IMPROBABLE MONUMENT: MONUMENT OF LIFE

PROPOSAL, PRESENTATION, & KMZ FILE


PROPOSAL:

Introduction:

I wish to build a monument so large that it overlooks Earth; a monument that lets people see the world they live in by simply viewing it. The Monument of Life.

Background: 

I was inspired by Barthes’ discussion of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, and I find the monument to be beautifully brilliant. It is the heart of the city, and it overlooks the city; it is massive in its physical form and in its cultural meaning. But even better would be the same thing on a larger scale: the heart of our world and overlooking it. 

Some information about symbolism in trees:

Trees have strong symbolic meanings in many different cultures.

In Chinese culture, Bonsai trees represent peace, harmony, balance. They were originally believed to be created to resemble dragons, serpents, birds. Buddhist monks had great influence in Bonsai tree growing; the trees are often related to meditation and zen.

Birch trees, the national tree of Russia, are connected with new beginnings and cleansing of the past. "Birch" is derived from a German root meaning "white, bright, or shine."

The Oak tree has strong meanings in Roman culture; they connected the trees with the gods; it symbolizes strength and courage and was regarded by Socrates as the 'oracle tree.'

The Willow tree is strong in Native American culture. They symbolize magic, healing, inner vision, and dreams. Its bark has been relied on for medicinal purposes. They are also a symbol of death, mourning, and reflection in East Asian cultures.

Trees are also used for resources.

Food: Maple trees provide syrup, Cherry trees grow fruits, while Elder trees give off berries and flowers that produce wine and brandy.

Medicine: Willow trees give us the acid that we know as aspirin, while Eucalyptus trees house medicine to remedy colds, headaches, coughs, asthma, flu.

Some information about using recycled products in homes:

Incorporating recycled materials into architecture is sustainable and inexpensive. Cardboard, with the right water-proofing, can be a great resource in building homes. Tires also work to keep in heat in the winter. Coke bottles are just fun, and building a home out of an enormous collection of them is a fantastic way to use your old bottles.

Description:

My plan is to design a (approx.) 4,500 foot tall tree. The structure will be made out of recycled materials: colored (greens and browns) glass bottles for the trunk, rubber tires for the branches, and plastic bags for the leaves. It will be located in the San Francisco Bay near Angel Island. Satellite images of the Earth will be projected onto the trunk to give viewers the sense that they are overlooking their world while viewing this monument. Satellite images will also be projected on the water surrounding the tree. There will be thousands of LEDs on the trunk, allowing the monument and the images to stay lit at night. Viewers will have the option to ride a boat to the nearby platform/glass elevator-like structure that will rise out of the water and take them to the top, for a more interactive experience.

This monument will symbolize nature; it will commemorate our world. We live on this Earth, we walk on its ground, yet many of us do not take the time to stop and really see it. This monument will give people that opportunity; the chance to see Earth in a different way. Almost astronaut-like. It is on an enormous scale, which fits with its purpose but also makes it (currently) improbable.

San Francisco is a great place for art and sustainability, which is why I have chosen to place this monument in the bay.

Benefits:

This monument is an homage to trees and the Earth that grows them. It is a positive monument, promoting nature and recycling. It is important to take the time to “stop and smell the roses,” as the cliche likes to say, and this enormous tree is meant to open eyes, and noses, to the world that encompasses us. I took into account the commentary that was provided for me, and I came to realize that there should be a sort of device connected to the tree that uses the recyclable aspect and transfers it into energy that can be used elsewhere. This would be a fantastic beneficial improvement on my proposed monument.

Estimated Cost:

-1,000,000 BOTTLES: up to years to collect

-500,000 TIRES: up to years to collect

-3,000,000 PLASTIC BAGS: up to years to collect

SATELLITE

-10 projectors: $50,000

-10,000 LEDs: $200,000

PLATFORM

-30x30x50 ft. of glass: $3,000

-4,500 ft. tall underwater pillar: $500,000

-mechanics to raise 4,500 ft.: $500,000

TOTAL

Up to 5 years and about 1 million dollars

Timeline of Tasks:

POWERPOINT

KMZ FILE

PG&E JAM

BEFORE

AFTER

CAMERA OBSCURA

I visited Camera Obscura earlier this week.... the World's First Special Effect! The building is beautiful! It has an old look to it, and it overlooks the ocean. On the inside, it uses a mirror and lenses to create the giant camera that captures Seal Rock Area. Amazing!!

