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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Grill Gas Flash: 15 Prettily Painted Propane Tanks

28 Oct

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


Hank Hill might look askance at any artistic affectation of “propane and propane accessories” but give the big fella his due: propane is America’s grilling gas of choice. These days propane gas tanks have found a place in urban, suburban and rural settings with some owners choosing to beautify them so they’ll fit in even better.

Tankheads

(images via: Instructables and That’s Nerdalicious)

Ever notice how those dime a dozen 20lb portable propane tanks look sorta like LEGO heads? Will painting one yellow and adding minimalist facial features help? Yes and yes – and the gang at Instructables shows you exactly how to get ahead, so to speak, in the LEGO head lookalike propane tank game.

Make Mine Melon

(images via: Junk Market Style)

Watermelons give you gas, who knew? All it takes is a little imagination (plus a couple of old coat hangers and some wooden beads) and that rusty old propane tank will be looking as cool as a cucumber… or, well, some other large green edible.

Darwin’s Designs

(images via: Propane.pro and Darwin Design)

Is T.J. Darwin really “The Propane Picasso”? Undoubtedly the late Spanish artist would be impressed by the colorful and elaborate tableaux Darwin displays on water and propane tanks. The 46-year-old Darwin finds plenty of tanks to practice on in propane-dependent Idyllwild, CA, and a previous stint in the art department at FAO Schwartz allowed him to hone his illustrating skills. “I like the three-dimensional surface,” stated Darwin to a reporter from the local Press-Enterprise newspaper. “It tells a story.” Even more so once Darwin finishes with it.

Tank in Sheep’s Clothing

(images via: Zan’s Art)

Who says painted propane tanks have to be wild & wooly when merely wooly is more than enough? Alexandra Orton whipped up “Fluffy” for the All the King’s Horses Children’s Ranch in Benson, AZ.

Rocky Mountain High

(image via: Sally Cruikshank)

Artist Sally Cruikshank isn’t exactly a jet-setter but her hand-painted propane tank sure is and it’s anything but “plane”. Better keep that tank filled with propane and not Red Bull – all it needs is wings and it’s gone, man.

Grillin’ & Grinnin’

(images via: GrabCAD)

The talented folks at GrabCAD show that the art of propane tank decoration need not be a low-tech endeavor. According to Kastle at GrabCAD, the basic concept was downloaded from 3dcontentcentral and modified for use in a personal project. Sure hope this terrific tank sees the light of day someday!

Hotter Than Halloween

(image via: Instructables)

The creative crew from Instructables is at it again, this time transforming a clapped out but still serviceable propane tank into the hottest jack-o-lantern this side of Halloweentown. Word to the wise: this is one “pumpkin” you’ll NOT want to light up with a lit candle.

Tailgater Aid

(images via: Tailgating Ideas)

You gotta support the team and where face-painting leaves off, propane tank painting picks up… or maybe that should be, kick’s off. Tailgating Ideas’ reader Mike from Severn, Maryland, shared his tank decorating technique and as you might guess, it takes both time and talent. Especially the former, as applying the pigskin-like dimples to the tank took hours using the blunt end of a toothpick.

Highway Tankers

(images via: OldTrailer.com)

If you’re determined to restore a 1956 Shasta “canned ham” style trailer the right way, then leaving out the twin propane tanks is not an option. Don’t these look great all decked out in Mint Green & White divided by a staggered silver stripe?

We All Live In A…

(images via: Forever Decorating)

Don’t tell Mitt Romney but propane-powered submarines went out with horses and bayonets. There’s one cheerfully painted holdover, however, deep in the heart of Texas and as pretty as a yellow rose. A little Plaid acrylic paint topped with Valspar outdoor sealer ensures this sweet sub will sail on through any type of weather.

Flames On!

(images via: crb1177 and ChuckBauman.com)

Chuck Bauman’s famed for his flames and deservedly so – the dude’s a master of the art of Realistic Flames Airbrushing! Some might say painting a propane tank with realistic flames is just asking for trouble but we disagree: it’s more like asking for admiring comments, and getting them.

