Posts Tagged ‘ Photos ’
There’s a certain expanse of the mind that no others can see besides yourself. (Like when you rub your eyes real hard and close them again). That may be a crude example of this phenomenon, but there are many others. What Wes Cockx seems to have done, is to take his unique sight and visions to create these ridiculously intrinsic yet digital art pieces. They were all created not by just good old fashioned 2D illustrations, but with digital alchemy consisting of programs like Cinema 4D, Redshift, and the Adobe Creative Suite among MANY more. But just sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in these incredible feats for the eyes.
When you think of the two words “genetic abnormality” there aren’t many positive things that come to peoples minds. Maybe The X-Men, vitiligo, or bring born with an extra finger or something is the stereotype… but while these things may happen, there are some quite eye catching, scene stealing, jaw dropping, and attention grabbing rarities that make you wish you were a little less than normal. Check out the top bunch below… also we threw in folks with 6 fingers, and vitiligo as bonuses for good measure. (That’d be cool to be able to count to twelve on two hands). This post might inspire you to pursue a career in genetics or to become a scientist. The world of genetics is fascinating, to say the least. It can make you feel like you’re living in a sci-fi book, instead of on Planet Earth, and there are plenty of examples that make us go, “Wow, I can’t believe this is real.”
In 2002, after applying for government assistance in the state of Washington, Lydia Fairchild was told that her two children were not a genetic match with her and that therefore, biologically, she could not be their mother. Researchers later determined that the genetic mismatch was due to chimerism, a condition in which two genetically distinct cell lines are present in one body. The state accused Fairchild of fraud and filed a lawsuit against her. Following evidence from another case of chimerism documented in The New England Journal of Medicine in a woman named Karen Keegan, Fairchild was able to secure legal counsel and establish evidence of her biological maternity. A cervical swab eventually revealed Fairchild’s second distinct cell line, showing that she had not genetically matched her children because she was a chimera. Fairchild’s case was one of the first public accounts of chimerism and has been used as an example in subsequent discussions about the validity and reliability of DNA evidence in legal proceedings within the United States. Chimeras are organisms that have two different sets of DNA, or the genetic material that contains instructions for the development and functioning of an organism, present in their bodies. Most organisms only have one set of DNA, which is present and identical in every cell throughout that organism’s body.
An organism gets approximately half of its DNA from each of its parents’ gametes, or their sperm and egg cells, which carry DNA from parent to offspring. In human reproduction, one sperm typically fuses with one egg to create a fertilized egg that can develop into a fetus. However, sometimes the ovaries, which are organs in the female body that produce and store eggs, release more than one egg at a time, a phenomenon known as hyperovulation. In such cases, two different sperm can fertilize two separate eggs released during hyperovulation, creating two genetically distinct fertilized eggs that can develop into non-identical twins. However, in some cases, those two fertilized eggs may fuse together during an early stage of development, resulting in a chimera made of two genetically distinct cell lines. As a consequence, instead of having cells with identical DNA throughout their body, a chimera has different DNA present in different parts of their body so that the DNA in their blood, for example, may not be the same as the DNA in their saliva. “I have two sets of DNA, two sets of blood and immune cells. The two colors of skin pigmentation on my torso is from my and my twin’s two different genetic makeups. My particular case of Chimerism is linked to autoimmune disease. I went undiagnosed for more than half my life due to the rarity of my condition. I’m now an advocate for Chimerism, it’s link to autoimmune disease and body positivity. My hope is to prevent others from going undiagnosed how I did.”
The final trailer for Marvel’s “The Eternals” features a quite hilarious sequence featuring some of the titular characters having a bit of, what some might call a “discussion” about IKEA furniture. Our lead writer was blessed enough to have a relative who speaks FLUENT IKEA, and we thought we’d post up the 70 year evolution of the center piece of the IKEA catalog over decades… the living room. Above is a look at the years spanning the 1970’s to the 2020’s at just how the IKEA living room, and all its goofy names has evolved. TRUST us, for the interior designer, its a bit more interesting than you may think.
