A dramatic shift is taking place. Today, Atlantic Cities reported that China, the most populated country in the world, has officially become urbanized. For the first time in their history, more people live in a city than they do countryside – 51.27 percent to be exact, which amounts to more than 690 million people. It’s a notable shift. Rapid urban growth is commanding more and more attention from global leaders as its impact spans infrastructural and cultural demands. This made us think about Eric Perriard and his photography.

Over the last few years, Eric has been investigating urban growth in Seoul, Korea and telling its story in a unique way. As he describes it, “I was excited to artistically examine one of the defining steps in the evolution of our civilization. Within the context of an accelerating urban setting, I developed a photographic essay about people living in a cosmopolitan environment. While wandering in Seoul City, I was looking to catch the instant when an isolated character encounters a moment of self-realization. Has living in cities truly become part of human nature, or are we still adapting ourselves in order to survive? By keeping a certain distance from the subject, I could preserve the tension between the city and its inhabitant in order to start thinking about the human condition in a megalopolis.” Check out his work below – it’s fantastic.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Eric Perriard

ERIC PERRIARD
ATLANTIC CITIES
BEAUTIFUL DECAY

THE REDBALL PROJECT
DELTA AT ALICE GALLERY
AI WEIWEI ABSENT

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Kurt Perschke’s RedBall Project is an ingenious example of city engagement. It’s simple, beautiful and blunt. It’s a large ball placed in a major-city amidst the din of everyday living. Sometimes it lands in obvious locations, other times it leaves you wondering, “How did it get there?” Either way, the inviting ball gets the job done. It taps your imagination.

As Kurt describes it, “Through the RedBall Project I utilize my opportunity as an artist to be a catalyst for new encounters within the everyday. Through the magnetic, playful, and charismatic nature of the RedBall the work is able to access the imagination embedded in all of us. On the surface, the experience seems to be about the ball itself as an object, but the true power of the project is what it can create for those who experience it.” The RedBall Project visited Toronto, Chicago, Tapei, Sydney and many other cities. Maybe it’ll visit yours next. We have a few photos of the project below.

Words: Taj Reid
Photos: Courtesy of the RedBall Project

THE REDBALL PROJECT
IGNANT

DELTA AT ALICE GALLERY
AI WEIWEI ABSENT
MWM IN MOSCOW

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

One of our favorite artists is currently on show in Brussels. Boris Tellegen aka DELTA presents Abundance at the Alice Gallery. It’s a collection of visually stunning work displaying his signature paintings and sculptures. As he describes it, “My work is in collage, sculpture, drawings, videos and installations. It investigates the tension between planning and happenstance; the semblance of order undone by schematic chaos. Mankind is driven by an unshakeable faith in progress, where modern technology and constant growth leads us to a better world. My work explores a different outcome, where the automated forces unleash developed structures and minds of their own.” We have a few images from the installation posted below.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Courtesy of Alice Gallery

Location: Alice Gallery, 4 Rue du Pays de Liège, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Dates: On show from now until December 23, 2011

DELTA
ALICE GALLERY
FRESHNGOOD

SOL LEWITT
BERLIN’S CLOUD CITY
AI WEIWEI ABSENT

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Ai Weiwei’s life is the message. His continued push to exhibit art all over the world, despite being restricted by the Chinese government, adds a civic beauty to each show. His latest installation, entitled Ai Weiwei Absent, is on display at the Taipei Fine Art Museum. It consists of 21 works created over a 30 year period and features several standout pieces – most notably, a set called Forever Bicycles constructed with 1200 bikes that represents an evolving and connected society. We have a few images of the show posted below. Click Read More to view.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Sam Yeh

Location:
Taipei Fine Art Museum
No.181., Zhongshan North Road Sec.3
Zhongshan District, Taipei
Taiwan

