Cabbage dresses and balloon lips

I love the work of Berlin-based artist Sarah Illenberger.  She creates the most wonderful sculptures and visuals from any items that she can get her hands on, or so it seems.  From a burger created with the materials of a tree to a Nike boot made out of odds and bods, Illenberger transforms the everyday and miscellaneous into beautiful pieces of art, full of character.  A multi-talented artist, she seems to be able to turn her hand to anything she pleases with a portfolio bursting full of work, including set design, illustration, both commercial and editorial work too.  There’s so much there I found it impossible to choose my favourite! So instead I chose quite a few favourites:

She manages to create unique three-dimensional pieces of art with a humorous and whimsical flair.  I love the bright colours and playful aspect of her work, and her ability to visualise such imaginative outcomes.  To view more of her work visit www.sarahillenberger.com.

1000 melting men

I caught a glimpse of these ice sculptures on Yahoo! News and was strangely drawn to them…so I decided to find out what they were in aid of.  Their simplistic forms reminded me of some of Antony Gormley’s figure sculptures, and I thought how clever it was to sculpt such small forms from ice.  I wondered about the method of their creation, were they sculpted in a giant freezer so as not to melt before completion?  Initially I was quite surprised to discover that they were installed by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF),  however it does make sense as they were produced as a medium by which to visualize the effects of global warming.  Created by Brazilian artist Nele Azevedom the 1000 ice sculptures were placed on the steps of the music hall in Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt Square yesterday.  

They began melting 30 minutes in, what with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius.  I like this simple, yet effective project and think that the human forms really symbolize the fact that global warming will affect us all.  On Wednesday the WWF announced that the effects of global warming are more serious than anticipated, and in a statement by the head of the Foundation, James Leape said "We need to listen now to these signals from the arctic, and take the necessary action in Copenhagen this December to get a deal that quickly and effectively limits greenhouse gas emissions."  These issues obviously need to be addressed and therefore promoted to the world, and I think that installations such as this from the WWF are an eye-catching and creative way to achieve this.  These ice figures certainly act as a somber reminder to us all.  

Saloukee paper delights

Sarah Louise Kelly produces a stunning collection of sculptural paper jewelry named ‘Saloukee’.  These hand-made creations take the form of necklaces, bracelets, pins or earrings with Kelly using paper as the fundamental material. Like miniature sculptures themselves, I absolutely love these pieces, especially the collection of bracelets with their delicate and pure, concertina-like forms.  The origami style coupled with the whites and creams make refreshing and unique designs, totally unlike any jewelry I’ve seen before!  I also love the fact the environmentally friendly aspect.  What an innovative use of paper!  

Noriko Ambe

These awe-inspiring creations are the works of Japanese artist Noriko Ambe, produced from using a knife and layers of synthetic paper.  She has produced many collections over the years including cut-out books, wall hangings and stand-alone sculptures, all of which exude an organic sort of ‘crispness’, with the juxtaposition of feeling delicate yet unbreakable at the same time.  More recently she has begun to add metal cabinets to her exhibitions, operating as architectural space within which to accommodate her sculptures.

Ambe describes her work as ‘mapping the mysterious land between physical and emotional geography’, and claims that it is the incremental process of 'doing' that is just as important to her as the outcome.  In this sense she considers her work as installations, whose detail reflect nature, and therefore reflect us.  The process from the beginning – sheets and sheets of paper on top of each other – to the topological-like sculptures at the end, seems to create the build up of a dynamic energy which radiates from the completed piece.  On top of this, I think the finished pieces are extremely aesthetically pleasing, with the negative space resembling some kind of erosion.  

It astounds me that from such simple materials and processes, such complex and convoluted pieces can be created.  To view more of Ambe's work from 2000-present visit her website www.norikoambe.com/index.html.   

The Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Sqaure

Antony Gormley is the latest artist to be commissioned to fill the empty fourth plinth at London’s Trafalgar Square.  The One & Other project spans over 100 days for 24 hours a day from 6^th July to 14^th October, seeing one member of the public spend one hour on the plinth, doing whatever they please.

In the past figures of David Beckham and Jonny Wilkinson have made appearances on the fourth plinth, alongside sculptural pieces by the likes of Marc Quinn, Bill Woodrow and Mark Wallinger.  However, it is clear that this particular project has either fascinated or infuriated its audience, with critics accusing Gormley's work as lazy, and an unnecessary risk encouraging exhibitionism among the public.  It raises the old question to the subjective debate ‘what is art?’  What are the necessary conditions for being art?  When Nicolas Penny, director of the National Gallery in London, was asked for his opinion on One & Other he replied “As a historian of sculpture it seems to me to have more to do with theatre than sculpture.  Therefore, I leave it to theatre critics to decide.  I have seen only one or two of the performances.  Or non-performances.”

On the other hand, it cannot be denied that Gormley has produced an interesting twist on the tradition of living art.  A quick visit to the One & Other website and you will see a live screening of the person currently positioned on the plinth, carrying out whatever is it they are doing, in what feels like a very Big Brother-esque scenario. For me, it is through the combination of the concept of living sculpture and these new digital ideas, such as reality tv, where the attraction and curiosity lies.  

Gormley claims that the idea behind his demogratic artwork is to create a composite picture of Britain, by setting the conditions with the rest passed on to the participants.  Who knows what is to come but so far people have used the hour to perform art, music, raise charity profiles or simply just be.  The project certainly isn’t without risk, however so far, albeit a few protestors, his gamble has been successful.  To view participants live go to www.oneandother.co.uk.