daily inspiration
the dressed animals of yago partal
“Zoo Portraits“, a project by photographer Yago Partal, who mixes fashion photography and animals in an excellent series of portraits of animals dressed as humans.
[via UFUNK]
graffiti time-lapse
Somewhere in Melbourne there is a giant decaying warehouse now covered in over 20 pieces by street artists Sofles. In “Infinite”, which was filmed and edited by Celina Mills, this impressive time-lapse shot over an unknown amount of time (it must have taken more than a day, right?) documents Sofles as he creates tags and more complex graffiti paintings in a seemingly limitless variety of styles, texture and color.
[via stellar]
big appetites
tiny people living in a world of food
Fine art photographer Christopher Boffoli just released a new body of work as a continuation of his Big Appetites series where he imagines tiny people living in a world of giant food. Boffoli opens a new exhibition tomorrow night called Portion Control at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York where he’ll also have a few copies of his forthcoming book Big Appetites.
[via Colossal]
the pantone project
“The Pantone Project” is a an ongoing series by American photographer Paul Octavious on Instagram. He has been matching Pantone color swatches to real world objects.
portraits of famous artists and their cats
The craze for cats may seem like a modern day phenomena, however artists have often looked to their feline friends for inspiration throughout history. The mewing muses were the gods of their own religion in ancient Egypt, and not much has changed since then. Their solitary character and need for attention is something many artistic minds throughout the history could relate to as well, and flavorwire has put together a very amusing selection of world’s greatest artists and their feline friends. Artists like Matisse, Dali, Picasso, and many more are seen posing with their furry muses – each in their own and different way!
Everyone knows cats own the Internet (sorry, dogs). See which kitten companions have melted the hearts of artists.
Henri Matisse loved his cats: Minouche and Coussi
Ai Weiwei with Lai Lai — one of his 40 cats
Salvador Dalí with his pet ocelot, Babou
Picasso and his Cat
Photographer Margaret Bourke-White with her kitten in 1944
Gustav Klimt with his pet, Katze
Paul Klee with kitty, Bimbo
Romare Bearden hanging out with Gippo
Pierre Bonnard and cat
Henri Cartier-Bresson captured friend Saul Steinberg lounging with his cat
“This is all you need in life: a computer, a camera, and a cat.” — Agnès Varda
Edward Gorey loved cats
Jacques Villon, Marcel Duchamp, and Raymond Duchamp-Villon and their cats
Photographer Edward Weston nicknamed his home “Wildcat Hill,” because of all the cats that congregated there
Frida Kahlo’s cat feeling shunned as she snuggles a monkey
Jean Cocteau with Karoun
Maya Lin sharing a quiet moment with her cat in her New York studio
Balthus at home with his cat
Our very own Tom loves cats. Here with Ralphie
[via flavorwire, demilked]
supernatural self-portraits by a 14-year-old photographer
14-year-old Zev (aka ‘fiddle oak‘) of Natick, Massachusetts, has taken the photography-blogging world by storm with his surreal photo manipulations. Zev depicts a miniaturized version of the artist himself in surreal natural landscapes self-portraits, which he created together with his sister Nellie (aged 17). His highly imaginative portfolio seems to mirror the transition from the fairy-tale childhood worlds into those that are way more complicated and still unknown.
[via demilked]
mod men
the world of mad men through a 21st-century lens
Earlier this year, Mad Men returned to AMC for its sixth and penultimate season. With only mere episodes remaining in the series, some of us are already starting to feel reflective. The impact the show has had on modern culture can’t be overestimated, its influence permeating everything from filmmaking to fashion. But while it’s been steadily making everything old new again, once can’t help but wonder what things would look like if Don Draper and company were heading to work in the current, technologically-advanced world.
Designers at Shutterstock set their sights on the main characters of the show with that in mind, choosing an everyday symbol from their daily lives and transforming it through a 21-century lens. While most of these folks would be doing very similar work today, the tools they would use would be quite different. (Just imagine what Peggy could accomplish with a MacBook at her disposal.) Read on to see what a difference a half-century can make.
Don Draper
In the ’60s, Don was stuck working with paper and easels. It’s a lot to set up and carry around, but with the power of cloud computing, he could make his presentations infinitely more elaborate without physically weighing himself down. Not that he needs any extra help getting clients on board.
Peggy Olson
Sure, typewriters have a nostalgic feel that some writers still love today, but not having to go back over your work with Tipp-Ex alone makes the copywriter’s job infinitely easier. We like to picture Peggy hitting her stride even faster without having to worry about all those crumpled up balls of paper scattered around the trash.
Joan Harris
Joan has no problem staying on top of everything with the limited tools at her disposal, but replace her notepad with an iPad, and you would have an even more serious force to be reckoned with — plus a lot of people who would probably like to get their hands on the device to discover all the secrets it contains.
Peter Campbell
For Pete, it’s largely about who you know, making a robust contact list key. In the ’60s, the Rolodex was still a relatively new invention, but these days, few people would be willing to worry about lost cards or misfiled information when you can carry around everyone’s information right in your pocket.
