Museum Of Life: Collection For The Future

Museum of Life gives viewers an inside look at the Natural History Museum and some of the 300 or more scientists who work here. Cameras follow them on collecting expeditions around the world, as they hunt for dinosaur fossils and study the biodiversity of remote areas. But there are also plenty of discoveries to be made at the Museum itself, including hidden store rooms full of specimens, and high tech science facilities, such as the DNA labs. Find out about the huge variety of plants and animals that scientists study here, and why they are important for conservation efforts today.
About the presenters: As a young man, Jimmy Doherty (Jimmy's Farm, Jimmy Doherty in Darwin's Garden, Jimmy's Global Harvest) worked as a volunteer at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Now he returns to join the Museum scientists and find out how much has changed. He is joined by engineer Kate Bellingham (Tomorrow's World), doctor of tropical medicine Chris van Tulleken (Medicine Men), conservationist Liz Bonnin (Bang Goes the Theory) and zoologist Mark Carwardine (Last Chance to See).
LINK: Youtube

Kinetic Rain: 1,216 Computationally Controlled Bronze Raindrops at Changi Airport in Singapore

Berlin firm ART+COM just completed this stunning new kinetic sculpture in Terminal 1 of Changi Airport in Singapore. Kinetic Rain consists of two sets of 608 suspended raindrops made from lightweight aluminum covered in copper which are raised and lowered in a 15-minute computationally designed choreography controlled from motors embedded in the ceiling. ART+COM created a similar though somewhat smaller piece for the BMW Museum in 2008.
LINK, Via: Vimeo, Via: hungeree

"Kinetic Rain" Changi Airport Singapore from ART+COM on Vimeo.

Fantastic Sculptures By Odani Motohiko

These massive, milk white sculptures by Japanese artist Odani Motohiko have an ethereal nature about them, with wispy details and fantastic subjects to match. They have the appearance of fine porcelain, which adds to the delicate nature of these works, and would probably look even more impressive in a room where the walls are painted black, so they would really stand out. Hit the Hi Fructose link below and take a tour of Odani’s latest showing at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco-it’s almost like being there in person, even though it really isn’t the same at all! Link –Via: Hi Fructose, Via: Neatorama

Salvador Dali - his home in Portlligat

To be known for his surrealistic paintings and art. His house, which he partly constructed and planned himself, is a most practical and surprisingly well organized villa, placed in a small hill ending at the shore of the Mediterranian Sea. Beatifully situated in a most attractive marine landscape. Carefully planned rooms and a most inviting garden, overlooking the sea, with a grand swimmingpool. In- and outside with loads of pieces of his art, surralistic as naturalistic. A place well worth to visit - only app. 1 hr. from Figueres. Remember to book in advance as only 8 people is admitted pr. slot. Along Costa Brava, Spain not far from the French Border and his museum in Figueres you will find Salvador Dali's home at the seashore of Portlligat outside the small Spanish/Catalan town Cadaqués. LINK: Arbyn's Cloud Mind, Via: Youtube

A Building That Looks Like a Set of Wings

Pictured above is a design submission for the Zayed National Museum in the United Arab Emirates. The project is named after Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004), who was president of the UAE. In memory of the Sheik’s love of falconry, the main structures are shaped like wings. But they also serve a practical purpose:

The galleries are placed at the bases of five solar thermal towers. The towers heat up and act as thermal chimneys to draw cooling air currents naturally through the museum. Fresh air is captured at low level and drawn through buried ground-cooling pipes and then released into the museum’s lobby. The heat at the top of the towers works to draw the air up vertically through the galleries due to the thermal stack effect. Air vents open at the top of the wing-shaped towers taking advantage of the negative pressure on the lee of the wing profile to draw the hot air out.

Link, Via: DVICE | Photo: Foster + Partners | Via: Neatorama

Slideshow of antique natural history museum dioramas

Our pal Ben Cosgrove at LIFE posted a gorgeous slideshow of ye olde natural history museum dioramas. Seen above, an 1898 "Beisa Antelope Oryx diorama" by taxidermist Carl Akeley, from the collection of the Field Museum. "Wild Dioramas Back In The Day". Via: Boingboing

ARCHITECTURE - Frank Lloyd Wright - Guggenheim Museum

Rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. LINK: Youtube

Skull Made of Brain Slices

Graphic Designer Noah Scalin who is known for his skull a day project, where he created a skull everyday for an entire year, creates an image of a skull from brain slices at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. LINK: Youtube

"Interview with Noah Scalin"


Anna Dhody curator of the Mütter Museum interviews Noah Scalin a graphic designer who created the skull a day project.

