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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

NYC Comes Alive Around Massive Mural in Time Lapse Video

09 May

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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A 150-foot-tall figure of a man walking materializes on a Manhattan sidewalk, slowly coming into focus as the city awakens around it, in a new time-lapse video. French photographer and street artist JR directs a team of workers who can be seen scrambling around the piece like worker bees as the hours pass, the sun arcs over the site and thousands of people mill by.

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The New York Times commissioned JR to create the piece for an accompanying story on walking in the city, and produced the video. A camera perched atop the adjacent Flatiron building captures the action as the team wets the pavement before dawn, preparing to adhere the giant paste-up.

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It’s cool to see the process behind installing a wheat paste project this big, and the time lapse shows just how much work goes into it despite the fact that it’s not being hand-painted onsite.

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JR is known for journalistic murals made of his own photography, putting giant faces all over urban structures like walls, roofs, streets and train cars. The photo-realism is especially effective when it’s paired with aging, deteriorating surfaces.

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For Shame! Anti-Littering Campaign Uses Sly DNA Collection

08 May

[ By Delana in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

hong kong cleanup

Litterbugs usually like to keep their polluting crimes a dirty little secret – but Hong Kong Cleanup wanted to show them that there is no way to hide from the all-seeing eyes of technology. They created an environmental campaign called “The Faces of Litter” which used DNA phenotyping to create portraits of people who littered.

identifying litterers with dna

The rather Orwellian campaign illustrated garbage police collecting refuse with traces of DNA from around Hong Kong. In the campaign video, cigarette butts, coffee cups, and even a used condom were picked up and taken to a lab for analysis.

snapshot dna analysis

Once the DNA had been isolated, scientists used a program called Snapshot DNA Phenotyping to create a realistic 3D image of the litterbug. These faces could then be displayed in public places as a shame campaign to deter future littering.

The technology involved in this concept is indeed available, but The Faces of Litter was only an awareness-raising campaign. Photos were indeed displayed at Hong Kong transit stations, but they weren’t of real criminals – the faces were created using the DNA of volunteers.

snapshot dna phenotyping

The Hong Kong Cleanup project highlights the fact that littering is out of control in Hong Kong despite fines equivalent to $ 200 US. The video warns would-be trash droppers: “Don’t let it be your face,” hopefully inspiring them to think twice before flicking a cigarette butt or flinging an empty coffee cup.

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[ By Delana in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

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Retrofuturistic Urbanism: 6 Cities as they Could Have Become

08 May

[ By Delana in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

future retro city

To people of 100 or even 50 years ago, the metropolises of today would look utterly foreign. Our elevated highways, massive airports, high population density and huge skyscrapers would be breathtaking to someone from a far earlier era. But futurists of the past did their best to imagine the world of tomorrow – otherwise known as our today – and came up with some wild imagery.

San Francisco

discopter diagrams

Above (and at top) is ship engineer and inventor Alexander Weygers‘ vision of San Francisco  as he saw it from 1950. The disc-shaped objects near the water are Weygers’ patented flying machine which he dubbed the Discopter. In his visions of future American cities, Weygers imagined large Discopter ports in every city, allowing for safe and convenient travel for the city’s residents.

Los Angeles

harlan georgescu sky lots

Architect Harlan Georgescu envisioned these sky-high mixed-use buildings becoming an integral part of future downtown Los Angeles. The buildings were meant to be 500 feet tall; Georgescu’s design put living, working, dining, shopping and recreational spaces in each building. Every structure would provide homes for 200 families in the space that would normally only support 12 conventional, ground-level homes. His Sky Lots plan included a suspended freeway running between the buildings – then out to the suburbs – to alleviate some of the city’s terrible traffic problems.

Houston

houston skyline

In the 1920s, Houston Post writers took a stab at predicting the city’s skyline in 1980. Note the same type of elevated freeways envisioned for LA, these also leading straight into and through tall buildings. Elevated walkways were also featured in the design, essentially doubling the pedestrian space for Houston residents. Houston did eventually develop a skyline containing plenty of tall, distinctive buildings and elevated roads – it looks like the Houston Post had (mostly) realistic expectations for the future of their city.

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Retrofuturistic Urbanism 6 Cities As They Could Have Become

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[ By Delana in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Cardboard Contradictions: 13 Clever Corrugated Creations

07 May

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

cardboard shigeru ban 2

Flimsy and disposable, cardboard doesn’t exactly seem like a natural fit for applications like architecture, furniture, surfboards or bike helmets, yet these 13 unexpected applications show off its hidden strength. These products and structures take advantage of the structural properties, light weight and affordability of corrugated cardboard, with surprising results.

