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Paradise, Royal College of Art; Recording Machine, Rafel Oliva
This week ARTS THREAD visited Paradise, the Royal College of Art’s Milan showcase for 2012. Once behind the pink screens, we took a look at what was on show.
We enjoyed Rafel Oliva’s performing Recording Machine creating artworks for the walls – ‘a product of the dripping ink on top of a membrane, which moves according to the input, and output of the audio signal. As a result of this movement, the ink is projected onto the wall creating a drastic drawing, a product of the sound signal.’
Making Money in Milan, Petter Thörne, Nic Wallenberg & Sam Weller
Sadly taking a no-doubt well-earned tea break when we were visiting the show, Petter Thörne, Nic Wallenberg and Sam Weller are usually hard at work Making Money in Milan.
Questioning the ‘value’ of money in today’s world of credit cards and online transactions and a Milan furniture fair that trades without any ‘real’ money changing hands, the trio are ‘taking things into their own hands and using their design and ‘craft’ skills to create their own money. In a process of haphazard craft, they are melting, casting and mauling pewter into coins with a bespoke set of tools.’
Precious Objects, Ya-Wen Chou; Computer Augmented Portrait (Series), John Rainey
We were pleased to see Ya-Wen Chou who will be showing The Hidden Beauty series at Mokspace from this Tuesday April 24 2012 in London. In Milan, Ya-Wen Chou is showing Precious Objects, a collection of pieces that study beauty from today’s reality rather than the past, through the sensibilities of Ya-Wen Chou’s native country, Taiwan.
John Rainey’s Computer Augmented Portrait (Series) refigures the classic stone-carved bust to create a new likeness through 3D printing based around interactions with a single person’s repository of Facebook images.
Eirlys, Jack Smith; Affinity Chair, Ben Alun-Jones
Casting dramatic shadows on the walls around, Eirlys by Jack Smith is ‘a laminated timber pendant light made up of 40 petals positioned to create a natural and sculptural form. Light flows around the petals to create shadow and movement. The timber petals are secured to a quiet internal frame.’
Ben Alun-Jones’s Convergence explores our perception of everyday objects and how this perception changes those objects. As you approach, the one-way mirror film starts to glow blue, as if acknowledging your presence.
Image credits: Milan photography by Cassie Pizzey.
More on ARTS THREAD’s preview. Paradise runs until tomorrow Sunday April 22 at Ventura Lambrate, Milan.
Rafel Oliva
Petter Thörne
Nic Wallenberg
Sam Weller
Ya-Wen Chou
John Rainey
Jack Smith
Ben Alun-Jones
