3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

South Korea’s Toilet Theme Park
The Real-Life King Arthur and His Biker-Druid Followers
Finnjet – A 29-Meter-Long Junk Limousine Worth $1 Million

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 03:00 AM PST

We've seen our share of bizarre theme parks here on OC. Ranging from Hello Kitty to Atomic Reactors, we thought we'd seen it all. Until we heard of this extremely strange and slightly disturbing theme park in South Korea, based on the last place in the world you'd want to be stuck in – the toilet.

The Restroom Cultural Park, in the city of Suwon, South Korea, is a massive complex dedicated to the humble toilet. The main exhibition hall itself is shaped like a large toilet bowl and the pathway leading up to it is adorned with bronze figures of humans in mid-squat. The facility was opened to public earlier this year and is the only one of its kind in the world. Other indoor exhibits include WC signs from around the world and toilet-themed art. What’s even more interesting than the toilet theme park is the story of its origin. Apparently, the place was initially home to the former Mayor of Suwon, Sim Jae-duck. He died in 2009, but that has not stopped the South Koreans from still regarding him as their very own 'Mr. Toilet'. This was partly due to the fact that he ran a successful campaign in the 1980s to dramatically improve South Korea's old toilet system, and also because Mr. Sim was born in his grandmother's loo. So inspired was he by his place of birth that he built his own house in the shape of a toilet. He, in turn, is said to be the main inspiration behind the theme park.

Photo: Haewoojae.com

The toilet park may be a source of humor for many, but it is supposed to carry a serious message as well. Several of the exhibits are meant to raise awareness about the conditions of public toilets in the developing world. According to Lee Youn-Sook, one of the employees at the Restroom Cultural Park, "we just focus on eating every day. We sometimes overlook the importance of a toilet. But we already know, upon waking up in the morning where we should go to – the toilet. But people don't want to talk about this. So, we just dedicated to the public a toilet culture – a toilet is not only a toilet for us but can be a cultural space, important for health, sanitation and water conservation. So we call this the toilet culture." Mr. Sim himself believed that the toilet is a place for serious contemplation. He founded the World Toilet Association in 2007, and is said to have told delegates, "The toilet is not merely a place for excretion. It can save humankind from diseases. A place of relaxation and purging, the toilet is a place for introspection. The toilet is also a central living place that possesses culture."

Photo: Haewoojae.com

Source: The Guardian

South Korea’s Toilet Theme Park was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

The Real-Life King Arthur and His Biker-Druid Followers

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 02:17 AM PST

If you're a King Arthur fan and plan to visit Stonehenge sometime soon, you should totally go there on the summer solstice. Because that's when your chances are high to spot the real-life King Arthur and his 20,000 followers – a motley crew of tourists, pilled-up teenagers in sportswear and neo-druids.

Their leader, formerly known as John Rothwell, now claims that he is the living embodiment of the 1575-year-old legendary British monarch – King Arthur. He rose to fame in the 1990s, when his efforts to open up access to Stonehenge during religious festivals like the summer solstice paid off, after winning a case at the European Court of Human Rights. Fast forward to present-day and you will find Arthur elected as the 'Battle Chieftain' of the Council of British Druid Orders. 'King Arthur' and his 'Loyal Arthurian Warband' represent the political wing of Britain's neo-druid community. What's more, King Arthur also has a partner, his very own High Priestess, and the two of them are quite active these days in protesting for ancient druid remains to get out of the hands of archaeologists and reinstated to their rightful resting place.

Photo: Vice

We're not too sure if the original King Arthur would be turning in his grave if he got a chance to see his modern-day self. Dressed in white shirts, sleeveless denim jackets, denim pants, and a white cape of sorts, he wields a sword in one hand and a staff in the other. Driving a motor-bike, his long blond hair billowing behind him, Arthur cuts a rather strange picture. But he's obviously doing something right, him having so many followers and all. He even believes that he and his Arthurian Warband are waging a war. "We're already at war," he says. "I stand in parliamentary elections, and, at the moment, I'm taking on the Minister of Justice with a lawsuit to get our ancestors reburied. We fight in the courts, we fight up trees and, in the case of Stonehenge, we believe in the motto 'fight them on the beaches'. Believe it or not, Churchill was actually a druid," he asserts. And he wasn’t the only famous one. "Queen Elizabeth II is an honorary bard of the Welsh Gorsedd of druids. The Archbishop of Canterbury is also a full druid, but I'm an Archdruid, so I outrank him. It's good to be the king."

