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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Risk-Taking Russian Rooftopper: Woman Takes Terrifying Skyscraper Selfies

09 May

[ By SA Rogers in Travel & Urban Exploration. ]

If you’re afraid of heights, a mere glance at these photos taken by Russian daredevil photographer Angela Nikolau might be enough to give you the heebie-jeebies. The 23-year-old scales some of the tallest skyscrapers in Russia and Asia, either using a selfie stick, a drone, or bringing her boyfriend Ivan Kuzenetsov along to take the photos. And as if perching on the edges of structures at such extreme heights isn’t enough, she often does yoga poses or wears stilettos while doing so.

Sunset in Dubai. ?????? ???????? ?????????? ????? ? ????? ??????? ??????? ? ????? ? ?????? !!!?? 9 ??? !!! ?????? ?? ????????? ?? ?????? ? ??? ??? ? ?????? ????? ????? @adrionov! #9??? #????? #????? #????? #???? #????? #???????? #?????????????? #??????????

A post shared by Angela Nikolau (@angela_nikolau) on

Solar Bangkok #chasingrooftops #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #ssgkilleverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #china #roof #rooftop #shanghai #hongkon

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The self-taught climber is not too concerned about bypassing security and breaking trespassing laws to capture these incredible images, and virtually no building is too tall. Angela and Ivan climbed all 2,000 feet of the Golden Finance 117 building in Tianjin, China last fall.

What inspire you? ? ??? ??????????? ?????#chasingrooftops #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #killeverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #roof #roof_top #rooftop #china #guangzhou #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #ssgkilleverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #china #roof #rooftop #shanghai #hongkong #selfietime #selfies #selfie #extreme

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You often ask me "are you afraid?". Sometimes like on this photo I am afraid. ?? ????? ??????????? ???? "????? ?? ??". ??????, ??? ?? ???? ??????????, ? ??????. #artofvisuals #envisiontones #alphahype#shotzdelight #ourmoodydays #spacewheel#depthobsessed #streets_vision #agameoftones#fatalframes #theIMAGED #eclectic_zhotz#gramslayers #moodygrams #createandcapture#citykillerz #heater_central #streatdreamsmag#colors_of_day #urbanandstreet #thevisualones#way2ill #creativeoptic #themoodoflife#visualambassadors #vzcomacro #folksouls#createcommune #capturedconcepts #burjkhalifa

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Other illegal conquests include the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Shanghai Tower in China, the Tsing Ma bridge in Hong Kong and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Unsurprisingly, many of the photos have to be taken late at night to avoid being caught.

Do not stop! ?? ??????????????! #yimap #highwithyi #yi4k #chasingrooftops #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #ssgkilleverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #china #roof #rooftop #shanghai #hongkong #selfietime #selfies #selfie #extreme

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My life will never be the same Thanks to my dear @beerkus for the photo. ??? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? !) ?? ???? ??????? ????? ???????? @beerkus #yimap #highwithyi #yi4k #chasingrooftops #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #ssgkilleverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #china #roof #rooftop

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Angela’s casual poses might be the most disconcerting aspect of the photos, especially for those of us who imagine death-gripping the edge if we managed to make it up that high. She’s often lounging dangerously close to certain death, holding on to a ladder with just one hand or hanging barefoot off cranes. In some images, she’s held aloft by her boyfriend, dangling hundreds of feet off the ground.

Dreamer ??????? ???????? ?? @to_be_bride Photo by @beerkus #shanghai #rooftop #roof #chasingrooftops #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #killeverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration

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Always near. By @beerkus #hongkong #city #urban #china #girl ?? ???????? ??????? ???? ???????? ???????? @dr.2ch

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Check out my new video, full version by link in bio. My channel on YouTube Elevation_ia Thanks for support @cherehapa #cherehapa ??????????? ????? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? ? ????? ,?????? ? ????????. ??? ????? ?? ????? Elevation_ia ??????? ?? ????????? @cherehapa #chasingrooftops #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #ssgkilleverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #china #roof #rooftop #shanghai #hongkong #selfietime #selfies #selfie #extreme

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On a scale from one to ten, how happy are you now? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??????, ????????? ?? ?????? ?????????? Thanks to my dear @beerkus for the photo. ?? ???? ??????? ????? ???????? @beerkus #yimap #highwithyi #yi4k #chasingrooftops #city_explore #rooftopping #neverstopexploring #killeverygram #killtheaboveground #urbanexploration #china #roof #rooftop

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Check out all of Angela’s images at her Instagram, @angela_nikolau.

