Installation view of Dreams of a Sleeping Worldby Oscar Oiwa at the USC Pacific Asia Museum (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)

PASADENA, Calif. Imagine being in a soft bed, eyes fluttering to brush away sleep, and slowly noticing that youve been transported to a garden. The world has turned black and white, your room has no floor or ceiling, and the cosmic textures of the universe swirl before your eyes. You might feel this way in Oscar Oiwas immersive, 360 installation, a new world created inside a large nylon dome. Its part of Dreams of a Sleeping World, his first solo exhibition in the United States, on view at the USC Pacific Asia Museum.

Before stepping into the showpiece, viewers get to see Oiwa through his paintings, which take on different degrees of fantasy. In Light Shop, a Japanese convenience store is partially hidden behind a burst of bright globules, a sight that is magical, but grounded. Hotel Office 6 taps more into a dreamscape. It depicts a room in a traditional rykan, or Japanese inn, transformed into a zen garden. Tatami mats become makeshift bridges across koi ponds, but the fish swim above the futon and the low work table. Oiwa is not present, but an open laptop, a camera, and a bottle of sake suggest that hes only stepped away for a moment.

Theres also a short documentary documenting Oiwas process for the immersive installation another tease before stepping into the space. We see Oiwa speedily working through timelapse, hand-drawing the Dreams landscape on a nylon, inflatable dome with black Sharpie. It took Oiwa two weeks to complete the drawing.

The gallery director describes Oiwas dome as Yayoi Kusama meets Keith Haring meets Salvador Dali, but none of these comparisons feel quite right. Dreams of a Sleeping World doesnt use optical illusions to create an infinite space, and his surreal landscapes painted in black ink are simultaneously too detailed to echo Haring and too minimal to match Dali.

If any comparisons make sense, Oiwas style immediately brought to mind Googles DeepDream, a program powered by a neural network that picks up patterns in images pixels that might resemble a human face or a dogs tail, for example and repeatedly processes them until they have been distorted and amplified in surreal, sometimes nightmarish, ways. Oiwas landscape is far too tranquil to be mistaken for the softwares creation, but his line work warps into natural elements quite often. A recurring pattern of rippling, oblique circles resemble hundreds of eyeballs that follow you through the dream space; rabbits emerge from black voids, plant life springs out of stippled marks, and reptilian creatures emerge from hatched lines. The ornate, decorative patterns conjure Art Nouveau illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley and Harry Clarke, but Dreams distinctly belongs to Oiwa.

The biggest pitfall of Dreams, however, is how easy it is to be pulled out of the experience. Its easy to spot the stitching that runs through the inflatable dome, and the air machine that keeps it afloat roars loudly. Another issue is the lighting, much of which comes from natural light, that shifts and casts shadows, distinguishing the floor from the walls and breaking up any illusion of being in a void. I was constantly aware that I was inside a manufactured experience.

Part of what has made experiential art so successful is that it hides its scaffolding. The dark Infinity Room makes the mirrors less obvious, and the Museum of Illusions rents out an entire warehouse, hires interior designers, and makes you believe that the pop-up has always been a permanent fixture. Some will find Oiwas scrappiness part of the charm, even refreshing from such overproduced spaces; I thought I would favor it, instead, I was too anchored in reality.

Oscar Oiwa: Dreams of a Sleeping World continues at the USC Pacific Asia Museum (46 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena) through April 26.

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A 360 Installation Can Transport You to a Dreamy, Black-and-White Universe - Hyperallergic

If it's time to install a new heating system in your home, you might consider baseboard heaters. While they aren't the most efficient options on the market, they're affordable to install and make it easy to control the climate in your homea must in a mid-Atlantic state like Maryland.

