Wednesday, August 26, 2009

hidden violence by eko nugroho at Pekin Fine art Beijing

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Trust Me

Under the Shadow is Eko Nugroho's new solo show, and included in this exhibition is Trust Me, a life-size statue of a person covered in flowers. One fist is clenched; the other carries a pistol. Another piece is of a person seated on a flower-covered rock who wears a helmet with no mask. This individual's palms are turned upwards, in a gesture of acceptance. Nugroho, known for odd juxtapositions of human-sized statues and objects, suggests that the shadow acts as an important artistic element, forcing an investigation or exploration of light and dark.

Under the Shadow runs from August 15 through October 5, 2009 at Pékin Fine Arts in Beijing.


Artist: Eko Nugroho
+ pekinfinearts.com


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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Robofish by MIT


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MIT engineers have developed a cheap, compact robotic fish that can go where no man (or underwater vehicle) has been able to go before. The pint-sized robofish, developed by Kamal Youcuf-Toumi and Pablo Valdivia y Alvarado, could potentially be used to detect underwater environmental pollutants and inspect submerged boats and oil and gas pipes. Another plus is that they don’t smell. Toumi and Valdivida y Alvarado’s fish is less than a foot long, contains only 10 parts, and has a single motor. Since the new fish uses fewer parts, it’s cheaper to build. And that means there is minimal risk if a robofish gets stuck or destroyed in an underwater structure.

The robofish require 2.5 to 5 watts of power from an external source, but scientists hope that one day the fish could be powered with an external battery. Next up for the robot masterminds at MIT: building robotic salamanders and manta rays. (Ariel Schwartz)

See more detail on http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/25/

Burnham Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects at Millenium Park, Chicago


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photo courtesy of Zaha hadid architects by Mitchelle litivin