Since launching in 2011, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has made more than 44 orbits of our solar system’s largest planet. The attached visible-light JunoCam has been capturing the gas giant in all its glory over the past six years and sending the images back to Earth.

Not only has NASA open-sourced all the files, but it has also requested the help of volunteer “citizen scientists” around the world to help process the data. In June of this year, it began the Jovian Vortex Hunter project, “aimed at studying the different types of clouds that form on Jupiter, in order to better understand how the atmosphere of the largest planet in the solar system works,” according to Ramanakumar Sankar, the project lead and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota.

“With your help,” Sankar added, “we could learn so much about the Jovian atmosphere and processes that form the amazing clouds that we see.”

Astronomers from all parts of the globe have since created incredible representations of Jupiter’s clouds and surfaces, ranging from the ultra-realistic to the overly artistic. Here are a few stand-outs from the almost 500 images submitted so far:

Frosting Clouds

At the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022 in Granada, Dr. Gerald Eichstädt used the JunoCam’s data on reflected light to create a 3D model with individual “needles” corresponding to the height of Jupiter’s clouds. The resulting picture looks like it could be the whipped frosting top of a cupcake.

“The Juno mission provides us with an opportunity to observe Jupiter in a way which is essentially inaccessible by Earth-based telescopic observations. We can look at the same cloud features from very different angles within only a few minutes,” says Dr. Eichstätdt. “This has opened up a new opportunity to derive 3D elevation models of Jupiter’s cloud-tops. The images of the wonderful chaotic storms on Jupiter seem to come to life, showing clouds rising at different altitudes.”

Saturated Hues

Using images taken from only 3,300 miles above Jupiter’s cloud tops, citizen scientist Björn Jónsson made a side-by-side picture of the planet’s colors as they would be interpreted by the human eye and the colors with deeper saturation to sharpen the smaller cloud features.

Blue South Pole

While most of Jupiter’s surface appears to be a reddish-brown color, footage from the JunoCam taken 11,747 miles above the planet’s clouds revealed that its North Pole is actually covered in icy swirls of blue. Dr. Eichstädt and fellow citizen scientist Seán Doran processed that data into an image of gorgeous denim-colored whirlpools, showing how the higher altitude clouds cast shadows on their surroundings.

Candy-Colored Moon

Calling it the “Fall Colors of Europa,” citizen scientist Fernando Garcia created a kaleidoscopic image of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. Using data captured during the JunoCam’s close fly-by on September 29th, 2022, Garcia gave the moon (which is thought to have twice as much water as Earth does) a psychedelic makeover.

South Pole Cyclones

Citizen scientist Roman Tkachenko pulled data from the JunoCam to color-enhance an image of the storms and cyclones at Jupiter’s south pole in intricate and striking detail.

Jupiter — Van Gogh Style

Turning Jupiter’s Northern Jets into artistic whirls akin to those in Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, citizen scientist Brian Swift used digital paint to highlight an aerial view of Jet N5.

The Juno spacecraft is expected to continue orbiting Jupiter for another six years fir a total of 80 passes around the gas giant, collecting images the entire time. That leaves plenty of time for more scientists and artists to get in on the action to make their very own masterpieces.

The post Citizen Scientists Create Stunning Pictures of Jupiter with the Help of NASA’s JunoCam first appeared on Dornob.

The editorial-style presentation of the collection speaks to Arjé’s background as a cult-favorite luxury fashion brand. Much like a fashion spread in Vogue, the ultra-realistic setting conveys an aspirational ideal as well as a gorgeous backdrop for the rugs and a selection of artisanal furniture and decor. While it’s fair to say that the fictional home is itself a bit of a scene-stealer, there’s no way to ignore the two striking rugs at the center of the collaboration. Designed by Arjé founders Bessie Afnaim Corral and Oliver Corral and produced by Nordic Knots, the rugs aim to merge “old-world richness with contemporary minimalism.” The collection is part of their new venture, Arjé HOME.

Anchoring the serene living room, “Family” is a plush wool rug with a three-dimensional geometric pattern on the surface. From afar, it almost looks like it was cut from stone, but anyone stepping on it would delight in its softness. The designers envision it as a calming aerial landscape in antique ivory, with a soft cut-pile that creates a high-low illusion of puzzle work.

The second rug in the series, “Face,” is inspired by the idea that home isn’t defined by a physical place, but rather the concept of home we find and carry within ourselves: “one that comes from a deeper source, as warm as the light from the sun itself.” Its rich goldenrod tone offers just the right pop of color that can make an otherwise-neutral room sing. Handmade of shaggy wool, “Face” is available in a variety of sizes starting at $1,095, just like “Family.”

“Our parallel creative worlds, with all the combined elements of our diverse backgrounds — Mediterranean, Turkish, Spanish, Scandinavian — fused into a collection of hand knotted wool rugs that grounds us and explores that sense of place in finding home,” says Arjé, adding that “We were inspired by the warmth and movement of light, and the play of touch and texture. The abstract perspective of Cubism influenced form, and we looked to ancient, organic motifs to complete our unique symbolism – representing the Arjé eye and the knot of Nordic Knots.”

