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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Eyebombing Bulgaria: Artist Adds Googly Eyes to Bollards, Bins & Pipes

09 Jun

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

As public art interventions go, googly-eye additions to urban objects and surfaces are pretty simple to implement, effectively animating their surroundings without too much work (or risk of being caught).

Humans are naturally wired to read faces into ordinary things, but an extra cue or too by someone like Vanyu Krastev solidifies the effect, often with hilarious results.

Cracked bollards become crooked Pac Man-esque creatures and gaping water pipes seem to scream while doors and garbage cans gain strange sentience. The emotive range of these inanimate objects is quite impressive, considering it’s entirely in the eye of the viewer (and the two eyes placed on a given thing).

Eyebombing is nothing new (at least as old as the internet and probably as old as ‘googly eyes’ themselves), but always a fun way to lighten someone’s day as they pass by on the street. It’s also a form of expression anyone can engage in — very little skill or cash required.

It is “different from traditional types of street art like tagging, sticking, stencils” according to Eyebombing.com because “the above forms are largely driven by egocentric behaviour, like getting seen, respect and maybe a hope to get famous, often using vandalism as modus operandi.”

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

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Optical Illusion Architecture: These 11 Buildings Are Not What They Seem

08 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Pinched, warped, rippled, steeply angled and mirrored until they disappear into the sky, these buildings are not quite what they seem at first glance. Sometimes, it takes a nice long look at their outlines and proportions to determine where their facades actually begin and end, and how they can possibly be balanced so precariously.

Rachel Raymond Mirror House

In the space once occupied by the historic Rachel Raymond House in Belmont, Massachusetts, a beautiful mirrored illusion rose: ‘Mirror House’ by Pedro Joel Costa Architecture and design, which pays tribute to the original home’s modernism while looking to the future.

The Dancing House, Prague

Prague’s ‘Dancing House,’ also known as ‘Fred and Ginger,’ is actually the Nationale-Nederlanden building by architect Vlado Milunic, built in cooperation with Frank Gehry in 1996. One of the dual towers of the building appears to be warped and distorted, as if someone squished it up against the other.

Australian Customs Service Building, Melbourne

From most angles, it’s virtually impossible to tell what’s going on with the facade of the Australian Customs Service Building in Melbourne, clad as it is in an unusual graphic black and white pattern. The theme is reportedly repeated inside.

Pinnacle at Symphony Place, Nashville, Tennessee

The tall and thin mirrored Pinnacle at Symphony Place almost manages to disappear into the sky altogether when conditions are just right, becoming like a ghostly suggestion of a building instead of something decidedly solid and real.

Lucid Stead by Phillip K. Smith III, Joshua Tree, California

Alternating its logs with long stretches of mirror, artist Phillip K. Smith III makes his Joshua Tree installation ‘Lucid Stead’ blend with its environment so effectively it seems to be little more than a few dark brown lines floating in the desert.

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Optical Illusion Architecture These 11 Buildings Are Not What They Seem

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Aromatic Art: Empty NYC Trash Bins Turned into Beautiful Floral Bouquets

07 Jun

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

Sprouting up alongside the streets of New York City, garbage cans packed with colorful flowers are turning repelled waste receptacles into attractive centers of attention for garbage-weary pedestrians.

Floral designer Lewis Miller has been turning heads — passersby are quite literally stopping to smell the roses (and other plants) appearing in his carefully arranged bouquets, each unique and site-specific.

His ongoing project takes empty bins and uses them as blank canvasses, creating botanical art through sunflowers, azaleas, and other more exotic species. Something about the juxtaposition with beat-up wire-mesh containers makes them all the more stunning, too.

“We are storytellers through the art of floral design, transforming an arrangement into a love song and an event into an indelible experience,” says the artist. Different arrangements also pick up patterns and colors from their context, be it stickers, signs, architecture or other street art.

The temporary installations may not be a permanent solution for bad-smelling trash in a city well known for its street-side waste, but at least they offer a colorful (if passing) reprieve from the normal contents of these containers.

