DESICCATION CRACKS Photograph by Hannes Grobe Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic (attracts and holds water) substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container. In biology and ecology, desiccation refers to…
The Crochet Coral Reef (CCR) is a project by the Institute For Figuring, a non-profit Los-Angeles based organization that pioneers creative new methods for engaging the public about scientific and environmental issues by putting people and communities at the core. The CCR is a project that resides at the intersection of mathematics, marine biology,…
Simon Beck is an artist from Southern England that uses snowshoes to create giant land art in the snow. Most of his work takes place in the ski resort of Les Arcs in the French Alps where Beck has a chalet and spends most of his winters. After planning the initial design on paper…
FRACTAL CAULIFLOWER Photograph by Jon Sullivan Romanesco broccoli, or Roman cauliflower, is an edible flower of the species Brassica oleracea, and a variant form of cauliflower. First documented in Italy, it is light green in colour and approximates a natural fractal. Romanesco broccoli’s inflorescence (the bud) has an approximate self-similar character, with…
Using a variety of 3D geometric shapes such as prisms, pyramids, cylinders, spheres and cones; artist Calvin Seibert creates wonderful sand sculptures that are not quite ‘castles’ but much more than just randomly placed building blocks. On Flickr, you can find an entire 66-picture gallery of Calvin’s artwork which have all been washed away…
Artwork and Photography by Andres Amador @ AndresAmadorArts.com San Francisco native Andres Amador is an artist that specializes in temporary land art on sandy beaches. Armed with several different sized rakes and his imagination, Andres typically spends a few hours on each piece. He first sketches the pattern before doing any work on the…
Being struck by lightning is a dangerous and scary experience and can even be fatal. Sometimes, the electrical discharge can leave a tattoo-like marking or scar known as a Lichtenberg figure. The patterns created are known to be examples of fractals. Lichtenberg figures are branching electric discharges that sometimes appear on the surface or…
THE FRACTAL TIGER Artwork and Photography by Till Walley on Flickr This effect is achieved using a Photoshop plugin called Fractalius. It is based on the extraction of the so-called hidden fractal texture of an image. The awesome example above was done by Flickr user Till Walley. It is reminiscent of another…
Photograph via JIM DENEVAN @ JIMDENEVAN.COM Artist, surfer, chef; Jim Denevan is a man of many talents. The 50-year-old is best known for his colossal temporary land art, using natural materials to create massive scale drawings on earth, sand and ice. His sculptures are not placed in the landscape, rather, the landscape are the…