Chicago's Art Institute: Modern Art Isn't Necessarily Silly

"The Art Institute of Chicago"

"The purposes for which the Art Institute of Chicago is formed are: to found, build, maintain, and operate museums, schools, libraries of art, and theaters; to provide support facilities in connection therewith; to conduct appropriate activities conducive to the artistic development of the region; and to conduct and participate in appropriate activities of national and international significance;

"To form, conserve, research, publish, and exhibit a permanent collection of objects of art of all kinds; to present temporary exhibitions that include loaned objects of art of all kinds; and to cultivate and extend the arts by appropriate means;..." ("Mission")

I know: but that's the way their mission statement's punctuation went.

I saw part of a "Top Cat" cartoon, where Top Cat observes that the message of one modern painting was 'don't paint while drunk.'

I'll admit that quite a bit of contemporary 'art' seems to be a greater tribute to the marketing abilities of artists than to their creative talents. But, buried behind expensive tracts of splattered canvas, I think there's something to study, too. And not just by people interested in abnormal psychology.

Chicago's Art Museum's website is mostly a tool to draw people into the museum, induce them to give money to the museum, or interest them in what the museum's shop has to offer (including pictures of Claude Monet's Water Lilies).

On the other hand, browsing through it is a fairly easy way to see what's happening in the art world. From the curators' point of view, anyway.

Like Tetris? You'll Love this Furniture

"Tetris furniture"
Boing Boing (April 14, 2009)

"Brazilian designers Diego Silvério and Helder Filipov created this stacking Tetris furniture -- the tricky part is getting your spouse to slowly lower it, piece by piece, from the ceiling...."

With a photo.

There's more, at

Tetris Furniture
Diego Silvério, Cuntiba, Brazil

The stuff looks pretty good, and would work - I think - in an uber-modern residence occupied exclusively by young, flexible, people with an intense need to appear contemporary in a sort of mid-20th century sort of way.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: a Modern and Contemporary Design Blog

MoCo Loco
"The Modern & Contemporary Design Blog"

"MoCo Loco is your source for modern & contemporary design news and views."

There you have it. I could stop writing now, and you'd have a pretty good idea of what MoCo Loco is about. But, as usual, the Lemming has a few words to say.

To begin with, the name of the blog had me expecting something dealing with upscale beverages. There may be something Starbucks-ish in there, but I didn't find it at a quick run-through.

Recent posts on LoCo Moco:

• "My Shower Curtain is a Green Warrior by Elisabeth Buecher"
  (April 16, 2009)
  • "Seeing as we've been posting about water and the environment of late Elisabeth Buecher's My Shower Curtain is a Green Warrior (above) really got our attention."
    The post includes a photo of a woman who's engulfed by outsize soap bubbles. Reminded me of some really bad fifties sci-fi film. But, I suppose it makes sense.
• "Habitus by Sebastian Jansson"
  (April 16, 2009)
  • "Sebastian Jansson will be showing Habitus, a bar stool, among other items at SaloneSatellite in Milan next week. 'By studying the formation of coffee leafs, Jansson was able to re-create the stool through this intricate arrangement of geometric forms, whilst maintaining its aesthetic qualities and comfort.'..."
    If the photo is of this coffee-leaf-inspired bar stool, I think we're looking at a great tool for promoting physical fitness. I doubt anyone would willingly sit on the thing for more than a few seconds - and then would feel like moving around. A lot.
• "Via Twitter: Bertjan Pot's The Revolving Chandelier"
  (April 16, 2009)
  • "Seen at designboom, Bertjan Pot's The Revolving Chandelier, 'the rising air, heated by three halogen bulbs makes all four light shades rotate.'..."
    Part of the lamp's support looks like the result of unnatural acts between a coral snake and a zebra, but as a whole this lamp looks quite attractive - and might be very attractive if seen in motion, as it is designed to operate. Seriously: This is, I think, good design.

That's enough to give an idea of the content, I think.

It looks like a good multi-author blog, and one worth going back to on occasion.

Lemming Tracks: Not all Contemprary Design is Modern Design

The last post reminded me of a linguistic oddity: "Modern" hasn't been contemporary for decades.

Most people use "modern" and "contemporary" interchangeably: and that's correct usage. As long as you're using informal English, and not talking about art, architecture, or philosophy.

In art and architecture, anything that's actually contemporary, in the sense of using a non-historical style or approach, hasn't been "Modern" for decades. Art and architecture that is Modern (capital M) is a distinctly twentieth-century phenomenon.

There's an interesting discussion at "Postmodern Art" (Washington State University) (undated)) and "MODERN ART" "1900'S - Present" University of North Carolina at Pembroke (undated)).

Big, Beautiful, Expensive Villa in Bali

"Alila Villas Uluwatu by WOHA"
Contemporist (November 12, 2008)

"Opening in early 2009 are the Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, Indonesia. The 14.4 hectare development offers three-bedroom contemporary Balinese villas for sale, as well as a hotel for those on holiday in Bali. Alila Villas Uluwatu has been designed by the Singapore based WOHA...."

