Animation Art

An Amusement Park-Themed Animated Short by Fernando Livschitz Goes Off the Rails

The fate of riders on roller coasters and ferris wheels takes an unexpected turn in “Beautiful Chaos”, a new short from Fernando Livschitz of Black Sheep Films (previously). We won’t give too much away, but the minute-long animation uses digital editing to make amusement park rides perform stomach-churning tricks. Let’s just say… don’t try this at home.  Watch more of Livschitz’s animations on Vimeo and Instagram.

 

Art

Landscapes by Jason Anderson Blend Precise Pixelation and Hazy Abstraction

U.K.-based artist Jason Anderson creates abstract urban landscapes using pixelated patches of pastel-toned oil paint. Each work on linen has a single focal point of bright yellow usually representing the rising or setting sun, though in the painting above the illumination comes from an approach train. Anderson balances the natural and manmade by primarily featuring infrastructure—ships, marinas, trains, buildings—that appears small and distant within each pastel haze.

Anderson’s career began with stained glass restoration projects at cathedrals and he shares in a statement that his training in the jigsaw-like aspects of stained glass design and repair continue to inform his style as a painter. See more of his paintings on Instagram and Twitter. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

Art

Four Seasons of Flowers Appear to Blossom and Wither in a Responsive Installation by teamLab

Illuminated columns protrude from the ground of bath house ruins in a new installation by teamLab (previously). The structures, which the Japanese collective refers to as “megaliths,” feature moving images of waterfalls and flowers in a constant state of change. Over the course of an hour, visitors will experience one year of seasonal flowers bud, grow, blossom, and wither away. Incorporated into the megaliths is also imagery of flowing water that adapts to the movement of nearby viewers. Each element of the artwork is computer generated, unique, and will never appear in the same state again.

Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins was created for a new exhibition titled A Forest Where Gods Live, in Mifuneyama Rakuen Park on the Japanese island of Kyushu, which runs through November 4, 2019. The soundtrack for the piece was created by Hideaki Takahashi, and sponsored by Grand Seiko. You can view more computer-animated sculptures and installations on teamLab’s website and Vimeo. (via designboom)

Animation Art Design Science

Infinite Forms Unfurl in New Rotating Sculptures by John Edmark

We continue to be transfixed by John Edmark’s (previously) infinite 3-D printed designs. The self-described artist, designer, and inventor uses visual tricks to create cascading effects on rotating textured white sculptural surfaces. His most recent video, “Blooms Assortment”, features a noodle-like form, shifting cubes, and a hollow gridded shape that resembles a geyser or mushroom cloud. Edmark has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science and has lectured at Stanford’s design program for over fifteen years.  See more of Edmark’s creations on Vimeo and if you’d like to call one of his pieces your own, visit his online store.

Art

Thread Recreations of Famous Paintings Produced by Mathematical Algorithms

Moscow-based programmer Ani Abakumova uses algorithms to organize lengths of colored thread into the style of classic paintings. Although the mathematical formulas for the placement of each thread are created on her computer, Abakumova performs the labor of attaching each string in the correct order and pattern. She works exclusively on circular hoops, narrowing her focus on the subject of each painting such as the Mona Lisa or the Girl with a Pearl Earring. You can see more of Abakumova’s threaded recreations on Instagram. (via Design You Trust)

Photography

Flower-Filled Portraits by Diaja Celebrate Natural Beauty in the African Diaspora

Photographer and designer Ceres Henry embellishes her portrait subjects with floral body paint and fresh blossoms in her Adam & Eve series. The New York-based artist hand-painted each person before the shoot, inspired in the moment by the flowers she had pre-selected, and then worked the three-dimensional blooms into the composition. Henry, who goes by Diaja, explains that she seeks to counter negative narratives and stereotypes with Adam & Eve. “The significance of this series is to highlight the Black and African diaspora as works of art to be admired and celebrated,” she says.

In addition to Diaja’s work as a photographer, she also founded and runs a nonprofit, Artists of Today, which offers pop-up gallery and grant opportunities to emerging artists. The next gallery event is on August 17, 2019, and tickets are available here. See more from Diaja’s multi-faceted creative practice on Instagram.

Art

Banal Moments Contorted into Surreal Stoneware Sculptures by Genesis Belanger

Genesis Belanger twists and stretches familiar objects into surreal scenarios with her stoneware, porcelain, and concrete sculptures. The Brooklyn-based artist frequently depicts detached limbs, misplaced teeth, and unusually located food in her work. One sculpture shows a mustard-topped hot dog disappearing into a handbag with a mouth-like zipper; another series dispenses rocks from dysfunctional quarter candy machines. This spring, a stoneware desk topped with flaccid pens, a tape-like tongue dispenser, and a drawer full of coping mechanisms was on view in the New Museum’s store window gallery. Belanger earned an MFA at Hunter College and a BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Explore more of her unusual sculptures on her website and Instagram.