TAIPEI FINE ART MUSEUM
SLAM X HYPE
HYPEBEAST

MWM IN MOSCOW
INSA IN BELGIUM
URBAN LAND PROJECT

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Recently we received a mega-update from our friend MWM. He’s a prolific artist traveling the world creating beautiful murals, exhibits and sculptures. His latest excursion took him to Moscow for Sretenka Design Week. There, he exhibited his latest canvas work, painted 3 massive murals, gave 2 lectures and painted an impressive collection of geometric sculptures installed around Tsvetnoy. This is some of our favorite work to date. It’s beautiful. But, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point your attention to another aspect of MWM’s work – his iPhone photos. On each of MWM’s trips he racks up a serious collection of photos snapped spontaneously with his iPhone. Together they weave an excellent tale of his adventures while being an artist. It’s sure-fire travel inspiration. Click Read More to view a sampling of his work from Moscow. But be sure to visit his site to see the collage of terrific photos caught with his iPhone.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: MWM

SUN RAY RICOCHET
SRETENKA DESIGN WEEK

INSA IN BELGIUM
URBAN LAND PROJECT
KAWS AT HONOR FRASER

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

The highly creative and suggestive works by INSA arrive in Belgium for their Street Arts Initiative. It’s a fantastic project pairing talented artists with city locations throughout the country. Late last month, INSA’s work was showcased at the Hasselt Street Art Festival. As they describe it, “INSA visually exaggerates the notion of objectification meets commodification with graphically depicted oversized body parts that are suspended in the controlled architectural lines of a sneaker or bold black and white graphic patterns.” In this case, INSA’s work lives in the heart of town on an enormous wall where his art curves and zags in a thoughtful fashion. It’s a must see.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Courtesy of INSA & Project2565

INSA
STREET ART BELGIUM
PROJECT 2565 PHOTOGRAPHY

URBAN LAND PROJECT
KAWS AT HONOR FRASER
CROWD SOURCING

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

While zooming through the city you might notice a few billboards by Tim Simmons. These aren’t your typical images. Instead of oversized car advertisements, Tim’s billboards display natural landscapes photographed in a way that vividly show texture and detail. Entitled the Urban Land Project, Tim’s work compels viewers to reflect and reconnect with their surroundings. Currently, you can find the large-scale billboards on display in Philadelphia (I-95N) and Los Angeles (N Cahuenga Blvd). Click Read More for more information and photos.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Courtesy of The Anthropologist

Locations:
California Billboards, 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028
Philadelphia Billboards, Delaware Expy, I-95, Philadelphia, PA 19148

TIM SIMMONS
URBAN LAND PROJECT
THE SCOUT

KAWS AT HONOR FRASER
CROWD SOURCING
STRELKA STRIPES

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
WATCH OUR VIDEO SERIES

Kaws is prolific. Over the past year we’ve seen everything from product and hotel collaborations to impressive installations worldwide. His latest exhibit is among our favorites. Hold the Line at Honor Fraser beautifully displays Kaws stylized adaptations of visual icons in American animation. It’s on show until October 22nd, and we highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the Los Angeles area. Click Read More for a closer look and additional information.

Words: Taj Reid
Photography: Courtesy of Honor Fraser

Honor Fraser
2622 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034

KAWS BLOG
HONOR FRASER
ARRESTED MOTION

KAWS AT THE STANDARD
CROWD SOURCING
STRELKA STRIPES

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

We’re excited to present a new editorial series entitled Snapshot. We hope it provides some travel inspiration as fall edges closer and summer’s spontaneity dims. The concept is simple: We ask our favorite travelers to submit photos from a recent trip – no description, no details, no pressure – just photos capturing everyday life and its casual beauty.

Our first Snapshot comes courtesy of Anthony Smyrski – founder of Smyrski Creative. During a trip to Japan, Anthony brilliantly captured those unseen moments that are generally overlooked. Click Read More to view his images from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

SMYRSKI CREATIVE
MEGAWORDS TUMBLR
MEGAWORDS MAGAZINE

KING BRITT WALLPAPER
ADAM CHANG WALLPAPER
RODERICK HUNT WALLPAPER

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Crowds can be chaotic, disorienting and strangely beautiful. The images created by Adam Magyar demonstrate this in an unique way. It looks like his overhead photography captures scenes from a busy open square, but the truth is, none of these places exist. All the images are created by layering sets of individual photos over and over until they resemble a bird’s eye view of a busy crowd. It’s interesting to notice how the slightest uniformity in the crowd’s formation suggest that it’s not real. We really enjoyed this series.

