

Semple talked about selecting the color for its overt sexuality. “Pink is a really powerful color and this particular pink is extremely vibrant, so it felt like the logical choice to make the point I was hoping to make,” said Semple. He used the color to protest elitism, commercialization, and privatization, ultimately earning him the nickname “The Robin Hood of the Rainbow”.

Anish Kapoor did eventually gain access to the color, posting an image to his Instagram account of his middle finger coated in the pink pigment. He was promptly dragged through the mud in the comment section.

Semple followed up with a full series of pigments banned from use by Anish Kapoor, including “the most glittery glitter,” “the whitest white,” multiple Vantablack alternatives, and an even pinker pink. The feud appears to continue to this day. //

Read the whole article at Webflow

HOW TO DRINK CAMPARI / STUDIO LERNERT & SANDER

[ Sources: Studio Lernert & Sander, Academy, Hornet ]

JOHN BERGER / WAYS OF SEEING

// A woman is always accompanied, except when quite alone, and perhaps even then, by her own image of herself. While she is walking across a room or weeping at the death of her father, she cannot avoid envisioning herself walking or weeping. From earliest childhood she is taught and persuaded to survey herself continually. She has to survey everything she is and everything she does, because how she appears to others – and particularly how she appears to men – is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life. //

[ John Berger - The Ways of Seeing ]

[ source: Dazed ]

THE TENT / IGOR PONOSOV AND BRAD DOWNEY

// This year, a speech delivered by Putin declared, with lips split by a smile, the purpose of Crimea’s annexation as, “protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population in Crimea.” This absurd oversimplification undermines the reality of the actions that took place. The annexation resulted in disorder and chaos, and deep mistrust between countries. In yet one more simplification of this complex situation, governments in both the East and the West, have executed orders motivated by greed that resulted in tragic loss.

The artists, Brad Downey, an American, and Igor Ponosov, a Russian, developed an altruistic friendship, despite odds being against them. Physical distance and language barriers stood as challenges, but over the course of four years, the artists came to know one another as brothers. They realized projects together many times and travelled to meet each other in different countries. They hoped to do a project in Ukraine one day, since Igor had especially come to love spending time there. When they heard about the conflict in Ukraine, they decided that now would be the best time to finally realize the project they wanted to do there.

It would be a chance to symbolically subvert the greed displayed by government. They prepared for the trip to Ukraine by stealing advertisement banners, a representation of consumerism, hence purchases obtained by money and influenced by greed. Brad and Igor converted the appropriated advertisement banners into a mobile artist workspace. The tent could be deconstructed easily and stored in a small backpack. By the time Brad and Igor were ready to go to Ukraine the peninsula had been annexed. Instead, they went to the Russian territory of Crimea. They asked no one to help fund this trip, for they wanted to accomplish it without external influences, during a time and in a location where outside influence ruled. For three days, they hiked to reach the Crimea’s highest plateau. Throughout this period of living inside the creation, they cherished the beautiful countryside and mourned the actions, or lack of action, from both the East and the West.//

[ Rebel art ]

PAPER BRIDGE / STEVE MESSAM

// PaperBridge is an outdoor art installation created by artist Steve Messam, open to the public until May 18. It comprises 22,000 sheets of paper, made at Cumbria's Burneside Mill and carefully packed together over a wooden frame which was subsequently removed. It will be sent back to the mill for recycling once the installation is complete. The bridge was inspired by other temporary constructions, including Tokyo architect Siguru Ban's cardboard bridge in France. However, Messam's structure doesn't rely on fixings and instead rests on "vernacular architectural principles as used in drystone walls and the original pack-horse bridges that dot the Lake District," he says. // 

[ Steve Messam, Mashable, Dezeen ]

THE FINE ART NUDES / RASMUS MOGENSEN

//Photography is for me a search for harmonious shape and composition. What keeps me going is the fact that a creative career is a never-ending evolution in the search for a perfection that does not exist. I love the fact that there is always something you can become better at in the process.//