Cardboard Surfboard

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Enest Packaging Solutions teamed up with Signal Snowboards to create a surfboard that won’t disintegrate in the water, despite being made almost entirely out of cardboard. The board features a cardboard honeycomb core surrounded by a thin layer of transparent fiberglass indicated with waterproof polyurethane. The honeycomb structure is so stiff, it can be sanded like a foam surfboard, enabling it to be shaped.

Cardboard Foosball Table

cardboard foosball table

cardboard foosball table 2

‘Kartoni’ is a regulation-sized foosball table using cardboard for almost its entire construction, other than the wooden handles. It can be quickly assembled without glue, fasteners or tools and you can even print out your own custom faces and logos for the players. The table has built-in cup and smartphone holders.

Re-Fold Cardboard Standing Desk

cardboard standing desk

cardboard standing desk 2

You might wonder just how strong and stable a cardboard desk could actually be, but the Refold can support the full weight of an average-sized adult. This portable standing desk adapts to changing needs in a workplace and could also be used by students, designers, retailers and emergency responders. It folds and slots together in less than two minutes without tape or connectors of any kind.

Cardboard Bike Helmet

cardboard bike helmet 1

cardboard bike helmet 2

You might think woodpeckers would get brain damage from all that head movement, but their skulls have adapted to withstand repeated heavy impact with a corrugated cartilage structure that separates the beak from the skull. This naturally-occurring design inspired the creation of the Kranium, a helmet with a cardboard structure that allows a range of movement to help absorb force three times better than expanded polystyrene while remaining 15 percent lighter.

An Entire Pop-Up Cardboard Office

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An entire home office appears out of a flat sheet of cardboard when it’s opened and laid flat on the ground. This all-in-one cardboard furniture set includes a desk and a chair. Unlike the portable standing desk, however, this design is just for show, and can’t actually support much weight.

Simple Cardboard Cart for Moving Boxes

cardboard cart parts

cardboard cart parts 2

A handle, wheels and a few connectors are all you need to easily move big, heavy boxes from one place to another – and they’re made of cardboard, too. The Move-It Kit is a set of lightweight, inexpensive self-adhesive parts envisioned especially for people who have to walk uncomfortable distances with boxes in tow. Can’t you just see these being sold at IKEA?

Google Cardboard

cardboard google 3

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Sometimes cardboard is integrated into technology, too, becoming the product itself rather than just the packaging. Experience virtual reality on your smartphone with Google Cardboard, a simple viewer that works with accompanying Google Cardboard apps that add new layers to the world around you. Buy a pre-made one in a variety of colors and designs for $ 20-$ 30, or make your own using a provided template.

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Cardboard Contradictions 13 Clever Corrugated Creations

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Rise of Robotic Graffiti: Drone Vandal Sprays Paint in Midair

06 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

drone graffiti

In what appears to be the first recorded work of public aerial drone vandalism, this off-the-shelf quadcopter was hacked to hold and use a can of spray paint, forever transforming the landscape of potential graffiti targets (image above by Arthur Holland Michel).

Attacking a giant Calvin Klein ad in the heart of New York City, this modified Phantom drone sprayed red paint on the face of model Kendall Jenner, able to fly up to and hover around the area of application much faster (then escape much easier) than a human ever could, finished in under a minute. Robot-made murals and computer-generated street art are nothing new, but putting them in the sky could change everything.

spray paint test aerial

The artist behind this intervention, KATSU, has been exprimenting with drone-mounted spray cans for some time now in controlled indoor environments, but wanted to show the potential for his work to reach places inaccessible to humans.

Created with Nokia Smart Cam

More proof of concept than finished piece, this particular work of graffiti was difficult to accomplish, with a great deal of effort put into stabilizing the aerial robot – creating a tag with any kind of precision using this method would be effectively impossible.

spray painting drone

Per Wired, though, the implications are bigger than this test: “Given the enduring privacy, safety, and legal concerns around the technology, conceptually it makes a certain amount of sense that it would find uses at the peripheries of what most people (let alone the law) would consider acceptable. KATSU’s scribble high above SoHo might not look like much, but it represents the potential that drones have to transform graffiti forever.”

