Ryoichi Kurokawa - re-assembli

Content warning: All links and videos in this section contain flashing imagery.

I saw Ryoichi Kurokawa perform his work syn_ some 10 years ago in London during that period of my life when I lived in the UK. Extremely rapid glitch imagery, distorted 3D models, point clouds morphing. All in sync with glitchy experimenal music and drones. Very Ryoji Ikeda like, extremely up my alley.

I had a look at what he has been up to and he has continued working in this space. In 2022 he made this audiovisual installation in the woods, complete with strobe lights:

3D scans of nature scenes and abandoned grafitti-covered buildings are created, distorted, composed and destroyed. The environments of nature and the environments of human construction are converted to point clouds, torn apart by precise geometric algorithms and simulated noise fields. Is it done because it looks cool or is there hidden a more poignant statement about the ever accelerating algorithmic consumption of ourselves and the world?

Maybe I’m just being pessimistic about the state of things.

Oceanwide Plaza - An entire skyscraper of graffiti

I saw this through my RSS reader, but I cannot find the original post. Sorry about that. Anyways, this is really cool I think: An entire skyscraper, abandoned mid-construction and now …repurposed as a huge canvas for graffiti artists.

I can see how this place is compelling if you a graffiti artist. Big flat surfaces visible from a long ways. Probably lots of room to work without interruption. As long as you can make it up there past the security measures.

Rochester Institute of Technology - A tunnel of small messages

Polywolf documents some scribbles and messages on utility pipes on an university campus. There are more photos to see behind the link. Lots of fun little details to look at!

The

bit is my favorite I think.

I remember way back reading an article in a newsletter from my time at LTH about the secret tunnels linking several of the campus buildings together. I unfortunately could not find this article. The only detail I can remember was that the authors were exploring a utility tunnel joining E-huset with M-huset (the two southernmost buildings) and that there was graffiti that said ‘HÄR LUKTAR DET ÖL’ (IT SMELLS OF BEER HERE). It must have been some student-run publication, the official LTH paper probably would not include articles like that.

rykarn