The 3D rendering by Préaud represents Bessie Afnaim Corral and Oliver Corral’s dream home. They worked with the architect to bring every detail to life, exemplifying their vision of understated luxury representing a blend of global environments and emotion. “We visualized our rugs into their own not-quite-of-this-world setting,” say the Corrals. “Just as the rugs are simultaneously cozy, strong, and refined, the Arjé x Nordic Knots HOME crosses all realms of season, location, and aesthetic. It is the warmth of an olive grove in the south of Spain, and the coolness of the Swedish archipelago. It is in this space that we saw our collection come to life, taking us into the next chapter of Arjé HOME’s continuous journey.”

The furniture and other details seen throughout this fantasy home are available on Arjé’s website, including those show-stopping Noah sofas, the Enzo shearling chair, and the Zig-Zag vessels.

The post Surreal Home Shows Off Arjé x Nordic Knots’ Luxe Rug Collection first appeared on Dornob.

“When graphics become too formal and rigid – that’s when I get bored,” the artist recently told Creative Boom.

His purple plums are so reflective it feels like an entire galaxy is visible in them, while the attached twigs and leaves seem like they were just poured from smelting-hot copper. And the play of brilliant light makes the entire scene feel alive.

Valentina’s cherry portrait has the same feel but in vibrant pinks and silvers set against a sunset-colored background.

“I’m a bit obsessed with fruit and flowers for their textures,” explains the artist, “but above all, for what they represent in nature. I’m surprised how these simple elements after 200,000 years still manage to aesthetically fascinate us so much.”

Even in his font work, which includes the revolutionary metallic GoliaGolia, Valentina is inspired by nature. “The colors, textures, and proportions; I’ve always been fascinated by it,” he says, adding that “It started getting into my work without me totally realizing it. Only, after some time, friends and graphic accounts began to point out how present these things were in my work. They are such a part of me that I don’t even notice it.”

The perfection of the natural world is what attracts the Italian artist to reimagine it in various ways. “I have a great admiration for nature. It’s super competent, flawless, and always fair, and what comes out of that is always super genuine. I think it has to do with our origins. I feel it touches something so deeply.”

The Milan-based artist received his formal training at ISIA Urbina and Norway’s KHIB Bergen. He then moved to London, where he got his start in music production while also working as a freelance graphic designer. His clients include big names like Apple, Sony, BMW, and Ray-Ban.

His liquidy, inflated fonts have also been taking the design world by storm lately. In addition to his GoliaGolia, Valentina also created the GabyGaby font, a similarly 3D metallic typeface with flowing lines and pointy ends.

“For me, visual communication should be about making things that generate true communication, allowing life, ideas, and a vision to shine through as much as possible,” he said in a It’s Nice That piece. “We should be able to add more soul to things and infuse them with meaning.”

That authenticity is essential to him as an artist. “I use them almost as a mirror for me,” he says, speaking of his music and graphic design works. “The things that are around me in the moment of life, whether they are phrases, symbols, people, or emotions – I believe that this helps me maintain a genuine process, avoiding the pure ‘exercise of style.’ Being able to do more honest things is more important to me than doing nice things.”

With his latest fruit experiments, the designer tried to be genuine while taking a new approach, personifying the fruit in a way that is “less digital, and more alive” than his font work.

Valentina’s work is available on his website as well as his Instagram page @alexvxvxvxvx.

The post Alex Valentina’s 3D Artworks Reimagine Nature in Liquid Metal first appeared on Dornob.

Sweden-based artist Alisa Lariushkina uses sculpting tools to fashion the intricate details on her re-creations of famous paintings, mostly those of Van Gogh and Monet. She also creates bright, inviting landscapes inspired by the world around her.

Describing her work, Lariushkina says, “I make figures and framed landscapes of clay. I developed my own style in 2015. I use various materials for sculpting: air-dry clay, paper clay, acrylic paints, crystals, and beads. …I can tell you that I came to [clay sculpting] quite spontaneously…Since then, I improved the technology, found the best materials, and made my products more durable and of better quality. I have made a lot of designs and still do new ones.”

With no formal training, the artist played around with the Japanese air-dry polymer material until she learned to bend the clay just right with her hands. The various pieces are then glued in place individually. One picture of an autumnal tree shows her work in process. She first paints the background and then typically works from the bottom up, filling in the scene with clay, placing larger chunks with her fingers, and using her tools to turn and twist the smallest ones into tight spaces.

One observer on Reddit commented on the dreamlike perfection of Lariushkina’s handiwork, explaining: “At first I thought this was AI generated. Then I realized it’s way too good.”

Air-dry clay, as the name suggests, hardens at room temperature, as opposed to more traditional art oven-bake clay. Lariushkina’s choice of medium means no kiln or excessive curing is necessary fo the substance to solidify into a permanent tactile shape.

The three-dimensional effect is playfully impressionistic. Her landscapes seem to come alive with layered curves of swaying green or gold grass and swirling blue skies. Wavy ripples are often texturally contrasted with a wash of tightly wound coils. Sometimes she shapes the clay into bulbous tufts to act as rocks or clouds in her layouts.

Her scenes depict everything from bucolic fields and seaside sunsets to marshlands and ocean floors. And while those landscapes are stunning, Lariushikina has also posted pictures of beautifully sculpted animal ornaments. In these, her clay spirals and loops fill the insides of polar bears, mice, butterflies, and delicate hummingbirds. The artist has even turned her curlicues into unique jewelry like tiny brooches and necklaces.

