Mesmerizing sculptural instrument uses water for an otherworldly musical light show

There are plenty of art installations set up around the world, but the majority of them have a “look but don’t touch” policy. After all, “art” is expected to be mostly visual and the risk of damaging a precious, one-of-a-kind masterpiece is just too high. There are, however, other art forms that require your other senses to truly have a complete experience, sometimes involving not just touch but even hearing as well. This sculptural instrument, for example, invites people to dip their hands into glowing drums of water to create a hypnotic audiovisual experience intended to raise their consciousness to higher levels.

Designer: Artur Weber

Inner Waves look nothing like any musical instrument you can think of, except probably for a drum set with too many drums arranged in an almost random fashion around the largest circle in the middle. Like their namesake, though, these are actually small container drums that can hold liquid, in this case, water. Unlike your typical water drum, however, these cylinders have a faint glow on the outside that contrasts with the darkness they hold inside.

As captivating as these eerie glowing drums might be, they’re not designed just for your eyes. After all, you can’t even appreciate the water they hold in the darkness, and so you have to make that leap of faith and plunge your hand or even just a finger inside that darkness. This act rewards you with a brighter light and an ethereal sound that is reminiscent of the tones produced by a theremin. It is also similar to the sound you make when you dip your finger inside a glass of water and then run your fingertip around the mouth of the glass.

This alien sculptural instrument is advertised to link the water inside the viewer’s body with the water within the vessel, a statement that almost has a transcendental message to it. Technically speaking, it most likely uses the vibrations caused by ripples in order to trigger the mechanism that increases the light’s intensity and produces sound. Of course, your brain might not immediately make that connection, making you think that it is indeed your body’s agency that is creating this effect. Either way, the audiovisual art installation has the intended effect of putting your mind in a more meditative state, perhaps contemplating the deeper meaning behind this intersection of art and technology.

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Discover the Top Ten Types of Street Art

Street art is a form of visual art that is found in public buildings, streets, bridges, trains, and other spaces, particularly for public visibility and to reach a broader audience. Street art not only forms a powerful tool to convey messages to society but also enhances the beauty of public spaces. Street art is found all around the world and street artists are known to transform the streets with their creativity and imagination. The traditional form of street art included graffiti artists who worked with spray paint. Some of the other media include stencil art, mosaic tiling, LED art, and outdoor sculptures while the recent forms of street art include video projections of large city buildings.

Designer: Anthony Howe

How did street art evolve over the years?

The origin of street art can be found in ancient civilizations where graffiti was used to mark territories, express cultural identities, and served as historic records. The modern street art movement started in the 1960s in cities like New York and Philadelphia and 1970s artists in cities like Paris and London. In the 1980s and 1990s street art evolved, and artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Banksy rose to prominence. Today street art is touching new heights with the integration of new technology and adapting to the changing socio-political context.

Designer: BREAKFAST

Types of Street Art

Here are the top ten types of street art that one will often come across on urban streets. Each art comes with its distinct characteristics and techniques.

1. Graffiti Artwork

Designer: Banksy (via Banksy Archive)

Graffiti artwork is one of the most iconic forms of street art that has been around for ages. In this form of art images or text is painted on the building using spray paint, large bubble lettering, and decorative scripts to convey messages, evoke emotions and enhance the beauty of public walls. The term “graffiti” refers to inscriptions, figure drawings, and markings that have been found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins just like those in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Graffiti formed a part of the hip-hop culture in the 1970s, it is a form of self-expression and rebellion, allowing youth from disadvantaged communities to gain recognition for their creative ideas in public spaces.

2. 3D Wall Graffiti

Designer: Joe Fafard

3D wall graffiti is also known as anamorphic art which can create an optical illusion of objects popping out from the wall and the artwork coming to life. It makes two-dimensional paintings appear like three-dimensional paintings when viewed from a specific angle. This skill is honed through artists by employing perspective, shading, and anamorphic methods through dedicated time and practice as it appeals to both young and old when exhibited in public spaces. Chalk or paint is used to create these incredible pieces of art.

3. Stencil Graffiti

Designer: selfie_stencils

Stencil Graffiti employs stencils to create images on public spaces like walls, and buildings. The artists use pre-cut templates to reproduce the same image multiple times and then use spray paint to make a clear representation of the design. This ensures faster execution and replication and is effective in communicating ideas to a broader audience in multiple locations.

4. Street Poster Art

Street poster art involves the pasting of posters in public spaces like walls, poles, or any other visible surface to stimulate public thought. The posters may display controversial or abstract visuals to give political statements or social messages to bring forth public awareness about their causes.

