Multibasket in Teshima: Where rules don’t matter

1 Llobet & Pons – Multibasket – No one wins, 2013, silicone resin, wood, metal, 403 × 433 × 92 cm, installation view, Teshima, Japan, photo 2 by Jing Liao 廖品淨 3

Can basketball 1 be more than a game? On the small island of Teshima 2 in Japan’s 3 Seto Inland Sea, Multibasket – No One Wins invites visitors to reconsider competition, collaboration 4, and the intersection of art and play.

Created by conceptual artists Jasmina Llobet & Luis Pons for the Setouchi Triennale art festival, this playful installation experiments with sculptural form while encouraging human interaction 5 and creates a...

The iconic Astor Place Cube – Tony Rosenthal’s Alamo

1 Tony Rosenthal – Alamo (Astor Place Cube), 1967, painted Cor-Ten steel, 4.6 m × 4.6 m × 4.6 m (15 ft × 15 ft × 15 ft), installation view, Astor Place, Manhattan, New York, photo 2 by ajay_suresh 3

What is it about a simple geometric shape that can evoke strong emotions and ideas? In the heart of New York City’s 1 East Village, one such structure commands attention: The Alamo.

Crafted by renowned artist Tony Rosenthal 2 in 1967, this towering monument was designed from Cor-Ten steel 3, measuring 15 feet in height.

Originally created for a temporary public display in...

Dog Pack Puzzle + new mini puzzles

https://player.vimeo.com/video/1028955733?dnt=1

It’s been 4 years since we released the Herding Cats Puzzle, the first puzzle we ever released from our new studio in the Catskills. At the time, we promised the release of a dog version was already in the works. A lot has happened since: having 2 children, making our first public art works, ongoing pandemic, etc. It took a little longer than expected but it’s finally here: the Dog Pack Puzzle! We’re hoping this the perfect puzzle to share with your family this holiday season. When you order from us your supporting a small US based manufacturing company (there aren’t...

Keith Haring’s Barcelona mural: A vibrant call to action

1 Keith Haring – Todos Juntos Podemos Parar el SIDA (Together We Can Stop AIDS), 1989 (2014), plastic paint on wall, 2,35 x 34 m (7.7 x 111.5 feet), installation view, Plaça Salvador Seguí, Barcelona, photo 2 by r2hox from Madrid, Spain 3, upscaled

A vibrant red mural in the heart of Barcelona 1 serves as both an artistic expression and social activism 2. Officially known as the Todos Juntos Podemos Parar el SIDA (Together We Can Stop AIDS), the public art was created by the renowned American artist and AIDS activist Keith Haring 3 in 1989.

More than just a work...

The Tiglachin Monument: Addis Ababa’s tribute to the Derg

1 Tiglachin Monument, 1984, concrete and steel, 50 feet (15.2 meters) high, installation view, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, photo: Exporting Revolution 2 by Francisco Anzola 3

When strolling down Churchill Avenue in Addis Ababa 1, it’s hard to miss the towering Tiglachin Monument. Also known as the Derg Monument or Our Struggle Monument, it was built to pay homage to the Cuban 2 and Ethiopian 3 soldiers who died in the 1977-78 Ogaden War. In Amharic, Ethiopia’s official working language, Tiglachin” translates to “Our Victory” or “Our Triumph.”

Before Addis Ababa’s skyline was dominated by modern high-rises, the Tiglachin Monument stood as...

Chaos in the medium: watercolour plotting

https://amygoodchild.substack.com/embed

Over the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with painting in watercolours using my AxiDraw plotter. Watercolour is a medium I enjoy painting in (by hand) as a personal hobby, kind of separate from my public art making, so it’s been interesting to combine it with code. I’ve thought about trying this for a while but I was finally spurred on to do it after I visited Licia He’s studio in April.

This article is not intended as a tutorial, but more of a scrapbook of what I’ve been trying, the results I’ve created and the mistakes I’ve...

Meaningful Nonsense: How I generate sentences

https://amygoodchild.substack.com/embed

I’m coding a system in JavaScript that generates sentences of “meaningful nonsense”. Here are some examples.

Coding my Handwriting

https://amygoodchild.substack.com/embed

A familiar theme for me is dismissing an idea as being too much work and then later finding myself doing it anyway. That’s what happened here.

A little while ago I created a block script in JavaScript, thinking that cursive would be too complex. But here I am, two months later, ready to talk about the cursive handwriting I’ve created. There is perhaps a lesson in that but let’s not dwell on it.

Masterful concepts

What an amazing illustrator Whooli Chen is. Hailing currently from Taiwan, she earned a MA degree at the University of the Arts London. Her delicately sketched elements are always coloured with a subdued and calming palette.

What about her masterful compositions? This is a skill that is essential for all illustrators: from editorial process to concept.

Eskimo + heat?

A long time alumni Eskimo Design Studio have retained their original ethos—passionately dedicated to saving the world from the ugly and impractical saboteurs of interior design. Oh gotta love this quote!

They love making heat! A bit obscure? Not at all if you know they are product designers who specialize in heat systems.