Colossal | A blog about art and visual ingenuity.

Stop Motion Wire and Paper Music Video by Patator Prod

Stop Motion Wire and Paper Music Video by Patator Prod wire stop motion paper music video animation

There are some fantastic sequences in this brief stop motion clip by Victor Haegelin of Patator Prod accompanied by music from Professor Kliq. Haegelin relies entirely on bent wire and paper to create everything you see and it’s amazing how fluid all the individual wire strands become when animated like this, wish it went a bit longer. (via vimeo)

Flickr Finds No. 31

At long last Flickr Finds returns with the 31st edition of my favorite photos seen on the newly redesigned Flickr over the last few weeks. For more photos see previous Flickr Finds. All photographs above courtesy the individual photographers.

By Christopher on May 24, 2013 • flickr finds

Fun Site-Specific Wheatpastes on the Streets of France by Lavalet

Fun Site Specific Wheatpastes on the Streets of France by Lavalet wheatpaste street art

I recently stumbled onto the Facebook page of a new wheatpaste artist named Lavalet who has been making some pretty imaginative site-specific pasteups in various locations around France since late last year. Almost all of his pieces interact with their direct surroundings and frequently include props or other three-dimensional objects. You can see more over on his blog, and if you happen to be in the south of France he just opened an exhibition at NUNC ! Grenoble last week.

By Christopher on May 23, 2013 • street art wheatpaste

Surreal Wildlife Paintings by Tiffany Bozic

Surreal Wildlife Paintings by Tiffany Bozic painting nature illustration animals

Self-taught artist Tiffany Bozic explores a wide range of natural themes in her tightly rendered depictions of wildlife. Drawing inspiration from her “extensive travels to wild places” and exposure to various research specimens at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the artist works most frequently with multiple layers of watered down acrylic paint on panels of maple wood that lends a distinctly natural and often realistic level of detail to each of her paintings. Bozic is currently working on a new body of work for a solo show at FFDG this coming October, but for now you can see more work in her portfolio (and archive) on her website.

By Christopher on May 22, 2013 • animals illustration nature painting

Soo Sunny Park’s Unwoven Light Documented by Walley Films

Soo Sunny Parks Unwoven Light Documented by Walley Films reflection multiples light installation documentary

If you enjoyed learning about Soo Sunny Park’s Unwoven Light installation at Rice Gallery earlier this month, you’ll like this new documentary short by filmmaking duo Angela and Mark Walley of Walley Films. The film covers the installation period and opening of Park’s chain-link fence installation and you learn quite a bit more about the artist’s process and intent behind her imaginative, surreal artwork. If you’re unable to make it to Houston to see this in person, this is the next best thing.

By Christopher on May 22, 2013 • documentary installation light multiples reflection

New Hyperrealistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck

New Hyperrealistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck sculpture hyperrealism
Ron Mueck’s Studio, January 2013. Photo by Gautier Deblonde.

New Hyperrealistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck sculpture hyperrealism
Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Hyperrealist sculptor Ron Mueck works in the realm of the ultra-real where he spends hundreds of hours perfecting the shape of the human form, the appropriate color of skin, and the most realistic hair texture. All of his efforts culminate in incredibly lifelike figurative sculptures with one small (or large) exception: the artworks are often gigantic or miniaturized, resulting in an uncomfortable “does not compute” moment when trying to comprehend exactly what you’re looking at. Each sculpted person is as bizarre as it is amazing, in part because of the raw intimacy portrayed in their faces, as if we are somehow witnessing the documentation of a private moment.

New Hyperrealistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck sculpture hyperrealism
Ron Mueck’s Studio, January 2013. Photo by Gautier Deblonde.

New Hyperrealistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck sculpture hyperrealism
Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Like several other hyperrealist sculptors Mueck began his sculpting career in entertainment where he started work as a puppeteer, creating models and puppets for children’s movies and TV shows. Most notably he worked on Jim Henson’s film Labyrinth and even provided the voice for the character Ludo. In 1996 he made the switch to fine art and quickly rose to prominence with exhibitions at the Royal Academy and the National Gallery in London.

Last month Mueck unveiled three new works at the Fondation Cartier in Paris as part of an exhibition that runs through September 29th, including the extraordinary Couple Under an Umbrella shown above. You can watch the video to get a little more perspective on just how large this artwork really is. All images above courtesy Fondation Cartier. (via my amp goes to 11)

By Christopher on May 22, 2013 • hyperrealism sculpture

Optical Ripple: A New Geometric Print from Simon C. Page

Optical Ripple: A New Geometric Print from Simon C. Page posters and prints geometric

Optical Ripple is the latest print from artist and designer Simon C. Page who often explores complex geometric patterns as well as the interplay of color. This latest piece involves a kaleidoscopic array of colors and concentric circles that borders on the edge of a blurry optical illusion. If you liked this, also check out his wonderful Color Wheel. (via the fox is black)