Note: Wheatpasting art is the technique of applying posters in public using a mixture of wheat flour or natural adhesives to water to create a paste. These posters are weather resistant in comparison to other simple paper posters.

5. Video Projection

Designer: Eye Studio

Also known as projection mapping street art, it combines the use of video projections to project images, animations, or videos on buildings or other urban surfaces to create an immersive visual experience. The biggest difference between street art is that is static and uses paint for the surface, video projection is dynamic, and special software is used to map the content on the surface, including captivating animations and colorful visuals. It is temporary and used for special events and festivals.

6. Guerrilla Art

Designer: S.c. MeRo

Guerrilla art is also known as street intervention, where impromptu and temporary installations are created in public without seeking permission. It blurs the line between art and activism, raises awareness of social issues, urges the public to question their surroundings, and transforms the urban city into an ever-changing canvas for artistic expression. Some of the innovative methods of incorporating this art include wheat pasting, sculptures, and yarn bombing that aims to disrupt the urban environment.

7. Flash Mobbing

Among the various forms of street art, the flash mob is most enjoyable as it usually involves dancing in a public space. A flash mob involves a spontaneous assembly of individuals in a public space where they perform and then disperse swiftly. The main aim of flash mobbing is to deliver entertainment, satire, or artistic expression. They usually perform in crowded places like malls, parks, and public squares to spread a message. Street plays are also a form of art where a large group wears simple costumes and use banners and posters to attract attention.

8. Street Installations

Designer: Donald Lipski

Designer: BREAKFAST

Designer: Etienne Krähenbühl

Street Installations are 3D structures made by artists that are displayed on the streets. They can be categorized as sculptures with or without historic significance and interactive or temporary art installations. These three-dimensional artworks are usually connected with political, religious, and historic belongings and are made in materials like stone, wood, metal, recycled materials, and fiber to name a few. Unlike conventional street art, street installations occupy physical space. It brings art to the public and blurs the boundaries between artwork and the urban environment. This is a beautiful form of street art as it evokes emotions and reactions from people who pass by. In addition, the installations can be interactive and invite viewers to engage with the art in unique ways. Kinetic sculptures, artworks incorporating movement often powered by natural elements or mechanical means, can be considered a form of street art. Installed in public spaces like streets, parks, and plazas, they offer engaging and interactive art experiences for passersby.

9. Environmental Art

Designer: Theo Jansen

Also known as Earth Art, it aims to bridge the gap between art and nature. Environmental art is an artistic expression where artists create site-specific artworks with natural materials found in the landscape like sand, rock, water, plants, and wood. These artworks are temporary and they emerged in the 1960s and early 1970s in response to the concern about environmental issues and indicate that it is our responsibility to protect it.

From the Beach…

Designer: Subodh Kerkar

10. Mural Art

Designer: Steven Teller

This is a large-scale artwork that is painted onto the walls or public surfaces of urban cities. It’s a great way to beautify public spaces with vibrant colors and themes that cover entire walls, including realistic portraits, landscapes, or abstract designs. The different techniques used in mural art may include spray paint, rollers, brushes, or any other technique. The best part about mural art is that it reflects the local culture, tells stories, and attracts both locals and tourists who appreciate its beauty in public spaces. The impressive artworks effortlessly transform the urban landscapes into iconic landmarks of the city.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co3zKdVsRmA/

Hence, every form of street art leaves a unique impression on urban landscapes and plays a vital role in the dynamic and continuously evolving global street art movement.

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This strange-looking plant box uses science to create eerie music

There are people who believe that music can be found in everything, mostly in a figurative sense. Harmony, a word that’s primarily associated with music, can also be found in visual forms. There are also feelings and expressions that can almost come off as musical, while the world is also filled with beats, rhythms, and tones that are like the planet’s natural orchestra. And then there are those seemingly fantastic claims of plants making music of their own. While it isn’t as magical as it might sound, no pun intended, there is indeed a way to hear the invisible sounds that plants make, as demonstrated by this odd box that looks like a prop from a 50s sci-fi show.

Designer: Love Hulten

Plantwave is a rather curious concept that sometimes starts debates among scientists, musicians, and everyone in between. The idea of plants making music might sound like magical mumbo jumbo, but the reality is far simpler and actually less romantic than it would otherwise imply. In a nutshell, it involves biofeedback or gathering biodata from plants, converting electrical signals into beeps, waves, and tones that are configured by a controller. In a plant’s case, it uses the changes in electrical current passing through a plant, which can vary depending on how much water there is inside during its photosynthesis process.