Alisa’s work is primarily available on her Etsy shop LiskaFlower, but she sells prints of her versions of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Cypresses,” as well as one of a summer field, on other platforms. She recently stated on her Etsy shop that she tries to update her offerings with at least one new landscape a month. Her style has been so popular lately that she stays busy making custom pieces year-round.

Fans can also follow her work on her Instagram page.

The post Alisa Lariushkina’s Air-Dry Clay Art Turns Old Classics into Swirling 3D Landscapes first appeared on Dornob.

“Weaving inanimate fibers into faces has brought me comfort and helped with overcoming my own experience of contracting the virus,” the artist explained to Ignant magazine earlier this year. “These portraits are delicate and vulnerable and resonate with my own precarious situation. We live in fragile times, and I feel the need to find new materials and the mindset to reinvent my practice. Wool brings warmth and intimacy to these portraits and plays with provoking the nurture instinct.”

The fuzzy busts are a follow-up to his first experiments with wool as a portrait medium at the beginning of 2021. He adds that “making male portraits with this habitually perceived feminine material is part of a personal journey in re-interpreting the masculine condition. My aim is to make full volume sculptures in wool and develop some of the ideas out of this initial project.”

For his most recent collection, Khoshroo created seven unique busts, some more true to life and others with more abstracted features. One very lifelike sculpture is of a woman named “Anahita,” with short, blue hair and long, black eyelashes, expertly crafted from fine strands. Her complexion masterfully changes across her cheeks from peach to blushing pink.

Two other Khoshroo creations – one in white and one in dandelion yellow – have jackal teeth, conjuring up images of vampires with their pointy fangs and extended tongues.

This female bust has swaths of primary colors stretching across her neck and face. Her jet-black hair is cropped at her jawline and provides contrast to her wild visage. In another work, a male and female couple rest cheek-to-cheek, his flaming teal hair complementing her unnerving blue eyes.

The final sculpture in the series is a self-portrait of the artist. “Making this portrait was a moment of self-reflection,” Khoshroo wrote on an Instagram post, adding that, “I became very conscious of my own flesh and skin, like a surgeon laying down layers of anatomy and suturing [them] shut with sheets of skin. Constructing the face with transparent layers of thinned wool creates depth, much like glazing in painting. I make self-portraits regularly, about one every year; this one is the first sculpture and has a unique presence, reminds me of my own mortality.”

Salmon Khoshroo was born in Tehran in 1983 but spent his childhood in New York. After returning to Iran for several years, he went down under to study digital art at the Australian National University. After starting a career in photography, Khoshroo’s artform of choice changed to painting. His style was heavily influenced by Claude Monet and Lucian Freud.

He has tested out many different materials in his exploration of the human form. He has produced dozens of bold, conceptualized impasto portraits, as well as bubbly busts constructed from pigmented polyurethane foam. One set of work used electrical wire to bring his shapes to life.

“These portraits and configurations are sometimes made of lowly and unassuming materials such as wires and foam,” Khoshroo says. “There is an essence that I am chasing that can manifest itself in many forms and materials.”

The post Salman Khoshroo’s 3D Wool Sculptures Highlight the Fragility of Life first appeared on Dornob.

Immersive 3D installations are no stranger to this UX digital design group who debuted their first wave piece in Gangnam, South Korea last year, itself an immersive experience titled “WAVE” which depicted a large, crashing wave that showcased the group’s unique blend of digital and media technologies.

The group is known for pushing the limits of visual trickery with their user-centric, sensory experiences in various locations, usually presented on LED screens in venues like shopping centers, theme parks, and hotels. Their newest work, known as “The Whale and the Waterfall,” recently appeared before millions in Times Square’s Pedestrian Plaza. A gigantic whale in the midst of a waterfall, appearing on a 1400-square meter digital screen, seems to undulate rhythmically within the roiling waves, a self-contained visual that resembles the world’s largest fish tank holding one of the world’s largest mammals.

The follow-up installation, set to show after the “Whale #2” ends during the first week of August, is “Waterfall-NYC.” Located on the exterior of One Times Square’s four vertical screens, this piece will stand at an impressive 102.5 meters (about 337-feet tall). It’ll also be approximately three times taller than the 2008 installation “The New York City Waterfalls” previously displayed by Olafur Eliasson.

The installation evokes a dichotomous feel, most notably for its insertion of natural beauty into the manmade steel and brick structures that occupy the area, creating a visual masterpiece in one of the busiest parts of America’s most bustling metropolis.

Even before “The Whale and the Waterfall,” Times Square has spent the last few years upping its game with diverse, eclectic art installations that dazzle the eye. Currently on display through the month of August, visitors can take part in a “Midnight Moment” as they take in artist Jen West’s Painted Cat Hacker Film, a colorful homage to the public’s ongoing fascination with cat videos.

But “Whale #2” and “Waterfall-NYC,” while distinctive pieces of art, take immersive voyeurism to the next level with their impressive tech specs. Multisensory installations like these will most likely become the norm as more and more creative artists look to capture viewers through digital advertising. Though d’strict’s recent Times Square works are not meant to promote a particular product or service, they do indicate the sophisticated progression of emerging technologies meant to captivate and enthrall audiences, making them the ideal next step for advertisers. Think Back to the Future II where Marty McFly steps into a town square dominated by futuristic cars, flashy architecture, and incredibly life-like ads — most notably the 3D shark for the “Jaws 19” movie that nearly bites his head off.

