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Art Illustration

Fantastical Swirls of Strange Hybrid Creatures Fill Vorja Sánchez’s New Illustrations

Spanish illustrator Vorja Sánchez (previously) continues to plumb his imagination to create wildly original drawings and paintings. Constellations of real and invented wildlife, plants, and mysterious critters that seem to be a combination of the two, coexist in the artist’s colorful multi-media illustrations. Sánchez shares his work on Instagram and Facebook, where he also provides details on works for sale and updates on collaborative projects and murals.

Amazing Photography

Unique Weathering Pattern Creates Fascinating Geometric Ripples on a Chain Link Fence

Over the past few years, Twitter user @Ben_On_The_Moon has photographed his chain link fence due to a mysterious weathering pattern that has caused groups of concentric rings to appear on the upper side of the fence’s segments. His macro photographs emphasize the intriguing apparitions, which appear like miniature crop circles on the metal bars. Despite his research, he has not discovered the specific cause of the pattern. You can see more of @Ben_On_The_Moon’s documentation of the curious phenomena on Twitter. (via Kottke)

Art

Hand-Dyed Crocheted Thread Carefully Covers Eggs, Seeds, and Tree Trunks

Esther Traugot connects to the natural world by collecting and covering seed pods, eggs, severed tree trunks, and other natural objects in tightly-wrapped textile “skins.” She uses hand-dyed gold threads to crochet around these objects in order to temporarily mend what has previously been broken or abandoned. Through her work Traugot straddles the line of nurture and control, investigating her dual role as a member and observer of the natural landscape.

“The meticulous act of crocheting mimics the instinct to nurture and protect what is viable, what is becoming precious,” she explains in an artist statement. “As in gilding, these false ‘skins’ imbue the objects with an assumed desirability or value; the wrapping becomes an act of veneration. Although futile in its attempt at archiving and preservation, it suggests optimism.”

Traugot is interested in “contemporary naturalism,” or artwork that cares for the environment in our current global ecological state, and also views her work in conversation with Land and Environmental Art and Feminism. She received her BFA from the University of California Berkeley in 2005 and her MFA from Mills College in 2009. Traugot is represented by Chandra Cerrito Contemporary Gallery in Oakland, California, and currently lives and works in Sebastopol, CA. You can view more of her gold threaded objects on her website.

Photography Science

A New Aerial Video Captures Staggering Flows of Lava Heading Toward the Pacific in Hawaii

Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano has been erupting since May 3rd, and currently shows no signs of slowing down. The powerful flow of lava is emerging from fissures below the Big Island, pouring over homes, roads, and forests as it rushes downhill towards the sea. The true scope of the eruption is revealed in this aerial footage shot by videographer Mick Kalber. In the video one can hear the roaring of the lava against the helicopter’s whirring blades, creating an ominous soundtrack to the fiery liquid pooling on the ground below.

Kalber has filmed nearly three decades of volcanic eruptions during his time on the island. You can view several more of his videos, including updates on Kilauea’s latest eruption, on his website and Vimeo channel.

Art

Waterline: Pejac Unveils New Drawings to Be Exhibited in a Floating Gallery on Paris’ Seine River

Continuously secretive and unexpected when it comes to revealing his projects, Pejac (previously) once again surprised the art world by announcing an upcoming self-produced pop-up solo exhibition in Paris. Roughly a year since his last showing at an old gondola workshop on the canals of Venice, and a month since his surprise visit to NYC, the Spanish artist just announced this new show titled Waterline.

To exhibit this selection of new work, Pejac found an old péniche boat that will be transformed into an unconventional floating art gallery from June 20-24th, 2018. Moored right next to Notre-Dame cathedral, this vintage vessel will host his most intimate show to date, presenting a large series of accomplished studio drawings. Works on paper are a crucial part of Pejac’s creative process and are usually the first step toward large public interventions or canvases, but are truly artworks in their own right.

“What people get to see on paper, on canvas, on a wall, or as a finished sculpture, is the end of a very long trip that starts inside of you.  When I start painting or drawing, that is the end, not the beginning of the process. Before that happens, I have already tried so many different ideas and made so many choices.” —Pejac for Spring issue of Juxtapoz Magazine

By showcasing previously unseen works, Waterline will grant the most direct look at the unmediated stage of the artist’s practice. Created mostly with charcoal or pencil on paper, these images are the early stages of concepts we’ve already seen turn into large pieces, or might still evolve into their final versions. Poetic and despairing, these striking pictures propose an unconventional future focused on the ways in which humans treat resources and the environment, as well as current socio-political issues and “modern society” values. You can see more of Pejac’s recent work on Instagram.

Dance Science

Spectacular Fans of Feathers Define the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Courtship Ritual

This short video from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology documents the spectacular plumage and mating dance of the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise. In order to catch the attention of its female counterpart, the male Bird-of-Paradise flips its cape of black feathers into a large ruff that surrounds its head, while also fanning out an iridescent azure blue skirt of feathers from its breast. In a paper published by Timothy G. Laman and Edwin Scholes, this Indonesian bird was recently confirmed as a separate species based on its courtship behavior. You can learn more about the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise in another video from Cornell and watch more videos about all things avian on the Lab’s YouTube channel. (via The Kid Should See This)

Craft

Shimmering Metallic Embroideries of Dragonflies and Other Insects by Humayrah Bint Altaf

Bedford, England-based embroidery artist Humayrah Bint Altaf (previously) continues to construct ornate insects using shimmering threads and metallic beads. Her dragonflies, bees, beetles, and butterflies take shape using carefully paired patterns and colors that form wings, bodies, and even delicate feet. While Altaf takes artistic license with the exact shapes and colors in her embroideries, her use of bright, reflective materials adds a sense of life to these insect interpretations. The artist shares with Colossal:

I strive to create pieces that speak figuratively and literally of the colors and textures of trees, plants, beetles, bees, roots, twigs and other creatures that frequent my world. Light is an integral element of my handwork hence the materials I use reflect this. Soft gold leathers, vintage silks, antique gold cords, iridescent metal wires all call out to me and are woven into my pieces.

Altaf was recently recognized by The Worshipful Company of Girdlers for her contributions to Embroidery. She shares her work on Instagram and also sells her embroideries on Etsy.