14.07.2011
Birds of Paradise / Bowerbirds
The species has an unusually low population of females, and competition amongst males for mates is intensely fierce. This has led the species to have one of the most bizarre and elaborate courtship displays in the avian world. After carefully and meticulously preparing a “dance floor” (even scrubbing the dirt or branch smooth with leaves), the male first attracts a female with a loud call. After the curious female approaches, his folded black feather cape and blue-green breast shield springs upward and spreads widely and symmetrically around its head, instantly transforming the frontal view of the bird into a spectacular ellipse-shaped creature that rhythmically snaps its tail feathers against the ground while hopping in frantic circles around the female. While this display is in effect, the blue plumage is in a pattern similar to a cartoon face. Even despite the elaborate display, the average female rejects 15-20 potential suitors before consenting to mate.
Bowerbirds.
The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is their extraordinarily complex courtship and mating behaviour, where males build a bower to attract mates. There are two main types of bowers. One clade of bowerbirds build so-called maypole bowers that are constructed by placing sticks around a sapling; in some species these bowers have a hut-like roof. The other major bowerbuilding clade builds an avenue type bower made of two walls of vertically placed sticks. In and around the bower the male places a variety of brightly colored objects he has collected. These objects — usually different among each species — may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items, coins, nails, rifle shells, or pieces of glass. The males spend hours arranging this collection. Bowers within a species share a general form but do show significant variation, and the collection of objects reflects the biases of males of each species and its ability to procure items from the habitat, often stealing them from neighboring bowers. Several studies of different species have shown that colors of decorations males use on their bowers match the preferences of females.
- Wikipedia
17.06.2011
Blog on Blog
Thought I’d just share this with you. Inger’s paintings are featured at this San Francisco art blog.
You can see the paintings and read the interview here
/K
31.05.2011
FORCE OF NATURE: The Witch Makes A Weird Potion And Laughs Out Loud
My good friend and colleague Jan S. Hansen, has an exhibition opening up Friday the 3rd of June. So if you are in Copenhagen at the time, you should be heading over there.
It is at Mohs Exhibit.
27.05.2011
Jon Rafman’s brilliant street view grabs.
Take a break and head over to Jon Rafman’s site to browse some of these great Google street view screen captures.
- via Fecal Face dot com
/K
18.05.2011
New photographs.
Here are two new photographs i have taken recently. They are both from kitchens, one from home and the other from the cottage.
/K
01.05.2011
Panel of nine jokers
These are my recent works. They can be seen at the Royal Danish Playhouse in Copenhagen from 5th of May and two months ahead.
29.04.2011
This is were to go tonight.
Udstillingen ”20 Stole i Træ” er resultatet af Skive Fagforenings workshop på Krabbesholm Højskoles designlinje i foråret 2011.
Designeleverne fik til opgave hver at producere et siddemøbel på fem dage efter et koncept udviklet af Skive Fagforening.
Enzo Mari og Ken Isaac har med deres udgivelser ”Autoprogettazione” og ”How to build your own Living Structures” været inspiration til konceptet for workshoppen. De gjorde i 1970’erne op med den kapitalistiske ”køb og smid væk” kultur med udstillinger og bøger om, hvordan man let kunne bygge sine egne møbler. Workshoppen er en moderne fortolkning anno 2011.
Formålet med workshoppen og udstillingen er, at lave en kvantitativ undersøgelse af de potentialer og muligheder der er i at bruge billigt præfabrikeret træ-materiale, tilgængeligt i ethvert byggemarked. Udstillingen er således et billede af mulighederne og viser den samlede produktion af workshoppen. Man skal kunne lade sig inspirere af de forskellige møbler og let kunne gennemskue deres konstruktion og kopiere enkelte dele fra møblerne til nye møbler.
Konceptet har en række regler, hvor de vigtigste er, at eleverne kun måtte bruge standardiserede materialer fra det lokale byggemarked. Møblerne måtte kun bestå af lægter, rundstokke, krydsfiner, OSB og MDF. Det var ikke tilladt at bruge maling og farver. Endvidere skulle udførelsen af møblerne kunne kopieres med let tilgængelige værktøjer. Det vil sige, ingen avancerede produktionsmetoder.
Gennem workshoppen og udstillingen bliver emner som DIY-kultur, lokal produktion, masseproduktion, maskinlavet, håndlavet, håndværk, materialitet, forbrug, bæredygtighed og kvantitet udforsket.
Den samlede produktion viser de tanker eleverne fra Krabbesholms Designlinje F11’s har gjort sig om selvbyggede møbler nu og i fremtiden.
20.04.2011
Total Viking Power.
Here is a little something about Vikings (unfortunately it is in Danish) but nevertheless it is very informative. It actually says everything you need to know about Vikings here.
Luckily this commercial for Cold Steel swords is not in Danish.
04.04.2011
Great artwork by Grayson Perry
Grayson Perry (born 1960) is an English artist, known mainly for his ceramic vases and cross-dressing. He works in several media. Perry’s vases have classical forms and are decorated in bright colours, depicting subjects at odds with their attractive appearance, e.g. child abuse and sado-masochism. There is a strong autobiographical element in his work, in which images of Perry as “Claire”, his female alter-ego, often appear. He was awarded the Turner Prize in 2003 for his ceramics, receiving the prize dressed as Claire. He lives in London and Sussex with his wife, the author and psychotherapist, Philippa Perry and their daughter Flo, born in 1992.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here is an interview with Greyson Perry from an exhibition at the Victoria Miro Gallery.
18.03.2011
Drum Buddy
In this video the New Orleans based organist Quintron introduces his invention The Drum Buddy. This incredible instrument is a five oscillator light activated rotating drum machine, that Mr. Quintron was developing over a period of five years.
If you ever get the chance to see Quintron in concert don’t hesitate to do so.