When most hear baseboard, they think of electric baseboard heaters, which heat a house room by room. There is, however, a second option: hot water baseboard heaters, or hydronic baseboard heaters. These systems use central heating that channels hot water through pipes to baseboard heating units throughout your home. If you're looking to install a new heating system in your home, read on to learn how these two options work.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

This popular system uses electric resistance to provide baseboard heating in individual rooms. Cables inside the unit warm the air and push it outward. Meanwhile, cold air enters the bottom of the unit to be warmed. Homes with baseboard heating will have thermostats in each room.

Overall, electric baseboard heaters are less efficient than most central heating systems. However, this room-by-room control allows homeowners to only heat certain zones as needed to make up for that efficiency. Plus, they require no expensive duct work, so the initial installation won't cost an arm and a leg.

Hot Water Baseboard Heaters

Unlike electric baseboard systems, hot water heaters work from one central system. A boiler heats water and sends it through pipes from heater to heater. These systems tend to be more efficient than most alternatives. Installation can range in price, depending on your home. A low-end installation will mean units further away from the boiler get less heat. To avoid this problem, you'll need to install flow control valves, which can be adjusted so smaller rooms receive less heat than larger ones.

Other Considerations

Baseboard heating, while not unsightly, is visible in your interior design. Take care not to hang curtains or other wall hangings too close to your heater.

Additionally, another option for hydronic heating is to be used with radiant heat systems, where heating pipes run under the floor. But unlike baseboard heating, this will require an invasive, expensive installation. And, many homes don't have the right kind of flooring to make this probable. If you're considering a new heating system, meet with a professional contractor to talk about the most affordable, efficient and safe system for your home.

HomeAdvisor is a Patch promotional partner.

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Maryland Homeowners: Install Baseboard Heating This Winter - Patch.com

This weeks house is a farmhouse built in 1825 and recently renovated to reflect current trends. The house, at 200 Moe Road, Clifton Park, is just less than 3,000 square feet and has three bedrooms and three full bathrooms. The current owners bought the property for $160,000 in 2018 and overhauled the interior.

Before and after pictures of the bathroom off the kitchen.

They took down walls on the first floor to create an open layout and a laundry room. They made changes upstairs as well to create a better master bedroom arrangement. All three bathrooms were gutted and rebuilt. The flooring downstairs were either replaced or refinished. New carpet was installed on the second floor and the owners also installed new electrical and plumbing throughout the house. There are two gas fireplaces and a three-car garage. Other highlights include an enclosed porch, back deck and two-plus-acre lot. Shenendehowa schools. Taxes: $6,280. List price: $419,000. Listing agent Nicole Fettuccia of B&L Property Group will host an open house from 12 to 2 p.m. Sunday. Contact her at 518-888-6907.

Photos here. Listing here.

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House of the Week: Modernized farmhouse in Clifton Park - Albany Times Union

Chances are, you don't put too much thought into your heating system here in Georgia. But even in mild climates such as ours, you may need to upgrade to a new system eventually. If so, baseboard heating is a popular option that's also affordable to install.

When most hear baseboard, they think of electric baseboard heaters, which heat a house by individual room. There is, however, a second option: hot water baseboard heaters, or hydronic baseboard heaters. These systems use central heating that channels hot water through pipes to baseboard heating units throughout your home. If you're looking to install a new heating system in your home, read on to learn how these two options work.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

This popular system uses electric resistance to provide baseboard heating in individual rooms. Cables inside the unit warm the air and push it outward. Meanwhile, cold air enters the bottom of the unit to be warmed. Homes with baseboard heating will have thermostats in each room.

Overall, electric baseboard heaters are less efficient than most central heating systems. However, this room-by-room control allows homeowners to only heat certain zones as needed to make up for that efficiency. Plus, they require no expensive duct work, so the initial installation won't cost an arm and a leg.

Hot Water Baseboard Heaters

Unlike electric baseboard systems, hot water heaters work from one central system. A boiler heats water and sends it through pipes from heater to heater. These systems tend to be more efficient than most alternatives. Installation can range in price, depending on your home. A low-end installation will mean units further away from the boiler get less heat. To avoid this problem, you'll need to install flow control valves, which can be adjusted so smaller rooms receive less heat than larger ones.

