Imagine Your Day in Colorful Stripes

While visiting a museum in Singapore I discovered the Life Stripe project which turns daily activities into a series of colorful stripes.

“A Life Stripe Work is a ‘pattern of life’ made by replacing one’s actions such as sleeping, dining, relaxing, and working with 21 colours selected based on research and recording them along a 24 hour axis,” say creators Hirokazu Kobayashi & Haruna Yamada.

Life Stripe’s 21 daily actions and their associated color

I caught the Life Stripe exhibit at the Red Dot Design Museum.

Red Dot Design Museum
Red Dot Design Museum

The Life Stripe exhibit contains a large collection of Life Stripe Works. Each one has the person’s or animal’s background such as housewife, tree house creator, creative director, therapist, restaurant cashier, mom, web designer, graphic designer, IT manager, mayor, baseball player, baby, dog, and ice cream man. They also include the date of the activities along with the name, age, and sex of the individual.

Life Stripe Collection
A few of the Life Stripes in the exhibit.

The first one that caught my eye was one of a cat. Alternating stripes of sleep and hang out time.

Cat Life Stripe
Recreation of Komazawa, a cat, and the day his Life Stripe represents.

Probably because I work a lot with dancers, the next one I noticed was a dancer’s stripe.

Dancer Life Stripe
Recreation of one dancer’s Life Stripe

“Our pursuit of ‘proof of living’ was inspired by a friend’s withdrawal from society,” explain Kobayashi  & Yamada.   “We began with various careers, circumstances, genders, age as well as animals, and have collected about 150,000 days worth of records.”

Hirokazu Kobayashi & Haruna Yamada
Life Stripe creators Hirokazu Kobayashi & Haruna Yamada

I found this a very interesting way to see how we use our time.  Perhaps I’ll create a few Life Stripes of my days and use them for a bit of self-reflection on how I prioritize the activities in my life.

If you would like to see what one of your days looks like, I created an interactive webpage below where you can make your own Life Stripe.   After you create a Life Stripe, you can download an image of it.  Hope you enjoy seeing what your day looks like.

Here’s a link to the Life Stripe creators website.

“A Generous Kingdom” Symbolism, Story, & Beyond

Observing Cloud Connections
Observing Cloud Connections

Portland Oregon’s Verum Ultimum Art Gallery show “A Generous Kingdom” opening reception is Saturday January 11th from 6:00 – 8:00. Observing Cloud Connections from my “In The Clouds” collection was selected to be part of the show which focuses on symbolism, story, & beyond. This will be the first time that Portland’s art patrons can see my work in one of their galleries. Thanks to the two artists appearing in this piece for bringing this idea to life. More pieces like this can be found on my website.

Duo Quattuor Travels to Kansas City

Duo Quattuor
Duo Quattuor

Kansas City Missouri’s Jones Gallery is exhibiting Duo Quattuor during their January show. This piece is part of my “Foreign Worlds” collection. It was created in Austin featuring two fellow artists. The Jones Gallery show opens this Friday, January 3rd, with an event from 5:00 – 9:00. This is the first time Kansas City’s art patrons will be able to see my work in person.

Form & Function in Shanghai

Shanghai Natural History Museum
Shanghai Natural History Museum

While wandering through Jing’an Sculpture Park in Shanghai, I was drawn to the side of a building on the edge of the park.  I’m always drawn to structures with curves and arcs and this one seemed especially unique.

Shanghai Natural History Museum

But as I got closer to it, I could see that there was more to this curved wall as it extended down below ground level.  The only way I was going to be able to see the whole thing was to get inside the building.

If the function of the form of this building was to draw me inside, it succeeded.

Shanghai Natural History Museum
Shanghai Natural History Museum

The building is the Shanghai Natural History Museum.  It has living walls or green walls like many of the buildings I saw in Asia, but it was the arced wall that drew me inside.  I’ve been to quite a few natural history museums and none have really held my interest so I didn’t hold much hope for this one. 

Shanghai Natural History Museum
Living Wall aka Green Wall, Green façades
Shanghai Natural History Museum
The interior of the arced wall that lured me in.

I was blown away but what I discovered inside. Yes I connected with and was amazed by the architecture as I had hoped. 

Shanghai Natural History Museum
A small oasis only visible once you’re inside the museum.

But it was the contemporary feeling of exhibits, their subjects matter, and how all the kids running around were engaging them that left a grin on my face.

Shanghai Natural History Museum

Whether you attribute form follows function to architect Louis Sullivan or sculptor Horatio Greenough, the design of this museum pulled me in and got my imagination going.

Here is a small sample of the exhibits. These images do not do justice to the size, scope, and variety of the exhibits. They do represent a few things that caught my eye and made me reflect on what was being taught to the children. These children have a bright future ahead of them.

Shanghai Natural History Museum
The Big Bang
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Sustainable Actions
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Ecological Crisis
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Nature Reserves
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Reclamation
Shanghai Natural History Museum
Shanghai Natural History Museum

Las Laguna Gallery’s “Stunning” Show

"In The Clouds" Collection

My work is appearing at Las Laguna Gallery in Laguna Beach, California for the first time. Thanks to the three great artists appearing in this piece which is part of my “In The Clouds” collection.  This piece will be on display in the gallery as part of the “Stunning” show through December 28th.  More pieces like this can be found at my website.