Environmental Graffiti

Teko Mbarate:Struggle for Life (detail), Rigo 23

Art inspired by nature never fails to reflect the wonders of the world that we seldom have the opportunity to see, or often take for granted. Environmental artists have a knack of presenting their works in natural habitats, which makes us think more about the fragility of the planet, especially when their pieces decay or change over time. And some artists share their ideas of the planet through installations within an exhibition space.

Love Has Value Because It’s Not Eternal, Dario Robleto

This year sees the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), in conjunction with the University of California Berkeley and Pacific Film Archive, present a number of exhibits that focus on the natural world.

As part of collaborative multi-year exhibition project, entitled Human Nature: Artists Responding to a Changing Planet, eight prominent artists were sent to eight UNESCO World Heritage sites “to create new work informed and inspired by their experiences in these diverse cultural and natural regions.” Mark Dion, Ann Hamilton, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Marcos Ramírez Erre, Rigo 23, Dario Robleto, Diana Thater and Xu Bing were commissioned to create works based on how they responded to a specific site. Their interpretations offer a glimpse into some of the world’s most amazing locations, and allow us to see how someone else might view our changing planet.

Sapukay:Cry for Help, Rigo 23

Their works are on display in the museum’s downtown Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building and 1001 Kettner galleries until February 1, 2009.

Sources 1, 2

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Image: Patrick Dalton

*Written by Megha Mohan*

It could have been a story-line straight from a Sci-Fi or Bond movie: A world on the brink of environmental disaster, saved by the creation of a polymer, (or plastic, to you and me), that can be melted by water into a compound, which can be used to harvest seeds. That’s the science bit. The sexy bit is a touring fashion exhibition, called Wonderland, a project that marries couture with conscience.

Image: Alex Maguire

When Professor Helen Storey, from London College of Fashion, teamed up with Professor Tony Ryan, from Sheffield University, they gave birth to an innovative exhibition that combines science and fashion to create real solutions for a more sustainable world. High-end dresses, normally reserved for the catwalks, are hung from scaffolds and lowered slowly to giant goldfish bowls. As the plastic melts, creating remarkable underwater fireworks, the real message is a far more sober one: the transiency of fashion and the fragility of our earth.

Image: Alex Maguire

By creating plastic that can dissolve in water, Storey and Ryan may just have revolutionized the packing industry, highlighting the issues surrounding waste plastic.

“I can’t imagine using a bottle of shampoo and then washing the container away in a sink, then using the gel to feed my garden, but hopefully that’s where we’ll be in twenty years,” said an onlooker.

Let’s hope by then they’ll have worked out what happens when you’re caught in the rain. It could get very messy.

Source Wonderland

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H.sapiens, Songhua River Mammoth, African Elephant Image: Asiertxo

The largest elephant that ever lived was huge, taller than your two story Mayfair flat and almost as tall as the average telephone pole. Evolved from smaller Siberian mammoths, the Songhua River Mammoth roamed Northern China and Inner Mongolia during the Middle Pleistocene about 280,000 years ago. It survived into the Late Pleistocene but died out well before the end of the last ice age.

Fossils of the Songhua River Mammoth are rare. The largest mammals in any group are never common because several factors set limits on population numbers. An elephant of this size would have a long maturation period, and breed slowly with only one or two offspring born at one time. Daily caloric requirements - pounds of grass and other fodder - would be huge and require that these huge beasts eat continuously 24/7. Brunch with second and third portions at no extra charge would have been a requirement every day of the week.

Songhua River Mammoth Skeleton Image: Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Science

There is an original Songhua River Mammoth in the Inner Mongolia Museum, which was constructed from the remains of two individuals. A skeleton of a large male in a Japanese museum is 17 ft tall and 30 ft long from tip of the trunk to tip of the tail. Estimated weight is 10 tonnes and the metrics of this huge male represent maximum size for the Songhua River Mammoth. In China, there is a Songhua Mammoth skeleton on exhibit at the Daging Museum that is a 13-14 year old male from the late Upper Pleistocene with a body length of 6m and height of 3.5m. It was found in 2003 and is nearly identical to that in a museum in Shenzhen. Remains of more than 150 Songhua River Mammoths have been found in China, but most of the fossil evidence is bits and pieces, fragments of teeth, limb bones and the skull.

