Skip to main content

Abandoned coal mine turned into 55-acre land art


It's uplifting to see eyesores and environmental burdens transformed into services of a wholly different kind. 

   The above image shows us the work of well known landscape artist Charles Jencks, which has turned the ruins of an abandoned open cast coal mine in Scotland into a magnificent cosmology-themed park. Jencks' previous work includes the Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Dumfries, and the Beijing Olympic Park's Black Hole Terrace.

   Dubbed "The Crawick Multiverse," the 55-acre landmark in Upper Nithsdale looks like a modern-day Stonehenge that is expected to attract a diverse range of visitors, including art and design enthusiasts. Materials found on the site, from tonnes of earth to some 2,000 large boulders, were used to create the majestic land art.





   The £1m project is operated by a charitable trust and paid for by the Duke of Buccleuch, who owns the largest private landholding in the United Kingdom. The construction of the cosmic landscape began in 2012. It was officially unveiled last month at a launch ceremony featuring a cast of 30 artists performing music and poetry.

[h/t: Contemporist]

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Soothing abstract paintings by Jewelle Yeung

Jewelle Yeung creates some beautiful, soothing paintings. Her vivid strokes and soft blends invite the viewer to transition between reality and the dream. They're vibrant and dynamic, but at the same time elegant and graceful. No wonder I'm finding calm today as I look through her website .  Unlike other artists who work from a sketch, Jewelle paints directly on the canvas, using flat-faced paintbrushes and pallet knives to create her pictures. "I am fascinated by dreams and how our mind processes pieces of reality into our subconscious, mixing it up, and finding its way back to our conscious mind again," she said in an interview. "I like to bring these things out in my work." Of Chinese and Filipino descent, Jewelle spent her formative years split between Hong Kong and the Philippines. After completing her under graduate in Fashion design and Technology at the University of the Arts, and obtaining a Masters Degree at the City and Guilds of L...

This guy makes suits of armor for mice and cats

Calgary-based multi-media artist Jeff de Boer creates suits of armor… for cats and mice. He started designing and building these meticulously crafted metal pieces over 30 years ago as a little side project on his sculpting class at the Alberta College of Art and Design, where he majored in jewelry design. The side project eventually turned into a full time job. Jeff's work is inspired by Medieval times, Ancient Rome, the Renaissance Era, and Japan's Edo period. He uses different metals for his sculptures, but mostly bronze and copper. Though his creations look wearable, the artist has never really tried putting them on mice, though he did get scratched by one of his cats while doing so. While most of Jeff's work is done on a commission basis, he occasionally have pieces available for sale. Check out more of his impressive sculptures on his website and follow him on Facebook .

The Three-Step Secret

Have you ever encountered a painting that, up close, is pure chaos—a riot of color, a tantrum of brushstrokes? Yet, take a few steps back, and suddenly, the mess organizes itself. As if by cruel magic or divine intervention, the disarray snaps into clarity. That is the experience of viewing the art of Montana Engels . Her work is a testament to this phenomenon. Up close, Montana's canvases appear as nothing more than abstract, hand-painted stripes. Then you move away. Instantly, the mess resolves into a stunning, realistic portrait. The technique is extraordinary, turning proximity into confusion and distance into focus. Montana wasn’t always a phenomenon. Her creativity was just a hobby. Then came Belgium’s Got Talent . Suddenly, she was noticed. Now, she's everywhere. If you have a Facebook account, you might want to follow her .