Colossal | A blog about art and visual ingenuity.

A house that rains on the inside

A house that rains on the inside water rain interactive installation

The Glue Society is an independent creative collective based in Sydney and New York whose work “encompasses everything from broadcast entertainment, commercial and print advertising, film direction and graphic design to books, art exhibitions, live events, video installations and sculpture.” Their latest creation for the Sculpture by the Sea festival in Denmark is this installation entitled I Wish You Hadn’t Asked, a small house that rains nearly 200 litres of water every minute on the inside. Read more over on Creative Review. Photographs by Nicolai Lorenzen.

The Pipe-Organ ATM: The Most Frequently Used ATM in Italy

This weekend marked the opening of the 54th annual Venice Biennale, featuring an immense international selection of art. Quickly shaping up to be a crowd favorite is this fully-functional Pipe-Organ ATM by the artist duo Allora & Calzadilla, that plays a unique melody with every dispensation of cash. Some theorize the melody increases in complexity and length depending on the size of the current patrons bank account, something denied by officials. With constant lines forming around the pavilion in which the ATM is housed its currently experiencing withdrawals at four times the rate of an average ATM in Italy. If I withdrew money from it I’m pretty sure it would play either a single note or a sad trombone sound. Photo courtesy thefuturistics. (via art ruby)

By Christopher on June 6, 2011 • installation interactive Italy money Venice Biennale

Recordis Magazine No. 1

Recordis Magazine No. 1 magazines editorial

Forewarning: a few links below are slightly NSFW.

A few days ago I received an email from Andrew Harlow telling me about a new publication he’s been working on with Sabino Aguad called Recordis Magazine. I just took the time to sit down and go through it and was I floored. It’s an impeccably curated 78-page collection of photography and other visual art including the works of Joshua Scott, Kay Jan and Shannon Rankin (all shown above), as well as seventeen additional artists. It also includes several essays and interviews, all as a free download, or a perfect bound print. You really should check it out.

By Christopher on June 6, 2011 • editorial magazines

A Modular Typographical Bookcase by Saporiti

Holy awesome bookcase batman! Designers Eva Alessandrini and Roberto Saporiti of the Italian furniture design firm Saporiti have created this beautiful bookcase system that allows you to spell custom words and phrases using modular bookcase letters. If you liked this, see also the Alphabet Bookshelf by Lincoln Kayiwa. (via illusion, fasels Suppe)

By Christopher on June 5, 2011 • books furniture typography

Liquid Bricks

Liquid Bricks street art interactive installation

This wonderful video arrived in my inbox from Benjamin Boré who created this perfectly executed liquid brick installation as part of a collaboration at Raum à La Box in France. Meant to “question the harshness of the city” the idea is really quite simple, to embed a water-filled pouch beneath the city streets, and the effect is pretty charming, especially for the kids clamoring all over the thing. Music by Mansfield Tya. Thanks Benjamin!

By Christopher on June 3, 2011 • installation interactive street art

Ridiculously detailed spray-paint and stencil portraits by Kris Trappeniers

Ridiculously detailed spray paint and stencil portraits by Kris Trappeniers street art stencils portraits paper painting

I just discovered the work of Belgium-based Kris Trappeniers who describes himself as a “paper sculptor”. His delicately cut stencils are among the most complex I’ve ever seen, the twisting, curving line work creating these amazing portraits that are unbelievably finished with spraypaint.

By Christopher on June 3, 2011 • painting paper portraits stencils street art

Inner Space

Inner Space water tableau studio space models

Inner Space is a lovely series of photos by London-based Owen Silverwood that depicts miniaturized spacecraft blasting through confined aquatic landscapes. Thanks Owen for sharing your work with Colossal! (via notcot)

By Christopher on June 3, 2011 • models space studio tableau water

Jacob Hashimoto: Armada

Armada is the latest exhibition by Jacob Hashimoto currently at Studio La Città in Verona. Hashimoto frequently uses acrylic, paper, bamboo, and nylon to create densely layered installations of translucent discs and other geometric shapes that are mounted on walls. Some of his much larger works fill entire gallery rooms or ceiling spaces. Unique to this exhibition he installed a large-scale kinetic sculpture of suspended sailboats affixed to three gently rolling lever mechanisms that cause the ships to roll gently along invisible waves. I hope dearly somebody shoots a video of this in action. (via wowgreat)