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Posts Tagged ‘Creepy’

High Security: 150 Creepy Cameras Installed on 1 Blank Wall

03 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

wall camera full picture

If you ever get that feeling you are being watched, well, for once it really is just your imagination – this fleet of surveillance cams is inactive but still startling to anyone caught by surprise. All they are missing is some George Orwell birthday party hats.

wall camera big picture

wall camera relentless focus

wall camera 2d illusion

Street artist SpY, known for large and thought-provoking interventions, really lives up to his nom de plume in this installation set alongside a side street in Madrid, Spain.

wall camera artist shadow

wall camera close up

wall camera art array

Catching passers by off their guard, the neatly-arranged series features one hundred and fifty security cameras all pointed in roughly the same direction, all causing a cumulative sense of distinct unease that is only slightly irrational upon reflection.

wall camera one direction

wall art camera installation

wall camera full view

While the prop cams are both inactive in practice and redundant in theory (since they all appear to be looking at the same spot), the effect of feeling watched by many eyes is still disproportionately unsettling.

wall camera alley view

wall camera crane veritcal

The construction process was painstaking, involving a crane and the manual attachment and alignment of each camera along a carefully-planned grid.

wall camera installation process

wall security cams art

Aside from their uniform focus, the consistent color and style of each unit adds another level of discomfort to the mix, like a marching army of emotionless robotic agents in some dystopian science fiction film.

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Gratuitous Graffiti: Wild Robot Makes Random Wall Tags

If there is s science to the art of graffiti, well, this is not it – except insofar as this robot-artist was itself born of scientific experimentation! Click Here to Read More »»


Insanely Creepy: 7 Scary Images of Mannequins and Dolls

Mannequins are one of those things that are somewhat necessary even though they are undeniably scary. And as if they weren’t creepy enough on their own … Click Here to Read More »»


Orwellian Birthday: Party Hats Put on Public CCTV Cameras

To celebrate the 110th birthday of deceased British author George Orwell, famous for his dystopian visions of the future, Front404 roamed the streets of … Click Here to Read More »»


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Past Food: 10 Creepy Closed & Abandoned McDonald’s

21 Dec

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

abandoned closed McDonald's
I’m leavin’ it! You can bet your sesame seed buns these 10 closed and abandoned McDonald’s have swirled their last McFlurry and will bag burgers no more.

Archless In America

abandoned McDonald's (image via: Flavio Grana)

The usual knock against modern architecture (or should we say, “ARCH-itecture”) is that it lacks character, and the stereotypical mansard-roofed “McStore” style of McDonald’s outlets is the poster child for the genre. With that said, Flickr user Flavio Grana has managed to coax a supersized amount of depth out of the anonymous abandoned McDonald’s location above. Stripped of all brand identity yet instantly recognizable, the moonlit McD’s stands alone in silent glory, a washed-out monument to conspicuous consumer culture.

Sweet & Sour Saucer

Megatron McDonald's Alconbury(images via: Reddit, Comfortable Disorientation and Geograph UK))

If you thought the UFO-shaped McDonald’s in Roswell, NM was out of this world, then feast your eyes on the former McDonald’s restaurant in Alconbury, UK. First opened in 1990 as The Megatron, the distinctive saucer-shaped eatery was an interplanetary flop: in 1993 it closed but soon re-opened under the McDonald’s banner.

McDonald's Megatron Alconbury(images via: Daz, Comfortable Disorientation and HuntsPost24/Geoff Soden)

After roughly 15 years serving up burgers, fries & shakes to hungry Huntingdonshire locals, the location shut down for good and (oddly for a closed McDonald’s franchise) remained shuttered for a further half-decade before finally being demolished in mid-2008. Plans are now afoot to allow six “gypsy pitches” to occupy the land where the McUFO once stood. Tramps and thieves are advised to look elsewhere.

Arch-Criminal?

abandoned McDonald's golden arches sign(image via: rustyjaw)

It’s not often an item (with emphasis on the “em”) this large and obtrusive escapes the watchful eyes of the McBrand Police but it seems to have happened here. Flickr user rustyjaw doesn’t explain what the Big M is doing inside an abandoned naval communications station or what plans (if any) he has for this piece of fast food M-orabilia, and that’s probably in his own best interest. Imagine refurbishing and re-electrifying the signage, then mounting it on your dining room wall… awesome to be sure, though it would definitely ruin the mood during intimate gourmet dinners.

