Rubbish Jewellery by Hollie Paxton

Rubbish + precious materials (gold, silver etc) = jewellery + art + comment on throwaway culture

Tea Calendars

"Designed by Kelle Rebbe for German tea manufacture Hälssen & Lyon, "The Tea Calendar" features 365 days of wafer-thin pages made from pressed tea leaves. Simply tear off one of the square pages and let it brew directly in a cup with hot water."

Tea leaves + Calendar = An instant cup of tea everyday + calendar + save on wastage of rubbish (no teabags) + year-long supply of tea





- See more at: http://www.junk-culture.com/2013/05/a-ready-to-brew-calendar-made-from.html#more

Mind-mapping and the Brain

Mind maps are such an effective tool for processing information because it is both a creative and a logical way of brainstorming. Research has shown that mind-mapping manages to use the full range of our brain's cortical skills, as well as both the left and right brain. You can consider the Mind Map the ultimate thinking tool that incorporates all the significant and potent ways of thinking into its own structure. Also, the way we think is similar to the way we start from a central idea for the mind map, then branch out into different categories, distilling these ideas further or making more connections and associations along the way. Another reason for the success of mind maps is that it is basically an image. Images are much easier to remember than merely words because they make use of a wider range of cortical skills, especially imagination, which is essential to creative thinking. But I think that my favourite reason for the effectiveness of the mind map is that it has the exact same structure as a brain cell. It is literally a map of the mind.

(image source:http://www.zmescience.com/research/studies/the-adult-brain-cells-keep-growing-myth/)

Dante Horoiwa

Image source: http://hifructose.com/2013/08/12/dante-horoiwas-paintings-dabble-in-ritual/

Alejandro Sordi

Image source: http://hifructose.com/2013/08/19/humorous-monster-paintings-by-alejandro-sordi/

Mike Pelletier

parametric expression from mike pelletier on Vimeo.

Tarot Cards

I picked up tarot card reading from a friend of my mother's earlier this year and have done several readings for friends and acquaintances. I realised that many of the readings have been pretty accurate, and I guess that makes me wonder what I believe in. I think for now at least, my view is that in this existence every single decision we make influences every action that comes afterwards, including which tarot cards you choose. 

(photo by me)

Body Invaders

Animals and plants naturally manage to adapt to problems that they face in the survival of their species. If they cannot adapt, then the species faces extinction. I don't think that plants and animals have the capacity to brainstorm solutions as we humans do, but I find that nature has come up with pretty amazing solutions that we can learn or take inspiration from.

This is one of my favorites: a parasitic wasp lays its eggs in the body of a caterpillar that becomes a source of food and protection for the growing larvae until they are old enough to fly off. I think it's a very creative adaptation on the part of nature, even if it is rather brutal and it comes at the expense of another living creature. What scares me though is that the wasp larvae have managed to take over the mind of the caterpillar in addition to its body. Somehow, the caterpillar becomes protective of the larvae that have just chewed their way out of its body. It spins its own silk over the larvae's cocoons as extra protection and fights off other predators until it dies. If mind control exists in animals, how long more until it becomes possible among humans?

Cellograph

"Since 2009, graffiti artists Astro and Kanos have used a clever technique to create temporary and legal street art without damaging public property or breaking any laws. "Cellograph" consists of sheets of cellophane that have been wrapped around trees and poles to create temporary canvases for the artists to spray paint graffiti in parks and urban environments. The translucent nature of the cellophane adds layers of visual complexity to what is traditionally a two-dimensional medium."

 - See more at: http://www.junk-culture.com/2013/06/graffiti-artists-create-temporary-art.html#sthash.PmRqQkLX.dpuf

Cody Walzel's Breadheads

Breadheads from Cody Walzel on Vimeo.

Lola Dupre

These are actually hand-made collages of photographs cut with scissors and glued down onto wood panels. I thought they were either paintings or digitally manipulated photographs. 

Breaking the Habit

A habit that I have with regards to art is that I keep drawing most of my characters with only one eye. I first started doing this a couple of years ago because I was afraid of messing up the other eye. That was my excuse for a long while, but eventually I actually started to like the way the people looked. A few times, I would try to conquer my initial fear and draw the other eye, because I knew that even if I'd learned to appreciate parts of it, I was still handicapped. My double-eyed characters never turned out as bad as I expected. They definitely looked more complete, but I realise that I felt more for the ones that were half-blind.

However, I know that it is important not to be so set in my ways, especially while I am still learning. I can learn and take in much more if I keep an open mind, unrestricted by old habits and assumptions and am more willing to step beyond my comfort zone. That is why I try to make a conscious effort to also draw a full face more often, and see where I could possibly go from there.

(pictures and drawings by me)

Hidden Beauty: Exploring the Aesthetics of Medical Science

Who says art and medicine don't mix? These images of deadly diseases are part of a book called Hidden Beauty: Exploring the Aesthetics of Medical Science by Norman Barker and Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The images were captured using a variety of techniques, including spectral karyotyping, MRI, and scanning electron microscopy.

I find these pictures interesting because the diseases that manifest themselves in our bodies as what we see as "sickness", "ugliness" and possibly even "death" are actually really beautiful at cellular level. The disconnect between the cause and effect is startling.

Barrett's Esophagus

HIV

Osteoporosis

Hepatitis B