Oddity Central |
- Renowned Artist Creates Jesus Portrait from 24,790 Push Pins
- German Fashion Designer Makes Shoes from Real Hooves and Dead Animals
- iPhoneography – Colleges to Offer Courses in iPhone Photography
- Dwarf Bullfighters – Human Exploitation Meets Animal Cruelty
| Renowned Artist Creates Jesus Portrait from 24,790 Push Pins Posted: 23 Feb 2012 01:56 AM PST
World renowned artist Rob Surette has recently completed a mind-blowing portrait of Jesus Christ made out of 24,790 colored push pins. The amazing work of art measures 5.5 feet x 4 feet, and took the artist six months to finish. Rob Surette has been fascinated by pointillism ever since he discovered the art of Georges Seurat, who invented the dot painting technique during the late 1800s. He became a master of it himself and now creates incredible works of art that always has viewers asking how he achieves such elaborate visual illusions. ”They stand close to the image and say, ‘All I see is push pins!’ and then they walk backwards, away from the artwork and say, ‘It looks so real! How is that possible?’” Rob says is the reaction of most people. Before starting work on this portrait, Surette set a record for the world’s largest Lite Brite creation (513,000 pieces), and wondering what other objects he could use to create a portrait out of dots, he settled on push pins. Up close, viewers can clearly see the entire portrait of Jesus is made from just white, black, yellow, red, green, blue, purple and magenta push pins, but as they take a few steps back, the human eye starts blending the colors together producing realistic flesh tones and brown hair. He says the same technique is used for creating full color magazine pictures with printing presses. The artist spent six months on this project, working on it for approximately one hour every day, seven days a week. The price tag for this unique representation of Jesus is $250,000. Rob Surette has even bigger plans for the future. For his next projects he intends to create a Mickey Mouse portrait out of thousands of regular pins, and after that he wants to make a giant white lion sculpture from LEGO bricks. They both sound very intriguing and we can’t wait to feature them on OC.
Thanks a lot for the photos, Rob! Renowned Artist Creates Jesus Portrait from 24,790 Push Pins was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| German Fashion Designer Makes Shoes from Real Hooves and Dead Animals Posted: 23 Feb 2012 01:10 AM PST
These are some of the freakiest shoes I've ever set eyes on. Made by German designer Iris Shieferstein, the footwear is actually created from body parts of dead animals. She uses horse hooves and skin, snake skin and even whole dead birds as decorations. I really doubt there are a lot of people out there willing to walk around with a pair of stuffed birds on their feet, but that isn't stopping 45-year-old Iris Shieferstein from using all sorts of dead animal parts to make unique shoes. She agrees her creations aren't exactly as comfortable as trainers, but she still wears them around the house. The designer says that her footwear is mainly meant for 'aesthetic pleasure'. The animal shoes have been displayed at exhibitions around the world and Dolce & Gabanna have even created a range based on her designs. But so far, no company has had the courage to produce them for the general public. To create her unique style of footwear, Iris begins by collecting dead animal parts from her butcher. This isn't very tough, she says, since her butcher actually uses horse meat in sausages, which is not uncommon in Germany. I have no idea where she gets the doves and snakes, but I’m not hoping it's not from the same butcher. Once she has the carcasses, it takes her a week to strip off meat and bones from the animal's feet. The skin needs to be preserved, so it's sent to the tanner. The next step for Iris is to set the fur skin around the model of a shoe. If she's using horse parts, the hoof is used as a sole. After several months of rearranging and sewing, the finished product is ready for display. Some of Iris's notable collections include a pair made from a chestnut steed with no heels so the person wearing them needs to balance on their toes, another pair made from cream horse fur with bone used for the heel and a zip up front, and also the stuffed dove shoes – in which the wearer needs to slide their toes between the bird's legs. While some might find this really weird, Iris is pretty excited about her footwear creations. "When I've got the dove shoes on that are made from real birds, I feel like I'm flying," she says.
German Fashion Designer Makes Shoes from Real Hooves and Dead Animals was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| iPhoneography – Colleges to Offer Courses in iPhone Photography Posted: 23 Feb 2012 12:32 AM PST
If a filmmaker could shoot an entire movie on a smartphone, a course on iPhone Photography doesn't really seem like a bad idea. It's actually pretty neat that two colleges in London are planning to offer a course that's dedicated to the ever-popular iPhone. According to course tutor Richard Gray, all you need to attend the course is a passion for photography, a creative mind and, of course, an iPhone. The course fee is £115 (that's about $178) with an additional £20 ($30) for the purchase of required apps. The iPhoneography course starts in a few weeks, so it's still unclear as to who will be interested in taking it. Of course, the iPhone doesn’t compare to high-end DSLR cameras, but for photography-enthusiasts who don't really have big bucks to spend on this kind of equipment, the course might just be pretty useful. Also, according to Gray, the iPhone camera is not to be underestimated. "With the right apps and skills, it can be a powerful creative tool," he says, adding that "No longer do you need expensive equipment to produce great images." Apart from actually using the iPhone in photography, Gray plans to include photography basics as well, such as composition, color and light. Editing skills will also be taught, including blending, collage and cloning. The course is aimed at beginners and will be held in 3-hour evening sessions, five times a week. If it proves to be popular, it could be extended to Android users as well. iPhoneography does sound pretty exciting and it isn't too expensive, so I surely wouldn't mind taking it up if I ever got the chance. How about you? via Zdnet iPhoneography – Colleges to Offer Courses in iPhone Photography was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Dwarf Bullfighters – Human Exploitation Meets Animal Cruelty Posted: 23 Feb 2012 12:15 AM PST
It sounds cruel when I write about it, but watching a bunch of dwarfs running around with calves that match their size could invoke quite a bit of laughter. There's nothing cute about this however, the fighting is quite real and dangerous. Thankfully, the calves and the men are usually unharmed. Wondering what I'm talking about? Meet the bullfighting dwarfs of Mexico, a group of short entertainers who are by no means ashamed of what they do. The sport, for obvious reasons, has earned the title of being one of the most controversial in the world. Animal lovers say it's cruel. Human rights activists agree. Critics worry about stereotyping. But there's no denying the fact that it provides a steady means of income for those who otherwise would find it very difficult to get a job. Since employment discrimination is pretty widespread in Mexico, the dwarf community has actually benefited from the bullfighting shows. More often than not, the bullfighters are laughed at, and although this is the main purpose of their act, they would also like to be respected for what they do. Photo © EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images While bullfighting as a sport originated in Spain, the Mexican dwarf version is no less entertaining – a heady mix of comedy and excitement. Currently, about 20 dwarf bullfighting troupes exist in Mexico and they make frequent tours across the border to the US, performing for migrant native Mexicans. The competition between troupes is pretty intense, so many of them have added attractions to the show. A group from Guadalajara sings and does impressions, while the Bullfighting Dwarfs of Torreon jump through burning hoops.
The tradition of the Mexican dwarf bullfighters started way back in the 1970s. According to the manager of the Giants of the Bullring, Gustavo Vazquez, the real goal of the show is to make people see past the fact that the performers are little people. Javier Landa, another performer, says that Americans may not understand what they do. "They may think we go out there to be laughed at, but that's not the case. If a little person can fight a bull, he can do anything. That's what we're trying to prove.” The dwarf matadors can make up to $100 per show, and sometimes as little as $50.
Dwarf Bullfighters – Human Exploitation Meets Animal Cruelty was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
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