Category Archives: March 2014

Editor’s Letter

“If all that survives of our fatally flawed civilization is the humble paper clip, archaeologists from some galaxy far, far away may give us more credit than we deserve. In our vast catalog of material innovation, no more perfectly conceived object exists…..with it’s bravura loop-within-a-loop, the clip corrals the most chaotic paper simply by obeying Hooke’s law.” – Elegant Solutions by Owen Edwards Continue reading Editor’s Letter

Found Objects as Visual Art: Observations & Application in Oaxaca

Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 6.40.57 PMBy Alvin Starkman

As a consequence of the innovative thinking of Kurt Schwitters, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Robert Rauschenberg and others, the 20th century bore witness to the concept of found object as visual art becoming a mainstream European and American medium of artistic expression. In Oaxaca, itself known for cutting edge art, found object has received attention over the past 20 years. Take for example the masterful works of Damién Flores, the collages produced by Rodolfo Morales during the final years of his life, and young Mixteco artist Manuel Reyes’ use of archaeological pieces as well as local sands and soils as aids in expressing the strong sense of indigeneity he seeks to impart through art. Continue reading Found Objects as Visual Art: Observations & Application in Oaxaca

Putting Mexico City On The Map: Contemporary Art Among The Ruins

By Carole Reedy

When most tourists ponder a visit to this grand city, they envision spending their days wandering pyramids and castles, viewing pre-Colombian artifacts in museums, and roaming cobblestone streets in search of the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera domiciles. In fact, most visitors to DF focus on the past rather than exploring the contemporary cultural scene, as they might in London or Paris. Continue reading Putting Mexico City On The Map: Contemporary Art Among The Ruins

Accessible Architecture and Design

Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 6.40.20 PMBy Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

Mexico City is one of the most stimulating cities in the world for exploring architecture and design — readily accessible to the visitor, in every meaning of the word. While many cities are famed for their magnificent monuments and buildings, many impose numerous hands-off limitations. Mexico City landmarks are much more likely to invite residents and visitors to use every sense, including tactile discovery, to become familiar with design and architecture. The recently renovated Museo Tamayo, in Chapultepec Park, is one sterling example. Continue reading Accessible Architecture and Design

“Only in Mexico” They Say

Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 6.39.59 PMBy Dardan Surring

It came out of the blue, mentioned by one of our friends at Condos Pacifico. Mexican wrestling was coming to Huatulco Saturday night and he was putting together a gang to attend. First, it conjured up images of burly men in masks, resembling Marvel superheroes and other weird stuff. It also brought to mind actor Jack Black’s movie “Nacho Libre”, where he secretly poses as a Mexican wrestler to save an orphanage. Continue reading “Only in Mexico” They Say

Sustainable Design

Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 6.39.46 PMBy Kary Vannice

Google “sustainable design” and the first ‘hit’ you get is from Wikipedia. Not a bad place to start, if you are unfamiliar with this new emerging school of thought.

Wikipedia defines sustainable design as, “the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability”. Continue reading Sustainable Design