"...the architects wanted to create more than the usual stereotypical ideas of Bali, creating a design that worked with the dry Balinese Savannah vegetation and gently sloping site, not against it. The fact that the aim was to build a resort to Green Globe certification and with Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) standards...."

The post has over a dozen photos, and describes an impressive house. Also seriously upscale. The photos are beautiful, and the first thing that struck me about one was that someone could fall off the reflecting pool.

Another showed what I think is some of the "sustainable" wood that the owners had shipped to Bali. I'm from an agricultural area: and to me, that artistic pattern looks like a corn crib after a really bad storm.

Very Modern Wraparound House in Japan

"House in Minami Boso by Kiyonobu Nakagame Architects"
Contemporist (August 16, 2008)

"Kiyonobu Nakagame Architects designed this house in Japan...

"...This is the villa for the clients who live in Tokyo. The site is located in Boso Peninsula east of Tokyo, Although it takes only about less than 2 hrs drive from Downtown Tokyo...."

This very Modern house looks like it was set on the lawn, and was designed to let occupants enjoy the beautiful scenery. I'd say that it meets that design goal. The architects say that they had a "design concept to provide the one continuous wall folded in different directions setting up the various views."

It's Modern, It's Scandinavian, It's Furniture

"Modernity - 20th Century Scandinavian Design - Furniture"

" All sorts of Modern furniture: stools; tables; chairs; things. Like that photo. The store claims it's a folding screen, but I think it looks like a place mat on steroids.

Lots of Modern Furniture

"Modern Furniture | Contemporary Furniture | Designer Modern Furniture"
ERoomService

Photos of very odd-looking furniture, some of which might be practical or comfortable, all of which is terribly Modern.

Many of the pieces actually look rather attractive.

Yet Another Modern House

"house in valle de guadalupe, sebastian mariscal"
materialicious (August 14, 2007)

"House in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico. Built: 2004. First house built on a plot of land shared by six friends, surrounded by grape vines, 70 miles south of San Diego..."

Photos and description of yet another very Modern house - this post also has a diagram of the concept, and a floor plan.

Finn Juhl Home in Denmark: Modern Furniture

"Finn Juhl Home in Denmark"
The Mid-Century Modernist (August 23, 2007)

Nine photos, and some description, of Finn Juhl furniture.

Despite the online slideshow of photos by Roger Valentin Mandt featured on the FJ website today, the line of furniture does not seem to include possibly-dead bodies sprawled on the floor.

In fact, the Mid-Century Modernist post displays a quite attractive set of modern-style furniture.

Chaming Communist Modern Interior

"Communist Charm at the Ostel in Berlin"
The Mid-Century Modernist (Nov 23, 2007)

"The modernism of 1960s East Germany is a little different from that of the Danes or the Eames. The communist state spawned a more spartan, utilitarian style, but charming nonetheless. The Ostel Hotel in Berlin proves that Communism doesn’t have to be drab and depressing. ..."

With photos. The interiors are attractive, although I suspect that the op-art pattern on one walls would give the occupant eyestrain after a few minutes.

There are more interiors at "The Mid-Century Modernist: Other Interiors"

G. K. Chesterton: Drawing on the Ceiling and Other Thoughts

"On lying in bed"
by G. K. Chesterton (1909)

It starts with:

"Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a coloured pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling."

In case drawing on the ceiling seems a triviality, don't be concerned. There are some other serious thoughts, too, later on.

Photos of the Amos Residence, a Hair Salon With Monumentally Uncomfortable Furniture, and More

"4site architecture - news"

Lots of photos of modern architecture: lots of flat surfaces and right angles.

Modern Architecture isn't Contemporary

"Contemporary Architects + Contemporary Architecture - what do these terms mean?"

A pretty good discussion of the subject.

Very Expensive, Very Modern Houses

"Have2ask - The real estate blog of unique properties, home design and communities."

When I checked, they had photos of Australia's Tattoo House, C-1 House by Curiosity, $4.3 Million Two-Story Chicago Penthouse, and A Modernist Discovery in Pasadena.

All terribly attractive, modern, pricey, impressive, and marginally practical.

Very Fancy Modern House

"Inside 1.ZERO.4 (Ripe House)"

"A glimpse at the very flexible interior design agency, Ripe have created for 1.ZERO.4"

Modern Interior, From Exterior

"Modern Interior," "Wave Shelving," and more pictures of architectural scenes that I think might be more fun to look at, than live in.

Modern Architecture Photo Gallery

"Modern architecture photo gallery - Los Angeles"

Links to photos "modern" buildings, by decade of construction, 1900 - 2000.

Guthrie House, in Chile

Another page with pictures, and not much else. In this case, it's the Guthrie House in Chile. The style is Modern, or a near cousin, the architects are Felipe Assadi and Francisca Pulido, and the pictures are impressive.

I'm not sure I'd want to live there, but the place is impressive. Even imposing.

Five Strange Buildings

Five photos of "Strange Soviet Buildings," with explanatory text.

It's amazing how old-fashioned some futuristic designs are, today.