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

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Out of Gas: Abandoned Station Will Live its Golden Years as a Venue

06 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

A formerly abandoned gas station in London’s White City district may have outlived its usefulness in its original purpose, but it’s got a new, more relaxing job to do in the ‘hereafter.’ If all those pastel colors didn’t tip you off, the station is in retirement, and it will live out its golden years acting as a colorful venue for pop-up events in the midst of a decade-long urban regeneration effort aiming to create a “thriving, creative neighborhood.”

The station, located on Wood Lane, sits between the BBC’s former headquarters at the Television Centre and White City Place, the former BBC Media Village, both of which will reopen this year after redevelopment. Designer duo Craig & Karl, aka Craig Redman and Karl Maier, took inspiraiton from the bright colors of a television test card for the station’s cheerful new palette and decorated it in their signature graphic style.

“We view this project as the petrol station’s second life, or ‘wonder years,’ which led us to use the words ‘here after’ as a reference to heaven or utopia,” say the designers. “Now that the petrol station has fulfilled its duty, so to speak, it’s free to enjoy itself.”

In a jam-packed, space-challenged city where so few people even own vehicles, this is an especially fitting and fun revitalization of a disused urban space. Doesn’t it make you wish all gas stations were treated as art objects?

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

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Hang Loose: 13 Hammock Innovations for Max Relaxation

06 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Take your summer lounging to the next level with hammocks that attach to your kayak or the roof of your car, fill up with water like a hot tub or double as a soccer goal. And if you’re stuck at work daydreaming about outdoor adventures, there’s even a stealthy hammock that clamps onto table surfaces so you can hide under your desk and nap.

Hammocraft Floating Hammock

Designed for use by 2-4 people, the modular Hammocraft system lets you lounge while cruising down gentle rivers and and lakes. It can be assembled on top of kayaks, paddle boards, river rafts or on dry land. Can you think of a more comfortable way to cruise through a beautiful natural setting?

Trailnest Roof Rack Hammock

Camp out under the stars virtually anywhere your vehicle can take you with the Trailnest, a simple hammock stand that clamps onto your roof rack in a one-person or two-person setup. It folds up for easy transportation, works with any hammock and gives you uninterrupted views of your surroundings while keeping you well above all the critters that scurry around on the ground at night.

‘Vessel’ Hammock-Shaped Bathtub

Made of strong carbon fiber wrapped around a foam core, which insulates the water to keep it hotter for longer periods of time, the ‘Vessel’ by Splinterworks makes bath time more relaxing than ever. The unique design mounts to the wall with steel brackets and empties into a drain in the floor.

Hydro Hammock Instant Hot Tub

The Hydro Hammock is an instant portable hot tub you can set up almost anywhere, using the accompanying suitcase-like water pump and heater to fill it up from a hose or body of water. It’s made of sealed synthetic high-tensile-strength fabric that can support the weight of two adults and fifty gallons of water.

Dymaxion Sleep Garden Hammock

Installed over a bed of fragrant, relaxing herbs like lavender and rosemary, the Dymaxion Sleep structure is a network of nets inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion World Map – an unfolded icosahedron. Created by Jane Hutton and Adrian Blackwell, the structure provides a large-scale hammock for groups to lounge outdoors.

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Hang Loose 13 Hammock Innovations For Max Relaxation

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Battered: 15 Closed And Abandoned Fish & Chip Shops

04 Jun

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

Fish & Chips are famed the world over as THE quintessential English food so why are there so many closed and abandoned “Chippies” in their home country?

American fish & chip shops have suffered a decline as well, especially fast food seafood restaurant chains like Arthur Treacher’s and H. Salt Esquire – both the chains and the affordable stocks of cod that sustained them are pale shadows of what they used to be. Family-run chippies linger on, however, though the once-charming Porto Restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland’s seaside Portobello neighborhood is no longer them. Flickr users Dave Sinclair and Fabio Menna snapped the shop in long-abandoned and newly-abandoned states, respectively.

