An Eccentric Cast of Hybrid Creatures Mirrors the Diversity and Humor of Human Experience

   27 Nov 00:00:29  |  ThisIsColossal

From a dowdy California quail to an incendiary horned lizard, Alessandro Gallo?s peculiar menagerie of animal-human hybrids is teeming with personality. The colorful characters reflect the breadth of interactions occurring every day throughout public spaces as folks encounter others unlike themselves, like a parakeet contorted into a yoga pose or a suit-wearing hooded merganser.
Based in Helena, Montana, the Italian artist likens the animalistic features to a mask or caricature. “I combine it with the silent language of our body and the cultural codes of what we wear in order to portray not only a specific individual, but also the larger groups and subcultures they belong to and, ultimately, the common habitat we all share,” he says. More

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Subversively Elegant Portraits of Indigenous People Drawn on Repurposed Ledgers by Artist Chris Pappan

   26 Nov 00:01:34  |  ThisIsColossal

In his mixed-media portraits, Chicago-based artist Chris Pappan draws on the tradition of ledger art, a practice that flourished among Native populations throughout the Great Plains from around 1850 to 1920. Rooted in narratives, the renderings depicted the ways of life of Indigenous people and the nuances otherwise left out of mainstream conversations. “The mid-19th Century was a tumultuous time for the Indigenous peoples of America; the doctrine of Manifest Destiny brought deep pain and suffering but it also introduced new modes of expression,” says Pappan, who is part of the Osage Nation and of Osage, Kaw, Cheyenne River Sioux, and mixed European heritage. More

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A Series of Animated Paper Video Games Evokes Digital Nostalgia

   26 Nov 00:01:33  |  ThisIsColossal

Perhaps no video game has evidenced the necessity of escapism in modern life more than Animal Crossing at the beginning of the pandemic. Players worldwide dove into the fictional universe to avoid the anxiety of daily life, a coping mechanism that a new animation by Austin-based creator Eric Power beautifully encapsulates. Set to a new song by Mixtape for the Milky Way, the short history is an ode to the charming simulation and a slew of its predecessors and contemporaries. More

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A Towering Metallic Monolith Was Just Discovered in a Remote Area of Utah

   25 Nov 00:00:09  |  ThisIsColossal

The Utah Department of Public Safety has put itself to the fullest possible use by not only counting bighorn sheep roaming the region but also discovering an unusual fixture jutting out from the rocky landscape. Last week, state employees stumbled upon a nearly 12-foot-tall silver monolith while flying overhead. Mimicking the inexplicable structure in the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the lustrous object appears to be made of metal and is located in an undisclosed area. More

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Interview: Danielle Clough Discusses Embroidery?s Lengthy History and the Tenuous Distinction Between Art and Craft

   25 Nov 00:00:08  |  ThisIsColossal

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Steampunk Busts Sculpted from Resin and Repurposed Objects Evoke Futuristic Relics

   24 Nov 00:00:12  |  ThisIsColossal

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Digital Dancers Groove Through the Streets of Istanbul in Shape-Shifting Costumes

   24 Nov 00:00:12  |  ThisIsColossal

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Interview: Animator Anna Mantzaris Discusses Her Penchant for Nuanced Emotion and Finding Humor in the Mundane

   23 Nov 00:00:22  |  ThisIsColossal

Swedish director and animator Anna Mantzaris has a knack for expressing the frustrating, humorous, and delightful moments of everyday life. Her short films feature quirky felt characters that embody both idiosyncrasies and human commonality, an idea she conveys in works like “Enough,” which captures characters as they let their anger emerge.
Sometimes reality is better than your imagination. Sometimes when I try to make things up, I cannot make them as funny as a really good observation of something that happens. More

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An Ultra High-Resolution ?Snowflake Camera? Captures the Extraordinary Details of Snow Crystals

   22 Nov 00:00:25  |  ThisIsColossal

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