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.

X-Ray Visions

Nick Veasey is the artist behind these incredible X-ray images of household objects, clothes, toys, insects, crustaceans, and buildings. Veasey built a concrete structure in which to photograph and X-ray the images and the complexity and length of his process depended on the size and material of each object. On his inspiration for this project, Veasey states “we live in a world obsessed with image…I like to counter this obsession with superficial appearance by using X-rays to strip back the layers and show what it is like under the surface…I like to challenge this automatic way that we react to just physical appearance by highlighting the, often surprising, inner beauty.” Veasey was also motivated by a desire to use technology in a way that rejects its current use, elaborating that “security cameras track our every move…to create art with equipment and technology designed to help Big Brother delve deeper, to use some of that fancy complicated gadgetry that helps remove freedom and individuality in our lives, to use that apparatus to create beauty brings a smile to my face.”

Photos via Veasey’s website, which also has more photos and information on the process.

Fabulous 4th

We all know the best part about 4th of July is the fireworks, and we’re currently reliving them through Brooklyn-based photographer Thomas Prior’s unique captures.

Photos via Prior’s Tumblr. You can also view more of his 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.

Fleeting Florals

For his “Vessels and Blooms” series, Jack Long experimented with dyes, thickeners, and pigments to imitate the colors and forms of flowers, leaves and vases. Although familiar with fluid suspension due to previous work, it was not an easy process, as Long says: “This series was a culmination of months of planning and testing. Hundreds of captures are made in testing and then many more during the actual final capture stage. A very few stand out as being the best.” And no, he did not use Photoshop!

Pictures via here and here. You can view more of Long’s photography on his website and his Flickr.

Nature at Night

Lee Eunyeol is the creator of these lighted landscapes, composed of elements from night and day due to his planting of lights around common nature scenes. On his work, Eunyeol says that “Starry Night expresses private spaces given by night and various emotions that are not able to be defined and described in the space…Unified light from these two spaces generates a mysterious landscape.”

Photos via here and here; unfortunately Eunyeol doesn’t have a website yet.

Land Through the Looking Glass

Scottish sculptor Rob Mulholland used Perspex, a type of acrylic glass, to create sculptures of figures that both mirror and blend in with their surroundings for his exhibit entitled Vestige. The figures were created to visually represent the plight of previous inhabitants of an area of land in Scotland that was destroyed and repaired to grow trees for timber after World War I. As the figures cause viewers to reflect on man’s impact on nature through the ages, they also “create a visual notion of non-space. A void as if they are at one moment part of our world and then as they fade into the forest they become an intangible outline.” Mulholland elaborated on his artistic inspiration and purpose, saying “The human desire to leave a trace of oneself for future generations has always intrigued me. It’s a driving force to create and leave a semblance of ourselves as individuals and society. The reflective figures ask us to look again and consider the symbiotic relationship we have with our natural and man-made environment.” Photos are below along with an eerie video.

Pictures via Mulholland’s website, here, and here.