RIP Jeanne-Claude

Jeanne-Claude, wife and collaborator of Christo, died today suddenly of a brain aneurism at age 74.

I met her once, at a talk she and Christo gave at University of Chicago in 1997. I didn’t know that much about them at the time other than a passing familiarity with some of their more well known pieces. I expected a snooty, aloof, artier-than-thou character. Nothing could have been further from the truth. They were two of the most humble, down-to-earth people you could imagine. They financed all their big projects through sale of prepatory drawings and sculptures. They never took donations or corporate funding. Most of their pieces took years and decades to come to fruition, and each only lasted for two weeks.

Leslie and I saw their Gates piece in Central Park and it was a wonderful experience. (Pictures I took at it are in the slideshow above.) We were lucky to score a room overlooking central park on the 23rd floor, so had a birds eye view before and after it was opened, as well as strolling around. Unforgettable.

Disassembled appliances

Iron. © Brittny Badger

Brittny Badger has produced a wonderful series of still-life photos of disassembled small electric appliances, such as a waffle iron, electric knife, and a can opener. Rather than the usual slapdash tear-down photos one sees of the latest tech gadget, these are artfully composed images that show the inner complexity of mundane objects that we typically take for granted.

As my colleague Denise Gershbein says:

Seeing the sheer number and varying size of parts that go into a simple juicer reminds us how complex are the objects of our disposable consumer culture. Every little part is designed by someone. Every piece has meaning and function. Everything that is created has the potential for elegance, thoughtfulness, appropriateness. The spectrum of colors, the materials and finishes, and the positive and negative spaces within and around coils, cogs and wires all come together to form a surprisingly appealing palette.

Waffle Iron. © Brittny BadgerBlender. © Brittny BadgerSee the full set on Flickr