My Modern Met

Solitary figures wander through vast, dreamlike worlds in artist Kasia Derwinska's striking images. Derwinska, who is currently based in Spain, combines photography and digital manipulation to create surreal works of art that seem to act as metaphors for life, expressing themes like loneliness, isolation, separation, reflection, and joy.

Dramatic, monochromatic images depict the subjects as distant, tiny silhouettes in the middle of empty landscapes that seem to unfold forever. Whether the figures are overlooking a plain of clouds from the peak of a mountain, stranded in the middle of a sea of roaring waves, or bidding farewell to a companion who's chosen a different road, each person seems to embody an air of pensiveness as they contemplate their paths in…

Brooklyn-based, Australian multimedia artist Sophie Kahn creates fragmented female bodies and faces by merging a classic sculpting approach with new and modern technology. She uses 3D laser scanning and printing combined with ancient bronze casting techniques to produce these lively formations that suggest the wear and tear that might occur across decades, yet many of the pieces have existed for only a few short years.

Each piece is a life-sized 3D print made out of metal, clay, or bronze, and some of which are set atop an aluminum base. Through her work, Kahn explores the idea that modern technology cannot accurately capture and portray life. The deconstructed figures are a result of 3D scanner that can only replicate traces of the body in lifeless, colorless form.

When speaking about her work, Kahn explains, "[The sculptures] speak to the…

England-based photographer Sian Davey's photo series Finding Alice is a touching illustration of family life featuring her daughter Alice, who was born with Down syndrome. Through beautifully candid snapshots of Alice's daily life, Davey shows that, despite developing physically and mentally in a unique way, her daughter is no different from any other human being. She plays with her siblings, displays a curiosity and thirst for life, and loves her family the same as any other child would—and in return, she is cherished just as tenderly by the friends and family who surround her every day.

"I was deeply shocked when Alice was born as an 'imperfect' baby," Davey confesses on her website. "It was not what I had expected. . . I was fraught with anxiety that rippled through to every aspect of my…

Seascapes is an extensive study of the ocean as the tides move in and out and waves crash against the shore. Created by Helsinki-based photographer Antti Viitala, every composition follows the same structure where overcast skies and deep blue water blend together at a straight horizon line, which cuts directly across the center.

This series of twelve images feature autumn storms as they hit Camps Bay beach near Cape Town, South Africa. Viitala uses long exposures to capture the motion and rich textures of water and sand as they collide together in the meditative scenes. Although there are many similarities throughout the series, not one photograph is alike. Through the work, the artist invites the viewer to reflect upon the forces of nature and to connect with the calming beauty in the landscapes.

According to his bio, Viitala's "approach to his work pays homage to the…

Vietnamese-based architects a21studio have put a new twist on the meaning of a tent. They created an airy, gabled hideaway and spa that sits above a hot spring and mineral resort near Nha Trang City. Appropriately called The Tent, the structure partially encloses the hot spring at the top of a rock hill and allows guests a chance to relax in private while also keeping cool in the tropical climate.

The beautiful spring provides an idyllic escape, but one drawback is the intense heat that comes from the West; this limits the time of year that people can enjoy its offerings. To offset this, the architects built a steep thatched roof that blocks direct sunlight as well as angles off any rain. The covering also doubles as a structural wall and is carefully positioned as to not disrupt any views of the passing river or lush outdoors below. Its wooden beams and panels are protected with a…

Designer Alessandro Isola takes a rug and a coffee table, two things that we often see separately in a room, and combines them into a single object. His project is called Stumble Upon, and it was inspired by the annoyance of tripping over the wrinkles in carpet. The hybrid piece of furniture appears as a long-fiber rug that has one corner overturned to reveal a smooth, shiny surface underneath. While you can comfortably walk on it, you can also use it as a way to display favorite nicknacks or magazines.

Isola wanted a sharp contrast between the top and bottom of Stumble Upon. The fiber area gives the sense that it’s been handmade, imperfections and all, while the underlying material is very polished. This comes as a surprise to us, as the back of a rug usually isn’t attractive and on display. Here, it’s stunning. Isola uses our expectation of furniture to his…

As we have seen in the past, Warsaw-based artist NeSpoon covers gritty urban spots with intricate lace patterns that generate a touch of elegance in unexpected places. The artist uses traditional, ornamental lace as the foundation for her street art that takes the form of both spray painted murals as well as hand-cut stencils strung up like spider webs.

The Polish artist creates direct interactions between the decorative designs and the surrounding space like walls, sidewalks, and lamp posts. Across the years, her public art has covered abandoned houses, parking meters, utility boxes, doorways, and street signs in various cities throughout the world as a way to beautify urban spaces.