Other Considerations

Baseboard heating, while not unsightly, is visible in your interior design. Take care not to hang curtains or other wall hangings too close to your heater.

Additionally, another option for hydronic heating is to combine it with a radiant heat systems, where heating pipes run under the floor. But unlike baseboard heating, this will require an invasive, expensive installation. And, many homes don't have the right kind of flooring to make this probable. If you're considering a new heating system, meet with a professional contractor to talk about the most affordable, efficient and safe system for your home.

HomeAdvisor is a Patch promotional partner.

More here:
Heres Why Baseboard Heating Is A Popular Option In Georgia - Patch.com

Chances are, you don't want to rip up your home to install a new heating system here in Texaswhere it won't get much work. But what about baseboard heating? It's a unique heating option that is easy and affordable to install.

There are actually two different kinds of options of baseboard heating. The most popular is baseboard, which heats a house by individual room. There is, however, a second option: hot water baseboard heaters, or hydronic baseboard heaters. These systems use central heating that channels hot water through pipes to baseboard heating units throughout your home. If you're looking to install a new heating system in your home, read on to learn how these two options work.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

This popular system uses electric resistance to provide baseboard heating in individual rooms. Cables inside the unit warm the air and push it outward. Meanwhile, cold air enters the bottom of the unit to be warmed. Homes with baseboard heating will have thermostats in each room.

Overall, electric baseboard heaters are less efficient than most central heating systems. However, this room-by-room control allows homeowners to only heat certain zones as needed to make up for that efficiency. Plus, they require no expensive duct work, so the initial installation won't cost an arm and a leg.

Hot Water Baseboard Heaters

Unlike electric baseboard systems, hot water heaters work from one central system. A boiler heats water and sends it through pipes from heater to heater. These systems tend to be more efficient than most alternatives. Installation can range in price, depending on your home. A low-end installation will mean units further away from the boiler get less heat. To avoid this problem, you'll need to install flow control valves, which can be adjusted so smaller rooms receive less heat than larger ones.

Other Considerations

Baseboard heating, while not unsightly, is visible in your interior design. Take care not to hang curtains or other wall hangings too close to your heater.

Additionally, another option for hydronic heating is to be used with radiant heat systems, where heating pipes run under the floor. But unlike baseboard heating, this will require an invasive, expensive installation. And, many homes don't have the right kind of flooring to make this probable. If you're considering a new heating system, meet with a professional contractor to talk about the most affordable, efficient and safe system for your home.

HomeAdvisor is a Patch promotional partner

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Heres Why Baseboard Heating Is A Smart Option In Texas - Patch.com

Winter is in full swing in Ohio, and our heaters have been working overtime. If you're due for an upgrade, consider using a baseboard system. While it isn't always the most efficient heating option, it has some key advantages for your home.

When most hear baseboard, they think of electric baseboard heaters, which heat a house room by room. There is, however, a second option: hot water baseboard heaters, or hydronic baseboard heaters. These systems use central heating that channels hot water through pipes to baseboard heating units throughout your home. If you're looking to install a new heating system in your home, read on to learn how these two options work.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

This popular system uses electric resistance to provide baseboard heating in individual rooms. Cables inside the unit warm the air and push it outward. Meanwhile, cold air enters the bottom of the unit to be warmed. Homes with baseboard heating will have thermostats in each room.

Overall, electric baseboard heaters are less efficient than most central heating systems. However, this room-by-room control allows homeowners to only heat certain zones as needed to make up for that efficiency. Plus, they require no expensive duct work, so the initial installation won't cost an arm and a leg.

Hot Water Baseboard Heaters

Unlike electric baseboard systems, hot water heaters work from one central system. A boiler heats water and sends it through pipes from heater to heater. These systems tend to be more efficient than most alternatives. Installation can range in price, depending on your home. A low-end installation will mean units further away from the boiler get less heat. To avoid this problem, you'll need to install flow control valves, which can be adjusted so smaller rooms receive less heat than larger ones.