Words: Taj Reid
Images: Adam Magyar

ADAM MAGYAR
PETAPIXEL
NOQUEDANBLOGS

NEW YORK MAINTAIN
CHILE’S 7000 PHOTOS
LOOKING AT THE WORLD

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
WATCH OUR VIDEO SERIES

Our favorite art duo is at it again. Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann – better known as Lang Baumann – created another colorful installation. This time they invaded Moscow for the Bistro Sixteen Festival. Hosted by the Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, Lang Baumann applied their bold technique to the interior and exterior of a bar near Strelka’s campus. While it’s not as large as their previous work, it’s still executed at a very high level. We’d love to see something like this in Philadelphia or New York. Below we posted a few photos for a closer look. Also, please note that today (Sept 1) is the last day for the interior installation, but the street part should remain for a little while longer.

Words: Taj Reid
Location: Strelka Bar 14 Bersenevskaya Naberezhnaya, bldg. 5, Moscow, Russia
Photography: Courtesy of LB

LANG BAUMANN
DESIGNBOOM
STREIKA INSTITUTE

STREETS IN THE ABSTRACT
AIRPORT ON TILT
HAVE A SEAT

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

The Lomographic Embassy of Chile and Gabriela Mistral Center team up to create an impressive installation encompassing 7,000 lomo photographs. La Belleza de la Vida Real (The Real Beauty of Life) was created by hand producing a beautiful abstract mural featuring Lomo’s signature saturations and hues. La Belleza is on show until September 30 and will tour to other cities worldwide.

Words: Taj Reid
Location: GAM – Av. Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins, 227 Santiago, Chile
Photography: Noquedanblogs

7000 PHOTOGRAPHS
LOMO CHILE

LOOKING AT THE WORLD
INSIDE OUT SAN FRANCISCO
HOTEL LIFE

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Presenting a mega-dose of travel inspiration, Planet Magazine releases the honorary mentions for their recent Travel Photography Contest. Each image is arresting. They capture moments of everyday life from around the globe ranging from a man riding a scooter with 100 chickens to an aerial view of men praying mid-day. We’ve posted a few samples below for your convenience, but visit Planet Magazine for the full gallery.

Words: Taj Reid
Source: Booooooom!

PLANET MAGAZINE
BOOOOOOOM!

INSIDE OUT SAN FRANCISCO
HOTEL LIFE
MADE IN BRITAIN

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

JR’s Inside Out Project is an inspiring movement empowering individuals to transform messages of personal identity into artwork. The participatory project encourages people to create their own installations by capturing images of their friends, family or people in their community. The idea is spreading fast and most recently Hugh Leeman and the Tenderloin Project teamed up to create a powerful installation on the corner of Ellis Street & Hyde in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Check out their short video describing the process.

Words: Taj Reid
Location: 606 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Source: The Tenderloin Project

INSIDE OUT PROJECT
THE TENDERLOIN PROJECT
CURATED MAGAZINE

HOTEL LIFE
MADE IN BRITAIN
WASTE LANDSCAPE

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Travel isn’t always glamorous. Travel can be hard. And at times it can be lonely – especially when leaving loved ones. But through it all there’s something about travel that makes you go back for more no matter what the experience – good or bad. That’s what we love about these photos by John Wildgoose. His images remind us of those lonely trips that had an unusual or even unexpected beauty.

As John describes the series, “Trying to capture the harrowing alienation of life flitting from one hotel room to the next, where states, countries, even continents begin to merge into one another. The desperate isolation, jetlag, weekends filled with untrammeled boredom, and weeks fueled by gruesome food and cable TV all combine to induce a miasma of psychotic abstraction. But I still drop everything if it means traveling somewhere.” See below for a sampling of John’s work, but view his entire portfolio here.

Words: Taj Reid

JOHN WILDGOOSE PHOTOGRAPHY
ON BEHANCE
ON TUMBLR

ATELIER OLSCHINSKY
EASTERN & SOUTHERN AFRICA
A SENSE OF PLACE

VIEW MOST RECENT CITY NOTES
VIEW MOST POPULAR CITY NOTES
ABOUT CITY NOTES

SEND US AN EMAIL
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS FEED
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
WATCH OUR VIDEO SERIES