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New LAPD Headquarters
Cow splat and tree
Which one is the aorta?
Tallboy
Buffalo bottom
The fronds are batons
Finally got to see the “cow splat” sculptures at the new LAPD headquarters yesterday. Verdict: surprisingly endearing! The photos don’t really do them justice, these buffalo mannequins. If their point is to break up the monotonous rhythm of several Very Important Buildings all in a row (City Hall, Los Angeles Times, Caltrans, new LAPD HQ are all right next to each other), they succeed. The imposing and stodgy straight lines that cast a barren chill down Spring Street are nicely interrupted by these squat little blobs, cute in the way that awkward ugly things can sometimes be cute.
What do they say about the police? Nothing! But if you wanted art to say something about the LAPD, you’d need Lady Justice standing 14 feet tall with a riot helmet instead of a blindfold and a battering ram in place of her scale. What they do say something about is architecture, and since most downtown pedestrians will only experience the new building from the outside, that’s all they need to say. They actually make the modern militancy of a police headquarters into something warm and friendly.
Bratton is right that they look like bison, wrong to call them a “shame.” The only shameful part of the new public space is the pointless and cliche grove of palm trees, down by Spring and 2nd, organized into four perfect columns like a regiment about to march. “Welcome to Los Angeles,” they seem to say. “Now relax as we fuck you up.”
Washtenaw Ave. and Haddon Ave.
Chicago, USA
For those from out of town, the shape is the silhouette of the Sears Willis Tower
I want to do to you what spring does to cherry trees. Sidewalk, Williamsburg Brooklyn 11211
FALL WHERE THEY MAY People walk next to giant domino pieces that have been placed along a stretch of the Berlin Wall’s original path during a celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the wall’s destruction. (Photo: Johannes Eisele / Reuters via Time Magazine)
THE BERLIN CRAWL People walked in front of an original, 10-panel section of the Berlin Wall at an event Monday in Los Angeles to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. (Photo: Mark Ralston / AFP-Getty via the Wall St. Journal)
London : Anish Kapoor (via none00
Olafur Eliasson - Umschreibung (Rewriting), 2004
Entrance of the global accounting firm KPMG’s office building
Munich, Germany
9 meters tall
Click through to see shots from underneath. The shape is spectacular.
via clingtomymouth:almas88:ma-salaama:lickystickypickyme
Photo by yushimoto_02
PURPLE HAZE by Gary Simmons
Fuck yes! If you’re driving down La Brea the Undefeated billboard is impossible to miss - this is the 23rd original work created for the store, with previous pieces created by famous street and gallery artists including Raymond Pettibon, KAWS, Barry McGee, Dennis Hopper, Terry Richardson, Kenneth Anger, Jose Parla, and more. Each piece so far has been amazing and it’s impossible to choose a favorite, but this is on the top of the list. Gary is my friend and mentor - he changed the way I thought about art as an object and art as it relates to my own life, to a great extant I wouldn’t be an artist today without his influence. Check out Undefeated for previous billboard projects.
Do you like seeing bands like Dirty Projectors or The Feelies for free, in Chicago, in Millennium Park, during the summer? Do you like to grab a group of friends, some delicious snacks, a blanket, and head over to the Jazz Fest during the summer? Do you ever take a break from the monotony of work during the Summer by heading over to the park to check out a free Black Moth Super Rainbow show during your lunch break?
SIGN THIS PETITION! Even if you’re not from Chicago, sign the petition! The city is facing MASSIVE budget cuts, especially towards arts, music, and cultural programs (of course), which besides being enjoyable to attend are beneficial to the city itself. Chicago needs all the help it can get and shutting down many f the programs that make the city exciting during its best seasons (Summer and Fall) is certainly NOT going to help matter.
