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Art

An Artistic Endeavor in Brussels Installs Custom Mosaics Outside Your Home—People Are Choosing Portraits of Their Cats

Cats, dogs, and other mammals are known to mark their territories in myriad ways, but pet owners in Brussels have discovered a more enduring and inviting method. What began as a single project by artist Ingrid Schreyers spurred a municipality-wide initiative: the government of Schaerbeek, a suburb bordering the city of Brussels, now installs any mosaic, either created by residents or a local artist like Whitney Orville, free of charge. Many people are choosing portraits of their furry companions, although the idiosyncratic designs range from playful depictions of wildlife to urban scenes.

We’ve gathered some of the street-side assemblages here, but check out this Instagram account documenting the public art initiative for hundreds more. You also might enjoy these Japanese manhole covers and a similar mosaic-centered initiative to fill potholes.

 

Photography

An Aerial Timelapse Captures One Million Begonias as They’re Woven Into an Ephemeral Tapestry

Every other August, dozens of volunteers gather near the Grand Place in Brussels to compose a 19,000-square-foot, floral rug that blankets the central square. The massive installation is woven with one million begonias—a hearty flower that Belgium is the largest producer of worldwide—that last just four days before wilting.

Although the 2020 edition of the “Flower Carpet” event has been postponed, Berlin-based Joerg Daiber, of Spoon Film, captured the 2018 iteration in a short timelapse that shows how the vibrant tapestry is fabricated. Daiber adds a bit of whimsy to his film, though, with a tilt-shift effect, which makes all the volunteers, spectators, and surrounding architecture appear as miniatures. “The film was shot from three buildings around the Grand Place in Brussels, but most of the shots were taken from the 90-meter-high tower of the Brussels Town Hall,” the filmmaker told PetaPixel.

If you’re hoping to satisfy more of your wanderlust, check out Daiber’s similarly tiny dives into Montenegro, Burma, and Mallorca, among dozens of other locales, on YouTube.

 

Art

Florist Geoffroy Mottart Installs Guerilla Flower Crowns and Beards atop Public Monuments in Brussels

Over the last year, florist Geoffroy Mottart has constructed elaborate plant arrangements in the form of flower crowns and beards that he installs on public monuments around Brussels. The temporary urban interventions titled Fleurissements last only for a day or so before being removed, but it gives the artist enough time to take a few photos which he shares on Instagram. While some statues are only targeted once, others are simply too tantalizing to resist; Mottart has returned to a bust of Leopold II of Belgium time and time again with fashionable new floral designs. (via Lustik)

Art Design

Atom-Lapse: A Timelapse of André Waterkeyn’s Iconic Atomium Building

Designed by engineer André Waterkeyn for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium, Atomium is a 102m (335 ft) tall model of a unit cell of an iron crystal (each sphere representing an atom) enlarged 165 billion times. Filmmaker Richard Bently was allowed access to shoot this great exterior and interior timelapse of the building which is comprised of 27 sequences filmed over five nights and two days. (via Vimeo)