Sculpture: Rice Straw Giants

For the past ten years, local artists in the Niigata prefecture in Northern Japan build incredible animal sculptures out of rice straw for the annual Wara Art Festival. “Wara” is the Japanese term for rice straw. It’s what remains after the rice harvest.  Some regions use it to feed livestock or improve the soil. But students from Musashino Art University it to make these enormous sculptures. The sculptures are currently on display through October 31, 2017 at Uwasekigata Park.

The Wara Art Festival all started in 2006 when the local district reached out to Musashino Art University to seek guidance on transforming their abundant amount of rice straw into art. And in 2008, the very first Wara Art Festival was held. Since then, every year the school sends art students up to Niigata to assist in creating sculptures made out of rice straw. The festivities have ended but the sculptures are on display through October 31, 2017.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Wara Art Festival participants made this year’s sculptures twice as large as usual.  Visit the Wara Art Festival Facebook page for more photos of these magnificent sculptures.

Metalwork: Trash into Transformers

"How a Father-Son Duo Turns Trash Into Transformers" by Great Big Story

This video centers around a talented father and son team who build Transformers statues from scrap metal.  The video comes from Great Big Story and it's part of their "Passing The Torch" series.

"In 2010, Chinese farmer Yu Zhilin and his son Yu Lingyun opened up their own metalworking shop in the country's Hunan Province. Inspired by the futuristic robots from the movie “Transformers,” the pair began fashioning original statues from scrap metal. Their first design took about a month and a half to build, but they’ve since created an impressive array of statues, giving new life to discarded car parts along the way. It’s not just the success of their new business that makes this father-son duo happy; the craft itself has brought them closer together."

Sculpture: Forgotten Giants

"The Six Forgotten Giants - Recycle Sculpture Treasure Hunt" by Thomas Dambo

Danish artist Thomas Dambo, known for his incredible hulking wooden sculptures, partnered with the Vestegnes Kulturuge to create a wonderful outdoor exhibition entitled "Forgotten Giants." The handmade wooden giants – Teddy Friendly, Thomas on the Mountain, Sleeping Louis, Oscar Under the Bridge, Hill Top Trine and Little Tilde – were placed in different areas around the beautiful wild areas of western Copenhagen to sit in wait for curious adventurers to come and find them.

Sculpture: Game of Thrones Microsculptures

Game of Thrones-themed Pencil Microsculptures by Russia-based Salavat Fidai

These 16 pencils on display will include the microsculpture carvings of the Iron Throne; sigils from House Stark, House Targaryen, House Greyjoy, House Baratheon and House Lannister; as well as the Hand Of The King pin; Cersei’s new crown; Drogon the dragon; the Three Eyed Raven; the Night’s King; a White Walker; the Titan of Braavos; the Weirwood tree; and two swords – Brienne of Tarth’s Oathkeeper and Jon Snow’s Long Claw.

Sculpture: Darth Vader

Recycled Metal Dark Lord by Kreatworks

Available for purchase from Etsy. US$12,000

Do you want to scare the crap out of visitors to your house? Well, this massive Darth Vader statue should do the trick just fine. It measures in at a whopping 7’2″ tall, which is about how tall the real Vader is, and it tips the scales at nearly 850 pounds, which is what Jabba the Hutt probably weighs.

The sculpture was made by Kreatworks, using a variety of old car parts, and other found junk. If Darth Vader were really made of this much metal, he probably would have survived Return of the Jedi.

Sculpture: Leeroy Jenkins

"Leeroy Jenkins sculpture" by AntonioBalicevic

Source: DeviatArt

Antonio Balicevic created these sculptures featuring Hearthstone characters from Super Sculpey polymer clay on commission.

Sculpture: Microscape

"Microscape" by New York-based TO+WN Design and AJSNY

Via: Kickstarter

The Manhattan skyline is one of the most iconic cityscapes in the world, being featured time and time again in films, and forever being photographed by both tourists and professionals alike. From the famous Empire State Building, to the stately Chrysler building, to Grand Central Station, there is undeniably something special about New York’s buildings and skyline, though until now representations of it have been traditionally stuck in 2D. Fortunately, New York based startup Microscape has made it their mission to turn the iconic architecture of Manhattan into a detailed, scaled-down 3D printed model—for the ultimate souvenir.

From the world’s major metropolitan centers to suburban cul-de-sacs, microscape combines highly detailed 3D scan data with manual computer modeling techniques to create completely customizable scale architectural models that are as accurate as they are beautiful.

