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Small Miseries: Eerie Ceramics by Carole Epp
Cutesy, feel-good figurines they’re not: one little girl has an eye gouged out, a boy is crucified on the golden McDonalds arches, and an anthropomorphized rabbit carries the severed head of a child. But artist Carole Epp isn’t looking to provide you with pretty little things to place on your mantel. Her fragile and diminutive works deal with issues like neuroses, stress and grief.
A Collection of Small Miseries presents such serious subjects in a disarmingly innocent package – that is, until you get close enough to see the details. Working with both slip-casting and hand-building techniques, Epp creates memorable and sometimes shocking little tableaus, nearly always starring children regardless of the subject matter.
“Through bringing the overwhelming and devastating nature of war, terrorism, poverty, starvation, genetic technology, and environmental degradation back to a dialogue about the individual consumer, I felt that I could offer more positive outlooks for pro-active change in regards to the issues,” says the artist.
“I found that I could use the expectations of the medium and the collectible object as an accessible entry point into the work, allowing for a non-confrontational or disconcerting perspective on the subject matter. I wanted to both entice and repel; and inspire a desire to consume alongside an awareness of the consequences of that consumption.”
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14 Epic Environmental Art Images and Photos
Chris Jordan takes everyday garbage and other examples of our rampant consumerism and turns them into art. His hope is that we will one day understand the cost.
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Walk This Way: 99 Diverse Men Walking in Manhattan
He's an essential part of any urban environment, but how often do we think about the man who tells us it's safe to cross the street?
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The Insanely Creepy World of Mannequins
Mannequins are one of those things that are somewhat necessary even though they are undeniably scary. And as if they weren't creepy enough on their own ...
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Graffiti & Drawing. ]
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Portable Cities: Suitcase Architecture Made from Clothing
What connection does a discarded sweater on a subway have with the city in which it’s found? For Chinese artist Yin Xiuzhen, the used clothing of a city’s inhabitants take shape as three-dimensional textile models of their places of origin, sprouting organically from suitcases. The series ‘Portable Cities’ attempts to imbue cities with humanity and vitality in an age when globalization has made them nearly identical.
Old work shirts, pantyhose, dresses, coats and other clothing items worn by everyday urban residents transform into tiny factories, skyscrapers, roadways and parks under Yin’s skillful hands, creating likenesses of cities such as Seattle, Berlin, Vancouver and Yin’s own hometown of Beijing.
These ‘Portable Cities’ represent not just the increasing homogeneity of the world, but the increasing ease with which we are able to move from one city to the next.
“When I began this series, I was constantly traveling,” says the artist. “I saw the baggage conveyor at the baggage claim every time I traveled. Many people waited there. I was one of them. Since I always traveled with a huge suitcase, it felt like I was traveling with my home.”
“People in our contemporary setting have moved from residing in a static environment to becoming souls in a constantly shifting transience. The suitcase becomes the life support container of modern living…” she told Walker Art. “The holder of the continuous construction of a human entity.”
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Mobile Urban Architecture: From Portable Housing to Temporary Hotel Rooms
More and more designers are developing nomadic alternatives to traditional models of static urban living.
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Traveling in Time: Evolution of the Suitcase
From buckskin packs to steamer trunks to carbon fiber carry-ons, the story of the suitcase parallels the explosion of travel and tourism..
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3 (More) Extreme Approaches to Portable Living: From ‘Garbage Trucks’ to Portable ‘Living Rooms’
There's nothing like the freedom to move and live where we want. Perhaps the greatest expression of postmodern mobility is when transportation devices are combined with living spaces.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Travel & Places, Urban & Street Art, Urban Images. ]
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Haircut Time: 25 Hair Styles That Will Blow Your Mind
As someone who has never said anything to a hair stylist beyond “Make it shorter,” I have a true admiration for people who step outside of the box and get truly creative with their hair. It’s rare to see someone nowadays with a magnificent mohawk, and though coloring hair is fairly common, the extent to which these hair artisans manipulate their appearance is amazing. Here are some of the wildest haircuts I’ve seen:
Sports Fanatics
Sports fanatics are always finding new ways to declare their support for their favorite team, and though this usually involves branded merchandise or ridiculous makeup, some fans like to use every tool at their disposal.
Creative Shapes
Why stop at creepy faces when you can use your hair to display any image you want? I certainly hope the guy on the left realizes his hair stylist did some creative trimming, and kudos to the guy on the right for adding some excitement to his hairstyle.
Mohawks
Mohawks are past their heyday, but it’s still easy to spot some who still sport the most badass haircut around. It would be hard to miss some of these hardcore mohawk supporters, as they have some of the most intense examples I’ve seen.
Two-Faced
It’s not uncommon to see little kids fooling around and pretending to have a face on the back of their head, aided with a backwards facing hat or glasses, but these people take it to the next level. I assume most people who do this are just looking for a temporary, hilarious outcome, but it looks to me like some of them have it as a permanent style choice.
Buzz Cuts
A few stylists will add a small flourish when they’re buzzing a client’s head, but these stylists have created works of art. Geeks will be most fond of the Superman and Gears of War emblems.
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Moustache Masterpieces: 10 Sculpted and Bizarre Facial Hair Styles
To shave or not to shave? With these people there's no question; the real decision is how to style years worth of facial hair growth into an exotic design.
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Gamers Beware: 10 Innovative Video Games that Will Blow Your Mind
Sheer graphics and technology aren't everything. Here's a look at 10 of the most interesting and innovative games that have graced our living rooms.
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Mind-Bending Digital Photo Manipulation by Erik Johansson
Roads unfurl like fabric and human faces are frighteningly elastic in the digitally manipulated photographs of artist Erik Johansson.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Urban & Street Art, Urban Images. ]
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Robot Tattoos: Awesome Mechanical Body Art
Robots are intrinsically fascinating, especially now that we almost have the technological capability to create what once was only a science fiction fan’s dream. We’re not quite there, however, and so we continue to give life to our imaginations of a robot inhabited world through the most permanent means at our disposal: ink. Here are some of the most creative and well done robot tattoos around:
Toy Robots
Vintage toy robots are sparking fountains of nostalgia, and it’s quite popular to use these childhood inspirations to good use, as foundations for a robust and creative robot tattoo.
Biomechanical Tattoos
For those who feel more than just an affinity with androids, there are ways to make you seem a bit more mechanical, and all it takes is a little peek under the skin. These realistic biomechanical tattoos are intense and extremely well done.
Styles
There’s plenty of room to get creative with robot designs… like this ominous angel, clunky thinker, and ailing piece of junk.
Robot Love
Much of popular culture involving robots deals with the differences between man and machine, with a main focus being emotion. Can robots learn to feel? Whether they can or not in reality, they certainly can in our tattoos.
Creative Robots
Some robot artists choose to take the clunky robot to another level, using their artistic skill and creative vision to create something unique and wonderful.
Robots in Pop Culture
Robots in popular television shows and cartoons provide a plethora of robot characters to choose from for body art, or at least, inspiration.
Go Big!
Robots are all about being giant and menacing. Full of mechanical power and intimidating height and strength, it’s natural that you’d want your robot tattoo to have the same larger than life presence.
Endless Variety
There is an incredible variety of robot tattoos, but the room for variation is endless. One of the few things robots don’t have is imagination, so use yours and come up with an even cooler design!
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Cogs and Ink: Steampunk Tattoo Designs that Wow
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Gallery of Pseudo-Victorian, Steampunkesque & Retro Robot Art
These creative technological inventions have a streak of steampunk, robots built into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical fantasy or steampunkesque robot art.
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Futuristic Sculpture: Robot Statues and Found Creations
Many artists use robots as their subject, creating them out of metal or found objects. Here are some of the coolest robot sculptures around:
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Gadgets & Geek Art, Technology & Futurism. ]
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Retro-Futurism: 13 Failed Urban Design Ideas
Many an architect has dreamed up visionary plans for city centers, but few have actually seen their designs come to fruition in a real live urban setting. And while many such unbuilt concepts are technically viable, others are wacky, fanciful or downright bizarre. These 13 retro urban design ideas for the future, from perfectly symmetrical egalitarian communities to the egotistical demands of a deranged dictator, will probably never become reality – and in many cases, we’re better off that way.
Before his name was inextricably connected to safety razors, King Camp Gillette had a utopian vision for the future which revolved around a waterfall-powered tiered city he dubbed ‘Metropolis’. All residents of this imagined city would have access to the same amenities including rooftop gardens in the perfectly round, precisely divided multi-functional buildings in which they would live, work, play and eat. Like many of Gillette’s ideas, the design never went anywhere, but it’s notably similar to many very modern 21st-century concepts for sustainable urban centers.
