A New Book Revisits the Grime and Pandemonium of the NYC Subway of the ’70s and ’80s

72nd Street Station West Side, New York, 1977. All images © Willy Spiller, courtesy of Bildhalle, shared with permission

“It didn’t take Willy Spiller long to understand that there is nothing more New York than its subways, each car a sweaty, rattling microcosm of the city itself—a loud, crowded, colorful melting pot where everyone is thrust into everyone else’s business,” writes Bill Shapiro in the introduction to Hell on Wheels. Published by Bildhalle to coincide with an exhibition by the same name, the book surveys a collection of Spillers’ photographs from 1977 to 1984, forming a now legendary series of images that capture life on the move in one of the world’s largest cities.

On view now at the Amsterdam gallery, Hell on Wheels peers into the graffiti-laden train cars of the late ’70s. Commuters pack into the tiny cabin during rush hour, teenage girls still in their crisp, white school uniforms sprawl across empty seats, and a man with cuffed orange trousers cradles a radio as he waits in the 72nd Street Station. Spiller, who came to New York from Zurich in 1977 and shot more than 2,000 photos of the subway during an infamous time in its history, offers a clear-eyed glimpse of a transitory space, where, for a brief ride from one part of the city to another, people across classes and cultures commingle in a mix of energy, friction, and camaraderie.

Order your copy of Hell on Wheels on the Bidhalle website, where you can also find more of the series.

 

Rush Hour on Lexington IRT, Subway, New York, 1981

Schoolgirls On the A-Train to Far Rockaway, New York, 1978

Dangerous Ride, Subway, New York, 1983

Lexington Avenue Line, IRT Division of the New York City Subway, 1979

Jerome Avenue IRT Line, New York, 1980

Downtown Express 72nd St. Station, Subway, New York, 1977

The A train to Brighton Beach Subway, New York, 1977

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Join Us This September in Chicago for Two Embroidery Workshops with Artist Danielle Clough

All images © Danielle Clough, shared with permission

Colossal is beyond thrilled to welcome South African artist Danielle Clough (previously) to Chicago for a pair of in-person workshops this September. Whether working on tennis rackets, clothing, or scraps of fabric, Clough is widely known for her vibrant embroideries that expertly translate the principles of color theory into bold, fiber-based works.

Held at 21c Museum Hotel on September 8 and 9, these workshops are the first Clough has taught in Chicago.

During the Friday night session, spend three hours immersed in the artist’s unique thread-blending techniques as she shares tips and tricks for creating dimension and stitching with vivid color. On Saturday, Clough offers her signature Sew Far Sew Good class, which guides students through a six-hour session in learning to embroider from photographs and develop their own styles.

Clough even designed a kit of materials specially for Colossal, which includes everything you need to start embroidering and keep your practice going at home. All skill levels are welcome, and each workshop is different, so we urge you to register for both sessions.

If you’re a Colossal Member, be sure to use the discount code in your account for $10 off. If you plan to travel and stay at 21c Museum Hotel in Chicago for the workshop, you can receive a 25 percent discount on rooms. Reach out to us at hello@colossal.art so we can help you book your accommodation.

Register here.

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Join Us This September in Chicago for Two Embroidery Workshops with Artist Danielle Clough appeared first on Colossal.

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Bounce and Caper Among the Trees at UPLÅ, Canada’s Biggest Trampoline Parks

All photos © The Trekking Group and UPLÅ

At the base of Mont-Saint-Grégoire, a short drive from Montréal, the outdoor adventure designers behind The Trekking Group conceived of Canada’s largest trampolines for UPLÅ adventure park. A new location in Stouffville, Ontario, just outside of Toronto, expands the possibilities of play with a series of nets that soar amid the canopy. Suspended between trees and large posts, the vibrant, multi-level networks of spiraling ramps, tunnels, and rooms invites visitors onto a bouncy aerial plane, replete with climbing apparatuses, ball games, and giant bean bags. At night, the nets are illuminated with colorful lights and opened for nocturnal romps, which can be booked in advance.

The Trekking Group creates customizable adventure park that can be installed short or long-term, among other outdoor facilities like rope bridges and treetop platforms. See more of the company’s work on its website, and to find out more about UPLÅ or plan a visit, check out the park’s website and Instagram.

 

Photo by Bernard Brault

 

 

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Photos of Everyday Activities Reveal the Humor of Perspective and Serendipitous Alignments

Tel Aviv, 2018. All images © Anthimos Ntagkas, shared with permission

One of the joys of street photography is that it reveals just how often unexpected, serendipitous juxtapositions are happening around us. Whether in Tel Aviv, New York, or Athens, Anthimos Ntagkas has a keen eye for these everyday alignments as he captures strange and amusing sights during his travels. Working in the Greek Army by day, Ntagkas spends his free time photographing passersby as they go about their commutes and appear as if they’re carrying a dog in a backpack, for example, or are the source of a billowing plume of smoke.

Ntagkas’ images are on view at Andora Cinema in Athens, and you can follow his witty frames on Instagram. (via PetaPixel)

 

Samos Island, Greece

New York, 2019

Athens, 2018

Athens, 2020

Marathonas, Greece, 2018

Athens, 2018

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Photos of Everyday Activities Reveal the Humor of Perspective and Serendipitous Alignments appeared first on Colossal.

