The Kid Should See This.
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There's just so much science, nature, music, art, technology, storytelling and assorted good stuff out there that my kids (and maybe your kids) haven't seen. It's most likely not stuff that was made for them...
But we don't underestimate kids around here.
Kid-friendly not-made-for-kids videos for all! Collected by Rion Nakaya and her three four year old co-curator.
Tip Jar: Curating this blog takes work! If you like the videos on this site, please support the science education projects that we've picked on DonorsChoose.org.
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Waves by Daniel Palacios is a great example of where art and science can come together in a way that makes a huge impression. Made of two turbines and a piece of rope, the kinetic sculpture not only visualizes a harmonic series or sine-waves, but it also reacts and changes in the presence of people around it.
A long piece of rope represents three dimensionally a series of waves floating in space, as well as producing sounds from the physical action of their movement: the rope which creates the volume also simultaneously creates the sound by cutting through the air, making up a single element.
Depending on how we may act in front of it, according to the number of observers and their movements, it will pass from a steady line without sound to chaotic shapes of irregular sounds (the more movement there is around the installation) through the different phases of sinusoidal waves and harmonic sounds.
Beautiful stuff. Waves will be at the LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial in Gijón, Spain until June 25th.
Artist Jim Campbell describes the process of developing and creating Exploded Views, a commissioned work that was installed in SFMOMA’s atrium in November 2011.
More light, more art, more San Francisco, more museums.
Japanese performance artist Kenichi Kanazawa taps a rubber mallet on a steel table to make sound vibrations that create beautiful transforming sand patterns. Using a scientific sound-visualizing process called Cymatics, he is able to manipulate the complex sand shapes by making frequencies visible through these vibrations: the higher the frequency, the more complex the design.
Previously: More Chladni patterns and some Oobleck, just for kicks.
via Laughing Squid.
The Fine Art of Folding Air is a short piece by filmmaker Catherine Stratton (who made Sutton Clock Shop) that introduces the balloon sculture work of Larry Moss and Kelly Cheatle. Their company, Airigami, specializes in making balloons into almost anything. Really. So. Many. Things.
Thanks, Catherine.
The Pour Paintings by New York artist Holton Rower (grandson of Alexander Calder) are quite interesting looking at them from “above” — but the process of them being made is where the real fireworks are. Gravity has never looked so colorful!
Or has it?! Check out these poured paintings of urban landscapes by Amy Shackleton (with video).
via Open Culture.
From the Royal Ballet of Flanders - Backstage Doornroosje (Backstage Sleeping Beauty):
In the video below our four principals, Aki, Geneviève, Alain and Wim, unfold their ballet way of life. But not before 11-year-old Emilie Borremans enthusiastically talks about her ballet ambitions. With her performance in Doornroosje she has a first taste of a real ballet dancer’s life.
The ballet, the costumes, the makeup, all of the stage lights… this video is beautifully shot, and really helps show the passion and excitement of a modern production. Found this after the kid and I watched Le Vent (h/t Devour), a slow motion ballet piece set to Radiohead which is also definitely worth watching.
Eske Rex’s Pendulum-Powered Drawing Machine immediately came to mind when I first saw Robert Howsare’s Drawing Apparatus. They both play off of the old spirograph-ish connection, however the pendulum-powered machine is fascinating because it’s using gravity (transferring back and forth between potential and kinetic energy) to power the drawing, vs. being motor-powered. Science + Art FTW!
Robert Howsare’s Drawing Apparatus attaches a Sharpie to records spinning on a record player at different revolutions.
We’re fascinated with spirographs around here, and these sorts of cycloid/hypotrochoid-ish-making inventions are no exception!
via Kottke.
“Throwing” a bowl on the pottery wheel from start to finish. Part 2 here.
Riddings Pottery, located in Derbyshire UK, is where John Rivers makes his own clay from a local coal seam, and then handmakes goblets, bowls, mugs, vases and other pieces that he hopes to have long lives of use. The co-curator was fascinated with this video, as well as the one about John making goblets.
Carly and Martin, community artists who make films, have made more videos about Riddings Pottery; this one is a good introduction.
