Trompe L’oeil: Artistic Wall Murals that Bend & Twist Reality

 

surreal Murals

Trompe L’oeil, french for “deceive the eye,” is the art of creating two dimensional images with such realism that they appear to be in three dimensions. A trick often used in the backdrop of classic films before the advent of green screen technology, these illusions are found in cities across the world.



 

 

 

Surreal Murals - trompe-loeil-wall

 



Why add a window to a drab backyard or side alley, when one can have one that opens into a gorgeous world. Feeling claustrophobic? Gaze out into the lush jungle on the other side of your wall.







Imagine walking down the street and stumbling upon a building that looks like the surface of a disturbed pond. This is one of the most dedicated examples, and stunning in the largeness of its scale.



READ MORE over here: http://weburbanist.com/2011/01/13/trompe-loeil-murals-that-twist-reality/

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• Unreal 3D Murals by Eric Grohe (odditycentral.com)
• Givenchy (style.com)

Outstanding Offices: 12 Unorthodox Business Buildings

Why should office buildings be sprawling gray complexes in uninspired shapes, filled with depressing gray cubicles in which workers sit and long for a glimpse of nature? For a space so integral to a company’s most important functions, offices tend to be far too bland – but not these 12 buildings. Like a breath of fresh air in a stale room, the architecture of these structures is a welcome change, from high-energy urban penthouses to peaceful glass lookouts in the woods.

Via weburbanist.com

White Mountain Office, Sweden

Location:Stockholm, Sweden
Program: Datacenter
Collaborators: Frida Öster and Jonatan Blomgren
Geology Consultant: Geosigma AB
Construction: Albert France-Lanord Architects Albert France-Lanord Architects
Client: Bahnhof AB
Construction Area: 1,200 sqm
Project year: 2008
Photographs: Åke E:son Lindman

  

Deep underground in a former anti-atomic shelter is the White Mountain Office, a 1200-square-foot complex that exploits the jaw-dropping contrasts between raw, rustic rock faces and the sleek curvature of modern glass and steel architecture. Albert France-Lanord Architects admit that science fiction films and even James Bond served as inspiration for the office structure, saying “The client is an internet provider and the rock shelter hosts server halls and offices. The starting point of the project was to consider the rock as a living organism. The humans try to acclimate themselves to this foreign world and bring the ‘best’ elements from earth: light, plants, water and technology.”

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Red Bull Headquarters, London

 

What else would you expect from the signature beverage of the hyperactive than an office building featuring a gigantic slide? Outfitted in the brand’s red, blue and silver color scheme (along with plenty of steel), the building is thoroughly modern and adult yet retains a sense of playfulness.

(images via: design verb)

 

 

 

 

Selgas Cano Architecture Office, Spain

Everyone needs a window in their office so they can take a moment every now and then to gaze out at nature for a while and recharge before getting back to work. But what if half of your office building’s roof were open to the sky, framed by a canopy of trees? The Selgas Cano Architecture office building in Madrid is set partially into the ground with one side entirely transparent, giving employees the ideal inspiration to design more incredibly architectural masterpieces.

 

 

(images via: iwan baan)

 

 

 For many more Outstanding Offices and Beautiful Business Buildings head over here:

http://weburbanist.com/2010/08/20/outstanding-offices-12-unorthodox-business-buildings/

Related Articles

• Architectural Craziness: Red Hook’s Zero Energy Building Keeps the Renderings Coming (ny.curbed.com)
• Building as a Verb: Designing a Building That Works Harder for You (greenbiz.com)

Used Tires: Recycled Tire Rubber Art and Design

I was looking for topics on “Recycling and Inspiration” and came via weburbanist across this article about Tires and the re-use of it. Simply great examples can be found and even better works of Art. You decide:

(Images via mo_metalart, thememagazine, artnet, nymag)

Animal sculptures made out of tire are surprisingly fluid and realistic. The natural texture of tire rubber lends itself to such designs, and can replicate cords of muscle when shaped by a skilled hand. 

 

Tires are boring. Except for the occasional horror experienced when one bursts or hits a nail, they’re simply an additional expense f or your car. It’s amazing then, to see how many uses, both functional and aesthetic, that hard rubber can be bent toward. Here are some of the most innovative and artistic recycled tires you’ve ever seen:

(Images via ps1, uberreview, found shit, housewife splinder)

 

Read more: http://weburbanist.com/2010/06/08/used-tires-recycled-tire-rubber-art-and-design/