Thumbs and Ammo posits the idea: would it be funny to replace guns with thumbs up in stills from movies?
YES!
Traditional Japanese Houses and their Visual Geometry in Photos by Yasuhiro Ishimoto
The aesthetic that formed the basis for traditional Japanese architecture and interior design is nuanced and interesting. Reading In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki began for me a path towards appreciating the often stark and geometric choices.
These photos of the Katsura Imperial Villa (16th Century) in Kyoto from Japanese American photography Yasuhiro Ishimoto bring to the forefront the abstractions of shape, space and light in an amazing way.
Kodak No. 1 and Its 125 year old Photos
Consumer photography took a huge leap forward in 1888, when Eastman Kodak debuted the Kodak No. 1 (the followup to the Kodak Box):
“You Press the Button, We Do the Rest.”
This leather-covered wooden box came loaded with 100 exposures, cost $25 (about $650 of today's) and $10 for developing and reloading the exposures.
These examples come from the National Media Museum’s Flickr account.
Song of the Day - Yacht- Psychic City (Classixx Remix)
Yacht (stylized as YACHT, Y△CHT or Y▲CHT) is an American band from Portland, Oregon, Marfa, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. The core group consists of Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans , but expands to include musicians Rob "Bobby Birdman" Kieswetter, and Jeffrey Brodsky as touring members.
Get the song »
Infrared Timelapse of an Empty Philadelphia
This is eery and beautiful.
From the video page:
"This time-lapse was inspired by the “Empty America Series” by Ross Ching and the Nibiran jungle scene in Star Trek Into Darkness. When I first saw the scene in Star Trek, it made me wonder how color infrared would look if we could see it with our own eyes, unaided by IR filters. After seeing the movie and watching Ross’s series I thought about how a totally empty city (such as Philadelphia) would look in Kodak EIR style infrared.
All scenes were shot around Philadelphia using my full-spectrum digital camera and a yellow filter. A full spectrum camera is a camera that has had it's IR blocking filter removed, allowing the camera to see into the infrared. The yellow filter blocks all visible light up to yellow and allows infrared to pass through."
Infrastructure: Los Angeles - A Timelapse
Some of the hidden, amazing sights of Los Angeles, in timelapse form, by Hal Bergman.
Envisioning the Sagrada Familia in its finished state
The famously unfinished Sagrada Família cathedral in Barcelona has given us a video illustrating what it will look like when finished in 2026 with aerial footage over-layed digital renderings.
The Sagrada Família, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is expected to open its doors in 2026.
See also Inside the Sagrada Familia »
Abandoned Buildings Adorned with Anamorphic Paintings
French artist and photographer Fanette Guilloud transforms the walls and floors of abandoned buildings with anamorphic paintings, which can only be seen in their correct image when viewed from a specific vantage point.
See also A Room of Stuff Arranged to Create this Anamorphic Portrait »
Images Evoking Intricate Biblical Calligraphy on the Body
Israeli artist Ronit Bigal in her “Body Scripture II” series uses digital photography overlaid with Biblical Hebrew text.
She explains:
“[The bodies] are almost abstract and enigmatic, arousing the viewer’s curiosity to discover what are the photographed objects, what meanings lies behind the texts; and whether there is a thematic affinity between them or, perhaps are the associations purely aesthetical?”
See also One Thousand and One Dreams »
Antarctica in Photos: 1912-1915 by Frank Hurley
NYC Ballet's Stirring 9-11 Tribute on Top of World Trade Center 4
New Beginnings captures Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain filmed at sunrise on the 57th floor terrace of 4 WTC. With the Freedom Tower as backdrop, and two NYC Ballet Principal Dancers, Maria Kowroski and Ask la Cour.
Go-Pro Made This Wonderful Whale Video
We get it, GoPro! You are amazing.
From the video page:
Shot 100% on the HD HERO3® camera from GoPro
Alan Watts, 3 Sirens, and 3 Humback Whales dance together in a short film that will inspire you. Where you are now is your dream. What will you do?
Pop-Art Portrait Paintings on World Coin
Brazilian artist Andre Levy miniature portraits on coins of pop-art and pop-culture figures from Major Lazer and David Bowie to various X-Men and Thunder Cats to Finn from Adventure Time and Legolas from LOTR in his ongoing project.
See also Alien Nickels
Inflatable Concert Hall Brings Arts to Tsunami-ravaged Areas of Japan
Japanese architect Arata Isozaki will team up with British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor to create an inflatable concert hall. Dubbed Arc Nova. More of these photos on their facebook page.
In collaboration with organizers of the Swiss Lucerne Festival, the first performance is scheduled for October 12th. The full line-up is on their website.
4th Annual National Beard and Mustache Championships in New Orleans Photos by Greg Anderson
4th Annual National Beard and Mustache Championships in New Orleans earlier this month and Las Vegas-based photographer Greg Anderson captured these amazing images.
Box: Projection Mapping Merged with Robotics to Create This
From the video page:
“Box” explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera. Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.
Portraits of People Living on the Streets of LA
New Zealand-based graphic designer Michael Pharaoh has created a photo series titled ‘The Homeless of LA."
http://michaelpharaoh.co.nz/
Fluorescent Feathered Polar Bear Sculptures
Italian artist's Paola Pivi's near life-size sculptures made with urethane foam, plastic and feathers.
http://www.perrotin.com/
POTD - Tracks by Tomas Tranströmer
Tracks
2 A.M. moonlight. The train has stopped
out in a field. Far off sparks of light from a town,
flickering coldly on the horizon.
As when a man goes so deep into his dream
he will never remember he was there
when he returns again to his view.
Or when a person goes so deep into a sickness
that his days all become some flickering sparks, a swarm,
feeble and cold on the horizon.
The train is entirely motionless.
2 o’clock: strong moonlight, few stars.
The French Alps from an Eagle's Back
A GoPro camera strapped to the back of an eagle over a mountain range near Chamonix, France.
