3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Dog Attends Daily Mass at Church Where Dead Owner Used to Go
Return of the Invisible Man – New Stunning Camouflage Works by Liu Bolin
Ugly Model Agency Redefines Fashion Business Standards

Dog Attends Daily Mass at Church Where Dead Owner Used to Go

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 05:07 AM PST

Ciccio, a 12-year-old German shepherd, whose owner passed away two months ago, visits the church she used to frequent and where her funeral was celebrated, patiently waiting for her to return.

The people attending the church of Santa Maria Assunta in San Donaci, Italy have received a lesson in love and loyalty from a dog that for the past two months has been coming in for the daily mass, hoping his beloved owner would return. Local Maria Margherita Lochi, 57, had adopted Ciccio years ago, after she found him abandoned in the fields near her home. She was an animal lover who had taken in several stray cats and dogs, but her connection with Ciccio was special. Apparently he felt the same way, as even though Maria died two months ago, the dog keeps coming back to the place he last saw her. She would walk with him to the church, for the daily Mass, and the priest would allow him to wait patiently at her feet. He was even there with Maria’s loved ones at her funeral. But Ciccio seems to have a tough time letting go, and he comes back into the church each day, as soon as he hears the bells calling in the faithful for the Holy Mass. He just sits by the side of the altar, quietly, hoping Maria will come back…

Photo: NikonArte/Facebook

“He’s there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved – he doesn’t make a sound, I’ve not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been coming in,” says Father Donato Panna. “He’s still coming to Mass even after Maria’s funeral, he waits patiently by the side of the altar and just sits there quietly. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out – I’ve just recently lost my own dog so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out.” Everyone in San Donaci has been so impressed by Ciccio’s loyalty to his owner that they decided to adopt and look after him.

Photo: NikonArte/Facebook

This kind of heart-breaking stories never cease to impress me. I posted quite a few of them on OC, if you’re looking to shed some tears: Capitan, who has been living by his owner’s grave for 6 years, Leao, the dog who lost his master to landslides in Brazil, or the Russian dog who stood guard over his mate’s body for a week, after she was hit by a car. Tragic stories that make me appreciate dogs even more.

Photo: NikonArte/Facebook

Source: Sud Italia News

Dog Attends Daily Mass at Church Where Dead Owner Used to Go was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Return of the Invisible Man – New Stunning Camouflage Works by Liu Bolin

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 03:39 AM PST

Liu Bolin, the man who took the international art world by storm, in 2009, with his incredible ability to merge with the environment, has returned with a new series that makes him even harder to spot.

Nicknamed the “Invisible Man”, Liu Bolin is a master of camouflage art who spends up to 10 hours blending into various backdrops, with the help of paint. He puts on a suit and waits patiently as his helpers cover him in paint matching the colors of the background, until he becomes almost impossible to spot. Passionate about his art, this human chameleon he tries to get every little detail, every crack and crevice just right for that one perfect snapshot. His latest exhibition, Hiding in the City, at New York’s Eli Klein Art Gallery, features some of his best works yet. It wasn’t for the shoes sticking out of the backdrops, I probably would have needed to really look at the photos to figure out where he was hiding. My favorites are the panda camouflage, the magazine stand and the toy aisle, but every one of his creation is simply mind-blowing.

Photo: Eli Klein Fine Art

We first featured Liu Bolin in 2009. Since then, he has received international recognition for his talent, and managed to get his message across to the entire world. The Chinese artist started using his camouflage art as a means of silent protest against the destruction of the Beijing artist village Suo Jia Cun in 2005. It was the home of Asia’s largest congregation of artists and an inspiration for Liu Bolin himself. He has said his artworks are a comment on man’s place in the world: ”Each one chooses his or her path to come in contact with the external world. I chose to merge with the environment.”

Photo: Eli Klein Fine Art

Source: Eli Klein Art Gallery

Return of the Invisible Man – New Stunning Camouflage Works by Liu Bolin was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Ugly Model Agency Redefines Fashion Business Standards

Posted: 17 Jan 2013 02:12 AM PST

Every model agency has strict criteria based on which they select their workforce, and so does the Ugly Models Agency. As the name suggests, of course, you have to be ugly. Well, 'unusual-looking', to be more specific. Ugly Models is one of the world's biggest character model agencies based out of London. The bold and unique company has managed to place its models in some top assignments, including James Bond films and Marks and Spencer ads. Literally anyone can apply at Ugly Models, ranging from size 6 to 30, and 18 to 100 years old.

Case-in-point is Dell, one of the top models at Ugly Models. He got into the modeling business only a few years back, totally by accident. He was actually delivering a package at the agency when owner Marc French spotted him and asked for a few test shots. And everything just snowballed from there. According to Marc, "Dell is not a conventional good-looking boy, you know, he's got buck teeth, sticking out ears, he's not what people say is normal-looking, because he's quite ugly, really. But ugly in a great way and I love his features. I mean, I think he's quite striking." Sure enough, Dell is not the kind of guy you would expect to see on a catwalk. "I don't see myself as ugly," he says. "I see myself as tall, dark and handsome. I'm a model, innit? When I was growing up, I never thought I was going to be a model. People just made fun of me when I was young and all that."

Photo: National Geographic Taboo

One look at the Ugly Model's web page and you will be hooked. The models are categorized as 'Girls', 'Men', 'Specials', and 'Rage'. Under the 'Specials', you have all kinds of models like thugs, bikers, twins and the funniest of all, the 'wee folks'. Some of the most extraordinary models in the business are a part of this agency, like Sultan Kosen, who's 8ft1, Elaine Davidson who has 2,500 body piercings and Prince Albert, a retired bank manager who had his first piercing at the age of 75 (he now has 241). So unusual are the models, that a documentary about the agency called 'Britain's Ugliest Models' was made and aired on TV.

Photo: Ugly Models Agency

Marc is only the current owner of the agency; Ugly Models has been around for over 40 years. "I think the number one trait an ugly model's got to have is what I repeat over and over again – to be comfortable in their own skin. I think you could say that I am looking for at the auditions – every kind of character you could think of – from fat to fit, large to small, and I never know what I'm actually looking for until they come through the door," says Marc. "Our models have worked for everyone from Calvin Klein to Italian Vogue and there is a massive demand for them. We have open auditions and the queues go on for miles with people wanting to get on the books. It’s amazing; you have little old ladies standing in line next to Hell’s Angels all wanting to give it a go." Even the name of the agency was chosen with care. "The reason that we use 'ugly' is because, why not? It's such a powerful word, and everyone thinks of it in a certain way and it's so great to have an unusual looking person and put them under the category of being ugly."

Photo: Ugly Models Agency

Despite their success, some of the ugly models are still subject to prejudice. "Sometimes I don't tell people I'm a model. Sometimes they don't believe me. So I just tell them I'm a cleaner, and they don't ask any more," says Dell. But Marc says there are so many people now who are happier about how they look, and that's what matters. "We have many people who are much happier now with the way they look. We had a larger lady who was unhappy with herself but since she taken roles as a jolly bigger lady she is a different person. She is loving being larger than life, she is not obese or dangerous to her health in any way, it’s just the way she is made." There are 1000s on the rosters of Ugly Models today, and the numbers only seem to be going up.