The artist refers to her art as "public jewelry," explaining: "Jewelry makes people look…

Food stylist Anna Keville Joyce and photographer Agustín Nieto make a great team when it comes to creative food photography. Known for their delicately intricate food stylings, including A Tribute to Budgie, the pair recently worked together to develop this series of landscape food art that depicts four different capital cities throughout Eastern Europe: Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, and Warsaw.

Illustrating Eastern Europe was commissioned by blogger Derya Ozyuvali, aka FoodieBackpacker, to promote some of his cooking workshops as he travels around the world. Joyce used fresh ingredients like dry rice and pasta, kernels of corn, raw sugar, eggs, fruits, and all…

Montreal-based studio Moment Factory has transformed Quebec's Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook into Foresta Lumina, an illuminated nocturnal trail through the enchanted forest. After nightfall from now until mid-October, visitors to the park are invited to take a magical stroll through the woods on an immersive, storybook-like adventure.

Winding through the trees for 2 kilometers, the path takes visitors on a journey through gorgeous and mysterious landscapes, including groves of trees twinkling with fairy lights, craggy rocks illuminated to show shadowy figures, rows of glowing lanterns floating overhead, and a bright portal at the end of the longest suspension bridge in North America. Accompanied by an ethereal soundtrack and appearances from legendary characters inspired by local folklore, the bewitching trail becomes an extraordinary, multi-sensory experience for…

Creative directors Peter Sedlacik and Zuzu Galova put a unique spin on vacation photos with their fun project Lens Between Us, which consists of snapshots of the couple's travels that they capture while facing each other. The series takes us around the world as the duo photograph each other from different viewpoints at the same time, taking us behind the lens of each photographer while closing the distance between them.

The pair's playful diptychs offer an intriguing look at different sights around the world, providing two unique perspectives at each location. Through the eyes of Sedlacik and Galova, the viewer can explore museums, beaches, gardens, shops, and other tourist attractions in countries like Singapore, Portugal, Germany, and Australia. The project also speaks to the affection between the globetrotting couple, as the photos show that…

The Turkish company Pugedon has recently introduced a vending machine that’s an innovative way to help both the environment and our furry friends. It releases food for the city’s stray dogs and cats every time a plastic bottle is deposited, and it allows people to empty their water bottles for the animals as well.

This wonderful service operates at no charge to the city because the recycled plastic pays for the cost of food. So, with a little financial investment, the simple machines do a lot of good. They provide a steady source of sustenance to the animals, many of which rely on caring residents to regularly feed them. It also encourages people to make a habit of recycling and help conserve our environment for future generations.…

The Belfast Zoo recently announced that Kamili and Gugas, a western lowland gorilla couple, welcomed a baby girl in March of this year. Zoo staff named their new addition “Kibibi” which is Swahili for “little lady.” It wasn’t until many weeks after the baby was born that they actually knew its sex. Newborn gorillas cling to their very protective mother’s stomachs and make it impossible for any human to find out.

Julie Mansell, a curator for the zoo, explained why the baby was such a welcome surprise. “Kibibi is the second arrival within the last year for dad, Gugas, and she is the first girl! In 2012, with no sign of pregnancies, we tested Gugas’ fertility and the results were not promising. In fact, we feared that Gugas would never father any young. We are delighted that he has proven us all wrong with the arrival of Kibibi and Baako in the last year.”

Mansell also states…

You could spend hours gazing at these mesmerizing optical illusions by Akiyoshi Kitaoka, a professor of Psychology at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. With his knowledge of visual perception, visual illusion, optical illusion, trompe l'oeil, 3D perspective, and more, Kitaoka creates psychedelic still images give the impression of being in motion.

Kitaoka's most popular optical illusion is Rotating snakes, which can be seen above. In the image, circular snakes appear to rotate endlessly, producing an entrancing mass of slowly spinning shapes. This effect is echoed in Kitaoka's other mind-blowing images, in which geometric patterns seem to roll, ripple, or turn inexhaustibly.

Be careful not to get too lost in these optical illusions, however! As a note of caution, some of these pictures may cause dizziness if the brain can't handle the conflicting…

Wine, or maybe not? is a playful, minimalist wine bottle design project that will bring a smile to your face. Inspired by the style of famous Dutch painter Pieter Mondrian, the collaborative project was developed by Russian artist Constantin Bolimond and Dmitry Patsukevich in 1987, the same year The Simpsons first aired on The Tracey Ullman Show. And, the contents of the bottle have remained a mystery ever since.