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What is Art’s Role in the Climate Crisis? Four Colossal Events Explore Connections and Solutions

“Build Me a Platform, High in the Trees” by Nathalie Miebach. Photo by Eric Lu

At the Precipice: Responses to the Climate Crisis opened last week at the Design Museum of Chicago with a vibrant collection of works considering what it feels like to live amid a global emergency. Through data, color, tactility, and beauty, ten artists and collectives create accessible entry points into this increasingly urgent issue. The exhibition, curated by Colossal, includes works by Selva Aparicio, Morel Doucet, Zaria Forman, Luftwerk, Nathalie Miebach, Chris Pappan, Redemptive Plastics, The Tempestry Project, Migwa Nthiga, and Jean Shin. It’s on view through October 30.

We’re excited to announce four events as part of At the Precipice that offer greater insight into the role of art and design in the climate crisis.

 

Luftwerk’s “White Wanderer”

Community-Led, Design-Followed: Responsibility of Design for the Future

On July 25, a conversation at the Design Museum of Chicago will bring together Bill Schleizer of Delta Institute, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, and Petra Bachmaier of Luftwerk to discuss the future of climate-informed design, using At the Precipice as a backdrop. The talk is part of the museum auxiliary board’s Community-led, Design-Followed speaker series.

Register here.

 

From left: Morel Doucet, Migwa Nthiga, Chris Pappan, and Justin Dwaun Redding

Artist Talk: Art + Climate Justice

What does justice look like in the age of the climate crisis? On August 30, artists Morel Doucet, Chris Pappan, and Migwa Nthiga will join moderator Justin Dwaun Redding to talk about the links between environmental destruction and racism, how those differ across regions, and the role of art in shaping a more equitable future.

This virtual conversation is hosted by the Design Museum of Chicago and will be recorded. Register here.

 

Inside the Happy Returns studio

Volunteer at Happy Returns Studio

On September 16, join us for a volunteer day at the Happy Returns studio, home of Redemptive Plastics. During this four-hour session, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the team’s innovative plastic recycling process and lend a hand in repurposing household waste.

Space is limited to 16 volunteers, so reserve your spot now.

 

A still from ‘After Antarctica’

After Antarctica Screening at Gene Siskel Film Center

On September 20, join us for a screening of Tasha van Zandt’s After Antarctica (2021). The award-winning feature-length documentary follows renowned polar explorer Will Steger’s life journey as an eyewitness to the greatest changes in the polar regions of our planet. Thirty years after his historic expedition across the coldest continent on Earth, Steger is not only known for being the first in history to complete this historic feat–he is also the last.

A discussion will follow the film. Tickets will be available soon.

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article What is Art’s Role in the Climate Crisis? Four Colossal Events Explore Connections and Solutions appeared first on Colossal.

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Mystery Abounds in Lee Madgwick’s Uncanny Paintings of Derelict Buildings

“The Veil.” All images © Lee Madgwick, shared with permission

A sense of unease surrounds the buildings in Lee Madgwick’s paintings, their sides crumbling or coated in thick vegetation as they stand alone in fields or swamps. The neglected structures appear lifted from cities and towns and dropped directly into rural landscapes, where nature slowly envelops their brick facades or sprouts trees from their eaves. “I’m forever drawn to places of abandonment and isolation,” Madgwick tells Colossal. “I’m compelled to explore these enigmatic wonders. There’s a poignancy and an unwavering silence and fragility that hangs in the air.”

Containing only remnants of human life, the scenes prompt questions about the buildings’ origins and caretakers. Some pieces, like “The Veil,” depict a home long-deserted by inhabitants as thick vines cover the lower windows, while others like “Fen View” suggest that people remain, as a small window is neatly trimmed out of an overgrown hedge.

Working in what he terms “imagined realism,” the artist uses a mix of water-mixable oil and acrylic paints layered during the course of several weeks. “The skies are painted with the palms of my hands and fingertips. It’s the most expressive part of the process,” he shares. “Together with a brooding sky and concentrated light a sense of drama is formed and a narrative is set in motion.”

Madgwick has a solo show slated for October at Brian Sinfield Gallery in Burford, Oxfordshire. Until then, find his work on Instagram and shop limited-edition prints on his site. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

 

“Fen View”

“The Flood”

“Summer House”

“Gatehouse”

“Kingdom”

“Fragments”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Mystery Abounds in Lee Madgwick’s Uncanny Paintings of Derelict Buildings appeared first on Colossal.

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Spritely Animals Spring from Cubes of Wood in Yoshiaki Ito’s Series of ‘Morphits’

All images © Yoshiaki Ito

Slender pieces of beechwood connected by strings of elastic form a playful menagerie of toys by Brooklyn-based designer Yoshiaki Ito. Morphits begin as cubes, carefully packaged in a box, then expanded to reveal a stable of animals, which currently include a giraffe, monkey, pig, hippo, or a tiger. Bendable and posable, they can be displayed on a surface or puzzled back together into a compact form.

Find more of Ito’s work on his website, where he sells the toys in his shop in both color and natural options. You can also follow Ito and the monkey’s world travels on Instagram. (via designboom)

 

  

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Spritely Animals Spring from Cubes of Wood in Yoshiaki Ito’s Series of ‘Morphits’ appeared first on Colossal.

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