Dog’s Breakfast

One would hope “Helen” was able to retire from retail fish-frying with a modicum of grace when her self-titled chippie in Maidstone (a suburb of Melbourne) went belly-up. Then again, maybe Australians just aren’t that into fish & chips, what with all that “throw another shrimp on the barbie” stuff. Flickr user Warren Kirk (Westographer) captured the closed, abandoned, boarded-up and unlamented (save for a disappointed-looking dog) “Helen’s Fish ~ Chips” on a sunny December morning in 2011.

Parson’s Nose Best

As if a chippie on the High Street wasn’t Brit enough, the owners named the place “The New Parson’s Nose”… wonder what happened to the OLD one? Regardless, the sign on the window states the shop is “closed for refurbishment” and you know what that means: it’s gone like last night’s last pint of ale. Kudos to Flickr user leon S-D (littleweed1950) who snapped this pub-like former fish & chips shop in June of 2016.

Taken Away

“Over the last 40 years or so (in Australia at least) the traditional old style strip of shops in the suburbs has come under pressure from large shopping malls,” states urbex blogger David Taylor. Just wait, Dave, those large shopping malls have begun to feel a similar sort of pressure from online retailers. There’s nothing like the unique ambiance and the sit-sown dining experience of a classic Chippie, mind you. Taylor snapped the above faded Seafood Take Away in Mt Gravatt, a suburb of Brisbane.

Over, The Rainbow

Fish & Chips, Burgers, Southern Fried Chicken and so much more… how could Rainbow Spicy Kebabs, snapped in the summer of 2013 by Flickr user Robby Virus, possibly go under? Well, they COULD have prepared all of those things poorly, for one thing. It just goes to show you, a prime location in the heart of London offers no guarantee your fish & chips (& more) shop will achieve lasting success. Also, rainbows aren’t colored that way. Just sayin’.

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Battered 15 Closed And Abandoned Fish Chip Shops

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Magic Ink: Highly Detailed Optical Illusion Drawings Pop Off the Page

03 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

Strategically placed shadows and highlights make these incredibly intricate nature-themed drawings more than just impressive pages in an artist’s sketchbook. The pieces reveal unexpected depths and textures, and sometimes seem to lift right off the pages and into the real world, as if the sketchbook just couldn’t contain their vitality. Artist Visothkakvei shows off a variety of optical illusion techniques on his Instagram.

Fighting for the night. Once he's freed, the world will turn dark forever.

A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on Jun 2, 2017 at 4:26am PDT

Many of Visothkakvei’s works are contained within the bounds of his books. Though the drawings of flowers, leaves, vines and other organic subjects may look like simple doodles, it’s the way the artist layers them, packs them onto the page and adds shadows that makes them special. Some begin to creep beyond the boundaries of the paper.

Awaken #original #art #visothkakvei

A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on May 16, 2017 at 4:03am PDT

And, in some cases, it’s clear that more than just two-dimensional physical drawing is involved, though the artist doesn’t reveal his secrets. Some of this looks like he’s taken a photograph of his own hand working on the drawings, and layered digital drawing on top of it in a style that matches, making it unclear where the originals end and the digital additions begin.

Everytime I do the artwork, I see it around me. #original #art #visothkakvei

A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on Mar 19, 2017 at 1:14pm PDT

Doodling #art #visothkakvei

A post shared by Visothkakvei (@visothkakvei) on May 11, 2017 at 5:35am PDT

Check out lots more of these works, along with videos of the drawings in progress, at Instagram.com/visothkakvei.

