ART IN TRANSIT B. Design Project 2016 Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology
Project Guide - Shivani Arzu Aamitabh Abhiyan Aditya Astha Sidhant
Prarthana Wadhwani
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CONTENTS 1. Project Overview__________________________________________________________5 2. Reasons for taking the Project________________________________________________6 3. Site analysis______________________________________________________________10 4 Immersion Process_________________________________________________________17 5. Project Proposal___________________________________________________________19 6. Conceptualisation and Curatorial Process ______________________________________ 28 7. Inspiration and case studies _________________________________________________35 8. Form and Prototype________________________________________________________45 9. Cost of installation_________________________________________________________47 11. Reflective Statement______________________________________________________48 12. Bibliography____________________________________________________________ 49
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PROJECT OVERVIEW Art in Transit is a Public Space Design project taken up to design for the Metro Stations at Cubbon Park and Vidhan Soudha. Through the project one has to understand the politics of a public space and the idea of justice, diversity, and jostle against the powered. How do we as artists and designers respond to these dynamics of a public space? Is there a possibility of creating a contemporary Bangalore and an experience that is yet to exist? The metro is a semi-public space that offers opportunities for congregation and social networks where a diversity of people come together with a common purpose of getting from one place to another. The Art in Transit Collective is interested in a transdisciplinary framework that engages through art and design practices with the metro as a symbol of the changing city. The following Three frames guide the research and practice of this project City Past Present and Future Bangalore city has various titles such as the Garden city, the Silicon City, the Smart City, Pensioners Paradise, the exploding city, the garbage city, the exclusive city, the world class city, the pub city, traffic jam city, the fastest growing city. What does the city aspire to be? Bangalore’s identity jostles between nostalgia and future aspiration becoming a collection of various tensions. The project offers to explore Bangalore’s transient identity, be it the past collective memories of the city, present experiences of the city and the diverse and competing aspirations of the city. Through the project we were going to explore if the metro can be a connective tissue between the past present and future of the city.
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Experience of Transiting Human life on the planet is increasingly characterised by greater physical and social mobility people find themselves living in communities defined not by common acquaintance but by geography, economics and aspirations. The project is a platform to explore human journey in all its facets – replacement and displacement, public space as an artefact , journey as an experience of the self and technology as a form of mediation + connection across space and time.
Transit as a Social Network The project provides the students to think about transit as a social network that moves beyond the tangibility of public space. Through the project we were given the opportunity to re think the characteristics and dynamics of networks using a transit space as a laboratory to experiment with technology, ideas of connectivity, to uncover the dynamic cultural relationships between various agents and actors across time and space. It is for designers to reimagine design and its impact – a space for communication to rethink persuasion, campaign and audience – a platform for artists and activists to use networks as triggers as a medium to visualise and unravel relationships.
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REASONS FOR CHOOSING THIS PROJECT 1. It is a great opportunity that has been open to us graduating students to be able to work in a public space such as the metro station which defines Bangalore’s growth. Moreover, these stations are located in the prime localities of Bangalore and are surrounded by the city’s heritage buildings and well preserved cabin park. 2. The project requires us to understand the nature and identity of the city which is an interesting area of research exploration. Through the project one will widen their knowledge about the city and the dynamics of a public space. The intensive research process opens up channels to understand various aspects of the city such as history, architecture, cultural practices, food, growth, politics, greenspaces, etc. 3. Any form of artwork installed at the station will be accessed by many city dwellers each day so it is a great platform to showcase the art work. It is a space to connect with the population if Bangalore. A space which has the potential to educate, inform or trigger a change in the people of the city. 4. Also the project has the option of execution and not just a proposal makes the entire process more intensive and significant .One has to learn to overcome challenges posed by the site and the safety norms in public spaces. 5. Overall the project has a huge potential of learning as well as a great asset to have on one’s portfolio
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SITE ANALYSIS
The metro stations are located around some of the most significant landmarks of the city. To name a few landmarks around the stations – Vidhan Soudha, High Court, Cubbon Park, Vvishveshvaraya Museum, Century Club, YMCA, Chinnaswamy Stadium, Government offices.