The first phase, which is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter, includes a series of two hundred individual tiles that compose the entire borough of Manhattan.  Fully assembled, the tiles form a 3.5ft by 12ft model.  The project retail price of each 6” x 6” tiles is $125 dollars with a total value of $20,000, but early backers can get a tile for roughly half off.

Sculpture: Impossible Bottles

"My Compliments to the Chef" by Kiva Ford

Kiva Ford is a glass artist who creates glorious examples of impossible bottles featuring intricate scientific imagery, including animals, body parts, flowers, and geometric structures like scientific specimens .

“Ford’s artistic work is influenced by his interests in history, mythology, and the natural world, and his affinity for scientific objects led him to pursue a college degree in Scientific Glassblowing. Several of his pieces are treated as if they were natural specimens preserved in jars like a floating, wriggling octopus, colorful glass birds, or delicate glass flowers sealed within glass bell jars.”

Sculpture: Skulltroopers

"Skulltroopers" by Samuel Boulesteix

Sculpture: Acrylic Cube Art

Acrylic Cube Art by Andrew Myers

"In Andrew’s attempt to push the boundaries of art and get out of his comfort zone, he has created a new form of art that he calls “cube art”.  The concept was to take thousands of pixels and create a three dimensional sculpture by combining them at different heights and depths.  The end result is a stunning, hanging sculpture that when viewed up close shows no promise of being any specific image.  However, as you step back, the cubes start aligning to create the intended image with stunning clarity.

With over 1200 cubes and 800 yards of stainless steel wire, the arduous task takes months to complete.  Each cube is hand painted on the back with a different color that is mixed in our studio.  Andrew believes that this new art form has no boundaries as far as size and complexity are concerned, and we look forward to the future of cube art.

1200 hand painted 1 inch acrylic cubes
800 yards of stainless steel rods
Wood hanging rods
White metal frame"

Sculpture: Star Wars Busts

Star Wars Busts by A Hidden Lab

As an extension and celebration of the release newest Star Wars release, The Force Awakens, Hong Kong’s design A Hidden Lab has produced a series of new sculptures of its iconic figures. Composed from bronze, brass and dolomite, the Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and a Stormtrooper are available for sale.

Sculpture: Māori-style Darth Vader Mask

Māori-style Darth Vader Mask by Mike "Nemo" Mendez

Via: ComicBookResources

Sculpture: Gandalf Bust

"Gandalf Bust" by Opi ForbiddenScrolls

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$124.44

Sculpture: Link

"Link Zelda Twilight Princess Bust" by Opi (ForbiddenScrolls)

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$114.48

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.

Sculpture: Tony Stark, The Iron Man

"Tony Stark, The Iron Man" by Jeremy D. Fisher

Part of the "My Hero!" show January 17th-March 20th at the Bedford Gallery.

"Tony Stark has come to an untimely end and now his remains stand as a trophy in some super-villian’s lair. Underneath the gadgets and imposing suit lies mere flesh and bone.

With the superhero skull series, I was interested in the underlying vulnerability and fragility of these fictional heroes."

Sculpture: Labyrinth Door Knockers

"The Labyrinth Door Knockers" by MeadowhawkProps

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$135

"This if for a full set of resin cast and hand painted Door Knocker replicas from the movie, The Labyrinth.

They will look great on your front door or even hanging on the wall! The Door knockers are about half scale to the movie version and measure in at about 10-12 inches from top to bottom, not including the knocker ring. (The knocker rings are included in the purchase.) The knocker comes with a metal hook on the back for easy hanging and will make a great addition to your front door, hall, wall or where ever you need a stately movie guardian! Sadly the door knocker can't talk."

Sculpture: Two Door Riddle Labyrinth

"The Two Door Riddle Labyrinth sculpture" by Italy-based yotaro-sculpts

Sculpture: Upcycled Star Wars

Upcycled Star Wars Sculptures by Gabriel Dishaw

Gabriel Dishaw upcycles old typrwriters and machine parts. He also likes Star Wars. He’s built lots of different versions of Vader, including AIR Vader and Tank Vader. He’s also done a couple takes on C3PO.

Sculpture: Micro Matter

"Micro Matter" by Amsterdam-based  Rosa De Jong

Dutch designer Rosa De Jong creates tiny yet detailed architecture environment inside glass tubes. Her creations include buildings of every description, from skyscrapers to a tent balanced precariously on top of a boulder.  The tiny little structures are symbols of the isolation of modern society.