Broadacre City
Like Gillette’s Metropolis, Broadacre City was meant to be an urban utopia. But when renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright imagined the picture-perfect society of tomorrow, he saw not highly compact and efficient high-rises, but sprawling self-sustainable homesteads. Originally conceived in 1932, Broadacre City puts each homeowner in a self-built single-family home on an entire acre of land brimming with gardens. Complete with multiple cars per family, it would almost be an accurate prediction of future suburbia if not for the airplane in every front yard.
Atomurbia
If giving each and every family in America an acre of land seems impossible, imagine what life would be like if ‘Atomurbia’ had come to pass. This concept, published in a 1947 issue of Life magazine, detailed how to atomic bomb-proof America by spreading the population across the land in a geometric grid and relocating all industry into underground structures so that any single bomb would do a minimum of damage. The whole plan would have cost a measly 5 trillion dollars in today’s currency, and the authors – atomic scientists from Chicago – thought it could be pulled off within a decade.
Hotel Attraction
Antoni Gaudi’s architecture defines Barcelona, Spain even today with its fluid curves, reflective surfaces and organic shapes – but it would stick out like a sore thumb in the comparatively staid cityscape of Manhattan. Perhaps that’s what he had in mind for ‘Hotel Attraction’, commissioned in 1908 and also known as the Grand Hotel. The rounded, spaceship-like form would have risen in the exact spot where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were later built, but the idea was ultimately abandoned. Gaudi’s unrealized design was actually considered as a possibility for the Ground Zero memorial after the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Welthauptstadt
We all know that Adolf Hitler had many an ambitious plan that (thankfully) never came to pass – but few are aware of ‘Welthauptstadt’ (German for ‘World Capital’), the Fuhrer’s design for a new Berlin to be constructed after his expected victory in World War II. Taking elements from other empires around the world, Hitler imagined a broad ‘Avenue of Victory’ down the center as well as his very own ‘Arch of Triumph’. A test structure constructed in 1938 to determine whether Berlin’s marshy ground could have even held up such heavy Romanesque architecture (verdict: nope) still stands today.
Palace of Soviets
The Palace of Soviets would have been the world’s tallest structure at 100 meters high and crowned with a brightly lit hammer and sickle as a monument to Lenin on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Savior, if only the Nazis hadn’t invaded in 1941, putting a stop to construction. Its steel frame was disassembled for use in fortifications and bridges, and its foundations served as the world’s largest open-air swimming pool for a while before 1995 when the whole thing was filled in so that the cathedral could be rebuilt.
Ville Contemporaine
The architect known as Le Corbusier was an essential figure in the development of what we now know as modern architecture, and his many theoretical urban design projects aimed to make life better for residents of cramped cities. Displeased with the chaos of big cities, Le Corbusier designed ‘Ville Contemporaine’ as an orderly home to three million people where housing, industry and recreation all occupied distinct areas connected by roads that emphasized the use of personal vehicles for transportation.
Seward’s Success
If it was Seward’s Folly to purchase Alaska from the Russian Empire in the first place, perhaps Seward’s Success – a huge climate-controlled, glass-enclosed city for 40,000 people – could have made up for it. Or not. Proposed in 1968 and nixed in 1972, this unbuilt community was dreamed up after the discovery of oil reserves at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska when developers imagined droves of people coming to the area. The crowning jewel of the perpetually 68-degree dome would have been a 20-story Alaskan Petroleum Center, surrounded by housing, offices, retail space and an indoor sports arena.
Triton City
If not for a certain tell-tale 1960s aesthetic, Buckminster Fuller’s ‘Triton City’ could easily fit among today’s designs for floating eco-friendly cities. The futurist, architect and inventor was ahead of his time as usual when he imagined this tetrahedronal metropolis for Tokyo Bay, a seastead for up to 6,000 residents. Fuller wrote about the possibility of desalinating and recirculating seawater “in many useful and non-polluting ways” and using materials from obsolete buildings on land, which were hardly popular ideas at the time.
Future New York, “The City of Skyscrapers”
By 1925, many of New York City’s skyscrapers were already present, but futurists of the time envisioned not only a great deal more but a sort of aerial civilization complete with elevated train platforms and perhaps a rather unsafe number of aircraft flying around all at once.
New York City’s Dream Airport
All the airplanes in that 1925 postcard would definitely require a monumental airport in New York City, and what better location than right smack in midtown Manhattan? This concept for “New York City’s Dream Airport” featured an astonishingly large – and some say ugly – runway platform. But for all of the prime real estate that this monstrosity would have devoured, it seems as if it could only handle a handful of planes at a time with absolutely zero margin of error, sending errant planes straight into Central Park or the East River.
Slumless, Smokeless Cities
How do you build a city so egalitarian that slums are eliminated entirely, and nobody ever has to breathe in pollution? Sir Ebenezer Howard, the father of the garden city movement, believed that a careful layout with six satellite garden cities connected via canals to a densely populated central city would do the trick. Thoughtfully, the design included specially designated spaces for “Eplileptic Farms”, “Homes for Waifs”, “Homes for Inebriates” and an insane asylum.
Boozetown
“Just imagine a resort entirely centered on the culture of alcohol. A boozer’s paradise built expressly to facilitate drinking and the good times that naturally follow. Where the bars, clubs and liquor stores never close.” Mel Johnson’s ‘Boozetown’ was an entirely sincere proposal with street names like “Gin Lane” and “Bourbon Boulevard” that would have begun as a resort town in Middle America and eventually expanded into a full-sized adults-only city with permanent housing and its own suburbs. After many obsessed years of struggling for financing, Johnson gave up on his dream in 1960 and died in a mental hospital in 1962.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Architecture & Design, History & Factoids, Technology & Futurism. ]
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Stuck On You: Seattle’s Gum Wall Is Pretty, Gross
The “Gum Wall” takes the concept of sticktoitiveness to a new level – actually, 15 feet above Post Alley in Seattle‘s famous Pike Place Market. The wall’s owners no longer bother scraping away the gooey graffiti, no doubt causing those who “chews” to add a wad to what’s been called one of the world’s germiest tourist attractions to drool with anticipation.
(images via: Rebecca Ellison Photography and Oddity Central)
Got the gumption to check out a little chicle culture? Gum is all you need, and the culture (of the microbial kind) looks after itself. We’re talking about the Gum Wall, of course, the only Seattle attraction guaranteed to keep you sleepless – especially if you’re from Singapore.
(images via: TravelPod, The Examiner and Seattle Daily Photo)
The Gum Wall runs for about 50 feet along Post Alley, where paying customers to the Market Theater in Pike Place Market would wait in line for the next show to begin. Evidently the wait was too long for some theater-goers – long enough, at least, that their chewing gum lost its flavor. Lacking a handy bedpost (as in the classic tune by Lonnie Donegan popularized on the Doctor Demento radio show) to stick it on, antsy chewers chose the next best thing… well, the NEXT thing, which happened to be the brick wall bordering Post Alley.
(images via: Zooomr, Jdong and Seattlest)
At first (around 1993), gum-stickers used their chicle chaws to affix coins to the wall but, times being tough and all, eventually the coin part lost favor as fast as gum loses its flavor – coins stayed in pockets while gum stayed on the wall.
(image via: Dutchgum)
The same goes for other objects fastened to the wall using gum as a sort of Mac-Tac: postcards, written messages, buttons and business cards, for example. Paper doesn’t last long out in the open, though, and with the passage of time the gum remains while more ephemeral materials decay.
(images via: Hippoo, SodaHead, Red Box Pictures and Kristie Serra Photography Blog)
Gum itself is stretched, molded and arranged to form a variety of miniature self-contained artworks, names and symbols. These features utilize the intrinsic properties of chewing gum: soft and malleable when freshly chewed; tough and colorfast when dried.
(images via: Jasontopia and Kitsap Scouts)
The owner of the building (Unexpected Productions’ Seattle Theatresports) was less than impressed by what they saw as a rapidly expanding gum-bomination and hired crews to scrape the wall clean at least twice (and you think your summer job is lousy) but gave up in 1998 when officials at Pike Place Market noticed that people were, often as not, lining up to see the Gum Wall instead of the current theatrical production. Things took off from there: in some places the gummy deposits are several inches thick. Ick!
