PVC Pipe Sculptures
In yet another example of artwork constructed from unconventional materials, Korean artist Kang Duck-bong uses cut sections of PVC pipe, painted and arranged to resemble people and machines in motion.
Photos via 4Walls Gallery.
Pothole Gardens
Drive around just about any major city and you’re bound to get jostled by a few potholes. The city of London is no exception, and artist Steve Wheen decided to highlight this growing problem by turning bits of broken road into miniature gardens and nature scenes.
The project was originally started as part of his college coursework, but has since grown into a labor of love, injecting a little bit of beauty into the most unlikely places.
Link.
Extremely Creepy Taxidermy
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured questionable taxidermy here at Offbeat Earth, but artist Enrique Gomez De Molina’s creations may take the cake.
De Molina combines aspects of different animals into his taxidermy sculptures, claiming his purpose is to raise awareness of so many of the earth’s creatures dying off. Whether or not this is art is up to you, but his pieces do often fetch thousands of dollars at auction.
All photos: Enrique Gomez De Molina.
2 Million Dollar Christmas Tree
In these tough economic times it’s important for a lot of families to cut back even when it comes to holiday gift giving. And while some trees might not have as many presents underneath this year, Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka has proved that there’s no loss of Christmas spirit for the ridiculously wealthy by creating a solid gold Christmas tree worth $1.95 million.
But I wanted an X-box!
Made of solid gold plates and heart-shaped ornaments, the tree stands nearly eight feet tall and weighs 26lbs. Once again, that’s 26lbs of SOLID GOLD.
Unfortunately, no budget was left for lights.
The tree will be on display at the Tokyo Ginza store until December 25th, after which it will be stuffed in a large envelope and sent to that Cash-4-Gold place they saw on TV.
Via.
Visible Lego Man
Building Lego Land takes a lot of brains; guts and bones too. Far from just a plastic airhead, Lego man shows off his inner-workings in this cool sculpture by artist Jason Freeny. Hopefully he’s just as easy to put back together!
Via.
Jim Doran’s Tiny Dioramas
If you’ve ever been to a museum or art installation with a diorama, you know just how large they can be; perhaps the best example being Germany’s Miniatur Wunderland.
Artist Jim Doran goes the opposite direction by creating extremely small paper dioramas and artistic pieces inside everyday objects such as Altoid and sardine tins, iPod cases and even lip balm jars. These three-dimensional works are fascinating to look at, and they conveniently fit in your pocket!
All art and photos via Jim Doran.
Tiger Skin Rug Made From 500,000 Cigarettes
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has a rather interesting installation right now. Renowned artist Xu Bing has created a giant tiger skin rug made out of nothing but cigarettes stood on end. Over half a million smokes were used to create the piece, which is supposedly inspired by the artist’s recent visit to tobacco farms and factories.
With the average price of cigarettes in the U.S., at $5.29 a pack, the “rug” is worth over $130,000. It’s a wonder he didn’t make a camel.
Via.
Exploding Houses
Looking like something out of a scene from Inception, these houses in Houston, Texas have been “modified” using their own wood siding to create the effect of jaw-dropping frozen explosions.
Artists Dean Ruck and Dan Havel have done this to several Houston homes over the last few years, all of which were slated for demolition. They’re just temporary pieces, as they’d probably be a little drafty to live in.
Story and photos via.
Scrap Metal Mercedes
In a true case of art imitating life, German designers Giants of Steel have created a life-size model of one of the most exclusive cars in history out of nothing but junk.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR was a purpose-built race car designed in the 1950’s. Had it ever become a production automobile its 180mph top speed would have made it the fastest car in the world for its time. However, getting behind the wheel of one of these automotive masterpieces these days is impossible, as the only remaining cars are under the care of Mercedes.
To pay homage to this motoring icon, Giants of Steel spent seven months sourcing, cutting and fitting together over 10,000 pieces of scrap metal to create the replica, and to our untrained eyes it looks accurate in every detail. There’s only one problem; it doesn’t drive. However, if you’d like to be only one on your block with a 300 SLR in your garage, it can be yours for a mere $100,000.
via.
A Toothpick Tour of San Francisco
Continuing our theme of art made from everyday objects is the humble toothpick. Artist Scott Weaver has proved that with enough toothpicks and enough time you can create a kinetic sculpture of an entire city.
As far as time and toothpicks go, this project has taken a lot of both. Weaver estimates that the nine foot tall, seven foot wide sculpture of San Francisco contains about 100,000 toothpicks. About 3,000 hours worth of work have gone into it since 1974, and it still grows and evolves as Weaver has time to add to it.
While not the largest toothpick sculpture in the world, “Rolling through the Bay” is different in that it’s kinetic. Any one of four paths will carry a ping pong ball through a separate tour of the city, passing famous landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Mount Tamalpais.
That is a lot of Elmer’s glue.
Images via The Tinkering Studio.
