Concrete Columns Light up to Create a Rainbow Hallway

If you happen to visit the Netherlands Architecture Institute, make sure to head to the colonnade under the institute to be immersed in a rainbow of light. Artist Peter Struycken has turned the over 550-feet long series of columns into a row of canvases where you'll never know which color combination you're going to witness next.

The columns are uniformly illuminated by a simple but ingenious system of only red, green and blue lamps. Using a computer system, both primary and as well as blended color combinations occur every ten minutes. Lucky for us, a handful of photographers have captured a few of these stunning displays, the ones that they've personally witnessed with their very own eyes.

Above photo by Ronald Bellekom

Photo by Peter Struycken

Photo by Quistnix

Photo by Pieter Musterd

Photo by Sjoerd van Oosten

Photo by Susana Serrato

Photo by Elvin

Photo by Peter Struycken

Photo by Jacqueline ter Haar

The Keyboard Monument

Russian artist Anatoly Vyatkin installed a giant replica of a Cyrillic QWERTY keyboard made of 86 stone blocks, each weighing up to 1,000 pounds. The Keyboard monument (which in some circles also goes by the name "Claudia") is a permanent outdoor sculpture located in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where it remains a prominent tourist attraction.

The landmark, which was designed to mimic an IBM PC keyboard, incorporates a piece of technology into the natural landscape, promoting the idea of integration and inviting passersby to interact with it. Pedestrians in the area often find themselves playfully hopping onto the "keys" of the installation, despite knowing it serves no immediate function. The installation provides a whimsical bit of art for the public that is still very relevant. It will be interesting to see how future generations perceive it once keyboards have become obsolete.

Top image by SparkleStarCat

Image by Andrew Sebrant


Image via publiciti


Image by Hope Zaostrovnyh


Image via 1001chudo.ru


Image via English Russia


Image via English Russia


Image via publiciti

16,000 Pairs of Shoes Lined Up Together

Heel the world: Incredible time lapse video shows more than 16,000 pairs of shoes lined up together in huge world record attempt — Thousands of shoes of all shapes and sizes, lined up alongside each other heel to toe, you could be forgiven for thinking this was some kind of modern art installation. In fact these startling images are from a new Guinness World Record set by National Geographic Kids magazine for the largest number of shoes collected for recycling in one place as part of their Run for the Planet campaign. Staff at the headquarters in Washington D.C emptied more than 50 gigantic boxes filled with unwanted trainers of all kinds sent by families and children from across America and set a new record of 16,407.

Sole solution: National Geographic collected 16,407 pairs of unwanted shoes to recycle breaking a Guinness World Record. 

Running total: It was the second world record set by National Geographic after they set the record for the most people to run 100 metres in 24 hours with 30,914.

Down at heel: An adjudicator from the Guinness Book of World Records examines shoes at the attempt

But celebrities also contributed to with some famous footwear coming from the likes of Taylor Swift, One Direction, Eli Manning, Danica Patrick, and Amanda Beard.

The athletic shoes will be sent to the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program which recycles shoes into a material used in surfaces like basketball courts and running tracks.

Last year, National Geographic Kids magazine set another Guinness World Record after 30,914 people helped take the title for most people running 100 metres in 24 hours.

National Geographic staff emptied more than 50 boxes full of shoes and arranged them outside their headquarters heel to toe.

All the trainers came from families and children who wanted to make a difference.

Celebrities including Taylor Swift and One Direction contributed to the attempt.

The shoes which will be recycled by Nike into material for athletic surfaces used on basketball pitches and running tracks.

Map Made from Wood Matches

U.S.A. (burnt/unburnt) is a 2011 installation by Paris-based artist Claire Fontaine. Art of “Evidence of Bricks” at the 2011Time-Based Art Festival. 

Fontaine has made somewhat of a name for herself with her match installations and flaming geography, most recently completing a similar U.S.A. map at Queens Nails Gallery in San Francisco. Unlike the installation in Portland above, the Queens Nails artwork was actually set on fire, and while it may not have gone exactly as intended, the final post-flame artwork is impressive nonetheless. 