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[ By SA Rogers in Travel & Urban Exploration. ]

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Art Sinks to New Depths: 25 Wet Works of Sub-Aquatic Sculpture

09 May

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

Temporarily submerged in a swimming pool for snorkelers to explore or permanently sunken into the sea as a diving destination, these subaquatic works of art take on a whole new dimension under water. Artists create faux shipwrecks, artificial reefs, submerged art shows and other water-themed works, often with environmental messages.

Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable by Damien Hirst

Ten years of work culminate in a massive museum show in Venice as artist Damien Hirst displays ‘Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable,’ based on a fictional account of an ancient shipwreck. The sculptures were lowered into the ocean so their ‘discovery’ by scuba divers could be filmed, and then brought back up again. No one ever called Hirst – who’s known for his outlandish and often absurdly expensive spectacles – unambitious.

Submerged Sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor

Looking at the many sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor that have been submerged into the sea and transformed into artificial reefs, you can’t help but wonder whether these items might remain long after we living humans have rendered ourselves extinct, waiting to be discovered by alien explorers. The sculptor’s work revolves around such issues as immigration and the Syrian humanitarian crisis, and many exhibitions – like The Raft of Lampedusa in the Museo Atlantico, the first underwater contemporary art museum in Europe – are open to divers.

Underwater Pavilions by Doug Aitken

Artist Doug Aitken created three geometric swim-in, swim-out pavilions that are now moored to the ocean floor in a dive park off Avalon, California. Each twelve-sided structure is lined with mirrors, giving them a shimmering appearance that almost doesn’t look real. Produced by Parley for the Oceans and presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, the installations “engage the living ecosystem as the viewer swims into and through the sculptures, which create reflective abstractions. The work operates as an observatory for ocean life, creating a variety of converging perceptual encounters. The sculptures will continously change due to the natural and manmade conditions of the ocean.”

Underwater Sculptures Made of Trash by Forlane 6 Studio

Discarded items found on the beach are transformed into surprisingly beautiful and poignant works of art by Forlane 6 Studio in this underwater photo series. The objects represent the careless way in which human activity has invaded virtually every corner of the earth. “When submerged, the objects seem to metamorphose and become organic creatures,” say the artists. “Their role in space is no longer fixed and static.”

Rapa Nui Reef by Dennis Macdonald

Intended as an underwater replica of the famous Easter Island sculptures, Rapa Nui Reef was supposed to be a dive site off Deerfield Beach in Florida. The sculptures were cast, shipped and loaded onto a barge for installation – but technical difficulties destroyed the project. The barge flipped over, destroying the statues. Oops.

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Art Under The Surface 25 Works Of Sub Aquatic Sculpture

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[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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Chain Mail for Space: NASA’s 4D-Printed Metal Fabric Deflects Debris

08 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

NASA’s latest futuristic textile is made of metal but can fold and change shape, protecting a wearer (or covered craft) from dangerous collisions that could tear holes in people or ships.

The woven metal is made up of a squares on the surface that are linked together on the back, but thanks to clever manufacturing the entire system can be created at once (rather than stitched together). With printers sent into space, this means astronauts could recycle and rebuild the material for different applications on demand.

“We call it 4D printing because we can print both the geometry and the function of these materials,” explains Polit Casillas. “If 20th century manufacturing was driven by mass production, then this is the mass production of functions.”

Developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this versatile textile has thermal protective properties as well, able to to keep machinery and people warm. Despite its flexibility, the mail retains a high tensile strength and can reflect or absorb light for heat control depending on which side faces outward.

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Oh Brothel: 12 Abandoned Houses Of Ill Repute

07 May

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

The world’s oldest profession ain’t what it used to be as these abandoned brothels, bordellos and bawdy houses so sleazily show.

Oh brothels, where art thou? Brothels can be found just about anywhere regardless of any local legal injunctions prohibiting their existence. Where they ARE permitted – the state of Nevada, for example – savvy owners often locate as close as possible to places that ban them. Flickr user Joel Childers (Vacant West) brings us these artfully (and eerily) lit images of Janie’s Ranch taken in early 2010.

Janie’s Ranch is situated on Nevada Highway 6 between Tonopah, Nevada and Bishop, California. Janie’s, which closed in the 1990s, used to advertise their sleazy services in California border towns including Bishop and Mammoth Lakes.

The Caged Bird Swings

Brothels were commonplace in the oft-lawless Old West. Precious few of these then-essential establishments have been preserved as well as the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona.

Operating from 1881 through 1889 (Wyatt Earp met his third wife there), the combination brothel, saloon and casino was shuttered until 1934 when new owners discovered a lost world frozen in time. Over 120 bullet holes (some with embedded slugs) can be found in the building’s walls, floors and ceilings. The place’s motto should’ve been “wham, BLAM, thank you ma’am.”