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High-Tech Hobos: Train-Hopping Vagabonds of the Digital Age

06 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Culture & History & Travel. ]

hobo train top travel

Traveling light takes on new meaning when jumping trains, as does the limited battery life of mobile devices – just like the rest of us, hitchhikers and train hoppers these days increasingly see the web as as invaluable resource. The underlying story of nomadic life on the rails is surprisingly consistent in some ways: people, generally young, using the nation’s railways to travel the country. The details are, however, revealingly different – analog hobo codes have given way to digital hobo coders.

hobo travel train hopo

Like many 30-somethings, Huck has experienced life with and without a pervasive internet that answers all questions. This transitional generation knows to rely on conventional knowledge and hard research as much as spoon-fed answers. In the extended interview below, this reddit user (/u/huckstah) and long-time /r/vagabond participant shares stories from his nomadic lifestyle. Images here by Molly Steele illustrate some of the everyday wonders of illicit train travel as well. Per Hobos of Instagram , these travelers are trading their flip phones for iPhones, starting Instagram accounts … and bringing an age-old tradition of trainhopping and tramping into the Information Age.”

Online resources provide help in all kinds of ways, including some websites dedicated to helping the (often intentionally) homeless and misfit travelers as they hitchhike or dumpster dive. At the same time, there are many ways to also turn ordinary resources toward new ends, like using Google Maps to scout the layouts of train yards for security gaps and best access points.

Beyond transit, maps are also helpful for finding public restrooms, camp grounds, power outlets, showers and other essentials. Kindles (or other devices using less power than phones) are critical to stretching battery life, too. Ultimately, the information flows both ways: travelers turn around and share their adventures on Instagram, Vine, Facebook and other social media sites.

hobo sleeping rail car

Those on the road more often than not find themselves looking for remote digital work or seasonal employment, again aided in part by websites like Craigslist and otherwise. YouTube videos help guide people through various processes of actually getting on and off trains, as well as finding the best boxcars on (or in) which to travel. Of course, none of these reduce the real, physical-world risks and dangers associated with train hopping, including but not limited to injury and arrest. Some naturally worry that the spread of this form of transit to the internet will increasingly lure people who are not equipped for the lifestyle to try things better off watched on Vimeo or read on reddit.

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Pure Gold: 24-Karat Art Center Highlights ‘Haunted House’

05 May

[ By Steph in Drawing & Digital. ]

gold art center 1

Part of a century-old distillery, a structure known as the ‘Haunted House’ now glimmers in the faintest of light thanks to its real 24 karat gold coating. Dutch architecture firm OMA adapted a complex of seven buildings in Milan for Fondazione Prada’s new arts center and added three new buildings, blending them all together with the goal of making it hard to tell which are historic and which aren’t.

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The coat of gold paint makes the old factory building look like it could be as new as the glazed Podium building that was constructed around it, which will host temporary exhibitions. This striking detail was actually a last-minute decision, as lead architect Rem Koolhaas sought a way to “give value to a seemingly mundane and simple element.”

art center 4

When the sun is shining bright, gold-tinted light reflects off that structure onto the rest of the complex, which also includes a cinema camouflaged by mirrors. OMA upgraded the historic structures with modern finish materials and carried an industrial aesthetic throughout the new buildings for a cohesive result. It’s not clear exactly how this could be possible, but according to Koolhaas, “gold is actually a cheap cladding material compared to traditional claddings like marble and even paint.”

art center 5 art center 6

Established by the Italian fashion house, Fondazione Prada aims to provide exhibition space for more diverse art than you’d normally see in a modern museum. The new complex, which is still under construction, will be its first permanent exhibition space.

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Street Art Lives: 13 Installations Interact with Nature

04 May

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

nature street art just cobe

In cities where greenery can be scarce, these art installations call attention to everything from wall-climbing ivy to weeds growing out of sidewalk cracks, turning bushes into luscious manes or tree hollows into canvases for oil paintings. Moss graffiti enlivens urban surfaces without damaging them, grass carpets unfurl across stone streets and mini greenhouses protect even the most modest of plants.

Floral Sideshow Bob by OakOak

nature street art sideshow bob

When French street artist OakOak saw these flowing purple flowers in his hometown of Saint-Etienne, he instantly pictured it as the untamable hair of Simpsons character Sideshow Bob. Careful placement of a paste-up on the wall just beyond the flowers creates a 3D street art effect.

Bush Trimming by Banksy

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Ivy draped over the edge of a wall in England gets a ‘bikini wax’ from a worker in this interactive piece by famed street artist Banksy, captured by photographer Duncan Hull.

Where the Red Fern Flows by Aakash Nihalani

nature street art aakash

Aakash Nihalani is known for perspective-shifting geometric street art , typically made of cardboard and neon tape. The graphics are placed around New York “to highlight the unexpected contours and elegant geometry of the city.” This piece, entitled ‘Where the Red Fern Flows,’ enhances some wall-clinging ivy in Brooklyn.

