Sculpture: Star Wars Snow Sculpture

"Japanese Army Creates Star Wars Sculpture For Snow Festival"

South Dakota may have Mount Rushmore, but now Sapporo, Japan has Mount Darth Vader. A 50-foot tall Star Wars snow sculpture was created in the city’s Odori Park to celebrate the 66th annual Sapporo Snow Festival. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces’ 11th Brigade used bulldozers to move 3,500 tons of snow into a pile that they then carefully crafted into Darth Vader and his Imperial forces, complete with an imposing posse of Storm Troopers and TIE fighters

The massive structure features Vader, a trio of Storm Troopers,  TIE Fighters, and the ominous Death Star. According to a Google-translated story from Yahoo! Japan, the sculpture is approximately 50 feet high, 74 feet wide, and 65 feet deep. and took 2,000 people to complete. According to the festival’s website, “Snow Star Wars” was approved by Lucasfilm, making it the first snow sculpture to be formally endorsed by George Lucas’ production company.

Quick Pic: Force Awakens Rice Field

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Rice Field

Via: Imgur

Imgurer the2belo posted this gorgeous shot of rice field art in Aomori, Japan. Since 1993, Inakadate Village has been using purple and yellow rice plants to create art!  They began with a picture of Mt. Iwaki, and moved on to the Mona Lisa, samurai warriors, and now, a tribute to The Force Awakens!

Event: Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

The 2015 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Photographs via Design Dautore

Every year, in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, the city of Harbin hosts the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, featuring massive ice and snow sculptures. At night, the sculptures are colorfully illuminated and visitors can climb and play on some of the structures. The festival officially opened on January 5 this year, and will run through the end of February. According to organizers, the winter festival now draws several million tourists each year, from China and from abroad. Read more about the event at The Atlantic and The Telegraph.

Sculpture: Darth Vader Snow Sculpture

Imperial Forces Snow Sculpture

Photographs by disneystudiojp, momoko_f, yume_kami,
 kyakunasut, and Kimimasa Mayama

South Dakota may have Mount Rushmore, but now Sapporo, Japan has Mount Darth Vader. A 50-foot tall Star Wars snow sculpture was created in the city’s Odori Park to celebrate the 66th annual Sapporo Snow Festival. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces’ 11th Brigade used bulldozers to move 3,500 tons of snow into a pile that they then carefully crafted into Darth Vader and his Imperial forces, complete with an imposing posse of Storm Troopers and TIE fighters

The massive structure features Vader, a trio of Storm Troopers,  TIE Fighters, and the ominous Death Star. According to a Google-translated story from Yahoo! Japan, the sculpture is approximately 50 feet high, 74 feet wide, and 65 feet deep. and took 2,000 people to complete. According to the festival’s website, “Snow Star Wars” was approved by Lucasfilm, making it the first snow sculpture to be formally endorsed by George Lucas’ production company.

Quick Pic: Groot Swing

Groot Swing Set by Super Fans

Via: James Gunn

James Gunn, the director of this summer's monstrous blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy, posted this image of an amazing Groot-themed swingset to his Instagram and Tumblr accounts yesterday.

Apparently the swing was created by some truly devoted fans as part of an upcoming reality show called Super Fans, Super Builds, which they'll hopefully win.  I don’t mean to be rude but screw kids I want this for me! I’m tired of all the cool toys being for them

Installation: Luminous Earth Grid

"Luminous Earth Grid" by Stuart Williams

This looks like a special effect from Oblivion... like the surface of the Earth is being scanned from orbit.  It's an array of 1,680 energy-efficient fluorescent lamps arranged across an area roughly the size of eight football fields, located just fifty miles north of San Francisco.  Williams says, "I see the project as a poetic statement on the potential harmony between technology and nature."

Over the past five years, Williams has raised nearly half a million dollars to bring this massive project to fruition.  It has been critically acclaimed, drawing tens of thousands of visitors.

Sculpture: Unparallel Way

"Unparallel Way" by Emily Weiskopf

Part of the Brooklyn Utopias exhibition, 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NYC

This work “Unparallel Way” was installed on the Fourth Ave Medians at 3rd St in Brooklyn NY in October 2013. The work in aluminum is 140 feet in length with varying heights and one foot wide.  The piece is presented by the New York City Department of Transportation’s Urban Art Program in partnership with the Old Stone House & Washington Park and Brooklyn Utopias. It will be on exhibit hrough September 2014... or until it causes a traffic accident.

"In New York City, we often walk, ride, drive, or bike side-by-side unconsciously leading parallel lives. By raising the yellow lines that separate Fourth Avenue’s traffic lanes, Unparallel Way questions and heightens awareness of these paths we all follow, suggesting alternatives in a playful and humorous perspective. By encouraging going with the flow, engaging and contemplating our surroundings in our day to day."

Installation: Forever Bicycles

"Forever Bicycles" by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei

As the centerpiece of this year’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the all-night contemporary art event that takes over city streets, 3,144 bicycles, the most Weiwei has used of this work to date, were stacked 100 feet in length and 30 feet in height and depth in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square.

Installation: Support and Seizure

"Support and Seizure" by Megan Mosholder

Braided Mason Twine, Blacklight and Eyelets.

