Cover the Earth

Since 1905 Sherwin-Williams has used the slogan "Cover the Earth" to promote the beauty and performance of their paints.  A French artist is now making a real attempt to cover the earth with giant paintings on the hillsides of Switzerland.

A self-taught artist, Saype got his start by creating innovative and eye-catching graffiti on the transit trains of Paris and Brussels.  He has also painted on canvas, again featuring scenes from trains.

Another innovation Saype has adopted is the use of multiple plexiglass panels to form a scene - thinking 'outside-the-canvas.'  By painting part of the scene on each panel and stacking them he makes the works more 'dynamic.'  He sometimes lights the interstices between the panels with LEDs to further enhance the underground feeling.

In 2015 Saype initiated the latest phase of his career that he calls 'Land Art.' Once he has identified a suitable site he first cuts the grass low.  He next outlines the figures on the grass. Then, using a special bio-degradable paint that he prepares himself, he uses a spray gun to fill in his picture in a gigantic paint-by-numbers type process.  He has used drones to review his progress and for photographing the works. 

About 150 gallons of paint were needed to create Saype's most recent work entitled 'A Story of the Future,' featuring a small child reading a book on a hillside in Les Rochers-de-Naye in Veytaux, Switzerland. Each petal of the flowers in the picture is about the height of a man.  The entire picture covers more than the area of a football field.

The works are ephemeral.  Soon the grass begins to grow back and the weather begins to change the picture.  Eventually the picture disappears altogether, so check them out while you can.

So the next time you see a particularly nice piece of graffiti on the metro train, rather than scorn it as defacement, consider whether it might be an early work of a budding artistic genius.  Drink in whatever creativity or innovation that you find there, and think of how you could create a gigantic impression in your work by thinking outside the canvas or outside the computer.

Tags: Sherwin-Williams, bio-degradable, renewable, Saype, Switzerland, painting

Check Your Bioprivilege

We’ve all heard that some people are considered to be privileged by means of their age, sex, race, economic status, or whatever.  But what about molecules?  Are there some that are more privileged than others?

Researchers at the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC) at Iowa State University have coined the term ‘bioprivileged’ for molecular intermediates that are made by plants and animals that are not conveniently made by industrial processes.  These privileged molecules offer “unique properties that could lead to new products.”

The range of chemical intermediates that can be derived from petroleum has been developed for more than a century, and there are few new avenues for discovery.  However, the universe of molecules that can be obtained from living systems is much greater – there are many more different types of molecules in a typical plant than are produced in all of the chemical industry – and can “greatly expand the bioproduct horizon beyond the scope of petrochemicals.”    

Modern genetic engineering is expanding this universe and is able to selectively design plants to produce specific valuable products.  Among the targets that can be produced are the next-generation pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, antimicrobials, insecticides, herbicides, consumer goods, and specialty chemicals.  At CBiRC they have already made plant-derived nylon.

So, in addition to checking your privilege, check out the wonders that are happening at CBiRC or at a laboratory near you.

*************

For help with the bioeconomy, contact Lee Enterprises Consulting Inc.

http://lee-enterprises.com/