Sculpture: Microscape

"Microscape" by New York-based TO+WN Design and AJSNY

Via: Kickstarter

The Manhattan skyline is one of the most iconic cityscapes in the world, being featured time and time again in films, and forever being photographed by both tourists and professionals alike. From the famous Empire State Building, to the stately Chrysler building, to Grand Central Station, there is undeniably something special about New York’s buildings and skyline, though until now representations of it have been traditionally stuck in 2D. Fortunately, New York based startup Microscape has made it their mission to turn the iconic architecture of Manhattan into a detailed, scaled-down 3D printed model—for the ultimate souvenir.

From the world’s major metropolitan centers to suburban cul-de-sacs, microscape combines highly detailed 3D scan data with manual computer modeling techniques to create completely customizable scale architectural models that are as accurate as they are beautiful.

The first phase, which is currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter, includes a series of two hundred individual tiles that compose the entire borough of Manhattan.  Fully assembled, the tiles form a 3.5ft by 12ft model.  The project retail price of each 6” x 6” tiles is $125 dollars with a total value of $20,000, but early backers can get a tile for roughly half off.

Photography: Flatland

"Flatland" by Aydın Büyüktaş

Turkish artist Aydın Büyüktaş distorts the streets of Istanbul into surreal cityscapes. The warped images were inspired by Edwin A. Abbott’s satirical novella “Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.”

For the project, Büyüktaş virtually folded the city of Istanbul in on itself, transforming famed historical landmarks such as Sultanahmet Square, the Grand Bazaar, and Maltepe Stadium into visually warped collages that resemble scenes out of Inception.  Entire city blocks double back on themselves with city streets and sights stretching into the sky. The photos were captured via drones before being transformed by 3D software into surreal Escher-esque landscapes.

Photography: Crashed Star Wars Ships

"Star Wars" by Paris, France-based Nicolas Amiard

With the release of The Force Awakens inching closer, we have already seen a plethora of toys, games and numerous Star Wars-themed artworks being unveiled in anticipation of the latest sequel.  Now, graphic designer Nicolas Amiard merges fantasy and reality by digitally painting crashed ships from the Star Wars universe into contemporary cityscapes, including London, Tokyo, New York, Sao Paulo, Venice, Paris, Moscow, and San Francisco.  Add a few Ewoks into Central Park and we've got out own Earth as Endor head cannon.

Illustration: Fantastic Flying Cars

"Fantastic Voyages" by Toronto-based Steve McDonald

Do you ever get bored riding around in the plain old land-bound vehicles?  Weren't we promised flying cars?  In a body of work being developed for a book project called “Fantastic Voyages” Steve McDonald imagines a world of flying cars, boats, buses, and rickshaws all flying above McDonald's signature cityscapes.  The project is still in development, eventually, it will include over sixty different locations. 

"I am an artist from South Africa. I grew up loving fantasy art and stories. The dragons that inhabited them always felt like the most imposing of characters. I loved imagining what they would look like. I try work humor into my work as much as I can, there is so much inspiration out there.

Cats and dogs inspire me with the funny things they do, old sayings and jokes, even the news. It really makes me happy to see people smile, both young and old as they look through the modern dragons."

Photography: Air

"Air" by Vincent Laforet

Vincent Laforet’s series of cities photographed at night from a high-altitude helicopter has become a worldwide sensation.  From the heights, the cities look like Tron-style circuits.

Typography: Alphabet Town

"Alphabet Town" by Damascus-based Omar Shammah

Gallery: Cyberpunk Cities

Cyberpunk Cities

"Cyberpunk" by San Francisco, California-based Vladimir Petkovic

I don't think anything evokes such a sense of wonder in me as the dark, damp streets of a futuristic city.  Blade Runner has been one of my favorite films since I was kid, and after catching the movie on cable a few nights ago, I decided to comb through the major gallery sites for the best cyberpunk cityscapes the web has to offer.

Artist: Dimitry Sorokin

Illustrations by Russia-based Dimitry Sorokin

[ ArtStation | BlogSpot | Concept Art World | DrawCrowd ]

Here is some concept art for a cyberpunk-themed RPG created by Dimitry Sorokin, a student at the FZD School of Design.