Other Considerations

Baseboard heating, while not unsightly, is visible in your interior design. Take care not to hang curtains or other wall hangings too close to your heater.

Additionally, another option for hydronic heating is to be used with radiant heat systems, where heating pipes run under the floor. But unlike baseboard heating, this will require an invasive, expensive installation. And, many homes don't have the right kind of flooring to make this probable. If you're considering a new heating system, meet with a professional contractor to talk about the most affordable, efficient and safe system for your home.

HomeAdvisor is a Patch promotional partner.

More here:
Heres Why Baseboard Heating Can Be A Smart Option In Ohio - Patch.com

Would provide financial support to institutions to develop training programs...

Congressman Bill Keating

Washington, DC On Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced H.R. 3068, The Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act out of committee. This important piece of legislation, which was authored by Congressman Bill Keating and cosponsored by Congressman Joe Kennedy III, would provide financial support for educational institutions to develop and implement curriculum and training programs that support the creation of a workforce trained for the offshore wind industry.

H.R. 3068 would authorize $25 million dollars annually to eligible institutions including universities, community colleges, and union training programs to ensure that American workers stand ready to take these jobs of the future and to further prepare our workforce to participate in the burgeoning blue economy beyond the installation of wind.

Southeastern Massachusetts is one of the countrys preeminent hubs of the blue economy, said Congressman Keating. And, there are already important programs being launched to develop the workforce needed for the offshore wind industry. In my home town of Bourne, the unveiling of the first in the nation Offshore Wind Training Facility at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy put a unique piece of training infrastructure that will allow students a place to train on the specific safety procedures required by the industry. On Marthas Vineyard, an innovative partnership between Bristol Community College, Adult Education Marthas Vineyard, and Vineyard Power is about to launch a course of study to provide high school students, as well as continuing learners, with the opportunity to obtain college credit and job training for the offshore wind industry while on the island. Our community is setting the stage for the rest of the country as we look to a sustainable energy future in the offshore wind sector. The Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act aims to support and expand these programs here at home in Massachusetts, and to create opportunities for coastal communities across the nation to develop their own workforce as offshore wind projects advance.

Offshore wind energy wont only bring clean, affordable energy to our homes and businesses, it will create jobs and empower local economies throughout New England and across our country, said Congressman Joe Kennedy. As this emerging industry continues to grow, we must ensure American workers are prepared to capitalize on this economic opportunity with good jobs, worker protections and the strength and support of labor unions. With the Natural Resources Committees passage of the Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act, we are moving closer to building a Blue Economy that will lift up working families.

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Keating, Kennedy Offshore Wind Jobs Act Advances to House Floor - Cape Cod Today

January 14, 2020 Jesper Just on recoding the body in his new video installation, Corporealits

Jesper Just distorts rituals of movement through video and performancetwo media he pairs in perverse combinations to destabilize museum architecture and to createplangent moving images that echo with anticipation and longing. His multichannel video workServitudesshot in 2015 at One World Trade Center on the occasion ofhis solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Parisbrims with a restrained yet intense kineticism as its two mobility-limited protagonists internalize the skyscrapers hauntedarchitecture. Last autumn and with seven performers from the American Ballet Theater, just made his newest video,Corporealits, at Perrotins New York gallery, wherethe video installation will be on displayfrom January 14, 2020, to February 15, 2020. He discusses the exhibitions genesis below.