Photographed by Danny Ghitis

American artist Megan Mosholder has created a series of illuminating installations interlaced in the architecture of rural barns.

"A mixed-media installation that explored the socio-political dynamics of he Wassaic Project Artist Residency, particularly the merger between the two communities: artists and locals. I was interested in the revival of the Wassaic, once a forgotten hamlet plagued with home foreclosures. Many of the community members told me how happy they were that the residency was in existence because it brought new life and interest to the area. The Wassaic Project continues to look for ways to revive the area such as its newly implemented art education program, which I have had the pleasure to be a participant of as their education fellow."

Installation: Nabano no Sato Lights

Light installations in Nabano no Sato’s botanical garden in Japan Millions of brilliant LED lights arranged in intricate patterns and arrangements illuminate.  Via: It's Nice That

Installation: Rising Moon

"Rising Moon" by Daydreamers Design

Photographed by Bob Cheung, Jay Ho Ka Wong
Source: DesignBoom

The visually striking Rising Moon pavilion was built for the Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern Wonderland 2013 in Hong Kong, held in Victoria Park in September.  The pavilion is a modern re-interpretation of the paper lanterns traditionally used by the festival, and it was built entirely out of recycled plastic bottles to introduce a conservation theme to the event.  Approximately 4,800, five-gallon polycarbonate water bottles formed the outer shell of the pavilion while another 2,300 were hung inside, and each of the bottles contained an LED light. The design received the Gold Award at the Lantern Wonderland Design Competition 2013.

Installation: Tower of Babel

"Tower of Babel" by yhe Argentine artist Marta Minujin, 2011.
Photographed by Juan Mabromata
Source: The Guardian

This outdoor installation in Buenos Aires was composed of thirty thousand books written in a wide variety of different languages that the artist received from readers, libraries, and foreign embassies.  My heart cried out in pain at the sight of all those books being left outdoors, but I have to admit, that's a beautiful site.  I'd love to see something like this moved into a more permanent space.

Installation: Electrical Storm

"Electrical Storm" by Sou Fujimoto Architects

On exhibit at the Serpentine Gallery Pavillion in London

Fujimoto is the youngest architect ever to be invited to create a pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery, but his Japanese firm is quickly gaining a reputation for producing some of Britain's most highly-respected architecture.

Installation: Masterplan

"Masterplan" by Chad Wright

Photographed by Lynn Kloythanomsup of Architectural Black.

Masterplan is a installation by designer and artist Chad Wright inspired by his own experiences growing up in a sprawling suburb of Southern California. The piece is meant to juxtapose the playful childhood experience of building sand castles on the beach with his brother against the grim, modern-day reality of our current real estate collapse. 

Installation: Field of LED Flowers

LED Installation at the Tribeca Film Festival Opening
Created by Justin Weiner of Studio Kenji Ltd. for BW Architects

Video: Musical Light Swings

Musical Light Swings by Daily Tous Les Jours

These musical swings on the streets of Montreal in Montreal's Quartier were created by Daily Tous Les Jours. When they are used together, melodies begin to emerge as a result of people's cooperation with one another.

Installation: Lines Up

"Lines up . a recollection" by Jeongmoon Choi, 2012.

700cm x 1100cm x 1100cm Outdoor UV Light Installation in Berlin

Sculpture: Four Seasons

"Four Seasons" by Philip Haas

On exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden May 18 and October 27, 2013.
Painted fiberglass sculptures.
Via: My Modern Met

Installation: Heartwalk

"Heartwalk" by Brooklyn-based design firm Situ Studio
 Via: MyModernMet

This sweet new art installation was unveiled in Times Square by Situ Studio. The heart-shaped enclosure was constructed from boardwalk boards that were salvaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy from across New York and New Jersey.  The boards rise from the ground and are illuminated from within.  Visitors are encouraged to enter the installation to stand in the heart of the city.

"Heartwalk draws inspiration from the collective experience of Hurricane Sandy. This project was built entirely from wooden planks salvaged from the boardwalks of The Rockaways in Queens; Long Beach, NY; Sea Girt, NJ; and Atlantic City, NJ. This website will aggregate photos taken by the many visitors that visit Heartwalk in Duffy Square between February 12th and March 8th."

Land Art: Giant Apple Mandala

 Giant Apple Mandala by Agnes Dumouchel

"Head to the small town of Mont-Saint-Hilaire in southern Quebec right now and you’ll be able to experience an exciting, open-air exhibition taking place on an apple orchard. Now in its sixth year, Land Art Mont-Saint-Hilaire is a cultural event that brings together 12 professional artists who, within five days, transform leaves, apples, branches, rocks and other found materials into beautiful and thought-provoking works of land art. The event attracts thousands of visitors each year who come to see inspiring works like that of artist Agnes Dumouchel who, this year, created Eve Il, a giant mandala made of apples and black soil surrounding a tree.

Winner of this year’s Audience Award, the mandala is meant to emphasize the sacred relationship between man and nature. Step back and you’ll even see a familiar image. “If you look at the mandala long enough, you can see an eye, important in the central concept of enlightenment found in the title, EVE IL,” she says."