Every False Thing Ends was uploaded to Flickr

Franklin St. Bridge in the rain

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I took Every False Thing Ends on December 22, 2014 at 03:32PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on February 13, 2015 at 04:46PM

Sit Down And Be Counted was uploaded to Flickr

Borders

A few of Steinunn Thorarinsdottir “Borders” sculptures in Grant Park.

“Borders” — hosted by the Chicago Park District in conjunction with the Grant Park Conservancy and the Icelandic Ministry of Culture, and sponsored by Bloomberg — will remain through spring, the sculptures looming with pupil-less gazes over park visitors. (Each aluminum piece weighs 180 pounds; each iron piece weighs 440 pounds.) Thorarinsdottir, who sometimes “stands and peeks” at passers-by, said she enjoys watching her art evoke different reactions from people.

And that’s the fundamental idea of this exhibition: Viewers make what they will of it. The pieces can be poked, stroked, cuddled — so long as the art stimulates some kind of mental and physical response, Thorarinsdottir said she considers her mission accomplished.

Her artwork, which took two years to complete, was first installed in 2011 at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Thorarinsdottir said she consciously placed her figures in that socially and politically charged environment, and her choice to install them in Chicago’s Solti Garden was just as careful and deliberate.

Days before “Borders” was installed, she sat on one of the garden’s benches for hours considering how her sculptures would fit into her surroundings. She recalled listening to the languages spoken by people of all sizes and colors, and she knew she had found her gallery space.

“I wanted the installation to relate to people that wherever we come from, whatever our life experiences, we’re all connected in shape and spirit,” she said. “This garden was my first choice, a natural choice.”

The park, situated just south of the Art Institute of Chicago, provides the intimacy of an enclosed room in an area heavy with foot traffic. The lattice of tree trunks forms the walls, brambly branches netting up into a leafy canopy.

“Some sites are too big, but this garden had a nice body. I like that it forms a natural ‘border’ that the viewer can cross and connect,” Thorarinsdottir said.

Thorarinsdottir purposely left her androgynous figures “neutral.” Some may be sitting, a couple kneeling, others standing, but their faces are left enigmatic. Her Icelandic background influenced her philosophy, she said: “In Iceland, it’s an island with lots of space, very few people, tons of organic nature. So everyone in Iceland gives this feeling that what you are, what you do, matters. We are individuals, but we are also all connected, we are all part of humanity.”

more: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-07/entertainment/ct-ent-0808-borders-sculpture-20130808_1_art-institute-sculptures-exhibition…

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I took Sit Down And Be Counted on June 26, 2014 at 07:17PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on August 05, 2014 at 02:38PM

Needed Somewhere To Go was uploaded to Flickr

jogger, underpass, W. Randolph St.

Solarized in Photoshop

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I took Needed Somewhere To Go on June 20, 2014 at 01:11PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on June 20, 2014 at 09:15PM

Lost Time Is Not Found Again was uploaded to Flickr

Kinzie St Bridge over the Chicago River

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I took Lost Time Is Not Found Again on April 20, 2014 at 07:07PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on April 25, 2014 at 05:45PM

Lost Time Is Not Found Again was uploaded to Flickr

Kinzie St Bridge over the Chicago River

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I took Lost Time Is Not Found Again on April 20, 2014 at 07:07PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on April 25, 2014 at 05:45PM

Browsing on Record Store Day 2014 was uploaded to Flickr

At Groovin High inc. – I browsed a bit, but didn’t want to fight the crowds.

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I took Browsing on Record Store Day 2014 on April 19, 2014 at 01:01PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on April 20, 2014 at 04:31PM

Standing In Line on Record Store Day 2014 (Explored) was uploaded to Flickr

At Groovin High inc. – I browsed a bit, but didn’t want to fight the crowds.

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I took Standing In Line on Record Store Day 2014 (Explored) on April 19, 2014 at 01:01PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on April 20, 2014 at 04:24PM

Tinkling the Ivories was uploaded to Flickr

Not sure if this was a member of the Club who wanted to play a bit of jazz, or a paid performer.

The Cliff Dwellers: As seen during the Chicago Architectural Society’s Open House, 2013.

http://ift.tt/JkAbH4

Cliff Dwellers sits on top of 220 S. Michigan Avenue, just under the iconic Borg Warner sign. Founded in 1907 as the Attic Club, it was renamed The Cliff Dwellers in 1909. After inhabiting the top floor of neighboring Orchestra Hall for decades, Cliff Dwellers moved to the 22nd floor of the Borg Warner building in 1996. It remains a private club and is a non-profit organization for men and women who support the fine and performing arts. The club is a haven for artists, authors, musicians, painters, architects and sculptors. Notable members have included Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Lorado Taft and Hamlin Garland.

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I took Tinkling the Ivories on October 19, 2013 at 04:08PM

and processed it in my digital darkroom on December 28, 2013 at 04:03PM

No, You Go First was uploaded to Flickr

Biker on Wacker Drive, waving to a truck to go ahead and turn right…

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I took No, You Go First on January 06, 2014 at 01:40PM