Analogue self-portrait taken with my Impossible I-1 on Polaroid Black Frame Edition, wrapped in bubble wrap
Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do.
Make good art.
I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before? Make good art.
Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn’t matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art.
Make it on the good days too.
© IntCDC, University of Stuttgart (via YouTube)
The bioinspired pavilion showcases how novel co-design processes that account concurrently for geometrical, material, structural, productional, environmental, and aesthetic requirements, together with advanced robotic fabrication techniques applied to natural materials, are capable to generate a unique architecture that is at the same time ecological and expressive.
The livMatS Pavilion is the latest outcome of a long-standing research collaboration between the Universities of Freiburg and Stuttgart. Developed by an interdisciplinary team of architects, engineers and biologists, the fibre construction in the Botanical Garden of the University of Freiburg utilizes robotics to create a net-like flax weave inspired by the wood structure of a cactus.
Besides being a strong believer in the interdisciplinary approach, I’ve been particularly hooked on design and architecture with an environmental focal point for quite a while now. The Pavilion reminds me of the visionary work of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Space10 or Neri Oxman, all of which I admire a lot, so I can’t wait to check the pavilion out in person.
intcdc.uni-stuttgart.de/research/building-demonstrators/bd-5
© UMG / Xavier Rudd / Axel Massin (via YouTube)
Music is a memory machine —one reason why I enjoy collecting records so much. Xavier Rudd for example was one of my favourite artists over a decade ago when I was still a student but already transitioning into a completely new phase of life. His old album ‘Solace‘ –I still own on CD– awakens a lot of happy memories of said carefree days whenever I put it on.
Currently my life is changing to a greater extent than ever before and even though I’m not trying to live barefoot, planning to move to Berlin and thinking about getting dreadlocks anymore –ironically I do have long hair for the very first time nowadays–, Rudd has been on heavy rotation again with his new song latterly. Now Stoney Creek for me will inevitable be linked to the life events of the challenging yet incredible fortunate last weeks.
Coz baby, the wind is blowing /
And there ain’t no other place I’d rather be /
And the wind owes me nothing /
But it’s blown me here with you /[…]
This is home
Your fragility is also your strength.