Friday, 24 May 2013

[www.keralites.net] Cityscape Sculptures Carved from Scrap Wood

James McNabb is a Philadelphia-based artist specializing in woodwork. Together with his wife Stephanie and dog Buster, they are McNabb & Co., a design studio dedicated to developing heirloom quality products. In McNabb's latest project, entitled City Series, the sculptures depict the outsider's perspective of the urban landscape. Made entirely of scrap wood, this work is an interpretation of making something out of nothing. Each piece is cut intuitively on a band saw. The result is a collection of architectural forms, each distinctly different from the next.

In addition to wood sculptures, McNabb & Co. also build contemporary furniture pieces and incredible etched wood designs using state of the art laser engraving technology. They have also recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for the continuation of the City Series. The crowd-funding project ends on March 17, 2013 and they have reached 72% of their $5,000 target.

City Wheel by McNabb & Co.

Inspired by wooden wagon wheels, this piece references the pilgrimage many make from the countryside to the city, in search of fortune and fame. City Wheel is composed of wedge-shaped pieces of cherry, oak, ash, and maple. After a few preliminary drawings to determine the geometry of each piece, a template was made to assure each was made to the correct angle.

Next, McNabb put his headphones on, found a good rhythm to work to, and started cutting. He finds this work to be very relaxing and therapeutic, an escape from some of the hyper-technical aspects of woodworking. Each piece is intricately cut using a band saw, no two alike, a reference to the idea that cities are the land of endless possibility.

City Table by McNabb & Co.

The journey from the suburbs to the city has a way of flipping your world upside down. This table shows several dynamic views of the skyline from extreme perspectives allowing viewers to see the urban landscape in ways they have never seen before. Direct lighting from above reveals amazing skyline shadows on the ground below the table. The squares of color and patterns provide a visual map of the city that lives below the surface.

Each block was intricately cut on a band saw and glued together into rows. Next, the rows were glued together. Finally each side of the table was joined. Four legs in each corner measure the same length, and when flipped over, act as legs for the table. The surface is sanded smooth, and showcases the random pattern caused by the various wood species in the table.

City Sphere by McNabb & Co.

the epitome of the urban sprawl, this piece depicts a planet consumed by the city. A lathe turned wood sphere, entirely covered in abstracted urban architectural forms. Each piece was cut to shape on a band saw, and attached one by one to the sphere with wooden dowels and glue. McNabb used a sharp chisel to taper the bottom of each building, so that viewers can see down to the core of the sphere, what he considers "street view".

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[www.keralites.net] Create a positive atmosphere at work

 


Create a positive atmosphere at work
 
There are two ways you can feel at office – one is where you are satisfied with your work, your boss, your team, your growth and your prospects. The other is where you feel stressed, bogged down by negativity and politics among colleagues, feel your talent is not recognized, where you do more work than you are acknowledged with and that your career is going nowhere. While all of us start our careers with the first attitude, it is very common for most of us to slip into the second attitude as time flies by. Most of us find that we are slipping down a spiral from where there is no way up and at this stage it is very important to find ways to keep the spirit alive and improve things around, for what we feel is very universal and the solution usually lies within. Start with a smile because there is a lot of promise in life and attempt the following simple, obvious yet important steps:
Meaning and purpose
Get real and accept the fact that the organization is always larger than the individual. It has its own goal and it has to be reached by the collective efforts of all the individuals. Choose an organization where you can align your goals with the goals of the organization and the top management with little friction. Once you do this find a meaning and purpose to what you are doing. Work with the larger picture of what you want to achieve and see how you are progressing towards the goal without worrying about the minute tasks and issues that crop up on a daily basis. This way you will find sense in even what you would otherwise consider mundane and outside your scope. When you charge yourself with the positive and go getter attitude, it will inspire your colleagues to take up a similar path.
Avoid Negative people
Being surrounded by and affected by negative energy at work can truly drain the liveliness out of you and your career. It can hinder your success and it can make you dread going to your job or dealing with your co-workers and clients. Avoid people who always crib about work and colleagues, people who are gossip mongers, who spend more time politicking than working and people who pile on to you for their benefits. They have a knack for making life very burdensome with unnecessary thoughts. Avoid them and you will feel feather light within. Remember, you are not going to achieve your goal by being nice and accommodating to all and sundry.
Communication
Good communication goes a long way in improving the working conditions in your team and as a consequence in your office. Communicate with your superiors and colleagues, what you are here to achieve and how you intend going about it. Communicate what you except out of the organization and your colleagues in your journey. If you have a problem, express it to the relevant people and explain logically how you think it can be resolved without conflict. Conflict cannot be altogether avoided at work place, but with proper and ongoing communication it can be minimized.
Acknowledge and encourage
It feels great when your ideas and work are acknowledged and appreciated. It is the same with most of us. So when you come across a great idea or when you see exemplary performance by some one – it could be your equal, superior or subordinate at office – acknowledge it, appreciate it and encourage more such efforts. This will spread positive vibes and establish a culture of collective pleasure for everybody's achievements.
Your desk and personal space
The ambience at work is vital to your performance and well being. Invest in making your desk and work station vibrant, comfortable and invigorating. Put photographs of loved ones who will cheer you up when you feel tired or low. If you love music, buy an ipod and plug into your favorite music while you work. Walk around the cubicles, smile at colleagues, do small breathing and stretching exercises and anything that relaxes you while at your desk.
The winning mindset is this: Everyday at work, first thing when you get in or even at the end of the prior day before you leave, ask yourself what you would do in your job during this day if you knew you were really important or if you found your job interesting. Just ask yourself what you would be doing if you were important there and loved your job. And then do it! Once you commit to acting as if you are important and love your job, you may find that it completely changes for you and you can create the cycle of positive thinking.
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