Colossal | A blog about art and visual ingenuity.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Dancing on Thin Ice, Happy End #9.1, Canada, 2012 / Bristol freighter broke through ice while landing in 1956, all survived.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Bamboo in the Wine, Happy End #31.1, USA, 2012 / Cessna T50 bamboo bomber ran out of fuel in the 60s, all on board survived and walked over frozen river to Fort Yukon.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
The Scenic Route to Nowhere, Happy End #3.1, Mexico, 2010 / Grumman Albatross, no official report as used for drug trafficking, locals say all survived.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Forces at Work, Happy End #2.1, Canada, 2010 / Douglas C3 stalled at take-off on skis in deep snow, all 6 survived. February 1950.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Knock on Wood, Happy End #11.3, USA, 2012 / Fairchild C-82 with total electrical failure, all survived for three days at -50°F (-45°C).

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Passion is Rebel to Reason, Happy End #4.1, West Sahara, 2011 / Avro Shackleton Pelican, 25y SAAF, forced landing on flight to UK, all 19 saved by Polisario Rebels in July of 1994.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Never Eat More than You Can Lift, Happy End #5.1, Canada, 2011 / Curtiss C46 Commando, nicknamed Mrs. Piggy as she could load so much freight, including pigs. All survived, 1979.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Fuel of Life, Happy End #6.1, Canada, 2011 / Curtiss C46 Commando, lost engine power on a fuel run, all survived in 1977.

Happy End: Photos of Miraculous Airplane Crashes where All the Passengers Survived history flight airplanes
Life is a Tide, Happy End #8.1, USA, 2012 / The pilot swam to shore with favorable tides in 1947 and is still alive 65 years later.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention this post made my palms sweat a bit while writing the details, but despite the unnerving visuals of these downed aircraft, each one of these photographs by Dietmar Eckell tells the story of a genuine miracle. In his series Happy End Eckell captures incredible moments in aviation history where planes went down and everyone walked away or was rescued shortly thereafter. Above are just a selection of photos, many more of which can be found over on his website, where you can also explore Eckell’s unceasing fascination with abandoned locations and objects. He’s currently raising money over on Indiegogo to print a 96-page book complete with 50 photos and accompanied by facts about each plane and the story of the survivors. (via laughing squid)

Canvas Furniture that Hangs on Your Wall by YOY

Canvas Furniture that Hangs on Your Wall by YOY furniture

Unveiled earlier this month at Salon Satellite at Milan Design Week 2013, Canvas is a set of two-dimensional, lightweight furniture pieces made of wood, aluminum and stretched elastic canvas that can be hung flat on a wall. The surface of each piece is printed with images of the furniture it represents, and once removed can be propped against a wall and used as actual seating. Canvas was designed by spatial designer Naoki Ono, founder of Tokyo-based YOY design studio. While the chairs might not be ideal for long periods of time, they really are ideal for cramped spaces requiring temporary seating. (via hyperallergic)

By Christopher on April 23, 2013 • furniture

Graphic Designer Dad Illustrates His Kids’ Lunch Bags Almost Every Day Since 2008

Graphic Designer Dad Illustrates His Kids Lunch Bags Almost Every Day Since 2008 kids illustration food drawing

Graphic designer and competitor for Best Dad Ever David LaFerriere has been drawing illustrations on his children’s sandwich bags since 2008. Lucky for us he photographs almost every single one, over 1,100 of which you can explore over on Flickr. (via quipsologies)

By Christopher on April 23, 2013 • drawing food illustration kids

Journey to the Center of the Earth: An Incredible Glimpse Inside an Active Volcano

Journey to the Center of the Earth: An Incredible Glimpse Inside an Active Volcano volcanoes lava landscapes

Two Kyrgyzstan-based photographers, Andrew and Luda, run a joint Live Journal account where they post amazing photos of outdoor scenery, wildlife, and recently: active volcanoes. Earlier this year the duo trekked to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia where the volcano complex known as Tolbachik was in active eruption. Among the numerous hellish vistas photographed by the team was this deep volcanic cave that offered a glimpse of what it might look like inside an active volcano. You can see dozens of shots from their trip organized into several sets here, not to mention the video above. (via ian brooks, my modern met)

By Christopher on April 22, 2013 • landscapes lava volcanoes

Viola through Glass: Alexander Chen Creates an Orchestra of Violas

Viola through Glass: Alexander Chen Creates an Orchestra of Violas viola music video instruments

Google Creative Director Alexander Chen (who previously turned NYC transit data into music) recently sat down with his viola and a pair of Google Glass specs to record snippets of video and audio which he then looped and edited to create this miniature orchestra. While the video editing was done externally to Glass, the perspective lends itself nicely to the viola and there’s something sort of life-affirming about the music and snippets of life recorded just beyond the instrument. Beautiful music, well done. (via explore)

By Christopher on April 22, 2013 • instruments music video viola

Smeared Skies Made from Hundreds of Stacked Photographs by Matt Molloy

Smeared Skies Made from Hundreds of Stacked Photographs by Matt Molloy sunset landscapes clouds Canada

Living on the shore of Lake Ontario, just east of Toronto, photographer Matt Molloy has daily encounters with brilliant sunsets and cloudscapes that he’s been photographing for over three years. One day he began experimenting with time-lapse sequences by taking hundreds of images as the sun set and the clouds moved through the sky. Molloy then digitally stacked the numerous photos to reveal shifts in color and shape reminiscent of painterly brush strokes that smeared the sky. You can learn more about his “timestack” technique over at Digital Photo Magazine and prints are available here. (via bored panda)

By Christopher on April 22, 2013 • Canada clouds landscapes sunset

The Colored Pencil Drawings of Marco Mazzoni Depict the Cycles of Nature

The Colored Pencil Drawings of Marco Mazzoni Depict the Cycles of Nature still life nature drawing

Milan-based artist Marco Mazzoni works almost exclusively with colored pencils to create intricate drawings that depict the cycles of nature and worlds based heavily in Italian folklore. One of his most frequent subjects are drawings of flora and fauna who seem to be consuming or living on top of the face of a woman whose eyes we never see. The artist says he consciously does not depict the eyes so the viewer doesn’t consider the artwork a portait, but instead a still life where all elements have equal importance. Via Galleria Patricia Armocida:

Mazzoni weaves a world based on Italian folklore, made up of Janas and Cogas, female figures who, according to Sardinian beliefs, seduce, enchant, curse, and heal. His work is an homage to the secret art of healers; each drawing is saturated with metaphors that tell their story. The circular compositions, which allude to the cycles of Nature, depict medicinal and lysergic plants, pollinator butterflies and birds which drink their nectar, and hidden amidst leaves and wings emerge the faces of these women forced to hide their sensuality and their knowledge due to bigotry imposed by religion, accused of witchcraft because they are herbarie, herbalists. Female healers and midwives held an important role within the community. [...] Marco Mazzoni underlines the importance of the interaction between the women and the plants by developing the subject that’s best known: the female face framed by flora and fauna, rendering it an icon. He reveals her innermost perceptions, memories scribbled on a diary page, highly imaginative visions of “impossible” animals, the fruit of ecstatic exploration of hallucinatory journeys. [...] The result is a work which recounts the moment in which woman takes control of everything, in complete harmony with Nature.

Mazzoni currently has a solo show in Milan at Galleria Patricia Armocida which runs through May 4th, 2013. You can see more of his work over on Facebook.