This outdoor art installation is also a giant water purifier

This enormous structure rises over the courtyard walls of New York's MoMA PS1 and passersby couldn't help but gaze. But what is it?

It's called COSMO, a mobile artifact composed of interconnected pipes, tubes, and liquid tanks, created by Spanish architect Andrés Jaque and his firm Office for Political Innovation. Basically it's a giant water purifier capable of filtering and purifying as many as 3,000 gallons of water over a four-day cycle. When each cycle is complete, the contraption's plastic mesh will glow, providing a backdrop for PS1's summer parties.

The structure, which took home the grand prize for this year's Young Architects Program Competition, can remove suspended particles and nitrates, balance the pH, and increase the level of dissolved oxygen.

"More than 2 billion gallons of water circulate every day beneath New York City," said the firm. "Cosmo is a movable artefact, made out of customised irrigation components, to make visible and enjoyable the so-far hidden urbanism of pipes we live by."

Aside from being a portable water-filtration plant, COSMO also serves as a seating, shading and cooling structure. The outdoor art installation will remain on view at MoMA PS1 until September 6, 2015.

[h/t: Dezeen]

Comments

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.

What if directors actually looked like the characters in their films?

One of the things I like about the internet is the fact that it provides an endless showcase for the most incredible corners of human creativity. Like, for example, these quirky wooden sculptures by Seattle-based artist Mike Leavitt . For his latest series, King Cuts , Mike transforms some of the most renowned filmmakers into satirical sculptures. They're on view at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York until June 11, consists of 16 new hand-carved sculptures of directors like Tim Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. The artist fused Burton with three of the filmmaker's works; Batman , Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands , while Hitchcock is transformed into one of his own attacking birds. Watch the making of the Tarantino sculpture below. You can also follow Mike on Instagram to see his work in progress.

Good things come in small boxes

Here's a tip: If you lose your child at The Museum of Modern Art, try the MoMa Design Store , where he's likely roaming around and looking for some cool toys. Among the things worth buying is this Science Experiment Toolbox, which contains everything kids as young as four need to conduct over 6 exciting experiments. Made of durable plastic and eco-friendly wood parts, budding engineers, inventors, and problem-solvers will be fascinated by this set. There's a bell ringer, a zoetrope, a waving hand, a climbing frog and a crane to help them learn logical concepts such energy transfer, momentum and gravity. I would have loved this as a kid.

finding cain

Search This Blog