I am a Berliner

Actually, I am not a Berliner, and my hereditary relation to Germany is painfully slim. However, it didn't hinder me from enjoying an exhibition with that name that is exhibited right now in the HELENA RUBINSTEIN PAVILION FOR CONTEMPORARY ART in Tel Aviv. "The exhibition seeks to counter the international tendency to see contemporary Berlin as clichéd revival of the Weimar-era city, as well as the assumption that the art produced in Berlin is inevitably shaped by an underlying political motivation. At present, the city of Berlin is being shaped by a whole new series of historical and material realities. Like the individual practices examined in the context of this exhibition, it remains a work in progress, while celebrating a plurality of creative voices." [1]

Favorite Color Palette

Michelle Jezierski, set, 2011, oil on canvas
Courtesy of the artist and Contemporary Fine Art, Berlin
Photo source: Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Color chips created at Chip It!

The colors of the painting create a serene atmosphere. The grey and neutral shades create a calm, slightly cool base and the two dominant pigments - which complete each other across the color wheel - contribute to the overall harmony of the palette.
If asked [please, do ask!], I would name this palette "A Snowy Winter Dawn".


Favorite Technique

Gregor Hildebrandt, Hanging Garden (Cure), 2011, Cassette tapes, adhesive tapes and dispersion paint on canvas
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Wentrup, Berlin
Photo source: Tel Aviv Museum of Art

This piece was created using cassette tapes, adhesive tape and paint. When you take a closer look, you see that the entire composition is constructed of long, painted white strips. 


Favorite Reminder of Another Favorite

Christian Hoischen, Butterfly, 2011, Enamel and fiberglass on plystyrene
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin
Photo source: Tel Aviv Museum of Art

The Artist, 2011, Michel Hazanavicius

Perhaps this is what "The Artist" would look like after one too many bottles of fine German beer? 

And, last but definitely not least:

Best Picture [Literally]

Clemens Kraus, Untitled, 2007, Chromosomes, oil on canvas
Photo source: Dominik Mersch Gallery

When I first saw this piece, I stopped and said [probably louder than I should have] "Wow!". It was just that - wow : a big white canvas hanging on a wall with nothing on it but a few heads. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they going and what are they thinking? We, the audience, have no clue - and that's the beauty of the painting. With no faces to reveal emotions, no bodies to define genders and no background to tell a story, this painting is subjected entirely to our personal interpretations. 


What did I see? I saw people who's lives are completely occult from the eye of the beholder. "We're not as plain as we seem", they say, "there's much more to us underneath the surface".


And there sure is something there. For the very least, numerous layers of paint. For the painting was created with crude, thick brush strokes of thick oil paint.


In short, if you are looking for a ridiculously pricey gift for me [how could you not be], this is it, in all it's glory. 

Have you been to the exhibition? Have you seen the pieces in other galleries? I would love to hear your thoughts! 

My Take On: Buildings

An exciting building …

An exciting building would be a structure that has a presence – a building that intrigues the person, invites him to peek in, and that has an immediate influence on the visitor. I think a visit to a successful building should leave a memory. The visitor should be able to recall how he felt when he first entered it, how he wanted to react and to behave. The building should have some effect on the everyday conduct of the visitor.

Do you agree? Disagree? How do you define an exciting building? 

What is the new black?

What do you mean what is the new black? Black is black. 

What do you think about a black and white aesthetic? 

Krzysztof Wodiczko at Tel Aviv University

On January 15 the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko gave a lecture at Tel Aviv University about his work. And I, being the architecture geek that I am, obviously attended [and took notes shamelessly, I admit with a sly smile]  

So, first, a quick intro:

Krzysztof Wodiczko (born 1943 is Warsaw, Poland) is a video mapping artist with a long history of creation behind him. His works are large-scale and site-specific and deal with social issues such as memory, trauma, immigration, alienation, and human rights. His projections usually feature real people and share their stories. He now teaches at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. 

One project that I especially liked was a public projection on the façade of the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland (2006).

The project reveals the illegal immigrants in Switzerland. As they share their sometimes horrible experiences, their identities remain secret and all we can see is a few pairs of legs. This position – sitting on top of buildings with their legs hanging down, Wodiczko says, is stereotypically common for the immigrants. I think this design is strong and moving. It gives people to opportunity to open up and tell the truth as it is, without risking exposing their identity and involving themselves in any consequences.

I also find the choice of the location of the work quite genius. The screening on top of the Kunstmuseum –Switzerland's most prominent art museum, a palace of culture even - presents the sometimes inhumane experiences with an interesting sense of irony.  

Are you familiar with Wodiczko's work? What do you think about this project?

Sources:

http://www.interrogative.org

http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/

Windy Tel Aviv

A sketch of Dizingof Square in Tel Aviv, on a windy winter day.

What is a city? (To My Very Biased, Tel-Aviv-Adoring Eye)

The location that we decide to set our lives at influences a lot more that solely our postal code. In spite of our biggest egoistic fantasies, we (as individuals) do not change the city, but it influences us.

In "What is a City", LEWIS MUMFORD writes that "A city is a theater of social action".

The set of the play, though ever evolving, is permanent and determined for us by architects and urban planners. The city's arrangement creates its atmosphere, and its architectural landmarks build symbols and traditions. Once we put those things together, we get a culture, a stereotype even, of our city.

Now, we come into the picture – the dwellers – the actors. Why are we actors, you wonder? Because we naturally try to fit into out surrounding; we try to live up to the "image" of the city; eventually, we become a personification of it. 

How do you describe a city? What is your favorite city or town? What do you love about it? 

A new beginning

Greetings,

I am Juliette Gold. (Well, actually, Juliette Gold is my online alter ego. My real last name – though magnified by the allure of its secrecy - is far less regal). I am an architecture enthusiast (some say fanatic, but only behind my back) and - hopefully - a future student. My take on architecture it this: architecture is magic. A designed space influences and guides the people in it. It determined their immediate reaction, their feelings and self-esteem in that space. It manipulates their behavior and might influence their perspectives. This blog is where I explore that approach.

I would love to hear your thoughts!  

         

        

Launching Juliette Gold

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3693030/juliette-gold?claim=2mdn4xsgzp8">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

One of my new year's resolutions was to open a blog about architecture and design. And the big moment is finally here! 

Photo by Yvette Inufio