GAFFTA

Gray Area Foundation for the Arts

Wonderful art gallery! Located in the Tenderloin in San Francisco.



Here are some videos that I took of the artwork:

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

And some pictures...

These pictures are of the projects done concerning maps in San Francisco; crime density in San Francisco, and the Tenderloin specifically, and landscape.

MONUMENT OF LIFE

The ultimate Tree of Life.

I plan on designing a 5,000 foot tall tree located in the ocean. On an island. Possibly Angel Island near San Francisco.


But it will be taller than the world's tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai:

reference

     Trees have so many different meanings in different cultures. They're extremely symbolic.
-In Chinese culture, Bonsai trees represent peace, harmony, balance. They were originally believed to be created to resemble dragons, serpents, birds. Buddhist monks had great influence in Bonsai tree growing; the trees are often related to meditation and zen.
-Birch trees, the national tree of Russia, are connected with new beginnings and cleansing of the past. "Birch" is derived from a German root meaning "white, bright, or shine."
-The Oak tree has strong meanings in Roman culture; they connected the trees with the gods; it symbolizes strength and courage and was regarded by Socrates as the 'oracle tree.'
-The Willow tree is strong in Native American culture. They symbolize magic, healing, inner vision, and dreams. Its bark has been relied on for medicinal purposes. They are also a symbol of death, mourning, and reflection in East Asian cultures.
     Trees are used for resources (maybe a little too often... paper, for example)
-Maple trees (syrup), Cherry trees (fruits), Elder trees (berries and flowers that produce wine and brandy), Willow trees (the acid that we know as aspirin), Eucalyptus (medicine to remedy colds, headaches, coughs, asthma, flu), Cypress tree (hair products).

MORE ON TREES



The tree will be made out of recycled materials.

Incorporating recycled materials into architecture is sustainable and inexpensive. Cardboard, with the right water-proofing, can be a great resource in building homes. Tires also work to keep in heat in the winter. Coke bottles are just fun, and building a home out of an enormous collection of them is a fantastic way to use your old bottles.

RECYCLED HOMES



I was inspired by Barthes discussion on Paris and the Eiffel Tower, and I find the Tower to be beautifully brilliant. It's the heart of the city, and it overlooks the city; it is massive in its physical form and its cultural meaning. But even better would be the same thing on a larger scale: the heart of our world, and overlooking it.


Below are a couple preliminary sketches of my thoughts on trees and my design:

I want to project satellite images of Earth onto sections of the tree so people are actually looking at the Earth as they view this monument. I also want to project satellite images of Earth onto the ground around the tree. There will be a sort of ladder/metal staircase around the tree that allow people to trek to the top ("climbing the tree") in order to view the images from above. A version of overlooking Earth.

The trunk will be made out of recycled bottles, the branches out of recycled rubber tires, and the leaves out of recycled plastic bags.

improv everywhere

human mirror


grocery store musical


suicide jumper


cell phone symphony

more on improbable monuments...

Roland Barthes, Roland Barthes, what to say about Roland Barthes...
It's like I'm in his head when I read his words. The way he writes... unstructured and jumbled with no clear beginning or end. Just his thoughts exactly as he's thinking them.
Advertisements and magazine covers are made to draw people in; the image is the selling point. Every color, every shape, every letter is strategically compiled to catch the eye of the passerby. Barthes really felt the need to go way into that. A different and interesting read nonetheless.

Onto the Eiffel Tower.... he talks about it in relation to vision, science, art, architecture, religion... he's everywhere. Still, not much structure in his ideas.... just a cluster of them, seemingly never-ending. Interesting though, how the monument has no physical use. It's just a symbol; something to see. He also discusses the Tower in relation to nature. How it overlooks the city, the mountains, the waters, the forests. One of the major power that the Tower holds is its height; (makes me wonder.... what if there was a monument so tall, it overlooked Earth. A bird's eye view of not only a city.... but an entire world...). His last comments say that the Eiffel Tower does everything. People can use it to think... eat... relax... be separate from the city and look upon it simultaneously. It's pretty magnificent.