Supersize My Storm

abandoned McDonald's Biloxi clown(images via: Imgur/1RgbS and Joel Carranza))

If Ronald McDonald wasn’t creepy enough already, check out his zombie clown alter-ego, still (barely) standing in Biloxi, MS, shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in September 2005. It took a while for reconstruction to get into full swing around Biloxi and the neighboring gulf coast but it was too late for both this shattered & shuttered McDonald’s and the tilted Ronald – they’ve been replaced by a Wendy’s.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Past Food 10 Creepy Closed Abandoned Mcdonalds

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Is It Safe? Nine Creepy Abandoned Dentist Offices

These nine creepy abandoned dentist offices feature chairs even a weary marathon man wouldn’t sit on. Listen to your inner drill sergeant, this will hurt a bit! Click Here to Read More »»


Uber Creepy Tour: Abandoned Six Flags New Orleans [69 Pics]

The atmosphere in an abandoned amusement park gives off a nightmarish vibe. With 69 uber-creepy urban exploration photos, we tour abandoned Six Flags New … Click Here to Read More »»


Case Closed: 12 Locked Down Abandoned Police Stations

These unlocked, unloaded and unmanned abandoned police stations suggest that when the long arm of the law has withered, the end of society must be nigh. Click Here to Read More »»


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Past Food: 10 Creepy Closed & Abandoned McDonald’s

16 Dec

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

abandoned closed McDonald's
I’m leavin’ it! You can bet your sesame seed buns these 10 closed and abandoned McDonald’s have swirled their last McFlurry and will bag burgers no more.

Archless In America

abandoned McDonald's (image via: Flavio Grana)

The usual knock against modern architecture (or should we say, “ARCH-itecture”) is that it lacks character, and the stereotypical mansard-roofed “McStore” style of McDonald’s outlets is the poster child for the genre. With that said, Flickr user Flavio Grana has managed to coax a supersized amount of depth out of the anonymous abandoned McDonald’s location above. Stripped of all brand identity yet instantly recognizable, the moonlit McD’s stands alone in silent glory, a washed-out monument to conspicuous consumer culture.

Sweet & Sour Saucer

Megatron McDonald's Alconbury(images via: Reddit, Comfortable Disorientation and Geograph UK))

If you thought the UFO-shaped McDonald’s in Roswell, NM was out of this world, then feast your eyes on the former McDonald’s restaurant in Alconbury, UK. First opened in 1990 as The Megatron, the distinctive saucer-shaped eatery was an interplanetary flop: in 1993 it closed but soon re-opened under the McDonald’s banner.

McDonald's Megatron Alconbury(images via: Daz, Comfortable Disorientation and HuntsPost24/Geoff Soden)

After roughly 15 years serving up burgers, fries & shakes to hungry Huntingdonshire locals, the location shut down for good and (oddly for a closed McDonald’s franchise) remained shuttered for a further half-decade before finally being demolished in mid-2008. Plans are now afoot to allow six “gypsy pitches” to occupy the land where the McUFO once stood. Tramps and thieves are advised to look elsewhere.

Arch-Criminal?

abandoned McDonald's golden arches sign(image via: rustyjaw)

It’s not often an item (with emphasis on the “em”) this large and obtrusive escapes the watchful eyes of the McBrand Police but it seems to have happened here. Flickr user rustyjaw doesn’t explain what the Big M is doing inside an abandoned naval communications station or what plans (if any) he has for this piece of fast food M-orabilia, and that’s probably in his own best interest. Imagine refurbishing and re-electrifying the signage, then mounting it on your dining room wall… awesome to be sure, though it would definitely ruin the mood during intimate gourmet dinners.

Supersize My Storm

abandoned McDonald's Biloxi clown(images via: Imgur/1RgbS and Joel Carranza))

If Ronald McDonald wasn’t creepy enough already, check out his zombie clown alter-ego, still (barely) standing in Biloxi, MS, shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in September 2005. It took a while for reconstruction to get into full swing around Biloxi and the neighboring gulf coast but it was too late for both this shattered & shuttered McDonald’s and the tilted Ronald – they’ve been replaced by a Wendy’s.

