AKA Wakes Up After A Long, Warm Winter

What the hell have we been doing for the past 6 months? Absolutely nothing. But that's all going to change.

Next up: Hollywood House Under the "D" Competition

See our interview on the Creative Capitalism website: http://www.creativecapitalism.net/

Mobile Gallery - The Space Fold: Detailing Ongoing

Winners of our 1st competition, Singularity Studio http://www.singularitystudio.com designed our mobile gallery - The Space Fold - based on the art of origami. The mobile gallery will allow us to show our competitions and other work at the First Fridays Arts Walk every month in Richmond, VA.



Now that we have their model and some nice drawings (available in PDF format), we have to figure out how to detail and construct their design. Here are some shots of the model under re-construction. It was delivered in a very nice shoe box, complete with construction instructions.

The completed model...1/2 of the module. The other half will attach on the open end (left side of the photo above).

For more information or to participate in the design or construction, email the "Contact AKA" link on the sidebar.

FAQ - Temporary Tattoo Competition

- What does AKA stand for?
Everything and nothing. Art against art. Anna Kant Artichoke. You decide. AKA is a design group in Richmond, VA.

- Why are you having this contest?
For fun and, ultimately, to gain better name recognition so that potential sponsors and donors will want to support our projects; to increase participation in our group.

- What does "full-color artwork accepted" on the Program mean? Can we submit black-and-white?
Yes, you can submit black-and-white or any combination of colors. We meant that full color printing is available.

- I wasn’t sure about theme. Should designs specifically promote AKA or are you looking for anything that makes you look bitchin?
Both

- Can we get our original artwork back after the contest?
Yes, but you must send along a self-addressed, pre-posted mailer wirth your submission.

AKA - February Meeting Notes

BALTIMORE: VACANT LOT/STUDIO-HOUSING DISCUSSION
The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA : http://www.promotionandarts.com/) and Area 405 (http://www.area405.com/) will set up a work table in the gallery in AREA 405 to discuss ideas on how to utilize urban vacant lots to make artists work/live buildings.

They have invited artists, architects, city planners and AKA to the table. The goal of these buildings will be to provide maximal work spaces attached to very minimal live spaces that will be made at very affordable costs.

Each hour a new group of experts will be scheduled to work at the table. Visitors will be welcome to join in these discussions.

At the end of the session drawings, lists, proposals and other information will be available for view.

DATE: 02/11/06 - 1PM SATURDAY!
LOCATION: Area 405 Gallery, 405 E. Oliver Street, Baltimore, MD

We’re taking up a small contingent to represent AKA and try to convince BOPA to let us sponsor an international competition for this effort. If you’re interested in going, please respond to the email contact on this page. Afterward, we’re driving down to Charlottesville to see the Fiery Furnaces playing at the Satellite Ballroom.

AKA TEMPORARY TATTOO CONTEST
Developing the program and will complete and try to announce the contest next week.

PLANT THE PIECE PLANTER
Detailing is ongoing. Anyone interested in assisting would be appreciated.

AKA MOBILE GALLERY - THE SPACE FOLD
Detailing is ongoing.

HOLLYWOOD HOUSE UNDER THE “D” COMPETITION
Developing the program and supporting documentation and should be ready to go in March.


OTHER NEWS
The City and citizens of Petersburg, VA, are in the early process of planning their urban development utilizing a public planning process known as a RUDAT process or (Regional Urban Design Assistance Team) program. The RUDAT focus will be the downtown and harbor area and will compliment the upcoming city planning initiatives being coordinated between the City and LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation). The Harbor project will be the most important downtown project they will undertake in the next decade.

The first of what will be many public meetings to gather information has taken place and was attended by over 200 interested people. If you would like to participate in the next public meeting, reply to the email contact on this page and we’ll direct you to people with more information.


MAR 01 6-8 PM
Next AKA Meeting: Penny Lane Pub, corner of 4th and Franklin, upstairs in the lounge

AKA - January Meeting Notes

AKA TEMPORARY TATTOO CONTEST
We’re working on a program and mapping out details. We plan to affix the tattoos to an AKA postcard and distribute at Arts Walk and at local establishments. Hope to have it up early February. Please email comments/ideas here.

PLANT THE PIECE PLANTER
Chris & Eric are going to work on detailing and drawings for submittal to a contractor for an estimate. Anyone interested in assisting would be appreciated.

AKA MOBILE GALLERY - THE SPACE FOLD
We’ve received beautiful detail drawings from Singularity Studio - available in PDF format for your viewing pleasure if you email that you’d like a copy of them. We’re awaiting the model and will begin further detailing and an estimate of the cost. -Everyone seems to agree that sailcloth is the best material for the skin. We need to get in contact with the lovely, the vivacious, the busy sculptress, Ms. Stewart, up in Baltimore about that. I’ll call.

HOLLYWOOD HOUSE UNDER THE “D” COMPETITION
We’re busy working on the program and supporting documentation and should be ready to go in March.

COMPETITIONS OF NOTE
- Architectural Record International Design Competition for New Housing in New Orleans: http://archrecord.construction.com/news/katrina/entryForm.asp.