Mini Greenhouses for Sidewalk Weeds

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Scraggly weeds poking out of sidewalk cracks may not be much to look at, but sometimes their very existence in a concrete urban environment can seem miraculous. A group of art students in France developed simple ‘urban greenhouses’ that highlight the plants and protect them from being stepped on.

JustCobe in Freiburg, Germany

nature street art just cobe

Hyper-realistic eyes make this illusion even more effective as German artist JustCobe puts a curving wall edged with greenery to use in the city of Freiburg.

Tree Planter Art for Toronto

nature street art planters toronto

Grass pours out of a cracked concrete planter in Toronto as part of the ‘Outside the Planter’ project, calling attention to the neglected state of these containers around the city and engaging with passersby in a playful way. Dozens of artists participated; this one is by Sean Martindale.

Grass Carpet

nature street art grass carpet 1

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A green carpet weaves through the stone streets of the picturesque French city of Jaujac, traveling up and down stairs, meandering over bridges and traversing a park. Public artists Gaëlle Villedary used 3.5 tons of living turf for the 1400-foot installation, connecting the heart of the village and its inhabitants with the nearby valley.

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Urban Art Interacts With Nature

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Fifth Wall: Artist Uses Aerial Urban Voids as Blank Backdrops

04 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

dky art new york'

In theater, the ‘fourth wall’ refers to the imaginary barrier between performers and their audience – the work of this illustrator evokes a kind of ‘fifth wall’, treating the sky above as invisible canvass for drawing upon.

sky ladder at night

skydesign

sky people frame sun

Featured previously, French artist Thomas Lamadieu is back with new sets (SkyDesign and SkyFace) as well as fresh work in his SkyArt series from around the world, with illustrated shots taken and drawn from South Asia and Europe to the United States.

sky art cat cartoon

sky art man cat

His recognizable style is pushed in new directions as he explores difference spaces and ways of filling them in, including some cartoons that breach the sky barrier and start interacting with infrastructure and spatial elements beyond the central area of focus.

sky faces art pair

skydesign edge sitting

spacespace design series

sky art drawing sun

In SkyFace, his portraits seem to push out from their frames, filling up their allotted space and then some, pulling back buildings to be revealed. In SkyDesign, his creations begin building out their own aerial infrastructure, crafting fanciful structures in the sky and manipulating the sun, moon, stars and other celestial elements seemingly at their fingertips.

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Hole In None: 12 Abandoned Miniature Golf Courses

03 May

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

abandoned Shipwreck Golf
No ifs, no ands and above all no putts. These 12 abandoned miniature golf courses are as silent as the 18th at Augusta when the green jacket’s on the line.

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abandoned Shipwreck Island minigolf 1b

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The only birdies you’ll find at the Shipwreck Island Waterpark‘s kitschy minigolf course in Panama City Beach, FL are those busy building nests in its mouldering infrastructure. Kudos to Flickr user epyonxero (John Moore) for capturing the abandoned minigolf course in all its spooky black & white glory on August 30th of 2013.

Sandy Trap

abandoned minigolf Sandy NJ 2

Sometimes miniature golf courses go out with a whimper, other times they exit with a bang… and the collapsed course above epitomizes the latter. Flickr user LennyNJ was in the right place at the right time – late December of 2012 in Point Pleasant, NJ – when he snapped the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Wow, Sandy must really hate minigolf.

Gone On Safari

Safari Joe's abandoned minigolf Tulsa

Safari Joe's abandoned minigolf Tulsa hippo

Safari Joe’s miniature golf course is closed but Walmart’s doing just fine, go figure. This abandoned 80s-era minigolf course located east of Memorial on Admiral in Tulsa, OK won’t go gentle into that good night, however.

Safari Joe's abandoned minigolf Tulsa

Safari Joe's abandoned minigolf Tulsa

According to Flickr user Tom Baddley, “As of the end of 2008, this course has been razed and turned into an auto lot. The rhino and hippo are still there, along the fenceline near Admiral, and the main sign is still standing.” Is anyone surprised the rhino’s horn is damaged?

Snake Eyes

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abandoned minigolf 4b

abandoned minigolf 4c

Rolling Dice by The Tumbling Stones? Photographer Eliot Niman posted the above images of an abandoned miniature golf course near Fenton, NY on October 2nd, 2011. According to Niman, “This was part of a failed and abandoned convenience store opposite the entrance to Chenango Valley State Park on Route 369.” Not quite convenient enough, one might say.

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Hole In None 12 Abandoned Miniature Golf Courses

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