Of course, none of these scientific details are actually visible or even audible to people, and all they will hear and believe is the plant suddenly making noises almost equivalent to music, or at least a very crude form of it. The design of this plant box, however, gives off a science experiment vibe with its knobs and switches, creating an image that is closer to reality than some mystical explanation of the plantwave phenomenon.

The biolab-like Desert Songs utilizes cacti because they have sparse and sporadic activities going inside. Different cactus species exhibit different behaviors, so you can have a variety of signals even within the same plant box. The truly random biofeedback that the plants emit is translated into MIDI signals that are then fed to a Korg NTS-1 synthesizer and “reinterpreted” by a Macrocosm effects device from Hologram Electronics. Topping it off is a MIDI visualizer made to look like a microscopic view of a plant’s chloroplasts, the cells responsible for photosynthesis.

The end result is no less mystifying than if the plants did magically produce music. The eerie waves and beeps emanating from the machine give the sound an almost otherworldly melody, quite befitting of a process most of us know very little of. While it won’t beat even amateur musicians, this audiovisual installation still creates an attention-grabbing and memorable experience, one that will surely spark the imagination of what could be taking place in the plant microcosm.

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These hive-like terracotta structures offer a natural way to cool air down a bit

Whether you believe in global warming or not, it’s hard to deny that the past days have been setting records when it comes to abnormally hot temperatures. Some countries that normally don’t experience such hot and humid weather were caught unprepared, while others cranked up the air conditioning, which meant higher expenses and more carbon emissions. Though we now experience greater amounts of heat, the problem isn’t unique to our history. There was a time when humans didn’t even have electric fans to help them keep cool, and they used more natural and environment-friendly methods instead. There is some wisdom to those ancient ways, and one particular idea uses these methods to help cool the surrounding air while also looking like sculptural art at the same time.

Designer: ant.studio

Evaporative cooling has been around since the time of ancient Egyptians and Romans, who used water and clay to cool the air inside their houses. When water evaporates, it carries with it some of the surrounding heat, effectively reducing the temperature in the area. Egyptians fanned porous jars of water while Romans coursed water through walls. We can easily create similar cooling solutions these days, too, especially with a little help from modern technology.

There are two major components to this kind of cooling system. First is clay, which has hygroscopic properties that let it attract water more easily. Water is the other element, and it flows around clay cylinders in order to create an evaporating cooling cycle. That water doesn’t go to waste and is recycled and pumped to the top of the structure again. Given the qualities of terracotta material, this system is almost 100% sustainable, except for the electronics and fuel used to recycle and pump the water.

ant.studio also puts an artful twist to these evaporative coolers. Beehive binds the terracotta cones and cylinders into a circular form, creating the semblance of a section of a beehive. CoolAnt Coral, on the other hand, piles these pieces into a pillar akin to underwater corals or tall beehives. Though it could give some people shivers, the functional art installations have a distinct character to them, especially after you find out what they can do.

Sparkle 100%

Admittedly, evaporative cooling won’t work everywhere, and it comes with its own drawbacks. Evaporating water, for example, increases the humidity in the same area, which may not be ideal for some situations and for some people. There’s also a fair amount of electricity involved, so it’s not a complete win-win situation.

That said, both Beehive and CoolAnt Coral help provoke the mind to look for more sustainable solutions and fast. This heatwave might not be a simple fluke and could just be the start of something worse, and typical cooling solutions only contribute to the long-term problem while providing short-term comfort. These designs also prove that our ancestors might have been on to something with their clay pots and in-house aqueducts, and it’s up to us with our modern technologies to design something better.

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Installation shows how data usage affects our ecological footprint

We rarely think about how all our internet and data usage actually does something to the environment. The last two years has seen a huge increase in data usage with a huge number of population staying at home, having online classes, endless zoom meetings, streaming movies and TV shows, crypto and NFT explosion, and other online things we do. There have been studies showing how much carbon dioxide is consumed with all this use so we need to be a bit more conscious about our ecological footprint.

Designer: Thijs Biersteker

The artist is known for his ecological artworks that create awareness about the current problems we’re facing. His latest art installation is called MB>CO2, a machine that shows the actual impact that online activities are having on the environment. There are three monitors showing a different activity on each one like a Zoom call, Spotify playlist, Netflix viewing, etc. They are then hooked up to a mini-computer which shows the calculations of the emissions for each of these actions.

