Listed Sculptures

 A total of 41 post-war public works of art were "listed" by Historic England yesterday (22nd January).  Here's the announcement:

http://historicengland.org.uk/news-and-features/news/Post-War-Public-Art-Listed

I need to post something on it so this is a placeholder - will try and find time in the next couple days.

Artist Statements

This 2013 Guardian article about artist statements resurfaced on Facebook yesterday.

Good stuff, although I would question whether artist's statements are needed at all.  As I've said in a previous post, I think they can be a bit of a cop-out in two respects:

1. I think a work of art should speak for itself.  If the artist has to explain it, then it's not working as it should.
2. By guiding viewers into what you were trying to express you're making it harder for them to come up with their own interpretation.

I love this remark in the Guardian article: "Academia is only one part of the art world."   To me, it seems like one of the more pretentious, snobbish parts - and the art world seems full of pretension and snobbery.

Quote:

This is a dialect of the privileged; the elite university educated. If you can't write it effectively, you're not part of the art world. If you're already inside but don't understand it, you're not allowed to admit it, or ask for further explanation. This kind of rhetoric relies on everyone participating without question. To speak up would mean dissolving the space between inside and outside: quite literally, the growing boundary between the art world and the rest of society.

Right on!!

New Age Design

Stuff I’m ashamed not to have known about already:

Instructables website – www.instructables.com

“is a place that lets you explore, document and share your creations”. Exactly my cuppa tea!

The Amazings

A past website aimed at enabling retired people to pass on their skills. Now owned by Autodesk

See

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-12/06/the-amazings

http://giving.nesta.org.uk/project/the-amazings/

Autodesk website - http://www.autodesk.com

Lots of stuff on new age design and making.

Look at its sustainability workshop.

http://www.autodesk.com/sustainable-design/sustainable-design-education

Quirky website https://www.quirky.com

“Democratic design” – getting other people to collaborate with you to refine designs and make them.

Ponoko - https://www.ponoko.com

Makes stuff from sent in designs using new age techs.