There were scattered human groups in Northern China at the time of the Songhua River Mammoth. Archeologists in Africa working on early human ancestor sites have established that the biggest elephants in Africa were occasionally hunted and we can assume that was also true for Pleistocene hunters in China and Mongolia. The effort and danger were worth it - one successful elephant hunt and the clan had steak for several weeks.

Songhua River Mammoth Skull Image: Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Science

But a word or two of caution. Elephants are very smart. Centuries ago in Asia, they were trained for hard labor in the forest and at construction projects, as battle tanks in war, and prestigious transport for royalty. If pursued and injured by hunters, elephants will often turn around and look for their human enemy, then charge and try to kill the hunter who attacked them. Just imagine getting chased by a Songhua River Mammoth! … The huge head lowers, and the mammoth charges. You can’t outrun it and soon the trunk wraps around your waist. As you rise into the air, the last thing you hear in elephant speak is “Got You, little man, this is payback time!” and than all goes black… On second thought, forget about the mammoth hunt. It might be best for both mammoths and people that we have lentil soup for dinner.

*Special thanks to Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Science for the use of their images.

Sources 1, 2, 3

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Image: Tora Bardal

The wonders of technology allow us to get further under nature’s skin and view things often invisible to the human eye. Since the 1600s, when the microscope was invented, we have been privy to the magical world of all sorts of miniscule beasties but now with the range of cameras available photographers are able to capture these images without ever having to don a white coat.

Dark Roasted Blend have published an amazing assortment of pics that were entered into the Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition down the years, along with a few other critters from this small, small world.

And, just in case you missed it, DRB’s own Avi Abrams was interviewed for Bornrich’s Cool Geek of the Week recently; find out what makes him tick.

Source DRB

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Image:withrow

When thinking of snowflakes and frost, your memory tends to give you subtle hints: it’s translucent, abstract, beautiful and short-lived. Nothing however, can prepare you for what abstract masterpieces icy nights may bring. Flourishes of Jack Frost’s brushstrokes envelop windscreens in fractal crystal and transform into icy autumn leaves, crystal ferns and mathematical shapes. Jack Frost is an abstract artist.

Perhaps the beauty of frost lies precisely in the fact that it is ephemeral, melting into oblivion only several hours after it is created. Frost deposits form when water vapor turns directly into ice, which happens when the air temperature is at or below freezing. When the first frost crystals form a layer, new crystals will align themselves with those already there, which gives us the amazing natural patterns we see.

Image: artista

This amazing shot could easily be mistaken for a close-up of a crystal vase. The detail and clarity are unbelieveable. It’s actually the windscreen of a car taken from the inside. Windscreens are more prone to frosting over because they cool much quicker than the other windows in the car. Being vertical, the side windows loose heat at a slower rate the windscreen, which is a larger surface area and points directly into the cool night air, making it a perfect canvas for Jack Frost.

Image: extra funky

Like little Christmas trees fallen from the sky, this shot looks cool in iced blue. Trees and plants cool off by a process called radiative cooling, which means they give off energy in the form of infrared radiation. This means they retain more heat so they don’t frost over in the same way windows do.

Image: tlindenbaum

Wonderful natural looking landscapes are created without any direction. The patterns in this photograph look like petals of a tropical flower, and are just as fragile.

Image: Ian Hampton

The lighting on this image gives an awesome 3D quality to the frost, but one touch and it would be gone. Still, whether touched or not, the first rays of the morning sun will melt nature’s hard word in minutes. Shame.

Image: tlang

Taken in macro, this image shows the intricacy of frost formations, and like many others looks 3D. It also is not unlike some of the great impressionist masterpieces from the 19th century.

Image: Martin Ujlaki

“We had a day of hard rain and then a sudden windy hard freeze. Made for some interesting frost patterns on the windows,” says Muffet the photographer. The wind seems to have frozen the rain in upward strokes resulting in this fantastic image. Although, it also looks like the old flock wallpaper from the 70s – not so cool.

Image: muffet

It’s uncanny how the long arms of this frost formation are repeated in equally spaced-out chunks, like a shaft of wheat. The shape of frost crystals are influenced by the type of glass they’ve formed on, and any imperfections or scratches in the surface will play a part in the final look.