I find monuments to be fascinating. They combine architecture with a deep sense of culture. They're truly massive despite the physical size. As Paula discusses in her article, they remind, they warn, and they mark. Their presence is remarkable. When I visited Washington DC, the monuments almost took my breath away. Not only is the architecture amazing, but also the age of the monuments and the immense meaning behind them. The Library of Congress was one of my favorite places to be. The building is so old. The interior was painted entirely by hand. And the documents inside are awesome! One of the most incredible documents I saw was the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. There are ideas written in the margins, and words scratched out. It's a really cool thing to see, the very beginnings of the ideas that built the country we live in today. DC in general... it's a very moving place to be.

the inside of the Library of Congress:

FDR Memorial Museum:

For my Improbable Monument, I think I will create it as massive as possible. I want it to reach space, and overlook our Earth. 

(ideas/research in progress)

COLUMBIA PARIS

"The Bold, The Beautiful"

Paris! 

Delicately draped over the Hills,

breathtakingly displayed below the letters that spell

HOLLYWOOD;

in all her remarkable glory.

more on chance... John Cage and the likes

John Cage's 4'33 is really a piece to think about. It's funny because it's so awkward... but that's almost the point. It allows people to enjoy silence. It lets them relax for a bit and open their minds. It provides 4 minutes and 33 seconds of free time... and Cage left it to chance what the audience would do with that time. It is quite the spectacle.

4'33

I had never thought to use chance in art before reading about Cage and his ideas. I always think of art as something you have to put time into brainstorming, designing, and eventually executing. My goal is for my end result to be as close as possible to my original idea. But art isn't perfect. That's what is so beautiful about it. You can work with your "mistakes," you can absolutely digress from your original idea. Chance art is exactly that, but you're working with something you cannot control. So even the artist is surprised with the end result. Awesome.



other artists...

Dove Bradshaw:

R A D I O   R O C K S    1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 8

A Limited Edition, 2008, Boxed Edition of 10; Self-published on the occasion of the Radio Rocks exhibition at Larry Becker Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA and Permanent Radio Rock Installation, Bolognano, Italy, beginning in 2006

30 pages, 7 x 5 inch archival inkjet prints of plans and installation shots accompanied with an artist's text and a CD of the portfolio; each page has sounds of radio emissions from Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Earth; housed in a 7 1/2 x 51/2 inch box, wrapped in an inner sleeve

reference

Salt, 1996-2006, self-published on-line, 2009

Print version: Edition of 10, see MULTIPLES

Negative Ions I and II, and Salt, Half Heard, in salt boulder and granular form subjected to a slow, steady drip of water, accompanied by a salt work titled, Six Continents, consisting of salt taken from each continent, are represented in a variety of installations, including one in a Rome where the dripping action took place through a square cut between two floors. The text is by the artist, accompanied by reviews and comments by John Cage, Thomas McEvilley, Peter Frank, and Christopher Knight.

reference

Alison Knowles:

In the process of papermaking particularly the shapes formed by the wet pulp as it is left to air dry are respected and become indigenous to the sculpture. In performances I am drawn to objects for their sound. My orchestra consists of beans, toys, papers, and words .... Each instrument comes out of silence, makes its performance, and returns to silence. --Alison Knowles, Statement.

reference

improbable monument

possible ideas...

my culture jam

by the way...

watch the documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" if you haven't already. It's very cool.

culture jamming

Culture Jamming is something that I've noticed but never dwelled on as a concept. I visited New York a number of years ago and was instantly aware of the insane driving and incessant honking. Because of this, signs were posted telling the public to "Honk Only if Danger." One day, I walked by one of these signs and the "D" had been scratched out, changing it to read: Honk Only if anger. I found this to be hilarious and awesome, but did not think of "culture jamming." Similarly, whenever I see stop signs that have been changed to say "STOP WAR" and the likes, I immediately get the undeniable urge to do something like that.... something that I now know as "culture jamming." It's fantastic; it has the ability to open eyes, and force people to think twice... and allows for a public statement standing by anything that someone feels so strongly about to voice in the most wonderful and thought-provoking ways. It's creative vandalism that makes you think. If you notice it.

Unfortunately, a large percent of our population does not notice it. Or isn't affected by it. As Marc Dery discusses in his article, media is brainwashing. Everyone is hooked to their television... the device that tells them only what they want to hear and shows them only what they want to see. So there's no room for extra thought... there's no space for questioning. It's pointless and meaningless... until culture jammers come spice it up.