WHEN I BEGAN TO RESEARCH THE BASEMENT of the Palais de Tokyo for my exhibition there in 2015, I discovered it contained a vacant space originally intended as a cinema theater. After one screening, it became apparent that the acoustics created an unusual echo. The venue was retired and sealed off for many years, and came to be known as The Dead Baby. I find this connection between the body and rejected architectures intriguing, as it prompts me to think about the kinds of bodies our built environment privileges. The Palais de Tokyo had a lot of mezzanines and many different floors, and, as is the case in most museums, wheelchair-bound visitors did not have the same experience as those who inhabit an environment built to accommodate their needs. I wanted to challenge the able-bodied, so everyone had to take the wheelchair ramp to view Servitudes. When I adapted the video for Lisbons Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) last summer, we again used ramps to obstruct the staircase that abled visitors use to navigate through the galleries. This restricted them to a single route, but also paid homage to Romantic English gardens, where paths open and close to offer alternate views, creating a narrative told through movement, rather than words. Shooting the film at One World Trade Center indexed a bygone architecture, a phantom limb in the skyline. One feels a similar lack while watching the ballet dancers at the Perrotin exhibition, where their most striking facultytheir mobilityis absent. Professional ballet dancers possess highly fetishized bodies, hyper-able to achieve contortions unattainable for most of us. The set-up entailed micromanaging bodies that are capable of something extraordinary, yet, in this case, were pacified until they were activated by electric impulses. In challenging the hyper-bodys capabilities, I hope to blur how all bodies are categorized and differentially valued.

When the Royal Danish Ballet invited me to collaborate on a performance called Interpassivities in 2017, I hadnt worked with dancers before, and I started to think about how to erase choreography. In Corporealits, we hacked the TENS unit, an electrical nerve-stimulation device commonly used by dancers to relieve muscle pain, and connected it to a MIDI keyboard version of Faurs Romantic pavane Op. 50, which was programmed to send electrical currents to the dancers muscles with electrode pads.

At Perrotin, fragmented images of these bodies are dispersed on five LED screens, including one that lies on the floor, creating a sense of spatial immersion. Each display plays a certain number of notes from Op. 50 that accumulate in a symphonic surround, while the fractured images align but never reveal a dancers complete posture. This distortion gives the film a disjointed physicality, and freestanding LED screenswhich use the same technology as Times Square billboardsoffer a different sensation than projection. Because the image comes from the light source, their internal mechanics are integrated into the spectacle. The circuits connecting to the dancers bodies in the videos find their counterpart in the cables connecting the LED panels in the gallery space. This adds a sculptural layer to moving-image work that projection cannot achieve. Video exhibitions generally try to erase the spacethe audience is confined to a black box. My effort to break from this limited mode of spectatorship has, over the years, resulted in the distortion of my films through architecture, most recently at MAAT, where Servitudes was projected across various surfaces of the museum.

Corporealits is a loop without a backstory or conclusion. This subverts the imperatives of narrative cinema, which tend to view uncertainty as alarming. Art has potential to remain enigmatic. The stories ballet tells are typically strictly gendered, but visual fragmentation helps erase body paradigms. Theres also a sexual tension that is left fluid, as ambiguous, perhaps, as a soft electrical current suddenly felt on the skin. The dancers emotions and motivations are unresolved as they sit in passive, deadpan postures. I want these poses to conjure what Robert Pfaller and Slavoj iek have called interpassivity, or the potential within immobility. There is a paradox in how we are interactive today: We live in a full-speed world in which we are constantly tranquilized by technology. There are expectations about movement and choreography attached to the bodies of professional dancers, but Im interested in puncturing those expectations, as well as social conventions.

As told to Osman Can Yerebakan

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Jesper Just on recoding the body in his new video installation, Corporealits - Artforum

Window installation is underway at232 East 54thStreet, a topped-out residential building inMidtown East. Designed by Ismael Leyva Architects, the extruded square-shaped, reinforced concrete structure rises 420 feet tall and features asimple grid of windows on all four sides. Elk Investors was listed as the exclusive developer of the building, though ownership may have fully transferred to Mossanen Group and an LLC known as East 54th St. Properties, as per YIMBYs previous updates on the construction site.

Photos show the state of construction and the progress of the installation of the large windows. Meanwhile, more work on the crown has been completed since YIMBYs last update in August 2019.

