books

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Design

Numero: A Beautiful Pop-up Book of Numbers by Marion Bataille

Five years ago graphic artist and illustration Marion Bataille took the pop-up book world by storm with her incredible ABC 3D book. Bataille is back this month with a new book titled Numero, a brief but no less charming visual excursion into numbers. The new pop-up book is available October 15th but you can pre-order it online now. (via Cool Hunting)

Art

The Negative Space of a House Cut Inside a 908-Page Book

Your House is limited edition artist’s book by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson that depicts the negative space formed by his home located outside Copenhagen. Every structural detail of the house from the roof, windows, and even a basement crawlspace are depicted within the thick layer of laser-cut paper. The 908-page books were designed by Michael Heimann and Claudia Baulesch and published by the Library Council of the Museum of Modern Art back in 2006. (via Not Shaking the Grass)

Art

Beautiful LEGO: A Book About the Art of LEGO by Mike Doyle

Doc Edgerton (2010) © Tom Simon

Rearing Stallion (2011) © Tim Goddard

Cube Dudes (2013) © Angus MacLane

New Holland Honeyeater (2011) © Gabriel Thomson

Flower Petal Study (2002) © Katie Walker

There are those of us who regard LEGO bricks as a nostalgic toy from childhood, while others might still occasionally assemble kits as a hobby or perhaps as a way to bond with children. And then there are the select few who have an unwavering obsession with the tiny plastic bricks, who fiddle endlessly to find the perfect block to create sculptural objects so exquisitely designed, that it becomes art.

LEGO artist Mike Doyle (previously here and here) collected some of the most amazing people working with LEGO today in his new book Beautiful LEGO from No Starch Press. The 280 page book is filled with some 400 photos of LEGO creations from over 70 artists, and seems to be the most thorough book on LEGO art ever written. You can take a peek inside over on Mike’s blog, and although it’s not published until October 7th, you can order it now. All photos above reproduced from Beautiful LEGO, with the permission of No Starch Press.

Art History Illustration

Secret Fore-Edge Paintings Revealed in Early 19th Century Books at the University of Iowa

Autumn by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

A few days ago Colleen Theisen who helps with outreach and instruction at the Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa shared an amazing gif she made that demonstrates something called fore-edge painting on the edge of a 1837 book called Autumn by Robert Mudie. Fore-edge painting, which is believed to date back as early as the 1650s, is a way of hiding a painting on the edge of a book so that it can only be seen when the pages are fanned out. There are even books that have double fore-edge paintings, where a different image can be seen by flipping the book over and fanning the pages in the opposite direction.

When I realized the book Theisen shared was only one of a series about the seasons, I got in touch and she agreed to photograph the other three so we could share them with you here. Above are photos of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter which were donated to the University of Iowa by Charlotte Smith. How much fun are these? Keep an eye on the University of Iowa’s special collections Tumblr as they unearth more artifacts from the archives.

Autumn by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Winter by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Winter by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Spring by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Spring by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Summer by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Summer by Robert Mudie / Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa

Update: Because this post is getting so much attention, here are some more amazing fore-edge paintings found on YouTube.

Art Photography

Behind a Little House Project: Dramatic Changes in Landscape Behind a Tiny House

For his Behind a Little House Project Italian photographer Manuel Cosentino found an unsuspecting muse: a tiny nondescript house on an unexceptional hill. He returned to photograph the small building from the exact same location for nearly two years in order to capture the dramatic changes in weather and light that utterly changed the scenery just beyond the horizon. As part of a traveling exhibition the photos are mounted on a wall behind a book containing copies of a photo of the house against a white sky. Viewers are then invited to draw their own interpretation of what appears behind the little house. Via his artist statement:

The first photograph starts the series with a Big-Bang-like explosion and sets everything into motion, the last is a new beginning – it represents that piece of “carte blanche” that we are all given with our lives. By drawing in the book anyone is at the same time breathing life into it, keeping it alive page after page, and is also responsible for his or her contribution within a wider context.

The entire project is currently on view at Klompching Gallery in New York as part of their Annual Summer Show through August 10th. (via reddit)

Art Design Food

The Sandwich Book

Designed by Wrocław-based artist and designer Pawel Piotrowski, the Sandwich Book is exactly what you think it is, an entire book made from pages that look like the common ingredients for a typical sandwich. Aaaaand I’m hungry. (via quipsologies)