Pinar's Blog – April 2012 Archive (64)

With summer fast-approaching and the temperatures continuing to rise, we're all excited to go out more and enjoy some fresh air. Even more so, it seems most significant for children with their break from school to soak in some natural sunlight, instead of having their faces artificially lit by their computer screens. Kids innately love to play and designer Scott Baumann has invented…

Last time we saw Shanghai-based artist Hong Yi, aka Red, she was painting a portrait of Asian pop star Jay Chou with rings of coffee stains. The artist known for her unconventional painting materials and methods is back with a portrait of famous Chinese film director…

A stay in a hotel should be a relaxing and exhilarating experience that offers something different from everyday life. What better way to experience a city with skyscraping towers than to live in between them? Architecture firm HKS Architects has come up with an innovative and futuristic design for hotel pods that float high above, in between buildings.

The spherical chambers in this…

At My Modern Met, we have formed a community of art enthusiasts that unite over our affinity for creativity. There's a great feeling that comes with reading about your interests and finding a set of like-minded people that share your enthusiasm. Sports fans know this feeling of camaraderie all too well as they chant and cheer in unison at exciting sports…

Maps, encyclopedias, phone books, and old computer manuals are more than just obsolete sources of information for fine art photographer Cara Barer. The outdated publications serve as materials and subjects for the Houston-based artist's ongoing series of works. Barer molds old books that are no longer of any use into exciting hoops and patterns, turning them into abstract…

If you're a bibliophile who marveled at the magnificent theater-turned-bookstore in Argentina, you'll get a kick out of the car-turned-library that can also be found in the attractive South American country. Artist Raul Lemesoff took an old 1979 Ford…

Are you brave enough to try Burger King's new hot sauce? How about taking a taste off this billboard in Turkey? International advertising agency Young & Rubicam's Istanbul branch unveiled its latest ad campaign called Hot Sauce for Burger King on the streets of Istanbul. While commercials in the States are running rampant with celebrities and even…

Generally, when we think of wishbones, we think of the prospect of good fortune. Wishbones symbolize an indicator of good luck. The popular custom of two people playing a gentle tug of war to break a wishbone ends in one person holding the larger piece, granting them a wish. It's a quick and jovial game that somehow makes us forget that we're playing superstitiously with the bones of a bird. Similar…

Furniture designer Silas Kopf's unusual two-door cabinet known as Bricolage presents a self-portrait of the artist enclosing himself in masonry. The storage unit features invisible hinges to refrain from exposing a gap or bump in the brickwork and boasts adjustable interior shelves. The design seems simple enough in its chimney-like layout, but such is the work of an experienced…

Tree houses are a thing of the past, so where do kids today go for playtime? One lucky 9-year-old steps through her wardrobe, straight into Narnia — no lion or witch necessary. Redditor kelseypolo shares a few pictures and the story of her friends who were building their new new house when…

Rome-based architects David Vecchi and Emanuela Ortolani are proposing a new design for a New York City theater. The idea behind this project is to reignite the theatrical spirit that "Broadway" encapsulates. The inventive design places the playhouse high above on a sort of stage, ironically. The concept design present the structure with its own spotlights, appearing like a tiny…

Dutch astronaut André Kuipers, who is currently on a expedition on the International Space Station, shares his incredible photography from space. More than just landscape photography, Kuipers lends the rest of us still on our home planet his incredible perspective from 400 kilometers above Earth.

The unbelievable imagery he captures with his Nikon D3S and D2Xs is awe-inspiring. The…

Photographer Kanoa Zimmerman is a world traveler who takes us with him on his exotic adventures. In his latest series titled Free Dive, we get a glimpse of the stunning and vast underwater universe that surrounds a distant set of islands in Northeast Fiji. Unlike other photographers who submerge into the depths of the world's deepest oceans to capture a splurge of color,…

In an effort to encourage heavy smokers to quit their self-inflicting addiction, Netherlands-based organization Stivoro has released three anti-smoking ads that each reflect on the things you could be spending your money on instead of a pack of smokes. In Amsterdam, the What Are You Giving Up? ad campaign created by international marketing and advertising agency Iris…

In Greek mythology, Aeolus is a god who is recognized as the "Keeper of the Winds." While this sculptural work, also called Aeolus, isn't a ruler of air currents, it certainly functions in cooperation with it, producing beautiful windswept harmonies. UK-based artist Luke Jerram…

Google has its sights set on a new way of experiencing and interacting with the world. The multifaceted enterprise that has already dipped its feet into social networking, web browsing, and mobile technology has a new undertaking called Project Glass. In its simplest form, the project presents a futuristic fashion statement, but it ultimately represents a lifestyle change for society. The…

Fine art photographer Sharon Johnstone transports us to a world where dew drops look like massive orbs of water laying atop towering, yet slender, dandelion petals. Miraculously enough, this realm is our planet through the UK-based photographer's macro lens. It is absolutely breathtaking the way the transparent spheres of liquid balance on wisps of flowers and feathers, not…

Artist Jim Warren's surreal paintings for his ongoing series titled Ripping portrays children and disembodied adult hands ripping through the canvas into a whole new world of artistic imagination. The figures rupture the surface to reach over to a far more enticing land filled with our child-like fantasies. The torn canvas appears to be a symbol of creative release. Each frame the…

Best known for his cement sculptures of sad figures, street artist Isaac Cordal is back with a new series that touches on the global topic of climate change in his work entitled Waiting for Climate Change. Being no stranger to tackling…

Wouldn't it be great to be able to travel without the hassle of packing your luggage and going through airport customs? Switzerland-based designer Timon Sager has an innovative idea for solving those pesky traveling pet peeves — build a flying house! While Sager's project known as Wolke 7 is still a concept design, it is an ideal notion that seems very plausible in the not-too-distant future.…