As part of the Detroit Design Festival presented by the Detroit Creative Corridor Center,rogueHAA has installed “Dich2otomy” an architectural installation inside Lafayette GreensUrban Garden. It will be open during the remainder of the Detroit Design Festival. (more…)
Cass Park Spit & Shine. Join us for a morning of site improvements to Cass Park, including weeding, pruning, general maintenance, and furniture assemblage. Learn about the history of Cass Park. Stay for a special surprise appearance at the end of the work day. Following the morning’s activities, lunch will be served to all volunteers. If you are able to volunteer, please RSVP on the facebook event page or email cassparkdetroit@gmail.com.
Since as early as the 1960’s, there has been a narrow yet persistent thread of architectural design dedicated to inflatable structures. From Rehner Banham’s, Environment Bubble (1965) to the more recent Rem Koolhaas/Cecil Balmond collaboration at the Serpentine Gallery (2007) and Kengo Kuma’s Tea House at the Museum fur Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt (2008), these bulbous spaces have challenged traditional construction techniques and patterns of occupancy. Without traditional compression supports like walls or columns, the form of these buildings becomes a direct translation of the relationship between the material and air pressure.
At the Amococo installation, this relationship is articulated on a large and complex scale. Architects of Air, a UK based design firm, used translucent vinyl in a range of colors and geometric patterns to create a 10,000 square foot inflatable ‘luminarium’. The designers utilized only natural light through a series of occuli to illuminate the interior spaces. Music streamed throughout the installation, enhancing the sensory experience while mixing with the muted sounds of the world outside. This distinct contrast between the interior and exterior created a dramatic immersive environment which changed throughout the day.
The installation was on view at U of M’s Palmer Field from June 23 through June 26 as part of Ann Arbor’s Summer Festival. However, the installation is part of an international tour so check the designer’s website for their upcoming installations.
Objecthood: Local Artists Respond to the Compuware Art Collection
Featuring artists Corrie Baldauf, Janet Hamrick, Stacey Malasky, Senghor Reid, and Alison Wong. Objecthood opens to the public starting June 9th inside Boutique: A Compuware Gallery, located at 99 Monroe Street, between Farmer and Randolph. The exhibition will be open every Friday until July 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 14, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
In his second solo project at Re:View Contemporary Gallery, artist and designer Andy Kem presents Interlocker, an intimate exploration of the physical act of assembling and creating abstract connections in order to form complex functional pieces.
Kem’s ability to artistically manipulate natural and renewable resources such as Birch Plywood, cork and maple has made him synonymous with Detroit’s legacy as a city where people make things. Emerging at the intersection of art and design, technology, and materials, Kem’s unique aesthetic language is presented in its full expression in his latest exhibit. (more…)
Last Sunday marked the opening of Hostel Detroit, the vision of Emily Doerr and the product of the hard work of over 100 volunteers over the last five months. Through a mix of active fundraising and generous donations, Doerr was able to transform the building in North Corktown into an engaging and playful space for travelers seeking an authentic and affordable Detroit experience. The Hostel offers a variety of accommodations, from bunk-beds which were built by hand utilizing reclaimed wood to full and queen size beds in private rooms. There is even an apartment available for month-to-month rental. The layout encourages the social atmosphere of the hostelling experience by providing a large common kitchen and seating area, as well as an internet nook and game room. The walls are adorned with murals designed by local artists and there is a rotating exhibit of local photography on display.
Hundreds turned out for the ribbon cutting Sunday, including State Senator Coleman Young II, Lt. Governor Brian Calley and the Detroit Party Marching Band. The Hostel is the first in Detroit in 15 years, and its supporters believe it will offer an essential alternative to traditional lodging and encourage a wider range of visitors to the city. At the time of the opening, Hostel Detroit was reserved to capacity with more reservations coming in for the upcoming months.
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 2, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
In Mapping the Terrain, sculptor and ceramicist Emily Duke focuses on architecture and systems of order to address her own relationship with the structures she occupies and their relationship to the climate of her surroundings. Duke references elements from construction sites, agricultural buildings, and manufacturing complexes to base her objects. She builds formal compositions coupling true right angles with shrunken scale and skewed perspective to present intimacy in structures that are ordinarily massive and complex in our common terrain. (more…)
Over the next two weeks, a group from HAA will be participating in Descours 2010 along with 14 other design groups from around the world. The event is hosted and coordinated by the AIA New Orleans and is free and open to the public. As a way of expanding the boundaries of the installation beyond 1000 St. Charles Ave, we have established a page to host video, photos, notes, thoughts, rants, and overall documentation of the work. We will be updating throughout the process, so please check back frequently as the project unfolds. And of course, if you find yourself in the area please spend an evening touring what will be an amazing series of installations.
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 6
7 pm – 11 pm
inter:sectionpresents the latest works by artists Coley McLean and Simone DeSousa, co-founders of the Salt-Mine Studio in Detroit, a multidisciplinary studio including sculpture, painting, design, and fabrication. In this exhibit, McLean and DeSousa use their distinct approaches, McLean primarily in metal sculpture and functional art, and DeSousa in painting, to create unique works that reference their environment and the intersection of their individual works. click here for contact information
For a few days last week, the small urban triangle known as Capitol Park and the surrounding area were radically transformed for the filming of Transformers 3. Piles of rubble, explosions, robots, and a new streetscape were installed as part of director Michael Bay’s elaborate set. This sort of temporary urbanism is becoming more and more common as the Michigan film incentive draws site scouts to the area. In upcoming films, Detroit will be portraying Paris, the Soviet Union, Switzerland, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and many other U.S. cities. In recent months residents have witnessed rallies by the ‘Peoples’ Liberation Army’, dramatic life of a retired CIA operative, even stumbled upon a rogue NYC subway station at the Guardian Building. While it is exciting to experience the instant gratification of these fleeting installations, we should not to overlook the slow but lasting progress occurring in urban spaces like Capitol Park. (more…)