The Yes Men:

http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/plattsburgh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK9Cs_UcTEE


Logos over time...

Columbia Pictures: The Columbia Lady

MGM Studios: MGM Lion

reference

more culture jamming...

reference

reference

this one just looks cool

reference

indeterminacy

CHANCE RADIO

You'll need:

• a radio
• 30 free minutes
• recording device
• computer with QuickTime player and Jing
• a deck of cards

Steps:

1. Choose a radio station, any radio station.

2. Over the course of 30 minutes, every 3 minutes record whatever is playing
    for 10 seconds. 

    (you should end up with 11 recordings, 1 minute and 50 seconds in all
     [if you accidentally record a second or two longer, that's fine])

3. Put the recordings on a computer and use QuickTime (or the likes)
    to compile them.

4. Grab Ace (being 1) through Jack (being 11) from a deck of cards.
    Shuffle them. Lay them out, side by side, in front of you.

    Use that to decide which order to put the recordings in.
5. Use Jing (or the likes...) to record. 

6. Compose a song!


ChanceSong












(Brian Machado's Chance System) CHANCE EXPRESSION

or...

extended body

BEFORE

AFTER

Flying cars are in our future, so why not create flying humans instead?

In researching human attempts at flying, I came across a man in a squirrel suit whose wish is to skydive and land (alive) without a parachute. And although the idea is a spectacular one, wouldn't it be better if we needed no gear whatsoever? Sort of like a bird... or better yet, a bat.

While examining the skeletal structure of a bat, I found that the wings are quite similar to the arms of a human; more so than a bird’s wing. And the fact that bats have skin instead of feathers made me more inclined to create a sort of human-bat hybrid.

As you can likely see in my hybrid, the human arm bones will remain the same, but additional, more bat-like bones will extend down from the upper arm bone (the Humerus), to create the structure for the wing. Skin will grow from the arm, around the bones, and connect to the side. In my initial draft, the bat bones were shorter and, in turn, my wings were smaller. It became clear to me that while this wing-span was suitable for a bat, it would not successfully carry the weight of a human; my proportions were all wrong. This set my project back a bit, but I eventually settled on extending the bones even further while still being able to connect the skin to the side.

Now, although I’m giving humans wings, we still must also be able to use our arms in the same way we do now. But this is not a problem. Each wing bone has a joint that moves as our elbow does, and the skin extends and retracts, allowing us to continue to fling our arms over our heads as we please.

When all is said and done, humans will use their arms as usual, but will also be able to fly as a bat does.

Humans will be genetically modified to grow these wings until it becomes a natural part of evolution. Soon enough, your babies will be born with wings!

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/sports/othersports/10flying.html?_r=1

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/skeleton/Skelprintout.shtml

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/bat1.htm

the future?

"complexity and unreliability were synonymous" -Vannevar Bush

An invention is an invention despite the time or place, but its success depends entirely on how advanced the society of the time is --> the span of knowledge, the state of economy, the development of tools. Naturally, things advance as time does; the longer humanity exists, the more humans learn, discover, and create. Life just keeps getting bigger and "better." Tools and technology grow as we do, for tools and technology are human-made.

He talks a lot about compression... devices becoming smaller as technology advances. Like a microworld, nanoworld! Because as things become smaller, they become faster... resulting in a more efficient society. Ultimately, humans can get more done in an increasingly shorter amount of time.
super small + super fast = super advanced.
Efficiency is excellent for the economy.

He talks about selection, and the future of rapid selection.
About credit cards.... "[they] may be in miniature, so that they occupy little space."
It is important that time nor space is wasted; only use what is necessary, move along quickly.
(efficiency, efficiency, efficiency!)

Eventually, (not in his mind, at the time) everything will be digital; machines; robotic.
It's what the people want, to be the greatest we can be. From cavemen to robots. But I think the world as a newborn was just as great as what the future holds...

Hopefully it doesn't go the Terminator route (the negative side of that, all of the destruction and what not)... that would be unfortunate.

But as I read this article, all I could think was "Terminator." That's what I pictured his descriptions. Everything fast, compact, efficient... like a microchip in your brain that has everything you ever need. It sounds like madness to me, but at this rate...

I'd like to see our future world as a thriving, healthy, happy place..... but again, at this rate....

Well, we'll see.