(images via: Dipity, Clayton Hauck and Amazing)
Mention has been made of the “gross factor” of the wall, including CNN who in 2009 lumped the Gum Wall in with their list of the 5 germiest tourist attractions. While undeniably gross to some – the “distinct fruity aroma” CNN describes surely doesn’t help – it’s debatable whether pathogenic bacteria native to human mouths can survive for long after being stuck on a brick wall.
(image via: Kimberly Kay Photography)
Also, gum stuck on the Gum Wall STAYS on the Gum Wall. People aren’t working some bizarre gum-trading scheme, nor are they kissing Ireland’s Blarney Stone (also on CNN’s list), which receives around 400,000 visitors annually (and usually, orally).
(images via: Seattle Daily Photo and GeorgesSeurat.org)
But back to the Gum Wall, or “Wall of Gum” as some refer to it. From afar, the multicolored blobs of solidified Trident, Wrigley’s, Bazooka and more blend into a rainbow tableau that blurs the lines of the geometrically placed brickwork.
(images via: Minortough87)
It’s as if 19th century Pointillist master Georges Seurat decided to do an abstract version of “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”, compete with smell-o-vision. Most of you undoubtedly know of that painting from the classic museum scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, from which the above stills were captured. You can watch the entire museum scene here:
Ferris Bueller\’s Day Off – Museum Scene , via Minortough87
(images via: MYNorthwest and KOMO News)
Icky yes, sticky even more so, the Gum Wall has achieved an odd sort of fame that perhaps appropriately has spread virally thanks to the Internet and netizens’ fascination with all things strange and unusual. According to Market Theater Managing Director Jay Hitts, “Every time I walk out into the alley there’s lots of people getting their pictures taken in front of it, asking questions about it. It has become quite an attraction.” A bonus for Hitts and the Market Theater is there’s probably a lot less gum stuck under the theater’s seats.
(images via: Seattle Wedding Photographers)
The Gum Wall has even been selected by newlyweds as a backdrop for wedding photos – the thought possibly being that like the gum on the wall, these new married couples will stick together come rain or shine.
(images via: New York Times and Daily Mail UK)
Speaking of which, the Gum Wall serves as a test case for the deterioration (or not) of used chewing gum left exposed to the elements over a long period of time. While seemingly frivolous, such information is of great value to municipal budget planners who devote appreciable annual sums to the cleaning and removal of dropped or otherwise discarded chewing gum.
(image via: Oddity Central)
By all appearances, the gum is holding up quite well. Rain or freezing temperatures have little or no effect on the clumps. Hot weather and summer sun DO leave their marks, however: with the assistance of gravity, gum stuck to overhanging ledges tends to droop and sag over time.
(images via: Ethic Soup and Atlas Obscura)
The effect resembles stalactites that grow down from the roofs of caves and natural caverns.
(images via: JafaBrit’s Art, K.M.M. and Fastbird232)
The Gum Wall’s emergence as a icon of chronic yet spontaneous urban graffiti has exerted an attraction to other street artists who seek an association between their efforts and the Gum Wall. The Pike Place Market’s “hands off” policy also acts as an encouragement – at least, it doesn’t discourage – those who work in mediums other than gum to add a little color and variety to the Gum Wall, especially at its fringes where the gum is less obtrusive.
(images via: Seattle Times and Brandon Camp)
The mainstream media has also noted the existence of the Gum Wall, one example being the use of the location in the otherwise unremarkable 2009 Jennifer Aniston film Love Happens. One scene features Aniston and co-star Aaron Eckart on a walking date, strolling from the Gum Wall to take in other Seattle alternative hotspots such as the Fremont Troll and the grave of Bruce Lee. Here’s the video trailer for Love Happens, though don’t blink at around the 2-minute mark or you’ll miss the Gum Wall:
\’Love Happens\’ Trailer HD, via Hollywoodstreams
(images via: Rsyms, TripCart and Rick Kobylinski)
Seattle’s Gum Wall isn’t the only example of this fragrant genre of urban art, much to the chagrin of those who consider these displays dirty, unsightly, unhealthy or just plain ugly. A rival exists several hundred miles down the coast: Bubblegum Alley in downtown San Luis Obispo, California. Bubblegum Alley boasts an older origin, estimated to be sometime in the mid-1950s, and it’s also double-sided. Which gum wall is best? That’s up to the individual to chews. Choose, that is.
(image via: Golmangoli)
The Gum Wall, or something like it, is what you get when large-scale urban art germinates (pun intended) from some tiny, individual action performed without any concept, plan or idea. Who was the first bored theater-goer to take out their frustrations – and their gum – back in the early ’90s? Unlike the gum firmly stuck to Seattle’s wonderful Wall of Gum, that fact has fallen through the pages of art history.
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Star Power: New Perspectives on a Classic Landmark
It’s one of the most-photographed American landmarks ever. It’s recognizable to people around the world despite the fact that it has been around for less than a century. It represents the hopes and dreams of the hopefuls who flock to California every day to follow their dreams. It is, of course, the Hollywood sign. Photographer Ted VanCleave photographed the iconic sign in a whole new light.
Because it’s been photographed so many times, by so many people and in so many ways, it’s hard to believe that there are any new views of the Hollywood sign possible. But Ted VanCleave uses unique perspectives and vivid color to frame the well-loved sign in a whole new way.
By photographing the sign from extreme angles and unusual positions, VanCleave uses his lens to make an intimately familiar subject feel new again. His experiments in texture, composition and striking color breathe new life into an image that most of us have seen hundreds or thousands of times.
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The pip-squeak of peripherals has come a long way since 1964 when the first mouse - made of wood - crawled across our desktops and into our hearts.
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Remodeling Suburbia: Rerouting Classic, Car-Centric Design
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[ WebUrbanist - By Delana in Architecture & Design, Travel & Places, Urban & Street Art. ]
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Guerrilla Takeover: Activists Replace Ads with Art
(images via: martin reis)
Last year, Toronto citizens asked themselves a question that led to an unprecedented law: Why should we have to look at so many billboards? In April 2010, the city instituted taxes and restrictions on public advertising, but some ad companies decided to break the law – and those rogue billboards were themselves subject of guerrilla action recently when activists covered them with art.
The large-scale urban street hack was organized by Toronto Street Advertising Takeover (TOSAT) and plastered 41 illegal advertising pillars and 20 10′-by-20′ billboards with 85 prints by a variety of artists, from graffiti-style urban art to whimsical drawings of birds.
Toronto has long had restrictions on billboards, but they were complex and difficult to enforce. April’s bylaw introduced a new tax on billboards that funds art in public spaces and pays for enforcement, but according to activists, companies like Pattison Outdoor Advertising – which was targeted by the guerrilla action – continue to flout the law.
“When you walk through the city and you know you have no control over that space, it’s like walking through a mall,” said ‘Posterchild’, a Torontoist.com contributor who was involved with the project. “It’s more about feeling at home. And it’s impossible for me to feel at home in my city if I don’t feel I’m a part of it.”
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What is guerrilla marketing, exactly?
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Graffiti & Drawing, Guerilla Action & Art, Urban & Street Art. ]
13 Most Weird & Wonderful Collections on the Web
You don’t have to travel the back roads of the world to see bizarre and amazing collections of unusual objects – some of these wacky museums are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, right at your fingertips. Who can resist a lovingly curated collection of moist towelettes, airline spoons, or the world’s largest accumulation of belly button lint?
You say belly button lint, Graham Barker says navel fluff – but we can all agree that this is the world’s largest collection of those mysterious fibers from a single person. He has been collecting his own belly button lint since 1984. His three chronologically collected bottles are oddly color-coordinated, as if he wore only beige until 1993 and then went through subsequent red and blue periods. Barker’s collection started when he pulled some fuzz out of his navel and wondered how much it would take to stuff a cushion.
Have you ever seen so many condiment packets in one place at one time? Collector Chris Harne’s unusual hobby came about when he decided to stop spending money on ketchup. Gathering free condiment packets at every restaurant possible was a slippery slope that led to the madness that is now The Condiment Packet Gallery.
Soviet Calculators
When hand-held calculators debuted in the West in the 1970s, the Soviets were desperate to catch up. But it took them a while to get the process down, and their many efforts – including some that are amazingly intricate and mechanical – are cataloged at the Soviet Calculators virtual museum.
Toast Portraits of Famous People
A virtual collection of toast art is unusual enough, but ‘Toastman’ Maurice Bennett – self-proclaimed “New Zealand’s most renowned artist” – makes more than just abstract compositions of burnt bread. He also creates billboard-sized toast portraits of famous people, which can be seen on his website as well.
