Category Archives: Art

Check Out These Delicate Human Organs Made From Foraged Flowers & Plants

Our insides rarely get the attention they deserve. Sometimes, we need a beautiful reminder about the vital machinery which keeps us alive and well.

Guatemalan-born artist Camila Carlow has created a delicate series of photographs in which she uses wild, foraged, plants and flowers that are sculpted into these precious organs. Carlow has titled the project Eye Heart Spleen.

Her photographic project consists of 12 images , all of which currently hang in the permanent Collection in Southmead Hospital in Bristol, UK.

Carlow had this to say about her work:

The most fascinating and intricate of biological structures, yet we rarely pay heed to the organs inside our body. Regardless of whether we fill ourselves with toxins or nourishing food, whether we exercise or not—our organs sustain us, working away effortlessly and unnoticed.

In a similar way, plants flourishing in the urban environment are a testament to nature’s indifference to our goings on. They grow out of the sides of buildings, in brick walls and between the cracks in concrete, despite of the traffic and pollution.

Based in Bristol, England, Carlow has had a wide range of artistic endeavors. From fine art painting and photography, to being a cinematographer for video production.  Much of her artwork has been exhibited at the Grant Bradley Gallery in Bristol, stocked in Paper Scissors Stone, Made in Bristol’s pop up shop.  Even her animations have been screened at the Glastonbury Festival, and at the Roxy Bar in London. Needless to say, she is a rather talented woman.

There are a few places you can see more of her work, as well as learn more about these breathtaking pieces. The Etsy shop doesn’t look like it is currently taking orders, but there are other options on her website, and the Eye Heart Spleen Facebook page.

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Intestines Continue reading

These Incredible Salt Drawings Reveal Their True Colors When Inverted

Dino Tomic is an incredibly talented and patient artist that has spent countless hours mastering an art form that isn’t truly revealed until you look at it inverted. What may be even more incredible about this detailed work is the fact that it is done entirely with regular table salt.

Imagine spending hours meticulously placing the salt on these giant mandala-like designs while also maximizing the contrasting space so that it will pop once the image is inverted. Dino is truly gifted in his ability to capture our wonder and inspire other artists who are looking for unique ways to share their vision with the world.

While the creation of art with salt isn’t new Dino has been able to expand upon old ideas and add in a unique flavor as well.

“The salt mandalas/salt art are just one of many stepping stones I’m undertaking. I know I’m talking more in general about art than the the subject at hand – but I feel it’s more important to present the whole picture instead. Undertaking projects like these are like entering uncharted territory.”

Dino describes that with this particular project he was looking to overcome his past boundaries and set the bar as high as he could in order to challenge himself. By focusing on giant salt art designs he is also setting records while stunning the viewer.

“Today in the world there are only a handful of people who create art using only salt and the projects they undertake is a mere fraction of the size that I do.”

Below are some of the incredibly stunning pieces that Dino has created. We have also included an awesome video of one of Dino’s work called Inverted eye salt.

Inverted effect made with salt

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Salt Mandala

salt-mandala-tuven-copy-57592b9999d4f__880 Continue reading

Sacred Geometry Art For Indigo Children By Artist Pilar Zeta

Even though you might not have heard the name Pilar Zeta, chances are you have seen her artwork somewhere before.

Hailing from Argentina, Pilar Zeta is a self-taught artist who incorporates geometry, cubism, and bright colours into an eclectic display of pure genius. In other words, imagine if a 1980’s acid trip and an album cover from the 5th dimension had a baby- that’s Zeta’s artwork

. She identifies herself as an Indigo Child, and has used her personal journey through metaphysical transformation as her inspiration for her pieces.

Zeta’s love for sacred geometry heavily-influences her work, along with her fascination of time travel, mystical teachings, ancient art, and spiritual consciousness.

She has worked on pieces for Jimmy Edgar, as well as several other musical artists, like Everything But The Girl, Ministry Of Sound, and most recently, Coldplay. Just last year, Zeta was hired as the art director for the Head Full Of Dreams album by Coldplay, and spent the entire year collaborating with the band.

Below, you will see a few of her album covers and personal pieces, but I highly recommend you take a look at her website and view the entire collection. Plus, there is a moon widget on the upper right-hand corner which tells you the current lunar phase. Check it out!

COLDPLAY “A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS”
Artwork / Art Direction / Packaging

“THE SHINE SERIES”
Art Direction for Jimmy Edgar New EP

Continue reading

The Spiritual Meaning And Symbolism Behind African Animals

Africa is a beautiful and majestic land, rich with lush plant-life and magnificent animals.

The animals play a huge part in African culture, and their symbolism can be found throughout countless pieces of art and historical accouterments. Each animal has a specific meaning and signifies a certain quality or characteristic.

