Seeing with Sound: A Short Film Follows the Man Teaching Echolocation to Blind People
Daniel Kish has taught thousands of students worldwide an essential skill: to see with sound. A lifelong advocate for the blind, Kish is a pioneer in echolocation, the ability to perceive one’s surroundings by making clicking noises or tapping a cane. As sound waves bump onto nearby walls and objects, the noises they reflect create a sort of audible map. “If I click at a surface,” he says in a new short documentary, “it answers back.”
The New Yorker, “Echo” follows Kish and a few students who have benefited from his teachings. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/echo-film-daniel-kish/
Living at Sea for a Decade, Benjamin Sack’s Elaborate Drawings Cruise the World
When Benjamin Sack (previously) graduated from university, he sought a new adventure. “I wanted to travel and see and draw the places that inspire my work,” he tells Colossal. One day, he inquired with Holland America Line, which led round-the-world sea voyages, to see if the company might be interested in a novel trade: in exchange for a spot on the ship, Sack would lead classes and lectures and create a large drawing. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/benjamin-sack-cartographic-drawings/
In ‘Interventions,’ Ann Carrington’s Elaborate Metal Sculptures Plumb the Past
One of the most enduring symbols of wealth and status is the country house, especially in England, where the tradition began to flourish during the 15th and 16th centuries. Thanks to increased stability during the Tudor era, stately homes no longer needed to be intensely fortified, giving birth to architectural expression on a grand scale.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/ann-carrington-interventions/
Before Returning Stones and Shale to Nature, Rein Kooyman Suspends Found Objects in String
What does it take to find quietude amidst the chaos of everyday life? For some it may be deep breathing or practicing mindfulness, but for artist Rein Kooyman, moments of peace start with a walk.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/rein-kooyman-hanging-installations/
Sharks and Snakes and Leopards, Oh My! Lorien Stern’s Vibrant Ceramics Twist Danger into Play
Ravenous sharks, two-headed snakes, and alligators that appear overly eager for a snack are notably less frightening in the hands of Lorien Stern. Armed with a bright color palette and exuberant style, the Mojave Desert-based artist creates a bold ceramic menagerie of some of the most menacing creatures on Earth.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/lorien-stern-ceramics/
Handmade Paper Cascades Throughout Mika Obayashi’s Meditative Installations
“A central ingredient is empty space,” says Mika Obayashi about her gossamer installations of paper and cord. The artist constructs delicate, yet immersive works that hang from the ceiling in precise squares or triangles, their strings hovering just above the floor. Precise and organic, the installations question the relationship between material and space and “can be looked at, in, and through all at once.”
Cloud series, atmospheric sculptures of innumerable knotted threads. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/mika-obayashi-paper-installations/
A Pair of Staggering Infographics Organizes 1,600 Planets Beyond Our Solar System by Color
Not until 1992 did astronomers confirm that there were planets outside our solar system, and in the 30-plus years that have followed, researchers have discovered at least 6,660 exoplanets across nearly 4,900 systems. In his latest project, artist and author Martin Vargic turns that staggering number into a pair of striking infographics.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/martin-vargic-exoplanet-infographics/
Brooke DiDonato Captures Modern Malaise in Her Strange Stylized Photos
Despite the preppy ’80s aesthetic, Brook DiDonato’s photos speak directly to a contemporary ennui. An absurdly long rotary phone cord wraps a woman in a floral dress to the point of immobility, while another figure stands atop a stack of books so tall their head shoots through the attic. The photographer (previously) is known for her uncanny compositions that twist what appears like a typical encounter with a bookish friend or chain-link fence into a strange, confounding scene. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/brooke-didonato-photos/
Elaborate Baskets by Jeremy Frey Weave Indigenous Tradition and Contemporary Form
Since time immemorial, the Wabanaki—People of the Dawn—have harvested sweetgrass in the summer for use in ceremonies and prayer and to make baskets, braids, pottery, and medicine. In Maine, the plant grows along the coast in wetlands and marshes and is named for its enchanting fragrance that blends notes of vanilla, evergreen, earth, and salt. Harvesting only what’s needed stimulates the grass to send up new shoots.
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Through Surreal Paintings, Diego De La Rosa Imagines an Uncertain But Resilient Future for Venezuela
Coated in vivid washes of lavender, chartreuse, and indigo, the paintings of Diego De La Rosa remind us of the myriad forces that color our perceptions of reality.