Airline Spoons
If you’ve always harbored a secret but intense curiosity about what the spoons on various airlines around the world look like, but can’t afford to travel the world to find out, you’re in luck. One Flickr photo set contains hundreds of spoons, and you might be surprised just how varied they really are. Some are specially marked, some are vintage or from defunct airlines and some are even designed by celebrities.
Pencils
We would never get a peek into the diverse and fascinating world of brand name pencils if it weren’t for Bob Truby’s Brand Name Pencils website, which features photographs and descriptions of practically every pencil ever created.
Moist Towelettes
You might wonder, what exactly about moist towelettes could possibly merit collecting them? But that was before you saw the Star Trek ones above, which are indisputably amazing. Others in the collection come from Trump Castle, Quaker Steak & Lube and Iceland Air. And yes, there is in fact a brick-and-mortar Moist Towelette museum conveniently located in Dimondale, Michigan.
Crazy Shoes
The weirdest shoes in the world are even crazier than you might think. Forget insanely towering heels or unusual materials – the collection at the Virtual Shoe Museum will blow you away with its weirdness, from buckled boots with 8-inch ponytails made from real hair to extreme point shoes with suggestive heels.
Obscure Patents
While some of the inventions at the Delphion Museum of Obscure Patents appear tongue-in-cheek, like the Santa Claus Detector, others seem oddly serious – including a gravity-powered shoe air conditioner and an apparatus for simulating a high-five, “providing the user with a convenient outlet for the release of excitement.”
Masks, Medical Instruments & More
Looking for bizarre devices and gadgets, long since cast aside? Radio-Guy.net probably has one of the most complete collections around of everything from your run-of-the-mill antique radios to insane helmets used for questionable medical procedures, like the terrifying shock therapy mask.
Squished Pennies
You see the machines at virtually every tourist trap around the country: the ones that take your pennies and turn them into oddly elongated, squished souvenirs imprinted with the name of the attraction. For people who travel a lot – like Ronald Dupont, who has a vast collection archived online – these pressed coins are a fun and cheap way to remember all the places they’ve been.
Burnt Food
“To Cook the Museum Way — always leave the flame on low . . . and then take a long nap.” That’s the motto of the Burnt Food Museum, started in the late 1980′s when Deborah Henson-Conant left a pot of hot apple cider on the stovetop and took a long phone call. Today, the museum features such magnificent exhibits as “kruncheroni n’ cheese” and “hash blacks”.
Barf Bags
“One can tell a lot about an airline’s image from their Air Sickness Bags. Some barf bags are no more than a baggie with a twist tie, while other sickbags could win international design competitions. Are they art? I think so. You decide.” The Air Sickness Bag Virtual Museum certainly gives us more than enough to study, with 2,177 images to view.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Travel & Places. ]
How Graffiti Can Be Even Cooler: Just Add Star Wars
Graffiti is often a disappointing eyesore, the bane of storefronts, and signposts for gang activity, but there are also those who have turned it into an art form that delights urban populations with surprising works of art on dirty walls. There are enough science fiction fans out there who know how to wield a spray paint can that there’s a plethora of Star Wars graffiti. Here are some of the coolest examples of Star Wars themed graffiti in an alley near you:
Darth Vader
Darth Vader’s helmet is a symbol of evil and geekery known far and wide. Here are a few examples of the powerful Jedi as viewed by skilled graffiti artists.
Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire
The Rebels and the Empire are portrayed a surprisingly equal amount in urban art, as these examples of Stormtroopers, Yoda, and even an R2D2 cameo portray.
Politics
Some choose to use their Star Wars knowledge to fight political enemies, as seen in these hilarious caricatures of former President Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, shown as Jabba the Hut and one of his cohorts.
AT-AT
The gigantic AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) was introduced in the Star Wars films as an intimidating vehicle of war, and these murals don’t disappoint! Some use humor, while others display their immense size in glorious detail.
Large and Small
Scenes from the films can dominate the entire side of a building, or fit in the smallest space. Either way, Star Wars graffiti would delight any Star Wars fan if it caught their eye on the street.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Gadgets & Geek Art, Graffiti & Drawing, Urban & Street Art. ]
Clean Machines: 10 Wonderful Washers of the Future
The humble washing machine revolutionized the way we all live. Before automatic washing machines came along, clothes were washed by hand in a tub, a tedious and tiring process. Today, the washing machine takes care of all of the hard work for us, even if it is a less-than-thrilling machine. But the next generation of washing machines is on the way. What will it bring? These concepts offer some of the best, strangest and most ambitious guesses for the future of our laundry.
Laundry might be the last household task anyone would classify as “fun,” but the Swirl concept could make it at least a little less tedious. This clothes washer was meant to be used in areas where water is scarce and electricity isn’t available. The spherical design features a handle that allows the tub to be easily wheeled to a water source. Then, with the handle either still attached or removed, the ball becomes a plaything that users can roll, kick and have fun with to agitate the clothing within. The motion scrubs the clothes clean, no electricity required. And when the tub isn’t being used for laundry, it can be used to transport water for the family.
The Tiny, Wall-Hanging Washer
When space is at a premium, taking appliances off of the floor and hanging them on the wall can be a brilliant solution. But in order to do that with an appliance as major as a washing machine, you have to rethink the way the machine works. The Shine concept from the Electrolux Design Team in Porcina, Italy takes into account the fact that most of the world’s population will be living in urban environments by 2050 – a figure that means many of us will be short on space. The tiny washing machine can either be mounted on the wall or integrated beneath a bathroom countertop. Lights on the front of the machine count down the time remaining in the cycle while providing unique ambient lighting.
The Maglev Washing Machine
It doesn’t get much more futuristic than this concept from designer Jakub Lekes. The small, energy-efficient design is notable for its crystal ball-like shape which allows it to spin in all directions. Magnetic levitation, or maglev, holds the ball in place while it spins around, getting clothes cleaner than a circular-spinning drum ever could.
The Aquarium Washing Machine
The simple round aesthetic of the Aquarium washing machine concept recalls the unusual shape of the Maglev concept above, but closer to the ground. The interior ball holds the clothing and swirls around in all directions to provide a superior clean while the exterior sits in your home looking like a fascinating piece of futuristic art.
The Pebble
If you get a stain on your outfit just before going out for the night, you’d think the best solution would be to change. But why bother when you can simply run your soiled clothes through this wall-mounted wonder and head out of the house with your favorite outfit clean and ready to impress? The Pebble is a concept for the year 2022 from designer Ning Ning Lee, and it addresses the age-old problem of washing machine cycles that take way too long. The small appliance washes, steams and dries clothes quickly – and it looks great hanging on the wall.
Electrolux Renew
Along the same lines of the Pebble concept is the Electrolux Renew. It’s a quick and easy way to clean and refresh your clothes with a blast of steam – but it can also teach you a thing or two. The Renew uses RFID and infrared scanners to give you information about the fabric composition and condition of your clothes. The machine is equipped with wi-fi and features an OLED touchscreen interface to make navigation simple.
Orbital
Traditional washing machines use a huge amount of electricity and water. The Orbital concept from Tiffany Roddis cuts down on both and gives the user a simple way to rein in their laundry piles. The spherical drum detaches from the main unit to be used as a laundry basket elsewhere in the house, then slots back into the machine easily. The dual axis rotation makes for super-clean clothes, and using the drum as a laundry basket helps users make sure that they are washing full loads rather than energy-wasting partial loads.
Electrolux iBasket
This Electrolux concept product assumes that most of us hate carrying around heavy baskets full of laundry – which is probably a safe assumption. The iBasket looks just like a laundry hamper, but it’s also a cleverly concealed little washing machine. Sensors tell the machine when it’s full of laundry and automatically starts the wash and dry cycles. The device is even equipped with wi-fi so you can start and stop its actions from your computer or mobile device. Presumably, the iBasket would be inexpensive enough to keep several in the house; otherwise it would be pointless for families or large households.
The Re-Cycle Laundry Center
Designers Fernanda Villanueva and Arturo Ariño were inspired not only by the appearance of the “recycle” symbol, but by the meaning of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Their concept, the Re-Cycle Laundry Center, features three separate and independent pods that all work to keep you in clean threads. One pod is a washing machine, another is a dryer, and the third is a water tank/filtration unit. Water flows from the tank to the washing machine to clean clothes, then back through a filter and into the tank to be cleaned and used again.
