Carving and Build a Kinetic Whale Sculpture: A Whale of a Good Time

Posted on 24/04/2022 by hite

Have you always dreamed of building your own wooden whale kinetic sculpture? Who hasn’t? It’s one of the dreams that unifies humanity. And thankfully, photographer and artist Sylvain Gautier documented the process in which he built this particular model, so you can follow along and build your own. Or fail horribly and wind up with a bunch of blood-stained kindling as I did.

There’s a six-and-a-half-minute short version of the build video (above) for those of you with some existing knowledge of carving and building who only need the basics to get started, but there’s also a 26-minute extended version (below) for those of you who need their hand held a little more. Honestly, I don’t even think a six-hour version could have helped me.

I absolutely adore stuff like this – I’m a huge fan of whimsy. As an added bonus, Sylvain created a 10-hour looping video (below) of him cranking the sculpture and the whale swimming. So relaxing. I’m four hours in, and it just keeps getting better and better.

[via GeeksAreSexy]

Alien Butler Pedestal Table: Roswell, Another Drink Please

Posted on 23/03/2022 by hite

Because who hasn’t dreamed of employing an alien butler, manufacturer of over-the-top home and garden decor Design Toscano has created the Roswell the Alien Butler Pedestal Table. It’s a small $109 pedestal table in the shape of an alien, perfect for holding your out-of-this-world cocktail while reading a book on alien conspiracy theories. They are among us.

The table measures 10.5″ wide, 6″ deep, and 26″ tall, and weighs a modest 7-pounds, making it easy to pick up and carry around the house with you, so you always have a table at your disposal. Of course, you should probably have your actual butler do the carrying for you. I mean you do have a butler, don’t you? I know my wife does (SPOILER: it’s me!).

This table is perfect for the person who feels their home has been missing that certain… how do I put it… naked bony alien butt. You know they say if you make it, somebody will buy it, and I just bought one for every room in the house. It’s an alien butler invasion!

[via DudeIWantThat]

Sculpted BB-8/Hulkbuster Mashup Figure: The Sithbuster

Posted on 10/01/2022 by hite

Let’s face it, with Disney owning both properties now, Star Wars and Marvel are practically begging for a crossover. And to give us an idea of what that probably wouldn’t look like, artist Adam of the YouTube channel North of the Border sculpted this 1:12 scale BB-8/Hulkbuster armor mashup. Sith and Hulk alike, beware!

I particularly like the BB-8 inspired paint job. The amount of fine detail Adam was able to achieve is most impressive, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he could thread a needle on his first try. For reference, I struggle to thread a needle for my grandma at all until she eventually tells me not to bother – she’ll just get one of her favorite grandchildren to do it for her.

Now that I’ve planted the seed of a Star Wars/Marvel crossover in my own mind, it won’t stop growing. Will I start writing my own fan fiction?! No, but only because I’m too lazy. I will, however, start creating my own fan fiction in my mind, which takes significantly less effort than writing and can be done in the bathtub.

The Iconic Picture Frame that ‘Slows Down Time’ is on a 17% Holiday Discount

Posted on 05/12/2021 by Sarang Sheth

I understand that everyone wants this year to end as soon as possible, but Jeff Lieberman’s iconic installation, the Slow Dance, makes the case for slowing time down so you can focus on and appreciate the beauty of nature, physics, and life. The Slow Dance is a frame that has the ability to stretch time through an optical illusion, allowing you to almost get carried away to a magical new world. Built with an electromagnetic vibrator and a strobe-light that work together with impeccable accuracy, the Slow Dance frame makes things inside it flutter in an invisible breeze, in slow-motion. You could be in a room with absolutely no wind and the feather or flower still sways on its own in that hypnotic slow speed – like nature’s own fidget spinner.

Designer: Jeff Lieberman of Wonder Machines

Click Here to Buy Now: $331.55 ~~$399~~ (17% off with Coupon Code: YANKO). Hurry, sale ends Dec 6th.

Designed to be an art installation you can hang on a wall or place on a mantelpiece and stare at for hours, the Slow Dance lets you mount a variety of things within its magical frame, from feathers to flowers, to even interesting looking leaves. Switch it on, and the object within the frame begins fluttering in slow motion, without any external stimulus (you should really check out the video above). The illusion relies on two core components – a precisely engineered system within the Slow Dance’s frame, and your eye’s ability to see in 24 frames per second.

The engineering lies in an electromagnet that causes the feather/flower/leaf to flutter away, and LED lighting built into the frame’s inner edge that strobes/flickers at a precisely calculated rate to make that chaotic flutter seem like slow-motion choreography. Regardless of the object you secure to the Slow Dance, it flutters magically in slow motion perfectly, making you experience time slowly. In fact, the Slow Dance comes with additional modes too, allowing you to choose between the slow-motion flutter to a clone-mode that lets you create two instances of the same object, and a glitch mode that lets it flicker and jump in time and space!

