Oddity Central

Colomares Castle – An Enchanting Masterpiece Dedicated to Christopher Columbus
Josh Bryan’s Triangulations – Captivating Celebrity Portraits Made with Triangles
Japanese Restaurant Employs Masked Monkey Waiters

Colomares Castle – An Enchanting Masterpiece Dedicated to Christopher Columbus

Posted: 12 Feb 2013 04:01 AM PST

Boasting a combination of Byzantine, Roman, Gothic and Mudejar architectural styles, Colomares Castle, in the Spanish town of Benalmadena is a unique monument that pays homage to explorer Christopher Columbus.

Looking at this fairy-tale castle with all its exquisite details, you could never guess it was built by a doctor with no architectural background, and two local brick layers. Esteban Martin, M.D., spent seven years working on Colombares Castle, from 1987 to 1994, trying to create a marvelous monument honoring Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America. For the good doctor building the castle was a labor of love, undertaken in his spare time. He tried to combine all these different architectural styles and at the same time include various elements relating to Christopher Columbus and his historic journey, like finely carved representations of the three ships that made the trip to America. In the end, he manged to construct the largest monument dedicated to the Genovese explorer, covering an area of 1,500 square meters. At the same time, Colomares Castle made into the Guinness Book of Records for hosting the world’s tiniest chapel, just 1.96 square meters in size.

Photo: Loriana

Over the years, Colomares Castle was used as a falconry – until locals started complaining their cats were taken by the birds – then as a reptile center, and today it’s one of Benalmadena’s most popular tourist attractions. A monument to dreamers, history enthusiasts or fans of fantasy-like architecture, Colomares Castle is must-visit destination, if you’re ever in Malaga, Spain.

Photo: Ismael Zniber

Photo: Manuel Alqsar

Photo: Ismael Zniber

Photo: Lilange

Photo: V Sweet

Colomares Castle – An Enchanting Masterpiece Dedicated to Christopher Columbus was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Josh Bryan’s Triangulations – Captivating Celebrity Portraits Made with Triangles

Posted: 12 Feb 2013 01:12 AM PST

I’ve never been a fan of geometry, but I found Josh Bryan’s artistic use of a basic geometric shape simply irresistible. The 20-year-old English artist uses triangles of various sizes to create incredibly detailed portraits of celebrities he calls triangulations.

“The creative process is quite simple,” Bryan told My Modern Metropolis. ”I make sure the image I use as a reference isn’t too well-known, even though the subjects are. I then map triangles over the face drawing, around the different tones on the face. The lines are added in afterwards to determine the amount of tone needed in each triangle.” When I first saw some of his works, I was convinced they were digital renderings made with advanced software like Adobe Illustrator, but it turns out every line is drawn by hand with black fineliner pens. After examining these incredible artworks more carefully, I noticed some of the lines weren’t perfectly straight, proof that the almost computer-like portraits were indeed drawn by a human hand.

Each one of Josh Bryan’s triangulations is made up of hundreds of triangles, and can take between 7 and 12 hours to complete, depending on the number of lines that need to be drawn in every triangle in order to darken the tone. His collection of celebrity portraits includes renderings of Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter. The latest addition to the series is a mind-blowing portrait of late singer Amy Winehouse.

Josh Bryan’s Triangulations – Captivating Celebrity Portraits Made with Triangles was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Japanese Restaurant Employs Masked Monkey Waiters

Posted: 11 Feb 2013 11:54 PM PST

Are you running a restaurant and can't afford to hire waiters? Well, you could take a cue from this Japanese restaurant that hired monkeys for the job. And in an attempt to make them look more human, they even strapped masks on their faces. Not that they really fooled anybody.

The restaurant in question is Kayabuki, in the Miyukihoncho part of Utsunomiya, North of Tokyo. The place is a traditional 'sake house', which makes its choice of staff even stranger – a couple of monkeys named Yat-chan and Fuku-chan working as waiters (or waitresses, we're not sure). 16-year-old Yat-chan is the older of the two, but he moves quickly between tables as he takes the customers' drink orders. Fuku-chan gives diners a hot towel and helps them clean their hands before they order their drinks, as is the custom in Japan. Believe it or not, the pair is actually certified by local authorities to work at the restaurant. The customers like them as well, so they get tipped with soya beans. One customer, Takayoshi Soeno said, "The monkeys are actually better waiters than some really bad human ones."

Photo: Budget Trouble

Yat-chan and Fuku-chan started off as the household pets of the owner, Kaoru Otsuka. But the older one started imitating him in restaurant duties and that's when he realized they were actually capable of working there. "Yat-chan first learned by just watching me working in the restaurant," he said. "It all started when one day I gave him a hot towel out of curiosity and he brought the towel to the customer." Some customers even feel that the little monkeys are just like children, or even better. 62-year-old Shiochi Yano, a regular at Kayabuki, says, "Actually they're better. My son doesn't listen to me but Yat-chan will." Customers also say that Yat-chan is able to understand exact orders and remember them. "We called out for more beer," said one customer, "and he just brought us some beer. It's amazing how he seems to understand human words."

Photo: A.Y. Ikeda

Japanese animal-rights laws only permit the apes to work at the restaurant for two hours a day. But Otsuka plans to bring up another generation of monkey-workers, and has 3 baby monkeys in the pipeline already. Here's one place you do not want to miss if you're ever in Japan and are looking for unique dining experience.