Perhaps this latest installation from d’strict is a harbinger of ads to come, or maybe it’s simply an inventive and dynamic piece of art uniquely situated in one of the country’s most consumerist locales. Either way, the group’s imagination and innovation are sure to continue to wow viewers for years to come, no matter the venue.

The post Is This Immersive Times Square Digital Art Installation the Future of Advertising? first appeared on Dornob.

2020 was a mystifying year full of the unexpected and unexplained. Lucky for us all, the Neural Correlate Society topped off the strange last 12 months in a perfect way, presenting the brain-bending winners of its “Illusion of the Year” contest. Below are the top three, but be warned! The videos are a must-see to fully comprehend the trippy-ness of these deceptions. The top invention will especially have your mind doing backflips (as if it hasn’t already been twisted in enough knots by the events of 2020).

3D Schröder Staircase

This illusion by mathematical engineer Kokichi Sugihara takes the classic 2D version to another psychedelic level. The original, created in 1858 by German scientist Heinrich G. F. Schröder, is an illustration of a staircase that can simultaneously be interpreted as stairs coming down from the ceiling and going up from the ground. The image is exactly the same when turned 180 degrees.

For some it is impossible to see the opposite view until flipping the image upside down, when it becomes visible for a split second before the mind undergoes the “Gestalt Shift,” a psychological phenomenon where the brain restores its newest intake to earlier perceptions.

Schröder’s staircase was the inspiration for much of Dutch artist M.C. Escher’s gravity-defying work in the twentieth century, and is now the impetus for Sugihara’s multi-dimensional wonder.

Described by some as a “mischievous mathematician,” Sugihara has taken a completely flat plane, added walls on two sides, put it on equal-length stilts, and given us a picture that our brains interpret as a staircase. That is, we see the dark tones and understand them as shadows, while converging lines give us a sense of distance. Even though what we’re actually seeing is all on a horizontal level, our minds make assumptions about familiar patterns, turning the angles and shades into a staircase automatically.

Part of the mirage is allowing that “staircase” to somersault on its axis. When a small orange cone is placed on the “top” step, it ends up on the “bottom” stair after being spun 180 degrees, even though in reality there is no up or down.

Sugihara, a Meiji University engineer, also took home first prize in the NCS’ contest in 2010, 2013, and 2018, and has been a top 10 finalist in all the years in between. About his latest project, he explains: “this object is an example of my experimental material to investigate the behavior of the brains, which are apt to misperceive 2D pictures as 3D objects when they are embedded in real 3D structures.” Because of the support columns and walls he attached, “we perceive new ambiguity, which is different from that of the original Schröder Staircase.”

Detailed plans for recreating this illusion are included on Sugihara’s website.

The Real Thing??

UK native Matthew Pritchard constructed the runner-up illusion this year, itself a Coca-Cola can sitting in front of a mirror. Only thing is, the mirror is fake (just a frame) and there’s a hole cut out in the wall behind the frame, with a strategically-placed second Coke can providing our cerebrum with the visual cues to reconstruct a reflection. In the video, the wall eventually collapses, revealing the hoax.

“Careful examination will reveal discrepancies in the scene,” Pritchard writes. “But what causes the vision system to make the initial mirror assumption is not yet fully understood.”

Impossible Grid Typography

Using 2.5D computer-generated images, Daniël Maarleveld of the Netherlands came in third place for his letters and numbers made of curving grids. More specifically, the shapes move in such a way that the human eye is unable to decipher which direction they are turning in, making them viewable from an above and below perspective at the same time.

The post These 2020 “Illusion of the Year” Winners Will Blow Your Mind first appeared on Dornob.

The Elite Perspective

Oddly enough, chairs are king in the world of opulent home furnishings. Famous architects and designers from every era have created individual chairs that sold for millions of dollars, and many of those have actually increased in value over time. Stories abound of inspiration, political statements, romance, and historical significance regarding chair designs. In many cases, a single chair can even be the focal point of a room.

AI Gets Involved

With both these perceptions in mind, designers Philipp Schmitt and Steffen Weiss contemplated what effect AI could have on chair design. More specifically, they wondered if robotic chair design could compete with human creations. Their experiment sought to determine if neural networks could produce a so-called “design classic:” a chair that successfully combined function, innovation, and artistry as successfully as a human-made model.

The Groundwork

Schmitt and Weiss, residents of New York and Berlin respectively, called their experiment the chAIr Project. It began with months of working side by side to produce two “neural networks” (algorithms) for the AI to run on. One was programmed to see likenesses between different chairs and create comparable ones. The second network established whether or not the image actually represented what a particular chair looked like and made adjustments as necessary to make the design comply with general standards.

The Details

The resulting algorithms pumped out hundreds of variations, many of which were mishmashes of abstract forms that had to be deconstructed and pieced back together to even resemble chairs. The basic elements were all there, including a gracefully arched wooden back reminiscent of a Hans Wegner design, bowed tubular steel evocative of Mies van der Rohe chairs, and narrowed legs that harked back to popular mid-century designs. The combination of these styles was both intriguing and bizarre. Schmitt noted: “Based on these two variables, the algorithm created hundreds of resulting forms that are more abstract, sculptural collage than functional designs: the sketches appear as purely associative objects that mash up familiar components. This creates a lot of potential for our human imaginations to fill in the details.” He ultimately transformed the results into 3D sketches, applying real-world factors to produce miniature mock-ups made from brass tubing, balsawood, and aluminum mesh.

