Skip to main content

Kentucky's full-size replica of Noah's Ark is almost finished


This is a $100 million, 500-foot-long replica of Noah's Ark. It's called the Ark Encounter, and is to become the main attraction at a unique Kentucky theme park set to open in July. The ship is seven storeys high, 85 feet wide and is perhaps the world's largest timber-framed building. Its design was based on dimensions in the Bible with an eye toward 4,000-year-old shipbuilding methods.

Yes, it's huge. But it's also controversial. Ken Ham, the Australian fundamentalist responsible for the construction of the Ark, announced they will only hire Christians to staff the park — and future employees must sign a "statement of faith" avowing their beliefs. Of course critics slammed the "unreasonable" hiring process, but I won't delve deeper into the topic since I really don't care about religion.





The gigantic boat will feature interactive exhibits including wooden cages with sculptures of various animals, including dinosaurs. Surrounding it will be a petting zoo, theater, restaurant, gift shop and a 4,000-space parking lot. The amusement park also plans on having a Walled City, the Tower of Babel, a first century Middle Eastern village, and other attractions.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten 's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work. Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display. "I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women ...
Post a Comment
Read more

James DeRosso's ceramic monsters

I really like these whimsical ceramic creatures by James DeRosso. Yes, they have bulging eyes and toothy grins, but they're not scary at all. The Portland-based artist started making cute monsters while he was a student to jokingly create gargoyle-like guardians for the kiln. After other students kept taking his quirky little figures, he realized there was a market for them. "I'm enjoying the whole monster making niche," James says. "It's amazingly gratifying to be doing ceramics full time and especially to be a teacher introducing kids to the joy of clay." Be sure to visit his website and like his Facebook page for the latest monster news.
1 comment
Read more

Hand-Painted Movie Posters by Tony Stella

In the 70s and 80s movie theaters in Manila were usually standalone buildings with nice seats and red curtains. To sell tickets, cinemas needed to advertise their offerings. But they did not have the original posters, or the means to print alternatives. So they made their own, commissioning local artists to hand-paint them. I really miss those hand-painted posters and billboards, which conveyed an artistry that was a form of visual hyperbole. But hand-made objects always have a way of returning. In this digital age, people will always look for things made by hand. I recently stumbled across the work of Tony Stella, whose genuinely cool movie posters have caught the eye of film enthusiasts and art lovers worldwide. He likes to work in watercolor and ink wash but sometimes he will make an oil painting, depending on the film. Tony's very active on social media, and his Tumblr blog contains a massive collection of illustrated movie posters that are often better than the original. ...
Post a Comment
Read more