Oddity Central |
- Dutch Bring-Your-Own-Food Bar Beats the Economic Crisis
- Alumosaics – Beautiful Works of Art Made from Recycled Aluminum Cans
- 21st-Century Cavemen – 30 Million Chinese Live in Caves
| Dutch Bring-Your-Own-Food Bar Beats the Economic Crisis Posted: 22 May 2012 04:07 AM PDT
Basis is a bring-your-own-food bar that recently opened in Amsterdam, in response to the crisis currently affecting the Dutch capital. Over the last two years, 10% of Amsterdam’s cafés have closed down, but its cool concept actually makes Basis Bar a profitable business. The Netherlands appeared to be handling the economic crisis quite well, when it first descended over Europe, but now, after the old government collapsed due to disagreements over budget cuts, there are increasing signs of an economic downturn. A group of young entrepreneurs anticipated the precarious financial situation of their country, and came up with a great concept that allows people to still afford to eat out, without having to break the bank. The Basis Bar allows its customers to bring their own food, either cooked at home or ordered from cheaper eateries, like pizzerias. The bar provides everything from dishes, cutlery and napkins, to microwave ovens where people can heat up their food. All they have to pay for is the drinks they order. Photo: Facebook The guys behind Basis used to work in the catering industry, and although they thought it was fun, it was also very limited, because they couldn’t create the kind of relaxed atmosphere they wanted, where people could feel they could do whatever they like. “That’s what we want people to feel like,” says Michiel Zwart, one of the young entrepreneurs who created the Basis Bar. He says at first people are a bit confused, but after he and his colleagues explain the concept to them, they become enthusiastic about it. In the five months since Basis opened, it has managed to become one of the most popular venues in Amsterdam. Photo: Facebook Eating at a restaurant in the Dutch capital costs at least €20, and that’s just a food course, while at the Basis Bar, people can still enjoy the experience of eating out by paying much less for a drink. Some of them bring simple home-made food, but there are those who prepare their own sushi, lasagna bolognese and even cheese fondue. And if you can’t cook, there’s a list of take-out restaurants at the bar where you can order a pizza or whatever else you like. ”People don’t have extra money to eat out any more, so we have tried to make it easy so they can still come out and spend an evening with their friends but not have to pay such a high price for food,” Zwat says. Basis (which translates as ‘basic’) has been teeming with Dutch diners determined not to let something as meaningless as the economic crisis disrupt their social life. It allows people to eat out cheap and proves you don’t need a lot of money to get out and enjoy a meal with friends. Dutch Bring-Your-Own-Food Bar Beats the Economic Crisis was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Alumosaics – Beautiful Works of Art Made from Recycled Aluminum Cans Posted: 22 May 2012 02:51 AM PDT
Jeff Ivanhoe has been using aluminum cans to create his incredible artworks since 1981. They’re called ‘alumosaics‘, and as you’ve probably already guessed, they are colorful mosaics made of aluminum. Aluminum has been around for over 100 years years, and during that time it has proven to be one of the world’s most versatile and easily recyclable materials. We use it to make light construction and car parts, as electronics casings, and even to make unique Christmas trees. But Jeff Ivanhoe has found yet another use for aluminum. He uses recycled soda and beer cans to create his famous alumosaics, a delightful art form he and his wife Barbara invented by pure chance. Over 30 years ago, Ivanhoe was working on a very ingenious invention that had absolutely nothing to do with alumosaics. He was getting ready to patent his stretch shoelaces, which it possible to insert your foot into a shoe by just pulling on the tongue of the shoe, without having to tie a knot on the shoe itself. It was pretty clever, but Jeff was looking for something special that would make his shoelaces look unique during his presentation. He thought about aluminum, and started cutting soda cans into little pieces and wrapping them around the tip of his stretch shoelaces. He had made hundreds of them, so he ended up with lots of leftover aluminum pieces around the house. One day, he found his wife, Barbara, playing around with all that aluminum junk, moving them around and trying to create a pattern. Jeff told her they were useless and that she would never be able to make anything with them. When he returned home, the artist saw Barbara had created the shape of an object from those aluminum pieces. They both looked at each other in awe, and said “Oh my gosh!”, knowing they were on to something. Over the following weeks, the couple worked on the portrait of a Native Indian, but the piece didn’t last very long. Because Jeff Ivanhoe didn’t yet know how to seal his works properly, it developed mold, but he learned from his mistake, and worked on improving his skills. As early as 1982, alumosaics started showing up in galleries and libraries, were featured in national newspapers and were even featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not. This, of course, fueled his desire and passion to create even more detailed artworks. "Just think … two hundred years from now, my son's son's son will probably have one of my pieces. Someone may even ask, what crazy person did this? That is what it's all about," Ivanhoe says about his unique art. What’s most impressive about Jeff Ivanhoe’s alumosaics, is his ability to create detailed portraits and models of objects, just by using the designs on the original aluminum cans. At first, you think you’re looking at a painted mosaic, but as you approach the artworks, you realize everything from the outline to the color tones is rendered exclusively with the original cans.
AluMosaics via Inhabitat Alumosaics – Beautiful Works of Art Made from Recycled Aluminum Cans was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| 21st-Century Cavemen – 30 Million Chinese Live in Caves Posted: 22 May 2012 01:44 AM PDT
This title might seem a bit shocking, but considering China’s total population, 30 million really isn’t very much. Still, millions of people living in caves in this modern era is kind of strange, wouldn’t you say? According to a report by The Los Angeles Times, millions of Chinese people have gone underground, to live in caves. So I guess calling someone a caveman in China really shouldn’t be taken as an insult, especially if you consider many of these burrowed dwellings have all the facilities of modern homes. Because they take advantage of the existing landscape, China’s cave houses don’t require too many other building materials, and since the hills and mountains they are dug into act as natural insulation all year round, they are more energy efficient than most conventional family homes. Photo: taikuncio But don’t imagine you can see this kind of cave dwellings all around China. Most of them are found in the Shanxi province, where the porous yellow soil is relatively easy to dig into. Called “yaodong” these inhabited caves have semicircular entrances covered with rice paper or hanging rugs which act as makeshift doors. Most of them aren’t very fancy, but modern amenities like plumbing, electricity and phone service can be set up if the inhabitants have enough money to spend. The majority of China’s cave dwellers can do without all these expensive features, though, and prefer to enjoy their homes’ natural bonuses – high ceilings and lots of space with a nice yard out front where you can exercise and sit in the sun. Photo: Tour Beijing A 2007 report showed most of China’s cave houses were inhabited by the elderly, while the young population migrated toward the big city and moved into concrete homes, but there are some young people who dream of going back to their childhood caves, at some point. "When I get old, I'd like to go back to my roots," says Ren Shouhua, who grew up in a cave, but moved to the city in his 20s. As for the older cave dwellers, they wouldn’t dream of abandoning their ancestral homes for the comfort of modern residences. "Life is easy and comfortable here. I've lived all my life in caves, and I can't imagine anything different," says 76-year-old Ma Liangshui, who lives in a one-room cave with a bed, a fire pit for cooking, and electricity to power a single light bulb. Photo: James L. Wright Believe it or not, China’s cave homes are actually in high demand. A lot of people come here looking to rent our caves, but nobody wants to move out," says one owner. The ones that are for sale cost around $46,000, and for people who just want to experience life as a modern caveman, burrowed dwellings are rented for about $30 a month. It’s no Ritz-Carlton, but you definitely won’t forget the experience.
21st-Century Cavemen – 30 Million Chinese Live in Caves was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
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