The OVO Washing Machine
The OVO concept from Murat Ozveri isn’t so much about functional innovation as aesthetic improvement. The machine functions just like a regular washing machine, but it’s so much prettier. Interchangeable face plates allow for simple changes to the color, while a built-in projector shows the progress of the cycle on the door. And when there’s no cycle in progress, the design changes to a handy clock. This is one washer you wouldn’t be ashamed to display prominently in your house.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Delana in Architecture & Design, Furniture & Interiors, Green Technologies. ]
Bus Art: Transportation with Style
Interesting bus ads are a joy to urbanites, something new and colorful that adds a little variety to the constant stream of yellow taxis, but bus decoration doesn’t always stop there. Such a large canvas invites artists to decorate buses with beautiful murals and intricate displays of artistic skill and attention. Here is some of the best bus art, and advertising, around:
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The VW vans that used to be a favorite of hippies spawned a surge of artistic van art full of vibrant colors and spacey scenes. This trend is no longer booming, but it’s far from over, as these wonderfully put together murals attest.
The larger the bus, the bigger the canvas, and it’s easy for artists to grow lazy and not pay as much attention to the intricate details as they would on a smaller project. Thankfully, patience and artistic talent have combined to produce these wonderfully intricate displays.
Some artists prefer to create sculptures, or use materials in new and interesting ways. When it comes to buses, this typically means pulling out a blowtorch and mixing and matching until something much different emerges.
Some buses are designed for a specific purpose, or entirely refashioned into something that is much less bus than it is… well, boat? Roving piece of art? Party platform? These buses are sure to catch your eye.
Advertisers have long had fun with bus advertisements. Because of a buses size, the ability to plaster every square inch with an ad (even the windows) and the relative inexpensiveness of modern printing techniques, there’s a lot of room for creativity.
For a bus to be awesome, there’s a lot more that goes into it than simply a pretty outside. Whether the bus is designed for private parties, or long trips, these designs would impress anyone. The top right example is an entire Puma store that’s able to transport itself and all of its merchandise wherever the road leads.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Guerilla Action & Art, Guerilla Marketing & Ads, Urban & Street Art. ]
Body Art: Creations Made of Human Flesh, Blood & Bones
What could be more personal and human than a cast of your head – made from your own frozen blood? The human body has been used as a canvas for all sorts of art, but perhaps more interesting and rare is the use of human body parts as artistic media, from sculptures made of hair, bones and fingernail parings to plasticized corpses in dynamic poses. These 12 artists have made human body art that is often controversial and sometimes surprisingly poignant.
If you’re going to do a self-portrait, why not go all out and make a sculpture out of your own frozen blood? That’s what sculptor Marc Quinn has done – every five years since 1991 – using a mold of his head and a whopping 9.5 pints of blood drawn over a period of five months. Quinn’s 2006 version of ‘Self’ was purchased by the UK’s National Portrait Gallery for over $465,000.
Andrew Krasnow
It’s been called horrific and gruesome, but is Andrew Krasnow’s controversial skin art really a sensitive reflection on human cruelty? The artist creates flags, lampshades, boots and other everyday items from the skin of people who donated their bodies to medical science. Krasnow says that each piece is a statement on America’s ethics. “The objective was to express my concerns about the war and that it would not be conducted in a way that was moral and ethical,” he said. “Since that question wasn’t permitted in a museum, the work became more complex, with all the inherent contradictions of what it means to be an American or, for that matter, to be human.”
Gunther Von Hagens
Perhaps no artist using actual human flesh as his chosen medium has gained such renown as Gunther Von Hagens, the man behind the “Body Worlds” exhibition of plasticized human corpses. But for all the outcry regarding Von Hagens’ supposedly “disrespectful” usage of human bodies, there’s just as much fascination. Von Hagens invented plastination, the method of replacing water and fat in human tissue with certain plastics, preserving them for study.
Francois Robert
Francois Robert’s fascination with human bones started with an unusual discovery: an articulated human skeleton hidden inside a presumably empty locker that he purchased. Realizing the potential for artistic expression, Robert traded in the wired skeleton for a disarticulated one so that he could arrange the parts into shapes and designs. Since then, he has created a haunting photo series called ‘Stop the Violence’ that uses the stark-white bones on a black background to illuminate the inhumanity of war.
Anthony-Noel Kelly
British artist Anthony-Noel Kelly followed in the footsteps of many artists before him, including Michelangelo, when he closely studied human body parts for his work. But unlike those artists, Kelly illegally smuggled human remains from the Royal College of Surgeons and used them to cast sculptures in plaster and silver paint. Kelly was found guilty of this unusual crime in 1998 and spend nine months in jail. The sculptures can still be seen on his website, anthony-noelkelly.com.
Kai-hung Fung
CT scans are typically only interesting to health care practitioners and the patients whose bodies they portray on film, but artist Kai-hung Fung manipulates them into stunning artistic images. Lungs, arteries, vocal chords and ear canals are just a few of the body parts that Fung – a radiologist himself – has scanned into a computer, intensifying the color but otherwise not manipulating them in any way.
Linda Jones
How would you feel if a relative of yours took bits of your hair, stitches from an injury, even catheters and other medical equipment and used it to build a creepy “family photo album?” Artist Linda Jones of Vermont turned such objects into an exhibition at Burlington’s Firehouse Gallery, shaping layers of wax, x-rays, teeth and even bits of flesh into abstract art. Of the show’s content and theme, gallery Curator Chris Thompson remarked, “Why do we simultaneously want to preserve life, modify our bodies, extend life, but at the same time, find the actual act of it very disturbing?”
Tim Hawkinson
Tiny and delicate, almost diaphanous, this little bird skeleton at first seems remarkable simply because it is so well preserved despite the fragility of bird bones. But those aren’t bones at all – they’re the fingernail clippings of the artist, Tim Hawkinson, carefully arranged into the 2-inch-tall sculpture.
Wieki Somers
Seemingly carved from concrete, the sculptures of Wieki Somers look weighty and hyper-realistic despite their lack of color. But these everyday objects, placed on beds of what looks like sand, are more organic than they appear – they’re made from human ashes. Somers uses donated remains and a 3D industrial printer to create art that questions our attachment to inanimate objects. “We may offer Grandpa a second life as a useful rocking chair or even as a vacuum cleaner or a toaster,” she told the Herald Sun. “Would we then become more attached to these products?”
Kim Do
You (probably) don’t mind wearing a sweater made from the wool of a sheep, so why not wear a dress made from human hair? Kim Do of Vietnam created this bizarre masterpiece from 1 million meters of human hair gathered from 54 different people, dyed and sewn together, with lighter brown hair creating the shape of a dragon on the front. It even comes with a matching hat, perched on the model’s head like a matted bouffant.
Huang Xin
If a dress made from human hair wasn’t quite strange enough, another artist paid tribute to U.S. President Barack Obama with a sculpture made from – yes – hair. Hairdresser Huang Xin celebrated Obama’s visit to China by molding a mini hairy Obama sculpture using hot glue and tons of dyed hair.
Kittiwat Unarrom
The lone mention on this list that isn’t made from actual human body parts gains a spot merely because the realism of this work is so shocking. Thai artist Kittiwat Unarrom has disgusted and intrigued many a passer-by with his “human body parts” on display, butcher-style, hanging from hooks and laid out like choice cuts of meat. The thing is, Unarrom’s works aren’t actually the spoils of a serial killer, or garnered from human donors. They’re actually made from bread, but you would never guess by looking at it – which is why they make such great gag gifts.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Graffiti & Drawing, Urban Images. ]
The Roaring Silence: 10 Cool & Creepy Abandoned Zoos
Zoos are more than just living museums of exotic animals, they’re places bursting with life, laughter and wonder – that is, until the cages are emptied and wildlife is gone. These 10 abandoned zoos and wildlife parks are all that remains after those familiar sights & sounds fade into the roaring silence.
(images via: Plasmaplasm)
The Los Angeles Zoo opened in 1966 after being relocated about two miles (3 km) south of its original site, where it was first established in 1912. Most of the remaining structures, including cages, concrete enclosures and passageways used by zookeepers date from the 1930s.
(images via: Roadside America and Plasmaplasm)
The City of Los Angeles has adapted some of the old zoo infrastructure to modern uses: one example being the monkey habitat that is now a picnic area complete with barbecues and benches. Most of the rest is overgrown by vegetation and defaced with graffiti.
Here’s a short video of the old Griffith Park Zoo, looking as creepy as one might imagine:
Old LA Zoo , via Emeraldcityfilms
(images via: Seeing Stars)
You may have seen parts of the old Griffith Park Zoo regardless if you’ve ever been to Los Angeles. Some locations used in the feature film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” were shot amidst the remnants of the old zoo.