Artist: Paul Chadeisson

Illustrations by France-based Paul Chadeisson (Paooo)

[ BlogSpot | CGSociety | Concept Art World | DeviantArt | Facebook ]

Paul Chadeisson is a freelance concept artist and character designer located in Paris, France. Paul has worked on Remember Me, a video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment, along with card games like Star Wars Galaxies and cartoons like Tron: Uprising.  Chadeisson's work envisions what today's cities will look like in 2084 with towering skyscrapers, flying cars, and surveillance drones.

Photography: Reflections From Above

"Reflections From Above" by Donna Dotan

Prints available for purchase from the artist's website. US$785

Reflections From Above is a series of complex photo compositions in which thousands of New York City windows and lights merge together into unique abstract formations. To capture the fascinating and symmetrical perspectives, Dotan shot her photos from the tops of large skyscrapers using long exposure times.

Papercraft: New York

"New York" by Estonian graphic designer Eiko Ojala

Mosaic: Vertical Aerial, Johannesburg

"Vertical Aerial, Johannesburg" a sculptural mosaic by South African artist Gerhard Marx
Exhibited at the 2013 FNB Joburg Art Fair

Gerhard Marx, working in partnership Spier Architectural Arts, re-created this aerial photograph of Johannesburg, South Africa as a gi-normous mosiac using a variety of stone, including marble, travertine, red brick, and Venetian smalti glass.  Seven artists and nine apprentices built the mosaic over the course of five months.  The final result weighs nearly three tons.

Photography: Twisted

"Twisted" by Nicolas Kennedy Sitton

"These photos are a result of how intriguing the concept of distortion translates to architecture.  It creates a sense of falling into itself, like capturing a moment of demolition. I can destroy titanous steeel structures with the click of a mouse and create new twisted versions of reality."

Food Art: San Francisco in Jello

Replica of san francisco constructed from jello by Liz Hickok

Photography: Microcities

"Microcities" by Matteo Procaccioli

Matteo Procaccioli’s most recent project changes perspective by capturing cities on film from a bird’s eye view. Observed from above, the cities take on a different aspect in which the buildings dominate, enabling the viewer to understand the rational geometry that characterizes them, their relationship with the surrounding countryside, and to see the wide streets or the rivers running through them.

Crafts: Portable Cities

"Portable Cities" of Yin Xiuzhen

Originally a student of painting, Yin Xiuzhen has made her reputation with work incorporating fabric and thread.

"When I began this series, I was constantly traveling,” says the artist. “I saw the baggage conveyor at the baggage claim every time I traveled. Many people waited there. I was one of them. Since I always traveled with a huge suitcase, it felt like I was traveling with my home."

"People in our contemporary setting have moved from residing in a static environment to becoming souls in a constantly shifting transience. The suitcase becomes the life support container of modern living… The holder of the continuous construction of a human entity."

Paintings: Monochromatic Cityscapes

"Composition 132" by Jeremy Mann

On exhibit at The Christopher Hill Gallery,

Link Round-Up: August 13, 2013

"NYC: Broadway and Canal Street" by Stefan Bleekrode, 2012.

Ink on paper, 45x35cm

15 Logotypes with hidden messages.

Chicago-based Galerie F decided to celebrate the much-loved children’s author Roald Dahl with the help of European contemporary artists, illustrators and designers. Posters inspired by Dahl's classics were created for an exhibition entitled "Fantastic Mr. Dahl."

Love Legos?  How about robots and video games?  Then this LEGO Nintendo 64 Transformers Instructables tutorial is for you!

On his excellent blog The Visual Science Lab professional photographer and author Kirk Tuck give his theory for why camera sales are down almost 43% year over year.

Video: Dear New York

"Dear New York" directed by Luis Úrculo

"Dear New York" is black-and-white video directed by Luis Úrculo, featuring a variety of everyday objects stacked and arranged to look like the city's skyline. The project was created as an homage to the city of New York for Zara, as a celebration for their new flagship store on 5th Ave.

Photography: Time Is A Dimension

"Time Is A Dimension" by Singapore-based photographer Fong Qi Wei

For his latest project, Wei  shot a series of urban landscapes over the course of two to four hours through either a sunset or sunrise in order to capture the striking changes that come over the scene.