3-D Printed Hermit Crab Homes - Whatever next?!

Whilst most ordinary folk are trying to figure out exactly what 3D printing is and how the hell it works. Others are already coming up with extraordinary ways to utilise this technology.

These shells are the creation of Japanese artist Aki Inomata. With the use of a high accuracy 3-D printer, she created crystalline skylines famous places. Her first models weren't too popular with the crabs, having thought that crabs would be interested in all kinds of shapes (apparently they like plastic water bottles) she realised that the inside of the shell had to be a certain way, and so used a 3-D scan of hermit approved shells - to recreate.

You can read more about the ideas behind her project on Wired.com

I fell in love with the humble hermit crab after watching a brilliant scene on the BBC's Blue Planet series, featuring 2 crabs fighting each other for a better shell.

Versaweiss Collages

Versaweiss are a Greek duo who combine all sorts of medium to create a variety of work including painting, sculpture and photography. That's all I really know!

Taxidermy of the artistic kind

I watched a fascinating program last night on BBC4 about Polly Morgan, an artist who works in East London. She uses taxidermy to create hauntingly beautiful pieces of art. Whilst taxidermy has become popular in recent times, seen in most recently refurbished pubs, Polly has taken it to the next level, putting them into surreal still life scenes. She makes a point of using only animals that have died of natural causes, and often gets sent dead pets and wildlife through the post.

The program is well worth a watch. It's interesting how it effects her mentally, disecting animals day in day out, finding she looks at her dogs in different ways sometimes, knowing whats under the skin. She also mentions that some of the animals appear in her dreams, sometimes coming to life whilst she is working on them. She seems like quite a serious person who lives and breaths what she does, I think the photo below if ger is quite a good reflection of her character if the program is anything to go by.

image from here

magpie image from here chicks image from here

My mum will like this one, she collects these boxes!

Polly Morgan - interview here

Pool Party

I recently came across the work of Argentine artist Leandro Erlich. His swimming pool exhibit is currently showing at MoMA in New York. He also created the interactive Bâtiment. A life sized front of a house, set on the floor with a huge upright mirror, to give the illusion of people climbing on an actual building. 

image from MoMA website

image from here

Rainbow churches

As you may have realised I do like a bit of colour to brighten up a dreary urban space now and then. Especially in a grey cloudy environment. This derelict church in Washington has been tarted up (as we say in the UK!) by Alex Brewer or Hense as he also goes by. Alex is an artist who was hired to paint the mural on this church. Lots of other bright colourful images here including more about this church.

Holton Rower - Pours

Artist Holton Rower, creates psychedelic looking paintings by pouring different colours onto wood. In this case he has used Dior nail varnish bottles, placed onto the wood before pouring to create the flower shape. The last 5 colours he used to create the artwork where the latest new colours of Dior's new nail varnish range. An odd way to promote the stuff!

Hieronymus Bosch

The below jumper, popped up on my tumblr dashboard. My Grandad used to have Hieronymus Bosch pictires on the bedroom wall where we used to stay as kids. The pictures used to freak us out and we would have nightmares about them.

Hieronymus Bosch

This is a digitally printed top from Swedish company alohafromdeer.com where you can get all sorts of classic paintings amongst other things printed onto clothing - including Hieronymus Bosch below

  
I have never found out which paintings of his they actually were on his wall, and to this day it has annoyed me. It could have also been Pieter Brueghel the Elder who was hugely influenced by Bosch. This one looks more like it. From my memory it had lots of peasant types and lots of fire. Answers on a postcard if you have any idea what I'm talking about!

Pieter Brueghel the Elder (Look familiar? it was the one used on a Fleet Foxes album)

digitally printed sweaters from Aloha from deer

Melting Pot Fashion

Remember these Perler bead things as a child? I remember, me and my sister used to make things but never did the heat set thing, not sure why! Anyhooo, Shanghai based Sabine Ducasse has created these incredible clothing accessories using those very beads.

Read more on Design Milk.

Print Club Blisters The Directors Cut

Went to this last week at the Print Club in Dalston. I must go there soon and do a workshop, in fact I think they have some sort of deal at the moment with their workshops, so I have no excuse really.

Anyway, they had this really nice open night and exhibition which was on in the MC Motors building next door, also a prop hire place hence some of the cool bits of furniture and signs lying around. The posters were from local artists/illustrators/graphic designers who use the studios and the theme was film or movies or whatever you like to call them.

The posters were all available to buy, it was a difficult choice but we settled on this one by Laurie Hastings and the film was Virgin Suicides. It was a toss up between this one and the Princess Mononoke one by Joe Wilson.

of course I had to check out Lauries other work, see below. Check out her portfolio here.

 

Painting the favelas red...

and green, blue, yellow...

This is a project 'Favela Painting' that Dutch artist duo Haas&Hahn began to create back in 2006. Finding parts of Rio that locals found scary and intimidating and filling them with bold and bright colour. Alongside Haas&Hahn, local youth were employed to paint, and learned the craft at the same time.

Paintaway by Michael Chase

Made in his kitchen sink with acrylic paint, photos taken on his iphone and then manipulated in photoshop. Check out more here on his Behance Portfolio.

Jaguar Shoes, Phillip Smileys Hive

We popped in to Jaguar Shoes a few weeks ago on a random Shoreditch crawl (don't rule Shoreditch out just yet, there are a few little gems) Jaguar shoes never fails with it's interior decor or rather exhibition space. This time stunning illustrations cover the wall of bees and nymph type creatures gobbling up honey. There is also a film installation and the most incredible bumble bee disco ball.

These images from Dazed Digital.

A little fact for you, Philip Smiley is actually the guy on the front of the hugely successful 'The Selby'
book. Go check out his house here.

random image from google image via Corks and Caftans

Oliver Pauk - Heat Recovery

Oliver created these photographs in order to help promote waste heat recovery, which is the process of harnessing thermal energy and re-using it. He photographed areas of Toronto, and altered them in order to high light the vast abundance of these systems, where the leaking energy could be used (read more here.)

Not only that but it makes for some pretty cool pictures.

Petros Chrisostomou photographs

Petros Chrisostomou photographs everyday objects, which he places into beautiful handmade architectural models. I particularly love the eggs in the yellow kitchen, complete with carrier bag hanging from the cupboard door.

Something for the garden?!

Disturbing ceramic sculpture by Sarah Louise Davey. More about her here.

Leanne Shapton

Leanne Shapton - llustrator, author and publisher based in New York City. I like her vibrant florals and pattern paintings.

Anne Lindeburg - Thread Art

I discovered the artist Anne Lindeburg today who creates these beautiful thread installations. I blogged about similar work by Gabriel Dawe here.

Have a look on her website for more work, plus paintings and architectural projects.