Rhodes Zoo, Cape Town, South Africa
(images via: Partizanpublik)
The Rhodes Zoo, located in Cape Town, South Africa, was designed by and named for 19th century British colonialist and founder of the De Beers diamond company Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902). The zoo was built in the 1890s and the last sections were closed in the 1970s. The masonry structure at above top is the lion’s enclosure while the circular structure is what remains of the crocodile pond.
(images via: Worldflicks and Mallix)
Many of the existing structures display an eerie Victorian sensibility that was intended to suit zoo visitors; the dark, cramped cages and enclosures acted as little more than prisons for the animals.
(images via: Mallix)
At present the site of the Rhodes Zoo is slowly being reclaimed by nature, offering photographers a unique setting of almost post-apocalyptic ruin partially subsumed by vivid green underbrush. The location of the former zoo also makes for exquisite scenes backdropped by steep rocky mountain peaks and ethereal low-lying fog banks.
Old Stanley Park Zoo, Vancouver, Canada
(images via: Vancouver Is Awesome and TBray)
The Stanley Park Zoo in Vancouver, Canada had humble beginnings: the first exhibit was a black bear chained to a tree stump by Henry Avison, the park’s first superintendent and zookeeper. Over the years Avison gradually expanded to the zoo and at its peak it hosted 50 or so different animals including buffalo, penguins, wolves and kangaroos.
(image via: Striderv)
The old Stanley Park Zoo was definitely a product of its times, boasting stereotypical Space Age architecture. By the early 1990s the zoo was badly in need of modernization but a public referendum on the subject instead indicated Vancouverites preferred to close the zoo completely. The last remaining animal at the Stanley Park Zoo was a polar bear named Tuk, who died in late 1997 at the age of 36. By December the zoo was closed and the oft-criticized polar bear pit was converted into a demonstration salmon spawning hatchery.
(images via: Venture Vancouver)
Artists occasionally use the remnants of the old Stanley Park Zoo for their own purposes. One such example, seen above, employed stuffed burlap sacks positioned within the old bear enclosure and posed to look like bears and bear cubs.
The Abandoned Zoo, Ibiza, Spain
(images via: Ibiza Spotlight, Ibiza Unlike and HousePlanet.DJ)
A small abandoned zoo on the Spanish island of Ibiza has taken on new life as the venue for the resort island’s largest daytime outdoor rave events. The heart of these events is at the former Seal Pit where the moat that once kept the seals in now keeps the ravers separated from the DJs and bands that energize and entertain the mostly British crowds.
Here are a few ravers releasing their inner animals at The Abandoned Zoo:
The Zoo Project Ibiza @ (The Abandoned Zoo) Galanight 27|06|09, via FraeuleinA
(images via: The Zoo Project and Discotecas de Ibiza)
The Zoo Project started out as a recurring series of free dance parties held at an old abandoned zoo in the hills of Ibiza, just outside San An. After several years of increasing popularity, the rave events were officially sanctioned as The Zoo Project with the first series of advertised raves taking place in 2007.
Riber Castle Wildlife Park, Derbyshire, UK
(images via: Peak District View, TravelPod, Keates Photos and ZooChat)
Built in 1862, Riber Castle was originally a private home in the tradition of medieval England’s great gothic country houses. In the early years of the 20th century the estate was used as a private boys school – sort of an anti-Hogwarts – but the advent of the Great Depression saw the school close. After being used as a storage depot during World War II, Riber Castle fell into disuse and decay for 20-odd years until it reopened again in 1963 as the Riber Castle Wildlife Park, or Riber Zoo. Rumors of animal cruelty and maltreatment sparked the fury of Great Britain’s radical animal activists, who famously released several lynx (bobcats) from their cages into the surrounding area. Sightings of the so-called “”Beast of Lumsdale” persisted for years.
Take a short tour around the decrepit remains of the Riber Castle Wildlife Park via this video:
Inside the old Riber Zoo and buildings, via UKzombie
(images via: Peak District View, Dean Read dot net and Keates Photos)
Riber Castle Wildlife Park was closed in October of 2000. The estate’s main buildings currently have neither floors nor roofs though the outer walls are structurally sound. The status of the estate has led local councilors to consider re-developing the estate as an apartment building. Film buffs may recognize Riber Castle and the nearby town of Matlock from the Shane Meadows film “Dead Man’s Shoes” which was shot on location. Click here to see some incredible panoramic views of Riber Castle and its eerie environs.
Belle Isle Zoo, Detroit, USA
(images via: Sweet Juniper!)
The Belle Isle Zoo opened in 1895 on Belle Isle, a 982 acre (1.53 sq mi) island in the Detroit River. The zoo evolved over the years, becoming the Belle Isle Children’s Zoo in 1947 and undergoing an expensive modernization in 1980.
(image via: Sweet Juniper!)
Disgraced Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick ordered the Belle Isle Zoo closed in 2002 against the wishes of city council, though the Belle Isle Nature Zoo in an isolated corner of the former zoo was funded and continues to operate.
(image via: dETROITfUNK)
The Belle Isle Nature Zoo Nature Zoo is a one-acre enclosure that is home to about 25 deer which, until 2004, used to run free on Belle Isle. The Nature Zoo is operated and funded by a non-profit organization that is not dependent upon the changing tides of political fortune for its funding. A pity the former Belle Isle Zoo was not maintained on that basis… instead, it continues to decay year after year as rumors regarding its revival fade in sync.
Abandoned Zoo, Sakon Nakhon, Thailand
(images via: Erich R Sysak)
A rare and unusual discovery is the un-named abandoned zoo on the shore of Nong Han Lake in Sakon Nakhon, northeastern Thailand. While the park is a popular recreation area for residents of and visitors to Sakon Nakhon (population 76,000), that can’t be said for the remnants of the former zoo.
(image via: Erich R Sysak)
Consisting of isolated pavilions scattered across raised portions of the swampy wetland, the abandoned zoo is rapidly being reclaimed by the fast-growing tropical vegetation native to this fertile part of northeast Thailand.
Glasgow Zoo Park, Scotland
(image via: Secret Scotland)
Glasgow Zoo Park in Glasgow, Scotland, was closed in 2003 for financial reasons and the facilities have deteriorated alarmingly fast since that time. Rust, weathering, vandalism and graffiti have combined to create a grim landscape only the central characters of the film Trainspotting could fully appreciate.
(images via: Urbex Forums UK)
What is it about abandoned zoos that attract those eager to assist in their decay? Is it the post-apocalyptic setting formed of poured concrete, chain link fencing and rusted iron bars? Do the dregs of society feel some strange bond of cross-species alienation with the formerly free creatures who once paced the cold floors of these cages and enclosures? Unlike the animals who once populated the Glasgow Zoo, human visitors – then and now – at least have a choice. Choose life?
Southport Zoo, Merseyside, UK
(images via: Southport Forums, North West Hunt Saboteurs and Tiger Yawn)
The Southport Zoo, located near Liverpool, was a private venture run by the husband and wife team of Douglas and Carol Petrie. Opened in 1968, the Southport Zoo was no small undertaking: at its height, the zoo sprawled over 6 acres and housed 1,272 animals from 154 different species. Following a judgment against the owners of the Southport Zoo for failing to register a number of endangered animals in late 2001, the local city council decided against renewing the Petrie’s license to operate and the zoo was forced to close in October of 2004.
(images via: Battlefield Live Southport)
The Southport Zoo’s land and facilities were sold to the adjacent Pleasureland amusement park, who allowed the abandoned zoo site to drift into neglect for several years. Finally, in August of 2010, a laser-tag style virtual combat game called Battlefield Live Southport opened on the grounds of the old zoo. Players engage in virtual combat in the Battlefield Arena, which uses many of the original buildings and cages once used by the former Southport Zoo.
Plumpton Park Zoo, Rising Sun, MD, USA
(image via: Crowolf)
Our final entry – and not coincidentally, the most recent zoo to close – is the Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun, Maryland. The 110-acre zoo was founded in 1986 by Ed Plumstead, now 82. Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture who filed a damaging report on the zoo at the end of June, 2010, made mention of 21 violations of federal regulations governing animal health and safety
(images via: Cecil Observer, Negotiation Is Over, Eric E Haas and Cecil County)
Due to Ed Plumstead’s advanced age it seems unlikely he will be able to perform the many needed repairs and upgrades required to satisfy the USDA. What will become of the Plumpton Zoo’s facilities, let alone its many animals?
