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Michael Anderson’s wood carvings are about as far from old-timey whittling as it gets. By programming a specialized computer numerical control machine (CNC), he cuts incredibly intricate geometric patterns into pieces of plywood. The process itself is reminiscent of early, subtractive versions of 3D printing, which carved desired objects out of blocks of wood. “Each material expresses itself in a unique way,” Anderson explains of his newest efforts, which involve making sculptures from plaster and resin, as well as with a three-sided flip mill. “Experimenting with different materials allows me to understand the limitations of not only the hardware, but the material itself.” As a result, he’s been able to transform his relatively flat wood-patterned carvings into elegant 3D cubes. (source).

 

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The subtle beauty of a forest is illuminated with projection-mapped light in “bioluminescent forest”, a film by artists Friedrich van Schoor and Tarek Mawad. The artists spent six weeks in the forest fascinated by the silence and natural occurrences in nature, especially the phenomenon “bioluminescence”. They personified the forest to accentuate the natural beauty by creating luring luminescent plants and glowing magical mushrooms that speaks volumes to any visitor that enters the minds of the artists through viewing “bioluminescent forest”. Set to an ethereal score by Berlin-based composer Achim Treu, the resulting film pulses with augmented life, teeming with the verdant beauty of the natural world, enhanced. (source).

 

 

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John Edmark’s rely on excruciatingly precise laser-cut wood and internal mechanisms to create optical illusions and other unexpected behaviors. Edmark describes these as “instruments that amplify our awareness of the sometimes tenuous relationship between facts and perception.” Edmark’s kinetic sculptures bring the intricacies of material and space to life. (source).

 

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In the wettest place on Earth, the village of Mawsynram in Meghalaya, India are some of the most fascinating bridges you’ll ever see. These “living bridges” are formed by locals who have trained the roots of rubber trees to grow into natural bridges. These root bridges are self-strengthening, becoming more sturdy over time as the root systems grow. Photographer Amos Chapple captured these shots of people crossing these bridges that have developed over the years. As Chapple explains about the process, “The skeleton of the bridge is bamboo, with tendrils from the surrounding rubber trees are being fixed onto the structure strand by strand. By the time the bamboo has rotted away, within 6-8 years, locals say the roots of the tree will be able to bear a person’s weight.” (source).

 

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60,000 CDs form a vast, shimmering landscape in this thought-provoking installation by Paris-based artist Élise Morin. Waste Landscape was created by hand-sewing the CDs together and laying them over inflatable mounds. Viewed under different lighting schemes, the space is transformed into everything from a rippling sea to a desert of plastic. Walking amongst the artificial dunes, viewers are immersed in a gleaming, metallic world. (source).

 

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Geneva-based self-taught photographer Alex Teuscher wanted to capture the fantastic architecture of New York City. He explored for ten days and documented iconic locations like Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Central Park. Afterwards, using a wide variety of post-processing techniques, Teuscher transformed his photographs into a dynamic black and white collection. By eliminating color, he created dramatic lights and shadows that produce an unusually eerie quality and change the traditionally bright, lively, and energetic way that viewers perceive the frequently visited spots. (source).

 

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Installed earlier this month on the western coastline of New Providence in Nassau, Bahamas, Ocean Atlas is the lastest underwater sculpture by artist Jason deCaires Taylor, known for his pioneering effort to build submerged sculpture parks in oceans around the world. Taylor’s cement figures are constructed with a sustainable pH-neutral material that encourages the growth of coral and other marine wildlife, effectively forming an artificial reef that draws tourists away from diving hotspots in over-stressed areas. Towering 18 feet tall and weighing in at more than 60 tons, Ocean Atlas is reportedly the largest sculpture ever deployed underwater. The artwork depicts a local Bahamian girl carrying the weight of the ocean above her in reference to the Ancient Greek myth of Atlas, the primordial Titan who held up the celestial spheres (source).

 

 

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Spanish photographer Juan Aballe noticed that many of his close friends were moving to the countryside. Aballe found himself confronted by the thought – what would life be like if he packed it all in and headed out to the country? In a series of photographs titled Country Fictions, Aballe explores the comparability of imagined pastoral utopias versus reality. Aballe shot in a number scarcely populated areas on the Iberian Peninsula. “In what could be called a collection of daydreams, Country Fictions reflects on the photographic language itself and how we are influenced by previous representations and preconceived ideas about rural utopias” says Aballe. “The illusion of escaping from contemporary society, the naivety and the hopes built around nature come together with the strangeness and the nostalgic look at a life that is not mine.”(source).

 

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Photographer Mike Hollinshead produces moving supercell images that are straightforward animations of still frames, not the result of compositing as they appear. Hollinshead’s inspiration comes from the storms he watched as a kid. In 2002 he purchased his first camera and only recently began manipulating photographs to create arresting images of nature that reimagine the way we capture movement in space. (sourcesource).

 

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Artist Kay Sekimachi uses the remarkably delicate materials, such as leaves and thread, to “try to make something with the simplest of means.” She uses the loom to construct three-dimensional sculptural forms. In the early 1970s she used nylon monofilament to create hanging quadruple tubular woven forms to explore ideas of space, transparency, and movement. Inspired by her ancestral homeland of Japan, Sekimachi repeatedly returns to that ancient culture for ideas. Sekimachi eschews color in order to reinforce the sculptural qualities of her forms and emphasize the natural properties of her chosen materials. Enamored with antique Japanese paper, she has created a series of standing geometric postlike forms that suggest ancient totemic figures. (source).

 

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