An Accessible Treetop Walkway Gracefully Winds Through Norway’s Hamaren Activity Park

Photos by Rasmus Hjortshøj, © EFFEKT

With steep ascents, rocky passes, and branches jutting from the ground, walking and hiking trails are not always usable by disabled people or those with strollers. The Danish architecture firm EFFEKT designed its latest project with this barrier in mind and constructed a winding path with a gradual incline that expands access to the striking treetop views of Norway’s Fyresdal region.

Located at Hamaren Activity Park, the pine walkway slowly scales 15 meters through the lakeside forest before reaching a circular outlook. The construction, built in collaboration with local contractor Inge Aamlid, spans about two meters wide and one kilometer long as it guides visitors along the ascent of the lush Klokkarhamaren hill, which reaches 338 meters at its peak. As the walkway rises, the structural pillars more directly evoke the tall, sturdy trees of the forest, nodding to the surrounding environment and the region’s tradition of pine logging.

Find more of EFFEKT’s projects on its site and Instagram. (via Dezeen)

 

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Kazuhito Kawai’s Exuberant Ceramic Sculptures Evoke Dollops of Ice Cream and Summertime Nostalgia

“Chungking Express” (2023). All images © Kazuhito Kawai, shared with permission

Coated in countless colored glazes, Kazuhito Kawai’s ceramic sculptures glop and ooze like vibrant, melting mounds of ice cream or sherbet. The vessel, one of the most essential forms in ceramics, provides a starting point for the Ibaraki, Japan-based artist. While he playfully hints at functionality, each piece seems to have a life of its own, sprouting delicate curls redolent of icing and details like drinking straws or umbrellas.

“There are about three to four types of blended clay and four to five different types of glazes, each with countless color variations,” Kawai tells Colossal. He emphasizes raucous colors and a smorgasbord of textures, and a piece can take between three and four months to complete.

After the weeks-long process of molding and layering, firing a sculpture in the kiln becomes a symbolic transformation that Kawai likens to a change in himself. Drawn to clay for its inherent malleability and the physical interaction required between maker and material, he shares that through these works “there is a sense of my inner self being brought out.” As he builds up the surfaces with layers of glaze, the pieces become akin to portraits of his emotions, mixing nostalgia, youthful joy, and hope.

Find more on Kawai’s website and Instagram.

 

“Can you keep a secret?” (2022)

Detail of “Can you keep a secret?”

“IDC” (2023)

Detail of “IDC”

“Aliens” (2021)

“Kasama-Yaki” (2021)

“Moment Scale” (2022)

“SEPHORA” (2022)

“Mikyuki Takayasu” (2021)

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Through Metaphorical Illustrations, Owen Gent Unveils Difficult Psychological Experiences

All images © Owen Gent, shared with permission

For Owen Gent, texture and shadow are essential narrative tools. The Bristol-based artist fosters a robust personal practice and works with commercial clients, authors, and various publications to create moody illustrations rich with metaphor. In one work evoking the emotional toll of cancer, trauma, and depression, a figurative silhouette draws back a woman’s hair to survey the surroundings while still protected by the strands. An unsettling piece takes a similarly introspective and psychological approach as black crows circle a subject, one on fire and another grasping at the person’s eye.

Gent tells Colossal that his works begin with analog techniques like painting, and digital manipulation comes later. “It’s a constant push and pull between the two, and I try and be conscious of not losing too much of the original piece when editing,” he says.

Prints are available in Gent’s shop, and his illustrated children’s book That’s Nice, Love is out now. Find more of his work on Behance and Instagram.

 

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Cut a Rug in These Socks Designed Like an Iconic Green Cutting Mat

Image © Nikolas Bentel

This new pair of socks from designer Nikolas Bentel (previously) helps guide you down angular paths, through difficult dance moves, and sets you straight as you navigate the chaos of modern life. Evoking the green cutting mat beloved by artists and makers, the playful stockings feature a signature white grid and measurement markings. Pick up a pair from Present & Correct or Bentel’s shop, which includes other gems like the Extra Time Timer and a puzzle with early aughts nostalgia.

 

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A Veritable Aviary of Birds and Pollinators by The Paper Ark Are Small Enough to Perch on the Tip of a Finger

Peahen. All images © Nayan Shrimali and Venus Bird, shared with permission

Nayan Shrimali and Venus Bird, of The Paper Ark, approach conservation and environmental activism on a tiny scale. The artists (previously) create miniature renditions of flora and fauna that harness the textured, buildable potentials of paper to showcase the beauty and singularity of threatened and endangered species.

After cutting and layering tiny bits of the material, Shrimali and Bird add details with watercolor, whether on the striped quills of a crested porcupine or the regal crown of the peahen. While largely true to life in anatomy and color, most of the portraits are small enough to fit on the tip of a finger.

Shrimali shares that The Paper Ark has started to create hand-cranked wildlife automata, which you find along with an extensive archive of creatures on Instagram. Shop prints and available originals on Etsy.

 

Albino ruby-throated hummingbird

Crested porcupine

Endangered pollinators

Madagascan sphinx moth

Glorius scarab beetle

Cape sugarbird

Great egrets

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A New Camera Lucida Redesigns a Centuries-Old Artist’s Secret that Lets Users Draw What They See

Ten years after Pablo Garcia released the NeoLucida, a modern iteration of a centuries-old drawing tool, the Chicago-based artist and designer has a new model. The NeoLucida Plus works similarly to the original tabletop device: simply peer into the small eyepiece, and see a shadow image superimposed onto the surface below.

Camera lucidas emerged in the early 19th century, and today, most vintage models come with large price tags. To use the device, artists look through a small prism of glass or mirror tilted at 45 degrees, which creates an inverted reflection of the scene directly in front of them. Rather than relying on freehand sketching, the aid allowed users to trace an image and easily create accurate and proportionate drawings.

Garcia’s new model includes a redesigned prism that produces a brighter image, with an optional shade lens and aperture control to adjust the light. The NeoLucida Plus is currently funding on Kickstarter, and rewards are going quickly.

 

All images © Pablo Garcia, shared with permission

 

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A New Video Reveals How a Traditional Japanese Noh Mask Emerges from a Block of Cypress

Noh is the earliest theatrical art form in Japan and is still performed today. Developed in the 14th century, it often focuses on tales in which a supernatural being has transformed into a human and is narrated from the hero’s perspective. A core facet of the costumes is highly stylized Noh masks, which represent characters like deities, ghosts, and other figures, subtly emphasizing expression and emotion as their wearers turn in the light. A short documentary by Process X explores how the craft of carving the props by hand is kept alive by artisans like Mitsue Nakamura.

Starting with a block of Japanese cypress, Nakamura chisels the round face, eyes, nose, and teeth. Coated with a lacquer traditionally derived from crushed seashells mixed with glue, the form is then dried before being pierced on each side with a hot awl to tie strings through. The artist mixes pigments by hand to add color to the features, including blackening the teeth in a practice known as ohaguro, a fashion that was popular in Japan during the Heian period.

For some families and institutions, Noh carries a timeless and important legacy, and many historically significant and valuable masks, such as those made by the 15th-century Konparu school, are preserved in collections. “The term ‘face like a Noh mask’ is often used as a metaphor for expressionlessness, but the major characteristic of the world of Noh is that it expresses human feelings and inner thoughts rather than storytelling,” says Nakamura in a statement. “The better the mask is, the more the expression changes with a slight difference in angle.”

Process X frequently goes behind the scenes with makers and artisans, including in this video documenting the making of artistic manhole covers in Japan. (via Kottke)

 

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