the compounding political crises in his native Venezuela, retracing the tragic shortages of food and medicine, years-long recession, and violent protests that have characterized life for more than a decade. In his first solo in the U.S., De La Rosa re-interprets these tragedies through allegorical works replete with monsters and uncanny happenings. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/diego-de-la-rosa-paintings/
Relax to Mesmerizing Aerial Views of Iceland’s ‘Glacial Flour’ Pulsing Through Waterways
bog iron. Coursing over rock and black sand, the streams take on dazzling, rhythmic patterns. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/jan-erik-waider-iceland-rivers/
Collective Ancestry Emerges in the Countless Faces of Nastassja Swift’s Portraits
From felted wool and quilted fabric, vibrant portraits emerge in sculptures and tapestries by Nastassja Swift (previously). Tiny faces coat the base of a blossom-like bust or swim around the billowing forms of her Sack Series, evoking a sense of universal connectedness. The artist is influenced by family history, textile traditions, West African masks, and Yoruba rituals, gathering numerous tiny visages into compositions that speak to ancestral collectivity, shared experiences, and memories of African diasporic communities. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/nastassja-swift-textiles/
Robert Strati’s Delicate Scenes in Ink Burst from Shattered Porcelain Plates
We often associate objects with memories—a stuffed bear reminds us of childhood playtime or a family heirloom of a beloved ancestor—but for Robert Strati, certain items also contain narratives of their own accord. The artist (previously) draws elaborate scenes that appear to burst from shattered porcelain plates as part of his Fragmented series. Perfectly matching ink to the design on the dinnerware, Strati expands the story within the vessel to the paper below, rendering large-scale, monochromatic scenes that seem to emanate from the original composition. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/robert-strati-plate-drawings/
With Vintage Saris, Suchitra Mattai Weaves New Visions of Colonial History
Situated along the East River in Long Island City, New York, a new outdoor public installation by Suchitra Mattai invites visitors to consider how history, heritage, and cultures connect across land, oceans, and time. We are nomads, we are dreamers at Socrates Sculpture Park comprises six monumental forms evocative of continents or ancient monuments, cloaked in woven vintage saris. Reflecting themes of femininity and fertility, a series of seven sack-like sculptures are suspended from branches in a nearby grove of trees. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/suchitra-mattai-socrates-sculpture-park/
Insects Inhabit Blooming Floral Worlds in ‘Umwelt’ by Yoshiyuki Katayama
Yoshiyuki Katayama captures the ineffable qualities of nature and time in her ongoing series Umwelt (previously), which traces myriad relationships between insects and flowering plants. The title takes its name from an ethological concept that uses the German word “umwelt,” usually translated to “self-centered world,” to describe how animals experience their surroundings. Through elegant timelapses of unfurling blossoms, Katayama composes portraits of hostas and gerberas inhabited by colorful six-and eight-legged creatures that, thanks to some great editing, move in real time. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/yoshiyuki-katayama-umwelt/
‘A Ship From Guantánamo’ Navigates the Profoundly Creative Sculptures of an Artist Imprisoned Since 2002
The New York Times Op-Docs series, the film zeroes in on al-Alwi’s elaborate ship sculptures, complete with anchors, towering masts, and sails imprinted with a stamp that reads “APPROVED BY US FORCES.”
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/a-ship-from-guantanamo/
Thirteen Prodigious Sculptures Nestle Among the Trees in ‘La Forêt Monumentale’
Along the Seine in the thicket of Roumare Forest, an installation of thirteen striking sculptures celebrates France’s woodland heritage and ongoing preservation efforts. The handful of selected works, chosen from an open call that received more than 300 applications from 33 different countries, highlights both local artists and international creatives. The impressive project is justly titled “La Forêt Monumentale,” or “The Monumental Forest,” and is currently open to the public, encouraging viewers to gain an awareness of the country’s lush woodland identity in a physically accessible and creative way. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/la-foret-monumentale/
Rajesh Vora Photographs the Unique Punjabi Tradition of Adorning Homes with Sculptural Water Tanks
Visit the rural villages of Doaba, in India’s Punjab state, and you’ll likely encounter enormous sculptures of airplanes, tanks, and soccer players perched atop homes. The regional custom began in the late 1970s with Indian citizens who had immigrated to other parts of the world but kept residences in their native country. Dubbed “showpieces,” the rooftop sculptures are a playful mix of art and architecture and even have a practical function, doubling as water tanks.
Rajesh Vora traversed about 6,000 kilometers across the state to document hundreds of these works. More
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/rajesh-vora-punjabi-sculptures/
100 Life-Sized Elephants Lumber Along a Newport Cliff in a Global Conservation Project
A herd of elephants has arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, on the first leg of their 3,500-mile journey across the U.S. Jointly organized by two nonprofits, Elephant Family and CoExistence, the monumental public work draws attention to the relationships between people and wildlife, particularly as the human population grows and encroaches on natural habitats.
The Great Elephant Migration” features 100 life-sized animal sculptures crafted by the CoExistence Collective, an organization of 200 Indigenous artisans from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan, and Soliga communities. More
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Laura Ellen Bacon’s Monumental Willow Works Ebb and Flow in Amorphous Masses
Laura Ellen Bacon transforms hundreds of pounds of willow branches into amorphous, oscillating forms. Ascending upward along the side of a building, wrapping around abbey columns, and situated in the English countryside as if manifested out of thin air, each monumental structure commands its environment.
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https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/laura-ellen-bacon-rejuvenation/