Blow My Mindsday: April 25, 2012

François Vautier installed an ant colony in a flat bed scanner, and scanned the resulting nest once a week. And then he turned the images into a amazing video exploring the aesthetic of life and degradation. He says, “Five years ago, I installed an ant colony inside my old scanner that allowed me to scan in high definition this ever evolving microcosm (animal, vegetable and mineral). The resulting clip is a close-up examination of how these tiny beings live in this unique ant farm. I observed how decay and corrosion slowly but surely invaded the internal organs of the scanner. Nature gradually takes hold of this completely synthetic environment. The ants are still alive : the process will continue…”

UK-based illustrator Stephen Wildish illustrated one the better uses of the Venn diagram

Junkculture reports, “Bicimáquinas are pedal-powered blenders, washing machines and threshing machines hand-crafted in Maya Pedal’s warehouse in San Andrés Itzapa, where volunteers operate a bike repair service and build these ingenious contraptions.” Watch a video of these incredible machines in action.

14-pocket heavy-duty, hand sewn utility apron by The New Domestic

Designer Nori: Delicate Laser Cut Seaweed Patterns