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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Heathen’s Gate: Ingenious Overlay Reveals History of Ancient Roman Ruin

02 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Culture & History & Travel. ]

monumental

A pane of glass overlaid with a simple line drawing brings crumbling ruins to live at one of Austria’s most famous historical sites, reanimates a ruin near the Open Air Museum Petronell. When a viewer lines up the illustration with the structure, known as Heidentor (Heathen’s Gate), the image completes itself in a compelling yet entirely low-tech fashion.

historical military city

Located just east of Vienna, Carnuntum dates back to the the 1st Century A.D., when Roman soldiers expanded on an existing town 50,000 people to create a military encampment. Between 354 AD and 361 AD a huge triumphal monument was erected next to the camp and city. Contemporary reports suggest that Emperor Constantius II had it built to commemorate his victories.

historical military encampment

“When the remains of Carnuntum disappeared after the Migration Period the monument remained as an isolated building in a natural landscape and led Medieval people to believe it was the tomb of a pagan giant. Hence, they called it Heidentor.”

Preserving ancient historical sites is often a balance between stabilization and restoration; fully restoring can enhance the exterior appearance, but is costly and arguably diminishes the authenticity of a ruin. This approach strikes a balance, much like augmented overlays in digital history apps.

[ By WebUrbanist in Culture & History & Travel. ]

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Imperial Pomp: Strange Post-Soviet Skyscrapers in Remote Russia

01 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Culture & History & Travel. ]

Deep in the most remote reaches of the Soviet Union, strange skyscrapers glitter against the sky, made all the more out of place by their sleepy rural settings and lack of similarly scaled surroundings. Photographer Frank Herfort calls them ‘Imperial Pomp,’ monstrous and overly ostentatious structures that sprung up throughout the nation and the former Soviet Union in the decades since the collapse of the USSR. Traveling to places that might not otherwise draw many foreign visitors, Herfort captured the skyscrapers in all their strangely proportioned glamour for his photo book ‘Imperial Pomp – Post Soviet High-Rise.’

“After exploring Moscow’s structures I realized, that in all cities and former Soviet countries you can find such buildings,” says Herfort. “So I traveled to Vladivostok, to Blagoveshchensk on the Chinese border on River Amur, to Astana in Kazakhstan, to Baku in Azerbaijan, to Sochi and to St. Petersburg. And everywhere in between. I was always impressed by these huge constructions while driving through Moscow. Moscow doesn’t have a big skyline or big houses in the cityscape, and then I was even more impressed when suddenly there appeared one of these big new colored buildings. They are standing like single flowers cropped in the landscape.”

The German photographer notes that he feels like the buildings are “used to manipulate the humans and try to make them feel small.” He says the buildings rarely have infrastructure or real access built around them to invite the public to experience and interact with them, because they weren’t built with a care for anything other than showing off. That would certainly fit with the American perspective on Russia and its strongman fascination.

The buildings do feel like modern iterations of the strange Soviet-era monuments that still litter much of the former Soviet Union, though they’re nowhere near as creative and sculptural as the wondrous and bizarre relics of what used to be Yugoslavia.

Herfort’s book is out of stock at the publisher’s website, but a few copies are still available on Amazon, and you can see more of his work at his website.

[ By SA Rogers in Culture & History & Travel. ]

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Mashup Masterpieces: 48 Fusions of Art and Contemporary Pop Culture

01 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

In centuries past, art has mostly depicted religious and political figures alongside artist’s models and ordinary people, but as future generations look back on our era, they’ll see a confusing mishmash of celebrities and fictional characters interwoven into our fine art legacy. Often removed from their context and mixed together, figures from music, movies, television and comic books presented as art subjects make a statement on our obsession with image, fame, heroes and the qualities we project onto the most famous faces our culture has created.

Star Wars Recreations of Famous Photographs by David Eger

For ‘365 Days of Clones,’ Canadian art teacher David Eger recreated famous photographs using Star Wars figurines, including play son ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,’ ‘Abbey Road,’ ‘American Gothic’ and even the iconic flying-across-the-moon-on-a-bicycle scene from E.T.

Models Turned Celebrities with Body Paint

Models are used as the basis of living sculptures, their features changed with globs of paint, plastic, paper, clothes and wigs so they roughly resemble celebrities like Karl Lagerfeld, Steve Jobs and Pamela Anderson. Artist Marie-Lou Desmeules refers to her creations as ‘pop zombies,’ asking viewers to consider what these artistic impersonations say about image in our society.

