BE OPEN BLOG

These days underground movements and curb trends are paradoxically becoming more of a mainstream. And guerilla art might be a good example.

Leaving anonymous art pieces in public places, where everyone (or at least the most mindful ones) can see it and, possibly, engage in some action with it, is now becoming a much more powerful creative tool than finding your way through galleries. It started out in 1980’s as a response to the take-over of public spaces by commercial interests. It is not only about installing your art on the streets but also making subtle (or bold) statements, an attempt to change the reality. It can be a graffiti, a sticker and flyer art, notes and bookcrossing, even letters to strangers or some objects installed or left behind. It can be politically motivated, or just poetic or strange. Check out these great examples of guerilla art to find inspiration to take a better look around your city environment… or, maybe, create something alike yourself.

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Dear friends! Let us invite you to take part in our new #BEOPENUrbanPattern open call on Instagram.

Do you have your very favorite place in your city? Do you see the magic beyond the urban bustle? Share your vision of urban patterns with us to connect with other creative spirits around the globe and… to possibly win €300!
Capture urban surfaces and patterns on camera and post it on Instagram with the tag #BEOPENUrbanPattern. And now take a look at a few of marvelous entries we have received by now:

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Innovations tend to be controversial, and always cause a lot of argument in regard to drawing the line between the avant-garde and… the ugly. Urban architecture is a field which gets hit by these arguments the most. Should the new buildings follow the path the older architects have set? Or can the new generations revolutionize the cities with their futuristic statements? Check out these buildings — most controversial, yet, each quite charismatic.

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Spiderwebs, moth wings, bee hives — all those might be ingredients for witch potions, or the major inspiration for technical innovations and the sleekest designs of our times. Take a look at those insect-inspired designs to admire the beauty and utility of Biomimetics.

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What will the house of future look like? Most likely, it will have a brain and a heart. Home automation is already a trend, and so is the sustainability. And though the cost of sustainable and ‘smart’ houses is still out of reach for most people, quite soon these buildings will become more customary.

In order to be called ‘smart’ a house should have a number of facets and means of internal control; the same applies to a ‘sustainable’ house. It is not only about energy saving — it is as much about the building materials (the way they were obtained and how they react to surrounding environment and people inside the house). Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting houses that meet the highest standards of sustainability – with each being an eye candy at the same time.

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While psychologists discuss the numerous ways the technology boom is changing our self-identities, the fashion quickly adapts to the new environment. It is no longer a question of how you look — but of how many ultra-technical options are available to you and how much popularity that might bring you. Interested? Check those new trends in fashion — the ways the technology is transforming the conventional idea of ‘clothes and accessories’.

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The best offices of our time might show the most vivid example of contemporary design: they mix the functional with stylish, the latest technology — with the cozy atmosphere. They turn the corporate spirit and the company image into a new form of storytelling. And become places which can not only be admired from an aesthetic point of view but simply… make us jealous. Let’ take a tour through the most interesting working spaces of the world.

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Art Basel these days is as much about sales as it is about performances. The show that connects Basel, Miami and Hong Kong, works not only as a mirror for the current art market but also as an indicator of global art trends. Now that the 48th edition in Basel is over (the show was on from June 15 to June 18), we can sum up a few interesting observations.

Though Art Basel generally attracts a more prestigious pack of collectors than any other fair, this year the demand for pricey, well-established art was unusually high even for this world’s top art fair. The early sales indicated the reaction of the market towards political and economic turbulences. Besides, a growing number of visitors and buyers from China, Korea and Japan, ensured demand for ‘weighty’ artists. And if the previous years were more about search for new stars on the arts scene,  this year the approach is much more down-to-earth.
The works sold as mega-deals were by the following artists’:   Philip Guston, Piero Manzoni,  Alberto Burri, Marlene Dumas, Wolfgang Tillmans.

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“Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition, and myth frame our response”, as Arthur Schlesinger once said.

What about art then? Technology is redefining art in completely new ways. And now that the era of AI is approaching, chances are all our lives (with our memories, traditions, and myths) will not be able to stand up against technology. Let’s take a look at some of the inspiring artists’ works — where art is created with (or by) hi-tech devices.

Addie Wagenknecht is ‘an anti-disciplinary, experimental artist who works in the fields of emerging media, open source, pop culture and hackivism’. Her chandelier made of security cameras made her famous when it was sold for $16,000 at the watershed Paddles ON! auction in 2013.

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John Thackara is a writer, blogger, and master of stories about practical steps taken by communities to realize a sustainable future.  He is the author of 12 books, among them Design after Modernism: Beyond the Object (1987), and Lost in Space: A Traveller’s tale (1995). His most recent book, the best-selling In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World, was published by MIT Press in May 2005, and has since been published in nine other languages. He has lectured in more than forty countries. In 2013 John Thackara spoke at BE OPEN Senses and Tastes Talks in Milan.

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