Sisyphus Eternally Pushes a Boulder Up a Mechanical Incline in Ross McSweeney’s Nimble Automata

All images © Ross McSweeney

More than one version of the Greek myth of Sisyphus chronicles the king’s slew of misdeeds on Earth, which amount to cheating death not once but twice. This earned him an infamous punishment from Hades, the god of death and ruler of the underworld, who sentenced the legendary figure to roll a boulder up the side of a mountain only for it to roll back down again as soon as it nears the top—for eternity. Glimpsing the mythical inner machinations, artist Ross McSweeney designed an intricately detailed, laser-cut wood automata that animates the classic tale.

McSweeney’s kinetic sculpture features a laboring Sisyphus pushing the stone up an incline as he is eyed by a (perpetually patient!) vulture. Beneath the surface, a cross-section of classical columns reveals a devilish figure who cranks an elaborate set of gears. The device is operated by turning a dial on the lower right side, and McSweeney demonstrates the mechanism in a video in which he also showcases different operating speeds.

The artist designed additional do-it-yourself kinetic constructions of a tiger, a running horse, and the surface of water that undulates with droplet rings. McSweeney shares videos of the automata on YouTube, and you can find detailed patterns to construct your own sculpture—which he takes great care to avoid being a Sisyphean task!—in his Etsy shop. (via Laughing Squid)

 

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Linda Lopez’s Playful Ceramic ‘Dust Furries’ Pick Up Detritus Like Pebbles and Peas in Their Colorful Coats

All images © Linda Nguyen Lopez, shared with permission

Bending and swishing as if poised to wiggle right out of the room, Linda Nguyen Lopez’s playful ceramic sculptures just want to do a little cleaning up. In the ongoing series Dust Furries, satisfying color gradients complement the supple textures of the works, which have a knack for getting odds and ends, like a dust bunny under the bed, stuck to their “fur.” “The detritus ranges from rocks to fingernails to peas,” Lopez tells Colossal. “All the things you would find on the floor or in corners.”

Bright hues, a variety of sizes, and different materials combine to create each piece’s distinct personality. Stylized shapes representing lint or abstract cut-outs float over the surfaces as if attracted by static electricity, suggesting the gentle friction of movement. “Over the past three years, the furries have become more technically proficient,” Lopez explains. “The colors are more fluid, there is stronger fur, and the porcelain furries have jumped in scale.”

Lopez (previously) is currently working on a new public art project in which she will translate the ceramic surface into bronze. Find more of her work on her website, and follow updates on Instagram.

 

Clockwise from front: ‘Dust Furries’ with lint, cut-outs, fingernails, dandruff, rocks, and peas

  

 

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A Detailed Documentary Traces the Process of Making Artistic Manhole Covers in Japan

There are myriad structures and objects in the built environment that many of us rarely give a second thought to, like the materials that make sidewalks and streets, the pipe systems below the pavement, or the manhole covers that keep those networks secure and provide essential access. In Japan, though, form follows function in a recent tradition of creating manhole covers that feature bold and colorful designs.

Video creators Process X visited the Hinode factory to document the manufacture of the ubiquitous lids from start to finish. Workers first melt metal and stamp the molten material into a form that produces a distinctive raised outline. The covers are then cooled and transported to a station where others hand-paint the details, heat the pigments to create a durable finish, and ready them for installation.

Japan’s aesthetic solution to an otherwise banal infrastructural object is thought to have originated back in the mid-1980s when municipalities were invited to design their own manhole covers, making costly sewerage updates more palatable. Following a handful of local contests and documentation by photographers and publications, the phenomenon continues to add vivid, unexpected designs to everyday surfaces.

Process X documents a wide range of manufacturing systems around Japan and publishes videos regularly on YouTube. (via Kottke)

 

All images © Process X

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Ji Xin Reflects Eastern and Western Art Historical Traditions in His Elegantly Languid Portraits

“Pearls and daffodils” (2022), oil on canvas, 59 x 47 inches. All photos by Nicolas Brasseur, courtesy of the artist and Almine Rech, shared with permission

Through ethereal portraits that vacillate between Eastern and Western traditions, Ji Xin coaxes an ambiance of contemplation and ennui. The Chinese artist blends elements of Song dynasty paintings, like the relaxed, unhurried poses of his feminine figures, with particulars of Renaissance works, producing compositions that place calm women among gilded, elegant interiors.

Rendered in subtle palette of gold and pastel hues, the portraits are delicate and laced with longing and introspection. The subjects all shy away from the viewer, and as shown in “Pearls and daffodils” and “Ripples,” many are in the midst of confronting their emotional states through mirrored reflections of themselves or similar figures. Their elongated limbs stretch across their torsos or hang from their bodies, conveying a sense of stillness and repose.

The paintings shown here are on view through February 4 at Almine Rech Paris as part of the artist’s solo show, Moonlight · Butterfly. You can find more from Ji Xin, who currently lives and works between Hangzhou and Shanghai, on Instagram.