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Past Food 10 Creepy Closed Abandoned Mcdonalds

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Is It Safe? Nine Creepy Abandoned Dentist Offices

These nine creepy abandoned dentist offices feature chairs even a weary marathon man wouldn’t sit on. Listen to your inner drill sergeant, this will hurt a bit!
Click Here to Read More »»


Uber Creepy Tour: Abandoned Six Flags New Orleans [69 Pics]

The atmosphere in an abandoned amusement park gives off a nightmarish vibe. With 69 uber-creepy urban exploration photos, we tour abandoned Six Flags New …
Click Here to Read More »»


Case Closed: 12 Locked Down Abandoned Police Stations

These unlocked, unloaded and unmanned abandoned police stations suggest that when the long arm of the law has withered, the end of society must be nigh.
Click Here to Read More »»


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Is It Safe? Nine Creepy Abandoned Dentist Offices

15 Sep

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

abandoned dentist offices
These nine creepy abandoned dentist offices feature chairs even a weary marathon man wouldn’t sit on. Listen to your inner drill sergeant, this will hurt a bit!

Adel Reformatory, England

Adel Reformatory abandoned dentist chair(image via: Mexico75)

The Adel Reformatory in Leeds, England opened in 1857 and parts of the complex were still being used until 2004. One hopes the drab, dreary and debris-cluttered dentist office above was abandoned as early as possible. Kids, stay in school… but not a reform school, and especially not if you have a toothache.

Adel Reformatory Leeds abandoned dentist office(images via: Mexico75)

Kudos and congrats to Flickr user Mexico75 for not only capturing the decrepit Adel Reformatory dentist office but for lighting it in such a way that promises unimaginable doom to anyone brave (or foolish) enough to sit in that chair.

Le Palace d’Anfa Hotel, Morocco

Le Palace d'Anfa Morocco abandoned dentist office chair(image via: TripAdvisor.fr)

There’s nothing worse than having a dental emergency while traveling in a strange foreign land, amiright? There are degrees of “worse”, however, and the de facto dental office just next to the gym at the Le Palace d’Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco takes that degree right off the dial. As for the Le Palace d’Anfa Hotel itself, TripAdvisor recommends tourists “avoid this hotel” regardless of the status of their teeth.

Maison De Cerf, Belgium

dentist Maison de Cerf Belgium abandoned(images via: Day Of The Dead)

This abandoned dentist’s house in Belgium doesn’t look too bad, though one can be certain it’s never going to look any better than this. Located in the home’s working basement, the office appears to have been left suddenly and in great haste by the owner, who never bothered to return for his equipment or teeth molds.

dentist Maison de Cerf abandoned Belgium(image via: Day Of The Dead)

The reclining dentist’s chair was obviously designed for comfort and support but as we all can attest, true relaxation in this situation requires plenty of novocaine and nitrous oxide. One thing’s for certain, a trip to this or any dentist is never “boring”… unless you’ve got a cavity that needs attention, that is.

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Is It Safe Nine Creepy Abandoned Dentist Offices

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Creepy Portraits Made Using DNA from Gum & Smokes

09 May

[ By Steph in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

DNA Portraits 1

The chewed gum, fingernail clippings and cigarette butts you leave behind in public places could say a lot more about you than you’d like to imagine. Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg makes this abundantly clear with her series, ‘Stranger Visions’, which reproduces people’s faces using DNA extracted from such forensic evidence collected in New York City and Brooklyn.

DNA Portraits 2

Dewey-Hagborg is a PhD student studying electronic arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. After extracting the DNA from her samples, she focuses on specific genomic regions, sequences them and then enters the data into a computer program, which produces a model of the face of the person who tossed that item onto the ground.

DNA Portraits 3

From those models, Dewey-Hagborg produces sculptures of the faces using a 3D printer. These life-sized portraits, which look similar to death masks, hang on gallery walls, often beside wooden boxes holding the original samples and showing photographs of where they were found.

DNA Portraits 4

The artist learned about DNA extraction from a course in molecular biology at Genspace, a do-it-yourself biology lab in Brooklyn where she does some of her work. She uses standard DNA extraction kits ordered online to analyze the DNA. The results are shockingly detailed; a mask of her own face made using the same technique shows just how accurate the results can be. However, there’s no way to tell age from DNA, so the computer produces a 25-year-old version of the person. Learn more about the process at Smithsonian.

