Ice Age by Edgar Mueller

Edgar Müller – a Master of 3d Pavement Art – needed 5 days to the completion of this huge picture. Together with up to three assistant he painted all day long from sun rise to set. The enormous illusion is reached by applying the anamorphic technique to a huge pavement painting. Around 250 square meter large this picture is part of Edgar’s newest project. He paints over urban areas to give them a different look and thereby challenge the audience’s perception.

For images of his work visit Edgar Mueller – 3D Street Art.

“No photos, no video clips, no in-depth reports”

Photo: New York Times

With continuing coverage over the conflagration of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the New York Times reported that the state-owned China Central Television network apologized for the damage cause by illegal pyrotechnics.

“While the cause of the conflagration seemed clear, many questions remained about why a modern building constructed with fireproof materials was so quickly and thoroughly engulfed by flames.”

This questioning seems like a dramatization of the occurrence, especially since the building had yet to be finished. From what I’ve learned in my architectural studies, the main purpose for fireproofing is to ensure the structure of the building will withstand the pressures of the disaster for a given amount of time to allow safe evacuation of the building’s occupants.

With so much commotion caused by the accident, it became clear that the government and respective authorities were eager to reduce public attention with the exception of reports dispatched by the Xinhua News Agency. However, with the new age of technology, the government was inevitably faced with defeat.

More details on the media and public reaction to the blaze can be found on thenewyorktimes.com and CNReviews.com.

CCTV Fire: Anticipation of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Smoldered

Photo: Los Angeles Times

On the final night of festivities celebrating the two-week Chinese New Year holiday, a fire broke out in Beijing’s Television Cultural Center (TVCC). This structure, among the rest of the China Central Television complex designed by Rem Koolhaas of OMA, stood adjacent to the iconic CCTV Headquarters building. According to the Los Angeles Times, the fire started around 8:20 p.m. near the roof of the reportedly “empty” building. “It crawled down one side of the building and appeared to ignite more fireworks, which kept bursting out in technicolor streaks.”

In the development of the story, the official Xinhua News Agency reported that the fire was not fully extinguished until early Tuesday morning. According to the New York Times, Xinhua also stated that the igniting of 700 firecrackers just outside the hotel was the main cause of the blaze, and that CCTV had hired a fireworks company for a “planned show.” In addition to the building damages, one firefighter was killed and seven people were injured. Of the seven, six were firefighters.

The building (picture below on the left) was to be completed in the spring of this year.

Photo: CNReviews.com

During the time of the incident, many people of Beijing were documenting and posting up information and images in real-time. According to David Feng of CNReviews.com, it was people on Twitter (a free, real-time, social messaging utility started in 2006) that first captured news of the fire. With constant updates on his own site, Feng documented his own travels to capture images of the burning building. He concluded with what he labeled as “The Vox Populi,” or the “Voice of the people.”

The Vox Populi

In no particular order, and uncensored and virtually unretouched, here are some views from this pretty tense night that shows you what we in the Jing think about all this:

• Tonight’s the last night you can set those firecrackers off. Officially you’re supposed to be detained if you set them off after midnight, so let’s roll — and set the thing up as much as we can.

• What? Big Pants? No, wait, Big Boot. That’s a lot of money wasted.

• Not a lot of folks liked the new CCTV complex anyway. It’s a total waste of cash and looks just outright weird.

• “Help! Help! Those two buildings are coming together and are being built slanted!” (That was what locals complained when work on the nearby Big Pants got underway in late 2006.)

• I think next year we’ll see the rules changed — firecrackers won’t be allowed in the city center any more as of 2010.

Following a string of recent disasters in China, such as the Sichuan earthquake, riots in Tibet, and a more than three month drought in Beijing, the fire leaves the Chinese to question the auspiciousness of the approaching year. Is the fire a poor omen for the future?