SNEAK PEEK: An artfully curated hotel puts Indianapolis on the cultural map

I recently had the opportunity to photograph the new CityWay development in downtown Indianapolis. Located on the near southeast side and right across the street from Lilly's corporate campus, CityWay will offer dining, apartment living, a boutique hotel and retail locations upon completion. 

The Alexander, Cityway's boutique hotel, has partnered with the Indianapolis Museum of Art to place contemporary works of more than twenty artists around the property.  I was commissioned to document the installation and creation of some of the artists' work.

Scroll down through the images to get a sneak peek at this amazing contemporary collection, and then check it out in person when The Alexander opens on January 21st.   

The artists at work...

Artist Paul Villinksi, a New York artist whose work frequently re-purposes discarded materials, has created a bird-themed sculpture from cut-up vinyl LPs.        Pittsburgh artist Kim Beck creates her art using architectural and landscape images.  Her inspiration for this installment comes from indigenous plants. New York City painter Adam Cvijanovic is known for his large-scale views of city suburbs and landscapes.  His commissioned piece is expansive and realistic.   Brazilian-born Artur Silva, is a digital media artist who lives and works in Indianapolis.  His dynamic mural is inspired by the Indiana State Fair.  Portland, Oregon artist Damien Gilley is an interdisciplinary artist working in installation, sculpture, and drawing.  His piece at The Alexander was inspired by architectural elements he discovered while exploring downtown Indianapolis. Nick Walker is one of the world's best known street artists and a forerunner of the British graffiti phenomenon.  His work is displayed throughout the parking garage for The Alexander and CityWay.       Acclaimed artist Jorge Pardo, a 2010 recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant, designed the Platt 99 cocktail mixology lounge including 99 unique handcrafted light fixtures.

Follow Wanderlust on Pinterest

I have recently joined Pinterest.  For those of you who are not familiar with Pinterest it's a site full of inspiration, DIY, amazing photography, and much much more. If you are interested in joining the site there are two ways to go about it.  First option is to request an invitation from Pinterest.  The second option is to be invited by a friend (this feature keeps spam off the site).  Once you are a part of Pinterest,  feel free to follow, like, repin, and comment on images from Wanderlust.  Happy Pinning!

Iceland part II

A few more insights and pictures into the Icelandic culture:

-The Icelanders are very particular about their horses.  There is only one breed on the island and Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return.  With manes this long it gives them human-like characteristics.

-There are churches scattered all over Iceland and they are usually all about the same size.  You can see below that they are small and oftentimes have the same red and white color scheme. 

-There is one major road that circles the entire country and it's Route 1 which is also called the Ring Road.  It's 830 miles and many tourists rent a car and drive around the entire country.  If you are going to do this, it's suggested to spend about two weeks to really be able to take in the sights.

-The iceberg lagoon known as Jökulsárlón is an amazing sight to see.  When you arrive you see this entire lagoon filled with floating icebergs.  They are a result of the ice falling off of the glacier on the north end of the lagoon.  It's really amazing to watch these icebergs float by and at first they seem very serene just floating there and all of the sudden you will see one flip upside down and the underside of the iceberg is really bright blue because of the ice being so cold.  As it's exposed to the elements it starts to shift color and becomes more clear or white and then they float off to sea.  I took a boat ride in the lagoon and they pulled a piece of ice out of the water and it was crystal clear.  The tour guide broke it into pieces and we ate it.

Icelandic horses

Brunnholl church

The ring road

Icebergs at Jökulsárlón

Sólfar (Sun Voyager) sculpture in the harbor in Reykjavik

 Most of my blog posts are personal photos that give you some insight to my travels.  I make my living by being an advertising, magazine, architectural, and corporate photographer in Indianapolis, IN.