The actions then trigger a release of carbon dioxide gas in a spherical terrarium with some plants. You will see the plants begin to visibly wilt as the carbon dioxide increases and as more internet activities happen. People can actually call into the installation so they can see the actual effect in real-time. The algorithm even takes into account where the caller is dialing in from and the hardware being used.

Of course, to show the impact of internet activity on the environment, you will also need to use the internet and devices. So the artist has tried to limit the impact of this installation by using recycled steel in the construction and choosing screens and computers with low energy consumption. He’s also limiting the operation of the installation machine to just half an hour every month to avoid actually killing the plants and limiting the carbon dioxide that will be released once the biotope is opened.

The purpose of the installation is to show the actual physical impact that internet use brings since it’s hard for us to visualize. All the electricity and energy that powers our devices and the data servers and centers contribute to the carbon footprints but we’re not really conscious of it. The artist is hoping that this installation will make us think about these things as we continue to browse the internet on our various devices.

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This digital organism lights up your garden and survives in any weather without any humans to help




Move over Tamagochi. This “digital organism” can live in nature and survive any weather without any human intervention while looking great at night, too!

Art installations that blend technology and nature are nothing new, but many simply take inspiration from nature in terms of design or structure. These installations also take up a lot of time and effort to maintain, not to mention electricity that could be used for more important purposes. That’s where Werc’s collection of light and sound installations comes in, taking inspiration from nature not in the way they look but in the way they “live” in nature, just like normal biological critters.

Designer: Werc Studio

Tane is described as a self-reliant art installation and a “digital organism” at the same time. It’s completely electronic, with no organic components, but it mimics how groups of organisms behave, especially when the weather is involved. At its most basic, each Tane, which is the name for both the group as well as individual “organisms,” is a solar-powered outdoor LED lamp. What makes it different is how it responds to the weather and to its neighbors, almost like a living creature.

During the day, it tries to soak up as much sunlight as it can while emitting a gentle noise that could call to mind daytime critters like insects and even birds. Tane starts its light show at night, but how it displays its lights is dependent on so many different factors, including the weather, that it almost feels random. Each night can be a different experience, and when all units in a Tane are fully charged, the art installation goes over the moon with a dazzling display of lights.

Tane is actually the third of Werc’s “Lumo” family of digital organisms. All three are also self-sufficient to a certain degree and communicate with each other like a flock but also respond to their environments in different ways. Pixi attaches itself to trees and reacts to temperature and humidity, while Lily floats on water and reacts to waves. Tane and its cousins not only how art and technology can be inspired by nature but how they can also learn from it to produce visually satisfying and also sustainable designs.




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This interactive lotus-shaped art installation moves in response to light!





Art installations like the Lotus Oculus have all the elements that make it a piece you can stare at for hours – it is intriguing, intelligent, and inspiring. This nature-inspired structure uses a smart material that mimics how flowers act when greeted by the sun, thus the dome also is reactive to light! Lotus Oculus was commissioned by Bulgari and was placed in the Modern Art Gallery in Milan.

The story began in 2010 with a little curiosity and a lot of research on smart materials. Studio Roosegaarde’s design team was searching for a material that looked like something that came from nature and also responded to stimuli in real-time. That is how smart flowers were born and over a decade, the studio has done multiple art installations evolving in scope and shape but maintaining the common factor – they all open in response to light and Lotus Oculus is the most recent one.

Lotus Oculus pays homage to the grandeur of the Pantheon and continues the legacy by creating an organic architecture of movement and shadows. This dynamic dialogue is what Daan Roosegaarde calls Techno-Poetry,” the artist explains. When you see the art in motion, it seems to breathe in the air around it. The geometric orb is made of several small panels of smart material and each of which curls into a flower shape when stimulated!

The entire exhibit comes to life as the parts fold and unfold in response to the changing environment and light intensity which presents a show of light and movement throughout the space. The interactive installation is a mix of art and design, it was awarded the A’Design Gold Award and Media Architecture Award Denmark. Some installations are permanent like the Lotus Maffei in the Palazzo Maffei Museum in Verona, Italy and the Lotus Dome in Sainte Marie Madeleine Church in Lille, France.

This striking installation draws you in, observe, move around it and bring the petals to life as you interact with it. Roosegaarde describes this tangible connection between light and material as “a metamorphosis of nature and technology. In search of a new harmony between people and the environment, Lotus is a work of art and a pilot for more organic architecture.”

Designer: Studio Roosegaarde

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This bamboo pavilion is an interactive design that transforms a rural landscape into a social hub!

Bamboo Pavilion by LIN Architecture is a rural construction project in Chongming that transformed an empty grassy landscape into a dynamic interactive hub in hopes of promoting socialization between visitors and residents alike.

