Thursday, 31 August 2017

A wonderful backyard landscaping idea

A great backyard landscaping concept is yet one which everybody can make use of. Right now there are lots of various backyard landscaping ideas and most of which are decent however for you to get the one which is suitable for you and that's just what the yard requirements could take some reading. This kind of article may help you to get the perfect backyard landscaping concept for the home.

A good backyard landscaping idea will be to utilize evergreens. The Particular use of these fabulous trees will do o a lot for just with regards to any yard. These People will add a new stately nature to the feel involving your home although keeping it welcoming as well as warm. Numerous people similar to to use deciduous trees in the yard which is usually advisable but it may always be the evergreens that will give the yard the actual composition and the stability in which it wants for any good backyard landscaping concept along wi th design.



You need to search for a new backyard landscaping idea like the one over which will advantage everyone year round. Deciduous trees won't be gorgeous in most seasons, most perhaps, however, not all. Evergreens upon the other hand are always fantastic and they look as beautiful within the winter while they do in the summer and this is the reason they've created regarding such a excellent backyard landscaping idea. Your key to just about any excellent landscaping design is to locate a backyard landscaping thought such as this which will maintain your yard fascinating it is irrelevant what time of the entire year Sprinkler System Installation Wylie it is.

Another great backyard landscaping thought will be to make use of hardscape. This kind of is the use regarding such issues as rocks, fences as well as walls. These kinds of could make the yard look very worthwhile during most in the seasons. Anyone can easily have climbing plants on it within the summer along with spring as well as pretty trees around it that can look great inside the winter. Whenever looking http://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Landscaping/N-5yc1vZbx51 for any excellent backyard landscaping concept anyone need to try in order to find other options besides just plants. There is much more for you to landscaping than just plants and trees.



Walls along with fences may frame your home beautifully and also with these will be this kind of excellent backyard landscaping idea since they are generally heading to just accent almost all of your other fantastic backyard landscaping ideas. These People will frame your own yard as a photo frame frames a gorgeous painting. Appear at this kind of backyard landscaping concept also inside your search for your one.

Saturday, 1 July 2017

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Sunday, 25 June 2017

Workers remodeling Ted Bundy's childhood home report strange occurrences

A Washington state contractor said his workers remodeling Ted Bundy's childhood home experienced a handful of strange occurrences during their time at the house.

Casey Clopton, the contractor, told The News Tribunethat a plea for help appeared on a window as his crew worked in the basement and heavy furniture mysteriously toppled over.

"I'm not one to believe a lot of this stuff, but this house made me a believer," Clopton told the paper in an interview that ran Monday.

Bundy was born in Vermont. In 1955, when he was 9 years old, his family moved into the Tacoma home.



The Bundy home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-bH7dZ-o2Y before the renovation.

(The Bundy home before the renovation.)

He grew up to be one of the most notorious serial killers in history. He had been linked to disappearance of an 8-year-old girl when he was 14, but denied killing her. The paper reported there was no evidence he committed any crimes in the home.



David Truong bought https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-bH7dZ-o2Y the house in September with the intention of redoing it and flipping it for a higher price. The News Tribune reported that neither Truong nor the real estate broker knew the house's history.

Clopton said he first visited the home in October and brought his 11-year-old daughter along with him. He said that his daughter got an eerie feeling about the home and started to cry.

"She said she felt weird. She didn't like it there," he said.

When Clopton returned with a few workers the next week, one crew member got the same uncomfortable feeling.

"Periodically, throughout the course of the job, we had weird things keep happening," Clopton said.

He said there was one time they re-entered the house, which had been locked, to find that every cabinet was open. He said one worker spotted the words "Help me" scrawled across a basement window and while the crew was working downstairs they heard a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renovation dresser in the upstairs hallway fall. Cellphone and other electronics would also occasionally get unplugged and immediately die.

Clopton said he started to ask neighbors about the house and learned that the Bundy family had once lived there. Clopton said he called tw o pastors to bless the house and even wrote a Bible verse on the wall.

"Everything in that house fought us, and I was kind of weird about it," he said. "But I go to church and I have God with me."