At the heart of Matt Small’s practice is the idea that “there’s always potential within everything.” The British artist gravitates toward an overarching theme of disregard in both subject matter and material, choosing oxidized hunks of iron, bits of patinaed copper, and crinkled aluminum strips that have been relegated to the trash to construct his metallic portraits. Expressive and emotionally charged, the corroded mosaics link rampant overconsumption and widespread tendencies to throw away what’s deemed obsolete or undesirable to the ways adolescents are marginalized and subsequently not seen as viable members of society. “Because of the social backgrounds they come from, young people find themselves overlooked, disregarded, and left uninvested in,” the artist says. “Marrying the discarded item and painting a portrait of a young person on it or utilizing the material to construct a mosaic face, I hope that the viewer sees that everybody and everything has a right to be viewed as valuable and of worth. It’s just up to us to see that.” In a conversation with Colossal, Small references Marcel Duchamp’s urinal and the way that readymade sculpture upended long-standing notions of worth as a foundational concept he draws on his own practice.
By turning debris and seemingly useless materials into works of significance, he hopes to prompt questions about the arbitrary values assigned to objects and people alike, explaining: The scrap metal has worth because of what I did with it, not because I say it is of worth. The rusted tin can becomes a tone in the face. The shiny metal brings out a highlight on the forehead. All these worthless items have been incorporated into something that someone may now appreciate, and the potential of this scrap item can now be realized. Small, who lives in his hometown of Camden, currently has work on view as part of Vanguard, which is considering the role of Bristol-area artists who’ve had an outsized impact on British street art since the 1980s. The extensive exhibition, which includes memorabilia and dozens of originals works, is open at M Shed through October 31. If you’re in London, watch for a large-scale mural portrait of the young British entrepreneur Jamal Edwards that Small is working on in Acton, and follow the artist on Instagram to stay up to date with his latest projects.
It seems, (and this is just speculation) that Trevor Noah, and his partner Minka Kelly have hit a rift. He purchased this 27.5 Million Dollar home in California for the couple, and apparently is now selling it while he’s out touring the world. Trouble in paradise may be sad for any couple, but based on the looks of the home, this will be an incredible opportunity for the next person to buy it. Take a look and tell us what you think… I hope he has a good time on tour.
We know this sounds straight out of a Star Wars film, but Ruben Wu was on a trip to visit the Ijen and Bromo Tengger Semeru volcanoes in East Java last month. Not all of it sounds that strange… he’s a Chicago-based photographer that captured the unusual sight of molten sulphur. Ok, well, now it gets weird again. Molten sulphur flows from fumaroles at the base of the aptly named Blue Fire Crater at Ijen. The area is usually swarming with tourists, but Wu stayed after sunset until the moon rose to capture these otherworldly images.
The journey into the Ijen Caldera is not for the faint hearted. A two-hour trek up the side of the rocky volcano is followed by another 45-minute hike down to the bank of the crater. The blue fire found at the base is the result of ignited sulphuric gas that burns up to 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit) and can flare up to 5 meters (16 feet) into the air. It is the largest “blue flame” area on Earth. Check the photos out.
“Miniature monuments, testaments to the power of language and metaphors of imagination.” Thats how Stephen Doyle describes his angled scaffolding and interlocking constructions. We just call them dope. They look as if they grow directly from the bound pages, and sprawl out to comprise his Hypertexts series. They are unruly and enchanting reimaginings of how information is communicated.
The New York City-based artist lobs off parts of sentences, tethers phrases together with an unrelated word, and generally obscures the author’s intended meaning, producing arbitrary and striking connections within the text. Although the paper sculptures are tangible manifestations of language, Doyle tells Colossal that he originally envisioned the spliced works as satirical commentaries on digital diagramming. “I first started when ‘hypertext’ was a novel term of the internet: blue underlined text was a portal, linked to another document in the ether.
“I conjured sculptures in which the lines of text shook off the shackles of the page, leapt up, out of the book, and started conferring with their neighboring lines of text, creating an aerial network of language, turning text into synapse, circulation… I soon realized that these three-dimensional diagrams seemed to have a poetic power of their own, recontextualizing language and ideas into sculptural forms, inspired by the books themselves.”
A graphic designer by day, Doyle has spent the last few years expanding his Hypertexts series, which has been featured in The New Yorker, Wired, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and other publications. If you’re in New York City, you also might have seen the triptych he created for the subway a few years back. You can follow his works on Instagram. (via swissmiss)
Beautiful, and spellbinding time lapse photos have been used to display many different mediums in the past. The above example is from DJ Storm’s: “Untitled” beat tape. But where do these images come from, and furthermore, how are they created? Photographer Reuben Wu creates images that reveal an alien splendor in natural and manmade landscapes across the globe. Previously he has explored the brilliant blue rivers of molten sulfur in Indonesian volcanoes, and photographed the thousands of glistening mirrors that compose Nevada’s SolarReserve. For his ongoing series Lux Noctis, the Chicago-based photographer utilizes modified drones as aerial light sources, illuminating obscure landscapes in a way that makes each appear new and unexplored. Recently Wu has evolved his process of working with the drones to form light paths above topographical peaks in the mountainous terrain.
