Tag: 05.04.05

Ever since Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center opened its sparkling new addition last month, denizens of the Twin Cities have been staring at the gleaming silver box that forms the bulk of the space, and wondering what exactly it is supposed to look like. Perhaps a spare head from your old Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots game? Or maybe a next-generation lunchbox? To the outdoorsy crowd, the dang thing doesn’t look unlike the world’s most challenging climbing wall. The Walker isn’t offering any officials, but thankfully, one newspaper was smart enough to put the decision in the hands of the people.

Increasingly, contemporary art festivals seem as much about the inevitable scandal generated by a headline-grabbing artist as they are about advancing art itself. But as artists turn increasingly to deliberately amateurish techniques to grab headlines and elicit an emotional reaction from viewers, they must remember to back up their irony with substance, says Susan Mansfield. Without some obviously solid thought behind it, ironic art can become nothing more than shoddy work.

Learning architecture in a university setting can be quite different than practicing it professionally, especially when actual clients get involved and start imposing their real-world wishes on an architect’s vision. “Typically, architecture students’ projects are assessed by architects – although the students may consult with engineers and construction companies – not by developers, with their concerns about costs, loading docks and maintenance.” But the Yale School of Architecture is bringing the two sides together in an effort to better educate its students about the realities of the business.