January 8, 2013
Every year, local artisans in a Chinese town on the border of Siberia construct an entire village made of ice. Scratch village, make that kingdom. The Harvin Ice Festival, now celebrating its 29th year, seriously gives Disney World a run for its money, filled with crystal castles, fantastical dragons, an ice rink, and epic frozen slides. Oh, and did we mention that the whole thing is lit up with psychedelic LED lights? It’s like the Magic Kingdom on acid!
The festival opened on January 5 and runs through the end of the month. Click through to see more photos!
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December 31, 2012
What better way to say hello to the New Year than taking in the city lights! And while most places are adorned with shiny bling during winter holidays, this year Lausanne takes it to a whole new level with its first Festival of Lights. Going on through the month of December to January 2nd, the event sprinkles the city with unique art installations selected through competition. These interventions literally show the city in a new light by turning hidden or unexpected corners into perfect spots for lifting a glass of champagne. Here are a few of them Continue!
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November 9, 2012
By Danielle Rago
New York’s Madison Square Park has hosted all sorts of funky art installations, from Roxy Paine’s fighting stainless steel trees to Charles Long’s brightly colored, blob-shaped “sound sculptures.” But its latest display, by New York City-based artist Leo Villareal, is its trippiest yet.
The “Buckyball,” named after the American architect, engineer, designer, and inventor Buckminster Fuller (natch), is a 30-foot, three-dimensional, neon-lit geodesic sculpture set atop a metal plinth. Designed as part of the Madison Square Park Art program, the glow-in-the-dark statue is on view through February 1, 2013. Read more!
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May 11, 2012
Photo: Tokyo Hotaru Festival
Summer fireworks at the Sumida River has long been a Tokyo event with crowds gathering on the banks of the river for a spectacular light and sound show. The first Tokyo Hotaru festival kicked off last week that gave the tradition a technological twist, recreating the skybound bursts of flame and sparks using 100,000 LED lights that bobbed down the riverside. The LED bulbs, called “prayer stars”, were designed to mimic the light of the hotaru (“fireflies”) believed to have once “gemmed” the Sumida. Manufactured by Panasonic, the lights ran completely on solar power, and nets were set in place to collect them for reuse for future events.
Photo: Tokyo Hotaru Festival
The lights floated by the equally luminous Tokyo Sky Tree, the world’s tallest tower that’s set to open within the end of the month. The festival organizers hope that the “Hotaru” would help catalyze a “renaissance” of the Sumida River, which endeavors to preserve and clean green space adjacent to the water that will foster increased activity in the area.
Photo by flickr user makure
[via CNet]
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