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Art

Wild Creatures Emerge From Thrown Sand in Photographs by Claire Droppert

Netherlands-based photographer Claire Droppert (previously) has created a new series of images that depict the silhouettes of animals appearing in clumps of thrown Holland beach sand. Dolphins, snakes, lizards, and other animals in the Sand Creatures II collection defy gravity and float through the air in Droppert’s photographs. The “Gravity Project”  highlights natural elements set in nature but unencumbered by the force that keeps them grounded.

“The Sand Creatures series focuses on nature in an unexpected way,” Droppert writes on her website, adding that the “explosive and at times powdery scenes of the grainy sand being thrown into the air can be taken as a manifesting life form” as images of silkworms, cobras, and dogs appear against the backdrop of the horizon and the hazy sky. The photographer has labeled each animal in the series, but the abstract nature of the images gives the viewer some freedom to determine where the boundaries of their anatomies lie.

Prints of Claire Droppert’s photos from this series and others are available to purchase in various sizes from her online shop. To see more of her finished work and a few behind-the-scenes shots, follow her on Instagram.

Design

Neko Cup Creates Adorable Napping Cat Sand Sculptures

If you’re walking along the beach this summer and you see a group of napping cat sand sculptures, there’s a good chance it’s the work of a Neko Cup (neko is the Japanese word for cat). Neko Cup is the latest product from Japanese design brand h-concept. Made from biomass plastic (bamboo and scallop shells) the hollowed out object creates a silhouette of a napping cat.

It can be used on the beach, in your park’s sandbox and, in the winter, with snow. And when it’s not in use, it also functions as ab adorable little sculpture. Designer Yuka Morii says she loves seeing cats sleeping on the sidewalk and she wanted to preserve that warm feeling she gets when she spots one out of the corner of her eye.

If you’re in Japan you can purchase one from the h-concept online shop. They come in white, beige and black and retail for 2,916 yen ($26.95). (Syndicated from Spoon & Tamago)

Art

The Sandy Cliffs and Blue Skies of Martha's Vineyard Abstracted into Paintings by Rachael Cassiani

Massachusetts-based artist Rachael Cassiani finds inspiration in her local beaches, dunes, and cloud-strewn skies to create abstract landscape paintings in various sizes and shapes. With a limited but vibrant color palette, Cassiani strips each scene down to its essential elements. Different shapes and hues create the illusion of depth and separation between air, land, and sea.

“I choose the structure of the paintings by looking at my scene and seeing where the most dominant hues are,” Rachael Cassiani said in a statement. “I exaggerate the natural colors of the original landscape.” While painting almost exclusively in the Martha’s Vineyard and Vineyard Haven areas of Massachusetts, Cassiani manages to capture her surroundings in a way that is not repetitive or homogeneous. The time of day and changing seasons completely alter the view, as does the artist’s choices regarding positioning and perspective. Swirls and daubs of oil paint add texture to some of the works, but they each feel like a small piece of a larger abstract puzzle.

To see more of Cassiani’s paintings, follow the artist on Instagram.

Art Craft

Embroidered and Beaded Coral Sculptures by Aude Bourgine Honor the ‘Lungs of the Oceans’ in Protective Glass

French visual artist Aude Bourgine’s work is informed by her love of the environment and a sense of guilt for what humanity has done to the natural world. Using textiles, beads, and sequins, the artist creates displays that capture the beauty and fragility of coral for a series called “Poumons des océans,” which translates to “Lungs of the Oceans.”

Bourgine’s sculptures mimic the unique shapes, intricate textures, and vivid colors of living coral. Encased in glass bell jars, they are simultaneously isolated as objects of wonder, and also protected from harm caused by the hands of humans. “If we do not rapidly change our relationship with our environment, oceans will be dead by 2050,” the artist said in a statement on her website. “Their disappearance will entail a disastrous imbalance on all ecological, climate and human levels…We must take heed for this universal cause, which concerns each and every one of us.”

Bourgine has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Saint Julien Chapel in Le Petit-Quevilly in northern France from June 7 through 30, 2019. You can see more of Bourgine’s sculptural works of the sea on Instagram. (via The Fiber Studio)

Photography

Dramatic Perspectives Capture Uniquely Juxtaposed Beachgoers in Street Photography by Moises Levy

Mexico City-based photographer and architect Moises Levy captures unique moments of human and animal interaction in his street photography, most often centered around activities at the beach. By shooting at a low angle, Levy captures slackline and tightrope walkers in the frame of someone’s legs, or a horse at just the right pace to make it seems as if a woman has walked directly underneath its snout. All of his images are backlit to create high contrast black and white images that present his figures more as silhouettes than subjects. You can see more of his beach photography on Instagram.

Art

Theo Jansen's New Strandbeest Roams the Beach Like an Undulating Caterpillar

Earlier this summer artist Theo Jansen (previously) revealed UMINAMI, a new addition to his series of wind-powered strandbeests. The kinetic sculpture is much thinner than previous iterations, and is made without hinging joints so it does not need to be lubricated when roving along the sandy shore. The fabricated creature seems to imitate the motion of a crawling caterpillar, producing an undulating movement as it sweeps across the beach. You can watch other strandbeests in motion on Youtube. (via Laughing Squid)