Image: chris campbell

Like frosted sunflowers these frost formations look as if they’ve erupted from rain drops, their icy petals growing slowly in the cold air.

Image: withrow

This mish-mash of crystals looks like a little like a tall ship caught in a storm. The waves to the bottom right of the image and the masts keeling sideways. Other people will probably see something different, but then that’s the beauty of art – it’s in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

Image: withrow

Source 1, 2, 3

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Image: Roadnottaken

Katydids are fascinating little buggers, er, bugs. More than 6,400 species exist so it’s not surprising they come in a range of shapes, sizes and colors, or that they have adapted to blend with their habitats to avoid becoming lunch. Leaf mimic katydids are the most adept at getting lost in the undergrowth. Their bodies have evolved to look just like dead, dying or discoloured leaves, and the longer they avoid detection, the better their disguise becomes.

Image via Conservation Report

It would be all too easy to stand on one of these little fellers. Up close, the lie of the viens, discoloration of the body and small speckles are uncanningly similar to those of a real leaf. It’s no wonder these creatures can go without be discovered by their predators.

Image via Flickr

Praying mantis are other intriguing specimens, some of them also live with the same leafy disguise. Mantises, as a group, are excellent predators themselves, using their camouflage to surprise unsuspecting prey. They often blend with their surroundings but some have developed in various ways to mimic leaves, twigs, flowers and grass, much like the katydid.

Image: baw31

Many mantises are also able to change their covering on the go – some species in Australia and Africa will turn soot black on their next molt following a fire. The specimen below was photographed in Halong Bay, Vietnam, so it seems these clever creatures know no bounds.

Image c.cobb

Source 1, 2, 3

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Unlimited Wind Tower Image: mishox

Modern air-conditioning has become an essential commodity in many parts of the world, and guzzles more than its fair share of energy as it shifts heat around buildings. But while scientists sweat to find solar solutions to cool this burning energy issue, over a thousand years ago ancient cultures had discovered sustainable precursors to air-conditioning, albeit by and large just for the privileged few. Here are three of the coolest indoor-cooling innovations from those environmentally-savvy ancients – and not a chemical in sight.

3. Freshly Circulated Roman Aqueduct Water

Aqueduct image: Chris O

Sections of ancient Roman aqueducts supported by towering arches are a sight to see across European landscapes. In their heyday hundreds of miles of these waterways supplied fresh aqua pura, sufficient for entire cities and millions of residents. Even more innovatively, the water channelled in was piped through the walls of select houses in order to cool the brickwork and lower the room temperature.

It seems only affluent citizens could afford the luxury of installing these smart water-circulation systems – and they must have been even more expensive if the water bill was worked out on a meter! Excess water usage aside, though, this pioneering air-conditioning concept is further proof that when the Romans weren’t busy conquering territories to expand their empire, they were developing damn cool feats of engineering way ahead of their time.

2. Big Fans of the Ancient Chinese Dynasties

Emperor Xuanzong Image: Ranveig

Prefiguring its modern appearance by nearly two millennia, a 3m wide, manual-powered rotary fan with seven wheels was pioneered in the 2nd Century by Ding Huan, an artisan and inventor of the Han Dynasty. Five hundred years on and the cogs of early Chinese air-conditioning where again turning as hydraulic power was brought into play. Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuanzong had the aptly named Cool Hall built in his palace, recorded as containing water-powered rotary fan wheels as well as water issuing up in jets from fountains.

While also taking the load off the people on fan-rotation duty, this spa-like complex must have been heaven for those who got to chill there – though Xuansong’s reign did actually tone down of the ultra-lavish lifestyle of the imperial court. During the subsequent Song Dynasty, fans for creating cooling artificial drafts were becoming progressively more popular.

1. Currently Cool Wind Towers of Medieval Persia

Wind Tower Image: Jacqueline Naerebout

Wind towers are still prominent in pockets of the Middle East, and in Dubai a whole area of the structures stands in cool contrast to the city’s skyscraper-crazy skyline. Conceived in medieval Persia around five hundred years ago – but based on two thousand year-old wind scoops – these ingenious towers feature windows for capturing prevailing winds, with internal vanes used to funnel cooler air into the buildings below and suck warm air out.