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IMMERSION PROCESS Timeline until seminar 1 - Understanding context of the station - Understanding the site and areas surrounding it - Choosing an area of research connected with Bangalore – Parks in Bangalore - Case Study- Mainly Cubbon Ppark - Proposal
Topics of Research Bangalore City Green cover Parks in Bangalore Parks and recreation Understanding Cubbon Park Environment Plants, trees, people that visit, the activities in Cubbon Park Relationship between people and their natural environment Cubbon Park as a meditative space-A space for space and quiet
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Findings from the Research Relationship between people and their natural environment : -There are significant correlations to reductions in stress, lowered blood pressure, and perceived physical health to the length of stay in visits to parks. The mental and physical health benefits of parks and green spaces have been demonstrated and can be proven to be actual preventative measures that impact positively on health care and health care costs. -Parks provide a sense of public pride and cohesion to every community. -Access to parks and recreation opportunities has been strongly linked to reductions in crime -Parks and recreation programs provide places for health and well-being that are accessible by persons of all ages and abilities, especially to those with disabilities. -Parks provide gathering places for families and social groups, as well as for individuals of all ages and economic status, regardless of their ability to pay for access. -Parks are a tangible reflection of the quality of life in a community. -Green open spaces can be considered an area's "lungs" that offset the effects of air pollution. -Open spaces provide the needed habitat for mammals, birds, insects and seeds to survive. -Open spaces offer environmental education opportunities. -Exploring natural places gives us spiritual renewal, feelings of well-being, and a sense of harmony with the broader community. Therefore, the presence of protected natural areas within our urban fabric can serve to counter-balance the stress and strain of modern life.
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Cubbon Park as a Case study
In order to understand parks better I decided to take up Cubbon Park as my main area of focus. The tools used to understand Cubbon Park were that of embodiment interviews and online research.. Through this process I made note of many aspects of the park - what makes people come here so often, how is it used, how often do people visit, their comfort level in a public space.
Part 1 of research before seminar1 – key areas of focus – People, age groups, seating, safety, comfort level, interactions between people , interactions of people with natural environment, climate, sounds. The park has people coming in each day to have lunch and take a break or to sit and catch up with friends, take a walk, children come to play. I documented how they sit, age groups, seating, comfort levels, interactions between people, time spent in the park, structures, air quality, temperature.
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The Findings from the phase one of the research process paved the path for the initial proposal People seem to be able to create many private spaces in a public space and are undisturbed at the park. This helped me understand the dynamics of people in a public space. It’s very peaceful inside cubbon park and gives a feeling of cutting off from the rest of the city even though it’s right in the heart of the city. It facilitates a connection to the natural environment The phase 2 of the research was further exploring Cubbon Park in detail. I started looking at all the forms seen in the space both living and non-living. The benches, plants, branches, leaves, grills, structures, trees, bark of trees, pathways, stones, flowers, shadows, textures and patterns that are formed in nature. This research was carried out by collecting a large resource pool of photos and sketches from the park.
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An idea that started to emerge out of the visual imagery in Cubbon park was the Porosity achieved by the branches and the leaves.
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Textures and shadows seen in Cubbon park
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Changes occur in the visuals of cubbon park due to the fact that flowers have their own season in a year in which they blossom.
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PROJECT PROPOSAL
Project deals with creating a meditative space that connects the traveller to the natural environment of Cubbon Park that exists above ground, close to the metro station. Cubbon Park is 300 acres of greenspace in the heart of the city right in the midst of one of the most prime and developed areas of Bangalore. It is a space for trees, birds, peace and quiet, that is surrounded by dynamic, vital parts of the city bustling with activity throughout the day. It has all classes and ages of people that frequent the space. It is a place of leisure and relaxation. The idea is to integrate the experience of Cubbon Park into the metro station. Cubbon park is Bangalore’s heritage a space that people have grown up visiting and it has a sense of nostalgia to it. It is a space that Bangloreans relate to and if not for people grown up in the city it is the kind of space in which one can choose to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the city by situating oneself exactly in the centre of it. Considering that the metro station is underground there is all the more a possibility of creating a ‘get away’ space. Among many other reasons Cubbon park is home to hundreds of people each day because of the aspect of shelter that trees provide which enables people to visit at any hour of the morning or afternoon to relax, sit, eat, lie down, walk etc. Trees often play the role of providing natural canopies and being in this space evokes feelings of tranquillity and calmness. Through my project I would like to enhance the waiting experience of the traveller as well as provide a space that is serene and relaxing that would be beneficial to have in a transit space. Also, this is all the more favourable for the regular commuters who could catch a break in their daily routine.
