Eco Art Made From Food

Romanian self-proclaimed eco artist Dan Cretu gave a new meaning to the phrase “playing with food.” Check the following images to see just how creative some people can get with their fruits and vegetables.

Currently, Dan Cretu works in the advertising industry, but he hopes that the publicity he’ll get with these works of art will help him organize his first exhibitions. Not sure yet whether he’s talking about a photography exhibition, or about one featuring these eatable pieces of eco art.

If you are curious about his older food art, or simply want to see more of these, check out Dan Cretu’s website. The logo is only one of the things suggesting the creativity of this man.

"Heaven on Earth" project by Shirin Abedinirad

One of the first uses of mirrors in architecture was in Persepolis, Persia at the Tachara Palace. Glossy black stones were polished till their surface was reflective, expanding the palace’s size and beauty. My idea was to return the concept of doubling space and light.

In my “Heaven on Earth” project, the basic geometric shapes and symmetrical composition of the mirrors are angling up the cement stairs. For me the use of mirrors is integral to creating a paradise; mirrors give light, an important mystical concept in Persian culture. When the audience stands at the top of the stairs and looks down, they come face to face with an optical illusion that increases their light, and therefore their spirituality of the space. The blue sky spills onto the ground, mimicking a pool, and the audience is momentarily overcome with the desire to jump into the light.

More info: shirinabedinirad.com

Artist taps old computer parts for techie cityscapes

Old motherboards get a new lease on life in the hands of one Italian artist who makes art out of old computer parts.

A circuit-sized view of Central Park in New York.

For some people, old circuit boards and computer components needlessly fill up space, awaiting a proper sendoff to the electronics recycling facility. Italian artist Franco Recchia sees opportunity in those old parts, though, and instead creates fascinating miniature city skylines with the pieces of forgotten technology

The artist covers an array of major cities, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, and more. In an interview with the Agora art gallery, Recchia reveals that he often finds parts in "trash heaps" and that it takes four different styles of welding to make the techno cities.

Recchia created this unique vision of Manhattan out of frames used in computer cases.

"Recchia seeks in his sculptures to bring dignity to the process of modern creation, to highlight how every product produced by human hands contains talent, imagination and great beauty, and ultimately stems from the vast reservoir of human experience of which we are all a part," says a statement from the Agora gallery. "His sculptures are indeed a testament to what is beautiful, elegant, and functional in the modern object, and are a tribute to the aptitude and passion that are our inheritance."

                                                          Franco Recchia, Boston

Franco Recchia, Metropolis

Parking canopy made from 1,500 recycled plastic bottles

With gyres of it swirling in our oceans, to landfills packed to overflowing with it, plastics are a true, non-biodegradable modern day bane. To tackle this pervasive problem, we've found various ways to recycle, upcycle and transform plastics into clothing, architecture and art, often with surprising results. Using 1,500 recycled bottles, this new parking canopy in Lincoln, Nebraska, shows that old plastic bottles can still impart a fresh aesthetic.

Created by American artist Garth Britzman, in collaboration with University of Nebraska students, this piece, titled (POP)culture, took 200 hours to make and features a bit of coloured liquid within each bottle, adding some vibrancy to the transparent plastic.

Britzman explains: This temporary installation used recycled soda bottles as a canopy under which a small park is created. An intriguing environment is created where one can explore the surface qualities of the bottles at eye level. Additionally, this project sought to stimulate creative alternatives for recycling and reusing materials.

Bright and quirky, this project demonstrates that a simple (and problematic) material can easily be transformed into something quite striking. More over at Garth Britzman's site.

The Abstract Patterns On This Sculpture Are Actually A Hidden Message

As part of the launch of a new website, physical/digital experience designer and 3D artist Craig Winslow projection-mapped visuals onto objects from his past, then hand-painted them to create a projected typography sculpture. Winslow rather fittingly calls this project, a blend of past objects and future-leaning technology, Build the Future.

The Burlington, Vermont-based artist wrote on his website that Build the Future was originally a proof of concept for a larger-scale typography project for a startup headquarters. Somewhere along the way Winslow made it into a “personal mantra.”

“Taking actual objects from my childhood was important to the concept of the project but equally painful and exciting to paint white and make new,” he wrote on his website. Winslow posted a video of the project on Vimeo, where he offered up more details on the project.



