Snowflake @HBHQ : Fourth Biennial Invitational Winter Show
EXHIBITION: Saturday, January 14, 2017 through Friday, February 24, 2017
Heavybubble is pleased to present our fourth biennial winter invitational. Artists are invited to contribute up to two pieces of their work and to invite an artist they respect to participate. Artworks are no larger than 16 x 16 inches. See the works of more than 60 artists.
Reception + art party + sale: Saturday, January 14, 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Closing TEA PARTY + sale: Saturday, February 25, 2017 4 – 6 pm
Tiberino Odalisque, oil on canvas, 11″ x 14″, 2016, $300.00, DoN Brewer
Painted last Summer at the Tiberino Sunday art workshop, Tiberino Odalisque is one of my favorite paintings. Completed in five hours, the painterly quality and atmospheric naturalism is my goal when I paint. The environment at the Tiberino Museum in West Philly is so accepting, vibrant and creative and represents the world I live in; a world filled with art, companionship, encouragement and love.
“Mixed Media”, The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers, Media Arts Council
The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers, “Mixed Media” at Media Arts Council through August 28th, 2016. Artist reception August 13th, 4:00 – 7:00. Gallery hours Thursday, Friday & Saturday 4:00 – 7:00.
Media Arts Council – What does M.A.C. really do? Our work is organized into several committees made up of dedicated volunteers who bring their skills and enthusiasm to their teams. We have a lot on our plates, but recognize that we’re in it for the camaraderie too. We’re always looking for new volunteers, so please let us know if you’re interested in learning more about our committees.
Francis Kéré is an internationally renowned, Berlin based architect who integrates traditional knowledge and craft skills into innovative and sustainable buildings worldwide. As the first son of the head of Gando, his home village in Burkina Faso, he was the only child allowed to attend school in a large city; he later studied architecture in Europe. While still a student, he began to reinvest his knowledge back into his community, building schools that would change its future trajectory.
In Gando, Kéré combined traditional Burkinabé building techniques with modern engineering methods, maximizing local materials and community participation to reduce costs and ecological impact—a practice common to many of the projects highlighted in this exhibition. His work in Gando has become a catalyst for further development: the men and women he trained in construction techniques can now use their skills to earn incomes for their families. Students in his schools have gone on to pursue higher education and aspire to circumstances that were considered impossible before.Primary school in Gando, Burkina Faso, completed 2001, Designed by Francis Kéré, Burkinabe, active Berlin, Photograph by Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk
Harnessing the success of the Gando initiative, Kéré founded his Berlin office in 2005 and has since garnered acclaim for his work elsewhere in Western Africa and, more recently, in Europe and North America. He is the recipient of the 2014 Schelling Architecture Foundation Award, the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, and the BSI Swiss Architectural Award, among others.
This school consists of nine modules that house a series of classrooms and administrative offices. The laterite stone walls, undulating off-white ceiling, and unique wind-towers exponentially reduce the interior temperature.
Secondary School, 2007 / Dano
Consisting of three classrooms, a computer room, and office space, this school is built mostly of widely available laterite stone and features a permeable ceiling, a corrugated sheet roof, and shaded windows that ensure natural ventilation. The laterite refining process and the ventilation system illustrate Kéré’s innovative techniques utilizing local handicraft.
To ensure a natural and sustainable cooling system in an extremely hot region, the roof over the classrooms is elevated from the interior construction; underneath, a perforated clay ceiling allows for maximum ventilation.
Canopy Shelter and Shade
The tree is a primal form of shelter. Four fundamental elements of architecture can be extracted from the various parts of the tree: canopy, structure, gathering place, and shadow. The canopy, as a general concept of various roof and ceiling enclosures, is an architectural cornerstone in Kéré’s work. Constructions in hot, arid places like Burkina Faso depend on innovative shade-making devices that allow ventilation and cooling without the need for electricity, as well as overhangs that provide protection from torrential rains. This video’s skyward perspective presents the importance of canopies in Burkina Faso, from village trees to traditional ceilings made of clay and thatch, to Kéré’s roof constructions at different stages of completion.
Reflecting the accessibility of Kéré’s building process, this video shows one of his most recent projects: the Lycée Schorge school in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. Unlike most modern construction sites in the West, which are strictly off-limits to the public, the Schorge site is left open for the surrounding villagers to observe. This process demystifies the act of building, allowing the public to slowly accept and sometimes even contribute to the new construction. Every stage of the project, including mounting the ceiling trusses and facade elements, fabricating the classroom furniture, and painting the interiors and window shutters, is performed without the use of heavy machinery.
The chairs in this space were made by a local fabricator in Philadelphia using the same design that Kéré created for schools in Burkina Faso. The Francis Kéré Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are pleased to offer these fifteen chairs for sale at the close of the exhibition to support Kéré’s further work in Gando. If you would like to reserve one or more chairs, please visit the Museum Store in this building for further details.
