Just Beyond the Frame

Chaotic passport photos revealed, the cat's meow, and balloon destruction. [View this email in your browser]( Passport Photos Widened to Reveal Unexpected Chaos Hiding Just Beyond of the Frame Photographer Max Siedentopf was in the process of getting his picture taken to renew his passport. As he sat in front of the camera, he began thinking of all of the ridiculous restraints placed on the small image and [decided to do something about it](. Dynamic Photographs of Interconnected Figures by Rob Woodcox Take Center Stage With a Squarespace Portfolio Site (Sponsor) Photographer [Rob Woodcox]( travels the world to bring athletes and dancers together in visually captivating locations and poses. The 29-year-old artist first picked up a camera about ten years ago and hasn’t looked back. Woodcox works with a diverse array of models both in studio environments and in deserts and metropolises. As his professional identity has evolved over the past eight years, [Squarespace]( has stayed Woodcox’s website platform of choice. Its seamless user experience allows his work to take center stage. “When you’re doing creative work, the website just needs to be simple, clean, and easy to use. And that’s [Squarespace](. If it’s inhibiting the user’s experience, then that’s a problem,” Woodcox shares with Colossal. Ready to show the world your creative potential? Head over to [Squarespace.com]( for a free weeklong trial, and if you like what you see, use code [COLOSSAL]( at checkout to save 10% on your purchase of a website or domain name. A New Book Compiling Hundreds of Timeless Feline Photos by Walter Chandoha is the Cat’s Meow A new book chronicles over seventy-five years of photographer [Walter Chandoha’s images of cats](. Around 1950, Chandoha found a kitten outside in the winter snow. The cat, who he adopted and named Loco (shown in the photo below dated 1951), started the photographer’s affinity for documenting cats, [which continued for the rest of his life](. Chrome Face Masks and Hyperrealistic Oil Portraits by Kip Omolade Brooklyn-based artist [Kip Omolade]( uses molding, casting, and painting techniques to create detailed masks and large-scale hyperrealistic portraits. Contrasted against vibrant backgrounds, each chrome face appears to rise from the canvas to meet the viewer. Continuing his Diovadiova Chrome series, Omolade’s recent work explores form, connections, and the basics of what makes us human. Bizarre D.I.Y. Balloon-Destroying Devices by Jan Hakon Erichsen Don’t invite [Jan Hakon Erichsen]( to your next birthday party. The Norwegian artist is on a mission to destroy every balloon he encounters with an endless array of awkward Rube Goldberg-esque setups. Erichsen documents his inventions in “Destruction Diary” videos, which he posts daily on Instagram, and aggregates into compilations on YouTube. Put Words into Action with ‘Gerry’, a New Font Created From the Silhouettes of Gerrymandered Electoral Districts Apologies to anyone who shares the name, but two designers in Chicago are taking on electoral gerrymandering in a new font called [Gerry](. The font, created by Ben Doessel and James Lee, is composed of 26 districts whose absurd boundaries resemble alphabet letters much more than they resemble logical, cohesive population groupings. Stop-Motion Animation Shows a Bird’s POV of the Exotic Pet Industry Animator and director [Evan DeRushie's]( recent short film “Birdlime” is about an exotic breed that escapes capture just to find itself injured and caged anyway. Birdlime features handcrafted and stop-motion animated human hands, tropical trees, other birds, and gibberish sounds in place of dialogue. From The Colossal Shop: Rainbow Chalk Now you can hold the power of the rainbow in the palm of your hand with this [full spectrum color chalk set](. Coming neatly packaged in a star shape set cozily in a wooden box, you can take your chalk with you wherever you want. Leave a kaleidoscope of masterpieces all over town. Copyright © 2019 Colossal, all rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list]( [Mailchimp Email Marketing](