- EXIT ART: The Building Show In the fall of 2006, Exit Art (NYC) will present The Building Show. “Buildings have become iconic figures of cities and countries, as an homage to the vertical icons that surround us, we are asking artists to choose any building in the world and to respond to it by making a conceptual, realistic, personal, intimate or analytical portrait of that structure.” Proposals may be for work in any medium and are due on May 1, 2006 (one page). Please email: building@exitart.org, or respond to this message for more info.


FEB 07 6-8 PM
Next AKA Meeting: Penny Lane Pub, corner of 4th and Franklin, upstairs in the lounge.

Details In For The Mobile Gallery

Singularity Studio has sent details for the Mobile Gallery: Space Fold. We have a PDF of (4) 24"x36" sheets available for review (please send an email to the "EMAIL" link on this page if you'd like a copy).

For those of you who have seen them, please make your comments here.

AKA - December Meeting Notes

Extraordinarily good meeting last Wednesday night. Here’s what’s up:

AKA TEMPORARY TATTOO CONTEST
As a potential vehicle for crass self-promotion and, ultimately to pave the way for possible future material donations from sponsors so we can build things; we (DJ Jenny) came up with a great idea: design an AKA temporary tattoo and get all the graphic designers in on it.

- Entry Fee $5 (for prize; pay for tattoo manufacturing; admin supplies; ads; etc.)
- Prize: a cool magazine subscription (maybe from another country)
- Maybe make it an annual thing and whomever wins gets their tattoo displayed for a year
- Format: 8”x10” mounted on foam core
- Full-color designs (for 1,000 tattoos: 2.5”x3” = $192 and 3”x4” =$320) – see: http://www.tattoosales.com
- Rules: must incorporate the (3) letters “A”, “K”, and “A” in the design
- Judging: Voting by jury made up of the public in attendance at a gallery opening similar to Mobile Gallery Competition
- Cool magazines for possible prizes:
http://www.wallpaper.com
http://www.modernismmagazine.com

We will keep everybody updated and will probably get this going soon after the holidays. Please make comments or throw out ideas here.


PLANT THE PIECE PLANTER
We have the design pretty well established and will try to post images on the website soon. If you need background, please see this website: http://www.threemiles.com/plantthepiece/ and our AKA website: http://www.akaconnect.net/ for continuation of the saga. Here’s what we will be doing next:
- The design needs to be formally drawn and detailed (Chris and Eric will team up on this - estimate a 2 month turnaround)

- Submit drawings to a contractor(s) for an estimate (Chris imagines it will total less than $10,000 if we manufacture the planters and let the contractor do the rest - landscape; electricity; lighting; sidewalk demolition; etc. – I think at least $15G and I am always right)

- Then we begin fundraising. Chris and Noah (creators of the piece) have a device in place on the plantthepiece website wherein they sell the clay guns for money to build the planter. Other sources will include: professional affiliations; interested private companies; advocates for the Neighborhood Resource Center (where the planter will be built); artist organizations; and, possibly, grants. We need to get some grant ideas/advice from Mary Lou at the NRC.

- grant writing resources:http://www.wrl.org/depts/admin/developl.html


HOLLYWOOD HOUSE UNDER THE “D” COMPETITION
We’re working on materials for the competition to be held sometime after the New Year. Here are a few issues decided upon at this last meeting:

- Prizes: Public Jury Prize = $500 and Owner’s Choice = $500 (with the possibility of winner taking both)
- Entry Fee: $20
- Submissions may be in PDF format (to make things less difficult and costly for overseas entrants)
- We want to stress in this competition (as well as in all others) that entrants need not be architects and that non-architects are strongly encouraged to submit.
- Estimated cost for the project is $30,000 (excluding lap pool at $60,000)

We’ll be looking for a venue/gallery for the show to be held around April (Chris suggested the 1st Floor of 23 West Broad as a possibility - and the Space Fold as another if it’s built by then).


AKA MOBILE GALLERY - THE SPACE FOLD
We’re awaiting a response to last months design questions from Singularity Studio (Adrienne and Carlos - http://www.singularitystudio.com) so that we can get started detailing the Gallery. In an ideal world, we’d have the Gallery up and running for First Fridays Arts Walk: http://www.firstfridaysrichmond.com this spring and can host our first show: Hollywood House Under The “D” or the AKA Temporary Tattoo Contest.


AKA MOVIE NIGHT
- Date: 01-27-06, The 3rd Thursday in January…yep, another year gone.
- Location: either BCWH (architect’s office) or C3 (cool warehouse in Shockoe Bottom) depending on who is willing.
- DJ Jenny suggested that we might utilize her place of work as a source for borrowing good movies – the Williamsburg Public Library. She’s offered up these resources to help

catalog link to check for DVDs:
http://catalog.wrl.org/
suggest a book (or DVD) title for the library to purchase:
http://www.wrl.org/bookweb/bookrequests/index.html:

Please make suggestions/comments here.

AKA Open For Dialogue

Post your comments and questions. We'll be posting news and updates.