3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Polish Artist Builds Mind-Blowing Matchstick Church Models
Coffee Won’t Keep You Awake at Tokyo’s Hypnosis Cafe Colors
Sharp Music at New York’s Annual Musical Saw Festival

Polish Artist Builds Mind-Blowing Matchstick Church Models

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 07:11 AM PST

Children are generally not permitted to play with matchsticks, but nothing could keep Wieslaw Laszkeiwick away from the tiny sticks of wood. Ever since he was a child, building models out of matchsticks has been more than a pastime for the self-taught master. He treats the activity like a prayer. And what he likes to build most are houses of prayer. Now 58 years old, this Polish folk artist works with hundreds of thousands of matches, pieces of cardboard and microscopic slides for several months at a time, creating beautiful replicas of churches around the world.

Laszkeiwick lives in a wooden house with his son, where one of the rooms is used as a workshop. It’s in this room that he spent over 40 years creating detailed structures using matches. One of Laszkeiwick's most notable works was a replica of the 17^th century monument, the Church of St. Nicholas in Zamosc. The completed structure stood almost 5 feet tall and was intended to be a gift to Pope Benedict XVI. What pleased him so much about the St. Nicholas church was its spherical dome. To create the replica, he used almost half a million matchsticks bound on to matching paper. After the building was complete, he covered it with several coats of varnish and special glue that prevents the matches from warping after they are attached. He also mounted a bulb inside to illuminate the intricate stained glass windows, made from hundreds of pieces of glass. Elements such as doors and gates were carved, and a he fashioned a bell out of specially prepared matches. It took him a whole year to complete the project.

Photo: PIOTR STASIUK

The art of making matchstick models isn't as simple as it might sound. Laszkeiwick chooses his matches with utmost care, because according to him, even one wrong match among thousands can ruin the whole structure. "Not all the matches are suitable, it depends on the manufacturer,” he says. “Some of them cannot be polished, some cannot be formed. You have to know which one to use for forming, which one to use to be polished, which one can be carved – this kind of match has to be soft, has to be from a different kind of wood. Different wood structures meet in matches; you need to know how to sort them. Because if you don't know your matches, you can use one wrong match and then not be able to polish the whole structure because one match is wrong.”

Photo: PAP

Laszkeiwick had been in an accident in 1998, which left him handicapped. Even so, his enthusiasm for matchstick structures hasn't dimmed at all. "It's a great passion that I've had since childhood, and it has stayed throughout my life," he says. "It's really appealing to anyone who tries it. It shows you can always achieve new things, and learn new things throughout your life." His future plan is to make a copy of a Polish castle, for which he needs 3 million matchsticks.

Photo: PAP

Source: Dziennik

Polish Artist Builds Mind-Blowing Matchstick Church Models was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Coffee Won’t Keep You Awake at Tokyo’s Hypnosis Cafe Colors

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 05:36 AM PST

Apart from a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the menu at the Tokyo Hypnosis Cafe Colors, in Shinjuku Golden Gai, also features some offbeat items, such as Trauma Erasure or Past Life Regression.

Tokyo is known for its unique cafes, many of which have been featured on Oddity Central (Cuddle Cafe, Vampire Cafe, Hammock Cafe, etc.), and today I’m thrilled to add another one to our growing collection – the Tokyo Hypnosis Cafe Colors. As the name suggests, this intriguing venue uses the power of hypnosis to attract customers (and maybe trick them into coming back). Originally opened in the city of Sapporo, the hypnosis cafe moved to the Shinjuku district, in Japan’s capital city, where quirky establishments are becoming increasingly popular. Numbering just eight sits, all at the bar, the Hypnosis Cafe Colors offers visitors the chance to try out a number of hypnosis techniques, including reconnecting with your inner child, quit smoking suggestion, or trauma erasure. Simple hypnosis is performed by an expert who also plays the role of bartender and magician, and is basically free, but special techniques cost between ¥1000 ($12) and ¥50000 ($600).