Bold blocks of color perfectly align to suggest the outfits of Marge and Homer Simpson through color and form. But the rest of the project is a bit of a mystery. Exactly what is inside the bottles remains unclear. The artists explain: "May be it is wine, may be not. We are inviting you to find out yourselves." The description on the back of the bottle goes on to state, "While the…

As any pet owner knows, animals come into our lives and can quickly become a part of our family. Photographer Sam Edmonds captured this sentiment in his series Robindra Boys, which centers on a community of young street children living in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They were separated or orphaned from their parents and have forged a close-knit family with their adopted dogs, living in a park called Robindra Shorbod. There, the boys sell recyclable plastic containers for food which they lovingly share with their furry friends named Tiger, Romeo, Bullet, Kula, Moti, Michael, Tom, Jax, Lalu, and Bagha.

For each of these portraits, Edmonds instructed the boys not to pose; they entered the frame with their dog and the shutter was released. What results are candid depictions of companionship between species. The tender images showcase the pairs leaning on each other and many of the boys…

Digital Etheral is a multi-media project in which designer Luis Hernan explores human interactions with electromagnetic signals like WiFi, and attempts to create a visible representation of this wireless technology that surrounds us every day.

As part of the project, the artist developed The Kirlian Device mobile, an app that translates WiFi signals into a five-color heatmap scheme where red means stronger signals and blue means weaker signals. Using that app, he created this vibrantly stunning series of performance art, entitled Spirit Photographs. To capture each mesmerizing photo, Hernan asked subjects to wave a cell phone throughout the air as the colors from the app changed on the face of the phone. He relied on long exposures to document…

Rebecca Yanovskaya is an illustrator living and working in Toronto, Canada. Her fantastical imagery grabs your attention with its detailed rendering and gold accents. The works feature women who are adorned with large feathered wings, elaborate headdresses, and elegant robes. It’s no surprise that Yanovskaya is inspired by mythological stories, natural forces, and the beauty of the human figure, as all of these elements seem to be present in her work.

The illustrator says that her drawings began in small sketchbooks but became larger and more ambitious in scale. This included her adding stunning gold leaf to the illustrations, which contrasts beautifully with the ubiquitous ballpoint pen. In Yanovskaya’s most recent Winged series, she layers delicate shading and lines on Moleskine paper. The results are dramatic works that are…

Tokyo-born graphic design student and photographer Yutha Yamanaka produces stunningly surreal self-portraits that explore a strange and mysterious world. Like many other talented, young creatives, the Bali resident has embarked on a 365 Days Project, for which he'll post an image a day for a whole year. Now nearly one-third of the way through this ambitious venture, Yamanaka's photos have only gotten better and better, as he consistently delivers one incredible image after another.

Most of Yamanaka's shots feature himself immersed in the lush, tropical landscape of Indonesia. Faceless figures collapse on the beach, float in mid-air, and crawl through the thick vegetation of the woods. In several images, the subject appears tormented by ominous signs, whether they're black crows, stormy rainclouds, smoldering flames, or searching hands. Combined with the muted tones and…

Imagine a tree that produces not just one type of fruit, but a whole variety of them! Artist and Syracuse University art professor Sam Van Aken has brought that vision to life with the Tree of 40 Fruit, an ongoing series of hybridized fruit trees that grow over 40 types of stone fruit, including cherries, plums, peaces, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. Van Aken, who was raised on a farm, bought a New York orchard that was about to be shut down, saving many rare varieties of fruit in the process. Over the next few years, the artist began his experiment and eventually successfully created the Tree of 40 Fruit.

Van Aken sculpts the tree through the process of grafting—he takes a sliver off a fruit tree that includes the bud, and then inserts that into an incision in the working tree. Taped into place, the branch heals and is pruned back to encourage it to grow as…

Turkish graphic designer and electrical engineer Tolga Girgin takes the art of calligraphy one step further by transforming gorgeously scripted letters into three dimensional form. At first glance, his words appear as though they have been sliced out of colorful paper and then lifted up off of the page. In reality, though, each work is a hand-drawn optical illusion.

Relying on perspective and shadows, Girgin uses a Pilot ParallelPen and pencil to draw the forms in vibrant colors that pop out against the white backgrounds. He features simple words that describe his process, including "form," "lettering, and "broken," as well as his own name "Tolga."

Girgin's strong technical skills result in curling words that have an amazing depth of field. Some of the letters seem to actually weave in and out of the page and viewers might feel the urge to reach out and touch what appear to be…