Got Propane?

(images via: LJWorld and Coal Creek Farm)

If your cow emits propane instead of methane, you just might be drawing a combustible concoction from a moo-tifully modified storage tank. If not, you’ve just plugged the grill fueling hose into a very unhappy bull.

Bigger Bird

(images via: Plaid Red)

It’s a bird, it’s a tank, it’s a… tank painted up to look like a bird. Won’t be the first time someone’s had to gas up the T-bird but anyway, this tank was originally supposed to be a rooster but the artist’s unchecked creativity soon led her off the beaten track into a very different place. Not that we’re complaining, the end result looks anything but cheep.

If You Pilled It, They Will Come

(images via: You Tour Like a Girl and Lomojunkie71)

Lessee now, propane or Prozac? You’re gonna need a whole lot of the latter if you just filled your 500-gallon propane tank and the grill decides to self-destruct. Luckily there’s a solution – sitting on somebody’s lawn in Milan (some say Red Hook), New York is the world’s biggest Prozac pill. You might think you’ll need a BIG glass of water to get that sucker down but good news everyone… it’s a suppository.

King Of The Hills

(image via: The Feral Irishman)

You don’t have to love propane (and propane accessories) as much as Strickland Propane’s Hank Hill but a little TLC can go a long way towards beautifying your yard. Propane tanks whether portable or permanent are easily visible so make sure they’re visually appealing – with a little imagination and some elbow grease who knows how your tank or tanks will end up?


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Have a Gas! Japan’s Artistic Gas Storage Tanks

Tanks for the memories! Across Japan, artists have transformed huge, spherical, bland & generic gas storage spheres into bright and beautiful baubles.
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Holy Water! 24 Amazing Aquariums and Fish Tanks

True aquarium aficionados know a beautifully designed fish tank can be like a work of living art. Here are 24 of the wildest examples.
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[ By Steve in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Rain Forest Retreat: Remote Jungle Tree-House Hotel

28 Oct

[ By Delana in Boutique & Art Hotels & Global. ]

We all get tired of modern urban living from time to time, but one American couple was so fed up with city life that they decided to create an entirely new community in the Costa Rican Jungle.

Finca Bellavista is a lush green community of permanent residents and people who are just passing through, nestled in the gorgeous jungle setting of Costa Rica. The community is composed of a system of tree houses in the canopy of the rain forest, all connected by suspended wooden sky bridges and zip lines.

The retreat was founded by Mateo and Erica Hogan to house like-minded individuals who need to get away from it all – far, far away. Folks who want to stay permanently can buy a plot and build their own treehouses; those who only want to experience the retreat on a vacation basis can temporarily rent a number of existing units.

Although the worldwide trend seems to be toward luxury vacations and full-service resorts in which one’s every whim is catered to, Finca Bellavista is a wholly unique destination. It is nestled in a dream-like environment but is by no means a luxury resort. It is comfortable, but the property’s focus is more on adventure and environmental stewardship than on pampering visitors and residents.


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Fabled Forest Retreat: Twisted Tea Tree House

Tucked behind an architecture office in Shanghai, this serene building offers books, tea and nature to calm visitors and effortlessly melt stress away.
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15 (More) Amazing Tree Houses from Around the World: Unusual, Ecological and Inspired Designs

Tree houses aren’t just for kids anymore. Here are 15 of the coolest tree houses in the world, from a 6,000 sq ft tree house to a suspended ‘nest’ tree house.
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[ By Delana in Boutique & Art Hotels & Global. ]

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Flame On! 19 Fire Hydrants You’ll Want To Use

26 Oct

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

Fire hydrants are looked down on by everyone who isn’t wearing a firefighter uniform. They prevent you from parking, they block the sidewalk… even dogs mistreat them. Some urban artists have decided to help out this urban landmark and give it a confidence boost.