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The Need for this project In our day to day lives we may not have the time to visit a park and imbibe the experience of being in a relaxed zone of fresh air and trees but a transit space is in fact that which we have to visit each day to get to work etc. So it would be an ideal situation if spaces such as the metro that people have no choice but to visit could offer an experience of a space that they would love to visit on a holiday. Access to vegetated areas such as parks, open spaces, and playgrounds has been associated with better perceived general health, reduced stress levels, reduced depression and more. From the interviews one can understand that people have very little free time in a day and they spend an hour or more in total in and around the metro station. Only 27 per cent of the people go to a park often while the remaining don’t get time even though they would be interested in going. In other cases where in a person has to wait alone it can be boring and is a good time to unwind and relax.
Core Areas of Research How to recreate the natural environment? Understanding spaces where in the built environment meets natural Explore the aspect of time spent in a public space Explore Biomimicry and biomorphic design
Position - As an artist I would like to create a meditative space where in people can unplug for a few minutes while they are seated in the station at the same time forming a connect with the natural environment. The intent is to create a connection that may be subtle, not necessarily stark or literal.
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CONCEPTUALISAION AND CURATORIAL PROCESS Concept “Capturing the essence of Cubbon Park and bringing that into the metro station” Sites chosen in the Cubbon Park metro station Concourse Platform
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Through our concepts and ideas there emerged four larger curatorial themes. : Aesthetics and aspirations The Traveller The Other land Participative Networks
Each project was to be looked at and explored further through the lens of the above mentioned themes. It was up to us as to which larger umbrella we chose in order to take the project forward. I felt that the theme ‘the traveller’ would be best suitable to take my concept forward because my idea revolves around the experience of a traveller coming from outside into the metro station and forming a connect with Cubbon park which is only a few feet away from the station. The curatorial themes enabled us to choose sites in an organised manner as each theme were given a set of sites to choose from. It enables us to understand the nature of projects that will be next to each ones project and facilitated the understanding the positioning of each one’s work in the staton. The map below has each ones name marked on the map in a particular colour the colour stands for the curatorial theme. Just by looking at the maps of the station one can what category or theme their project comes under and site chosen by the student. Once we understood the kind of projects that are around we explored the possibilities of forming co relations with other students work.
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Ideas and Concept development
Initial Ideas -Creating an installation made of found natural material which has been treated -Bringing in large rocks as seating on the platform -Creating the shadow of the leaves as a projection on the platform of the station for people while they wait for the train -Creating an installation on the ceiling of the concourse to create a walk through which captures the essence of Cubbon Park. The artwork is created by extracting from the forms seen in the park and recreating these forms through different material and working with ‘Porosity’ that is seen in leaves and branches. All the ideas below cover an area of 30’ X 10 ‘on the ceiling of the concourse.
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Prototypes for seminar 2 There are a lot of bamboo trees in Cubbon Park. One of the ideas is using strips of bamboo on the ceiling of the concourse area to create a walk through. The length of each stick would be around 8 feet as the breadth of the concourse is ten feet. The concourse has lighting at every 6 feet and the installation will be placed below it through which the light can pass. The bamboo will have to be treated and coated with fire retarding chemicals for safety.
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The idea is derived from the pattern of the crossing over of bamboo stems over one another creating an installation with cloth on the ceiling of the concourse. The cloth will be cut in strips of 12’ X 1’ and suspended from the ceiling. Similar to the ideas mentioned above light passes through the installation creating shadows in the space.
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Certain forms in nature are visually chaotic yet have a calming effect - recreating these forms through a ceiling installation made of strips of wood of 8’ X 1’ which are then painted and joined to one another and then suspended from the sides at a few inches below from the ceiling. The light on the concourse passes through it and the density of wooden strips is decreased at junctions where there is lighting to avoid obstruction.
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Painting on the walls and floor of the concourse or projection of flowers on the concourse which illustrate the shedding of flowers.
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Using the forms of the leaves to create patterns on the ceiling.
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Insights and feedback on the initial ideas Ceiling height of the concourse is 10 feet so it will be difficult to have structures that are hanging down. The concourse also has lighting every 6 feet so any ceiling installation that is installed will obstruct the amount of light passing through. Also, there are smoke detectors on the ceiling which cannot be obstructed. The platform is therefore a better choice for an art installation. Materials such as wood and bamboo need to be coated with fire retarding chemicals. Materials that are overhead need to be light as a safety precaution. Hanging any heavy structures from the ceiling would be unsafe. Cloth can be a good option as it is a light material unlike wood and is available in all colours, although it does need to be treated with Boric Acid to make it fire retardant. Feedback from seminar 2 Explore cloth and the possibilities of creating art forms through weaving. Explore the possibility of installations that can change every couple of weeks similar to the idea of how different flowers bloom in different seasons. Further explore BioMorphic forms and Bio Morphic design
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INSPIRATION AND CASE STUDIES Initially the case studies were those where in artists had done a literal replication of the outdoor environment. Artists who have worked with creating the natural in a built environment Amsterdam Airport Maurice Mentgens The feeling of being in a park was recreated using a mixed reality technology where images of famous parks from around the world are displayed on the walls, beautiful butterflies are projected and animals’ sounds together with bicycle bells can be heard while sitting on a tree trunk. Skype Office in Palo Alto by Blitz Design firm (picture below)
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Artist Giuseppe Licari transformed the Hommes Gallery in Rotterdam into an indoor park – complete with a large grassy lawn, small trees, and even birds. The installation inverts the common understanding of indoors as private and outdoors as public. People were invited to enter and engage in activities that would normally take place in an outdoor public park.