Terra-cotta Characters by Lizabeth Eva Rossof

Rather than the nameless soldiers of old who made up the historical Chinese terra-cotta army, the Xi’an-American Warriors by Lizabeth Eva Rossof bear the faces of Spiderman, Bart Simpson, Batman, Shrek, Mickey Mouse and other fictional characters, reflecting both the far reach of America’s media influence and modern-day China’s industry of counterfeiting these copyrighted properties.

Hero-Glyphics by Josh Lane

In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, artist Josh Lane saw a graphic style of art that lends itself surprisingly well to modern-day cartoon and comic book styles. For his ‘Hero-Glyphics’ series, he dropped modern characters into poses he thought best fit each one’s personality, using background details and symbols to tell a story.

360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Eyebombing Bulgaria: Artist Adds Googly Eyes to Bollards, Bins & Pipes

Optical Illusion Architecture: These 11 Buildings Are Not What They Seem

Rachel Raymond Mirror House

The Dancing House, Prague

Australian Customs Service Building, Melbourne

Pinnacle at Symphony Place, Nashville, Tennessee

Lucid Stead by Phillip K. Smith III, Joshua Tree, California

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Optical Illusion Architecture These 11 Buildings Are Not What They Seem

Aromatic Art: Empty NYC Trash Bins Turned into Beautiful Floral Bouquets

Out of Gas: Abandoned Station Will Live its Golden Years as a Venue

Hang Loose: 13 Hammock Innovations for Max Relaxation

Hammocraft Floating Hammock

Trailnest Roof Rack Hammock

‘Vessel’ Hammock-Shaped Bathtub

Hydro Hammock Instant Hot Tub

Dymaxion Sleep Garden Hammock

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Hang Loose 13 Hammock Innovations For Max Relaxation

Battered: 15 Closed And Abandoned Fish & Chip Shops

Dog’s Breakfast

Parson’s Nose Best

Taken Away

Over, The Rainbow

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Battered 15 Closed And Abandoned Fish Chip Shops

Magic Ink: Highly Detailed Optical Illusion Drawings Pop Off the Page

Heathen’s Gate: Ingenious Overlay Reveals History of Ancient Roman Ruin

Imperial Pomp: Strange Post-Soviet Skyscrapers in Remote Russia

Mashup Masterpieces: 48 Fusions of Art and Contemporary Pop Culture

Star Wars Recreations of Famous Photographs by David Eger

Models Turned Celebrities with Body Paint

Terra-cotta Characters by Lizabeth Eva Rossof

Hero-Glyphics by Josh Lane

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Mashup Masterpieces 48 Fusions Of Art And Contemporary Pop Culture

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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Rachel Raymond Mirror House

The Dancing House, Prague

Australian Customs Service Building, Melbourne

Pinnacle at Symphony Place, Nashville, Tennessee

Lucid Stead by Phillip K. Smith III, Joshua Tree, California

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Optical Illusion Architecture These 11 Buildings Are Not What They Seem

Hammocraft Floating Hammock

Trailnest Roof Rack Hammock

‘Vessel’ Hammock-Shaped Bathtub

Hydro Hammock Instant Hot Tub

Dymaxion Sleep Garden Hammock

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Hang Loose 13 Hammock Innovations For Max Relaxation

Dog’s Breakfast

Parson’s Nose Best

Taken Away

Over, The Rainbow

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Battered 15 Closed And Abandoned Fish Chip Shops

Star Wars Recreations of Famous Photographs by David Eger

Models Turned Celebrities with Body Paint

Terra-cotta Characters by Lizabeth Eva Rossof

Hero-Glyphics by Josh Lane

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Mashup Masterpieces 48 Fusions Of Art And Contemporary Pop Culture

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Optical Illusion Architecture These 11 Buildings Are Not What They Seem

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Hang Loose 13 Hammock Innovations For Max Relaxation

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Battered 15 Closed And Abandoned Fish Chip Shops

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Mashup Masterpieces 48 Fusions Of Art And Contemporary Pop Culture