The Results

In the end, the four miniatures proved a little overwhelming. Much like the awe-inspiring works of M.C. Escher, the properties of chairs were all there, just not in the traditional places, resulting in models with too many armrests, missing pieces, or no place for a person to actually sit.

Schmitt and Weiss plan to move forward and produce full-size models of the designs with the help of a conventional Danish woodworker, reiterating that AI is just one of many paths in the design network. Schmitt added: “Many famous designers have designed chairs, and one could argue that there have been enough chair designs in the world for quite a while. Yet, designers still design chairs. They are an expression of a person, a philosophy, or state of mind, a time and place in history — like a painting. In my opinion, chair designs will remain expressions of human ingenuity, but some of the iconic designs of our current century might very well be designed with, or even entirely by, machines.”

The post AI Adds Chair Design to Its Resume first appeared on Dornob.

It may look like there’s a real tree growing within this art studio, but take the time to examine the image a little closer. Notice how the branches at the far right side actually follow the contours of the wall? See the edges of the paper upon which the leaves are printed peeling away from the ceiling? The illusion of the tree’s presence is so complete, it’s almost hard to believe someone didn’t build a room around it — but it’s all (literally) a matter of perspective. If you were to slide a few steps to the left or right within this physical space, the illusion would break as its architectural features began to fragment the imagery.

Pulling off these optical illusions isn’t a matter of using Photoshop or otherwise manipulating the final image. It all comes down to a surprisingly simple process of printing an enormous photograph out on many sheets of paper and then assembling them to fit the space. But it does take painstaking precision for Los Angeles-based artist  to pull off the hyperrealistic qualities of these incredible installations.

Hundreds of printed images plastered across the walls, ceilings, and floors, of several rooms allow us to physically enter the photographs, something Engman finds to be a bit of a paradox within his own work. He believes photography derives its power precisely from the fact that it can’t be entered, explaining that he tries to be mindful of this fact even as he exploits it when creating his 3D scenes.

Much of Engman’s documented work in this series has been rendered as “photographs within photographs,” in which he takes an original photo, applies it to a room, and then photographs the finished product before it’s disassembled. Recently, he extended this concept to a physical space that viewers could actually enter. “Containment for the Fotofocus in Cincinnati” takes his “Containment” piece and translates it to a purpose-built temporary structure within an art gallery, allowing for physical immersion in the art. But it’s in the tension between the safety of the built environment the adventurous, uncontrollable spirit of nature that these pieces find their greatest power.

Engman adds: “In the piece titled Prospect, the combination of the ocean with the studio is a marriage of prospect and refuge and the metaphoric associations of the two. In the case of prospect these associations are adventure, excitement, and a feeling of freedom. For refuge they are safety, comfort, and a looking inwards. Prospect and refuge are not mutually exclusive in a binary sense, but they are at times in conflict with each other, and this conflict, to my thinking, is central to much of what we want and work for.”

“There is a correspondence, for me, between the prospect and refuge conflict and the tension between illusion and materiality that I see as intrinsic to the medium of photography. The latter has long been a subject of my work. By “illusion” I am referring broadly to the power we invest in photographs to tell us the truth about the world, to be a record of it, to “capture moments,” as it is said. By materiality I am referring to the stuff of photographic objects, their actual truths: ink, paper, frame, and physical context.”

“The tension between illusion and material is exhibited in these works most notably by the different ways in which paper in used to construct images. In the piece titled Refuge, for example, the image of the wooded scene was printed onto over 150 pieces of paper and then physically cut and affixed to walls and objects within an architectural space. The room itself was then photographed and the resulting image printed onto a single sheet of photo paper. In the case of the former, the physical properties of paper are acknowledged. In the case of the latter (and this applies to the majority of photographs), everything about the presentation is designed to deny that the paper exists at all. What matters and is emphasized is the illusion, or, if you like, the lie.”

The post Chris Engman’s Optical Illusions Allow You to Step Inside Photographs first appeared on Dornob.

Secret Scratch-Off Message Card

Secret messages give this DIY project an extra dose of fun. The front of this Father’s Day card features a hand-folded bow tie, while the inside features three scratch-off circles. To create it, you start by writing your message on either a piece of clear contact paper or some packing tape. Then, mix acrylic craft paint with a drop of dish soap and paint it over the message. Get the tutorial from Delia Creates.

Building Memories With Dad

If you already have some plastic or wooden building blocks that your kids aren’t using and a spare jar, this craft will cost you zero dollars, and it’s super thoughtful, to boot. Every weekend, they can choose a few blocks to put together and complete the activities.

The Seasoned Mom writes, “The kids and I recently sat down together and brainstormed a long list of their favorite activities to do with Dad. It wasn’t hard since he keeps us constantly on the go! Plus, each child had their favorites, so our jar quickly filled up when we began writing these different adventures onto individual building blocks.”

Scribble Mug

This personalized project requires nothing but a white ceramic mug and some paint pens, and even your littlest ones can contribute. First, stick on some stickers with fun shapes, which will remain white in the final design. Then let the kids go to town with the pens. Bake the mug for 30 minutes at 350 degrees for a long-lasting result.