Diébédo Francis Kéré: How to build with clay… and community
Sharing Knowledge
Whether in a classroom with chalkboards and desks, or under a great baobab tree with logs and stones, the survival and prosperity of each new generation relies heavily on the transmission of knowledge. Gathering is not only a function of social occasions, it is also how ideas are discussed and spread. Shadow symbolizes this place of coming together. Visitors are invited to sit within this gathering space.
Wood
While natural hardwood forests are rare in Burkina Faso, the fast-growing eucalyptus tree provides a useful source of timber. This species is considered a nuisance in the region because it provides little shade and leaches moisture from the soil, exacerbating the problems of desertification. Despite its limited structural strength, it can still be made into screens, interior finishes, furniture, and even secondary facade systems that shade and protect buildings from wind and rain. Through the process of testing and prototyping, Kéré’s firm is also exploring new solutions for reinforcing the material for structural applications.
Clay
Burkinabés have long built with clay, extracting it from the earth, processing it by hand, and using it in a variety of architectural and craft elements, from walls to hand-built pottery. For the Gando School Library, Kéré pioneered a new use for local clay, casting sections of large pots into the ceiling to provide natural ventilation and lighting. Made by local women, the pots were transported to the building site on foot, involving the community’s expertise and participation. More recently, Kéré engineered an innovative way to cast the clay into reusable molds, creating wall systems that can be replicated for use in modular buildings.
Bricks
Bricks play a crucial role in Kéré’s architectural practice. Whether cast from clay or cut from locally extracted laterite stone, the simple form of the brick can be used to create sophisticated architectural forms and building systems. With or without mortar, bricks can be used in walls, ceilings, and floors. Different systems of stacking and bonding can produce a permeable boundary, allowing air and light to pass through. Thick brick walls also create a thermal mass, which, together with adequate ventilation and shading, helps to maintain a comfortably cool interior space.
School Furniture
To offset the costs of transporting building materials to remote sites with extremely limited means, Kéré and his team came up with ingenious ways to use every scrap of material left over from construction. Using steel rebar and plywood, the team built customized chairs and desks for school students and staff. Every bend and weld was carefully calculated to streamline production time and costs. The furniture was produced on-site with simple hand tools and jigs. A particularly striking detail is the rubber “shoe” made by hand from recycled automobile tires.
Architecture of Community
Despite the many differences between the city of Philadelphia and the village of Gando in Burkina Faso, where Francis Kéré was born, the installation in this atrium emphasizes the human-scale domestic architecture of both places and the sense of community such a design produces. In the plan of this space, Kéré overlaid the geometric grid of William Penn’s Philadelphia — represented by the regular placement of the frames that support the hanging parachute cord enclosures — with the irregular disposition of the enclosures themselves, mimicking the organic development of a Burkinabé village. The installation also features sounds collected from both Burkina Faso and Philadelphia, reinforcing the concept of community and shared space. The hanging parachute cord material may appear first as an obstacle, but on entering and interacting with the installation, the visitor will perceive that the material is a unifying, enclosing element that creates common spaces that must be negotiated and shared.
It Takes a Village
Conceived by Kéré Architecture and designed in collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Curatorial, Exhibition Design, and Editorial and Graphic Design teams, this exhibition has fostered an exchange of ideas, traditions, and experiences between Africa, Europe, and the United States. Thanks to the eager participation of many members of the Museum staff and volunteers, the Young Friends Executive Board and event committee, students from the University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Program in Architecture, and the general public to help fabricate components, this installation truly represents the coming together of a community. In addition, the Philadelphia Museum of Art would like to acknowledge Richard Wesley, for facilitating the UPenn collaboration; Larry Spitz, Carol Klein, and Sasha Barrett, who generously offered their services in creating the red clay pots to suggest the Gando Library ceiling; and David Cann and James Bassett-Cann, for their help in the realization of the atrium installation.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art isPhiladelphia’s art museum. We are a landmark building. A world-renowned collection. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.
James Sanders, Odyssey (detail), part of Cultural Arts Center from SpArc Services.
City Hall Art Exhibit Celebrates the ADA at 25
Philadelphia, PA – In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Art In City Hall presents Creative Voices – the ADA at 25, featuring the artistic achievements of Philadelphia area artists and local organizations serving people with disabilities. The exhibit will be located on the 1st, 2nd and 4th floors of City Hall, NE corner.
An artist reception is scheduled for Thursday, June 18th, from 5-7 pm in the Council Caucus Room, City Hall, 4th floor.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came into effect in 1990 as a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
Creative Voices will include the story of Pennhurst, an early twentieth century asylum created at a time when people with disabilities were considered a “threat” to society. This historical narrative, presented by Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance and the Pennsylvania History Coalition Honoring People with Disability, will serve as a reminder to how far society has come, and features the important work of the Arc of Philadelphia – part of SpArc Philadelphia – one of the organizations responsible for the closure of Pennhurst.
James Wilson, a board member of the Arc of Philadelphia, reflects on his involvement with the ADA and ending Pennhurst: “These were tumultuous times leading to huge advances in opening the schools, establishing community services and ultimately ADA. The Pennhurst case spurred changes to the Social Security Act and in the establishment of community services across the country, ultimately leading to the Americans with Disabilities Act. All this started with Pennhurst.”