The Slow Dance is one of those products that’s just designed to make you a child again. Just the way slow-mo scenes in movies are created to make your jaw drop, the Slow Dance inspires a similar feeling, making you want to stare at it for hours as you just appreciate time as a concept, and how physics and biology come together to create something so powerful and moving (literally, and emotionally!). The Slow Dance was originally envisioned by Jeff Lieberman as a gift for his friends, but the overwhelmingly positive response he received for his product prompted him to take it to Kickstarter, delivering over 2500 units, and garnering the attention of publications like WIRED, TechCrunch, and Fast Company. It’s no secret that the Slow Dance makes an incredible gift (after all, it started off as one), and if you’re looking for a mesmerizing piece of home decor for your Thanksgiving party, or for a gift to give a loved one this upcoming holiday season, the Slow Dance comes in 3 wooden models – Craft Pine, Light Pine, and Ebonized Ash.

The Slow Dance is running a site-wide $50 Off discount between 3rd and 15th December, however, readers of Yanko Design get an extra 5% off by using the coupon code YANKO at the check-out. Visit the Wonder Machines website and grab a Slow Dance picture frame for yourself or a loved one using the link below! You’re literally giving them the gift of time!

Click Here to Buy Now: $331.55 ~~$399~~ (17% off with Coupon Code: YANKO). Hurry, sale ends Dec 6th.

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These wooden urban architecture sculptures in Venice are calling for climate action!

Posted on 01/12/2021 by Chi Thukral

Climate change has inspired a lot of designs and installations over recent years, but there is something poetically ironic about Issori’s ‘A Line of Water’ which was unveiled during Dutch Design Week 2021. It is a sculptural gesture and call to climate action designed to live in Venice, one of the cities that will face the wrath of rising sea levels faster than others. The wooden installation spreads awareness about the water levels while also giving the community a space to relax in – didn’t I say poetically ironic?

The series of wooden installations enable its inhabitants to be fully immersed in the city’s lagoon landscape. The urban architecture proposal includes benches, platforms, and pier-like extensions that would be partially immersed during high tide and fully accessible during low tide. The aim of the project is to foster more awareness of the shifting sea levels, which are increasing the frequency of high tides in the city. At the same time, Issori wanted to create a place to relax and be together. She describes it as an “urban living room”.

“The phenomenon of high and low tide is unique,” says Issori. “It is part of the everyday life of locals, as well as an attraction for tourists. Related to atmospheric events and climate change, the raising of the tide is more and more frequent not only in this area but also in other parts of the world. In the research, I wanted to explore a way to embrace the water and connect with nature, while taking the time to be fully immersed in the lagoon landscape.”

Building on the area’s historical blueprint, Issori imagines the contemporary interventions in the gardens of Sant’Elena in the Castello district. The district was an uninhabited lagoon until the 1920’s when the land was reclaimed and a new residential area was built. The series of platforms extend outward from the water’s edge as well as multiple circular designs with tiered seating for people to gather.

Issori imagines the platforms being made from oak and larch wood, the same materials used to create the piles on which Venice’s foundation is built. These types of wood are used because of their density, strength, and water resistance. “The construction system involved is the same one used to build Venice. The wooden poles are planted in the clayey soil where the oxygen is not present so that the deterioration process doesn’t take place. The part of the pole which is in contact with water will slowly be damaged and would need to be replaced with the passing of years,” she explains.

There are also several installations on land for people to interact with specifically during high tide, which include sloped platforms and a curved bench. Italian squares and the rounded shape of Sicilian amphitheaters were reference points when opting for rounded forms, as well as a desire to make users feel protected. The circular shape is a kind of hug and invites people to sit together, share, walk on them or lay down – either way, you will be fully immersed in the landscape and closer to water.

Designer: Margherita Issori

The post These wooden urban architecture sculptures in Venice are calling for climate action! first appeared on Yanko Design.

This 3D printed ceramic architectural sculpture looks like it is ethereally floating on a shallow pool!

Posted on 19/10/2021 by Srishti Mitra

Placed on a glistening shallow pool, at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin is a 3D printed sculpture called the ‘Prairie Cord’.

Designer Brian Peters embarked on an intense journey to explore 3D printed designs – from parts to whole. The result of his exploratory process was an exterior public art installation that seems like it floats on a serene water body while playing with light, shadow, and reflection during the day, as well as the night. The architectural sculpture mimics a lattice-like arc, which is artfully reflected on the surface of the pool, creating a mesmerizing full cylinder! Although it seems as if the sculpture is magically floating on the water body, it is in fact supported by a foundation of concrete blocks. Much like its name, the intricate infill pattern on the structure is inspired by the native prairie cord grasses. The creative pattern allows light to gently filter in and out of the installation.

Designer: Brian Peters

The installation was built from 80 individual ceramic blocks. Sixteen unique block designs were distributed amongst the collection of blocks, depending on where they were placed. This created an assemblage of blocks, accentuated by a variety of artistic and attractive patterns. There’s nothing boring about this temporary installation! Not to mention, all of the ceramic blocks are 3D printed! The blocks have been designed and fabricated by Peters himself, via a custom process that he has been working on for years. Once 3D printed in his studio in Pittsburgh, the blocks are refined and fired in a kiln!

The Prairie Cord is unlike any of the usual installations we come across. From the fabrication process to the final structure – there is something magical and unique in every part of this journey. The end result is a beautiful sculpture, that ethereally floats atop mirrored waters!