 

“Moon light” (2022), oil on canvas, 71 x 59 inches

“Sunrise” (2022), oil on canvas, 75 x 59 inches

“Ripples” (2022), oil on canvas, 59 x 47 inches

“Pistil” (2022), oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches

“White swan” (2022), oil on canvas, 59 x 47 inches

“The dream of the water” (2022), oil on canvas, 59 x 47 inches

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Lively Kinetic Sculptures by Yunchul Kim Pulse with Iridescent Color-Changing Cells

Seoul-based artist Yunchul Kim echoes the heaving, lively motion of breath in his glimmering kinetic sculptures. Part of the ongoing Chroma series, the mixed-media works are reactive: small motors bend the transparent polymer material and cause an iridescent, color-changing ripple that pulses across the piece. Often suspended in a gallery space, the sculptures are knotted or shaped like a vortex, as in “Chroma V,” which references “subjects and symbols of culture and disciplines, such as ancient murals, nature, literature, art, philosophy, and science,” Kim says.

Alongside aesthetic concerns, engineering and the mechanics of each structure play a crucial role in the construction process. The resulting works are immersive and multi-sensory as the motors emit various sounds that correspond with the visual changes. “Chroma V,” for example, is comprised of 382 individual cells each containing its own device that subsequently produces hundreds of different reactions across the eight-meter work. The artist shares:

In the studio, I spent a lot of time trying to realize this, not to fit the artwork to the machine but to make a machine that fits the idea of the artwork, with numerous attempts and experiments. After the individual mechanical devices are completed, a work process in which software and mechanical devices connect is necessary to create an artistic event to enable communication between them.

This generative nature informs Kim’s practice, and he often transfers aspects of earlier projects into his next work. “When one piece is finished, this process does not stop but becomes a potential idea for the next new piece,” he says.

A forthcoming monograph of Kim’s paintings is slated for release this April, and he has several exhibitions upcoming, including this March at Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning, in June at CERN Science Gateway in Geneva and Science Gallery in Melbourne, and this fall at Madre Museum in Naples. Until then, explore more of Kim’s work on YouTube, Instagram, and his site.

 

“Chroma V” (2022), acrylic, aluminum, polymer, LED, motor, and microcontroller, 235 x 800 x 225 centimeters

“Chroma V” (2022), acrylic, aluminum, polymer, LED, motor, and microcontroller, 235 x 800 x 225 centimeters. Photo by Roman März

“Chroma V” (2022), acrylic, aluminum, polymer, LED, motor, and microcontroller, 235 x 800 x 225 centimeters. Photo by Roman März

Detail of “Chroma V” (2022), acrylic, aluminum, polymer, LED, motor, and microcontroller, 235 x 800 x 225 centimeters. Photo by Roman März

Detail of “Chroma III” (2021), acrylic, aluminum, polymer, LED, motor, and microcontroller, 230 x 140 x 170 centimeters

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Motherly Sacrifices and Aquatic Angst Top This Year’s Ocean Art Photography Contest

“Fighting Blue Throat Pike Blennys” by Mark Green, Honorable Mention Marine Life Behavior

As they care for their unhatched babies, female octopuses refuse to eat, causing them to die of starvation before their young emerge from their eggs. Kat Zhou documented one of these marine mothers as she was in the process of such a fatal sacrifice, and the photo won the Ocean Art 2022, the 11th annual contest hosted by Underwater Photography Guide.

Zhou’s image was chosen from thousands of entries submitted from 96 countries, and the intimate photo joins a collection that encompasses a vast array of aquatic life and antics. Two aggressive pike blennies go head to head, a frog flashes a peace sign, and a menacing parasite hunts for its next victim. Find some of our favorite images below, and see all of the winning photos on the contest’s site.

 

“Octopus Mother,” by Kat Zhou, Best of Show, Macro

“Peace” by Enrico Somogyi, 1st Compact Wide Angle

“Zeepaddestoel” by Luc Rooman, Honorable Mention Marine Life Behavior

“Parasite waiting for the next victim” by Lorenzo Terraneo, Honorable Mention Portrait

“Coral Spawning” by Tom Shlesinger, 3rd Marine Life Behavior

“Rose Among the Thorns” by Ipah Uid Lynn, 4th Compact Macro

“The Climb” by Veronika Nagy, 2nd Nudibranchs

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Embroidered Snacks and Mass-Produced Food by Alicja Kozlowska Chew On Consumerist Culture

All images © Alicja Kozłowska, shared with permission

In the ongoing series Embroidered Ordinaries, Alicja Kozlowska translates the mass production of Pop Art into tightly stitched sculptures. The Polish artist sews packages of Oreos and half-eaten cookies, rusted cans with peeled-back tops, and 12-packs of Coca-Cola at full scale, recreating the recognizable logos and designs of ubiquitous snacks and goods. Each work begins with a felted structure the artist covers in myriad knots and stitches, which produces textured iterations that reflect on consumerism and the lasting impacts of over-consumption.

Find more of the Embroidered Ordinaries sculptures on Kozlowska’s site, and keep an eye on her Instagram for upcoming additions.

 

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