Tag: LookingOutwards-01

LO: My Inspiration

The technological art/game that I admire the most is the pokemon series, especially the first pokemon game ever – Pokemon red and blue. The first reason that I admire it the most is that it is first of its kind, a capture and collect JRPG game, and the second reason is that the developer secretly hid one easter egg inside the game which made the game super popular. The game itself is created and directed by Satoshi Tajiri using the C++ language on the gameboy platform, and according to the director, Tajiri himself, the game was influenced by another JRPG game called The Final Fantasy Legend. Because of the unexpected popularity that the game received due to its unique gameplay, art style, and merchandise, the team is able to create dozens of its squeals even till today.

LO: Kinetic Sculpture

Work title: Circe [Kinetic Wind Sculpture in Stainless Steel]

Designer: Anthony Howe

Video Link: https://www.howeart.net/circe

I am really fascinated by this project because Howe has endowed a new form of sculpture that is not a static artwork. The patterning of these sculptures also reminds me of parametric architecture, which is often created by Grasshopper (a 3D modeling program). Using specialized software that can program each component of the sculpture, Howe is able to generate the motion of steel plates through the wind. Then, the wind will allow the statue to perform based on its pre-designed structure. I believe that one of the artist’s responsibilities is to let the work speak for themselves, whether through interaction with nature or through computational control by us. Regarding the software, I suppose the author created his own scripts because every work in this series is unique in its form and motion, as well as the “wind” determinator, in this case, will require real-time data to implement the design in real life. 

Blog 01: Rebuild the Original 1910 Penn Station!

By Ilia Urgen

Since the last decade, a national movement to rebuild the long lost McKim, Meade & White Pennsylvania Station has made me come to admire New York’s old 20th Century architecture.

This movement was founded by Richard Cameron and James Grimes back in the 2010’s. Their vision of improving New York’s current, run-down Penn Station was to rebuild the original station, which had opened in 1910 was demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden.

Cameron and Grimes’s extensive blueprints are pretty much the same as the original ones from the 1900s, but they are still bringing a touch of the 21st Century into their designs. These modern enhancements include sustainable energy, solar panels, LED Lighting, and even a rooftop garden!

Their work was fully enhanced through the use of standard CAD software, which allowed them to visualize the original designs with their modern design features.

Cameron and Grimes are trying to grab the public’s support for this massive $2.5 billion dollar project. I definitely support this movement, as it focuses on preserving the cultural importance of 20th Century architecture, while enhancing “the works” with 21st century technology.