(Images via csuohio, wumc, csuohio, smartcarvs)

Van Gogh’s Starry Night gets a remake with this example of fine art on the street. Washington University Medical Center decided to team up with artist Grace McCammond to decorate their hydrants, and this is one example of the cool designs she created. To give dogs a little more fun when they’re doing their business, the bottom left hydrant prominently features a cat, at the perfect level. Lastly, a Smart Car is contrasted with a huge structure with the definite appearance of a hydrant.

(Images via csuohio, windingpathtravel, carlbrookschool, portajohn)

It’s natural to anthropomorphize objects in our daily lives, and fire hydrants are no exception. An artist had a lot of fun creating the top left portrait, using bright colors and an abstract eye. The top right hydrant is a powerful lumberjack, found along with dozens of other hydrant people in Quesnel, British Columbia. South Boston features this colonial figure, painted to celebrate the city’s history. Lastly, this hydrant features an old style diver, and resides in Solomons, Maryland.

(Images via oldstersview, brooklynstreetart, killingdenouement)

This fire hydrant serves multiple purposes, including being a water fountain. It’s a great multi-use set up and it has some patriotic flair as well – found in Washington state. Artist Gary Stubelick came up with this bright photo, by setting a fire hydrant ablaze. Brooklyn artist DBILLY created the last piece, out of balloons!

(Images via walyou, inventorspot, mightylists, streetartmafia)

The Super Mario Bros. have saved the day a lot, so why not let Mario save the day if there’s ever a fire in the neighborhood? Mario would definitely be preferable to the frightening yellow face painted on the top right hydrant. There’s no doubt that everyone wants Oscar the Grouch on their street corner, so why not make him a permanent addition? Last but not least, a cute fire hydrant will make the kid’s laugh even if it isn’t a recognizable character.

(Images via grinding, animalhousepetcare, pennlive, nowthatsnifty)

For several reasons, it’s fitting and hilarious to put a dog on a fire hydrant. The first hydrant makes this abundantly clear, with its transformation into a Dalmation, the well known mascot of firefighters everywhere. In Carlsbad, California, the Animal House Fire Hydrant was created as part of a community art project and charity event. Meanwhile, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a fire hydrant competition caused someone to submit this cute looking pooch. Lastly, a Snoopy look-alike adorns this snowbound hydrant, keeping a happy and watchful eye over the neighborhood.


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Creative Japanese Urban Camouflage: From Soda Machines to Fire Hydrants

Whether they be viewed as polemical or pragmatic, this latest in the tradition of creative urban camouflage is at least entertaining and arguably even practical.
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Flame Fame: 12 Red Hot Designer Fire Stations

These 12 hot designer fire stations are hook & ladder leaders in more ways than one, combining WYSIWYG practicality with livability, economy and style.
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Math + Paper Craft: Computer Scientist Creates 3D Origami

26 Oct

[ By Steph in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

A single sheet of paper becomes a complex three-dimensional object in the hands of Jun Mitani, a computer scientist who uses geometric modeling software to aid him in his designs. Mitani has been studying algorithms and user interfaces for generating 3D shapes that can be realized with folding paper in a twist on the traditional craft of origami.

Not only does Mitani fold these mathematical origami objects himself, he also designs computer software to come up with the shapes. Mitani’s origami designs have ‘rotational symmetry’, meaning they look the same after a certain amount of rotation.

Mitani scores folding lines in a sheet of paper and then folds it by hand. While large sheets of paper don’t work well for complex origami shapes due to a lack of structural strength, Mitani is beginning to experiment with other materials, collaborating with industrial companies. That might reduce one issue that plagues Mitani in his work – he has suffered from, he says, “a few thousand” paper cuts.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t have much interest in folding origami, but in papercraft,” says Mitani in an interview with The Creators Project. “I fabricated a lot of paper models, such as cars, ships, buildings, and animals, etc. by cutting and gluing pieces of paper. I felt that origami, just folding, was too restricted. On the other hand, I was enthusiastic about the computer, which my father bought when I was a first-year student in elementary school. As a fusion of two objects of interest, papercraft and computer, the theme of my Ph.D. thesis became a method for designing paper models with the computer.”


