Kate Clark is a taxidermy artist who sculpts human faces on the animals she uses. From the artist’s statement:”The unexpectedness of the human face on these animals also evokes curiosity. They are obviously reconstructed yet they are not monstrous, they are approachable, natural, calm, innocent, dignified. The facial features are believable and the skin, which is the animal’s skin, has been shaved to reveal porous and oily features that we recognize as our own. The viewer has an intimate relationship with the face and then identifies with the animal, acknowledging the animalistic inheritance within the human condition.”(Read…)
This is a super questionable infographic ranking 30 different fictional weapons based on badassness.”Just like real-world weapons, their fictional counterparts have their respective strengths and weaknesses. We’ve ranked 30 of the most iconic imaginary weapons, based on their attributes, flaws, and overall ‘badass’ rating.”(Read…)
This is The Most Realistic Racing Simulator (that’s what they named it) available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $185,000. I’m going to be honest — if you have $185,000 laying around to spend on a racing simulator, you’ve probably got the money to buy an actual race car and not NEED a simulator. “This is the simulator that provides riders with the most realistic car racing experience available. Selected by Ford Motor Company to demonstrate ride experiences, the simulator uses linear servo actuators that cause its suspended, monocoque fiberglass chassis to roll, pitch, and rotate 360° at up to 0.5G acceleration. Faithfully reproducing actual racing conditions such as entering a turn at 200 MPH or moving up a bank in the slipstream of an opponent, the chassis’ front dips when braking at hairpins, pushes forward when accelerating during passes, and rumbles when driving on an apron, all while a driver up to 300 lbs. is secured by an actual racing seat, seatbelt, and “doors”. Its two paddle gear shifters, steering wheel, accelerator, brake, and clutch–all from real race cars and modified for simulator use–provide rapid gear changes and provide adjustable travel for optimal realism. The force-feedback steering system generates 10x the forces of lesser simulators. Providing 12 race cars that include stock, GT, F1, and F3 models, the simulator replicates precisely modeled signage and backgrounds for 16 short, tri-oval, or road courses, ranging from Joesville Speedway to Nuerburg on a 108″-wide, triple HD monitor display with a 500-watt audio system.”(Read…)
In 2011 Walter Chang quit his job after saving up for two-and-a-half years and set off on three years of travel around the globe.”3 years – 60 countries. In 2011 I quit my job after saving up and started to travel around the world. I trekked amazing landscapes, checked off the bucket list, hitchhiked, slept anywhere I could, and made countless friends. These are my memories. “(Read…)
Sept étudiants de l’emblématique Ecole des Gobelins ont réalisé un court métrage d’animation intitulé Duo. Dans cette création ils mettent en scène un duo sur le point de se séparer. La vidéo porte sur l’importance de la confiance et de l’investissement des deux membres pour l’entière réussite de leur activité. La technique de ce fleuron de l’animation française, reconnue dans le monde entier, donne l’entière dimension à l’histoire grâce à une fluidité et des dessins impeccables.
Depuis que Simon Trnka ne parvient plus à dormir chez lui, dans son lit, il s’est mis à escalader des montagnes pour poser son sac de couchage au sommet, admirer les étoiles et s’endormir paisiblement aux côtés de ses amis. Il profite, matin et soir, des couchers de soleil, des levers du jour et des superbes constellations.
Au coeur des montagnes de Central Java, en Indonésie, on peut trouver une église en ruines, abandonnée, qui a la forme d’une poule géante. Appelée Gereja Ayam (« Chicken Church ») par les habitants de la région, cette église attire des photographes et explorateurs du monde entier sur les collines de Magelang, chaque année, bien qu’elle ait fermé depuis l’année 2000 à cause de travaux trop coûteux.
L’histoire qui se cache derrière ce monument date des années 80. Un homme nommé Daniel Alamsjah, âgé de 67 ans, a annoncé avoir reçu un message divin lui disant de construire une maison de prières ayant la forme d’une colombe. Avec l’aide de 30 habitants de Magelang (ville natale de sa femme), il a commencé la construction de ce monument jusqu’aux années 90.
Malgré sa croyance chrétienne, Alamsjah a imaginé ce temple comme une église qui accueillerait toutes les religions. Beaucoup de chrétiens, musulmans et bouddhistes ont co-habité et co-prié sous le toit, pendant que le sous-sol était occupé par des addicts aux drogues, des enfants avec des handicaps et des personnes psychologiquement instables.
Basé à Philadelphia, le studio de design AANDERSSON a réalisé une collection de vaisselles en céramique jouant sur le thème de la déconstruction. Ils ont re-imaginé la relation entre les différents éléments en « déformant rationnellement l’espace structuré ». Les couleurs sont neutres pour inciter l’oeil à se concentrer sur la forme plutôt que la teinte.
Wooden bookshelves installed against slanted walls help to define the different areas of this open-plan loft apartment that h2o Architectes has renovated in the Arsenal district of Paris (+ slideshow).
Located in a typical Haussmannian building from the 19th-century renovation of Paris, the loft had previously been converted from its original use as servants’ quarters into an apartment that was divided into three rooms. But it didn’t make the most of the window views, so its owners – a family with two children – asked local firm h2o Architectes to reorganise the interior and make it more open.
The firm tackled a similar task with its design for the Parisian apartment of a comic-strip collector, which was solved by dividing the space using a series of white, rounded volumes.
In the Arsenal home, a series of bookshelves help to define the newly configured spaces, creating space for the client’s extensive library.
“The challenge was to take advantage of the amazing views of Paris while creating closed spaces and organising a giant book collection,” architect Antoine Santiard told Dezeen. “The owner is a book collector and the display of his collection organises the space and different areas.”
Existing columns, chimney breasts and angled walls determined the layout of the apartment, as well as the positioning and shape of the new bookshelves – which the team describes as being like totem poles.
“Totemic wood shelves that emerge from the parquet floor play and react with all the existing diagonal shapes,” said Santiard. “At a larger scale they act as filters and brings some dynamics to the apartment’s organisation.”
A new parquet floor stretches diagonally along the centre of the space, connecting the lounge at one end with a central dining area near the entrance and a library at the opposite end.
Some of the shelves lean against the existing surfaces, while others are installed as freestanding units. Their timber construction creates a visual connection with the parquet, while the white paint used to brighten walls and other structural elements continues onto some sections of the floor.
The children both have their own bedrooms, which are separate from the central space. Their parents don’t have a separate room but their bed is raised up and surrounded by shelves for privacy.
“The parents stay awake later at night in the living space and sleep in this inhabitable furniture,” Santiard added. “The plinth and the totem act as kind of filters, while the bed keeps a connection with the rest of the apartment and the views.”
A minimally decorated kitchen adjoins the dining area, while a bathroom is incorporated below the sloping roofline at one end of the apartment.
Each space boasts a different view of the city skyline from one of the five small balconies situated around the perimeter of the roof.
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