The featured bugs – though pests they may be – are graceful and beautiful in the video below…or should I say, their movements are. The photographer captures long exposures of insect flight patterns, documenting the intricate designs they make. Pretty cool, right? Makes you appreciate the little guys (even for a moment).
-Sara

Like countless other children, I grew up playing with Legos. I can’t think of another toy where your imagination could be so quickly and completely transformed into something tangible. While I did enjoy the pre-made sets, I would usually build something new using random blocks, and would consistently run into the problem of not having exactly the piece I needed. If only I could tell Lego what I needed, or at least make suggestions for new sets and pieces.

Well, the other day I stumbled across a website that makes the dream of actual interactivity with Lego a reality. Go to cuusoo.com and you can submit your idea for a new Lego set, complete with diagrams, prototypes and descriptions. Other members of the site can vote to support your idea, and if you amass more than 10,000 votes, Lego will take your idea and explore the feasibility of mass production. And before you assume this is just lip service, several sets have actual become reality through this process.

While a majority of the ideas tend towards the science fiction realm (TONS of Star Wars sets), there are a decent number of really innovative and unique ideas.

Some of my favorites include famous composers and their instruments:

Japanese old-style architecture:

And of course, the DeLorean from Back to the Future:

While the vast majority of these sets won’t get the support they need to even be considered by Lego, it is great to see that a toy which has been around for so long , and is so deceptively simple, can still inspire such a huge outpouring of creativity.

- Andrew

Fuzzy forest animals in retro knit sweaters with randomly cast technicolor geometric shapes? Yes. Most definitely yes.

By Guatemalan artist Kris Tate.

- Sarah

My brother, Kort Walsh, has been living his life doing what he loves and loving what he does. He graduated from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has continued to expand his artistry from drawing, glass blowing, jewelry making, metal work, and now to producing art instillations/productions with his co-founded group, Space Pirates.

Kort has been passionate about art and life, mixing the two so that everyone and anyone can obtain new and creative art in multiple ways. He has come home for holidays with boxes of glass pieces to give to relatives, which in turn results in fist fights over pieces people want to buy in bulk from Kort. He has a beautiful tendency to combine structure, color, and whimsy in many of his hand-made creations.

-Alex

I have always found wind to be a very mysterious and quasi-magical force. Although I know there are concrete, scientific reasons behind them, the changes in speed, direction and intensity almost seem other-worldly. Does wind have a beginning or an end?

The other day, I stumbled across as close to a visual representation of the awe that wind inspires in me as may be possible.

Check out the link below.

http://hint.fm/wind/

You can zoom in on any section to see a more detailed view of the wind in a particular area, and they also have a gallery of wind maps from previous days.

I love new and unique ways of presenting information, especially information that may seem mundane at first, and this site has truly turned wind data such as direction and speed into a visually compelling piece.

- Andrew

But also totally amazing. Scottish artist Rob Mulholland creates life sized figures out of mirrored perspex (acrylic) and installs them in various locations. Perhaps the most spectral affect is achieved when his location of choice is one in the woody outdoors such as those seen here in his installation “Vestige” at David Marshall Lodge in Scotland. The photographs alone could elicit horripilation – straight out of a sci-fi movie, unnervingly unnatural in their reflection of nature.

- Sarah

Lizzie Oxby was a fellow student at London’s Chelsea School of Art where we studied for our degrees in Graphic Design and Illustration back in the early ’90s. She went on to make some fantastic animated films… here are a few from her “Daydreams” series:

- Helen

Recently, I have been really intrigued by these tiny handmade things.  Rather it is paper or fabric I can invasion a bunch together on a surface. I have about 50 fabric yo yo’s in a basket at my house.  Which I hope will one day be sewn onto a pillow or who knows.

-Hannah

I spent two years living in Los Angeles where awards shows equate to citywide holidays.  Streets are blocked, clubs are closed for private after parties, and people flock to their nearest television for special viewing parties.  I couldn’t help but become caught up in the shine of it all.  My favorite part of awards season, however, was always the red carpet fashion specials before each show.  This season, as I watched the red carpet coverage I found myself wondering if a few dresses in particular were inspired by Kalisher artwork.

For Example:

The second Sarah Michelle Gellar stepped out in this dress at the Golden Globes, I was struck by how much it reminded me of this Kalisher ink photograph taken by Associate creative director David Winton.

Photo HERE, Kalisher Image #29635

Claire Danes received lots of best dressed votes for her Golden Globes dress.  I find the back details reminiscent of this bridge photo Jesse took while shooting in Chicago.

Photo HERE, Kalisher Image #24341

This the lines and shimmer in the dress worn by actress Judy Greer to the Academy Awards certainly favors this graphic photograph taken by Jesse.

Photo HERE, Kalisher Image #30136