coolest use of spare time

I loved Lego as a kid, but I never did anything extraordinary with it. If only I would've realized the artistic possibilities! Here's the Beijing Olympics rendered in Lego.

fun with cameras

You can do neat things with photography ... that is, if you are madly skilled and just plain brilliant. Check out Alexey Titarenko's City of Shadows. Mmmmmm....long exposure...

making childhood obsessions classy

If there's one thing the web's good at, it's giving a display space for weird art. This is something I truly love. So, here's two of my favorite weird art sites of recent times:

• Diem Chau does carvings out of old crayons. These are surprisingly lifelike, intricate, and delicate. And they can be yours, although they are kinda expensive.
  
• Balakov recreates famous photos in lego. These are very cool, and you can buy prints...reasonable, too.
  

ascii

The ever-cool Wired has a very cool piece on ASCII art. I like the idea of minimalism, but I will never fool myself into thinking I'm able to actually do this.

art is where you find it.

Those wonderful folks at Coilhouse have introduced me to another fabulous artist, Edward Burtynsky, who specializes in manufactured landscapes They're a real shocker, a strange and wonderful mix of beauty and massively conflicting motions on civilization and the environment. Also, check out the Burtynsky's web site for more cool shots.

naked

A few days ago, Slate had a cool photo essay on Spenser Tunick. Tunick is the art photographer who specializes in arranging naked people into the popular landscape. I was first exposed to him via the marvelous HBO documentary Naked States.

The essential question here is, "How much does authorial intent matter in determining if something is art?"

new fave artist

One of the things I love about the internet is the ability to discover neat, interesting, wonderful things that you wouldn't even hear about otherwise. A prime example is the painter Zdzisław Beksiński, whom I discovered via a brief Coilhouse profile. They also link to a cool gallery of his work.

If only I could see some in the flesh. It's gorgeous, creepy, nerve-wracking, and seductive all at the same time.

voyeurism as fine art

A cool New York Times piece about a Japanese photographer who photographed people having sex in local parks and the peeping toms who watched them. While this might sound very much like a Jerry Springer headline, it's actually a very nice article...look at the slideshow.

best art ever

Who says sci-fi can't be historical? Check out Klingons Crossing the Delaware.

prison writings

Slate has a cool article on Guantanamo inmate poetry. Regardless of what you think of the prison (and believe me, I have some pretty strong feelings), it's always interesting to see how the human spirit will react.