New Sculpture of Alan Turing on Display: PHOTO

(wynn abbott - instagram)

A new sculpture of Alan Turing has been put on display in Paddington, London.

During World War II, Alan Turing, who is known as the father of modern computing, devised the Turing Bombe, a codebreaking device that was used to decipher the Nazi enigma codes, up to 3,000 messages per day. He was also gay, and two years after being convicted of "gross indecency" for being homosexual and sentenced to undergo hormone therapy, he killed himself with a cyanide-laced apple.

Activists and lawmakers are still working to get an official pardon for Turing's conviction from the British government.

Pink News reports:

The two-dimensional sculpture appeared near St Mary’s, Paddington, alongside sculptures of fellow local heroes, famous nurse Mary Seacole and Paddington Bear author Michael Bond.

The sculptures are part of the Portrait Bench series by Sustrans, transport charity, which installs the sculptures, as voted for by local residents. The sculptures are made from Corten steel, the same as the Angel of the North, and will eventually rust to give a more organic look.

Mosaic Artist Completes Lindsay Lohan Portrait Made of Trash: TIME-LAPSE VIDEO

Jason Mecier, the genius mosaic artist (we've featured his Channing Tatum 'Magic Mike and Ike' candy portrait and his Honey Boo Boo garbage masterpiece) has completed another portrait: Lindsay Lohan.

This art piece is made entirely out of trash, recycling and found objects inspired by Lindsay Lohan, and took over 50 hours to make!

Highlights include make-up, jewelry, sunglasses, credit cards, cell phones, booze bottles, handcuffs, Visine, prescription bottles, Lindsay's CDs and DVDs, 2 collectable Mean Girls nail files, 4 ant traps, Monistat 7, 8 Q-Tips, 13 bullet shells, 1 tampon and 29 cigarette butts.

Watch a stunning time-lapse of its creation, AFTER THE JUMP...

Tilda Swinton Sleeping in Glass Box at the MoMa

Gothamist writes:

Tilda Swinton has currently taken up residency sleeping at MoMA. It's part of an unannounced, surprise performance piece called "The Maybe" that will be taking place on random days all month. A MoMA source told us, "Museum staff doesn't know she's coming until the day of, but she's here today. She'll be there the whole day. All that's in the box is cushions and a water jug."

"Tilda Swinton will be doing unannounced, random performance art pieces sleeping in a glass box in the museum," the source added. "Today is the first performance. Each performance lasts the whole day the museum is open." Swinton and her box are located near the ticket collectors today, but the box may be in different locations at other performances.

Like Marina Abramovic, but less scheduled...

Starting Tonight, SF Bay Bridge to Host Spectacular Light Show for the Next Two Years: VIDEO

For the next two years starting tonight, San Francisco's Bay Bridge will host artist Leo Villareal's magnificent installation "The Bay Lights", a shimmering LED sculpture that draws its inspiration from the bridge's surroundings - boats, waves, clouds, the city itself.

The project has been privately financed for $8 million.

Fantastic.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Six-Year Sexual Relationship Between Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg Put in Closet by MoMa Exhibit

Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern notes some troublesome closeting by the Museum of Modern Art:

The Museum of Modern Art currently has on display a wonderful, compact installation titled simply “Johns and Rauschenberg.” Featuring art culled from the museum’s permanent collection, “Johns and Rauschenberg” focuses on works painted by each artist during the mid to late 1950s, using Robert Rauschenberg’s recently acquired Canyon as a centerpiece. The introductory placard describes the two artists as being “in dialogue with one another,” explaining how their works from this period led the way “beyond Abstract Expressionism” and toward Pop Art. At the heart of the installation is the relationship between the two men, an intensely collaborative yet highly competitive connection which pushed each artist toward his own artistic triumph.

It’s a nice narrative, as far as it goes. But it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns were lovers during this six-year period of collaboration, and their relationship had a profound impact on their art.

Stern thinks the MoMa is concerned about offending its patrons. Meanwhile, everyone seems to be toeing their line:

In an attempt to justify this re-closing of the artistic closet, MoMA’s press office first informed me that Johns and Rauschenberg “wish to be described” as just friends. (Rauschenberg died in 2008; Johns is 82.) When I asked whether the artists specifically requested such a label, the museum’s representative walked back the claim, instead stating that they “have been referred to that way [as friends, that is] historically,” but the rep would not say whether the artists themselves insisted on the “friends” phrasing. Neither would the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, which officially had “no reply” to the question, or the Matthew Marks Gallery, Johns’ dealer, which failed to respond to repeated inquiries.

The World's First 3-D Printing Pen Lets You Draw in the Air: VIDEO

In the category of Kickstarter projects we love comes this awesome offspring of the 3-D printer:

As 3Doodler draws, it extrudes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong stable structure. This allows you to build an infinite variety of shapes and items with ease!

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...