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

232 East 54th Street. Photo by Michael Young

The development will contain 130 rental units atop ground-floor retail space along East 54th Street. Residential amenities include a fitness center, a shared rooftop terrace, an outdoor entertainment space, a laundry room, and a bicycle storage room. 232 East 54th Street was originally slated to only rise around 20 stories, but was later doubled to 40 stories. A rendering of the structure shown below depicts the nighttime appearance with an illuminated crown.

Rendering of 232 East 54th Street Ismael Leyva Architects

The closest transit options from 232 East 54th Street are the E and M trains, found to the west at the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street subway station by the Citigroup Center, aka 610 Lexington Avenue. Also nearby is the Lexington Avenue-59th Street station, servicing the N, R, and W trains.

A completion date for 232 West 54th Street has not been announced, though its possible that work could finish sometime before the end of the year.

Subscribeto YIMBYs daily e-mailFollowthe YIMBYgram for real-time photo updatesLikeYIMBY on FacebookFollowYIMBYs Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews

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Window Installation Progresses at 232 East 54th Street in Midtown East - New York YIMBY

Multiple stories are the norm for most residences, but this layout often includes a few inconveniences. The most obvious one is that you'll find yourself making regular trips up and down the stairs if you can't meet all of your needs on a single level.

The first floor typically features a kitchen and living room, along with a sitting room or other areas for relaxing or socializing. Doing laundry, by contrast, may require you to make repeatedly head into and out of the basement while hauling a basket of clothes. You may need to head to the second floor in order to use a bathroom or turn in for the night.

Turning a multistory home into a residence that supports single floor living offers several benefits. TruBuild Construction, a company based in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, says this type of layout provides better accessibility overall, and is particularly helpful for aging residents or those with disabilities.

This kind of renovation will also let you improve the overall look and function of the home. Alex Bravo, who runs the remodeling resource RemodelingImage.com, says changing the layout allows you to do additional work such as increasing the size of the kitchen or creating an open floor plan. Becky Harris, writing for the home design site Houzz, says you can also preserve guest bedrooms or other space on an upper story to accommodate visitors.

A single level design requires a bedroom and bathroom. TruBuild Construction says your washing machine and dryer should also be located on this floor. You may need to have improve access into the home as well, such as installing a zero step entryway.

Living on the first floor may require you to rearrange your home considerably. Harris, discussing the example of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom empty nester home that was renovated for single level residency, Harris noted how several rooms took on new purposes. For example, the living room was converted into a new kitchen while the former kitchen became a laundry room.

This process often creates more open space by removing walls. Bravo says you'll need to make sure you keep load-bearing walls in place, or put in a pillar or other feature to maintain structural stability. The process of establishing a new function in a room may also require you to put in new plumbing or wiring.

Assess the rooms on your first floor to see which ones are the best candidates for repurposing. TruBuild Construction says you may have a space such as a formal dining room or sitting room which is infrequently used.

It can be more difficult to cut out more useful areas, such as pantries or other storage spaces. You might be able to reduce the disruption by limiting your laundry space to a stackable washer-dryer unit, which can fit in a closet while preserving some shelves.

If you are reluctant to work within your existing space, you can add new features on the first floor by putting on an addition. Bravo says any addition should complement the look of your home, and can easily allow you to add features such as an extra bedroom and bathroom. However, an addition will also come at considerable expense due to foundation work and other construction costs.

Any work to renovate your home to keep essential facilities on the first floor should have the necessary permits. If you have a homeowners association, you should check with them to make sure the work abides by the bylaws.

Assessing the property on your own will let you contemplate a few ideas for single level living, but you should also meet with a professional to get their take. TruBuild Construction says an architect, contractor, or design-build firm can be helpful.

If you are converting the home to single level living in order to age in place, take the opportunity to incorporate other features that will assist this goal. These may include a curbless shower, taller toilet, or grab bars.

While it's convenient to be able to reside on one floor of the home, you shouldn't neglect the rest of the property. Periodically visit those rooms to keep them clean and to keep an eye out for any leaks or other issues that can cause serious damage if not addressed promptly.

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Converting your home to single floor living - News from southeastern Connecticut - theday.com