Prosthetic Aesthetics
"Man has, as it were, become a kind of prosthetic God. When he puts on all his auxiliary organs, he is truly magnificent; but those organs have not grown on him and they still give him much trouble at times." Sigmund Freud
The Prosthetic Sea – Poetry, Floatation Chambers, and the Nature of Water
The following essay brings together issues raised during a talk with D. Graham Burnett, editor of Cabinet Magazine and a specialist in the History of Science and of the ocean in particular. … Continue reading
Exilliteratur: Part Three – Exile and The Scientist
There is a rift between science and beauty, inhabited by war machines. We could say that explosions, caught just at the moment of their full force, have an aesthetic quality … Continue reading
Exilliteratur: Part Six – Unity
– — Architecture’s dream is to create a unity of place through the division of space. This is not only an area that we enter into with our bodies; it … Continue reading
Exilliteratur: Part Five – Rorschach GIF
Leonardo observed that the patterns of nature are recursive, reappearing at different scales: if you focused on cracks in the wall, you would be able to discern rivers, and you … Continue reading
Exilliteratur: Part Four – Exile and the Sun
Light is an enigma. Scientists, artists and philosophers have long speculated on what it is – and nobody agrees. Let’s hear from our imaginary panel of experts about it (featuring … Continue reading
Exilliteratur: Part Two – Exile and The Space Station
Part two of the series exploring the outer reaches of human technology – beyond art and science. With thanks to Lebbeus Woods (RIP). – What is a space station, except … Continue reading
Exilliteratur: Part One – Exile and The Tower (for Lebbeus Woods)
Exilliteratur, The next series of posts about Exile and Architecture comes from conversations I had with the artist and architect Lebbeus Woods, who sadly passed away earlier this month. – … Continue reading
Public Assembly: Part Four – Oblique Landscape
The third and final project from the Public Assembly essay, the Oblique Landscape was the result of a year spent obsessing about a new kind of urban sculpture, one that … Continue reading
Public Assembly: Part Three – Thames Platform
The second project presented in the Public Assembly essay, the Thames Platform continues the idea of an inhabitable modular sculpture that reflects the changing physical environment of the city, in … Continue reading
Public Assembly: Part Two – Metabolic Bridge, 2008
– – This is the first project mentioned in my recent essay on Urban Installations; all of the maquettes were made in a late-night rush – Meccano on steroids. As a site-specific … Continue reading
Public Assembly: Part One – The Installation as Aesthetic Object and Institutional Critique
The following is an essay about art and architecture that I wrote for TREMORS Magazine earlier this year. It was time to be more critical about the urban installations I … Continue reading
Frieze Masters and Frieze Amateurs – Strong and Weak Aesthetics
The very naming of “Frieze Masters” implies that the original “Frieze” is populated by amateurs. Not in the derogatory sense, but in its original meaning of Amateur – “Lover of…”. … Continue reading
Art Tourism: I’ve Never Been to dOCUMENTA
This summer, when asked by friends if I was going to Documenta (13 / XIII), and I felt like I should have been able to say – Yes, a bunch of … Continue reading
Ilya Kabakov: The Palace of Projects 1995-98 | Part Two: Limitless Worlds
Following on from the first part of Ilya Kabakov’s ‘Foreward to the Installation’ from his Palace of Projects installation, Kabakov describes the layout of the structure where visitors can spend … Continue reading
Ilya Kabakov: The Palace of Projects 1995-98 | Part One: Universal Types
The work of Ilya Kabakov, Russian grandfather of installation art, was first introduced to me by my friend, the painter Viktor Timofeev. The following is an extract from ‘Foreward to … Continue reading
On Anish Kapoor, Part Three: XL Sculpture
Public art. What does it mean? If it means a work of art visible to the public, then Kapoor has been very successful with the mirrored Cloud Gate, and incredibly … Continue reading
On Anish Kapoor, Part Two: from Microcosm to Narcissism
Is using mirrors “cheating”? While the scale of Anish Kapoor’s work relates to the human body, he often uses colour in its most primitive form – as saturated powder pigments applied … Continue reading
On Anish Kapoor, Part One: 1990
I’ve always been divided about Anish Kapoor’s work – but the more I read about his earlier interest in allegory, myth and his place in the world (as an alchemist), … Continue reading
“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy” Nietzsche
The human body is both sacred and common. As the title quote by Friedrich Nietzsche illustrates, there is no strict distinction between the mortal vessel we inhabit and our mind. … Continue reading