Click for more from The News Tribune.

http://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/2017/05/09/workers-remodeling-ted-bundys-childhood-home-report-strange-occurrences.html

Thursday, 22 June 2017

10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Landscape Designer

If you're considering working with a landscape designer, finding the right fit -- and avoiding surprises midway through the project -- is largely about knowing which questions to ask upfront and being familiar with the range of services these professionals provide.

We reached out to four seasoned landscape professionals -- Peter Reader of Peter Reader Landscapes in London, Beth Mullins of Growsgreen http://lawngrasses.com/ Landscape Design in San Francisco, John Algozzini of K&D Landscape Management in Chicago and June Scott of June Scott Design in Southern California -- to get the inside scoop on the range of services available and the 10 essential questions potential clients should ask before hiring a professional for the job.

First, get your ducks in a row. Before reaching out to a professional, write a wish list for your garden remodel, establish your priorities and budget, and decide which parts of the process you'd like to hir e a pro for help. With this on paper, you'll have a clear sense of what you're looking for in a designer before you begin to contact professionals.

10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Landscape Designer

1. What services do you offer? First and foremost, determine what services a landscape designer offers to see if he or she is the right person for your project."The best question a potential client can ask is: 'Are you experienced with the scope of work we want, and can you design and manage it?'" Algozzini says.

Generally speaking, landscape designers fall into one of three categories, depending on the services they offer:

Design only. Some designers specialize only in the design process. This typically includes a site analysis and discussion of a client's needs, a preliminary design, revisions based on your feedback, and a final detailed master plan for your garden. This detailed planting plan and construction document is then handed over to you (or a la ndscape contractor of your choosing) to take it from there.

Design-build. Others offer the design service described above, as well as overseeing plant purchase and all installation. Contractors are needed for permitting and hardscape installation -- sometimes the landscape designer is also a registered contractor, and other times they have landscape contractors on their team or ones to recommend and oversee.

RELATED: Choose From the Best Design-Build Firms

Full service -- design-build and maintenance program. For the highest-touch service, some landscape designers will offer all the above, plus oversee ongoing maintenance of the garden.

2. Can I see examples of your past work? "Consider the style of the designer in relation to the garden you want," Reader says. "If you want a modern, clean-lined city garden, have they designed any before? Or if you are looking for a cottage-style garden, do they have the plant knowledge to deliver?"

Alternatively, if a designer's portfolio doesn't include the particular style you're looking for, check out his or her credentials for evidence of the training to make the vision of your garden a reality. Degrees from accredited landscape design colleges and memberships in professional organizations are both good indicators.

3. Do you offer garden consultations? Some landscape designers will offer one- to two-hour garden consultations. During this meeting, a designer will typically come over to your property, join you for a walk around the garden, listen to what you'd like to accomplish with your remodel and begin to bounce some ideas around for the design.

This is a great opportunity for you to determine whether you have a fit with the designer, and for the designer to see if he or she fits with you as a client. "It is important for a client to determine what role they want to play," Mullins says. "Are they interested in a collaboration, [want to] defer completely to the designer or have a clear idea for their garden and just want someone to implement it?"

Don't expect an initial consult to be free of charge -- it is, after all, two hours of a professional's time -- though some designers will put the consult fee toward the cost of the design if you end up hiring them.

4. What ideas do you have for our garden? After you've shared your wish list and budget with the designer, and the designer has had a chance to view your property, ask what vision the designer has for your landscape. Designers have different mediums of presenting their ideas for your landscape, ranging from a collage-style mood board with inspiration images for plants and hardscape materials to a two-dimensional, to-scale drawing created with a CAD program or by hand.



This is the time to speak up about what you like and dislike in the design or if you see anything that's missing from your wish list -- for example, more space for tool storage, room to grow vegetables or an area with shade. Following this meeting, a designer will draw up a revised design drawing based on your feedback.

5. What is your process? A designer's process depends on the services he or she offers (see question 1). Get to know the process -- and whether you or the designer is responsible for overseeing each step -- from the beginning so that you'll know what to expect once the project is underway. If you're hiring a designer who specializes in design only, ask yourself whether you have the time or experience necessary to oversee the project installation or if the designer has contractors to recommend.



As a responsible client, you also need to be honest with a landscape designer regarding your budget for the project. "Knowing a budget beforehand is crucial," Mullins says. "It doesn't mean that a designer needs to spend the budget but dictates what [he or she] can realistically design for." If a look you like is over your budget, designers often have creative ways to stretch your budget and give you the best garden for your space.

