Start cameras rollingA local filmmaker is preparing to start production on a Bega Valley-made web series that will be screened ... Students celebrate womenMale and female students at Eden Marine High School came together to celebrate International Women’s Day on Wednesday, ... Merimbula’s International Women’s Day lunch 2017A lunch at Club Sapphire celebrated International Women's Day... ‘It’s all about the grittiness’: Slipping their way into the world of indie-rockSlipways guitarist and vocalist Zack Jenkin could talk music for days. Mayor awarded for leadership, advocacyBega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain has won a Ministers' Award for Women in Local Government.Spanish street artist Pejac‘s work (previously) is known for its subtle interaction with urban environments, small interruptions to everyday buildings like bird-shaped cracks created in an abandoned power plant’s windows, or trompe l’oeil paintings scattered through the streets of the district of Uskudar.

Pejac’s newest series brings an urban resource into the studio rather than having the artist travel out. Utilizing pressed wood as a pseduo-canvas, Pejac draws with black ink and pencil to produce soft deer, birds, and flowers in the works’ foregrounds. ar drone flight recorder vendaThese natural elements showcase the wooden medium’s origin, highlighting how natural environments are continuously being chopped down and constructed over.mq 27 dragonfire drone price “The beauty of the pressed wood seems to hide the arrogance of man in its relation with nature,” said Pejac. dji innovations dslrpros phantom aerial uav drone quadcopter for gopro“These panels have some sort of aesthetic warmth but at the same time a sense of devastation, making it very contradictory, which directly refers to my way of understanding art.

Expressing myself on thousands of small pieces of wood feels like ‘tattooing’ on the stripped skins of trees. Each drawing in this Redemption series are tribute to nature. Any other subject would have been frivolous.” You can see Pejac’s other series posted on his website. See related posts on Colossal about painting, wood. Last month photographer Sigurdur William camped out at the edge of the Kerid volcanic crater lake in Iceland where he captured this unusual view of the Northern lights and stars reflected on the water’s surface. Located in southern Iceland the Kerid is one of many crater lakes in the area that are frequented by locals and tourists alike, some of which visit through William’s photography tour business ArcticShots. (via Astronomy Picture of the Day) See related posts on Colossal about astronomy, Iceland, long exposure, sky, volcanoes. Japanese artist Hiroshi Shinno builds hyperrealistic sculptures of insects that don’t exist, perfect forms of imaginative species that look as if they were built from vibrant leaves and delicate flower petals.

Even these aspects of the creatures are false, as each leaf or petal was cast from resin and painted with acrylic paint before being placed on the model’s brass base. In addition to building these fantastical works, Shinno also sketches the initial ideas for his imaginative creatures in an Insect Diary on his website. You can see more of the Kyoto-born artist’s insect-based sculptures and 3D work on his Tumblr.  See related posts on Colossal about insects, sculpture. Japan has a rich tradition of food carving called mukimono. If you’ve ever eaten at a fancy restaurant in Japan you might have found a carrot carved into a bunny, garnishing your plate. But in the hands of Japanese artist Gaku, the art of fruit and vegetable carving is elevated to a new realm of edible creations. One constraint to carving fruits and vegetables is that sometimes you must work fast. The moment a peel is removed, oxidization will start to discolor your artwork. So, depending on the variety, Gaku’s carvings are probably created within several minutes.

Armed with a tool similar to an x-acto knife and a fruit or vegetable from the grocery store, Gaku carves intricate patterns that are often inspired by traditional Japanese motifs. Gaku points out that the banana is great fruit to practice with because it’s cheap and easy to carve. When asked what he does with all his creations after he’s done, his reply is simple: he eats them. “Except for the banana peel.” You can see more of Gaku’s creations on his Instagram account. (Syndicated from Spoon & Tamago) See related posts on Colossal about carving, fruit, vegetables. Jennifer Bolande‘s work Visible Distance / Second Sight, is not one that you stop your car at and observe, in fact, its not one that even requires slowing to admire. The several billboard installation stretches alongside the Gene Autry Trail and Vista Chino in California, bordering the roads with scenic images of the same mountains that peak out behind each piece. In some instances the images match perfectly with the surrounding range, creating an alignment of fabricated reality while one zooms past the display.

Similar to artist Brian Kane‘s billboard displays of forests and galaxies in Massachusetts in the summer of 2015, Bolande’s work calls attention to nature in a ceaseless vacuum of pushy advertising. By placing images of the environment beside the roadway Bolande hopes to point passersby back to the landscape itself. The piece is part of the exhibition Desert X which also features Doug Aitken’s mirror-covered house. The exhibition runs through April 30, 2017, and you can see a full schedule of tours and events on their website.  See related posts on Colossal about advertising, billboards, desert, nature, public art. Nestled against the infamous cement barrier that currently separates Israel and Palestine in Bethlehem rests the latest ambitious art installation from the elusive street artist Banksy. Titled the “Walled Off Hotel,” and promising the “worst view in the world,” the experiential art show is a fully functional hotel that will be open for reservations as soon as next week.

Banksy and a team of assistants have spent the last 14 months retrofitting an old hotel, transforming the hallways, lobby, dining room, exterior, and individual guest rooms into an art exhibition. With the exception of a piece that showed up on a school house wall last June in Bristol, this appears to be the entire focus of the artist’s efforts since closing Dismaland in 2015. Not all of the artwork in the Walled Off Hotel is Banksy’s. Guest rooms have been given to artists like Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin, with additional rooms opening in the near future. An additional art gallery curated by historian and critic Ismal Duddera will include artworks by some of the most notable Palestinian artists over the last 20 years. Via the Walled Off Hotel website: If you stay at the Walled Off you could find yourself literally sleeping inside a work of art. So far Banksy, Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin have customised guest rooms, more will follow. As Diane Arbus once said ‘to live with an artwork is something different, to glimpse it from the corner of your eye.’

The hotel boasts floor to ceiling views of graffiti-strewn concrete from almost every room. And for the exhibitionists amongst you – many are within range of the army watchtower. All scenic rooms are ensuite and equipped with wifi, fridge, radio, personal safe and air conditioning. Outfitted with surplus items from an Israeli military barracks, this room offers a bed from $30 a night. No frills, includes locker, personal safe, shared bathroom, complimentary earplugs. Both the location at 182 Caritas Street in Bethlehem, Palestine as well as the collection of artworks are sure to draw a lot of tourism and controversy. The entire exhibit appears focused almost entirely on the ongoing conflict in the region and many of its consequences, but is also sure to draw significant tourism dollars over the next year. The hotel begins taking reservations on March 11, 2017 (opening officially on the 20th) and is slated to remain open until at least the end of year. You can learn much more on Banksy’s website and in the hotel’s FAQ.