Iceland

This is the first in a series from my recent trip to Iceland.  A lot of people looked at me with a curious expression when I said my next trip was to Iceland.  It's not on most Americans radar for a travel destination, but I can tell you it's well worth the trip.  This first email is designed to clarify some things about Iceland.  First off, it's not icy everywhere in Iceland.  See, the story goes that the Norwegian vikings decided to call it Iceland when they were settling the country because they wanted it to themselves.  They figured if they named it something like Iceland no one would want to go there.  On the contrary, it's green in lots of areas and it's filled with natural beauty like waterfalls, geysirs, volcanos, hot springs, mountains, moss and lichen-covered lava fields, and, yes, glaciers.  But glaciers only comprise a part of Iceland.  The funny thing is that the vikings also gave Greenland it's name to get people interested in going there and if you know anything about Greenland its' about 80% ice covered.  So the saying "Iceland is green and Greenland is ice" is really true.  Clever vikings.  And the weather in Iceland isn't as cold as you might expect.  In fact, the average high in January in Reykjavik (the capital) is warmer than in New York City.  But, it doesn't exactly get hot here either.  The average high in July/August is around 55° but temps can get into the upper 70's.  The country stays temperate because of the gulf stream even though it's just outside the Arctic Circle.  And in the spring and fall the high and low temperature hardly changes at all. While I was there the forecast showed a high of 57 and a low of 54 for the whole week.  And Iceland is the easiest foreign country I've ever traveled in because everyone speaks English, they drive on the same side of the road as the US and they accept credit cards virtually everywhere.  Stay tuned for the next installment of this series.

Hallgrimskirkja cathedral in Reykjavik and the inspiration for the design is the naturally forming basalt columns you see on the right.

þingvellir national park is where the first Icelandic parliament convened in 930 AD

People photographing in lava fields

Kirkjufell mountain

If you have an interest in buying photos from my travels in Europe you can find them here http://www.europefineartphotos.com

SuperBowl rental for Superbowl XLVI (46) in Indianapolis, Indiana

I'm renting out my studio in downtown Indianapolis for the week of Superbowl XLVI .  The Super bowl is on February 5, 2012.  This studio space is unique, comfortable and has a New York or Chicago loft feel to it.   It would be perfect for a corporate, business, entertaining, broadcasting, or television use.  Since my space is a photography studio it is already set up as a production facility and has 2 full bathrooms, full kitchen, make-up mirror, 14 foot ceilings, DirecTV, wireless internet, large garage door and a stereo with iPod hookup . The space could also be set up to be a "living room" or lounge area for clients who want to get out of the cold and relax.  Best of all it is in the heart of Stadium Village and is only 4 blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Superbowl XLVI.  There is easy access to interstate I-70 as well as I-65.  Parking is also available at the studio. The space should accommodate up to 70 people as a party venue.

The studio is available during the entire week of SuperBowl 2012.

To see photos of the studio click on this link http://www.johnbragg.com/studio

If you are interested in a great place to rent for Superbowl XLVI in Indianapolis please send me an email at john@johnbragg.com or call 317-972-8171

Looking forward to a great Superbowl week in Indy!

John Bragg
john@johnbragg.com
317-972-8171

Holiday Prints

Looking for unique ideas for holiday gifts?  Want to find something different without having to set foot in a shopping mall?   I have an extensive library of images from all over Europe as well as downtown Indianapolis landmarks that would make great gifts this holiday season.  I can do small 8"x10" prints that are easy to frame or create beautiful canvas gallery wraps as large as 40"x60".   

For an even more personal approach, we offer printing and stretching services of your own images.  Surprise someone with their photos stretched on canvas!  Price lists for original artwork or printing and stretching services can be found here.  Please contact me for any print orders.  Links to Indianapolis and Europe images are below. 

Original wall art makes the perfect gift!       

Italy images now hanging at the Conrad Indianapolis

I've got a new show that just went up at the Conrad Indianapolis.  It's an all-Italy show with 12 canvas prints and they're all for sale.  I can print just about any size imaginable if you don't see the size you want.  The images are located in the hallway off of Tastings.  To see more of my travel work visit www.europefineartphotos.com