I LIKE THIS
Khokhloma spoons
Over 5 decades ago, my grandmother received several wedding gifts from her family, which she kept and gave to my mother before she passed away. One of those things my mother kept was a Russian Khokhloma spoon. “There was a whole set of them, but they got rusted and that’s all what’s left. My mother told me that she liked them because unlike metal spoons, they don’t get hot and burn you’re hands. Wooden spoons are attractive, as well as being ecologicallyfriendly, since they were made of apple tree, lime, ash, oak, etc. Using them was not only safe, but beneficial for one’s health. “Articles carved out of wood (tableware, mostly) were usually primed with clay mortar, raw linseed oil, and tin powder (nowadays aluminum is used). A floral pattern was then painted on top of this coating with a brush. After that, the articles were coated with linseed oil (nowadays, synthetic oil) and hardened in a kiln at high temperatures. A combination of red, black, and gold are typical colors for Khokhloma. There are two principal wood painting techniques used in the Khokhloma, such as the so-called “superficial technique” (red and black colors over the goldfish one) and the “background technique” (a goldfish silhouette-like design over the colored background).” (wikipedia)
Pins and Buttons
Reviewing the history of buttons offers a fascinating opportunity for reflection in terms of causes, attitudes and interests. Buttons are not just a fashion statement, but a personal billboard allowing you to display your beliefs and passions. An enduring trend, the button continues to be reinvented and made relevant for new audiences, as new fads are popularized each generation. “As a hobby. Collectible pins used in pin trading are often found in amusement parks and resorts,” like Disneyland themes and characters. “They are also found at events that are recurring and or share a common theme, such as the Olympic Games and other sporting events.” Some find them childish and funky, but the pins collected and traded are often of a limited edition and thus more highly valued in pin trading, I don’t think they sell them in an antique store for nothing. Pin-back are treated as valuables item and historical treasures sometimes. Pins/Buttons http://goo.gl/wTXun1
Glass bottles
I remember one of the elementary school art assignments we had was called ‘art on glass’. I remember buying outline colors and drawing some Islamic or just random patterns. In high school, we smashed glass and made mosaic tables and wall arts. From where I came from, the art of glass is one of the essential subjects taught from elementary school to college and is a common and open filed for artist to master its element. “In the field of Islamic art, glass is a craft that often rose to excellence but has been largely overlooked by art historians. Thousands of anonymous glass-makers, from Cairo to Delhi, proudly transmitted their knowledge from one generation to the next, experimenting with the colors, shapes, techniques, and surface decoration of this extraordinarily versatile material. Their most outstanding results, from public and private collections worldwide, encourage a widespread appreciation of the artistic forms of Islamic glass—a fitting legacy for this ancient craft.” http://goo.gl/03HAo2
Toilet paper roll craft
I’ve always admired those who can create wonderful pieces of art with stuff usually other’s wouldn’t pick up, to me it’s very similar to “magic”. So I adapted that idea and started collecting paper tubes for a year now. At first, I wanted to use them as a table base, but then I came across some inspiring and original ideas for decoration. “If my job as an artist is to fill the world with “more things,” I feel it is equally important that I reclaim materials from the waste stream to make space for my work. I believe that creative re-use has the potential to spark new ways of looking at the world… if one thing can be turned into another, what else can we change? Successful recycled art and design encourages creativity in others— it’s alchemical, magical, subversive, and transformative by nature. My sculptural work is a way of demonstrating in concrete physical terms that the world and the items in it are not as obvious, limited or easily identified as they appear at first glance. It allows me to engage my audience to be more creative in their own daily lives and to think more creatively about the world around them.” - John T. Unger http://goo.gl/DK37Z4
Letters and envelopes
Don’t most if not all of us get greeting card in the mail on various occasions? Usually people would keep the card, but do they keep the envelop? I do, Ever since I was little, I loved keeping all kind of hand written letters and collect cute and fancy envelops. Unlike text messages, hand written letters are certainly unique, because they reflect our taste, and touch in every sketched word. I have kept letters from dear ones who are no longer among us, and every time I go back and reread them they make me feel close to them once again. Envelops likewise are just as special, they might seem plain but the ones I have received when I was still in high school had hand drawn stuff and little notes. I also like the withering effect on some kind of papers when they get old, they get yellow edges, wrinkles and they rough texture on the paper. Unlike text messages, I find them lifeless, boring, out of character and not as nostalgic as the letters that people put effort into them. I see letters and envelops as classic treasures that would make us immortal somehow.