Wind towers worked as effective natural air-conditioning in desert climates where average summer temperatures exceed 100F. Scorchio! In some cases, water was added to the equation via pools of collected rainwater that further cooled the air flowing over them as they evaporated. Wealthy Persian merchants later built splendid wind towers across the Gulf – and credit where it’s due for aesthetic appeal plus zero environmental footprint.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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The next time you’re trying to figure out what to do with your leftover food in the fridge, take a look at the work of British photographer Carl Warner for inspiration. If you weren’t hungry before, you’ll be famished after!

Using nothing else but food bought in his local supermarket, Carl creates these awesome landscapes with the help of food stylists and model-makers before painstakingly shooting each scene in layers.

The whacky masterpieces, which include a broccoli trees, a salmon sea, a garlic village and salami mountains, have to be precisely timed and planned to avoid the food wilting.

The only problem with making scenes like these is the waste. Carl told the UK’s Telegraph: “Although there is a fair amount of waste, there is a lot of food left over which is always shared out with the team, though most of the food used in the sets have either been superglued or pinned, and neither of these makes for good eating.”

There are plans to turn the ‘Foodscapes’ into a book, which Carl hopes will encourage children to eat more healthily, even though he’s still having trouble to get his kids to eat their greens. Well, how hard would it be to take orders from a father who still plays with his food?

Just goes to show, art is all a matter of taste.

With special thanks to Carl Warner for use of his images. There are more cool shots on his website.

Hungry for more? Check out our 30 Creepiest Vegetables on Earth.

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The legendary Hubble Space Telescope is set to be decommissioned in 2010. While the new telescope on the station, set to launch only a year later, will be far more advanced, many astronomy fanatics will always remember the Hubble as a source of great joy, and sometimes, frustration. In tribute, here are the top ten shots taken, or contributed to, by the Hubble Telescope.

10. Shot on May 11, 2002, this anomaly, called the Cone Nebula, is a seven light-year long pillar residing in a violent nebula where many new stars are being born.

9. This shot of the Cat’s Eye Nebula shows a super-hot region of gas radiating X-rays. The large amount of chemicals in the gas are believed to come from the central star.

8. This photo was released on Hubble’s 15th anniversary. The Whirlpool Galaxy contains a major interesting feature: a companion galaxy at the end of one of the arms.

7. This image of the Eskimo Nebula was taken shortly after the Hubble underwent repairs in 1999. The nebula is the result of a dying star.

6. This photo is of an area known as the Omega or Swan Nebula. The waves of ultraviolet radiation are a result of massive young stars located just out of the picture.

5. On April 1, 1995, Hubble took this photo of the Eagle Nebula. The columns are formed by cool hydrogen gas and dust where new stars are born.

4. Although it looks as if two massive objects are colliding, the opposite is actually true. Called the Ant Nebula, the effect is caused by the massive emissions of a dying star in the center.

3. An object we take for granted, the Sun, still has the ability to dazzle us when seen from a different perspective. Here, huge arcs of gas are visible on the surface.

Image: TRACE project, NASA

2. This photo of the Sombrero Galaxy was taken in 2003. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is nearly edge-on. The dark edge is comprised on star material within the spiral structure.

1. This image, taken February 8, 2004, is of a distant star named V838 Monocerotis. Although it looks like a painting, this image highlights how beautiful and amazing the galaxy around us really is.

Credits as shown on images. Last image attributed to NASA, Hubble Heritage Team.

Sources:
1. Hubblesite
2. Hubble Heritage Image Gallery
3. NASA Multimedia Image Gallery

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Image: Stuart Fox/NASA

With the intent of starting new missions on the Moon by 2020, NASA will need an off-roader capable of handling a multitude of situations. The Chariot is one of the new prototypes for NASA’s next generation lunar rover. Taking a cue from the Mars rovers, it will have six wheels, each with it’s own independent steering.

The current rover, active since the 70s, like the shuttles, will be replaced with a vehicle capable of carrying out much larger missions. The new rover will move passengers and freight as well as geological samples. It will be a truly all-purpose machine. The intention is to power all of this with liquid-oxygen and -hydrogen rather than batteries.

Image: Stuart Fox/NASA

Right now, the vehicle’s color comes from anodized aluminum. Should the vehicle reach full production, the astronauts who use it will be cruising the Moon in a much more expensive thermal coating of gold. A true chariot for the men on the Moon.

Sources: 1, 2

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