Printable Father’s Day Card

Need something quick and last minute? All you have to do is download a printable card and have your child answer questions like “My dad is good at…” and “My dad is special because…” Voila! You’ve got a touching gift that also demonstrates your child’s handwriting progress. Get the tutorial at The Handcrafted Story.

Personalized Spatula

A personalized spatula is a sweet way to remind a BBQ-loving dad that his kids care. You can also adapt this idea to all sorts of other tools, from hammers to gardening implements. Paint markers are an easy way to decorate the handle, but you could also use acrylic paints, permanent markers, or Mod Podge on some collaged paper elements. Get the tutorial at Skip to My Lou.

Tool Box Paper Cut-Out Card

Older kids and teens can mimic the look of this fun 3D tool box-themed card by Cat Scrapbooking by drawing and cutting out the shapes of various tools and gluing them onto a folded base. There’s no tutorial, but as you can see from the photo, the folding is pretty simple and easy to replicate.

Waxed Canvas Tool Apron

Here’s a more advanced craft that’s an appropriate gift from adults as well as kids. Whether your dad’s an artist, a cook, a woodworker, or just handy around the house, he could probably use a durable tool apron. This one from The Merrythought requires a little bit of sewing skill (and a sewing machine) and calls for DIY waxed canvas, but you could also use denim or reuse whatever you have around, as long as it’s durable enough.

The post Celebrate Dad With These 7 Easy DIY Father’s Day Gifts first appeared on Dornob.

Do you ever wonder how illusions like this work? Our brains perceive elements of what we view as either figures (the objects of focus) or ground (the rest of the space). Think of the classic example of the image that can either be two faces looking at each other or a vase (the negative space in between them). Visual cues like perspective, highlights, and shadows help our brains decide which is which, but sometimes we get it wrong — like in the case of the infamous blue and black dress (or was it white and gold?).

Designers and artists like Johnston can use those cues to make it look like flat, two-dimensional surfaces have 3D objects popping out of them. Sure, our rational brains know that these typographic murals aren’t really tumbling down the wall, but Ben’s mastery of the form results in near-perfect illusions that never fail to intrigue.

The “Heart of Gold” mural, for instance, has a delightful springiness to it that conveys excitement and enthusiasm. Johnston says it was created for a non-profit organization in Ontario around the idea that art can “inspire, transform, and help build a better community.” The town where the mural is located was once known for its nickel mining, so in homage, he came up with the slogan “City of Nickel, Heart of Gold.”

“I’ve always done art and painting throughout my school career when I was younger,” Johnston tells Typeroom. “After school I went traveling for a few years before deciding to study Product Design in Cape Town, South Africa. All the while studying I started playing around with graphic design and illustration. I dropped out of my course after a year and a half and decided to pursue graphic design. From there I got a job in a small agency and taught myself what I needed to know. After a few years of freelancing and working in ad agencies, I started working with lettering and type.”

The artist got his start with large-scale murals when a friend asked him to accent the entranceway of a new building. That was all it took for him to fall in love with the medium, and he’s been painting urban surfaces ever since, dividing his time between outdoor work and studio work for clients. On top of that, he also creates custom works for advertising, installations, and events, as well as his own fine art pieces shared in exhibitions.

“Raised in South Africa and currently splitting his time between Canada and the US, Ben has also been involved in various conferences and mural festivals around the world. As a multi-disciplinary artist and designer winning numerous awards for projects with Fortune 500 companies to working with a variety of NGOs, his main focus is on finding unique approaches to each opportunity, drawing on inspirations from his encounters throughout his travels.”

The post Ben Johnston’s Typographic Illusion Art Seems to Pop Off the Walls first appeared on Dornob.

When Los Angeles-based Wick Architecture & Design was approached to creatively outfit a small L-shaped café on the bottom floor of an office building in Newport Beach, California, principle architect David Wick knew he’d need to find a creative way to make the relatively unremarkable space pop for visitors. What he came up with may not rival the Sistine Chapel, but it’s a beautiful way to bring some freshness and modernity to the classic ceiling fresco.

Teaming up with landscape design firm LAND, which handled the exterior portions facing a shared courtyard, Wick produced a pretty incredible space. The bottom half of the fittingly named Stereoscope Café looks like a fairly ordinary coffee shop, but when you look up, you get quite a treat. Not only is the ceiling covered in Renaissance imagery, but it’s in 3D, giving it a fun look even if you aren’t wearing special glasses (but honestly, why not bring some if you plan on visiting?).

Wick explains that “Granite Properties approached us to create a ‘statement’ coffee shop for Stereoscope Coffee in Newport Beach, CA. The 672-square-foot L-shaped space is located on the ground floor of their six-story office building. The tall and narrow space allowed for a unique design opportunity. Referencing Italian masterpieces like Correggio’s Assumption of the Virgin in Parma or Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in Rome, Nashville based artist / photographer Christy Lee Rogers, purveyor of modern baroque underwater photography, was selected to cover the ceiling and walls.”

“Her piece, The Reunion of Cathryn Carrie and Jean was translated by Wick A+D into a 3D art piece placed on the ceiling and gradating to the white as it flows down the walls. The art is viewed by donning retro 3D glasses that line the white oak shelves. The baroque, minimalist aesthetic is completed with white oak bench seating, white matte tile, and Blue Orca marble.”

