A photo is worth a thousand...

tons of garbage.

What are we THINKING?

This amazing series is by artist Chris Jordan, of Seattle.

He calls it "Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait."

As astonishing as his statistics are, what he has done with them is even
more astonishing.

via email forwarded to me by Connie Torii; courtesy of Karl K

Blog recommendation: mStonerblog

I recently returned from the UCDA Design Summit, which was held in Denver, CO, this year.

One of the presenters, Doug Gapinski, the design director at mStoner, spoke about "Branding and Education" ("If your institution was a person, what would the qualities and characteristics of that person be?" Hmmm...) and "User Experience Fundamentals" ("Are your audiences having intuitive and satisfying experiences when dealing with your brand?").

At the end of his presentation, he told us he would post to mStoner's blog and ask us to provide feedback on his talk there.

I just checked out their blog and believe there may be a treasure of relative musings useful for us here at Berkeley. So, check out the blog when you get a chance.

—

Oh, by the way, I went to the new wing of the Denver Art Museum (above), which was designed by Daniel Libeskind. I went on an architectural tour before wandering through the floors on my own. The building has no 90% angles; I was amazed by how they solved the problem of hanging art in such a space. Check it out if you're ever in the "mile-high city."

A4 papercut

via popurls

It’s amazing what you can do with one sheet of A4 paper.

Scratch that. It’s amazing what Peter Callesen can do with one sheet of A4 paper.

I really can’t say anything more than, “Take a look at Peter Callesen’s A4 papercut online.”

Damn.

One of our own

DevCom's Vee Mahoney is participating in the SF Open Studios this weekend:

November 3-4, 2007
11 am - 6 pm

Her work is on display in her studio in Building 116 at the Hunters Point Shipyard.

Way to go, Vee!

A year of speakers on art, technology, and culture begins tonight

The first installment in this year's speaker program — "The Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium," sponsored by UC Berkeley's Center for New Media — begins tonight.

Tonight's performance: Trevor Paglen explores state secrecy and the geography of nowhere.

7:30 – 9 p.m.
160 Kroeber Hall

For more information, see:
• Secret CIA Prisons in Your Backyard
• KQED's Spark* feature on Trevor in April 2006
• Trevor's bio

Berkeley honored with art

via sfgate.com



Colombian artist Fernando Botero has chosen Berkeley as permanent home to his compelling Abu Ghraib paintings. However, details of the agreement need to be worked out before it's a done deal. The Center for Latin American Studies sponsored the only American showing of Botero's images of Abu Ghraib prisoners earlier this year.

Latin America's most celebrated living artist, Botero has offered to give the university all the pictures it displayed — 25 big paintings and 22 drawings of bound, bloodied and blindfolded naked prisoners, one pawed by a ferocious dog. They're based on the photographs and stories of Iraqi prisoners tortured by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Berkeley chancellor Robert Birgeneau has tentatively agreed to accept the gift, the monetary value of which experts peg at $10 million to $15 million....

In April, the artist, who lives mostly in Paris, e-mailed Professor Harley Shaiken, director of the Center for Latin American Studies, who had organized the show, to say he'd decided to give the works to UC Berkeley. He wrote that because of the school's academic stature and "openness of spirit," he wanted the pictures to reside there permanently.

"We were stunned. It was well beyond our wildest dreams," said Shaiken, who relayed the offer to the chancellor, whom he praises for taking the risk of showing these provocative works and supporting the belief that "a university deals with ideas."

fer•ma•ta

The 37th Annual University of California, Berkeley Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition opened Friday at the Berkeley Art Museum gallery.

Though I admit to mostly talking and drinking wine at the reception and so have minimal to say at this point about the art itself, I intend to return to BAM to check out more seriously the work of Berkeley’s most recent crop of artists graduating from Art Practice.

One artist completing the MFA program this spring, Ali Dadgar, was previously featured on the cover of the Promise of Berkeley Winter 2007 issue (PDF available). For his MFA exhibit he has reconfigured a computer printer to print with silkscreen inks on found and generated materials exploring “decorative censorship” in multiple cultural contexts.

Two exhibits you should see

via e-mail from Roland

There are two exhibits in San Francisco which we should all be aware of. Both Ron and I have seen these shows and recommend them for their richness and innovation. They can serve as inspiration to us all.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
California College of the Arts at 100: Innovation by Design
March 23–August 26, 2007
Encompassing some of the most mesmerizing design objects from the Museum’s collection and beyond, this exhibition showcases the innovation and boundless creativity manifested by faculty and alumni of CCA on the occasion of the Bay Area college’s 100th anniversary.

M.H. De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park
Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion
March 3–June 10, 2007
Vivienne Westwood is both iconoclast and global icon. This exhibition, which was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and which makes the de Young its only U.S. stop on an international tour, celebrates Westwood's extraordinary, nearly 40-year-long career.