(image via: Deadeyebart)
“Something tells me it’s all happening at the Zoo. I do believe it, I do believe it’s true.” Believe what you want, Simon & Garfunkel, but even happenings have to end some time… even when they’re happening at the Zoo.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steve in Abandoned Places, History & Factoids, Travel & Places. ]
Facing the Art: Playful Urban Art in Paris Streets
Paris is a magical city where you’ll come across some colorful and unforgettable characters. But perhaps the most colorful character of all is Gregos, an artist who has decided to make his face one of the most recognizable in Paris and elsewhere in France. He installs castings of his own face – basically painted plaster masks – on the walls of buildings, on mailboxes, and just about every available vertical surface in Paris.
Tourists in Paris may have noticed the unusual but eye-catching faces staring at them from the walls all around the city. Gregos began his strange quest to plaster Paris with his likeness in 2006. At first, the masks were blank and unpainted, featuring only a stuck-out tongue as their message to passers-by.
But in the beginning of 2009, the artist decided to make his faces more visible by adding bright colors and painted designs. There are mime faces, Kiss faces, clown faces, and a number of faces that interact playfully with their locations.
Overall, Gregos has installed nearly 170 faces in the streets of Paris, Lyon, Lille, and Malta Island. He places them in tourist areas to let plenty of people see them for free. The interaction that occurs between viewers and the masks is fascinating. Some people are put off by the faces floating out from walls, but most are amused.
It seems that the majority of passers-by are delighted to find one of Gregos’ masks, as evidenced by the huge amount of photographs tourists take with the faces. People pose with the masks, make silly faces back at the plaster likenesses, and carefully photograph the visages with their surroundings.
Gregos’ fun and strange art project has created a wonderfully weird kind of scavenger hunt in the streets of the City of Lights. Tourists who know about the art project are on the lookout for the masks wherever they go, and it must provide a great feeling of accomplishment to capture several of them in photographs during a trip to this stunning city.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Delana in Urban & Street Art, Urban Images. ]
3G Geek Art Show: Ghostbusters, Goonies & Gremlins
Ghostbusters, Goonies and Gremlins: Is this the trifecta of geeky ’80s awesomeness? Clearly, LA’s appropriately named Gallery 1988 thinks so, as they’ve dedicated three weeks in September to displaying art inspired by these three movies in a show called ’3G’. The show will feature pop culture-inspired art by Brandon Schaefer, Scott Derby, Tom Whalen and more.
SlashFilm has an extensive preview of this geek art extravaganza, which features everything from little carved wood figures of Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman to a box of Goonies breakfast cereal. SlashFilm calls them “3 movies that defined our generation”, and for anyone who came of age in the ’80s, it’s hard to argue with that.
A joint effort with The Autumn Society – a collective of illustrators from around the world – the 3G show sees beloved characters like Mogwai, Data, Chunk and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man rendered in a wide array of styles and media from vintage posters to plush dolls.
The 3G Show opens September 3rd from 7-10pm and runs through September 22nd.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Graffiti & Drawing, Urbanism. ]
Outstanding Offices: 12 Unorthodox Business Buildings
Why should office buildings be sprawling gray complexes in uninspired shapes, filled with depressing gray cubicles in which workers sit and long for a glimpse of nature? For a space so integral to a company’s most important functions, offices tend to be far too bland – but not these 12 buildings. Like a breath of fresh air in a stale room, the architecture of these structures is a welcome change, from high-energy urban penthouses to peaceful glass lookouts in the woods.
Deep underground in a former anti-atomic shelter is the White Mountain Office, a 1200-square-foot complex that exploits the jaw-dropping contrasts between raw, rustic rock faces and the sleek curvature of modern glass and steel architecture. Albert France-Lanord Architects admit that science fiction films and even James Bond served as inspiration for the office structure, saying “The client is an internet provider and the rock shelter hosts server halls and offices. The starting point of the project was to consider the rock as a living organism. The humans try to acclimate themselves to this foreign world and bring the ‘best’ elements from earth: light, plants, water and technology.”
Saxo Bank Office Building, Denmark
Based online, Saxo Bank is a financial institution for the modern age, so it makes sense that its office headquarters would be thoroughly of the 21st century, unlike many banks which were founded centuries ago and retain those old-fashioned aesthetics. Though the exterior may be a bit harsh with all of its sharp angles, the interior is softened by a towering spiral staircase that serves as its focal point.
Stecklehorn Office Complex, Germany
The center of old Hamburg in Germany isn’t exactly a hopping spot for ultra-modern architecture, but all the better for the somewhat bizarre Stecklehorn Office Complex, built by J.H. Mayer for Alstadt Cogiton Projeckt. The contrast between its sloping white surfaces and the aged look of the historic buildings beside it serve to make it even more eye-catching.
Vodafone Headquarters, Portugal
“Life in Motion” – that’s the slogan for Vodafone, one of the world’s largest communications companies, and it seems to be illustrated well in the design of their headquarters in Portugal. Like some living being that could get up at any moment and walk away, the asymmetrical building is somehow organic despite its angularity. Three of the building’s tiered floors sit beneath the ground. The architects, Barbosa & Guimaraes, say “Seeking inspiration from painting, sculpture, photography, arts which had already faced this dilemma, the office building, designed usually linear, begins to become an irregular body, out of balance, with many faces in motion.”
Red Bull Headquarters, London
What else would you expect from the signature beverage of the hyperactive than an office building featuring a gigantic slide? Outfitted in the brand’s red, blue and silver color scheme (along with plenty of steel), the building is thoroughly modern and adult yet retains a sense of playfulness.
Pixar Offices, California
For a team as creative as Pixar, an ordinary office environment certainly won’t do. Luckily, the company provides its programmers, artists and other employees with suitably zany, colorful, personalized little ‘huts’ in lieu of cubicles. It’s almost like having your own “tiny house” inside the Pixar building, for all the privacy you need yet easy access to all the other cool features at Pixar headquarters.
Studiometrico Bastard Store & Office, Italy
Skateboarders aren’t exactly the types to happily sit indoors in a boring office environment all day. More than likely, they’re daydreaming of spacious skate parks – which they would have right there at work if they were employees at the offices of Bastard Store, a skateboarding equipment company in Milan. The sleek and modern building features at its heart a full-size indoor skate park that hovers 18 feet above the ground.
Las Palmas Penthouse Building, The Netherlands
As if having a beautiful view of the river in Rotterdam weren’t enough, employees who spend their days at the Las Palmas penthouse building in the Netherlands get to do so in a structure that is a work of art in itself. Designed by Bentham Crouwel Architects, the penthouse is an elliptical-shaped add-on to the roof of the Las Palmas building, standing on 18-foot supports with a vast, open view from a giant wall of windows. Inside, the curved shape gives it the feel of an immense airplane.
Selgas Cano Architecture Office, Spain
Everyone needs a window in their office so they can take a moment every now and then to gaze out at nature for a while and recharge before getting back to work. But what if half of your office building’s roof were open to the sky, framed by a canopy of trees? The Selgas Cano Architecture office building in Madrid is set partially into the ground with one side entirely transparent, giving employees the ideal inspiration to design more incredibly architectural masterpieces.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Slovenia
Known mostly for its old world architecture and breathtaking mountains, the Eastern European nation of Slovenia may not seem like the most obvious setting for a stunning modern building like this – but in fact, this beautiful glass structure is home to those tasked with bringing in visitors and revenue, and it certainly makes a good impression. The architects, Sadar Vuga, say “By retaining the huge public forecourt, the programme along the existing building is verticalized, thus giving it a new façade, designed like boxes piled on top of each other.”
Treetop Office, Washington
Anyone who has ever sat in a windowless cubicle for eight hours a day knows how powerful the desire to see a single green leaf can be. But imagine if this were your daily view as you accomplished your tasks at work – golden sunlight on towering trees, with a lake and a wooded hill in the background. Customer experience consultant Peter Frazier built this inspirational treetop office after decades of feeling disconnected from nature.
Galiliee, France
The combination of static, neutral-colored geometric shapes and a dynamic white band of concrete give the ‘Galilee’ office building near Toulouse, France a sense of hushed expectation – of precarious balance between the formal and informal, the mundane and the surprising. The slatted facade of the building is actually a sunshade that lets in plenty of natural daylight while also keeping the interior cool.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Architecture & Design, Furniture & Interiors, Urbanism. ]
Driven to Create: Metal Hubcap Art for Auto Aficionados
One is used to seeing hubcaps lying forlornly on the side of the road, leaning against a telephone pole in the hopes of being recovered by their rightful owner. It’s comforting to know that these orphaned hub caps are able to live a second life as a beautiful piece of art. When treated properly, hubcaps can be sculpted into intricate forms that glisten with more than their former glory. Here are some of the coolest hubcap sculptures around:
These are some wicked looking fish! With their shiny exterior, hubcaps are able to reflect the sun’s rays in a great facsimile of fish scales. With sharp edges and curved fins, these monsters of the sea are not the kind you want to hunt for dinner.