The result is cool enough to make it worth a stop in Newport Beach, even if you’re not a coffee drinker. The way the imagery fades down the walls of the café to join the understated, gallery-like feel of the rest of the space gives it a little something extra.

Rogers’ underwater works are truly spectacular, and worth a look for their own sake. The Hawaii-born artist creates her effects using refraction of light “through a fragile process of experimentation,” building “elaborate scenes of coalesced colors and entangled bodies that exalt the human character as one of vigor and warmth, while also capturing the beauty and vulnerability of the tragic experience that is the human condition.” You can check out her behind-the-scenes process of creation and buy her pieces in the form of oversized art scarves at her website.

The post Stereoscope: Part Café, Part 3D Viewing Experience first appeared on Dornob.

As Kevin Kelly, (co-founder of Wired Magazine) once wrote: “the internet is a copy machine.” It has proven its ability to spread information and media of all kinds, from music to movies, animation, graphic designand more … but how do you send furniture out over the wire? One German design group is working that out.

Open Design works with industrial and furniture designers who develop an array of abstract modern and cool contemporary home objects, all with flat-pack, folding and bending properties suitable for CNC machines, laser cutting and/or three-dimensional printing. From model to prototype is a quick and easy step, and from there: global distribution is a cinch.

The resulting plans are then licensed under Creative Commons so people can download the design and print it out locally via a 3D printer or laser cutter (more and more places have these – and you can bet there is one near you or coming soon).

DIY designers can potentially modify these works and ‘share alike’ – and it saves the hassle (not to mention questionable legality/morality) of reverse-engineering high-end pieces of furniture.

Metal is one of the more obvious candidates for its combination of strength and flexibility, though there is no reason why CNC-cut wood and other materials would not work for some pieces as well.

Perhaps it is still ahead of its time, but this project will hopefully push furniture forward on the digital frontier, and have things ready and waiting for the day when we all have our own personal 3D printers at home (or at least a publicly-accessible laser-cutter at the local copy shop).

“A revolution in product development, production and distribution is imminent due to the Internet’s disruptive nature and the easy access to CNC machines. Open Design is a proposal to make this happen. It’s aim is to shift Industrial Design to become relevant in a globally networked information society.”

“In Open Design a design is CAD information published online under a Creative Commons license to be downloaded, copied and modified and is produced directly from file by CNC machines and without special tooling.”

The post Free Flat-Pack Plans for Laser-Cut Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

There are a lot of weird-looking architectural renderings on the internet, and most of them never get built — so it’s kind of fun when some of those proposals end up existing in the real world. L’Arbre Blanc Tower isn’t particularly outlandish, but it’s certainly unusual, and now that it’s complete, it serves as an interesting example of how digital concepts translate to three-dimensional structures.

Its name means “The White Tree,” and it’s easy to see why, though the result ends up looking more like a spiny cactus than branches sprouting from a narrow trunk. Sou Fujimoto Architects collaborated with Nicolas Laisné Associés, Dmitri Roussel/DREAM, and Manal Rachdi Oxo Architects to produce this mixed-use multifamily project for Montpellier, France. Its defining feature is clearly the many cantilevered balconies of varying lengths that protrude from its facade in all directions.

Winner of the 2013 “Folie Richter” competition by the Montpellier city council, which sought a blueprint for a beacon tower to enrich the city’s architectural heritage, the 17-floor L’Arbre Blanc demonstrates a novel way to give all of the inhabitants of an apartment tower access to the outdoors and gorgeous views of the city. On the ground floor is a glass-walled space full of shops and cafés, while the top floor contains a bar that’s open to the public and a common area for residents, so even those who live on the bottom floor can enjoy panoramic vistas.

The balconies act like sun shades, helping to cool the building throughout the day. The architects compare them to “leaves that fold out in search of sunlight… forming a protective veil for the facade.” In offering all of these outdoor spaces as well as access to the rooftop, they hoped to avoid the sort of “inaccessible tower syndrome” often seen in urban high-rise projects. A landscaped park at the ground level extends to the banks of the Lez River.

Unique, modular interior spaces are one of the hallmarks of the tower’s apartments, as the architects imagine a future in which freedom of choice becomes more important than ever when it comes to housing.

“The many balconies and pergolas really do promote outdoor living and enable a new type of relationship between residents,” say the architects. “Each apartment boasts an outdoor space of at least seven square meters (the largest is 35 square meters), with multiple levels of privacy and layout options; residents of the duplex apartments can move from one balcony to the other. So that all apartments have pleasing views, the architects sculpted the blueprint with a series of spatial experiments using physical 3D models.”

“The many technical innovations of L’Arbre Blanc include the terraces, whose cantilevers, which are up to 7.5 meters long, constitute a world first. These exceptional outside spaces are fully-fledged living rooms, which are connected to the dwellings in such a way as to allow residents to live inside and outside, a luxury for a city bathed in the sunshine 80 percent of the year!”

The architects also describe the tower as a cross-cultural endeavor and an interchange between two generations of architects. World-renowned Japanese firm Sou Fujimoto offers its prestige and expertise to youthful French architects while also bringing some of its own cultural aesthetics to the project.

