April 29, 2012

IIT’s Annual Architecture Student Work Open House Friday, May 4, 2012

Amanda Wills: Night tree tracing on acetate... 

Amanda is still on the move! She has just completed her 1st of 5 years of architectural studies at Illinois Institute of Technology. She has put in a tremendous amount of effort into her studies this year... As a result she has been nominated for the Peterhans Visual Training Project Prize along with two other undergraduate spring awards.

Please join us and the IIT Architectural Students, Faculty for the opening of the IIT Annual Student Work Exhibition on Friday, May 4.

I am sure Amanda would love your support.

The Award Ceremony starts promptly at 5:00 with an Open House from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Mies van Der Rohe’s masterpiece, Crown Hall, located at 3410 South State Street in the IIT Campus in Chicago.

Oh, by the way...
Free parking at 33rd and S. State if you are driving...Or take the El to the 35th Bronzville-IIT stop on the Green Line.

Amanda Wills: Drawing explorations of house study, line study, geometrical shape study and liquid container study... 

She is truly passionate about her work...and the people she will eventually serve.

Amanda Wills in collaboration with Sudeshna Sen: Color gamut exploration of Claude Monet’s Boats on the Beach at Étretat

Who knows where this journey will take her, but come on over and cheer her on...

S.R. Crown Hall: 3410 South State Street at the IIT Campus in Chicago...

View Larger Map

April 25, 2012

Creative Momentum: Viral Creativity


Now that I am back in the English speaking world, I have been desperately trying to catch up with the latest flows of western Pop Culture. The other day, I heard this catchy tune on the radio... Somebody That I Used to Know  by Goyte. When I got home, I was tired of the same iTunes Genius Mixes that I had been playing for the past few years. So, I decided to listen, I mean watch Goyte on YouTube...

Anyway, after I Google Goyte, I realized that I stumbled on somewhat of a phenomenon...apparently I was not alone in my affinity for the song. As with so many hits, Goyte had his following of cover artists who posted their versions on YouTube as homage. However, most of the covers had a really creative twist...it was obvious that people really put their heart and soul into their own cover...

And, I believe, the torrent of covers was first put into motion by the band Walk Off the Earth. Who...I must say, set the bar high with their version using only one guitar played simultaneously by all five band members...

...their cover set off a fire storm of creativity.

So many people have somebodies that they used to know...but they never had a way to express themselves in a globally cathartic way. It is almost as though, everyone is saying, hey me too, here is how I feel, listen to this! The exact details are not as important as getting out the emotion that is behind the ache. It is the creativity that releases that emotion...

Walk Off the Earth’s cover not only gave permission to let it out, but they set the boundaries for how far to do it. YouTube provided the white space...

Here is Walk Off the Earth’s five man, one guitar cover that really set everything in motion...OK, four man, one woman and a guitar...

The melody and lyrics struck such a nerve in so many artists that it has inspired a well spring of creativity of musicians from all genres and age groups. They each added their own unique flavor to the song.

All of their work clearly illustrates that creativity seeks boundaries, even though as artists, people are always yearning for more freedom. The boundaries, being that the artists have to be true to the lyrics and melody, but are allowed the creativity to play and sing anyway they can. The song is so good it can withstand almost any attempt to break it.

The cover just has to be innovative...

I believe it is a glimpse, not only of Goyte’s genius, but a window into the creative consciousness of humanity when it is allowed to connect...viral creativity...

ARMY of 3
Christina Grimmie Cover

Pentatonix does it acapella...in a basement...this is really nice!

Matthias Harris in the Brady Bunch version...
Students? Ardlee

School buddies? Michael Schulte & Max Giesinger

Sam Tsui’s “solo” acapella...this one is kind of creepy to me.

And you have to admire this effort by the Dutch Choir...

The list of covers goes on and on...

...But what really strikes me, is the collaboration and exchange that has been underway for the past few years. Not businesses copying each other to make a $, but artists collaborating and building for the sake of creativity itself. For me, this phenomenon confirms a belief I have, that humanity need not be defined by greed and self interest, but by creativity and collaboration.

For too long, the modern era has controlled human connectivity and stifled meaningful collaboration that are needed to build sustainable communities. It is collaboration and creativity that will define us as human beings...

We are in a new age where we must foster collaboration and build unfettered connectivity that will unite us and resist what may divide us...where ever that may be.

Oh...and a prank phone call!

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 19, 2012

Creative Momentum: New Traditions for Easter


You know, I really don’t know why we dye eggs for Easter. I suppose I could Google it, but I did not want to waste the time and energy. When I start Googling something, I’ll start out with Easter eggs and end up chasing something else, which leads to something else, and on ad infinitum (to infinity).

I would like to spend my energy sharing a new tradition for Easter.

I was never a fan of hard boiled eggs, though, I always loved the family event of dying Easter eggs when I was young.



When I became a parent, it was just as fun...that is until my kids out-grew the activity. The thing is, the kids still enjoy Easter, but once you are a teenager, egg hunting is not your thing.



And even if you still like it, you wouldn’t want your friends to know that you were hunting for eggs on Easter. Especially, if you are a 17 year old with a Facebook image to maintain...or a 47 year old with a Facebook image to maintain. ;-)



So what to do? This past Easter Sunday, Lyra and I invited some friends over for Easter brunch. This was the first dinner gathering we had put together since moving back to Chicago. We spent the last month and a half renovating the apartment and the last couple of days preparing for the brunch. Easter egg dying was low on the priority list, but I still wanted to create the same atmosphere...I was at a loss.


So, we just went with the brunch idea and left it at that...

But, as usual, Alexandria came to the rescue. Somehow, she must have felt the same about Easter, even though we didn’t talk about it. So, she took action...and her creative momentum took over as it often does.

As we were finishing up a wonderful brunch of borscht, bagels & lox and mimosas (adults only)...Alexandria bursts into the room and says, “Let’s tie dye...it’s Easter!”



At first, everyone was reluctant...or at least they appeared that way...but eventually they all got into the festivities. It might have been the mimosas that helped...





Anyway, it all turned out well...





...you don’t have to keep repeating the same rituals for the sake of tradition, but you might want to try to recreate the feelings that make up the true essence of any tradition. This Easter Alexandria helped us renew the old by creating the new...which is what Easter is all about.



Thanks Alex...