| The Running Man and Underwater Explosions Posted: 10 Feb 2012 11:24 AM PST 
The photograph above is absolutely amazing! It is part of "The Underwater Project" by Mark Tipple.
Notes from the artist: [1] 10 years ago after high school I spent a few years traveling around Australia in an old station wagon filming surfing, clutching to dreams of making it in the surf film industry that would facilitate my future of cruising around the world to exotic beaches filming perfect waves. While the surfing and conditions were what I wanted to be filming, the images always left me wanting more. After trying countless experiments of camera positions (helmet camera, board camera) and different places to film while in the water (pole extensions, different lenses), I still couldn’t capture what I was seeing in my mind. Fast forward to 2009 and after directing a film in Mexico on Shark Divers I had an underwater camera which we used to get closer to the sharks than our larger cameras physically could, upon returning to Sydney I started shooting surfing again, however this time from below. A month later I was shooting a small shorebreak and was caught inside by a large set, as I dove under I noticed a group of kids next to me. I turned the camera onto them and shot them as they contorted and struggled to avoid the wave above; surfacing I glanced at the lcd screen and the first Underwater Project image was there. Entitled ‘Escape’, to this day it’s as close to the images that I was chasing a decade ago. Soon after I traveled to remote beaches in the South Australian desert with a good friend to work on the idea further; after 6 hours in the water we ended up with 4 images that made it to the final selection, a solid start to the series.
1. "The Underwater Project - Portfolio." marktipple.com. Retrieved on February 10th, 2012. Photos © Mark Tipple Link via Designboom  |
| Colorful Sand Mandalas on City Sidewalks Posted: 10 Feb 2012 03:00 AM PST 
It would probably be simpler to draw these organic patterns on the ground with chalk, however, artist Joe Mangrum prefers to use sand as his medium. His inspiration comes from daily life, e.g. from a spectator’s comment to the type of weather that day. And the incredible part is that Mangrum improvises all of his designs.
Notes about the artist (from bio): [...] An alumnus of The Art Institute of Chicago, Joe began his training as a painter and moved toward installations of found objects, while traveling abroad. He continues to explore multiple mediums and materials in his work. Many of Joe’s recurring themes explore our relationship to modern life juxtaposed with our organic natures and desires for freedom. Joe examines the indomitable power of creation in relation to the grid of imposed structures of cities and hegemonies of power constructs. He often employs the use of iconographic and spiritual forms such as the mandala and the pyramid in surprising configurations. Joe’s inspiration is served by the challenge of maintaining a complex dialogue with the viewer encapsulated by our current world of affairs.
Top: Photo © Laughing Squid. 
Click here to view the embedded video. Photos © Joe Mangrum Link via Laughing Squid  |