The post Cantilevered Balconies Make L’Arbre Blanc Tower Look Like a Giant Cactus first appeared on Dornob.

The Baltimore-based duo has been working together since they met at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2001. Expressing emotion through a dazzling array of patterns in vivid hues, Jessie and Katey have developed a signature style that’s undeniably eye-catching, whether the work is a small screen print framed on a wall or a monumental mural stretching several city blocks in length. Their work has appeared in locations throughout their home city, all over the eastern coast of the United States, in Seattle at the Starbucks headquarters, and even as far afield as Hawaii.

One of their boldest pieces is “Summer Kaleidoscope,” a 400-foot-long floor mural and pop-up park developed in collaboration with Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program. Transforming a local park known as The Oval, the piece features 3D elements and painted mazes, encouraging visitors to interact with it at every step of the way.

The duo also designed a gorgeous staircase for the city of Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 2017 that produces an optical illusion when you stand at its base, with shapes seeming to protrude out from the steps. That design was based on traditional Appalachian weavings.

In Seattle, a snake-like mural winds its way along the floor at the base of the iconic Space Needle. Measuring an incredible 350 feet long, “Liquid Sunshine” was created through artSEA, a local mural program, in summer 2016.

A 2017 project called “Allumination:Boston” sees the duo not only painting all four sides of a small house, but also the floor and roof, adding details like recycled tin cans, plastic bags, and bottle caps.

“We often describe our work as being like music,” Jessie told Flood Magazine in a piece about their design for the 2018 Lollapalooza festival poster. “It’s abstract and it’s fluid. It’s sort of a collaboration of different shapes, like how different sounds collaborate in music. And the fact that we collaborate with each other is pretty cool. We’re a band, basically.”

In their bio, Jessie and Katey speak of taking inspiration from textiles and board games as well, saying their work “explores themes of movement and symmetry, inspired by bold color combinations, patterns in nature, and woven textiles.”

“Over the past two years the team has been exploring traditional batik, hand dyeing, and appliqué methods in their studio, where they have created several large-scale framed paintings. These painting have been exhibited in Brooklyn, Miami, Baltimore and Russia. They have been awarded two PNC Transformative Grants to bring their bold geometric paintings to Baltimore community. Their unique partnerships with the community earned the team residencies with the The Albright Knox Museum in Buffalo, NY, The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, ME, and the John Micheal Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, WI.”

Want more murals? Be sure to keep up with Jessie and Katey’s projects on Instagram.

The post Playful Patterns: Neon Op Art Murals Enliven Urban Spaces first appeared on Dornob.

For hundreds of years now, audiences have been entertained by live acts in which elephants, tigers, monkeys, and other wild animals perform amazing tricks. But behind the scenes of these dazzling displays, circus animals are typically confined in cages under inhumane conditions, underfed, deprived of their natural environments, and trained using extreme “discipline” with whips and electrical prods. It’s the 21st century, and it’s beyond time for us to move past such practices. Thankfully, some major circuses are beginning to do exactly that — with performances that are more delightful than ever before.

Circus Roncalli, a German company that’s been touring Europe since 1979, recently decided to transition to modern techniques to showcase their talents. Instead of opening their show of acrobatics and other impressive displays with live animal exhibitions, they’re employing larger-than-life holograms. The interactive digital show represents the final step in the company’s efforts to phase animals out of their shows altogether, and the results are nothing short of magnificent.

Though the change was implemented in 2018, Roncalli’s decision is enjoying a new wave of appreciation and enthusiasm from the public thanks to a recent Reddit thread. In a video capturing one performance, the ringmaster greets spectators before the three-dimensional display of shimmering lights makes its debut.

Horses, elephants, gargantuan goldfish, and other creatures appear before the audience with 360-degree visibility, completely filling the 105-foot-wide, 16-foot-deep arena. The effects are created using a crew of 15 3D designers and software engineers, 11 laser beams, and more than 3,000 processes, reports IFLScience. As usual, the animals open the show for an array of human performers.

“The new circus leads us into a new age,” says Max Schautzer, who performs in the show. “Unfortunately, the ‘old’ circus has gotten a bit dusty, but this is how the circus can remain alive.”

Not only does this shift eliminate cruelty to animals in Circus Roncalli’s productions, it saves them a lot of money, too. Though it’s unclear how much the holographic display costs the company, it was previously paying up to $90,000 to transport animals during a single trip in 2016, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

The trend might just catch on as other circuses phase out the use of live animals, which means countless wild creatures would be freed from a life of stress and pain.

“Today, seven American states and 149 cities, towns, and counties have implemented restrictions on the use of wild animals in circuses, according to the animal welfare group Four Paws,” says Smithsonian Magazine. “Just last year, New Jersey and Hawaii enacted statewide bans on animal circus acts, and globally, more than 40 countries have placed restrictions or bans on animal performances.”

Unsurprisingly, reactions to Circus Roncalli’s revolutionary choice to use holographic animals in its performances have been overwhelmingly positive. It also seems like holograms would be an amazing way to bring extinct animals back to life without risking any Jurassic Park-style consequences, or even to show off mythological creatures.

On Instagram, one user said “Let’s keep it real, I expect dragons! You guys need to make this happen.”

The post Cruelty-Free Circus in Germany Uses Holograms Instead of Live Animals first appeared on Dornob.