Ghosts Of Pleasures Past

The ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada exploded into being in 1905 when gold was discovered nearby. The mines quickly played out, however, causing the town’s population to plummet from a high of about 5,000 to just 1 in 1922. The small but solidly-built brothel above, captured in 2008 by Flickr user Jitze Couperus, boasted an innovative roof made from flattened kerosene cans. Now that’s hot!

It’s Curtains For Ya

Bobbie’s Buckeye Bar & Brothel had been closed and abandoned for quite some time when Flickr user Bradley Fulton (escapo) chanced upon its remains in 2006. The Tonopah, Nevada brothel appeared to be a rather large and well-organized business with “nicely” furnished quarters for the working girls.

The warm & fuzzy atmosphere infusing these photos was achieved through the photographer’s use of cross-processing on expired film – appropriate for an expired brothel. Of course, nothing can beat the cheesiness of those painted-on curtains!

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Oh Brothel 12 Abandoned Houses Of Ill Repute

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[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Guerrilla Apparel: Pirate Printers Press Clothes to Painted Public Surfaces

07 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

A Berlin street art collective is hitting the streets of Europe again, touring major cities to turn infrastructural patterns into (quite literal) streetwear across the continent. Each of their unique creations is tied to public art and design patterns often overlooked as we walk by (or on top of) them.

Raubdruckerin (AKA Pirate Printer) press apparel to painted street objects featuring a level of relief, soaking up the top layer to create impressions of manhole covers, vents, grates, bike lane symbols and just about anything else with some depth to it.

In German, there is some nuance to their name as well: ‘Rauber’ means both pirate and robber, while “drucken” is both press and print. Effectively, they press and steal patterns (though since their source material is quite literally in the public domain, no one so far seems to mind).

Like graffiti artists or mobile street painters with portable canvasses, their work tends to draw a crowd and has a performative aspect to it by its nature. In turn, they aim to raise awareness of overlooked and everyday design objects.

So far they have made their way through Amsterdam, Athens, Paris and Lisbon. In each location, they press cotton bags and apparel to street surfaces coated in eco-friendly ink, then wash up behind themselves to leave no trace.

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The Human Footprint: Aerial Photos Show How Industry Changes the Land

06 May

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Photography & Video. ]

The toll exacted from the earth for human progress is rarely more dramatically visible than from overhead, looking down onto the mines, oil fields, salt flats, recycling yards and other artificial landscapes we’ve created to maintain a population that has exploded since the 1950s. Photographer Edward Burtynsky, who has been flying all over the world capturing aerial images of these scenes since long before the arrival of Google Earth, now sees human activity as expanding “like a rogue species… stretching the boundaries and limits of what we can do in nature.”

How have we changed the shape of the Earth since the dawn of the industrial age? The human population on Earth has expanded by nearly a billion every decade, and in our constant quest for lives of comfort and plenty, we ravenously consume natural resources and radically alter the landscapes we depend on for our own survival. Burtynsky has produced a series of photo collections in 11 categories like water, oil, mines, ship breaking, tailings and quarries to show that our appetites have put our own future in jeopardy.

Accepting his 2005 TED Prize for his stunning work, Burtynsky said he hopes that these images will help persuade millions of people around the world to join a global conversation on sustainability.

“These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire – a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success. Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction. For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times.”

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Emoji Facade: Dutch Architects Decorate Brick Building with 22 Smiley Faces

05 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

Instead of gargoyles, grotesques or ornate decorative details, this somewhat silly facade expresses an array of emotions through circular icons familiar to anyone with a smartphone or social media account.

Located in suburban Vathorst near Amersfoort, this design by Attika Architekten (images by Bart van Hoek) looks quite conventional at a glance. At each level, horizontal rows of light concrete break up stacks of dark brick and divide the tops and bottoms of windows.

Upon closer inspection, however, the mixed-use project has a detail that varies from one location to the next — round faces featuring a broad range of emotional states and attitudes.

“In classical architecture they used heads of the king or whatever, and they put that on the façade,” explains the architect. “So we were thinking, what can we use as an ornament so when you look at this building in 10 or 20 years you can say ‘hey this is from that year!’.” If nothing else, they seem to have hit that target.

“The cast concrete characters express a range of familiar emoji emotions, including the classic sad and happy styles, the instantly-recognizable kissing face, and the much-loved heart eyes personality.”

Formally speaking, this decor adds a layer of interstitial detail often found in early Modern architecture urban architecture (derived historically from Gothic influences). It adds an element that spans the fine grain of the brick columns and otherwise featureless and monolithic concrete rows.

