Concrete Jungle

High divers, rugs with secrets, and origami unfolded. [View this email in your browser]( [Colossal: Art, Design, and Visual Culture]( A Captivating Film About People Working Through the Fear of Jumping from a Ten Meter High Dive In this documentary short titled Ten Meter Tower, Swedish filmmakers Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson paid 67 people $30 to climb to the top of a ten meter (33 foot) high dive for the very first time all while being filmed. [Would they decide to jump? Would they be too scared?]( The resulting footage is surprisingly riveting as people slowly come to terms with their fears and make a decision. It’s one thing to admit defeat in private, but adding the cameras must add a near insurmountable amount of pressure. Kayashima: The Japanese Train Station Built Around a 700-Year-Old Tree In the Northeast suburbs of central Osaka stands a curious train station unlike any other. Kayashima Station features a rectangular hole cut into the roof of the elevated platform and, from inside, a giant tree pokes its head out like a stalk of broccoli. It’s almost like a railway version of Laputa. The [large camphor tree is older than most records]( but officials believe it to be around 700 years old. The story of how this tree and station became, quite literally, intertwined, varies depending on who you ask. It certainly has to do with a great reverence for nature, but also a fair amount of superstition. ADVERTISEMENT Hyperrealistic Paintings of Bulging, Decorative Rugs by Antonio Santin Antonio Santin produces works that are nearly impossible to identify as paintings, hyperrealistic depictions of decorative rugs covered in complex floral arrangements and patterns. Each piece is composed of thousands of paint strokes that mimic the texture of a rug’s weave, thick segments of oil paint that transform his nearly five-foot long canvases. [Adding another layer of difficulty to the detailed paintings]( Santin includes bulges and creases that appear to obscure large masses beneath his 2D surfaces. Previously working with still lifes, Santin told The Creators Project that the rugs were a way for him to get rid of the figure within his works while still holding on to the outline of its shape. He calls his rug series “figurative paintings without a figure,” eerie pieces that give an illusion of a body hidden beneath the surface. The Jollylook Is a ‘Retro’ Folding Polaroid Camera Made from Recycled Cardboard The Jollylook is a new camera concept that [merges the retro form-factor of a fold out camera utilizing polaroid film]( and it’s fabricated primarily from recycled cardboard. Despite the bare-bones construction the Jollylook has an adjustable aperture, lens settings for different shooting modes (landscape, portrait, group, or macro), and a crank for extracting the polaroid once the image is taken. All you have to do is load it up with commonly available Fujifilm “instax mini” instant film cartridges. Ceramic Origami Plates and Dishware by Moij Design Hamburg-based ceramic artist Angelina Erhorn of Moij Design creates all matter of ceramic dishware that [mimics the form of paper origami sheets]( both folded and unfolded. Her designs include plates, espresso cups, and vases with delicate creases and occasional stained geometric elements. Oil Paintings of Eyes and Mouths on Glass by Henrik Uldalen As part of this ongoing series, self-taught painter Henrik Uldalen has been creating [depictions of eyes and mouths on glass](. The oil paintings are an extension of his focus on classic figurative painting where he explores “the dark sides of life, nihilism, existentialism, longing and loneliness, juxtaposed with fragile beauty.” From The Colossal Shop: Measure Twice, Cut Once For those who like to be very, very sure of exactly how long an inch is at all times, the [Wrist Ruler]( is a handy (or should we say wrist-y), fully functional measuring tape in centimeters and inches. Available in four lengths for wrists of all sizes, and now in stock in [The Colossal Shop]( Copyright © 2016 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](