Tim Noble and Sue Webster transform scrap metal and debris into silhouettes of themselves. Without the light these would just be a sculpture of metal, and without the metal it would be nothing but a light beam on a wall, but when Noble and Webster combine the two an amazing shadow sculpture appears.
Check out this collection of pictures of US cities taken almost 100 years ago!
Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, in 1917
Check out these hilarious ads from jobsintown.de that ended up winning many awards for their creativity.
Check out these funny photo-shopped images from humandescent.com. The site owner, Martin, says he morphs animals together as a hobby to create these awesome morphed images.
Pleaching, also known as tree training, Pooktre and arborsculpture, “is the practice of training living trees and other woody plants into artistic shapes and useful structures.” (Definition from Wikipedia) Richard Reames, from Oregon, knows a lot about arbosculpting. He has written books on the subject and teaches many how to shape living trees into usable objects.
Reames describes the method behind this art:
Arborsculpture relies on the ability of plants (trees) to be united together by approach grafting and the ability to retain a new shape when new layers of wood form to hold a desired shape.
Approach grafting is accomplished by wounding two or more parts of a tree or trees by cutting off the bark, to or past the cambiumlayer and then binding the wounded parts together so good contact is secure while the wounded tree parts grow together.
Stems or branches, are bent into shapes and temporarily braced for a year or more depending on the amount of resistance overcome. During that time, additional layers of wood grow. These new layers of wood act like a natural cast, keeping the Stem and branches in the new desired shape. The temporary bracing can be removed after the shape holds itself.
Pruning may be required to remove unwanted branches and direct the growth into the desired shape. Pruning may also redirect stem growth. A pruning cut above a Leaf or Node can steer the plant. If a leaf points to the right, then a cut above that leaf will produce new growth that grows to the right side. Likewise, a cut above a leaf pointing to the left, produces new growth that grows to the left.
Using these methods (also used in Arboriculture), items like benches, chairs, etc., can be formed from trees by bending, merging and manipulating Plant tissue.
EDIT: Thanks to Becky from pooktre.com for clearing up some misinformation and providing me with more! “There are a few different methods of achieving a shaped tree, which share a common heritage with other artistic horticultural and agricultural practices, such as pleaching, bonsai, espalier, and topiary, and employing some similar techniques. Arborsculpture is more commonly know as a method of tree shaping. A book you may find interesting http://www.pooktre.com/extra/3/methods.html
Below are just a few pictures of some of his and others work. Check out his website for more!