One of the best ways I’ve seen to bring something mundane like a hubcap into something epic, is to create a mythological creature out of dozens of them. Dagger-like teeth and sharp scales cover these dragon sculptures and make them appear incredibly intricate and menacing.
Some artists choose to maintain the hubcaps shape and simply flex their artistic muscles by painting vivid designs. It’s not your typical artistic medium, but with the right look it’s able to catch even the least fanatic car fan’s eye.
Sculptures of animals are common, but the versatility of hubcaps as a medium are displayed best when you’re staring down a full sized mettalic boar. The hubcap is able to catch the fierce essence of these creatures, or, when necessary, the cuteness of a tamer four-legged friend.
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These seven trash-obsessed artists may have had a similar starting point but have managed to create an inspiring variety of art from abandoned refuse.
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15 (More!) Crafty Metal, Wood & Spiral Staircases
Stairs aren't just a handy way to go between the levels of your home; they can be a pet project for inventive architects and a favorite feature of a home.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Environment & Nature, Urban & Street Art. ]
Futuristic Sculpture: Robot Statues and Found Creations
Humans love to anthropomorphize robots, and whether we make them gigantic and towering, or small and decorative, there’s an appeal to their futuristic styling and human-esque forms. Many artists use robots as their subject matter, creating them out of metal or found objects, and creating wonderful sculptures. Here are some of the coolest robot sculptures around:
Giant Robots
The terrifying future foretold in B movies and comic books, filled with rampaging robots crushing cars and destroying buildings, is a fun image for the entertainment industry. There’s something appealing about creating monuments so much larger than ourselves. Japan is at the forefront of giant robot building, but there are contenders around the world. Check out this video of Japanese workers putting together one such statue:
Future Tech
Robot sculptures are often visions of future technology that it’s within our grasp to conceptualize, but not yet create. Mixed into this future tech are some wacky creations, like walking vending machines and eerily realistic robot faces.
Found Creations
Found objects are perfect for creating homemade robots, both because the wear and tear makes them seem authentic, and that odd bits and pieces create an eclectic anthropomorphized look. For decorative purposes, you can’t go wrong welding together all the doodads and metal scrap lying around your garage.
Robot Faces
A robots face is often created in the image of a human likeness, and artists like to explore our desire to create machine versions of ourselves through their work. The subject is often clearly machine, made out of clunky bolts and non functional decorative pieces, but they can also have incredibly detailed human features.
Robots in Culture
The entertainment industry is chock full of robots, so it’s natural that artists would exploit this interest by creating miniature (still human-sized) versions of beloved characters. Transformer characters are quite popular, but I’m equally impressed by the alien creation that looks like it came straight out of a mech version of Ridley Scott’s popular film.
Art Exhibits
Even art exhibits are getting their share of robotic pieces. Whether created simply for aesthetic reasons, or as a comment on our technology driven and obsessed culture, there’s no denying the appeal of some of these intricate designs.
Mechanical Animals
One day its quite possible our furry friends will be replaced with fully automated replacements that don’t need their daily walks or visits to the vet, and that you can count on being around as long as you are. In celebration of this possible future, and also out of clear visual appeal, some artists concentrate their work on creating animals out of machine parts, found, or fabricated.
Miniature Beauty
This fully articulated mini robot is gorgeous and fully articulated. Its creator, Mark Ho, fashioned this creation over a 6 year period at his workshop in the Netherlands.
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These creative technological inventions have a streak of steampunk, robots built into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical fantasy or steampunkesque robot art.
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Brass Meets Bricks: 20 Steampunk LEGO Creations
It may seem an incongruous combination but legions of LEGO-maniacs have employed the versatile bricks to create stunning scenes of plasticized steampunk glory.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Marc in Gadgets & Geek Art, Technology & Futurism. ]
So Retro: 15 Vintage-Inspired Website Designs
You might think web designers would strive for the most cutting-edge, up-to-the-moment look possible considering the 21st-century nature of the medium. But websites don’t all have to be sleek and modern – sometimes, a theme featuring old-fashioned signs, retro typography and photographs, vintage products and illustrations straight off World War II propaganda posters can be surprisingly fresh. These 15 websites take us back to another age in a manner that’s appropriate for each site’s subject matter.
A concept that’s a bit zany needs a zany website, and Hipstery certainly has that with its psychedelic Leave it to Beaver vibe. The site allows users to take a quiz about their likes and dislikes and then receive a mystery t-shirt in the mail.
Dollar Dreadful
With an engraved-style header image including two portraits of the site’s founders, Dollar Dreadful could easily be a newspaper from 1882 – down to the row of old-fashioned ads for things like “Muccatypo, fine letter forms & moustache twirling.” Hawking short stories “for the distinguished reader or the particularly wealthy dunder-head”, Dollar Dreadful gets a lot less antique-looking once you click on the storefront.
MediaBOOM
MediaBOOM isn’t trying to convince anyone that they provide “modern design for a modern word”, or any such nonsense. But they do use cutting-edge technology to provide interactive websites for clients like Jim Beam and Yale University. The layered, scrapbook-style design of their own site even comes with a vintage radio soundtrack.
The New York Moon
The way that The New York Moon’s “radio feed” is delivered to its website is anything but vintage: it’s a direct stream from Twitter. But that doesn’t mean they can’t cleave to the same aesthetics that they have loved since they first began transmission a century ago. And, somehow, it works. As they say themselves: “the internet is the dream of ham radio fulfilled. It’s a place for individuals to connect and broadcast with little obstruction.”
Small Stone Recordings
Like those who yearn for the days when families gathered around radios, many musicians aren’t thrilled about the transition from analog to digital and how it has affected sound. Perhaps that sentiment is behind the rock n’ roll throwback look of the Small Stones Recordings website.
Style 4U
Pairing vintage-looking photos and details like gloves, old television sets and film strip image borders with a fresh color scheme, Italian site Style 4U marries an aged aesthetic with the latest in fashion.
CSS Tinderbox
With a look that’s more Soviet propaganda than 21st century web template source, CSS Tinderbox certainly stands out from all the other websites offering similar products, though their “frameworks for the web design proletariat” are more run-of-the-mill.
Island Photobooth
Photo booths were all the rage back in the ’60s, but they’ve gotten big updates for modern times – like digital touch screens and personalized custom graphics. Island Photobooth, a Vancouver company that rents out photo booths for events, illustrates their tagline “vintage style meets digital technology”.
Target Scope
How do you get command of your brand? Hire some WWII-era troops, apparently. Dallas advertising agency Target Scope has an engaging military-themed interactive website that features plane shadows flying by on occasion, bullet holes and, yes, a scope that you use to browse the top navigation bar.
Custom Design
The buzzing, pixelated static of an analog television isn’t the only thing on the Custom Design website that will take you back in time. Check out the script font, the vintage furniture, and even the rolodex on the table which stands in for a “contact” button.
Font Diner
What are you craving – a chicken basket? A milkshake? Perhaps something from the country store, or the diner’s secret recipe? Font Diner has it all, packed with all-you-can-eat retro fonts on a very dineriffic website.
Charlies Loan
Most loan websites are all business, seeking to look as professional as possible. The British Check Cashers Association decided to do something a little different with the ‘Charlies Loan’ website, which oddly – or not – prominently features a photo of Charlie Chaplin on the home page.
Ernest Hemingway Collection
If Ernest Hemingway were around today, would he have anything to do with websites? Fans and scholars could debate that question, but in any case, the late author’s website pays fitting tribute to a man from another time. The site is designed to look like a desktop scattered with change, photos, a passport and a cup of coffee.
Level 2D
Interactive and scenic, the Level 2D website has the look of a vintage full-service garage complete with a flickering sign and garage bays for web design and hosting.
Visit Cascadia
Truck drivers get to see a lot of American landscapes, including those that have remained relatively unchanged over the decades. But imagine if they had an idyllic all-American town of their very own, with attractions like a truck-only drive-thru, the World’s Largest Cupholder and a beef jerky tasting room. The ‘Visit Cascadia’ website brings this imaginary town to life with nostalgic imagery.
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The following is an introduction to the art of Steampunk, with everything from altered guitars to a Steampunked iPod.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Gadgets & Geek Art, Technology & Futurism, Urbanism. ]