“I see it as a kind of ‘zero trace’ version of land art where the environment remains untouched by the artist, and at the same time is presented in a sublime way which speaks to 19th century Romantic painting and science and fictional imagery,” said Wu to Colossal. The light from his GPS-enabled drones create a halo effect around some of the presented cliffs and crests when photographed using a long exposure. An elegant circle of light traces the flight of the drone, leaving a mark only perceptible in the resulting photograph. You can see more of Wu’s landscape photography on his Instagram.
We know that the fate of endangered species is a global issue, but it remains an abstract concept to many of us. We aren’t confronted with the faces of these creatures on a daily basis; but thanks to the work of photographer Tim Flach, these mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds are shown in striking portraits that make it impossible for us to turn away. His poignant series (and book), aptly titled Endangered, features these creatures locking eyes with us—it’s much different than the typical pictures of animals where they are captured within their grandiose natural environment. Flach instead pits them against a stark backdrop and completely divorces them from their habitat.
The decision to visually remove some of the endangered creatures from their environment was deliberate. “The romanticizing, free, wild images of the animals weren’t necessarily getting people to take action,” says Flach. “I wanted to think about what kind of images people engage in and how you tell a story to get people to connect to [the animal].” The “mild anthropomorphizing” of animals is shown in research to make us feel a greater connection because the creatures have personalities we can relate to. “Images often done in a style and representation that was more like humans was more likely to make us care more.” The resulting endangered animal photos give a human-like existence to these creatures. Tell us what you think in the comments.
The word “colorful” is a massive understatement when considering the collection you just scrolled through. “Cyber Sound” is one of the newest art additions to ‘Local Preacher’s photography collection, and as aligned with the rest of his work, it is AMAZING. As a DJ, it’s incredible to see the tools I use being so eloquently portrayed in such amazing photos. Shouts to ‘Local Preacher’ and his amazing ability to use lighting to exemplify the intricacies of the gear myself, and everyone else who does what I do in his work.
Marvel Entertainment has officially revealed the cover and release date for their upcoming anniversary book, Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years. The massive 512-page book, which retails for $150, will hit stores on May 3, 2019, coinciding with the release of the still-untitled Avengers 4. It contains 250 exclusive illustrations along with over 100+ new interviews with key producers, studio heads, and tons of your favorite Marvel cast members, including Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Zoe Saldana, Evangeline Lilly, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Mackie, and more.
In Texas, architecture firm Lake Flato has completed the ‘Hog Pen Creek Residence’, an expansive lakeside retreat connected by a long exterior boardwalk. Situated at the confluence of Hog Pen Creek and Lake Austin, the dwelling was envisioned by its owners as a playful property that encouraged outdoor living, and maximized the site’s tranquil views. The home’s L-shaped footprint and orientation helps negotiate heritage oak trees, a steeply sloping site, and aggressive setbacks from the water. The boardwalk connects a series of structures that step down the hillside, traversing a 75-foot lap pool, and terminating at a screened pavilion by the lake’s edge.
The main living area is a two-story volume with a lofted master bedroom and porches at both ends. This area of the home enjoys cool prevailing breezes and shade from the adjacent oak trees. The interior accommodates many operable windows that provide cross ventilation and daylight, while three pairs of oversized doors provide sweeping views of Lake Austin. Lake Flato carefully sited the project so that no existing trees had to be removed during its construction. However, one pecan tree was uprooted during a storm and was consequently incorporated into the design of tables and shelves within the home.
In her experimental fashion and fine art photography, Elizaveta Porodina travels through time and space, extracting the underlying emotions in her entrancing productions. The Moscow born studied clinical psychologist plays with melancholic symbolism, sets connotations, sometimes ambiguous, sometimes honest and obvious – her range widely varying between cinematic, fashion and almost documentary imagery. Whether in dramatic black and white or vividly colored artworks, the Munich based photographer is a master of dark romanticism.
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Spanish singer Serafin Zubiri, has an incredible visual designer behind him. The work of Mikel Muruzabal speaks volumes about the talent and sophistication that went into these truly unique photos. Using CGI to adapt the spaces, shapes and colors to each scene, these “floating photos” are absolutely a sight to behold.
