Well, well, well, what will they think of next? Certainly not butterflies, Mrs. Russell. Sometimes it seems like just about anything could be a new trend, think of something you haven't seen in awhile: telephone books for example, when was the last time you saw them? An item needs to be absent before it can be reborn with to a new perspective and adored. Let's explore this phonebook thing for a while, I'll apply my scientifically formulated trend-worthy questions: Are they hovering on the verge of being nostalgic? check. Easily recognized with bold colors? check. Firmly planted in the depths of the universal subconscious? And Check. hmmm, in my babbling I think I may be on to something: phone books will be next season's new black. For now, I'm feeling something equally arbitrary: cross sections and topography. Totally random, right? But still, somehow, it's everywhere.
I caught my first glimpse of some trend-worthy cross sections when I purchased this Josh Keyes print from Tiny Showcase (ps, if you happen to know where the hell I put it, I will totally give you a dollar). I instantly fell in love with the small sections of land Keyes meticulously slices off for his animals to live on. His work speaks to the ever-growing human population and their encroachment upon natures little creatures, so it's a bit sad, but man if it isn't pretty. Let's see more:
I've been drooling over Keyes's work for ages and skipping the starbucks in hopes to one day save enough dough for a real painting, not just a print. I had never seen anything like it. So imagine my surprise when I saw this ad campaign for a Ukrainian Travel Agency:
So similar to Keyes's work, just without all that we're stealing the sweet cute baby animal land stuff. I have to admit, while these works are lovely, Keyes is still my fave.
If I wanted a real-honest-to-god cross section hanging around my house, I'd most certainly hunt down the work of Rainbow Monkey:
let's play archeologist and get a closer look at this bit of earth we've discovered
I have blue rocks in my backyard, too, what a coincidence!
With 3 confirmed artists creating cross section art, I started to keep my eyes peeled. I began to notice cross sections popping up everywhere, from realistic shots of actual earth, to meticulous topographical paper carvings:
Silver Lake Operations #1, Lake Lefroy, Western Australia, 2008 3/10
Isn't it funny that, after looking at several fake cross sections, this real one seems like a bit of a bummer? If you pull Edward Burtynsky's Australian Minescape out of the context of this post, however the photographs become epic, and even mirror the work of Keyes: documenting human destruction of the land. Ok, on to something less depressing: Birthday Cards, yay!
Etsy Artist, Crafterall carves topographic wading pools and ravines into her notecards, combining enough color and texture to make the blank cards speak for themselves. This is perfect for me because I never really know what to write in those anyway. Thank you for the gift......you're awesome? (But don't worry, I'm from the south and therefore have manners and, yes, I always send thank you notes, just not very interesting ones)
Noriko Ambe takes the whole paper-carving thing to a whole new level, carving entire landscapes into her works
Crazy-insane? Right? But so amazingly beautiful
Incase you designophiles were worried that I was missing the decor section of today's post: fear not! I managed to find two home goods companies that are buckled in tight on the cross section-trend-bandwagon:
Forsberg has created a line of silver topographic plates. I, of course, am waiting for them to come out in gold.
And Gore Design Co. has a line of STUNNING concrete topographical sinks:
I usually lean towards the very simple when it comes to things like basins and tubs, shying away from anything as outrageous as, say, a pedestal sink but these topographic sinks really get my heart racing. I strongly urge you to stop by their site to check out more of their lovely works.
So, next time you're cruising along a ravine and see a big piece of exposed earth, remember who told you about it first.
Peace Out Homies!