6. What is the estimated cost? Clear communication regarding the estimated cost of the project and your budget is essential. Ask your designer for a range of cost for both the design and the installation. Most installation estimates are drawn up by a contractor based on the cost per square foot of installing areas of hardscape outlined on th e plan for the yard.

Scott shares another key question to ask your designer: "How are changes in scope handled during the design and installation process?" Given that unanticipated design changes often come up midproject, it's important to be clear on whether a designer will charge additional fees for the time it takes to change the design plan or installation.

7. Are there any ways to reduce cost? Pathways, patios, retaining walls and decks are generally more expensive than planted garden areas, so the more hardscape there is in the design, the more it's likely going to cost to install. Plus, the materials used for hardscape can vary widely for both the product and the installation.

It's best to have a conversation with a designer when you are discussing the initial plan about ways to reduce the cost of the landscape to stay on budget. The designer will have ideas about where you can save money without compromising style, and what elements are worth a splurge.< br>
8. How long will installation take? The time it takes to design and install a landscape depends on a number of factors: size and scope of the project, availability of contractors and other installation specialists, ordering and delivery times for materials and plants, dry weather for laying hardscape, and unexpected setbacks during installation. Instead of asking a landscape designer to have the installation done by a certain date, ask for an estimated range for the project to be Sprinkler System completed.

As eager as you may be to enjoy your new landscape, keep in mind that skilled installation of hardscape and careful planting takes time. "While landscaping on TV is inspirational and great entertainment, the actual site work rarely has a team of 24 [people] working around the clock," Algozzini says. "High-quality work is both art and science, and takes time to install."

RELATED: How to Work With a Land scape Professional

9. When will the garden grow in? The time it takes for a garden to grow in depends on the scope of the design, what types of plants are proposed and how mature the plants are when they're planted. A smaller area with ornamental grasses and perennials can grow in within a single season, but larger and more complex designs with trees and large shrubs can take years to reach maturity. Ask your designer which plants make sense to splurge for semimature specimens (like focal-point trees or shrubs needed for screening) and which plants can be purchased small and fill in quickly (like most ground covers, vegetables and ornamental grasses).

10. How much maintenance will it take to keep the garden looking good? Different styles of gardens and plants require very different levels of care. Be upfront with your landscape Sprinkler System Installation Fort Worth designer about how much maintenance you are willing to commit -- either your own time or that of a hired gardener -- going forward. Once you've invested in hiring a landscape designer and installing a garden, you'll want to keep your landscape alive and flourishing for years to come. Ask your landscape designer if he or she has recommended maintenance gardeners or specialists to take care of the garden going forward.

http://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/2017/04/07/10-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-landscape-designer.html

Friday, 16 June 2017

Top 4 Emerging Trends Impacting the Global Wet Fire Sprinkler Systems Market Through 2020, from Technavio

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio's latest report on the global

wet fire sprinkler systems market provides an analysis on the

most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from

2016-2020. Technavio

defines an emerging trend as a factor that has the potential to

significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline.

Sunil Kumar Singh, a lead analyst from Technavio, specializing in

research on embedded

systems sector, says, "The global wet fire sprinkler systems

market is expected to witness a year-on-year (YoY) growth of close to

10% during the forecast period, due to several countries in Europe and

the Americas making it mandatory to install fire sprinkler systems in

newly constructed buildings. The local jurisdictions are also taking

initiatives to retrofit fire sprinkler systems in existing residential

buildings."

Developing nations in APAC like China, India, Vietnam, and

Indonesia are witnessing significant construction activities, resulting

in increased demand for fire sprinklers. Rapid urbanization in these

developing countries has led to the congestion of cities and towns,

which has resulted in an increased risk of fire hazards. For instance,

if a building in a congested locality faces a major fire hazard, the

fire can spread to other buildings in Sprinkler System Rockwall its vicinity. To prevent this,

governments in developing nations have implemented strict fire safety

rules and regulations, which will boost the growth of the market.

