Juxtaposition

Inspired by “emergent systems in nature such as termite mounds, swarming locusts, schooling fish, and flocking birds” Thomas Jackson created this photography series entitled “Emergent Behavior” to “attempt to tap into the fear and fascination that these phenomena tend to evoke.” Additionally, his series emphasizes juxtaposition “by constructing the pieces from unexpected materials and placing them in environments where they seem least to belong” so as to “tweak the margins of our visual vocabulary, and to invite fresh interpretations of everyday things” through “creating an uneasy interplay between the real and the imaginary.”

Photos via Jackson’s website.

No Can Left Behind

Can Love is an organization that collects discarded spray paint cans and creates additional art using their skeletons. The main problem they have with street art is “not the environmental impact of graffiti art, but rather our lack of awareness and respect for the very thing that allows us to create amazing typographic masterpieces.” On their mission, Can Love states that they “like to think we’re setting the soul of each spray can free, allowing it to rest in peace (or pieces), and memorializing it as a true work of art.”

Photos via Can Love’s website.

Submerged Sculptures

Jason deCaires Taylor is the creator of these incredible underwater sculptures around the waters of Cancun. The sculptures are not only aesthetically pleasing but also environmentally friendly, serving as artificial reefs that enable coral to grow and marine life to thrive. Taylor doesn’t consider himself the only artist, however. “I have a whole team of underwater helpers that come along and do all the finishing for me,” Taylor says. “The coral applies the paint. The fish supply the atmosphere. The water provides the mood. People ask me when it’s going to be finished. This is just the beginning.”

Photos via here, here, and here. You can read about and see more of Taylor’s work on his website.

Singapore’s Supertrees

Aptly nicknamed the “Supertrees”, these stunning structures are the first part of Singapore’s “Garden by the Bay” project,  a 250-acres long green initiative costing 750 million USD, which some say is the government’s attempt to make Singapore “the botanical capital of the world”. A 22 meters (7 stories) high walkway links the trees for the visitors to enjoy the 200,000 species of plants hanging off of the trunks and decorating the surrounding ground. In addition to their aesthetic value, the trees are also extremely environmentally conscious as they collect rainwater and provide shade for the aforementioned plants as well as provide energy for the park lights and watering system from the energy absorbed by their solar panels. Singapore is, without a doubt, succeeding in its mission to evolve from a “City Garden” to a “City in a Garden”.

Pictures via here.