3d illusion arts: July 2013

Oddity Central

China’s Dead Sea – Probably the World’s Most Crowded Swimming Pool
The Photo-Realistic Pastel Drawings of Ruben Belloso Adorna
Japanese Universities Install Anti-Socializing Cafeteria Tables

China’s Dead Sea – Probably the World’s Most Crowded Swimming Pool

Posted: 31 Jul 2013 04:30 AM PDT

If you think your local swimming pool becomes unbearably crowded on hot summer days, just check out these photos of the so-called Dead Sea, a salt-water swimming pool in China’s Daying County where thousands of people gather every weekend to escape the heat.

Inspired by the real Dead Sea in the Middle East, the Chinese resort build around an underground salt-water lake in Daying County covers an area of 30,000 square meters and is able to accommodate up to 10,000 swimmers at one time. It’s pretty big even for Chinese standards, but apparently not big enough. According to the Chinese press, over 15,000 people, most of them equipped with large swim rings, descended upon this popular summer retreat last Sunday making it look like a giant bowl of human cereal. I’m not even sure the term “swimming pool” even applies to this place on such occasions, considering it’s nearly impossible to move without hitting somebody, let alone flap your hands and feet to swim. The good thing about this place is the high salinity of the water which makes “swimmers” float freely, so there’s no real risk of going under. If that were to happen I can’t see how a person could rise up again…

Posted: 31 Jul 2013 03:07 AM PDT

Ruben Belloso Adorna, a young artist from Seville, Spain, has taken the art world by storm with his incredibly detailed portraits of real-life and fictional characters drawn exclusively in pastel on wooden canvas.

Painting hyper-realistic works of art with oil paints requires great talent and skill, but drawing them with pastel sticks and crayons seems almost impossible. It appears the word “impossible” is not in Ruben Belloso Adorna’s dictionary, as the young Spanish artist manages to create stunning photo-quality masterpieces using only pastels. Born in 1986, he studied Fine Arts at the University of Seville, and has already made a name for himself in the art world, participating in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and winning several awards. Looking at the quality of his colorful drawings, and the way he is able to bring out the emotions of his subjects, it’s easy to see why many are already calling Ruben a genius of the 21st century.

Posted: 31 Jul 2013 01:46 AM PDT

At the request of students who wanted to avoid lunchtime socializing, Japanese universities in Kyoto and Kobe have replaced regular tables with so-called “lonely seats” featuring 50-cm dividers in the middle.

In most cultures, going to lunch with friends or co-workers is a great way to take your mind off the job and relax, but it seems that’s exactly what the students at Kyoto University are trying to avoid. They are busy people who don’t always have time to sit around and make small talk with their peers, so in order to avoid this kind of uncomfortable situations, they’ve asked the university for a practical solution. There are always empty tables where they could eat their meals in peace, but according to one 22-year old engineering student ”If you are sitting at a big table by yourself it’s like you don’t have any friends and that is embarrassing.” So to solve this predicament, the university replaced the regular cafeteria tables with “bocchi seki” or “lonely seats” that have an opaque divider across the middle so the person on the other side can’t see you slurping your noodles or engage in a conversation.

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Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Bizarre Shoes Let You Carry Portable Shelter Everywhere

Posted: 31 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT

walking shelter shoes

Imagine carrying your shelter with you at all times, like a snail or a turtle. How comforting would it be to simply retreat into your own little habitat when life gets rough? SIBLING, an Australian design collective, has created a pair of shoes that can make that happen.

walking shelter women's shoes

tent concealed in shoes

The Walking Shelter shoes, designed for women’s retailer Gorman, are ordinary sneakers with one huge difference: they hold an entire tent. The nets on the back of the shoes hold a compact shelter that unfolds to encompass the entire body.

walking shelter tent

private walking shelter tent

When removed from the nets, the tent expands and uses the human body as a frame. It can be used in a number of ways and in a number of situations. We would love to see these shoes (or something similar) donated to homeless people as a way to give at least a little shelter for the nights they spend on the street.

Keep Going - Check Out These Great Related Dornob Articles:

Rolling Snail Shell Shelter is a Wheely Tiny Portable Home

Coloring Pencil Shoes Create Artwork While you Walk

Soleless Fashion: Astounding Lime-Peel Sculptural Shoes

Unfolding Cube Prefab: Space-Doubling Emergency Shelter

Upside-Down Shower: Ground-Up Design for Decks & Yards

Posted: 30 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT

outdoor shower

For in-house and off-grid use alike, a traditional top-down shower still probably makes the most sense – in the first case, there is no reason not to, and in the second case, gravity makes a strong reason to stick to convention.

outdoor upside down shower

That said, the portability of this bottom-up variant – the ViteoShower – makes it a great idea for backyards, decks and other temporary outdoor situations where water (with pressure) is readily available.

outdoor yard shower

The pressure-activated design is easy to setup and attach, and turns on when you step onto the platform – no fuss, no muss, and little by way of moving parts or breakable elements making it a robust design that is simple to deploy.

outdoor deck showqer

Ultimately, it may not provide the same full experience as a normal shower, but could be a great way to let people rinse off in partial attire after a beach volleyball game or dip in the ocean.