TED Thursday: "How I Became 100 Artists" by Shea Hembrey

I love a funny TED Talk.  When you have a little time to laugh and be inspired by the wealth of imagination and creativity that can be generated by a single person, watch Shea Hembrey's talk entitled "How I Became 100 Artists."

About the Talk:

"How do you stage an international art show with work from 100 different artists? If you're Shea Hembrey, you invent all of the artists and artwork yourself -- from large-scale outdoor installations to tiny paintings drawn with a single-haired brush. Watch this funny, mind-bending talk to see the explosion of creativity and diversity of skills a single artist is capable of." -TED.com

One of my favorite quotes from the talk is Shea's explanation of his criteria for the art he wished to feature in his show:

"Among all of the criteria I had, there's kind of two main things. One of them I call my Mema's test, and what that is, is I imagine explaining a work of art to my grandmother in five minutes.  If I can't explain it in five minutes, then it's too obtuse or esoteric and it hasn't been refined enough yet.  It needs to be worked on until it can speak fluently.

My second set of rules---I hate to say "rules" because it's art--- but my criteria would be the three H's: Head, Heart and Hand.  Great art would have Head, [meaning] it would have interesting intellectual ideas and concepts.  It would have Heart in that it would have passion and soul, and it would have Hand in that it would be greatly crafted."

By stretching himself and creating different artists with unique backgrounds, interests and styles, Shea was able to put together 100 pieces of art that were at once accessible to a broad audience while reflecting different sides of himself as an artist.  In fact, the artists he invented were very much artistic creations in themselves.

I think Shea's criteria could be applied to all creative pieces, events and projects that we would like to share.   It is a way to focus the art on the audience while balancing the importance of the artist's technique, passion and concept.

What do you think?

-Danielle Loebs

TED Talk Thursday: Janet Echelman Takes Imagination Seriously

Spring is finally warming up here in Rocklin, California and the weather is gorgeous!  With the weekend so close at hand, I thought I’d write a companion post to a TED Talk about imagination, public art and the beauty that results from the synergy of ideas.

About the speaker:

Janet Echelman builds living, breathing sculpture environments that respond to the forces of nature — wind, water and light— and become inviting focal points for civic life.

Exploring the potential of unlikely materials, from fishing net to atomized water particles, Echelman combines ancient craft with cutting-edge technology to create her permanent sculpture at the scale of buildings. Experiential in nature, the result is sculpture that shifts from being an object you look at, to something you can get lost in.
–TED.com

Here’s the Talk:

If you don’t have nine minutes to spend, here are some takeaways:

The Value of Synergy and Collaboration

“Fourteen years ago I searched for beauty in the traditional things in craft forms.  Now I combine them with high tech materials and engineering to create voluptuous billowing forms the scale of buildings.  My artistic horizons continue to grow.”

Echelman’s art is made possible through the design technology of architects, engineers and sail designers.  Combining a variety of disciplines with a shared goal, the team was able to create giant sculptures for everyone to enjoy.  Additionally, an organic collaborator (the wind) is ever present to change the way that the sculpture moves.

Free Sharing to Reach Untapped Markets

“ An attorney in my friend’s  office in Phoenix who had never been interested in art, never visited the local art museum, dragged everyone she could from the building and got them outside to lie down underneath the sculpture.  There they were in their business suits lying in the grass, noticing the changing patterns of wind beside people they didn’t know and sharing the rediscovery of wonder.”

Rather than keeping her ideas behind museum or gallery glass, Echelman shared her work with the public for free.  Earlier in the talk, she revealed how creating one public art piece lead to the commission of another and that one to another, etc.  By putting a moving, changing piece of art in the public sphere, Echelman was able to reach out and connect with untapped markets for her work.  

When You’re Stuck, Improvise

Echelman’s entire technique of sculpture never would have been invented had her paints arrived in India in time for her show.  Without the art supplies she was used to working with, and with the deadline for creation fast approaching, she used the supplies at hand, improvised, and invented something new, unique and beautiful.

-Danielle Loebs

PS. While we muse on this, I’ll leave you with an open ended discussion question: how can we apply these lessons to our daily lives?   Feel free to tell a little about yourself in the comments below, or, if this just made you wonder, share this post or click the +1 button below so that others may be invited to wonder along with you.

Image of courtesy of echelman.com.