The top four emerging trends driving the global wet fire sprinkler

systems market according to Technavio hardware

and semiconductor research analysts are:

Legislations in support of installation of fire sprinklers

Increased adoption of water mist suppression sy stems

Development of fire suppression with HI-FOG technology

Decline in cost of installing fire sprinkler systems

Legislations in support of installation of fire sprinklers

According to World Fire Statistics, the number of fire incidents

recorded worldwide was 2,726,787 in 2014, with the US topping the list

of the countries, followed by the UK and France. Therefore, the

countries across the globe are taking initiatives by introducing

legislations for the installation of fire sprinklers in newly

constructed buildings to http://www.sears.com/lawn-garden-watering-hoses-sprinklers/b-1024020 prevent Sprinkler System Installation Rockwall loss of life and property. Many states

in the US are planning to adopt model building codes that would require

the installation of fire sprinklers in new homes. In the UK, certain

local authorities require buildings particularly multi-occupancy

buildings over 7,000 m to install fire sprinkler systems.

Governments of different countries in APAC are also planning to adopt

model building codes that would require the installation of fire

sprinklers in new homes. For countries in which there are no such codes

or ordinance related to the installation of fire sprinklers in homes,

government offers incentives to encourage their installation and use.

According to the National Building Code of India, all the buildings,

depending on their occupancy, use, and height, shall be protected by

automatic fire sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, high or

medium-velocity water spray, foam, and wet risers. Similarly, the

Ministry of Public Security of China has also mandated the installation

of fire sprinklers in buildings accor ding to the Fire Act 1998.

Increased adoption of water mist suppression systems

Water mist suppression systems were originally designed to combat fires

on ships. However, they are gaining popularity and acceptance as a

viable option even on land and are being considered an eco-friendly fire

suppression technology. A key advantage of water mist suppression

systems over the traditional fire sprinkler systems is their ability to

use significantly less water to control fire and cause much less damage.

This is helping water mist suppression systems to penetrate new end-user

sectors such as the machinery spaces, turbine enclosures, industrial

pump rooms, and commercial kitchens.

Water mist suppression systems have become quite popular in Europe. In

2016, a fire broke out in an unprotected adjacent building to

Stortorvets Gjestgiveri restaurant in Oslo, Norway. Serious loss of life

and property was prevented due to the use of Minimax's EconAqua low

pressure water mist system.

Development of fire suppression with HI-FOG technology

Fire sprinkler manufacturers and construction companies focus more on

developing and using fire sprinklers that are water efficient. Thus,

they focus on techniques to control the wastage of water. Pressure

adjustment and reduction of the water sprayed by sprinklers helps reduce

wastage.

The HI-FOG technology is an efficient technology, as it uses less water

than traditional sprinkler systems. The technology is based on fast

evaporation of water that cools down the flame and surrounding gases as

well as displaces oxygen locally. The water mist system works more

efficiently than traditional fire sprinkler systems because of its

smaller water droplet size. "Water mist systems control the room

temperature and convert the droplets i nto steam, suppressing the fire.

The water damage from water mist systems is quite less as compared to

ordinary water sprinklers," says Sunil.

Decline in cost of installing fire sprinkler systems

There has been a consistent decrease in the cost of fire sprinkler

systems since 2008. One of the major factors for the decline in the

installation cost is advances in fire sprinkler systems such as the

availability of the more flexible piping system and extended coverage

sprinklers.

Also, several insurance companies are offering steep discounts to

builders and home owners on the installation of wet fire sprinkler

system. All these factors are contributing to the decline in the overall

cost of installing wet fire sprinkler systems.

Browse Related Reports:

Do you need a report on a market in a specific geographical cluster

or country but can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry,

Technavio also takes client requests. Please contact enquiry@technavio.com

with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a

customized report just for you.



About Technavio

Technavio

is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The

company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more

than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300

analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business

research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research

techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of

markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up

and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools

and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data

obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the

value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors,

re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team

at media@technavio.com.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825005025/en/Top-4-Emerging-Trends-Impacting-Global-Wet

Thursday, 15 June 2017

Installing A Lawn Sprinkler System Pros And Cons

If you are tired of watering your lawn manually and want a nicely manicure lawn, a sprinkler system is worth the investment. Here are some pros and cons to help you make the decision.