SpArc Philadelphia’s Cultural Arts Center will celebrate the work of its artists beside the Pennhurst display on the fourth floor near City Council Chambers. Their participating artists are:
Yolanda Hilliard, Richard Johnston, James Sanders and Jennifer Williams.
The Art Gallery at City Hall, located on the first floor within the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, will feature works by professional artists, including artists from Main Line Art Center and Moss Rehab’s permanent collection. The gallery will also partner with Art-Reach to host a workshop for the visually impaired led by ceramic artist Beth McGuigan on Monday, June 8th. The finished clay sculptures will be on display on June 18th for the opening reception. Visitors who are visually impaired or legally blind will be encouraged to touch these works on exhibit.
“Having City Hall as a venue to celebrate the ADA’s 25th anniversary shows how the power of art can be a platform to celebrate one of the most important pieces of legislation in current history,” said City of Philadelphia’s Chief Cultural Officer, Helen E. Haynes. “Creative Voices connects art to civil rights.”
Near the Offices of the Mayor on the second floor, Creative Voices will present works by student artists from Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy, and works by RomaineSamworth and Michael Gieschen from the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Form in Art program.
Philadelphia will take part in the national celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ADA on July 25th at City Hall and the National Constitution Center. The ADA Legacy Tour Bus will promote its theme: Disability Rights are Civil Rights at both locations before heading to Washington D.C. on July 26th, the official birthdate of the ADA. For more information, visit: http://www.adaanniversary.org/
Instrumental in bringing this celebration to Philadelphia is Charles Horton from the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities, and Councilman Dennis O’Brien, a tireless advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disability.
“Our community has accomplished many great things over the years and the ADA has been the catalyst for change,” said Charles Horton. “Legislatively, economically and socially we as a community have begun to reach a level of empowerment and inclusion and therefore we must continue our fight for independence.”
Councilman Dennis O’Brien also recognized the impact of the ADA: “While we still have a long way to go, the ADA has opened so many doors for individuals with disabilities and this artwork is a celebration of that.”
Creative Voices – the ADA at 25 runs from June 8th to July 31st.
As a native Philadelphian, I’d never visited the Eastern State Penitentiary, which is attributable to my own design as well as lack of desire. Known as America’s most historic prison, Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous prison in the world due to its grand architecture and strict disciplinary practices. Notions of such harsh discipline, imprisonment, and being confined to small spaces renders fear and paralysis in my mind. However, after learning about the May First Friday unveiling of several artists at the ESP, this art enthusiast felt it was a perfect time to make the guarded effort to see this well-known space.
I was especially intrigued after reading about the installation ofJesse Krimes, entitled Apokaluptein 16389067: II. Jesse is a Philadelphia-based artist, who was indicted by the U.S. government on non-violent controlled substance charges, and served a 70-month federal prison term. While serving his term, Jesse produced a breathtaking and evocative 39-panel landscape on bedsheets. His process is just as magnificent: Jesse transferred cutout images from the New York Times using a plastic spoon and hairgel he had purchased from the commissary. He used the spoon to press the sheet and hairgel onto the newspaper cutout which resulted in an inverse image on the sheet. Lastly, the images were blended together with color pencil. With the help of prison guards who had supported his work, he was able to store the sheets in a prison locker before having each panel mailed home piece by piece upon completion. Jesse kept a running dialogue in his mind of each of the sheets, as he didn’t see the entire grouping of panels until his release.
In it’s original iteration, Apokaluptein16389067 is 15 feet tall and 40 feet long. The images are a grouped according to three major sections: the bottom represents Hell, the middle portion is a depiction of Earth, and the upper portion signifies Heaven. A facsimile of the original is on display along the interior walls of an abandoned cell at the ESP. I spoke with Jesse about his artistic process, and he explained that the current installation was made by scanning the original bedsheets onto a large scanner and making a large print. He then made a copy of the large print (to mimic the inverse images that appear on the bedsheets due to the transfer) and affixed those pieces onto the walls of the prison cell exhibition space using hand sanitizer and a sealant. Jesse feels that this project has reached it’s zenith in as it’s final iteration at the Penitentiary.
This installation is a brilliant collage of color, form, and text. The texture is reminiscent of decoupage or encaustic painting. In their entirety, the panels serve as an artistic time capsule.
The original title, Apokaluptein16389067, references the Greek origin of the word apocalypse which means to reveal; by definition, it is a cataclysmic event. The numbers reference the artist’s Federal Bureau of Prisons identification number. Of all the works on display at this First Friday event, I felt especially compelled to see this exhibit as I am both amazed and in awe of the power of human resilience. Last year, I read wonderful meme that has since stuck with me: “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity”. Jesse Krimes‘ work is the epitome and personification of this proverb. I hold much admiration for his creative self-motivation in making this impressively transcendent work of art during his own personal apocalypse.