Whether or not these emoticons will look funny, cool, creative, unique, dated or all of the above in a few decades remains to be seen. Still, it is certainly is a fun way to think about decor in the post-Postmodern world where rote historicism has become a thing of the past.

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Stacked: Cleverly Designed Chinese Hotel Gives Everyone a Unique View

04 May

[ By SA Rogers in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]

Despite sharing a tiny footprint of land with other guests at this Chinese hotel, you can practically forget anyone else exists altogether thanks to a clever stacked arrangement that points each level in a different direction. Step out onto your private balcony – located on the roof of the room below – and look out onto the peaceful forest of rural Huang Shan, Anhui Province, China. Designed by Shanghai-based architecture firm Bengo Studio, the Qinyushan Tree House is a beautiful use of space.

A spiral staircase runs up through the center of the hotel, which includes two guest rooms, two bathrooms, one living room, and a ‘landscape room’ located at the top of the building. Each room has its own roof access with a glass railing to avoid interrupting views of the trees.

Elevated off the forest floor, the hotel features curvy volumes fanning out in different directions from the central core, capped on each cantilevered end by floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests ascend an enclosed glass hallway to either walk down into the lowest bedroom and bathroom, or ascend to the upper levels.

Its vertical wooden cladding helps it blend into its natural environment, and the minimalist design is an interesting take on modern treehouse-inspired structures.

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Off the Rails: 12 Artistic Interventions of Train Cars & Rail Yards

04 May

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

As railway systems decay in the United States and flourish elsewhere in the world, works of art pop up in train cars and along disused tracks, paying tribute to the journey of a transportation system in transition. Painted murals display works of art across long distances, interior installations make trips more engaging and projects reclaiming abandoned tracks mull over their history and the scars they leave on the landscape.

Kiev Metro Murals by Okuda San Miguel

For Ukraine’s Independence Day, street artist Okuda San Miguel painted an entire train from the Kiev metro network in his signature style, full of rainbow geometry and the faces of animals and people.

Mobile Garden on Chicago’s Transit System

Chicago’s public transit system was temporarily transformed into a mobile garden for the Art on Track festival, inviting passengers to walk and sit on grass among lush vegetation as they made their way across the city.

Yarn-Bombed Train by Olek

Crochet artist Olek yarn-bombed an entire train, working for two days straight with four assistants to cover an entire locomotive in Lodz, Poland with brightly-colored camouflage-pattern crochet.

Spray-Painted Landscape Along Philadelphia Train Route

Artist Katharina Grosse spray-painted the landscape of one of Philadelphia’s train routes, including abandoned warehouses and stretches of grass, in seven vibrant colors for her large-scale public artwork ‘Psychylustro.’

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Off The Rails 12 Artistic Interventions Of Train Cars Rail Yards

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Future-Proof Parking Garages: Autonomous Vehicles Drive Reusable Designs

03 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

As driverless vehicles hit the streets and shared car usage grows, forward-thinking architects, developers and urban planners are working on adaptable designs to future-proof parking garage structures and give them second lives.

Big firms like Gensler see the writing on the wall, predicting car usage will peak by the end of the decade and ride-sharing may dominate by 2025. The effect of this on cities and real estate will be massive, freeing up home garages, street parking and dedicated parking structures — nation-wide there are over 500,000 parking spots and spaces inside buildings and outdoors covering an estimated 3,500+ square miles.

 

Gensler’s The Mod concept plays to new possibilities in light of their predictions, featuring garage floor heights that will work for new uses. Its modular sections can be easily moved or removed to let in light and facilitate circulation. Built-in utility hookups also help make conversion easier. The firm has also designed a building in Ohio with three parking levels made to be changed into offices over time with easily-added facades and details similar to ones found on other floors (below).

Another such project — a 1,000-car garage for building residents in the Arts District of Los Angeles by Avalon Bay — is to be completed in four years, a long time in this age of fast-evolving technology. Accordingly, their plans include tricks to make converting this area back to other residential uses easy and efficient. This includes flat floors (rather than inclined ones found in many garages) so they can be turned effectively into usable spaces, like shops or community areas.

Converting garages will be a huge project of the coming decades, but so will rethinking the way new architecture is designed in the age of autonomous vehicles. Without people at the wheel, cars can park themselves in smaller spaces. Loading/unloading zones will be reduced and the way people enter buildings (from the street rather than a garage) could change dramatically as well.

Then, of course, there are streets — with less street-side parking, space is opened up for things like parklets, walking and biking paths (not to mention all of the changes to how roads will work). Accordingly, many designers, developers and planners are wisely anticipating these changes — still, their ultimate effect on the built environment remains to be seen as the future continues to take shape.

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