Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites
Informed by the sociopolitical contexts of Latin America, Abraham Cruzvillegas has garnered much attention for his dynamic assemblage sculptures made of found objects. Interested in improvised building materials and techniques, he roots his sculptural practice within the urban landscape of his childhood home in Ajusco, a district in the south of Mexico City. Over the […]
The Ebb and Flow of E-Waste
Even though there are numerous facilities across the country dedicated to recycling the technology we use and discard so frequently (cell phones, computers, printers, appliances, etc.), it turns out that sudden shifts in the marketplace are having a profound effect on what can and cannot be lucratively recycled by these industries. The New York Times […]
SEARCHING FOR THE SEVENTIES: THE DOCUMENTERIA PROJECT
Over the past thirty years, the relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency and the government that created it has been, to be polite, contentious. Born in the early 1970’s and put into implementation by Nixon, it’s often sited by conservatives as being wasteful and econony-stalling. It’s such a hot button agency that it was one […]
Thierry Cohen’s Darkened Cities
Those who were near lower Manhattan during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy may have experienced the rare and eerie view of the city’s skyline gone partway dark. Biking through Manhattan at dusk that week, the loss of power made the night feel that much deeper, and the bright sky that much more brilliant. What are […]
Expo 1: New York, Rockaway Call for Ideas
Via MoMA PS1: In an effort to foster the creative debate on urban recovery after Hurricane Sandy, MoMA PS1 and MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design are calling out for ideas to create a sustainable waterfront. Artists, architects, designers, and others are welcome to present ideas for alternative housing models, creation of social spaces, urban […]
We Upcycle
We Upcycle, a blog by Lisa Schultz and Magdalena Akantisz, hosts a wide variety of ideas for creating new and useful objects out of old ones you might have thrown away. The project started when the two students, based in Vienna, decided to post 30 objects they repurposed and reused in creative ways over 30 days. […]
Building the Perfect Serpent
Romuald Hazoumè, one of Africa’s leading visual artists, will be installing Rainbow Serpent, a 12 -foot arc constructed of recycled jerry cans, at the Newark Museum on Thursday, Feb. 21 from 10 am-3 pm. The sculpture is part of the upcoming African Cosmos: Stellar Arts exhibition, which opens at the Museum on Feb. 27.
Common Ground for our Common Atmosphere
So often in the debate on climate change and global warming, the focus leans so heavily on the debate aspect, the issue itself takes a back seat. No matter the degree to which one believes in the human impact on the environment, we should be able to find some common ground in the idea that […]
East London Furniture: Sustainability Through Reclaimation
The designers for would otherwise end up in landfills becomes rustic-looking furniture instead. That’s serious sustainability. — via Remodelista.com
India’s Solar Power
Yesterday the New York Times published an interesting article on how India aims to use its solar power effectively. The use of solar power could help reduce India’s reliance on coal, slow the effects of climate change, and perhaps reduce the frequent and sudden blackouts you’d find in every city. In a country where it is […]
Film Biz Recycling
Ever wonder what happens to a set after shooting wraps? Non-Profit organization even let us rent props if it costs to much to buy them.) By fostering relationships with individuals operating in film, theater, commercial and television, FBR offers crews a responsible recycling program once their project wraps. In addition to managing donations, Film Biz […]
Landfill Harmonic
Landfill Harmonic film teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo. What an inspirational video! Landfill Harmonic is an upcoming feature-length documentary about a remarkable musical orchestra in Paraguay, where young musicians play instruments made from trash. For more information about the film, visit facebook.com/landfillharmonicmovie.
Jill Sigman’s Hut Project
Over the summer I was fortunate enough to meet multimedia artist Jill Sigman, just as her exhibition at Arts@Renaissance was closing. She was in the process of dismantling the seventh part of her Hut Project, an ongoing series of site-based activities that explore ideas about sustainability, home, responsibility and questions what actually becomes of the […]
Dark Rye – An Online Magazine
Dark Rye is an online magazine from Whole Foods that focuses in on local, handcrafted, and sustainable food, design, technology, and community. In addition to boasting a wonderfully-designed site bursting with vibrant images, how-to guides, and profiles, they now have a channel on Vimeo, with well-crafted videos to supplement each story. The videos follow individuals […]
Forthcoming Exhibition on “Pressing Environmental Issues” at MoMA
Midway through a New York Times human-interest story on curator Klaus Biesenbach’s hurricane-relief efforts comes word of a new exhibition of interest to Harmony Blog readers: The bus unloaded at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club on Beach 87th Street, discharging a group of volunteers that included waifish artists, MoMA members, surfers and a film crew gathering […]
Climate Change & Sandy
The latest natural disaster presents an opportunity to better understand climate change. The Huffington Post ran an interesting piece about the relationship between natural disasters and climate change. Has anyone seen other good articles on the topic?
“A Simple Fix for Farming”
Mark Bittman writes about an important but ignored new agricultural study in the NYT: IT’S becoming clear that we can grow all the food we need, and profitably, with far fewer chemicals. And I’m not talking about imposing some utopian vision of small organic farms on the world. Conventional agriculture can shed much of its chemical […]
Sea Orbiter
The Jetsons-esque Sea Orbiter is an ocean going research vessel rumored to launch in 2013. Similar to a space ship, the Sea Orbiter will allow scientists and others a residential (for weeks at time) yet mobile research station positioned under the oceans’ surface. The station will have laboratories, workshops, living quarters and a pressurized deck […]
2012 World Savers Awards
Beginning several years ago, Condé Nast Traveler magazine has given out annual World Savers Awards. This year’s finalists and winners have been chosen. A description: They have planted 366,100 trees in 2011 alone, from Australia to Thailand and South Africa. They have helped educate 96,298 students in Kenya, India, and the United States and provided […]
Nosara’s New Recycling Center
Architecture students from New York Institute of Technology collaborate with locals in Costa Rica to build a sustainable recycling center. The main waste-disposal site in Nosara, Costa Rica, lies at the end of a dusty roadway aptly nicknamed “dump road” by locals. There, jungle gives way to a clearing in a small valley. The full […]
Study Suggests Leatherback Turtle Decline
From Yale Environment 360: A warming climate could exacerbate threats facing leatherback turtle populations in the eastern Pacific Ocean, creating conditions that could trigger a 75 percent reduction in turtle numbers by the end of the century, a new study says. Even under existing conditions, turtle births ebb and flow each year, researchers say, with eggs and hatchlings […]
Surfers Against Sewage, “Protect Our Waves”
The UK-based group Surfers Against Sewage has launched a new campaign called Protect Our Waves. It is meant to raise awareness about the environmental hardships faced by surf spots on that side of the Atlantic. Here’s a further description: The campaign aims to protect surf spots from unacceptable levels of environmental impact, degradation of surfing […]
Marfa Dialogues
The Ballroom, an art venue in Marfa, Texas, has just announced the program for its annual weekend-long program of talks, called the Marfa Dialogues. This year the events address the issue of environmental sustainability. Keynote speakers include Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, among other books, and Rebecca Solnit, […]
California State Parks and “The First 70”
Last year, California governor Jerry Brown announced that due to budget constraints the state would be forced to close many of its beautiful state parks. The good news is that a few weeks ago state politicians passed a budget that allowed for most to stay open. Here’s an announcement from the Surfrider Foundation, which had […]