Mashrafiya, MFA
The mashrabiya screen concept was traditionally derived from early cooling methods used in Arabic houses in the hot middle eastern climate. The theory goes that where the drinking water pots were stored in the house a shelf containing the pots was enclosed by wood and located at the window in order to keep the water cool... A parallel theory suggests that the word mashrabiya was originally mashrafiya, derived from the Arabic verb Ashrafa, to overlook or to observe. This reflects the use of mashrabiya in windows allowing the person inside the window to observe what is going on externally without being seen themselves. It is an “Arabic term given to a type of projecting oriel window inclosed with carved wood latticework... The house that I grew up in used to have several Mashrabiyas, I remember how beautiful those were especially when the light created wonderful shadow patterns inside the rooms. http://goo.gl/5l4UhF
Tile, Gardner Museum
“The Iznik tiles of the second half of the sixteenth century are justly famous for their bright tomato-red color, which together with black, blue, turquoise, and green were painted in underglaze colors on the flawless white ground. This tile is unusual in several respects: it uses black in large amounts, the most important elements of the field have been quartered in the corners of the tile, and no other tiles from this panel have yet come to light.”
Source: Walter Denny (1975),“Tile,” in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 160 “Virtually all countries with a history of Islamic culture have a tradition of decorative tiles, and decorative bricks, used to ornament both the interior and exterior of important buildings, and particularly mosques.” (wikimedia)
Day and Night, MFA
Landscaping has been enhanced with fountains and sculptures of two monumental bronze baby heads, titledDay andNight (2008), created by contemporary Spanish artist Antonio López García. The State Street Corporation Fenway Entrance also features a ticketing desk in its foyer. The Huntington Avenue Entrance—where Cyrus Dallin’s bronze sculpture, Appeal to the Great Spirit (1909), has been welcoming visitors for nearly a centur. I remember the very first visit to the MFA and meeting those twin heads, creepy. I staired at them for a while and couldn’t get over it till now. http://goo.gl/2emFhX
Arabic Calligraphy Ahmed Al-haj
“Classify myself as a lover of oriental art , particularly the art of calligraphy for some reasons such as, the beautiful work of art in Eastern civilization that I greatly wish to leave my own print in its history. My goal is to merge between modernity and calligraphy although Kosam and Shaukat Hussain Alozat sbegan the such a movement on the early 20th century to break that routine. One of my best works was the identity of Medina Capital of Islamic Culture. I wasn’t quit expecting it to leave behind such a big buzz on the newspapers and many social networks. This work also opened up many doors that never crossed my mined “thank Goodness”. It all started when a friend of mine told me about a logo compilation for Media the capital city of culture. Not only that, but also for the sake of love I carry for that city. For the slogan “ the month of fasting “ is a slogan for an song my teacher Jihad Yafei composed a while ago. He was an idol and a first inspiration that brought me to the wold of design and who with the bless of God I owe everything to for pushing me this far.” -Ahmed Al-haj
Universal personhood Shepard Fairey
“The goal of the Universal Personhood poster is to promote peace, equality, and humanity. The title “Universal Personhood” is inspired by the fact that many Arab countries have traditionally discriminated against women, but have progressed to acknowledge women as having “equal personhood”. Most Arab countries now allow women to vote, a right not secured by women in the U.S. until 1920. Discrimination against women is not isolated to the Arab nations and the whole world could use a reminder that women have equal personhood.” -Shepard Fairey Since freshman year, I’ve admired Shepard Fairey’s work, his way of depicting social, political occurring is exquisite, rich and iconic. http://goo.gl/1mv2nn