Week 23(2023)
Culture
Leipzig Ballet x Reeps100 Present the First AI Ballet
Leipzig Ballet has collaborated with beatboxer and artist Reeps100 to utilise artificial intelligence to help compose a ballet performance for the first time.
AI was used in the composition of the musical score, set design, and choreography. Reeps100 utilised AI to manipulate his voice beyond natural capabilities to extract new sounds never possible before.
You can read more details about the upcoming performance at the Leipzig Opera House on Wallpaper*.
Design
Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 Completed (Digitally)
Epic Games, the development team behind Unreal Engine, have partnered with Safdie Architects to create a 3D model of the highest fidelity of the complete plan for Habitat 67.
The ambitious Canadian project was prevented from realising its full potential due to a limit in its budget for fears of its ambition. The structure in Montreal today is just a portion of what Safdie had in mind.
To this day one of my biggest regrets was not visiting Habitat 67 while I lived in Montreal, at least now I can see it in its full glory in its 3D representation. You too can view it by downloading the model here.
You can view the mini-documentary produced by The B1M below which gives a historical background to the project as well as behind-the-scenes interviews about the development of the 3D model.
David Adjaye at the Venice Architecture Biennale
Adjaye Associates erected a pointed triangular structure that plays with light through its blackened wood construction for the Kwaee pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
The structure resembles the recently-completed plaza on Sydney’s George Street with similar goals of providing a place for contemplation and community.
The scale of the project and the contrast between light and darkness indeed present the same sense of awe as churches which seek to make us feel small thus leading to introspection and contemplation.
It is also interesting to consider this project in light of the criticisms made by Patrik Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects. Schumacher made a post on Facebook pointing out the lack of architectural focus in the event, mentioning how most pavilions lack a demonstration of the discipline, and thusly that the event is misleading in its naming. His criticisms are evidenced by the German pavilion and this year’s winner, the Brazilian pavilion, which take a more theoretical approach to the architectural discipline. You can read the full post here and make your own conclusions.
Wang Chong Studio’s Xinyu Art Museum
Surrounded by pronounced rocky mountains in China’s Henan Province sits the recently completed Xinyu Art Museum. It is from this contextual environment that Wang Chong Studio has gathered inspiration when designing the museum. The materials include local stone and the sculptural roof aims to blend the structure into its surroundings. The combination of all these variables makes it feel as if the structure was naturally formed, meant to be exactly where it sits. More details and images are here.
Music
Mega Shinnosuke - 桃源郷とタクシ
Art
Micha Huigen
Dutch Illustrator uses modern layouts with magical realism features to bring his worlds to life.
