Heterotopia = Hetero: the other, otherness. Topos: the place

Vincent J Stoker takes us on tours through photographic heterotpias.  Transporting us through our own ability to construct stories from past experiences and understandings.  His choice of locations leave us guessing as to whether we are early or just a little late for the moment.  Though sites of interaction or utopian ideals they seem off kilter and out of place from how I minds perceive them.

Heterotopias can be defined negatively, by what they are not. Here and nowhere, they are neither real, nor utopian but both at the same time. Places out of all places but still recorded on maps, they are the physical locations of utopias, utopias that have become matter. Their first principle of otherness is that they have an ambiguous relation to reality.

Vincent J Stoker

To read more or to see more photographs please click here

Thin Living – Fujiwaramuro Architects Slot A New Home Between The Existing

 

Early on when I started this blog I was inspired by a narrow house designed by the Polish architect Etgar Keret.  Recently this narrow house by Japanese Fujiwaramuro Architects (read Huh Magazines article here).  These thin houses that seem to be occurring through a desire to make use of vacant lots and avoid paying for expensive plots of land.  These house seem to inspire an inner drive to utilise spaces, even when others would pass them by for being inadequate, these spaces require architects to evaluate different forms of living.  It also makes me think of Gordon Matta-Clarks’ work Fake Estates.  His purchase of small unusable lots with NYC creating a portfolio of fifteen properties.  Some of these were inaccessible sites yet just by ownership these sites became of value.  These buildings and Matta-Clarks work feed by interest in disremebered sites and not just their loss of use but positive uses or applications of these sites.

 

Gordon Matta-Clark Images taken from Cabinet Magazine click here to read the article

Newhaven Station: Dickie Webb

 

 

‘Don’t copy – paste, but copy – morph.’ Interactive Landscapes: Daan Roosegaarde

I while back I came across some work by Daan Roosegaarde.  The book is a must for those that are at all interested in interactive installations.  The inventiveness of Roosegaardes practice is truly original.  I would like to suggest favourite parts to the book but rather will suggest just reading it from cover to cover.  Here is a link to his website as well click

Newhaven Station Images of Artwork: Claudia de la Pena, Richard Taylor and Dickie Webb. Curated By Holly Knox Yeoman

Newhaven Station – Opening tomorrow night 22nd March.

Today was the final push to finish installing works for the exhibition opening tomorrow night.  The partly renovated Newhaven Station has had its moments in the last two weeks.  Though luckily no break ins or flooding.  We have battled through the cold and the lack of power to hopefully put together a good show.  These images are taken from two installations that I have made alongside other sculptural works.  I will post further photos of the works and also those by Richard Taylor and Claudia de la Pena.

TAIYO ONORATO & NICO KREBS

 

I am just in the final days of installation for the up coming Newhaven Station exhibition opening this Friday 22nd.  Some of the works I have created for this show have wooden structures/supports similar to scaffolding.  I guess they serve a purpose yet are temporary and constructed.  These interventions by TAIYO ONORATO & NICO KREBS really take these structures outside.  Their eye for supports to existing structures is uncanny.  They hijack these buildings and suggest that they need or require their new support.

TAIYO ONORATO & NICO KREBS webiste.

Precious Billboards When Empty – Elliott Burns

I have a thing for signage and billboards.  The simplicity of communicating ideas from these roadside hoardings.  With Elliott Burns work of vacant billboards in Thailand you are left with the sheer beauty of the design themselves sans any commercial context.  Elliott Burns took this series whilst on residency ComPeung Artist Residency.  I came across his work as he has just been accepted to athens Snehta artist residency program in Athens.  It will be interesting to see what he produces whilst there.

Elliott Burns Website here

ALL——-TIME ARCHIPELAGO

This new creative platform has sprung up on the radar recently and seems to be doing something a little different in and around Edinburgh.  A coming together of ZZZAP & URSA MAJOR STUDIO the are bring elements together who share similar visions.  Here’s what they have to say for themselves:

“ATA is a brave new creative platform which exists as an evolving digital exhibition space and a series of art / music get togethers.

Island 1 is our first late night event, in the humble surrounds of the Intermedia Project Space.”

Website click here

All-Time Archipelago – Island 1.

FRIDAY 15TH MARCH
INTERMEDIA PROJECT SPACE
EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART
9:30 – V LATE / BYOB

ARTWORKS by

Tasos Gaitanos
Alistair Grant
Becca Howard
Scott McGuigan
Darren Nisbet
Robbie Penford-Baker
Emily Rimmer
Sally Sears-Black
Loren Stuart
Joe Venning

MUSIC

Telfort (live)
Mana Aboda (live)
David-George (live)
ZZZAP Residents

System within a grid, grid within a system – Esther Stocker

I came across the work of Esther Stocker through her installation at Z33 exhibition Mind the system find the gap.  Her installation similar to the works above seemingly are erratic objects or placed materials.  These definite randomness to their placement causes you the viewer to realise there is more intention here.  There is a system and design to what you are immersed within.  This leads to eyes searching the space occupied to see what the artist is seeing.  As though you do not want to miss out on the hidden spectacle.

Click here for Esther Stockers’ Website