Category: Architecture & Design
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Daisugi: Ancient Japanese technique for growing trees out of trees
The Japanese forestry technique for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedline shortage in Kyoto. The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches as if they were giant bonsai trees. In doing so, the mother tree provides a stable platform that supports the birth […]
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The mind-boggling clifftop Meteora Monasteries, Greece
It’s mind-boggling to imagine how the first monks built the monasteries of Meteora in the 14th century, most notably the one in Peneas Valley located northeast of Kalabaka, Greece. This Holy Trinity sits on top of a rocky precipe over 1300 feet, forming one of six surviving monasteries constructed on top of steep natural pillars […]
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Dual head-mounted listening devices
This dual-mounted listening device served as an aircraft detection device before the invention of radar in 1935. The Dutch military used the elephant-looking ears to detect approaching enemy aircraft by listening afar for engine sounds. There were various iterations of the acoustic locators. The Germans created a dual sight and sound system in 1917 that […]
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Zhangjiajie’s Bailong Elevator is the highest outdoor elevator in the world
The Bailong Elevator is the world’s highest outdoor elevator, towering an astonishing 1,080 feet high. It’s built inside a massive sandstone column in a mountain range consisting of the National Forest Park in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, China. Opened in 2002, the cliff-facing elevator allows 50 visitors at a time to ride up the […]
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This mythical bird statue in India is the world’s largest
Jatayu Nature Park in Kerala, India, holds the largest bird sculpture on Earth, occupying about 15,000 sq feet and standing at the height of about 1200 feet above sea level. It is five times the size of the Pyramid of Giza. Opened in 2018 as a tourist destination, the 70-foot tall giant concrete figure pays […]
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Impossible heights: Lighthouse of Thridrangar, Iceland
Want to get away? There’s a lighthouse off the coast of southern Iceland that sits 120 feet upward on the highest of three steep rocks. It is one of the most remote lighthouses in the world. Built in 1939, the Thridrangar (ÞrÃdrangar) Lighthouse, ÞrÃdrangar means “three rock pillars,” is undoubtedly one of the most challenging […]
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Watch styrofoam dancing to sound waves in a Kundt’s tube
Put your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care. What looks like a dubstep rave of little ghost people is actually styrofoam dancing to sound waves in a massive plexiglass pipe known as a Kundt’s tube. In 1866 German physicist August Kundt constructed the experimental acoustical apparatus to measure the speed of sound in […]
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Meet Bolivia’s powerful female wrestlers, Flying Cholitas
Photographer Todd Anthony took pictures of Bolivia’s indigenous female wrestlers for his new project, Flying Cholitas. This unique group of athletes wear more than stylish dresses and beautiful petticoats — they come together to demonstrate pride in their history. Once colonized by the Spanish and rejected as lower-class citizens, pejoratively known as “cholita,” they have since […]
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What cities look like at night without electricity
In his series Villes éteintes (Darkened Cities), French photographer Thierry Cohen imagines the world’s biggest cities at night without urban light. Cohen uses a special exposure technique called day for night which enables him to capture the cities in the daytime but increases darkness levels. Then, he combines the city skylines into the backdrop of […]
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Mirrored ceilings at Zhongshuge bookstores, China
Zhongshuge Bookstore is a popular book chain in China. Each of its stores leverages mirrors in its architectural design to give off a kaleidoscope effect on the interior. However, one of its stores in the city of Chongqing features a magical and elaborate bookcase. The location features a ceiling mirror that creates an optical illusion […]
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Xavi Bou: If birds left tracks in the sky
Barcelona-based photographer Xavi Bou turns bird flight into art in a project he calls OrnitografÃas. Using his degrees in geology and photography and experience as a lighting technician in the fashion industry, Bou extracts high-resolution photos from video stills to illustrate the path of birds in motion. The result is a spectacular piece of art […]
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Mysterious metal monolith found in remote Utah desert
As if 2020 couldn’t get any weirder, the Utah Department of Public Safety stumbled upon a mysterious shiny monolith among red rocks in the remote Utah desert. The crew spotted the “unusual object” during a routine flyover to survey the area for bighorn sheep. In a public statement issued on Tuesday, Utah officials announced that they’re keeping […]