Photo: Vice

According to Ronald Hutton, the leading expert on neo-paganism, the Arthurians are the largest neo-pagan community in Britain. King Arthur isn't too impressed by this, he doesn't play the numbers game, he says. This might just be his modesty on display because the Arthurians are pretty popular around Britain. A few celebrities have been knighted into the order by Arthur himself, including Ken Kesey (knighted at a total eclipse in 1970s Cornwall). Arthur explains, "He arranged to meet me because he'd always had an interest in all things Arthurian. I personally liked One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, so I thought I'd quite like to meet him. We met, we got on, and I ended up knighting him."

Rothwell changed his name to Arthur Uther Pendragon in 1986, but is generally known as King Arthur. According to him, there are three Arthurian ages and he belongs to the post-Thatcher one. "As far as I'm concerned, until another Arthur – bigger, badder and bolder – comes along, I'm it. So handle it." He says he had always known that he was supposed to be the monarch. He started off as the president of an outlaw bike club 20 years ago, but today he is still going strong on his beliefs. Even though he doesn't have a job, Arthur does not claim state benefits. He just decided that the Goddess would sustain him if it was all true, and he has had no problems so far. Spiritual places like Stonehenge help him access his past-life memories. He remembers having fought on the Saxon shores against Saxon armies and on the western shores against Irish pirates. What he's doing now is not very different in his eyes, from what he did 1500 years ago.

There are other interesting things that Arthur has to tell us about the real King Arthur and his life. He says Merlin was very wise and understanding and that it was 'very, very hard' to pull the sword out of the stone. Arthur doesn't care much for skeptics, "I'd say it doesn't matter. I'm not out to convince people I'm King Arthur. Me name's Arthur Uther Pendragon and I've got a crown on me passport photo. What I'm out to show people is, were King Arthur here now, this is what he'd be doing." Well, we'll just have to take his word for it now, won't we?

Source: Vice.com

The Real-Life King Arthur and His Biker-Druid Followers was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Finnjet – A 29-Meter-Long Junk Limousine Worth $1 Million

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 01:10 AM PST

What weighs 7,500 pounds, is 29-foot long and made completely from junk scraps? Why, a limousine of course. 'Finnijet' belongs to Antti Rahko, a 72-year-old chauffeur from Finland. He immigrated to the US in 1984 and is now a resident of Palm Beach, Florida. It took Rahko 10 whole years to build the limousine from scratch, initially using two Mercedes Benz station wagons joined together, several parts from a 1962 Chrysler Imperial and various components from other vehicles.

The vehicle's humble beginnings are hardly visible today, but Rakho says the process of building it was never really complete. He just kept adding parts however and whenever he could. "I had my own car shop, I bought and rented cars." Eventually, he thought if he succeeded in welding two cars together, he would not need to sell more than one car. That's how the idea for the Finnijet was born. The car is so well appreciated that it won a prize at the Art Car Parade competition in Houston, twice. Earlier this year, it was taken to Europe for the first time, to be shown at the Essen Motor Show. Packed in a 12m long container, the organizers paid all the costs of transportation and even took out a million dollar insurance policy on the car.

Photo: Rainer Schimm

Although the Finnijet does look a little odd from the outside, it's something you could get used to rather quickly, because of the tasteful way that it's been done up. The exterior has about 86 lights, 36 mirrors and two jet engine housings through which the exhaust is routed. The interior is spacious enough to seat 10, and it also comes equipped with a microwave, television, freezer and a couple of air conditioning units. What's more, there's even a functional sauna fitted in the passenger cabin. To keep the beautiful beast running, three batteries and three alternators have been installed. What's marvelous about the Finnijet is that despite all its rather luxurious features, it drives pretty economically. On the highway, Rakho says the limo achieves about 25 mpg, and the Mercedes turbo diesel power plant drives a dual-wheel rear axle mounted in the center of the chassis. It has a total of 8 wheels that make sure the tire and suspension components are not overtaxed. It isn't too tough to drive around corners, despite the gigantic stature of the limo. Rakho says that the Finnijet handles corners alright thanks to the steerable rear wheels that turn the opposite way of the front wheels. The rear axle (that he got from a Chevy pickup truck) is installed backwards.

Mr. Rakho has had some pretty good times with his Finnijet. As fierce as it looks, it isn't merely a show car. He has used it during frequent road trips all the way to Canada, and also to pick up visitors from the airport. He's even driven a few newlywed couples from the wedding to the reception. He's never been stopped and asked for car papers. There was this one time, however, when he was driving down to Miami International Airport and was stopped by 12 road patrol police cars and a helicopter from above. Apparently, the police just wanted to get a good look at the car. But now that he's aging and his health isn't what it used to be, we've heard he's been trying to sell his limo. It isn't going to be a cheap buy, though. The last time it was listed on eBay, a couple of years ago, Rahko had quoted a reserve of $950,000.