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Unfolding Interior Design: Origami-Inspired Furniture

These 12 origami-inspired furniture and home decor designs bring the grace and elegance of this ancient paper art into functional use for the home.
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Elod Beregszaszi: Paper Master Cuts to Create Art

Elod Beregszaszi is a master of paperwork, but not in the normal sense. He cuts, folds, embosses and sculpts amazing work out of paper.
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Quintessential Conversion: The Ultimate Warehouse Loft

25 Oct

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

A historic 1880′s warehouse in Melbourne, Australia has been converted into a stunning luxury home with high ceilings, exposed red bricks walls and dramatic archways. The addition of new wood floors, white drywall and a modern kitchen make the space livable without overpowering it.

The renovated apartment is located in ‘Leicester House’, a five-story Neo-Gothic building in downtown Melbourne with deep cornices and detailed Florentine arches on the exterior. Most of the spaces within it are still in use as offices.

While many aficionados of warehouse conversions would likely prefer to see less carpeting and more modern furnishings, the space itself exudes all the historic charm that you could wish for in a building of this age, particularly in the ceiling and the brick walls.

Rustic, recycled, modern and minimalist – apartment remodels come in all varieties, whether they’re redesigned from an out-of-date state or completely converted from something else. Check out 9 more amazing apartment designs and cool condo plans, and 11 lofty additions to urban rooftops.


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9 Amazing Apartment Designs & Cool Condo Plans

Color, pattern, unexpected materials and careful editing of rustic historic architectural details make these apartment and condo remodels one-of-a-kind.
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7 Brilliant Building Conversion Projects: Superb Examples of Architectural Adaptive Reuse

Know of other recycled design or amazing architecture projects? Be sure to list them in the comments below!
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Street-Chic Boutique: Stunning Half-Graffitied Hotel Room

25 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Boutique & Art Hotels & Global. ]

Dubbed “The Panic Room” nonetheless, this daring overnight dwelling space is not for those seeking visual peace or artistic quite, more likely to cause than curb panicky impulse (quite the opposite of a traditional panic room).

Graffiti artist Tilt  added his unique touches to this room in the Au Vieux Panier Hotel of Marseille, France. It is one of five art spaces, each with its own visual theme featuring the work of a single graphic designer or painter.

“The idea is to sleep in an artwork” and “all rooms are changed every year,” so if you want to see one you have to hop on a plane fast before the next season rolls around. Each process involves a call for entries and a hand-selected group of resulting artists.

For those that win, there are no rules. Moreover, they are given a full month during which the hotel is closed in which to create their work. And in the end, the lodgings are surprisingly inexpensive: just 135 Euros per night to stay inside this particular street-art masterpiece.

Everything about the room is informed by the design concept, from surfaces to accessories, right down to the bed sheets custom-crafted for the room in question. Then, as in a gallery, the work is taken down and rooms reinvented once again.


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A Room for London: Cloud-Shaped Temporary Rooftop Hotel

Floating like a cloud between the ground and the sky, this ephemeral rooftop hotel was designed to perch atop the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 2012.
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18 (More) Crazy, Creepy and Kinky Hotel Rooms: From Japanese Fantasy to Time-Lapse Photography

Here are eighteen more unusually artistic, sexy, crazy and kinky hotel rooms from around the world. Who knew that interior designers could be so creatively strange?
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The Incredible Lost and Found Art of Hand-Painted Signage

24 Oct

[ By Delana in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

While technology usually makes things faster, it rarely produces the kind of unique and soulful results that come from the hearts and hands of humans. The sign industry fell as a casualty to a world obsessed with technology’s quicker, cheaper, utterly identical products. But a new generation of traditional sign painters is revitalizing this amazing trade, bringing the soul back to the business of storefronts and billboards.

