Artists Victoria Shaheen and George Vidas collaborated on a special exhibit entitled, "A Difficult Pair," which explored the use of industrial and commercial objects transformed into art pieces. 

The artists sought to explore identity, hierarchy and material culture in each piece they fabricated. 

So I was really excited about this exhibit, because I am in LOVE with Neon. It was a stellar show, the work was intriguing and what I thought would be straight forward was though-provoking. The pieces were so cool! They had working mechanical parts! So I feel like neon is like a living thing because it kinda breathes with electricity. Now these sculptures came to life even more because they actually moved. It was awesome! 

The opening reception was held at Playground Detroit, a gallery that features the work of emerging visual artists. 

I was also beyond impressed with the space. It was my first time visiting Playground Detroit's new gallery/exhibition space and it was so amazing. Not exaggerating. It was simple and clean- but not sterile, perfect to showcase work. It's an intimate setting that somehow seems expansive. It's crazy. I loved it. 

This exhibition was also part of Detroit Art Week, taking place from July 20-22, 2018.

​DAW is an annual self-guided tour and celebration of contemporary art and culture in Detroit. It's basically an art crawl. The public is encouraged to attend galleries, explore studios, participate in art talks and museum tours. That includes parties, live performances, music + art shows. 

An Open House featuring local  Interiors + Makers, produced by Design Core was hosted at a warehouse designed by Albert Kahn in 1912.

The building was originally used as an automotive factory by Standard Motor Truck Company. Letts Industries acquired the building in 1989, undertaking massive renovations within the last three years-, while keeping the historical  integrity of the building in tact.  This building is unique in that it was a first-gen modern auto factory, incorporating steel-reinforced concrete in its design. 

The building still retains the original "martini-shaped" columns Kahn designed, a design element which appears to be one of his trademarks. Walking around, the coolest thing I saw was that the ceilings still had the line shafts and tracks created for Standard.

I seriously could not get over that- it was amazing to be able to see that LIVE! and in-person. I have always imagined what the interior of the Highland Park building (Kahn designed that one for Ford) looked like. It's such an important piece of history in the automotive industry- but I had never seen it. This gave me the actual opportunity to get some context of a similar building since they're both automotive factories. 

Currently housing an array of artists, small businesses, and design firms, the warehouse is used as offices, gallery and production space. The concept reminded me of Ponyride, and it seems like a collaborative environment. 
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Related:
Standing on Albert Kahn's Shoulders
​OpenCo: A PonyRide in the D 
Ford Rouge Tour LIVE