To the closer followers of Marvel, and the mechanics behind their super hero films, Christmas came early last night when Marvel released a short “documentary” about Avengers Infinity War. The video is quite informative, and gives the laymen some news they will be excited about, and the comic book connoisseur some things to be excited about. (Why doesn’t Thor have his Hammer, and are Tony’s new suits automated, or is building them for himself.) Regardless of how deep movie goers get into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the video below provides a very interesting look into the 3rd Avengers installment.
Not too long ago, there was a post about German photographer André Josselin‘s photos during his trip to Lollapalooza. There were so many photos we couldn’t put them all into one post, so in part 2, we’re going to pick up right where we left off. Once again you can tell by the rest of his collection how incredibly talented of a photographer he is.
German photographer André Josselin out of Hamburg took a trip with friends to the Lollapolooza festival in Chicago. This unique collection of amazing shots, was beautifully edited, and really brings through the feelings of excitement and allure of not only the city of Chicago, but how good of a time they must have had. Unfortunately the compendium of photos is so large, we had to split it up into two posts. Check out André’s work below, and expect to see some of the rest very soon.
London-based photographer Roman Sakovich gives us a glimpse of the drastic visual differences that substance abuse can cause in his series titled Half. By splitting his subjects’ style choices and physical appearances straight down the middle of their portraits, the photographer presents a before and after composite image that shows us two timelines—one of the addict (on the right) and one of the non-user who still has the choice to change his or her fate.
While you might think that a great deal of Photoshop was used to produce each image, Sakovich says that most of the effects were created in-camera. The transformations were accomplished with skilled costuming and makeup design rather than post splicing and merging. The result is an eye-opening look at the damaging effects of drug abuse, especially meth addiction which is known to have a considerable amount of impact on one’s physical appearance. While the photographer admits it is a stereotypical and perhaps superficial look at substance abuse, it is, nonetheless, effective.
Clouds are natural canvases and in certain conditions, they can look very picturesque. French artist and photographer Charles Pétillion drew inspiration from the visually limitless variations of cloud formations to create a cumulus cloud using over 10,000 illuminated white balloons. The installation, titled, “Heartbeat”, is featured inside London’s Covent Garden and stretches the length of its entire South Hall.
Describing the project, Pétillion says, “With Heartbeat I wanted to represent the Market Building as the beating heart of this area — connecting its past with the present day to allow visitors to re-examine its role at the heart of London’s life.” Check out some more photos below.
A solo exhibition featuring the works of Iranian artist Ali Esmaeilipour called Immigrant will run at the Miaja Gallery until July 8. It will feature mixed-media work based on the theme of ‘Immigration’ focusing on the shifting and fluid nature of meaning and being rooted in a world overtaken by globalization. All of it comes from various scraps of newspapers and magazines that Ali gathered over the past 15 years in Singapore, ever since he arrived here in 1999.
Some of the ‘immigrations’ that plaster Ali’s canvas involve the appropriation and transformation of old into new – like the form of Rodin’s famous Thinker isolated among a host of brand names and other contemporary motifs. Ali manipulates the space and his materials to give the feeling of everything washed over by a variety of rough muddy hues with bursts of color and form here and there. This opens up existential vistas where human forms are swallowed up/intermingle with signs and symbols, struggling for a ‘voice’.
The feeling of chaotic improvisation across the works comes from the fact that many of the objects were chosen less for aesthetic reasons or harmonious composition and more for expressing the artist’s interests and internal state. These are mementos drawn up over time, with depths of experience that the viewer may glimpse into, here and there, but never fully grasp.
Ali studied at the renowned Zangar Art Institute under the tutelage of Professor Aydin Aghashlou – one of Iran’s most respected artists. He triumphed at the prestigious 4th Biennale at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran in 1997, and established himself as an artist in residence at the Opera Gallery Singapore after he moved here. You can find out more on the exhibit at Miaja Gallery’s website.
Flower Nostalgia for Ellements Magazine.
Photography: Kristina VaraksinaHair and makeup: Inna MathewsWardrobe styling: Chanel FuFlowers: Svetlana ChernyavskyModels: Sarah G @ Stars San FranciscoSophia @ Stars San Francisco
It doesn’t have to be a Wednesday for the writers to have a woman crush. The ever so lovely Jessica Marie was brought to our attention recently, and her photos are quite stunning. She says she’s always had a passion for being in front of the camera, and her desire sure does show. Check out some of her work.
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