The Sandwich Book

Designed by Wrocław-based artist and designer Pawel Piotrowski, the Sandwich Book is exactly what you think it is, an entire book made from pages that look like the common ingredients for a typical sandwich. Aaaaand I’m hungry. (via quipsologies)

Master of Pen and Ink: The Monumental Drawings of Manabu Ikeda

History of Rise and Fall. 6.5′ x 6.5′, pen & acrylic ink

History of Rise and Fall, detail

Ark. 3′ x 4′, pen & acrylic ink

Ark, detail

Regeneration

Foretoken. 6′ x 11′, pen & acrylic ink

Foretoken, detail

The task of Japanese artist Manabu Ikeda is seemingly impossible: a blank paper canvas larger than a person spread before him, a small acrylic pen in his hand, and hundreds of days to fill with faintly imperceptible progress from a mind brimming with explosive creativity. Ikeda works in areas measuring roughly 4″ square, spending eight hours a day, often for years, on a single drawing that can eventually dominate an entire wall. Traditional Japanese architecture clashes with giant mangled tree roots, while swarms of birds and fish dart through the water or atmosphere in a complete visual cacophony that somehow results in a single cohesive image. The most unbelievable aspect being that Ikeda has no idea what the final artwork will look like, but instead explores each work organically from day to day as he progresses inch by inch.

Ikeda’s most recent work, Meltdown, which explores the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake was recently on view at the West Vancouver Museum, and next month will embark on a 10 by 13 foot panel in Madison, Wisconsin which the artist estimates will take upward of three years to complete.

You can learn more over at Hi-Fructose, which sat down with the artist for an exclusive interview earlier this month.

Cloud Ceiling: An Interactive Cloud Made with 15,000 Light Bulbs at Progress Bar in Chicago

Calgary-based artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett (previously) swung by Chicago this month and installed this amazing interactive lighting solution called Cloud Ceiling at Progress Bar. Constructed from hand-bent steel, reflective mylar, electronics, motion sensors, LEDs, and 15,000 re-appropriated incandescent light bulbs, the cloud is now a permanent fixture in the bar which opened earlier this week. Motion sensors embedded in the ceiling cause the cumulous surface of light bulbs to illuminate, effectively ‘mapping’ a lit path through the cloud as bar patrons move through the space.

Brown and Garret were featured in this space last year, for a similar interactive cloud installed at Nuit Blanche Calgary. You can learn more about Cloud Ceiling here.

Night: Surreal Landscapes Lit with an LED Flashlight by Harold Ross

Fine art photographer Harold Ross uses delicate light painting techniques to create surreal landscapes photographed late at night. The photographer, who has been perfecting his methods for over 25 years, uses an LED flashlight and other lights to selectively illuminate various areas in each photograph, a process he refers to as “light sculpting”. The results are scenes that look almost like digitally rendered illustrations, with numerous light sources that seem to come from every direction. The photos you see here really don’t do his work justice, see them much larger on his website. Ross also teaches about light painting over on his blog. (via faith is torment)

Paper Lion Constructed from Hotel Receipts by Kyle Bean

Designer Kyle Bean (previously) was recently commissioned by Intercontinental Hotels Group to make this amazing 2-foot lion sculpture from shredded hotel expense receipts. Is there anything this guy can’t do? Take a dive into his portfolio to see some of his other recent creations. Photography by Owen Silverwood.

Cortex: A Conceptual 3D-Printed Exoskeletal Cast by Jake Evill

One of the worst aspects of fracturing a bone, other than the excruciating pain and subsequent hospital bill, is the itchy, smelly, plaster cast. Sure, all your friends get to write hilarious things on it, but you end up being the kid in the shallow end of the pool with their arm stuck inside a giant trash bag. Definitely not cool. What if a cast could be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing? Jake Evill, a graduate from the Architecture and Design school at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, has been exploring such a concept and he calls it Cortex.

Evill says that the “Cortex exoskeletal cast provides a highly technical and trauma zone localized support system that is fully ventilated, super light, shower friendly, hygienic, recyclable and stylish.” Patients would first receive an x-ray to pinpoint the nature of the break and would next have their arm scanned to determine the outer shape of their limb. Lastly the Cortex cast would be 3D-printed, with optimized levels of support around the break area to provide a snug fit.

It’s safe to say that with present technology the 3D-printed method would take considerably longer to fabricate than a typical plaster cast, but the idea is intriguing. It reminds me of the present movement to make prosthetic limbs more beatiful and personalized. Read more about Cortex here. (via dezeen)

Surreal Digital Illustrations by Tebe Interesno

I’m really enjoying these digital illustrations by artist Tebe Interesno, who explores a wide variety of themes from surrealism to science fiction. While his blog hasn’t been updated in a while there are pages of work going back several years that are well worth a look. If you like this, also check out Alex Andreev.