(all images via: Princeton Architectural Press)

A new book from filmmakers Faythe Levine and Sam Macon details the history and current state of the surprisingly fascinating sign painting industry. (Princeton Architectural Press, the book’s publisher, provided WebUrbanist with a copy of the book for the purposes of this article.) The book tells the stories of sign painters, both young and old, and their take on their unique industry. Each segment of the book includes examples of the painters’ work and often glimpses into their workspaces.

As recently as the 1980s, it was impossible to walk down any street in America without seeing hand-painted signs of some type. Storefronts, billboards, murals, banners, and even street signs were hand-lettered with brushes and paint, relying entirely on the skill of the painter to make them readable and eye-catching. And their skill is considerable. Just imagine trying to paint a professional-looking sign – one that can not only rival a vinyl sign but outstrip it in terms of individual style – using nothing more than a toolkit of brushes and some jars of paint. The vast majority of us couldn’t do it.

In more recent years, distressingly homogeneous signs have largely – though not completely – taken the place of these carefully hand-lettered ones. The technology used to create signage today is fast and cheap, but lacks that human touch. Entire streets full of store fronts in any given city look exactly the same – laser-cut vinyl letters don’t allow for any type of personality or variation, and that is to the detriment of not only the sign painters, but also the general public and – maybe most significantly – the store owners themselves.

According to Sean Barton, one of the sign painters featured in Levine and Macon’s book, many business owners don’t want to invest in their shops like they used to. They would rather slap up a vinyl sign that costs next to nothing than take pride in their livelihood. A great-looking storefront with hand-painted signage is bound to attract more business than a shop that looks exactly the same as 20 other shops on the street. This is beginning to dawn on many business owners, says Barton – they are realizing the power of hand-painted signs and showing a new appreciation for this nearly-lost craft.

And that is what this resurgence of hand-painted signage is about: the power of individuality. Seeing the same lettering, the same color schemes, the same type of signs everywhere we go has made us immune to the sad fact that uniformity has taken over our cities. This is never more apparent than when we walk by a shop with carefully hand-painted signs. It, almost without fail, will seem like the coolest and most interesting shop on the street, even before we walk through the door. Why? Because that store owner took pride in his or her business and chose to display the individuality that other shops are missing.

Many sign painters working today began their painting careers under very different circumstances: as graffiti writers. It makes sense, in a way, to move from the illegal side of painting in public to the legal side. But can they possibly get as much enjoyment and satisfaction from painting the letters and logos of their clients as they did from tagging boxcars? Apparently, the sign painting business offers enough of a challenge to keep these modern-day artisans fulfilled. In sign painting, as in graffiti, planning and spacing are key – and in both, the painter’s personality and humanity shine through.

There is a deeper message here, not only for business owners but for all of America. When corporations began taking over the towns and cities with their homogeneous style and predictable experiences, we lost something. We lost the personable nature of Main Street and the colorful mish-mash of downtown. As our culture begins to pull away from the trap of corporate sameness, we will no doubt see at least some businesses return to the traditional art of hand-painted signs. And the sign painters will, as always, remain behind the scenes as the people who dramatically impact our buying habits, but about whom we rarely stop to think.


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Signs of the Times: 13 Architectural Signage Designs

Far from a postscript, the signage in these 13 structures serve as integral parts of each design, covering entire facades or standing hundreds of feet tall.
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Painted Alive: Boldly Brilliant Body Paintings

The human body can be and do so many things, but when it’s used as a canvas for fine art, truly magical things can happen.
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Sound of the Earth: Vinyl Globe Plays Music of the World

24 Oct

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

This is more than just a model of the globe: it’s a spherical record player that will produce the sounds of a particular region when spun. The Sound of the Earth by Yuri Suzuki is just one of the designer’s incredibly innovative sonic products and installations. Suzuki spent four years traveling the world to collect samples of folk songs, national anthems and other audio.

