Swamplot Archives by Tag: Art

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Montrose Giant Mushrooms: Still Adjusting to the Local Climate

November 18, 2009 – 6:29 pm

Sprouted in the patio behind the Art League Houston building at 1953 Montrose, home of the Inversion Coffee House: 3 giant mushrooms, built out of rebar, soil, and moss by artists Nicola Parente and Divya Murthy.

And how are they doing? Not so well, reports the Chronicle’s Molly Glentzer:

One is planted with herbs; one is planted with Texas natives; and the third is planted with non-native ornamentals. They’ve pretty much been left to survive or thrive on their own through next year, and the artists are perhaps expecting that only the native-planted mushroom will survive.

Just one catch. When we looked on Saturday, they all needed water.

Nothing lives in a black plastic pot for long without a little help from the gardener. And biodegradable brown pots would’ve been more environmentally friendly — not to mention better-looking.

Inside the Art League building: the second part of the installation, which Parente and Murthy put together from debris they collected from the surrounding eight-block area.

Photos: Nicola Parente (top); Aaron Courtland (bottom)

6:29 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Art, Gardening, Landscape, Neighborhoods: Montrose
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Sheet Metal Detectors in the Fifth Ward and the Redecoration Alternative

November 17, 2009 – 1:33 pm

Steering his bike carefully to avoid the thousands of caterpillars covering Maury St., just off the Elysian Viaduct north of Downtown, 2-wheeled wanderer and lawn-art enthusiast Robert Boyd stumbles across the Fifth Ward workshop of Blumenthal Sheet Metal:

The official address is 1710 Burnett St., but it appears that their facility takes up a whole block–Leona on the south, Burnett on the north, Hardy on the west and Elysian on the east. Blumenthal is a sheet metal fabrication plant, which makes them on the face of it no different from hundreds of small industrial firms in Houston (the secret engines of our city’s economy). Blumenthal has been in business for over a 100 years, which definitely distinguishes them, but what also distinguishes them is that a lot of the fabrication they do is for artists.

Boyd snaps photos of a few Blumenthal constructions in the area:

Continue Reading This Story >

1:33 pm | 8 Comments | Read more about Art, Construction Materials, Home Decor, Neighborhoods: Fifth Ward, Public Art
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Monday, November 16, 2009

Comment of the Day: Landing the Brucker Survivor Capsule

November 16, 2009 – 8:56 pm
   

“My grandfather, Milton Brucker - designer of the capsule, passed away in 2007 at the age of 94. He would have been delighted to see your innovative use for it!” [Michael Brucker, commenting on CLUI in Houston: Attack of the Pod People]

8:56 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Art, Comments, Landscape, Quicklink
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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Comment of the Day: Before Richmond Hall Went Light and Quiet

October 8, 2009 – 5:42 pm
   

“. . . The building was the original Weingartens grocery store. Then in the 1960’s /1970’s it was the Texas Opry House. Then in the early 1980’s it was the Parade Disco (yes,the Parade Disco of New Orleans Bourbon Street, fame or infamy, depending on how one looks at it). The place rocked . . . Monday nights was punk rock night and it was real punk, not the poseur “punk”. But Friday & Saturday nights was gay disco. Some of the best music ever. Then the Menil converted it into [Richmond Hall] . . . it houses Dan Flavins awesome light sculpture.“ [Tim, commenting on Chipperfield Sculpts the New Menil: Goodbye, Richmont Square]

5:42 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Art, Comments, Houston History, Neighborhoods: Menil, Nightlife, Quicklink
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Houston Bayou Ballet: Dance of the Upper Ship Channel

October 6, 2009 – 9:48 am

And now, a rare look at the Second Ward’s indigenous Ship Channel dance ceremony, performed along the gentle banks of Buffalo Bayou and celebrating the bountiful fall harvest of crushed concrete.