Betty Francis
Fifty years ago, no one thought twice about relying on cigarettes to unwind or help them through a stressful situation. Today, we think Betty would be an eager adopter of what multitudes of modern women are now turning to instead to de-stress: yoga. Of course, she’d probably still smoke too.
Roger Sterling
Barring special occasions, liquor is another thing you don’t tend to find around the workplace much these days, so Roger Sterling would need to have a more acceptable drink on his desk. With a fruit smoothie, he could project an aura of health — but always still spike it from a flask or a concealed bottle for that extra kick.
[via Shutterstock Blog]
lights out
As part of an ongoing exploration of high speed photography, Jon Smith has been filling standard incandescent light bulbs with various objects, liquids and other substances before causing them to explode in front of his camera. In some of his more interesting shots the photographer experiments by first dipping the bulb in paint, or carefully layering different colors of sand to create unexpected patterns as everything is hurled through the air. A number of Smith’s photos are being turned into metal prints which will be on exhibition at Fisher’s Town Hall later this year. See much more in his photostream.
[via Colossal]
the beetle sphere
An Actual 1953 VW Beetle Formed into a Perfect Sphere by Ichwan Noor
An artist in Indonesia has turned one of the most iconic cars ever produced into a giant ball. The aptly-named Beetle Sphere is the latest sculpture from Ichwan Noor, a Jakarta-based artist who molds cars into three-dimensional spheres and cubes. For this installation, Noor chose a 1953 yellow Volkswagen Beetle as his subject matter, combining it with polyester and aluminum materials to create a giant sphere.
Noor has already molded five Beetle Spheres using this same technique, but exhibited only one of them earlier this month at Art Basel Hong Kong. According to the Japan Times, it sold for $88,000 shortly after the show opened. For more images of his collection, including some of his anatomical works, click here.
The idea emerged from a personal perception towards objects that are products of a “transportation culture”, which induces hints/signs of spiritual emotion. To behold a vehicle (car) is to have a “magical” (supernatural) identity. Sculptures represent the interaction between humans and the object realm, with strong spiritual tension that affects the subconscious, and that yields a new “animistic” attitude. By combining the techniques of manipulation and substitution, the form of this sculpture tends toward realistic distortion, which allows new interpretations about the object (car), as a shift in perception that creates an associative meaning. The sculpture’s visual form yields an impression of a sphere - the basis of all forms. The shape of a car is pressed onto the spherical form, producing a dynamic movement, a certain flexibility, but also fragility. It is a concept of “totems” that is embraced/believed by the people of today. - Ichwan Noor
[via Colossal, images See-ming Lee]
celebrating bike month: unusual pedal power
Foot and pedal power aren’t used just for transportation purposes anymore. In honor of Bike Month, we’re showcasing the most unique and unusual pedal powered objects.
pedal powered wire lamborghini
This Lamborghini made of wire was shown off at the UK Art Car Parade in Manchester in 2007. Designed by sculptor Benedict Radcliffe and pedal car designer Ben Wilson and the result of their collaboration: an unbelievable fully functional, pedal powered, wire frame Lamborghini.
foot-powered washing machine
In developing countries that lack electricity or the funds to buy expensive machines, taking care of laundry the “old-fashioned way” requires an enormous amount of time and effort. That’s why Alex Cabunoc and Ji A You created the GiraDora – a combination washer and spin-dryer that is powered by a foot pedal. At only $40, this ingenious contraption is an inexpensive way to help break the cycle of poverty in many disadvantaged communities.
pedal powered school bus
The Dutch are bicycle fanatics. Almost half of daily travel in the Netherlands is by bicycle, while the country’s bike fleet comfortably outnumbers its 16 million people. Devotees of the national obsession have taken the next logical step by launching what is likely the first bicycle school bus.
Built by Tolkamp Metaalspecials, and sold by the De Cafe Racer company, the bicycle school bus (BCO in Dutch) is powered entirely by children and the one adult driver (although there is an electric motor for tough hills). Its simple design has eight sets of pedals for the kids (ages 4 to 12), a driver seat for the adult, and three bench seats for freeloaders. The top speed is about 10 miles per hour, and features a sound system and canvas awning to ward off rainy days.
pedal powered water purifier
Aside from remote villages and disaster zones, the Aquaduct would be great for long distance bike riders. The vehicle seeks to address the two main challenges with water in the developing world: sanitation and transportation. Water-related diseases kill thousands of people each day. Moreover, water sources in developing areas can be miles from home, requiring women to walk these distances daily carrying heavy water vessels. The Aquaduct is designed to enable a person to sanitize and transport water simultaneously, potentially lessening the physical strain of the task and freeing up more time for work, education, or family.
pedal powered monorail
The Schweeb, the world’s only human powered monorail, is a futuristic attempt at eco-friendly transportation. These pedal powered pods resemble a recumbent bicycle but ride much more rapidly and require only fifty percent of the energy necessary to power a racing bicycle.
According to the company’s inventor, Geoffrey Barnett:
The result is the most efficient vehicle on earth, the most inexpensive infrastructure of any proposed urban transit and one of the highest capacity systems available - potentially delivering thousand’s of people per hour in a very small airspace. All this with zero carbon emissions and no parking worries or cost!