Every big city has its quiet, eclectic, rural counterpart. Brooklynites take short train rides upstate to Hudson, where they visit flea markets for handcrafted goods and knitwear. Then, Los Angelenos drive east to find their zen and a few grassy hikes in Ojai.

In Shanghai, tourists and local residents escape the city heat for Chongming, a low-lying island brimming with sweeping nature preserves and thriving forests. Settling on one of several rural spaces in Chongming, the team from LIN Architecture developed an architectural structure called Bamboo Pavilion designed as a social hub for the island’s residents and visitors.

Relying on one of the strongest construction materials available, Bamboo Pavilion was realized by the architects from LIN, along with designers and students from across the globe, reinstating the Pavilion’s main purpose of bringing people from all walks of life together to share a moment interacting with artfully architectural spaces.

During the day, the Bamboo Pavilion reflects sunlight off its naturally glazed coat. Then, come dark, the Bamboo Pavilion glimmers with golden light from the inside, out, implying a sort of lantern in the night that shines for and attracts tourists filled with wanderlust.

Much of what makes rural construction projects so intriguing for designers and guests comes with the transformation of ‘empty’ space into ‘active’ space. LIN’s Bamboo Pavilion in Chongming turns to free-flowing shapes and lively jungle gym-like architecture to morph the island’s grassland into a hub of social activity and curiosity.

Turning a rural lot’s available space into an interactive architectural pavilion allows visitors to understand familiar landscapes in exciting, new ways. As the designers behind LIN put it, “Interactions between family members or strangers are realized by the space enticing people to break boundaries. People spend their time resting, talking, and transiting around this installation.”

Designer: LIN Architecture

LIN’s architectural vision was realized with the help of designers and students from across the globe!

During the day, the Bamboo Pavilion creates changing light blocks and shadows for a reflective, dynamic display.

From above, the Bamboo Pavilion evokes curiosity and wonder. 

Children and tourists alike can enjoy interacting with this rural landscape in new ways while socializing with one another. 

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LEGO and Minion-inspired creatures take over the French street bollards with artist Le CyKlop!

French street artist Le CyKlop transforms city bollards into anthropomorphic, LEGO-inspired caricatures using yellow spray paint and his own sticker designs, dubbing the urban art Angry L’éGO.

Cities across the globe are home to unconventional local celebrities who turn sidewalks and building facades into blank public canvases where they can stamp their own artful print. In Paris, urban street artist Le CyKlop transforms the cobblestone avenues into LEGO-inspired city sets. Using his own sticker designs, Le CyKlop spray paints the tips of street bollards in yellow, finishing them off with anthropomorphic stickers that make each bollard look like one-eyed LEGO characters, dubbing the public art Angry L’éGO.

Beginning in 2014, Le CyKlop, a French street artist, has transformed bollards into LEGO figures throughout France. Le CyKlop has brought LEGO-inspired street art to different communes like Pantin, Colombes, and Montreuil.

After first picking out the bollards that he thinks could use some bright yellow makeup, Le CyKlop spray paints them so it looks like they’ve been turned upside down and dipped in yellow paint. Then, Le CyKlop pops some stickers onto the bollards, giving each one a distinct cyclops-inspired facial expression ranging from happiness to mischievous, and from fear to anger.

Le CyKlop found inspiration for his urban art through Greek mythology and the iconic building blocks brand LEGO. Describing his spray paint street art, Le CyKlop notes, “In my work, I try to break free from conventional supports such as walls or canvas, to invest in the objects. By putting an eye on them, I try to make them come alive, to give them a soul and to give birth to a form of fantasy.”

Designer: Le CyKlop

Portals Are Massive Webcams and Screens that Connect Lithuania and Poland: Tai Yra Triumfas

A massive disc recently installed in Lithuania’s capital city Vilnius shows a live view of what appears to be another normal street. But it’s actually showing the view from a twin disc located in Lublin, Poland, nearly 400 miles away. Folks in Lublin passing by the disc can see the view in Vilnius in return. These discs form Portals, a non-profit project from Vilnius, and a team of creatives that seek to promote unity and a welcoming attitude to other people and cultures. Above is a shot of the disc in Vilnius, while below is a shot of the partner disc in Lublin.

Here’s a longer look at Portals courtesy of Ruptly:

Now that’s a sweet big brother. The team behind Portals is working to install discs that will connect the citizens of Vilnius to two more countries: one in London, England, and one more in Reykjavik in Iceland.

[via Colossal]