Published on: Jul 17, 2018
From surreal sculptures to multi-coloured paintings, the world is full of design marvels. But, sometimes, either because we don’t know where to look them for or by sheer pure distraction, we manage to not see these design wonders. Having this in consideration, Daily Design News will show you 15 amazing outdoor design installations scattered around the world.
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Pigalle Duperré, by Ill-Studio, Pigalle and Nike
Once again, the 9th Arrondissement basketball arena in Paris has been modified — this time in hues of blue, pink, purple and orange. With support from Nike, art direction and graphic design firm Ill-Studio has co-operated with the eponymous fashion brand Pigalle to fully redesign the area.
Here After, by Craig & Karl
The duo sees this design as ‘the petrol station’s second life, or wonder years’. The ‘Here After’ slogan marked against the foyer wall is a indicating to heaven or paradise. ‘Now that the petrol station has fulfilled its duty, so to speak, it’s free to enjoy itself.’
The Theater of Disappearance, by Adrián Villar Rojas
Argentinian artist Adrián Villar Rojas’ sprawling installation – strung across The Met’s Cantor Roof Garden – highlights 16 sculptures, blending human bodies with gadgets from the museum in a really surreal, monochromatic scene.
‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’, by Ai Weiwei
Art activist Ai Weiwei has recovered to themes investing the global emigration crisis for his freshest public outdoor installation in New York. Diffused over five areas, the sprawling exhibit emphasizes new large and small-scale works, the highlights of which are two ‘fence’ structures, Gilded Cage and Arch, built in collaboration with UAP.
Sculpture in the City, City of London
Each year, London’s Square Mile changes from a bustling business centre into a cultural sculpture park. On view until May next year, the outdoor exhibit stars works from the likes of Daniel Buren, Damien Hirst, Paul McCarthy and Martin Creed. Dotted amongst some of the capital’s most exciting architecture, each artwork is thoughtfully placed in accordance to its metropolitan surroundings.
Plaza (Arcade), by Alexandre da Cunha
London-based Brazilian artist Alexandre da Cunha’s latest ready-made sculptures have landed in Boston – the first unchanging, public outdoor installation of his to be built in the US. Ever-intrigued by inspected gadgets, da Cunha was inspired by sewer pipes for his three disk-shaped structures and used industrial, precast concrete for the designs.
Radiator, by Borgman and Lenk
The southerly façade of Berlin’s Ruine der Franziskaner Klosterkirche is heating up, thanks to Anna Borgman and Candy Lenk’s Radiator installation. At 10m tall, and weighing 11 tonnes, the project riffs on several failed restoration endeavours the Franciscan abbey has experienced since its damage during WWII.
Magnus Modus, by Joseph Walsh
Joseph Walsh Studio presents its freshest performance, Magnus Modus, a large-scale, free-form sculpture. Meticulously crafted from olive ash wood, the undulating 7m installation is now a constant hallmark of the renewed National Gallery of Ireland.
Don River House Constellation Wall, by LGA Architectural Partners
Toronto-based LGA Architectural Partners strives to create ‘contextually-sensitive’ pieces – and its ‘constellation wall’ at locally-treasured private residence Don River House is no exception. Flawlessly timed with North America’s full solar eclipse on 21 August, the fibre-cement board features celestial maps of Sagittarius and Scorpio.
Mural of Unusual Size, by Hense
Contemporary artist and expressionistic specialist, Alex Brewer, also known as Hense, has conceived a consistent colourscape over the façade of a modern mixture. The mega-mural claims an active view of colourful geometries, strong lines and bold blocks of blue pigment, changing a once-obtrusive manufacturing system into an energetic hue.
Uninterrupted, by Nettie Wild
In a city that gets its artistic boots deep in the woods of Stanley Park at Theatre Under the Stars, there’s now a new trend: exhibition under the bridge. Uninterrupted, a short film that tracks the migration of the Pacific salmon, highlights an underutilized urban range and turns the natural world to postindustrial Vancouver.
Qwalala, by Pae White
The second outdoor installation to be approved by Venetian glassmaking initiative Le Stanze del Vetro, Pae White’s Qwalala is a majestic wall designed from 3,000 glass bricks. Each of the blocks was hand cast in the Veneto district; half are clear, while the other 1,500 were created in a rainbow of 26 colours permeated with a swirly, marbled visual impact.
The Doric Boule, by Nick Ross
‘The Doric Boule’ is an installation staged in the yard of the Marischal College, home to Aberdeen City Council. The idea, reveals Nick Ross, was to ‘create a social setting where people can come, discuss the topic of the day or simply just hang out’. Made from globally sourced granites, the annular design of seats highlights the talkative, outward-looking nature of the design.
Ring – Chain, by Arnaud Lapierre
Following Ring, his still much-talked-about 2011 cylindrical wall of mirrors in the middle of Place Vendôme in Paris, the artist has returned the motif for Ring – Chain, his first permanent installation in China.