PROS of installing a sprinkler system

- A sprinkler system will take care of watering of lawn for you. That means no manual labor and time saved where you could do more enjoyable activities.

- Since a sprinkler system can be set to distribute water at a set time http://photos.hgtv.com/photos/landscaping- a nd a specified amount of water, the result is a healthier lawn and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7DicTda0I water conserved. Once set up, the system requires very little attention.

- Though you need to invest some money up front. Over the long run a sprinkler system will pay for itself by eliminating over watering. Not to mention the personal time you save for other activities.

CONS of installing a sprinkler system

- As mentioned earlier, an investment must be made initially but can be easily recouped with the water conserved and time used for other activities.

- A sprinkler system requires electricity to run but https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7DicTda0I then this is very minimal.

- Depending on the type of lawn sprinkler system you will install, you may need to dig up part of your lawn. This mean unsightly soil laying around but of course this is only temporary.

- A sprinkler system can be a DIY project but it is highly advisable to get a

professional to do the job properly.

There you have it, some pros and cons in installing a sprinkler system. Decide for yourself if the advantages of a sprinkler system outweigh the disadvantages.

By: Charles Pasion

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com



Learn more about lawn sprinkler heads, visit our website for information and tips at lawnsprinklerheads.com/

http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Installing-a-Lawn-Sprinkler-System-Pros-and-Cons/1639623

Top Ten Contemporary Art Exhibits in 2013

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Richard Serra, Inside Out, 2013, Weatherproof steel 158 x 982 x 482 1/2 inches, Shot before delivery to this exhibition venue: Richard Serra/New Sculpture, Gagosian Gallery, West 21st Street NY, NY, October 26- February 8, 2014

Photo by Lorenz Kienzle

I can't think of a better way to open myself up to the slings and arrows of rebuke than making a top ten list like this. But someone did ask me to list the five best 2013 exhibits off the top of my head. I took them up on that and then added five more. If memorability is in fact, as Henry Geldzahler claimed, a good measure of aesthetic goodness, then perhaps this list is of some worth. So here goes...my top ten contemporary art exhibits in 2013. No ranking is intended in this list beyond just making the cut. My servitude to pop culture conv ention only goes so far.

1. Carnegie International Exhibition

Nicole Eisenman Survey in the Hall of Sculpture

Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PN

Carnegie Museum October 5, 2013 - March 16, 2014

2013-12-31-ScreenShot20131215at12.02.31AM.png

Nicole Eisenman, The Sunday Night Dinner, 2009 42 x 51 in. oil on canvas, Collection of Arlene Shechet and Mark Epstein, Courtesy Carnegie Museum

The highlight of this well-conceived iteration of the Carnegie International is the survey of Nicole Eisenman's work from the past two decades. She was the winner of this year's Carnegie Prize. Work such as The Sunday Night Dinner has placed Eisenman as one of the most important 21st century expressionists who cast back to the roots of expressionism without evoking the weaknesses of 1980's Neo-expressionism.

To see more paintings :

http://ci13.cmoa.org/artists/nicole-eisenman

2. James Turrell

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York,

June 21-September 25, 2013

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James Turrell, Aten Reign, 2013, Daylight and LED light, dimensions variable, installation cycles through the color spectrum in an hour. James Turrell

Installation view: James Turrell, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York,

Photo: David Heald Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

Given a fair chance, James Turrell's gigantic installation in the Guggenheim rotunda had power to invoke sublime feeling in a communal experience. His Aten Reign ran the full height of the rotunda: five huge concentric orbs of gradated light that enclosed the ocular skylight. In hourly cycles the lights ran the full ran ge of spectral hues as daylight streamed down through the artificial rings of light. Sure, if we just look out into space we can set our limited intellects out on a head-on crash with the infinite and the incomprehensible. But how often do we do that? A little more spectacle (like Aten Reign) added to the familiar spectacular can jar us into this good-for-the-soul state. Aten Reign was the astonishing appetizer that casts back to the sublime proposed by Kant -- one that has transcendence. This is not the empty kitsch/hubris spectacle set up to fail and call itself into question. So bring on the main course. The world still awaits Turrell's Rodin Crater.

