Sangmin Oh Illuminates Otherworldly Textiles in His Sculptural ‘Knitted Light’ Series

All images © Sangrim Oh, shared with permission

Supple textures meet bold hues in Sangmin Oh’s elegant Knitted Light series. Drawn to relationships between sculptural forms, textile techniques, and architectural elements, the Netherlands and Korea-based artist developed a collection of soft lamps designed to suspend from the ceiling or sit on chunky, rough-hewn pedestals.

Oh founded Osangmin Studio in 2021, which “focuses on observing trivial and small empty spaces” like the corners of rooms or nondescript alcoves that can be elevated with the addition of color, shape, and illumination. The Knitted Light series takes inspiration from the diversity of sea life and coral, evoking scaled tendrils or slim funnels. The fixtures often appear to float in the dark as they transform from standalone objects into glowing, functional installations.

Find more of Oh’s work on Instagram. (via Yellowtrace)

 

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The Glowing, Prismatic Nervous System of a Sea Star Wins the Scientific Image of the Year

Laurent Formery, U.S., the nervous system of a juvenile sea star. All images courtesy of Evident

Science meets psychedelic color in the 2022 Evident Image of the Year awards. From the vibrant, feather-like crystals of a topical medicine to the shimmering scales of a Urania ripheus moth, the winning works unveil a slew of vibrant, microscopic wonders found around the world. This year’s top image comes from molecular biologist Laurent Formery, who documented the spindly, spiky nervous system of a young sea star. Reaching approximately one centimeter wide, the minuscule specimen glows with kaleidoscopic hues under a color-coded Z-projection.

The award, which focuses on scientific imaging and light microscopy, garnered 640 submissions from 38 countries. Find out more about the winning images and see the honorable mentions on Evident. (via PetaPixel)

 

Shyam Rathod, India, the crystal of a topical medicine used to treat warts

Igor Siwanowicz, U.S., depth color-coded projection capturing a morning glory pollen grain as it germinates

Javier Ruperez, Spain, Urania ripheus moth wing scales

Jiao Li, China, edelweiss stamens

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The Adorably Whimsical ‘Deer Train’ Transports Visitors to Japan’s Famed Nara Park

All images courtesy of Marei/@mareiii04, shared with permission

Sacred in the Shinto religion and an officially designated national treasure, the deer in Nara, Japan, are widely known for roaming a public park and bowing for treats—although the animals in recent years have been dubbed the “devious deer” because of their increasingly demanding behavior.

Those traveling to the region to fawn over the uncharacteristically mannered creatures can now ride in an equally adorable coach. Operated by Kintetsu Railways, the Deer Train is decked out with lush, spotted seats, grassy flooring, handles shaped like pudgy animals, and illustrations by Tokyo-based artist Gemi that transform the cars into a whimsical, cervine world.

The specially designed transit started operating in late 2022 and runs between Nara, which is about 45 minutes south of Kyoto via rail, and Sannomiya. (via Spoon & Tamago)

 

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Quirky Collections of Found Objects Preoccupy the Anatomical Sculptures of EMXW’s ‘Heads’

All images © EMXW, shared with permission

If you’ve ever felt like your head is full of cotton—or sea shells or dryer lint—well, you’re not alone. For the better part of a decade, Chicago-based artists Edwige Massart and Xavier Wynn (previously) have been creating sliced sculptural skulls full of everything from yarn and river rocks to crayon tips, shattered car windows, circuit boards, and sleeping pills. The occupied minds are part of the ongoing series Heads, which distills the complexities of relationships into dense, topographical psyches.

Working as EMXW, the duo begins each piece with a mishmash of found objects that together, create a narrative or “topic of conversation.” They each create simultaneously, adding red LEGO for teeth or shaping a jawbone with the broken handle of a cup to render a thematic collection that relates to an imagined dialogue between the two. The resulting works are playful and rich with texture and color as they explore the inner workings of the mind and the unique makeup of our emotional landscapes.

Some of EMXW’s most recent sculptures are on view through the end of the month at Gallery 901 in Evanston, Illinois. Find more of the duo’s work on Instagram.

