3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

French Artist Buries Himself in a Tiny Hole for Seven Days, to Read
Human Meat Shop Opens in London to Promote Video Game Launch
Real-Life Forrest Gump Walks Across America in 178 Days

French Artist Buries Himself in a Tiny Hole for Seven Days, to Read

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 07:40 AM PDT

How far would you go to find some peace and quiet for a nice read? French artist Abraham Poincheval stayed buried for a whole week in a tiny underground hole in the underpinning of a Marseille bookstore, with books as the only company.

On September 20, Abraham Poincheval began his unique performance, aptly entitled 604,800 seconds. Equipped only with a headlamp, some water, freeze-dried food, a camera and most importantly a small stack of books selected by the booksellers at the “Histoire d’un Jour” bookstore, he descended into a 62cm-wide and 1.7m-deep shaft dug in the underpinning of the Marseille venue. The size of the hole meant he couldn’t sit or stand up, making the claustrophobic experiment all the more difficult. He was covered with a stone lid and started enjoying his seven days separated from the outside world by reading. During all the 604,800 seconds he remained buried under the bookstore, Abraham filmed everything he did (which obviously wasn’t much, since he could hardly move), and the images were projected on the walls of the bookstore/gallery. He also stayed in touch with civilization via a microphone and speaker, which helped him communicate with visitors.

Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

When the 604,800 seconds of his unique artistic experiment were up, Abraham’s hermit cave opened up and he was allowed out. ”It was pretty magical when the stone was lifted and I was again struck by the outside, the reality above ground,” he told AFP. It was a challenging experience and his sore swollen legs were the best proof of that. ”It was a real trip, not of a cosmonaut but rather of a “terronaut”", he said, adding that “the conscious and unconscious mixed, it was pretty incredible”. He also made sure to mention that he finished all the books he took with him underground.

Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

This isn’t Abraham Poincheval’s first unusual experiment. He has previously embarked on a journey from the city of Nantes to Metz in a straight line, using a compass, ignoring all obstacles in his way. In Spain he spent 20 days digging a tunnel through which he moved like a mole, and in Italy he pushed a 70kg capsule up mountain roads.

Sources: L’Express, Direct Matin

French Artist Buries Himself in a Tiny Hole for Seven Days, to Read was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Human Meat Shop Opens in London to Promote Video Game Launch

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 03:07 AM PDT

A creepy meat shop recently opened in London’s famous Smithfield meat market, offering all kinds of stomach-turning treats, like human hands, ears and even full torsos. Luckily, it was just a publicity stunt for the launch of Capcom’s Resident Evil 6 video game.

It looked like a scene from a sick horror film – human limbs packaged and put on display, human ribs hanging from meat hooks and full bodies placed on stainless steel morgue tables. Human hands were on sale for £5.99 while the feet were a bit pricier at £6.00, but that didn’t stop Resident Evil fans and zombie enthusiasts from indulging in what might be perceived as gross cannibalism. In fact, all the meat products on display at the Wesker & Son pop-up meat shop were made from animal meats, but made to look like authentic human parts. It was only open for two days, to promote the latest video game in the Resident Evil series, but it still managed to get a lot of attention.

Capcom contacted creative director Miss Cakehead to design something unique for the launch of their new game, and she came up with this offbeat human butcher shop. Despite not being a big fan of meat, she rose up to the occasion and put together some of the most realistic-looking edible human parts I’ve ever seen. According to Twitter, her creepy meats flew off the shelves during the two days the shop was open. All the proceeds from the event were donated to the Limbless Association, which provides support and information to the limb-loss society.

This reminds me of the weird Thai bakery that makes bread shaped like human body parts.

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Resident Evil’s shocking game launch by reuters

via G4TV

Human Meat Shop Opens in London to Promote Video Game Launch was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Real-Life Forrest Gump Walks Across America in 178 Days

Posted: 02 Oct 2012 02:07 AM PDT

25-year-old Nick Kleckner gave up his comfortable lifestyle and embarked on a 178-day journey from Florida to California, in which he relied solely on the goodness of strangers for food and a place to sleep.

Although a lot of people compare his amazing experience to that of Forrest Gump, our real-life protagonist actually got the nickname “Hobo Nick”. He left Atlantic Beach, on April 5 this year, with no food, no water and no money, but he somehow managed to make it all the way to Huntington Beach, California after an epic 2,500-mile walk across the North American continent during which he went through 5 pairs of shoes. Kleckner says he grew up in an “awesome family” never having to worry about money, and that’s apparently what prompted him to go on this journey of discovery. "I had an urge to do this about a year ago when life was repetitive and I felt like I didn't appreciate it," Kleckner wrote on his blog. "Since I have been homeless I have lived more in the moment and have really learned to be thankful." Throughout the 178 days of walking, the self-made hobo documented his experience by sending his mother updates via his iPod. She in turn posted them on his blog.

Photo: Nick Kleckner

Perhaps the most difficult thing Hobo Nick had to do was leave Atlantic Beach. “Everything just seemed so relaxed about the beach there. I knew it was gonna be hard to leave and hit the street from here on.Stepping away from the beach was a little sad. It is just so pretty and one of the things I have grown to appreciate in the past year of slowing my grind of life down”, he wrote at the start of his trip. He left only with the clothes on his back, a sleeping bag, his backpack and a few thing in it, determined to survive only on the goodness of the people he met on the road. He depended on them for the most basic needs, like food, water and a place to sleep, and whenever he got money and gift cards he didn’t actually need to survive, he just gave them away to the homeless. He said the point was always to give away more than he took, and added that the biggest takeaway from this epic experience is to have realized that “mankind is better than I ever dreamed.”

Photo: Reddit

He left his job, his family and friends, walked through miles of desert and endured stormy nights, but Nick Kleckner says this selfless lifestyle has been more rewarding than he could have ever imagined. It has taught him to share and help others as much as possible and in doing that he feels he will never be stranded. Hobo Nick ended his walking journey on September 29, when more than a hundred family members, friends and people he met along the way waited for him on the sand of Huntington Beach, in California.