See video here: http://www.guggenheim.org/turrell

3. Eija-Liisa Ahtila: Olentoja (Creatures)

Davis Museum at Wellesley College,

Wellesley, MA

Exhibition run: Sep 18 - Jan 5, 2014

2013-12-31-ScreenShot20131220at12.19.28AM.png

Eija-Liisa Ahtila,The House, 2002, 14 min DVD installation for 3 projections with sound

Copyright Crystal Eye Ltd, Helsinki, Courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery, New York and Paris

Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila has been a figure in the vanguard movement re-imagining film art into multiple screen pieces with cinematic production values. This exhibition of her key works included House (2002), one of the best pieces in the movement. This work demonstrates that beauty and transcendence do not have to be put into the satirical air quotes of postmodernism to be critically and aesthetically relevant.

Click here for the full review.

4. Laura McPhee: River of No Return

Kemper Contemporary Museum of ART,

Kansas City, MO.

May 17-September 22, 2013

2013-12-31-1bMattiewithaNorthernRedShaftedFlickerinherEighthGradeGraduationDressLaverty   RanchIdahoMarch2005_neg2099.jpg

Laura McPhee, Mattie with a Northern Red-Shafted Flicker, Laverty Ranch, Idaho, May, 2005, chromogenic print, 96 x 72 inches, Collection of the Alturas Foundation and courtesy of Carroll and Sons, Boston Laura McPhee

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art again showed its extraordinarily good judgment in featuring the work of Laura McPhee. She is a final holdout in the line of great large format photographers using the 8 by 10 camera and pulling prints with traditional chromogenic chemistry. River of No Return featured twenty-three beautiful mural sized (6 by 8 feet) prints that were photographed over several years in the ranch land and wilderness of central Idaho. An exceptional inclusion, Mattie with a Northern Red-Shafted Flicker, is a fresh a nd relevant iconic image that is resolute and easy to love, even without backstory. Here the clich of winged beauty ceases to be clich in the hands of Mcphee.

Click here for the full review.

5. Nicolas Consuegra

Gallery Booth for La Central Gallery, Bogota, Columbia

Miami Beach Art Basel

Dec 4-8, 2013

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Nicolas Consuegra, The Water That You Touch is the Last of What has Passed and the First of That Which Comes, 2013, 15 channel video, Courtesy La Central Gallery, Bogota, Columbia

The La Central Gallery dedicated all of its Art Basel space to Nicolas Consuegra's 15-channel video installation that, to my eyes, was the best extended cinema piece in Art Basel Miami (and the satellite fairs) this year. The Water That You Touch Is the Last of What Has Passed and t he First of That Which Comes chronicled the Magdalena River as it runs through a depressed small town outside of Bogot. Presented as a moving ring, the river becomes a sensual emblem of rushing infinitudes and potential for a town that is in socioeconomic stagnation.

See it here: http://vimeo.com/81408376

6. Benjamin Degen / Shadow Ripple Reflection

Susan Inglett Gallery

Chealsea, NY

24 Oct - 7 Dec, 2013

2013-12-31-ScreenShot20131230at9.57.33PM.png

Benjamin Degen, Dapple, 2013, Oil on linen over panel, 36 x 54 in.

Courtesy: Susan Inglett Gallery, NYC.

With Shadow Ripple Reflection, an uplifting exhibition of eight new paintings, Benjamin Degen showed us that he is better than ever. These works skirt bravely close to clich: sunshine, youthful figures lounging, reading, swimming, setting o ut and returning. But they take positive hold on the memory because they seem so unfamiliar in the fanatical and web-like detail in the non-flesh passages. In the most complex sections it is as if the pigment spun from spinnerets of a spider. The work may nod toward Matisse, Bonnard, Seurat, Renoir and Gauguin, but it is absolutely recognizable only as itself.

See more images here: http://inglettgallery.com/works.php?id=59

7. Ai Weiwei: According to What?

Prez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).

Dec. 4, 2013 - March 16, 2014

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Ai Weiwei, Kippe, 2006, Tieli wood (iron wood) from

dismantled temples of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and iron parallel bars,

Collection of Honus Tandijono, Image courtesy of the artist



Of course Ai Weiwei makes the list. Most are familiar with his best pieces, but this is the first time an extensive survey of his work has landed in the States. According to What? went first to The Hirshorn in Washington D.C., and an equally rich iteration was mounted to inaugurate the new Prez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). The exhibit runs through http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/AZ.html March 16, 2014. It includes some of Ai Weiwei 's best sociopolitical work from the last twenty years and is directed at his native China and the world at large.