Referring to the globe as ‘an aural journey around the world in 30 minutes,’ Suzuki explains that he wanted to bring all of the music of his travels together in one place.

Other projects include Barcode Book, which tells a story through illustrations made with bar codes, which are scanned with a hand-held reader, and Sound Taxi. The latter project is a vintage taxi equipped with a microphone that records urban sounds like traffic, sirens and construction work, and uses them to generate unique music in real time, which is played via 67 built-in speakers and big, shiny Indian horns mounted on the roof and hood.

“A few years ago my hard drive crashed and I lost my entire 500GB music collection,” Suzuki told The Guardian. “From then on, music held in physical objects seemed safer.”


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The Shape of Sound: New Orleans Village Made of Music

Is this shantytown in New Orleans the most musical neighborhood in the world? Every tiny shack here is a functional musical instrument.
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City of Sounds: Scale Model Plays Urban Soundtrack

Every city has its own unique sound, but until now those sounds have been less than musical. This unique project turns the city itself into an instrument.
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Shanghai Bomb Shelter Becomes Bustling Underground Night Club

23 Oct

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

With a population of nearly 13.5 million packed into just 2,448 square miles and a large network of disused bomb shelters, it’s no surprise that some Shanghai businesses are going underground. The Shelter is a new nightclub that makes use of one of the roughly 2,000 bomb shelters that can be found beneath the Xuhui district alone, leaving many of the original elements intact.

To get to the club, you’ll have to make your way down a long, narrow stairway and through a dark, cave-like cement tunnel that twists and winds beneath street level. For The Shelter, the rawness and darkness of the setting is part of the appeal.

There are hundreds of thousands of bomb shelters all over China, built in the ’60s and ’70s to prepare for possible air raids from the Soviet Union. “Some projects remain as secrets,” said Tong Songyan, an official at the Xuhui district government, in an interview with Reuters.

Other businesses that have made their home in these underground passages range from the appropriate to the incongruous including a wine shop, a men’s gay bar and a men’s underwear store. The location currently inhabited by The Shelter was formerly a vegetable market, ice storage facility, massage parlor and public bath house.


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Underground Rooms: Waiting for the End of the World

Is the end near? These stark but beautiful photos of underground bomb shelters give us a taste of what life may be like if we had to go underground to survive.
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Down Towns: 6 Unbelievable Underground Spaces

The above-ground world is far from being the whole story. There’s another world beneath our feet – one that many of us never see – like these 6 amazing spaces.
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Looping Roller-Coaster Stairway You Can Actually Walk On

23 Oct

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

From afar, it looks like a forgotten relic of a theme park that has since picked up and moved on – but it’s actually a walkable sculpture. ‘Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain‘, as it’s named, rises on a dirt hill above the city of Duisburg, Germany, promising a strange adventure to those who approach.

As you come closer, you’ll see that there’s a portion of this looping, curving stairway that seems to go upside-down, just as a real roller coaster would. Unfortunately, that’s part of the ‘magic’.

Architects Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth explain, “Having a closer look, the public is disappointed in a disarming way. The visitor climbs on foot via differently steep steps the roller-coaster-sculpture. So the sculpture subtly and ironically plays with the dialectic of promise and disappointment, mobility and standstill.”

LED lights were integrated into the handrails so that the sculpture is not only accessible at night, but acts as a landmark, visible for miles. It was built on the site of a toxic zinc-slag pit left over from a local zinc operation that was cleaned up and made fit for public use.


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Inception Park: Impossible Roller Coaster in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires becomes a fantasy urban playground in this fun video by Black Sheep Films, featuring roller coasters with no tracks that zoom through the city.
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Playfully Serious: Interactive Sculpture With Killer Curves

If this winding, looping roller coaster looks out of place in the picturesque German countryside, it may be because not everything is as it seems.
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