Video: Freneticore

9:48 am | 4 Comments | Read more about Art, Bayous and Waterways, Industrial Properties, Neighborhoods: Houston Ship Channel, Neighborhoods: Second Ward, Public Art
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Friday, October 2, 2009

Chipperfield Sculpts the New Menil: Goodbye, Richmont Square

October 2, 2009 – 5:08 pm

The Richmont Square apartments on Richmond Ave. get knocked down in the new master plan for the Menil Collection campus. Speaking at a public forum last night, British architect David Chipperfield referred to the Menil’s big multifamily property as “this thing getting in our way.”

Cite magazine’s Raj Mankad describes more details of the Chipperfield plan:

The car park along Alabama would be strengthened with the new bookshop, cafe, and auditorium nearby. The key change would be to connect West Main across the site [to Yupon] through the area occupied by the northern end of Richmont Square. The complete street grid would surround a new green space that would also be made possible by the clearing of the north side of the apartments. It would connect, slightly off axis, with the current Menil park between the main building and the Rothko. The Drawing Institute and Study Center and Single Artist Studios would be sited around the new green space. And along Richmond itself, the plan calls for dense residential and commercial development.

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5:08 pm | 13 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Art, Institutional Buildings, Museums, Neighborhoods: Menil Collection, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment
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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Just About Time in Eastwood: Great Moments in Houston Clock Rescue and Storage

October 1, 2009 – 9:36 pm

Eastwood clock-watcher Spencer Howard documents the end of the line for the 1935 Sterling Laundry & Cleaning Company building on Harrisburg. Metro doesn’t have any use for the bulk of the Streamline Moderne building in the way of the new light-rail East End Line. But how about grabbing that right-twice-a-day timepiece the building is wearing? The bulky fashion accessory might go with any of several new get-ups envisioned for Eastwood Park across the street.

METRO began the disassembly of the building last week. After several days of careful planning, joints were sawed into the steel frame, stucco clad facade. By the end of the week, a large crane was delivered to the site to assist with the removal of the facade.

Continue Reading This Story >

9:36 pm | 7 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Art, Historic Preservation, Houston Architects, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Eastwood, Parks, Public Art
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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Comment of the Day: Where’s Our Taniguchi?

September 17, 2009 – 4:54 pm
   

“What’s the hold up on this thing? It’s still a vacant lot. In the past few weeks, utility work on water/sewer has been done on the street, but not sure if it’s associated with the Asia Society construction. Groundbreaking was in Nov. 2008??? It’s already Sept. 2009 and no sign of construction.” [David Hollas, commenting on More Images of the Asia Society Headquarters Design]

4:54 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Art, Comments, Institutional Buildings, Museums, Neighborhoods: Museum District, New Constructions, Quicklink
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Saving Time on the East End Line: Sterling Laundry and Long-Term Storage

September 2, 2009 – 2:48 pm

All that uproar over the impending demolition of a favorite Streamline Moderne structure in Eastwood seems to have had an effect: Houston architect Sol R. Slaughter’s 1935 Sterling Laundry & Cleaning Company building at 4819 Harrisburg will be preserved!

Sort of. Metro has committed to saving the façade.

Well . . . maybe at least the center part of it.

Okay really, just the top part, above the door. The part with the clock.

Hey, at least it’s not going to go away!

. . . ?

Uh, well . . . architectural antique fan Spencer Howard, who helped sound the alarm about Metro’s demolition plans for the building a few weeks ago, writes in with the latest:

Deconstruction will begin in two weeks, at which point the façade will be placed in storage (yet to be located) until the permanent home is designed (yet to be funded).

But the face-saving fun doesn’t stop there. After a short but brilliant week of investigations, brainstorming, and Photoshop work, Metro has produced a series of proposals for the rescued stretch of stucco that’s likely to be studied and appreciated by historic preservation experts, redevelopment advocates, and postmodern philosophers for some time to come.

Monday’s presentation at the offices of the Greater East End Management District was simply titled “4819 Harrisburg,” but that’s just Metro being modest. Maybe when this thing is resurrected for academic conferences it can be called something like “Representations of Time: Practical Opportunities in Deconstruction and Preservation.”

Continue Reading This Story >

2:48 pm | 18 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Historic Preservation, Houston Architects, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Eastwood, Parks, Public Art, Transportation
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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Art Deco Slaughter on Harrisburg: Is Metro Taking To the Cleaners?