The exhibit includes Weiwei's most intense pieces, those that use found materials. For example, in Straight (2008-12), 38 tons of steel rebar was salvaged from school buildings in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The piece remembers the greed and corruption in the criminally shoddy construction of the buildi ngs. Ai Weiwei straightened every piece and had it laid out in massive waves along the gallery floor. In another work, Kippe (German for "precarious balance"), Weiwei remembers the loss of cultural treasure in the name of the new China. In the piece he has reclaimed iron wood (a gorgeous wood of astonishing density) from the destruction of a Qing Dynasty temple. It is presented as beautifully stacked firewood. It remains unglued, held together by an old playground set of gymnast parallel bars. The work is as smart as the best of Duchamp, perhaps even more so, for its beauty and its social conscience.

Hear a podcast on Kippe :

http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/ai-weiwei-according-to-what/#detail=/bio/friday-gallery-talk-assistant-curator-mika-yoshitake-on-ai-weiwei/&collection=ai-weiwei-according-to-what

Hear NPR podcast on the Hirshorn Exhibition:

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/23/169973843/in-according-to-what-ai-weiwei-makes-mourning-subvers ive

See the video on Weiwei's work in the 2013 Venice Biennale here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USz6UG6J_gA#t=16

8. Li Songsong/We Have Betrayed the Revolution

Sept 19, 2013 - Nov 09, 2013

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Li Songsong in studio preparing for his Pace Beijing solo show: Li Songsong/We Have Betrayed the Revolution, September 19 through November 9, 2013, Courtesy Pace London,

Photo: Hu Xixiang

This Pace Gallery, London exhibit reaffirmed Li Songsong as one of the most important painters in Beijing today. These recent paintings are gigantic with a signature mortar-thick texture that reconstructs enigmatic essences of appropriated images in patchwork fashion. With social conscience, the work remembers bits of the collective memories of China that have current political r elevance. The paintings are admirably ambiguous both in content and form. Heavy materiality contradicts merging details/tonalities, and one easily shifts back and forth in thinking of the imagery as in a state of formation or dissipation. In an interview on the occasion of this exhibit he told me the following concerning paint thicknesses that extend two inches or more: "Texture is my way to fascinate myself into the boundless personal works. First of all, before the image speaks of the 'meaning', texture already exists. It is exactly this sense of presence that makes me agree with and devote myself into work."

See the exhibit here:

http://www.pacegallery.com/london/exhibitions/12598/we-have-betrayed-the-revolution

9. Richard Serra: New Sculpture

Gagosian Gallery West 24th Street, NY, NY

Through March 15, 2014

Gagosian Gallery West 21st Street NY, NY

Through February 8, 2014

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Richard Serra, Intervals, 2013, weatherproof steel, 24 plates, varied sizes

Photo by Tom Powel

See more images here:

http://www.gagosian.com/artists/richard-serra/selected-works

One would think that Richard Serra would have a hard time living up to his previous accomplishments, with, for example, two New York MOMA retrospectives in the last 25 years. But this year's two-gallery Gagosian exhibit proved that the artist is not resting on his laurels. All of this work was made in 2013! Gagosian 21st street had the easier solution to poetry incarnated in untold tons of steel with serpentine shapes. Gagosian 24th street took on more difficult territory with rectangular slabs. Remember the notorious slab, Tilted Arc, and 1989, the year it was removed from a NYC Federal building plaza. Perhaps it would have fared better insid e the building. I have always favored the giants indoors; they seem all the more gigantic, dangerous, and impossible. Intervals was one of the best pieces with some of the thickest slabs Serra has ever used. As I listened to an ogler whispering "this is not art," I walked through Intervals and played with the idea of "domino effect" in my mind.

Video excerpt from Tilted Arc trial:

http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/90

10. I am concluding by leaving # 10 blank as a way of highlighting my despair over the possibility of not seeing something of great relevance that I would have certainly put on this list. I would love a suggestion in the comments section below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-knudsen/top-ten-contemporary-art-_b_4521903.html