 

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An 18th-Century Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Honors the Groundbreaking Artist Elizabeth Blackwell

Quince. All images courtesy of Abbeville Press, shared with permission

Slices of quince revealing tiny seed pockets, serrated dandelion leaves cradling spindly stems, and juicy elderberries growing in dense clusters are a few of the specimens that intrigued Elizabeth Blackwell (1699–c. 1758). An always passionate artist living during a time that saw a burgeoning interest in the natural world, Blackwell illustrated a thick, detailed compendium of approximately 500 plants and their properties to aid doctors and medical professionals in treatment.

Titled A Curious Herbal: Elizabeth Blackwell’s Pioneering Masterpiece of Botanical Art, the book today is hailed for both its exquisitely detailed renderings and the fact that it’s the first of its kind created by a woman. Abbeville Press released the first modern edition earlier this year, finally granting Blackwell long-deserved recognition and offering today’s readers a chance to peek inside the vivid, botanical encyclopedia.

Artistically talented and ambitious, Blackwell first got the idea for A Curious Herbal when she needed to make money after her husband was jailed in a debtor’s prison. The project was all-encompassing, with the artist not only researching, drawing, hand-coloring the printing plates, and writing the descriptions for each specimen but also selling the book herself.

In addition to undertaking such a herculean amount of work, Blackwell was doing so at a time when women were largely barred from scientific institutions and medical professions. Given its commercial success, A Curious Herbal was not only a creative feat but also a social one, emphasizing the value of women’s knowledge and artistic output particularly as it related to male-dominated fields.

A Curious Herbal is available now on Bookshop. (via Hyperallergic)

 

Dandelion

Love apple, a.k.a. tomato

Cacao

Left: Garden radish. Right: Elecampane

Elder

Creeping birthwort

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A 12-Meter-High Wedding Cake by Joana Vasconcelos Rises From the Grounds of an English Estate

Photo by Chris Lacey. All images © A Rothschild House and Garden and Atelier Joana Vasconcelos, courtesy of Waddesdon Manor, shared with permission

Nearly five years in the making, a 12-meter-high confectionary has emerged on the grounds of the sprawling Waddesdon Manor in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos (previously) designed an enormous “Wedding Cake” pavilion to sit near the 19th-century Dairy, which was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to entertain guests, drawing on the location’s history of charming visitors and providing an architectural focal point within the expansive parkland.

“Wedding Cake” playfully avails itself of the architectural legacy of follies, a type of building constructed primarily for decoration, with famous examples like Marie Antoinette’s hamlet at Versailles or the Dunmore Pineapple in Scotland. Vasconcelos’ design was inspired by Baroque style, Waddesdon Manor’s reputation for events and hospitality, and the symbolism and traditions of the sweet treat through time.

Commissioned by the Rothschild Foundation, the three-layered cake is clad entirely in ornate ceramic tiles, a craft tradition rooted in Vasconcelos’ home in Lisbon. Pâtisserie-worthy adornments like fish diving into shell bowls and corniced platforms complement lacy ironwork and pastel hues. Part sculpture and part building, the immersive installation invites visitors to walk up winding inner stairwells and traipse around the tiers.

See more of the artist’s work on her website and Instagram. (via Dezeen)

 

Photo by Chris Lacey

Left: Photo by Lionel Balteiro. Right: Photo by Chris Lacey

Photo by Lionel Balteiro

Photo by Chris Lacey

Photo by Lionel Balteiro

Photo by Chris Lacey

Photo by Chris Lacey

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Three Bolts of Lightning Simultaneously Strike the Chicago Skyline During a Wild Summer Storm

Image © Barry Butler, shared with permission

Lightning might never strike the same place twice, but in Chicago this last week, it did strike three spots at the same time.

During the early hours of July 29, a volatile storm rolled into the Midwestern city, and photographer Barry Butler hunkered down west of the skyline to watch the action. “The skyscrapers in our town were getting battered with lightning. I thought it was just a matter of time before all three of the main skyscrapers in Chicago got it simultaneously,” he told PetaPixel. “The storm was too active for not to happen.”

Around 12:30 a.m., Butler was proved right and snapped a photo of the bolts illuminating the summer sky and hitting the city’s three tallest buildings, including the John Hancock Center and Willis Tower. While capturing three strikes in a single shot is already rare, this photo is even more stunning considering that, due to Lake Michigan, most storms wane or change direction before reaching downtown.

Find more images from the storm on Butler’s Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Three Bolts of Lightning Simultaneously Strike the Chicago Skyline During a Wild Summer Storm appeared first on Colossal.

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