Before being put under, subjects are advised to have a drink and relax, because a relaxed mind is much more susceptible to mental manipulation. To help them unwind, the bartender/hypnosis magician puts on a series of magic tricks for the customers. Then he starts using his mind control skills to play tricks on them. For starters he limits their physical movements, making it impossible for them to get off their chairs or move their hands. In the second stage of his performance, he tries to put clients in a state of relaxed sleep, and plays tricks like making them think they’re drinking delicious beer, when their glasses are filled with plain water. It’s definitely a great place to go to with friends and have a laugh at each other’s expense, because going alone you’ll probably won’t remember a thing unless you video-tape the experience.

I don’t know if the Tokyo Hypnosis Cafe Colors is the first venue of its kind in the whole world, but it’s definitely a place I’d like to visit if I’m ever in Japan. I have a lot of emotional baggage I want to get rid of and I might as well do it over coffee.

Another Tokyo via Japan Trends

Coffee Won’t Keep You Awake at Tokyo’s Hypnosis Cafe Colors was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Sharp Music at New York’s Annual Musical Saw Festival

Posted: 06 Dec 2012 03:41 AM PST

Who would have thought that an ordinary carpenter's handsaw could be used to produce music? But apparently it can, and has been for the past 300 hundred years. And in order to commemorate this bizarre yet unique tradition, the NYC Musical Saw Festival is held in July of every year, in Astoria (Queens), New York City. Ever since the festival was established by founder and director Natalia 'Saw Lady' Paruz in 2003, musical saw players from all over New York and the world have come together to preserve and honor this rare form of music. In fact, for saw players in far-flung countries like Germany, Sweden, India, China and Japan, Astoria has become a pilgrimage place of sorts. Every year, the sawist who travels the greatest distance in order to attend is awarded the title of 'guest of honor'.

At the Musical Saw Festival, the players socialize and hear each other play. There are solo performances and jam sessions as well. They even take the opportunity to educate each other about the different types of saws and various techniques of playing. Overall, the atmosphere is said to be rather friendly and encouraging. But the festival is not limited to saw players. The event is open to the public, so people are welcome to come in and learn about the musical saw, or just enjoy a concert or two. An art exhibit and a workshop are also part of the festival.

Photo: Red Goodman

The festival had quite a humble beginning, with only 5 participants in its first year. But 2009 saw over 50 participants and it was also the year the NYC Musical Saw Festival set a new Guinness World Record for having the 'Largest Musical Saw Ensemble' – 53 saw musicians playing together. The festival has received other accolades as well. In 2010, it was honored by Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York. In 2011, the festival was awarded a citation of honor for '9 years of artistic excellence' by the New York State Assembly member Aravella Simotas. Saw music can be produced from any ordinary saw you can find at a hardware store, but the professionals prefer to use specially designed ones with no teeth and multiple-octave ranges. According to Natalia Paruz, "There's no one technique. Since most players are self-taught, they sort of reinvent the wheel." Ms. Paruz and her saw have performed at various other orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic, the Westchester Philharmonic and the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. She debuted as a musical saw soloist at Carnegie Hall in 2007. "People always consider the saw to be a novelty instrument," she says, "but it's totally capable of being a serious musical instrument playing serious music."

Having heard so much about the musical saw, I just had to listen to an audio clip myself. And I must say, I would never have guessed the music was being made by saws if I hadn't known. But it isn't something I would enjoy personally; I had to turn it off after a while. The music is rather eerie; it reminded me of the musical saws played by the ghosts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the book, not the movie). Thankfully, one of the saw players, Lisa Mayer, agrees with me, "I personally think it's a little bit spooky sounding," she says. An audience member is said to have reported, "After sitting for a couple of hours, listening to songs, I started getting rather giddy." But the serious saw players believe there's no pleasing everybody. Perhaps saw music is your cup of tea?