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Visual Bits #67 > Metropolitain
The Multi-Cultural Illustrations of Victo Ngai
As her diverse artwork brilliantly reflects, Victo Ngai is an illustrator of many cultural backgrounds. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she attended a British kindergarten and speaks Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese), English and Japanese. She later attended Rhode Island School of Design. See more of her unique work at victo-ngai.com. [Read more...]
In Afghanistan Troops Eat the Meals of Home
Since the war first began in 2001, many soldiers of the almost 50 nations in Afghanistan have survived on pre-packaged meals filled with as many calories as possible and seasoned with the unique tastes of home. Called an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) in the United States, these hardcover book sized packages serve two functions: to nourish the hard working troops and to give them a happy reminder of home. Each country’s MRE includes staple ingredients to fill the belly, along with tasty dessert items and the obligatory moist towelette. [Read more...]
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Vitamins vs. Eggs: Anemia in China
China’s answer to anemia in rural regions has been to feed children eggs. Work by U.S. researchers suggests vitamins may work better. Above, a fourth-grader in rural Gao Lou eats a hardboiled egg. Government officials began feeding kids eggs in this poor, rural area after Stanford researchers found high rates of anemia among schoolchildren. The academics are now studying the effectiveness of the egg program. [Read more...]
Graceful 3D Trees Cut into Discarded Books
Cleverly returning a hint of their paper based origins, artist Kylie Stillman takes old discarded books and carefully carves inverted bonzai tree reliefs in their pages. Her works come at a time when book art and carving are gaining in popularity, yet her works stand out as unique examples in the young trend. The Australian artist got her start at carving books in 2006 when she trimmed a bird into a discarded tome; she later gave her birds a place to sit, progressing to potted plants and now her current tree carvings. For her latest work featuring trees carved in stacks of boldly colored paper, see her website kyliestillman.com. [Read more...]
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Household Objects Play With Our Perceptions
Created something like props from the now classic Disney film ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids‘, the ‘Macro’ series of Rómulo Celdrán takes everyday household objects like sponges and dish washing gloves and plays with our judgement of their true size. The objects are accurately reproduced on a grand scale, some measuring as much as 70 inches across, using polychromed polystyrene. He says his works “act as camera lenses, graduating the scale of measurements with which we perceive what we look at and break down the correspondence between the real size of an object and the size that we perceive.” His works remind us that life is all about perspective. [Read more...]
The World Is Your Canvas
What if the whole world was your canvas and everything on the street was free for modification, experimentation and making art? That’s the world that French street artist OaKoAk occupies. For the last few years he’s been modifying elements of the urban jungle, adding his whimsical embelishments and leaving many passer-by with a smile on their face. Unlike most street art, OaKoAk’s work plays off existing urban elements, using their form as inspiration, bringing them to life and adding a playful element missing from most cities. [Read more...]
A New Map of the Worlds Social Networks
This up to date, June 2011 map of the worlds most popular social networks shows a sweeping growth of blue… you guessed it: Facebook. Since creator Vincenzo Cosenza’s initial June 2009 map, network after network have fallen to Mark Zuckerburg’s social giant. Based on data from Alexa and Google Trends for Websites these maps reflect the current domination by Facebook in 119 of the 134 countries analyzed. Check out the animated image below for a play by play of social network history. [Read more...]
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Welcome To Pyongyang: the DPRK’s Game Face
These clean, crisp images of Pyongyang, North Korea are in stark contrast to the realities of the controversial and strife ridden country. British photographer Charlie Crane has made it his quest to answer a simple, yet very complex question, “How do you photograph one of the most secretive countries in the world?” [Read more...]
Surfing Was Better In The Seventies
Growing up in the late 60s, photographer Jeff Divine was a participant and witness to the young days of surfing, before mass popularity made an influence. Here we bring you a sampling of his beautiful photographs from the sunny 70s surf scene. Taken mostly in Hawaii and California (near his native La Jolla), these images capture the original look so emulated in the throwback photography of today. [Read more...]