In fact, several African tribes believe wearing animal carvings on their masks will improve their communication with animal spirits who live in the desert or wooded areas. Interested in what each animal symbolizes? Read below:

The Lion-Lions in Botswana
The lion signifies strength, both in personality and physicality.

He represents courage, valor, and pride.

His counterpart, the lioness, represents femininity, motherhood, and the moon.

The Leopard-
The leopard is known as the Great Watcher, and is a symbol for cunning, agility, and ferocity. The leopard is highly revered in African cultures as a master hunter due to it’s secrecy and mystery. Continue reading

This Stunning Animation Follows A Lost Soul Who Meets Death

The short, is by  a small Ireland-based studio called And Maps And Plans. It has received numerous awards and has been shortlisted for the 87th annual Academy Awards.

It is an evening like many others, most likely a Friday or Saturday night, the film is set in a city that is typical of most metropolitan places late at night during the weekend with it’s inhabitants wandering around without any real guidance from place to place.

As you would expect a guy comes out of a club drunk and as he crossed the road a car runs over him. It is a fatal accident. “I just need a little more time” – says the character of this moving story, addressing ‘Death’ who came to pick him up. Just a little more time to fix things, warn the loved ones, maybe remember and understand.

But instead of coming back to life, the soul traces back its own existence through images and old memories, looking for something …

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For me the purpose of this film is to make it’s viewers quietly reflect on life and mortality. And in today’s work-based busy hustle and bustle life, i think taking time for reflection is something we could all do just a little more often.

Find out more about the makers at andmapsandplans.com

Kasim Khan, Team Spirit

 

 

 

Zen Garden – Genesis of Peace & Serenity

Have you ever seen a zen or Japanese rock garden? Did it bring you a sense of peace and serenity? The Japanese rock garden or “dry landscape” garden, often called a zen garden, generates a miniature stylized landscape by means of carefully composed arrangements of stones, water elements, moss, pruned trees along with bushes, and makes use of stones or even sand which can be raked in order to symbolize ripples in water. A zen garden is usually fairly tiny, enclosed by a wall, and is also commonly meant to be looked at whilst seated from a single point of view outside of the garden, such as the porch of the hojo, the residence of the chief monk from the temple or monastery. Classical zen gardens were made at temples of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan throughout the Muromachi Period. They were designed to imitate the meaningful substance connected with mother nature, not its true physical appearance, and to serve as an aid to meditation about the true meaning of life.

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Rock gardens existed around Japan at least since the Heian Period (784-1185). These early gardens were detailed inside the very first manual of Japanese gardens,  written at the conclusion of the 1200’s. They were largely copied from the Chinese gardens of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), where groups of rocks symbolized Mount Penglai, the legendary mountain-island home of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology, known in Japanese as Horai. The manual described precisely how rocks need to be placed. In one verse, was written: “In a place where there is neither a lake or a stream, one can put in place what is called a kare-sansui, or dry landscape…” This kind of garden featured either rocks placed upright like mountains, or laid out in a miniature landscape of hills and ravines, with few plants. He described several other styles of rock garden, which usually included a stream or pond, including the great river style, the mountain river style, and the marsh style. The ocean style featured rocks that appeared to have been eroded by waves, surrounded by a bank of white sand, like a beach. White sand and gravel had long been a feature of Japanese gardens. In the Shinto religion, it was used to symbolize purity, and was used around shrines, temples, and palaces. In zen gardens, it represents water, or, like the white space in Japanese paintings, emptiness and distance. They are places of meditation.

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A zen garden is without a doubt a sanctuary that can be placed in nearly any living space. Some zen gardens are massive creations that can consist of massive areas, while many are tiny desktop gardens that use up no more room than your notebook. It’s not difficult to create a constantly changing work of art that is visually pleasing with clean, flowing lines and carefully placed objects. Best of all, a small zen garden is incredibly inexpensive to create! It will also show your unique style of rocks and sand patterns. The selection and placement of rocks is the most important part of making a Japanese rock garden. Different types of rocks are used for creating different symbolic things like mountains, rivers or seashores.The act of raking the gravel into a pattern recalling waves or rippling water, known as samon has an aesthetic function. Zen priests practice this raking also to help their concentration.These gardens are conceived and created from the meditative inspiration of the gardener, and contemplating one is a doorway to meditation for the viewer. While no rule exists against including plants and water features, many gardens omit them entirely and construct the garden from rocks and gravel to evoke emptiness through abstraction.

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You don’t have to do a lot to keep your rock garden looking good. Sand and stones don’t degenerate or need food or water – so there is nothing you have to do there. Of course, you will have to care for whatever plants or trees are in your rock garden, but usually just a little water and plant food will suffice. Keep your rock garden free of debris and you’re good to go! This world can be busy and frantic – an individual should have just a little serenity. A Zen rock garden could be just the thing you need to help you relax and re-enter the world full of energy and vigor!