Amazing Transparent Smartphone

Smartphones have been pushing the envelope of our technological capabilities most notably symbolized by the Steve Jobs led Apple powerhouse up to present-day. They are considered the most influential technology on everyone’s list. Samsung recently introduced its flexible OLED screen, which offers us a taste of what is on the frontier of smartphone evolution. The Taiwanese company Polytron has now stepped into the fray to give us a preview of what a futuristic, sci-fi tech infused phone may one day look like.

Polytron Technologies, a worldwide leader and manufacturer of optical and electronic vision glass, recently unveiled the world’s first transparent phone. Yes sci-fi lovers, the first iteration of Tony Stark’s phone has been created. Though only a prototype, it is clear from the images released that not all of the phones components are yet capable of being transparent. The device is essentially a phone-shaped piece of glass with a small, cen.

The smartphone industry is assuredly fiercely competitive, and any technological edge a manufacturer can get is sure to earn them a handful of interested consumers. Though the benefits of a transparent phone are not immediately apparent at this time, Polytron remains hopeful by stating that the technology may be available by the end of 2013. The time frame might be a stretch, but the results are there nonetheless - reality is plowing full-steam ahead toward the technological possibilities predicted in many of our favorite sci-fi media. Maybe if we can somehow get these smartphone manufacturing companies to collaborate, Tony Stark’s phone would be a reality. 

World's Most Expensive Spice

Saffron or Kesar is the world's most costly and expensive spice. It takes a lot of time, hard work and many painstaking efforts just to get few precious stigmas of Saffron. Saffron not only adds color and taste to our foods but also gives pleasant aroma to a variety of delicacies. It has health promoting qualities one of which is that it brings a natural glow to the skin. Let's find out how farmers grow Saffron in their fields.

Kashmiri farmer plucking violet coloured Saffron / Kesar flowers from farm.

Kashmiri farmer collecting violet Saffron / Kesar flowers in a plastic bucket.

Kashmiri women and farmer busy in a field collecting Saffron flowers.  

 Kashmiri Woman helping her husband by plucking Saffron / Kesar flowersone-by-one and then collecting them in a plastic bucket.

        Kashmiri woman collecting cultivated Saffron / Kesar flowers from her field.

 A close-up photo of violet coloured Saffron flowers collected in a bucket.

             People carefully separating costly Saffron / Kesar Stigmas from violet flowers

A close-up photo of Saffron Stigmas being separated from its violet flower.

A young Kashmiri woman carefully counting Saffron Stigmas and then packing this most expensive spice in small plastic bags.

Young kasmiri woman picking up a bunch of precious dried Saffron / Kesar stigmas from a big glass bowl.

Close-up photo of Kashmiri woman showing us a bunch of precious dark-red coloured Saffron / Kesar stigmas.

After separating stigmas, leftover saffron petals are then fed to donkey.

Largest Stuttgart City Library

How often do you read? Of course, we're not talking about our articles, because we are sure you love to go through those, we are talking about physical(read non electronic) books. Books you can lend from a library, take home, snuggle in a warm blanket and lose yourself in some quality spent time with your book. Well, no matter how much you read, we are sure you would read a lot more if you had a library like this in your city. Stuttgart City Library just opened it's doors last week, and caused a lot of hype – not only amongst those avid book lovers from Stuttgart, but also amongst ones who love architecture and design. You see, this library isn't the average public building you come across everyday. Designed by architect Eun Young Yi,[http://www.yiarchitects.com/] this city library looks like a complicated two color Rubik's cube puzzle from the outside! But step in and you will be surprised at its simplicity. 

The interiors sport a very open layout with books visible throughout. Some may find the whites a bit sterile, but make no mistake, books are the center of attention here. But, what really caught our attention, and we are sure it caught yours as well are – the stairs! They are so randomly placed, connecting each floor, but also connecting the whole space together. You’re not just climbing the stairs, you’re exploring the environment around you, the view of the library is completely exposed to your eyes. We bet that climbing those stairs feels so triumphant! 

Of course, this kind of a monumental library has a Café named LesBar (in translation – Reading Bar) and a space for children to play and acquire the habit of reading. Their space is a bit more colorful, naturally, but still keeps up with the clean, structured vibe of the rest of the space. Books for children are cleverly put in bins, so that they can easily go through them, because we all know that they are mostly attracted to the cover of the book. And we are mostly attracted to this library!