If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

The Magnificently Macabre Photography of Miss Lakune.

If Heaven and Hell could be combined in an artistic photograph, the beautiful and talented Miss Lakune, has done so with her ethereally disturbing Gothic photographs. The perfect images for the month in which Halloween lies, her work is both simultaneously repelling and compelling.

In honor of her gallery showing at the G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle, artist Diem Chau has carved yet another amazing set of crayons. This time, it's the complete alphabet along with flora and fauna (and a person or two) corresponding to each of the 26 letters and all related to the Great Northwest.

above: N for Northern Spotted Owl, from all angles

An incredible amount of work went into these carvings and Diem says she had a lot of fun learning about her native species, some are which were favorites and others were completely new to her.

above: D for Dogwood, from all angles

Letters A-G:

A is for Aquilegia (Columbine)
B is for Bald Eagle
C is for Cougar
D is for Dogwood
E is for Elk
F is for Fox
G is for Grizzly Bear

above: B is for Bald Eagle, from all angles

Letters H-M:

H is for Heron
I is for Iris
J is for Juniper
K is for Killer Whale
L is for Lynx
M is for Mountain Goat

Letters N-T:

N is for Northern Spotted Owl
O is for Otter
P is for Painted Turtle
Q is for Quinault Tribe
R is for Rhododendron
S is for Salmon
T is for Timberwolf

above: O is for Otter, from all angles

Letters U-Z:

U is for Urchin
V is for Viola
W is for Wolf Eel
X is for Xanthogrammica (Giant Green Anemone)
Y is for Yuma myotis (Vesper Bat)
Z is for Zapus princeps (Western Jumping Mouse)

above: V is for Vesper Bat, from all angles

The entire set will be on view at an upcoming show in Seattle.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th, 6-8pm
G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

A Halloween Treat: Villafane Studio's Phenomenal Pumpkins

Ray Villafane is visionary and patriarch of Phoenix, Arizona's Villafane Studios, one of whose specialties is carving incredibly impressive pumpkins. They also create jaw-dropping sand sculptures, props and toys.

From carving for the President at the White House, carving for Heidi Klum’s Annual Halloween Party and along side Martha Stewart, Ray’s pumpkins have made their way across the world. Ray partnered with the awe inspiring Andy Bergholtz, and together they built a “Dream Team” of amazing sculptors and have been carving away ever since. Other talented team members include Trevor Grove, Chris Vierra, Alfred Parades, Patrick Burke and Sue Beatrice. The beautiful pumpkins I'm sharing with you in this post have been carved by all of the aforementioned sculptors.

The exposure of Ray’s style, talent and creativity amassed an all-new appreciation for pumpkin carving, and his artistic take on the traditional jack-o-lantern has granted him invitations from across the globe for VIP Galleries (Very Impressive Pumpkins). From the President’s quarters in the White House to Bermuda’s Sousa’s Gardens, Ray’s pumpkins have gathered a cult-like following.

above: Ray and some of his team of expert carvers at Villafane Studios

above: Ray Villafane poses in front of the studio built for him and his team in Hong Kong.

The Mirror House, Transformed Into A "Fun"ctional Pavilion In Copenhagen by MLRP

MLRP of Denmark transformed a somewhat sad existing structure into an inviting reflective pavilion to engage interaction and play. The structure, which is in a public playground in Copenhagen, is now used by kindergarten classes and includes restrooms.

Funhouse mirrors are mounted on the gabled ends of this playground pavilion as well as behind the doors. This engages a play with perspective, reflection and transformation.

Instead of a typical closed gable facade, the mirrored gables creates a sympathetic transition between built and landscape and reflects the surrounding park, playground and activity. Windows and doors are integrated in the wood-clad facade behind facade shutters with varied bent mirror panel effects. At night the shutters are closed making the building anonymous. During the day the building opens up, attracting the children who enjoy seeing themselves transformed in all directions.

With simple means it has succeeded to transform an existing, sad and anonymous building to a unique and respectful installation in the newly renovated park. The roof and facade is clad with heat-modified sustainable wood and the gables and shutters are clad with mirror polished stainless steel. The Mirror House is a flexible space and restrooms, used by kindergarden classes.

INFO:
Project type: Playground Pavilion
Year: Completed Nov 2011
Site: Fælledparken  , Copenhagen
Client: City of Copenhagen – CAU and the fund of Mærsk McKinney Møller & wife Chastine McKinney Møller
Engineer: Grontmij A/S
Landscape: GHB Landskab A/S
Contractor: A.F.Hansen
Area: 140 m2
Building Sum: 1.700.000 Dkr

TEAM:
Robert W. Paulsen, Mads H. Lund, Joana Pimenta, Sara Marie Malmros