2000 suspended dandelions German artist Regine Ramseier as part of ArToll Summer Lab 2011.
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Nike Savvas Rally 2014 – An installation created for the Art gallery of New South Wales Atomic installation also at the art gallery of New South wales in august 2006 (Top Right) Installation was comprised of 50,000 polystyrene balls suspended on rows of nylon wires that ran the width of the room. Several fans strategically placed in the room switched on and off occasionally, causing the colourful balls to vibrate.
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Marc Fones and The Very Many New York based studio engaging with Art and architecture Botanical Garden, Chromatae 2011, Public art
FRAC CentreOrleans, France
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Angelica Bergamini Works with mixed media and paper cuts Elixir of Life 2008 Made of Monofilament fishing line, glass beads
Beili Liu’s red thread installations By working on these everyday materials such as thread, paper, incense, wood, salt, water, Liu manipulates their intrinsic and bare qualities to extrapolate much more complex cultural narratives.
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Overview on the artist’s work, case studies, inspiration I looked at artists who have worked with porosity and artists that have created suspended ceiling installations. Until I narrowed down on wanting to work with the idea of porosity I was looking at artists that have connected the natural environment with the built. Then I started looking at biomorphic design and came across Marc Fones and the very many who have done extensive work in this line. I looked at artists who have worked with thread and rope in order to understand how they achieved the aspect of porosity by creating intricate and delicate structures.
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FORM AND PROTOYPE
Site Chosen for installation – Above the Platfrom in Cubbon Park A reason for choosing this site – The idea is to create an installation that is suspended in the air at the junction between the platform and the concourse. A meditative ceiling structure created above the platform area and connects the traveller to the natural environment. Materials -Cloth Ropes Wire
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Reasons for considering the above materials Through the feedback received in seminar two it was understood that both wood and bamboo aren’t suitable options and since this is a ceiling installation the art work must be light weight due to safety reasons. Cloth can be used to create textures; can be laser cut, stitched, appliqued, stretched out, etc The initial idea was to create a canopy/ ceiling above the entire platform but that developed into creating smaller organically shaped structures that are suspended from the walls that exist on both sides of the platform. The reason for this is that I didn’t want to create something that would make the space seem confined and cramped. Covering the entire platform space would lead to people feeling enclosed and might make the space feel limited. Instead my aim was to create an installation that is airy, uncluttered and light that will make the space feel spacious as it is. The shape of these suspended structures is like that of a petal and will be suspended at different heights above the platform. There will be about 15- 20 of these above the platform of the station and suspended with cable wires that are hooked into the walls that are concealed by the steel panels.
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PROTOYPING PHASE The prototype is made up of an organically shaped wire frame which has cloth stretched out across it and stitched. Various prototypes were made and forms were explored to manipulate the fabric. -Cutwork -Applique -Creating patterns on net -Pieces of cloth cut and stretched across the wire frame The diameter of the frames range from 2’4” to 2’8”
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-Transparent fabric such as net is stretched out and stitched across the wire frame - Fabric cut outs are stuck onto the net with fabric glue - This will be suspended from across the walls of the platform through cable wires creating a series of transparent petals overhead.
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This was achieved by first drawing the pattern on the fabric then cutting out pieces with a scissor. Through this process very intricate patterns cannot be made but fairly large patterns can be worked with. Cloth can be laser cut but it is delicate and depends on the thickness of cloth chosen and the pattern. Through laser cutting intricate patterns can surely be achieved but there are high chances of the cloth tearing while it is stretched out on the wire frame. The more intricate the pattern the more delicate it is. In this prototype the form of the branches is used as a pattern.
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Applique work done to create textures similar to that of leaves fallen on a surface. The cloth is cut out into small circular shapes of diameter 2� and each piece is folded and stitched onto the base fabric to create textures.
