This Elephant Will Stand On Its Trunk In Union Square Through May 2012

Setting up the Gran Elefandret earlier this morning (Justin Hartung)

Between the nearly indecipherable clock and that very shiny Andy statue, Union Square is no stranger to strange art (let alone strange people) so let's all give a New York welcome to the park's newest piece of public art! Miquel Barceló's 2008 piece Gran Elefandret, which is being set up today, will be living in the park through the end of May, 2012.

The 26-foot-tall bronze sculpture of an elephant standing on its trunk—which will live on the small planted divider between the actual park and that Au Bon Pain—is pretty impressive. Barceló manages to balance a massive amount of bronze onto one thin trunk. That the bronze beast's legs are all akimbo, with folds of skin going in every direction just makes it more fun. Also, it is kind of cute! And we're pretty sure this adorable guy doesn't advocate animal cruelty—even if he does seem to be doing a circus trick, and, well, we're pretty sure we're supposed to be wary of supporting circus elephants of any kind. Meh, we'll stick with it just being a cute statue.

This is a sculpture made of metal and a person's face on it to act like that they are spitting out water. This is located in Chicago in Millennium Park. People can run into the water. I liked it because the public can interact with it.

Miquel Barceló's room xx puts me in the mind of the Sistine Chapel, only maybe less skill is required. I'd say Barceló needed just as much dedication as Michelangelo had.

Barceló took his usual organic elements and applied them in a literal sense to create these artificial and very colorful stalactite forms made from globs of paint. Unfortunately controversy surrounds his artwork because of how it was paid for. This shows that people can easily overlook the most creative of ideas when there's something they don't like involved in its creation, especially in regard to money.

Here are more photos of the process and finished product that I think everyone should look at. It's crazy:

http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/miquel_barcelo.html

This is an invention called Robo Rainbow by the Swedish street artist known as Akay. The device, which is pulled behind a bicycle, features a long, extendable metal arm with six different cans of spray paint in different colors suspended on it. The arm, which is designed to move in a large, sweeping arc, is lifted by a pulley system made up of bike chains and cogs, powered by a hand drill.

A small circuit board featuring radio-controlled servos from a toy car drives the solenoids attached to each spray can, which in turn apply pressure to the nozzles. Both the arm and the spray cans are controlled using the toy car’s radio controller, allowing the user to move the arm in a smooth arc while spraying with each of the six spray cans simultaneously, creating a large rainbow painting within seconds.

http://thechive.com/2011/09/12/some-of-the-best-art-in-the-world-is-on-the-streets-30-photos/

Laurent Loyer

River Orbs

Bow River, Calgary

I think seeing these floating down the river would be enjoyable to look at, but also kind of eerie, especially if you didn't know about it ahead of time.

The Bow River is in Calgary, Canada. It’s a gathering place, a picturesque landmark and a fishing haven that slices through the heart of the city. Calgary's public art department is going full boar this summer and its newest project is the beloved river. Celebration of the Bow is a summer-long series of installations, performances and residencies all focused on what the river means to the city. London-based artist Laurent Loyer’s orbs of light float down the river.