Monday
Plastic Seconds in WeAr Magazine Issue 35!
Plastic Seconds is in WeAr Magazine Issue 35! It is a lovely high end fashion global Magazine which comes out in 8 languages.
Thursday
Bodys Isek Kingelez at Hayward Gallery 'Alternative Guide to The Universe' Exhibition
Last week, when I visited the Hayward Gallery's current exhibition 'Alternative Guide to The Universe', I was totally blown away by Bodys Isek Kingelez's architectural models of gloriously imagined buildings and cities, which he creates by using card and paper, but also various found materials and discarded packaging! Since in this blog I am trying to celebrate creativity which repurposes found objects, I wanted to share with you some images of these models, coming straight form the most colourful of imaginations! - though you have to see them in real life to really experience their magnificence... 'The Alternative Guide to The Universe' exhibition is open until the 26th of August 2013.
Born 1948, Kimbembele Ihunga, Democratic Republic of Congo
Lives and works in Kinshasa
In the hands of Bodys Isek Kingelez, the African metropolis becomes an urban utopia. After graduating from secondary school, Kingelez made Kinshasa his home in 1970. Over the next seven years he studied part time, supporting himself through teaching. During these years, Kinshasa had become a sprawling, chaotic, anarchic city that was falling apart. Kingelez, highly aware of this, dedicated himself aesthetically, politically, and poetically to questioning the human condition, and after 1977, he began to experiment with assembling fantastic structures that offered a redemptive vision for the city. Since 1985, Kingelez has dedicated himself entirely to what he calls “Architectural Modelism.” For Kingelez, this project is one of regeneration; he has stated, “Art is superior knowledge, a vehicle for individual renewal in improving the general well-being.”
He has created hundreds of models from found materials in which paper, cardboard, and plastic are used to construct the present, the future, and the hopes of an African renewal. After 1992, he started imagining entire cities. These colossal works are made up of buildings—some playful, some imposing, some utterly fantastic—that are incorporated into a carefully conceived urban grid. Avenues, parks, waterways, stadiums, and monuments are also part of Kingelez’s meticulous vision. Together these elements fulfill all the functions of an ideal metropolis that the artist would like to see built. His first city was called Kimbembele Ihunga, to honour his native village, his dead father and his mother, who still lives there. About these works—Ville Fantôme (1995), Kinshasa: Project for the Third Millennium (1997), the City of the Future (2000), he noted: “I wanted my art to serve the community that is being reborn to create a new world, because the pleasures of our earthly world depend on the people who live in it. I created these cities so there would be lasting peace, justice and universal freedom. They will function like small secular states with their own political structure, and will not need policemen or an army.” - Biography and images taken from : Contemporary African Art Collection by Jean Pigozzi
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| Bodys Isek Kingelez Étoile Rouge Congolaise (1990) Paper, cardboard, polystyrene, plastic and found material 33 x 36 x 19 inches 85 x 92 x 50 cm |
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| Bodys Isek Kingelez Palais Hiroschima (1991) Paper, cardboard, polystyrene, plastic 18 x 30 x 16 inches 48 x 78 x 41 cm |
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| Bodys Isek Kingelez Papillon de Mer (1990/1991) Paper, cardboard and other found materials 27 1/8 X 44 1/2 X 44 1/2 inches 69 X 113 X 113 cm |
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| Bodys Isek Kingelez Kimbembele Ihunga (1994) Paper, cardboard and other found materials 20 x 42 x 39 inches 51 x 108 x 100 cm |
Born 1948, Kimbembele Ihunga, Democratic Republic of Congo
Lives and works in Kinshasa
In the hands of Bodys Isek Kingelez, the African metropolis becomes an urban utopia. After graduating from secondary school, Kingelez made Kinshasa his home in 1970. Over the next seven years he studied part time, supporting himself through teaching. During these years, Kinshasa had become a sprawling, chaotic, anarchic city that was falling apart. Kingelez, highly aware of this, dedicated himself aesthetically, politically, and poetically to questioning the human condition, and after 1977, he began to experiment with assembling fantastic structures that offered a redemptive vision for the city. Since 1985, Kingelez has dedicated himself entirely to what he calls “Architectural Modelism.” For Kingelez, this project is one of regeneration; he has stated, “Art is superior knowledge, a vehicle for individual renewal in improving the general well-being.”
He has created hundreds of models from found materials in which paper, cardboard, and plastic are used to construct the present, the future, and the hopes of an African renewal. After 1992, he started imagining entire cities. These colossal works are made up of buildings—some playful, some imposing, some utterly fantastic—that are incorporated into a carefully conceived urban grid. Avenues, parks, waterways, stadiums, and monuments are also part of Kingelez’s meticulous vision. Together these elements fulfill all the functions of an ideal metropolis that the artist would like to see built. His first city was called Kimbembele Ihunga, to honour his native village, his dead father and his mother, who still lives there. About these works—Ville Fantôme (1995), Kinshasa: Project for the Third Millennium (1997), the City of the Future (2000), he noted: “I wanted my art to serve the community that is being reborn to create a new world, because the pleasures of our earthly world depend on the people who live in it. I created these cities so there would be lasting peace, justice and universal freedom. They will function like small secular states with their own political structure, and will not need policemen or an army.” - Biography and images taken from : Contemporary African Art Collection by Jean Pigozzi
Sunday
Plastic Seconds in Environmental Justice Foundation's JUST Pop Up Shop on Carnaby Street
The lovely Supermarket Sarah, with whom Plastic Seconds has now had the pleasure to collaborate with a few times, created just before XMas one of her special walls in EJF's pop up shop on Carnaby Street featuring the fantastic The Rodnik Band (who's very own studio we have visited and blogged about here!). The wall was based around the theme of safer seas, which is one of EJF's campaigns and features The Rodnik Band's 'Cod Save the Sea' collection. AS PART OF SUPERMARKET SARAH'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE POP UP SHOP PLASTIC SECONDS BIRO LID NECKLACES AND EARRINGS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE AND ARE STILL AVAILABLE THERE UNTIL THE 15TH OF FEBRUARY!
EJF’s pop up shop ‘JUST’ at 46 Carnaby Street sells designer, fairly-traded, organic t-shirts created by top designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Katharine Hamnett, Giles Deacon, Christian Lacroix and many more.
All proceeds from the t-shirts go to the charity and help them to campaign internationally for environmental justice. This is fashion that doesn’t cost the earth and its helping to raise awareness of the abuses in the cotton industry, the issues of climate change and the need to eradicate illegal fishing in West Africa.
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| Plastic Seconds BIRO LID EARRINGS in EJF's 'JUST' pop up shop on Carnaby Street- here next to some jewellery from Bits of Bike |
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| Plastic Seconds BIRO LID NECKLACE in EJF's 'JUST' pop up shop on Carnaby Street |
Wednesday
Plastic Seconds UPCYCLISTED!
I have meant to mention here that sometime last November Plastic Seconds was 'UPCYCLISTED' - i.e. featured in the lovely site that is the Upcyclist and then listed in their upcycling artists directory. Thank you Upcyclist! Well worth taking a look at the Upcyclist website as it showcases lots of great ideas and design in the fields of upcycling/recycling and they also have a community/forum feature via which you can discuss with other visitors to the site.
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| THE PLASTIC SECONDS PROFILE PAGE ON THE UPCYCLIST DIRECTORY |
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| THE POST ON PLASTIC SECONDS ON THE UPCYCLIST BLOG |
Tuesday
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