August 20, 2009 – 10:46 am

This timely building at 4819 Harrisburg in Eastwood, built in 1935 for the Sterling Laundry & Cleaning Co., showed up in yesterday’s Daily Demolition Report. The architect was Sol R. Slaughter, who also designed a home on the bayou in Idylwood the same year.

The building faces Metro’s new East End Corridor light-rail line. Rice University project manager Spencer Howard writes in with a few details, but isn’t exactly sure what’s going on:

The building was renovated as an artist live/work/gallery just a few years ago.

METRO pledged to save the facade of the building with the clock on it, across from Eastwood Park. They preferred to have someone else buy it and move it, but if that didn’t happen, they were going to move it back on the property and reattach it behind the new setback. Yesterday they sent out the demolition list for next Monday and it was on it. The neighborhood has alerted their gov’t reps.

Another view:

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10:46 am | 11 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Art, Historic Preservation, Houston Architects, Neighborhoods: Eastwood, Public Art, Transportation
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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Comment of the Day: Third Ward Arts District

June 4, 2009 – 5:18 pm
   

“‘So how dicey is it really and when will it become artsy and then trendy?’ Question of the day! As Montrose ex-pats now living on Dowling St. I can tell you that we have experienced NO crime in the year we have been here. As for artsy, you can walk to Rick Lowe’s Row House installation and the relocated Flower Man house, among several other art spaces, from our new home. Artsy, yes. Trendy, very thankfully no.” [Cranky Old Coot, commenting on Home Sweet Funeral Home: Washington Terrace Mortuary Seeks Residents]

5:18 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Art, Comments, Crime, Neighborhoods: Third Ward, Public Art, Quicklink
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Seen on the Street: How Hot Is It Out There, Really?

June 4, 2009 – 12:58 pm

Too hot for the squirrels, apparently.

This latest edition of Seen on the Street sticks close to the pavement. First up: Artist David Cook snaps this hot photo of . . . no, that’s not an egg frying on Kirby. Just a street button with . . . culinary aspirations?

What’s more to see around town when you keep your head down?

Continue Reading This Story >

12:58 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Art, Critters, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Museum District, Neighborhoods: Upper Kirby, Public Art, Streetscapes
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Friday, May 29, 2009

The Menil Looks at Richmond

May 29, 2009 – 6:03 pm

Director Josef Helfenstein tells Cite magazine’s Raj Mankad that the new campus plan architect David Chipperfield is developing for the Menil Collection won’t necessarily involve the demolition of the Richmont Square apartment complex at 1400 Richmond.

The blocks along Richmond could become more dense than the other parts of the campus and serve as a buffer. The Dan Flavin installation – it was the last big piece done while Dominique was still here and Flavin’s last commission before he died – could become a gateway to the North. I actually think, if we do things right, Richmond Hall could help us to eventually integrate commercial development that has high standards with the artistic program we have in mind.

Photo of Richmond Hall and Richmont Square: Raj Mankad

6:03 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Art, Neighborhoods: Menil, Proposed Developments
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Just a Few Blimps on the Houston Landscape: Inflatables on the Move

May 29, 2009 – 3:32 pm

Scenes from the latest blowup in the Houston art scene: Giant, blobby creatures emerge onto Sharon Engelstein’s Castle Court driveway.

Where’s that Grand Opening?

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3:32 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Art, Neighborhoods: Castle Court, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Parks, Public Art
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Houston House and Lot Flipping: Conceptual Art Meets Sharpstown Deed Restrictions

May 27, 2009 – 11:27 am

Sure, Mary Ellen Carroll is gonna pick up this Sharpstown lot across from Bayland Park and the house on it and rotate the whole thing 180 degrees. Oh, and then there’s gonna be that hydroponic curtain-wall fencing system and the solar and geothermal systems and the wi-fi cloud and the fancy door hardware and the bees and all. Still gotta meet the local deed restrictions.

Video: Douglas Britt

11:27 am | 23 Comments | Read more about Art, Development Restrictions, Neighborhoods: Sharpstown, Public Art
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