Category: Design

Around 10,000 years ago, a paradigm shift in human history began to unfold. Prior to this transitional period, which archaeologists refer to as the Neolithic Revolution—the final phase of the Stone Age—small societies were organized around hunting and gathering for sustenance. During the Neolithic period, the gradual adoption of agricultural practices forever changed the way…

The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, returns to Artifact Events in Ravenswood, Chicago, from October 30 to November 2—and this edition is bursting with creative surprises. More than 115 independent artists will fill the venue with fresh artwork, playful installations, and interactive experiences that make art accessible, fun, and unforgettable. Whether you’re discovering…

Jason Boyd Kinsella refers to himself as “a collector of things at heart.” The manner in which the Toronto-born, Oslo-based artist (previously) assembles shapes and colors appears to emerge from this lineage, his impeccable ability to capture a particular human emotion through abstract forms on full display. Alchemy of the Eternal Self is Kinsella’s most…

Since ancient times, artists and craftsmen have drawn upon natural pigments for creative use. Extracting dyes from organic sources is an art in and of itself, deeply rooted in various cultures across the historical Mesoamerican region. Although many traditional practices—like pigment harvesting—have been threatened by external factors such as colonialism, artists continue to keep these…

Street artists Francesco Camillo Giorgino and Julien Malland (a.k.a. Millo and Seth Globepainter) have painted in more than fifty countries combined. In a new exhibition titled Beyond, the pair takes their expansive mural practice indoors with thirty new works and their first collaborative canvas installation. Beyond is grounded by a vast map at the entrance…

In many parts of rural America, the population keeps shrinking. Low birth rates, aging residents, and evolving or shuttering industries pair with a trend of younger people migrating to metro areas for jobs and more diverse cultural amenities. As of 2022, the U.S. Census bureau estimates there are more than 15 million abandoned houses around…

Just outside Brussels, an ancient woodland known as the Sonian Forest spans almost 11,000 acres and includes some of the world’s most impressive beech groves. For photographer Frédéric Demeuse, who grew up in Belgium’s capital, it’s a familiar yet perpetually alluring place. “This is where I made my first naturalist observations,” he tells Colossal, spotting…

From a remarkable demonstration of flower self-pollination to algae swimming in a water droplet in a Japanese 50 Yen coin, the winners of this year’s Nikon Small World in Motion competition capture some of the natural world’s most beautiful, otherworldly, and otherwise invisible phenomena. The top prize was awarded to Michigan-based photographer Jay McClellan, who…

Beau Miles is a nature-lover, adventurer, and a self-described oddball who makes stuff from other people’s junk. Based in Australia, he delves into urban foraging on his YouTube channel, wrote a book called The Backyard Adventurer, and has made numerous films about everything from building a tiny cabin to exploring Sydney’s most polluted river. Miles…

In the miniature world of Michael Davydov, tiny houses, moons, trees, and barns balance precariously in clusters and stacks. Observing the architecture and flora around his home in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia, he taught himself how to draw and eventually began assembling small sculptures. The hobby quickly morphed into a passion for creating…