Since project typography plays with personal perspective, Winslow wanted to exploit multiple viewing angles. As the sculpture rotates on a cylindrical surface, not unlike vinyl spinning on a record player, a multi-colored “cyclical message” is revealed. As the message resolves throughout its full revolution, there are also intermittent moments of abstraction.

"For the past few years I've been focusing on blending physical and digital mediums, so similar to a pixel screen print series of mine, I wanted this project to appear digital, but be completely analog," Winslow told The Creators Project. "This typographic projection technique has been seen recently in a music video by OK Go and the intro to Apple's recent keynote.

 As for technique, Winslow initially used 3D software to discover a method for outputting vector graphics to be installed on a larger scale, but when the startup project startup fell through, he settled on a very hands-on method. This required mounting the projector to a specific location, with the composition of white objects to another, and then pencilling in and painting each projection where the shadows fell off the objects.

“The message is a simple one: it’s hard to let go of the past, but I propose a different solution,” Winslow wrote. “Look at your past and build from it, create a better future for yourself and others.”

“[M]ost people become tied down by objects, stuff, and things,” he added. “By selecting childhood possessions and essentially destroying to make something new, I took a strong step to build on and recontextualize the memories they contain, while freeing them the box they would otherwise live in.”

For more of Winslow's work, head to his website here.

Every Christmas, This Photographer Turns His Dog Into Different Animals

Bristol-based photographer Peter Thorpe has a great little tradition that he started 20 years ago. For his annual holiday card, he transforms Raggle, his dog, into various animals. He started this tradition with Paddy, and now continues with Raggle.

Other photographers would often turn to Photoshop, but Peter uses real props instead. When the photos are finished, he sends these cards to his family, friends and clients.

Sadly, this awesome tradition is coming to an end as Raggle is growing older and weaker every day. This year’s card is going to be the last one before her retirement.

More info: peterthorpephotography.blogspot.com

A Mouse, 2014

A Donkey, 2007

 

A Sheep, 2010

 

A Camel, 2006

 

A Turkey, 2009

 

A Penguin, 2011

 

Bah Humbug, 2012

 

A Bird, 2013

 

Behind the scenes

Gabriel Dishaw’s Upcycled Creations

My passion for working with metal and mechanical objects has been crucial in the evolution of my art and freeing my imagination. It provides me an avenue to express myself in a way that both helps me and the environment. The metal has the ability to resonate the very fantasies and thought processes that I envision.
I create my works using found objects from typewriters, adding machines, old computers and technology. I take the items people no longer have use for and that would normally end up in a landfill and in-turn create something new and upcycled. My mission is to create dialogue and help find creative ways of dealing with this discarded tech in an environmentally sound way. More info:gabrieldishaw.com

Incredible Laser Cut Paper Art by Eric Standley

Eric Standley draws his themes from Islamic and Gothic architecture and art, formed in the 12th century. The technique he follows for the “building” of his works does not differ from that of the ancient craftsman other than he uses lasers in the place of the chisel and hammer.

Eric’s work consists of successive layers of intricately cut paper sheets utilizing a laser, thus creating a multifaceted, rich, colorful ensemble. The result is so complex and detailed that the works should be examined from multiple perspectives to be fully appreciated. The bold determination to shift from the permanence and massiveness of stone and the material allure of glass to the instability and familiarity of paper is rewarded by the induced pleasure stimulated while gazing at the work. It is not the quality of the raw material that makes art, but the art that gives quality to the raw material.

Eric’s artworks construct the mosaic of a collective representation of time; time that flows, includes, and accompanies. The time that has gone by, the time we are living in, and the time that will come. This is what defines us as we intervene with its flow. The echo of the past that is articulated is of when material elements existed, but now are lost like that of a dream. Through the suggestibility that his works express, Eric Standley manages to harness time and turn it into a lever of reflection on the riddles of life, as well as a way of reconstructing cultural values.

More info: eric-standley.com

Japanese Artist Creates Fun Miniature Dioramas Every Day For 4 Years

Broccoli and parsley might sometimes look like a forest, or the tree leaves floating on the surface of the water might sometimes look like little boats. Everyday occurrences seen from a pygmy’s perspective can bring us lots of fun thoughts.

I wanted to take this way of thinking and express it through photographs, so I started to put together a “MINIATURE CALENDAR” These photographs primarily depict diorama-style figures surrounded by everyday items.

Just like a standard daily calendar, the photos are updated daily on my website and SNS page, earning it the name of “MINIATURE CALENDAR”

It would be great if you could use it to add a little enjoyment to your everyday life.