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Art

A 46-Foot-Tall Minotaur Roams the Streets of Toulouse, France in La Machine’s Latest Urban Opera

The French creative company La Machine recently premiered their latest creation, a nearly 50-foot-tall robotic Minotaur, in Toulouse, France. The beast marched through the labyrinthine streets of the city’s old town accompanied by a 42-foot spider for the group’s latest production The Guardian of the Temple. The pair of machines performed an operatic interpretation of the myth of Ariadne, a Cretan princess who helped Theseus overcome the Minotaur, to live music. These impressive kinetic sculptures are La Machine’s latest project from their oeuvre of mechanical bestiary which has operating worldwide since 1999.

Bringing together artists, technicians, and show decorators, this unique group of enthusiasts and experts construct atypical show objects, and movement is the key factor for their awe-inspiring performances and creations. La Machine’s animal-like works turn the cities into dream worlds. “We always work on movement,” La Machine’s head of marketing, Frédette Lampre tells Colossal. “It’s our artistic line and we always use the fine material such as wood, leather, copper, or glass, and never use plastics.”

The mechanical spider was constructed over the course of two years by a team of around 60 people. The mythical Minotaur machine is half electric and half combustion, and moves around the city with the help of 17 operators. Although this technical beast weighs over 10,000 pounds, it still has the capacity to move smoothly and realistically between the city’s large buildings and blast steam out of its large nostrils.

The performance was organized as an introduction of the newly repurposed Toulouse Aerospace district. After presenting their creations and projects throughout Germany, Belgium, Italy, Argentina, Chile, Japan, China, and Canada, their upcoming shows are scheduled for Nantes and Calais in France. You can see a portion of the Toulouse-based performance in the video below and view past productions on La Machine’s website, Instagram, and Youtube.  (via Dioniso Punk)

 

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Astérion a parcouru @toulousefr au pas de charge pour accomplir sa quête #gardiendutemple

A post shared by Compagnie La Machine (@compagnie_la_machine) on Nov 3, 2018 at 5:01pm PDT

Art

Otherworldly Tropical Fruits and Plants From the Imagination of Ceramicist William Kidd

Ceramicist William Kidd has been working for over 25 years using a combination of wheel throwing and hand building to form his imaginative organic specimens. The Florida-based artist shares in a statement on his website that he draws inspiration from the natural world: “my work is not an imitation of any real living thing, but rather life forms that might exist in some other worldly place.” Kidd uses low-fire red earthenware finished with oxide stains, underglazes, and crawl glaze to form sculptural seeds, fruits, and flowers. Spikes and bulges protrude from beneath the surfaces of the brightly colored and richly textured pieces, with stalks and flowers bursting through, indicating a forthcoming metamorphosis. Kidd frequently shows his work at art festivals and fairs, especially in Florida. You can keep up with his show itinerary on his website and Instagram.

Art

Mountain Ranges and Beehive Structures Inspire Amy Genser’s Intricate Rolled Paper Sculptures

“Lunar Spin” (2016), Paper, copper, brass, aluminum and acrylic on canvas, 78 inch diameter, all images via Amy Genser

Connecticut-based Amy Genser (previously) uses rolled paper and acrylic paint to create topographic explorations of rocky and oceanic landscapes. Her sculptures reference natural forms and creatures such as barnacles, the tubular formation of beehives, and the way water travels and flows through Earth’s oceans. The works are also inspired by macro and micro depictions of nature, like cellular processes or a satellite images of a mountainous terrain.

Recently Genser has begun making multi-part pieces that allow her to work more sculpturally. She will present her rolled paper landscapes in the upcoming group exhibition Common Ground opening at Amy Simon Fine Art in Westport, Connecticut on November 3, 2018 and running through December 31, 2018. You can see more of her work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

“Black and White Squares” (2018), Paper and acrylic on masonite, 42 x 42 x 3 inches

“Black and White Squares”,  detail (2018), Paper and acrylic on masonite, 42 x 42 x 3 inches

“Collecting Pebbles” (2017), Paper and acrylic on canvas, 20 x 30 x 4 inches

“Black and White Squares” (2018), Paper and acrylic on masonite, 42 x 42 x 3 inches

“Aquatic Interstellar Dream” (2018), Paper, acrylic, copper on canvas

“Black and White Squares” (2018), Paper and acrylic on masonite, 42 x 42 x 3 inches, all images via Amy Genser

“The Not So Itsy Bitsy Spider” (2017), Paper and acrylic on canvas, 65″ x 35”

Art

Intricate Geometric Patterns Hand-Pressed Into Aluminum Cans

Sculptor Noah Deledda transforms everyday aluminum cans into works of art using nothing but his fingertips. Deledda carefully presses and creases intricate geometric patterns into the surface of plain cylindrical cans using carefully placed pressure from his fingers and the edge of his nails. The artist explains in a statement on his site, “Through sculpture I try to create something unique out of an ordinary object. In this case, a common disposable object. The technique itself also embodies this theme of elevation by implementing the incidental gestures of disposal, the ‘scratch, dent and crease.’ Through artistic principles these actions are re-imagined.” Deledda shares process videos on Instagram and his website, where his sculptural vessels are also available for purchase. (via The Kid Should See This)

Art

Oak Tree Roots Carved into Fantastical Creatures with Long Limbs by Tach Pollard

UK-based artist Tach Pollard transforms gnarled tree roots into fantastical creatures inspired by European folklore. The sleek sculptures have spindly legs and long cloaks, which give them each an air of mystery. Pollard began collecting tree roots when he was a child, but didn’t start carving them until much later in life. He predominantly works with oak tree roots, but has recently begun to work with hawthorn in the last few years.

“Hawthorn is a mystical tree with much folklore attached, such as stories about how Merlin the magician was eternally trapped in a hawthorn tree, explains Pollard. “For me it is a great honor to carve this gnarly wood. I love the whiteness of its color, and the way it splits, cracks, shifts, and moves when burnishing a carved piece.”

Many of his works are inspired by the form of the root itself, which often has quite a skeletal structure, and lends itself well to his creatures’ long limbs. You can see more of Pollard’s carvings on Instagram, or for sale on Etsy.

Art

Human and Animal Skulls Encrusted in Delicate Floral Filigree by Kengo Takahashi

Kengo Takahashi uses ultra-thin aluminum casting to get the precise shape of real flowers for his series titled Flower Funeral. The detailed works combine hundreds of delicate metal flowers that form the shape of skulls, and each have a thickness of just .01 mm. The works also contain life-size aluminum flowers like chrysanthemums across their forehead and branched horns, and sculptural water droplets that rest gently on several of their petals. You can see more of the Japanese artist’s sculptures on his website and Instagram.

Art

Charming Wooden Animal Sculptures Designed with Articulated Torsos and Tails by Jeff Soan

Sculptor and toy maker Jeff Soan transforms discarded furniture, driftwood, industrial pallets, and other reclaimed wood into creatures of the land and sea. Using a self-described technique called “Wobbly Wood,” Soan creates articulation in his sculptures by scoring the wood into multiple sections along their tails and torsos. This allows them to wiggle and gently move side-to-side as they are picked up or stroked. In order to eliminate as much waste as possible, the artist considers future sculptures during the building of each otter, pangolin, or mollusk. He slices shapes that might make sense for the tail of a fish, while considering the beak of a bird, or the leg of an iguana.

Soan studied art and design at Goldsmiths College in London in the 1960s, and later followed up his art training with a course in toy making at the London College of Furniture. You can see more of his sculptures and examples of “Wobbly Wood” works on his website and Instagram. (via Lustik)