[ juxtapoz, Rasmus Mogensen ]

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

//What, you’re not allowed to interact with art?//

[ Georgia - Beginners / a: Mary Page Keller / d: Mike Mills / y: 2010 ]

GROVFÔR / BETSY HINZE

//What is it about mushrooms that is so entrancing? They are hunted rather than harvested and fit the archetype of the trickster. They are elusive and unpredictable. They often pop up in unexpected places like the dark and cold. They can be mind-altering, nourishing or poisonous. Some species can be all three, depending on their preparation or life cycle. There is a certain degree of danger n mushroom hunting... one falsely identified mushroom can be the end of you.//

An interactive installation based on sensory experiences and inspired by the Bûche de Noël Solstice tradition that invites you on a hunt for mushrooms made out of wild-foraged ingredients, and allows you to eat what you have hunted.

[ Betsy Hinze ]

INFORMAL CHRISTMAS / ŽALIEJI SPRENDIMAI

// Like millions of people I was carried to work today in a comfortable metal box by the controlled explosion of 60 million year old dinosaur juice. (You call that petrol). I avoided unexpected traffic on my way thanks to flying machines orbiting the earth, which talked to a metal and glass supercomputer in my pocket smaller than a bar of soap. (You call that a phone). My pocket supercomputer is – of course – wirelessly connected to the entirety of humanity’s knowledge. The entirety of humanity’s knowledge is – of course – free. And I can search all of it as fast as I can type. None of this is even interesting to anyone anymore. // Writes Oliver Emberton

How thrilling it is to find a project like "Informal Christmas" by Žalieji Sprendimai! To stumble upon a Christmas tree in an unpredictable place but still its natural environment. It doesn't have to cost a lot to put a smile on people's faces. It takes creative people able to play. // You should be amazed. //

[ Žalieji Sprendimai, Oliver Emberton ]

TOFER CHIN'S STALAGMITE INSTALLATIONS

// The results are these unique geometric forms, which open the dialog to a coexistence between man and nature. While the structures juxtapose the natural and the permanent, it also creates space for the evolution and adaptation of long-lasting art in nature. “I’ve always wanted to work with concrete and this is a resource that is so abundant there. I’m also really drawn to the drastic change in climate and seasons there. I wanted to leave behind works that would live and breath in this dramatic environment.” //

[ Source: TRENDLAND ]

THREE TO NOW / OLAFUR ELIASSON

// It may be said that Eliasson, like Duchamp, does not produce works of art. Rather, he organizes and transforms conditions of experience. The widely known Weather Project at the Tate Modern in London in 2003 is a primary example. Every Eliasson work entails the production of a machine that activates other machines - in particular, the sensation-producing body-machines of the viewers themselves. In the exhibition presented here are displayed 54 experiment-machines (they could also be called “perceiving machines”) that each explores an aspect of how the human body and nervous system orients itself in space and time by tapping clues implicitly or explicitly from its environment, from which it innovates its own irreducibly unique “life in space. //

[Kwinter, Sanford,Curator’s Statement for Harvard University Graduate School of Design exhibition The Divine Comedy]

TOY STORIES / ALED LEWIS

// London-based designer and illustrator Aled Lewis has created a series of images featuring plastic toy figurines ‘interacting’ with each other. Titled ‘Toy Stories’, the collection consists of toy unicorns, dinosaurs, rabbits and more. The toys are arranged to look as if they are speaking to other fellow toys, with speech bubbles containing funny and snarky comments. //

  [Sources: WHUDAT, Aled Lewis] 

PAINTING WALLS / THIERRY NOIR

Thierry Norir: // In Berlin, in London, you are pressed like a sardine. It's grey and you're tired, and suddenly you see a street painting... and you have one second of smile on your face... and this is, for me, the best //

[ HUCK Presents... Thierry Noir: Painting Walls ]