WASTE LANDSCAPE

I can't lie...as a freelance art director for the music industry, this makes me feel a certain way. HOWEVER, the dazzling creation that was formed by collaborators Elise Morin and Clémence Eliard can't really be denied. They used 65,000 discarded CDs to create this landscape on the floor of an art space (and aptly, a former funeral home) in Paris. They named it Waste Landscape.

If you happen to live or be traveling in Paris, the piece will be up until 9/10/11, and then will tour other locations. 

Check out this video too.

Photos courtesy of Yannick Fradin, Martin Eliard and Marc Sirvin

RUN THIS CITY

EVOL created this miniature streetscape in Hamburg Germany. He calls it Rural City, and it was designed in only 8 days for the MS Dockville Music Festival. He even had his artist friends tag the mini buildings.

Trippy.

See more of his work here.

Photos courtesy of www.inhabitat.com and www.unurth.com

Artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn

Photo by Wilton Sousa Júnior

COOLEST. 

THING. 

EVER.

And I say that with confidence.

Four years ago, Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn challenged the stigma that Rio's favelas (slums) hold as dangerous, drug-infested places to avoid. By now, we've all seen City of God, right? Well, 1/3 of Rio's population call these hillside urban 

areas home.

The duo's goal was to shine light on the hard-working inhabitants of these areas, to promote the opinion that they're centers of Brazilian culture, and to improve the public's general view of them. They call it Favela Painting.

The above images are from Praça Cantão in Santa Marta that was completed on March 29th. The bright pastel colors and bold white stripes make it look like some other-worldly wonderland. It's SO breathtaking!

See more here.

Oh, Jonna....if only.

Colour Pencils, 2006

Jonna Pohjalainen.

2:12

Based in Houston, Texas, street artist 2:12 creates beautiful, yet arresting imagery on walls of buildings and street signage. Unlike other examples of street art, what makes 2:12's work unique is that it feels like the artist spends a lot of time on each piece. Shadows on skin, folds of fabric, reflections on hair...each detail makes his pieces feel like they should be hanging on a gallery wall. Lucky for us (or for Texas residents, anyway), his work is viewable by anyone on their way to the corner store or bus stop.

The top image is an installation that was inspired by a mere hole in a wall. His mark is left on those tile-looking pieces below the altar.

Lovely.

Check out a time lapse video that chronicles the making of Geisha:

See more of 2:12's work here.

AND WE LIVED BENEATH 

THE WAVES....

...in our yellow submarine.

By Interesni Kazki, (Waone and AE, collectively.)

Kiev, 2008

Check out more from these fish-lovers:

Here and here.

DAG - DESIGNLAB

Found in Tel Aviv. Thanks Wooster Collective.

See more of DAG's work here, specifically these salt and pepper shakers that I'm obsessed with. But then, I might be obsessed with salt and pepper shakers in general...click here.

NELE AZEVEDO / MELTING MEN

Earlier this week, Brazilian artist, Nele Azevedo carved 1,000 miniature figures out of ice, and placed them on the steps of a central square in Berlin. The art piece was made to highlight the WWF's (World Wildlife Fund) warning about global warming and rising water levels caused by melting ice.

How cute. 

And frightening.

See more photos of Nele's process here.

WIND NOMADS

Don't you love that name?

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day in New York. Sunshine was abundant, and the sky seemed extra blue. A friend called early in the day and invited me to Governors Island, where it was to be the last day of the New Island Festival, an annual gathering of Dutch artists that included art exhibits, music, food and other cool things like the silent disco (which is pretty hilarious, btw).

I have been a Brooklyn resident for almost 10 years now, and have never stepped foot on Governors Island. I was so pleasantly surprised once I arrived. The buildings are slightly colonial, making it seem more like Virginia than New York City. Lots of green and tons of charm. There's a FREE ferry from Manhattan and DUMBO, Brooklyn (and as we all know, I'm a big fan of free!)

We stumbled upon the above outdoor exhibit, which from afar, resembles a group giant butterflies scattered about the lawn. 400 individual artists were asked to create boards (to signify 400 years of relations between New York and the Netherlands), each hinged in a unique way, making the boards look like their wings are "flapping".

The idea was formed by a group called SLeM, which creates what it calls "landscape theater". According to SLeM, "landscape-theater is a form of location theater in which the landscape is temporally influenced, transformed and can be provided with new significance. Landscape-theater operates on the periphery of daily reality. A landscape is created or transformed, and in order to shift perspectives, alienated and charged with theatrical and/or musical elements. The public can be spectator and participant simultaneously. This allows for the release of ‘social energy’ which can lead to surprising results."

Can you imagine what the "butterflies" look like from a birds-eye view? Wow...