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Corn Colonels: 13 Creepy Geeky Scarecrows

16 Oct

[ By Steve in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]


Not all scarecrows are outstanding in their fields (they just look that way) and not many scarecrows are creatively constructed – most farmers have other, more pressing concerns. Through design or by default, however, some scarecrows rise above their humble origins and scare a lot more than just crows. Hay, it’s in their jeans!

Gene-netically Modified?

(images via: Rocketnews24 and Himajin Sokuhou)

This demonic scarecrow used to rock & roll all night but now he just rocks… when the breeze is blowing. Better not let Gene Simmons know about this scarecrow or the Japanese farmer who installed it may receive a letter from a lawyer demanding payment of a licensing fee.

(image via: Himajin Sokuhou)

What do the local crows think of this KISS Army of one? They’re not saying, but every time one comes near the scarecrow breathes fire and spits blood.

Zombie Orc Scarecrow

(image via: Imgbit)

Ever wonder what an Orc from the Lord of the Rings film series would look like if it was struck by lightning in the middle of a meadow? Wonder no longer… and just be glad you’re meeting this epic scarecrow in broad daylight. Notice there are no crows on the scarecrow or anywhere else – they may be birds but they’re no birdbrains. Mmm, birrrrd brraaaainnns!!!!!

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

(images via: Film School Rejects, IMDB and Schlockmania)

The 1981 film Dark Night of the Scarecrow didn’t win any Oscars but it did succeed in erasing any residual cute factor engendered by Ray Bolger in The Wizard of Oz. It also gave new meaning to the phrase “going postal”. Interfere with delivery of the U.S. Mail? That’s a shootin’.

(image via: Schlockmania)

Dark Night of the Scarecrow’s plot, if we can call it that, roughly centered on a dim-witted local yokel who hides out from vengeful vigilantes inside a scarecrow. Not the ideal hideout but we did say he was dim-witted. If he only had a brain!

Minimal Material, Maximum Impact

(image via: Penn Museum)

If farming (and not that other thing) is the oldest profession, then scarecrows are older than culture itself. What did the first scarecrows look like, and how scary could they have possibly been? The minimalist scarecrow above, photographed in 1932 in rural Iran, gives us a good indication of both.

Too Ghoul for School

(images via: Toychan and Look Around Kawagoe)

Recycling old clothing is a very good thing. Recycling old Japanese sailor suit school uniforms to make the world’s creepiest scarecrows, not so much. One wonders what the former schoolgirls think when they come home to visit the folks and see their straw-stuffed doppelgangers standing silently in the back forty. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Scarecrow Zone!

(image via: Licolita)

If it isn’t schoolgirl uniforms it’s maid outfits – sweet and adorable in real life, dark and disturbing when used to clothe scarecrows. At least the fields are kept clean and are well dusted.

The Grimm Reaper

(image via: Don33c)

Look who showed up at the peaceably-named Auburn Community Festival! Looking like the idiot lovechild of Freddy Krueger and The Thing from The Fantastic Four, this oversized guardian of all things agricultural wants you to know his favorite time of year is harvest time slash clobberin’ time… with emphasis on the slash.

Crowabunga!

(images via: Tokyo Times)

Seated deep within the verdant undergrowth threatening to take over a forlorn Japanese open-air greenhouse, it’s a wonder any crows could even see this serious-looking scarecrow let alone be afraid of him. Perhaps he’s just lulling them into a lowered state of alertness… for the LULZ, of course.

(image via: Tokyo Times)

Wasting old clothing is almost as bad as wasting chalk, and the melancholy mannequin above does double duty disseminating both messages. Yep, it’s the same serious-looking guy from the previous image though summer has flown away like a well-fed crow… DOH!

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20 More Cute, Creepy, & Geeky Urban Vinyl Collectibles

Continuing our collection, here’s a look at some incredibly cute, creepy, and even geeky urban vinyl collectibles.
5 Comments – Click Here to Read More »»


54 Creepy, Bizarre and Geeky Xmas Tree Ornaments

Divided into four sections, the following collection includes some of the creepiest, scariest, weirdest, most bizarre, and geeky Christmas ornaments for you to pick from.
17 Comments – Click Here to Read More »»


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