The pattern seen in the veins of the leaf have been recreated with strips of cloth cut out, stretched across the frame and stitched in a radial pattern. 39
Visualisation on Site
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Testing of Prototype
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Insights and challenges encountered during making and testing of prototype
Challenges were faced while trying to strategically place each piece in such a way as to use the minimum number of cable as possible. Too many wires running across may spoil the visual dynamics of the installation. Each art piece bends downward due to its own weight while suspended from the cable therefore each piece has to be as light as possible. Cloth gets dirty easily so it’s better to use colours in which dust is not so visible or select a material of fabric that is very easy to clean. Patterns which are too intricate require a slightly thicker kind of fabric as it may tear while being stretched out on a frame. Each piece when done by hand is very time consuming as it requires stitching tiny pieces of cloth onto it and may take time to produce many pieces for the station.
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Other Material options for installation
Laser cut metal sheet Laser cut acrylic sheet
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Comparison of materials
Material
Cost of Laser cutting for 3’ X 3’ (Rs.)
Metal
5000
Advantage/Disadvantage
High intricacy can be achieved It is light weight
Cloth
800
Very Intricate designs are difficult and prone to tearing It is light weight
Acrylic
3000
Not at intricate as metal Not as light as metal and cloth
Mdf
4000
Heavy compared to the above materials
Paper
600
Flimsy and not durable Highly intricate designs are possible and light weight Most reasonable option
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COST OF INSTALLATION
Material/Labour
Quantity
Cost per unit
total â‚š
Labour charges for drilling
2 days
800
1600
Cable wire
30 meters
30
900
Hooks
60 hooks
5
300
Total
2800
If cloth is used for the installation Metal frame made of 3mm diameter and welding cost
15 frames
300
4500
Cloth
15 meters
40
6000
Cutwork charges
1000
Total
13300
If metal sheet is used for installation Metal sheet that is laser
15
5000
75000 46
cut Total cost Acrylic sheet laser cut Total cost
77800 15
3000
45000 47800
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REFLECTIVE STATEMENT Through the project Art in Transit I have gained tremendous amount of knowledge on how to design for a public space. Aspects such as understanding the context of a space, how the city plays a role, the dynamics that exist amongst the people related to the site, working with other design students in collaboration to come out with something cohesive, understanding safety norms in public spaces and what kind of materials can be used in these spaces are some of the learnings. Further, at every stage of the design process there were insights that came out of intensive research and study. It enabled me to go through an exhaustive list of case studies and examples where similar work has been done. By working with material hands on, one can understand its drawbacks, it’s functioning and the challenges that it can pose. Further I learnt the joinery and technicalities related to creating an art installation, cost and budgeting, time management, importance of documenting each stage of the process
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Unexpected Art by Jenny Moussa Spring Art Installations by Alix Wood Biomimicry by Janine M. Benyus
Websites: http://www.designboom.com/ http://www.widewalls.ch/artist/jim-hodges/ http://pokate.com/2014/05/06/ula-einstein-burned-cut-paper/ http://pokate.com/2012/10/23/angelica-bergamini-monofilament-sculptures/ http://www.lizrobb.com/new-worksan-francisco/#itemId=55793491e4b0b454e5bfa5f5 https://blog.nathaliegraafland.com/2012/08/29/beili-lius-red-thread-installations/ http://www.dezeen.com/2014/06/26/icd-itke-pavilion-beetle-shells-university-of-stuttgart/ https://theverymany.com/ http://www.giuseppelicari.com/ http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/nike-savvas/ https://artcom.de/en/project/kinetic-rain/ 49
http://wayward.co.uk/ http://boredart.com/2015/06/what-is-ephemeral-art-read-to-know-more.html http://blog.vanstee.be/post/2574435581 https://in.pinterest.com/pin/370139663097448412/ https://www.artsy.net/artwork/michel-francois-piece-detachee http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2348740/The-hanging-gardens-Dusseldorf-80ft-artinstallation-creates-giant-human-spiderweb-2500-square-metres-mesh.html http://www.arch2o.com/uchronia-arne-quinze/ http://inhabitat.com/temporary-wooden-pavilion-is-a-day-lit-meeting-and-event-space-at-worlddesign-capital-helsinki/ http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2010/07/27/im-jealous-of-gerda-steiner-and-jorg-lenzlinger/ https://in.pinterest.com/pin/533676624568382618/ http://www.txstgalleries.org/gallery-1-beili-liu-amass-a-site-specific-installation/ http://arts.mit.edu/artists/tomas-saraceno/ http://www.ambriente.com/blog/2013/03/
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