Noah Scalin discusses his latest project he created at the Mütter Museum in which he arranged brain slices to create an image of a skull. LINK: Youtube

Underwater Art Museum

A museum is under construction off the coast of Cancun. By the end of the year, divers may be able to visit four hundred sculptures in a maritime park:

The cement sculpture, called ‘The Collector’, shows a figure who records bottled treasures in logbooks. It weighs four tonnes and is anchored 26 feet under the sea. Divers watch a yellowtail damselfish nibble on algae growing from the sculpture’s pant leg, which its creators hope will eventually sprout colourful coral.

About 400 life-size casts will be submerged off the resort of Cancun by the end of 2010. It is hoped that the low-acidity cement figures, designed to be anti-corrosive and mimic rock, will be transformed over time into artificial reefs. Some will be in shallow waters for snorkellers to enjoy.[...]

“The park managers were looking for an alternative to manage the tourists. The idea was to concentrate everyone in one place,” said de Caires Taylor, who has also built an underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies.

The 400 figures, weighing 180 tonnes in total and to be named ‘Silent Evolution’, will be submerged in a barren, flat expanse of the park, which lies between Cancun and nearby islands.

Link | Photo: Reuters, Via: Neatorama

6 Cars So Alluring They're In An Art Museum

Some cars are so beautifully designed and exquisitely engineered that they transcend mere transportation to become works of art. They are rolling sculptures. Curators at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, USA, agree. The museum is hosting an exhibition to celebrate automotive design, and it has gathered a very impressive assortment of cars.

The Allure of the Automobile, which runs through June 20, features 18 vehicles created in what could be called the golden age of design, from the early 1930s through the early 1960s. LINK: The Presurfer

Schwarzenegger Museum To Open In Summer

The house where Arnold Schwarzenegger was born is to open as a museum. The governor of California and former Hollywood superstar is to visit and personally donate items for the house in Thal, Styria, organisers said, adding that it will open in June or July.

Former Thal Social Democratic Mayor and museum project head Peter Urdl said work on the kitchen had been completed and the governor would be visiting during a trip to Austria after Easter. Urdl - a close friend of Schwarzenegger - said it had cost 50,000 Euros ($67,650) to prepare exhibition areas in the house.

(Via: Paperholic, Via: The Presurfer)

M.C. Escher Museum

Escher museum at the Hague, Netherlands. LINK: Youtube

Photo Archives of the National Museum of Health and Medicine

The museum, formerly called the Army Medical Museum, is now part of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. It houses millions of artifacts in a variety of historically significant collections. Selections from their photographic archives have been assembled in a Flickr photostream, which “began as unofficial ‘favorite photos’ of the staff of the Otis Historical Archives” at the museum.

The subject material is understandably weighted toward anatomic and pathologic specimens, but also includes historical photos re public health and the delivery of health care in war and in peacetime.

Links for the museum and the photostream. Photo credit Joe Clark. Via: Neatorama

Woods of Net / Tezuka Architects

Woods of Net, a permanent pavilion for japanese net artist Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam, in collaboration with structural engineers TIS & PARTNERS.

The pavilion is located at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, a unique open museum located in one of the most visited tourist spots in Japan. Woods of Net was added to the collection of art works as part of their 40th anniversary.

The architects description of the pavilion with photos by Abel Erazo. LINK

Photos of a day-glo, underwater world

The Dyche Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas has this almost hidden little room in the basement where you can go in, close a curtain, flip on a blacklight and watch as a collection of seemingly ordinary rocks light up with a fluorescent glow. This series of images, taken by photographer Louise Murray, reminds me of how much I like that room at the Dyche. Only, instead of rocks, Murray snaps photos of coral, fish and other sea creatures, using a portable blue light.

The Telegraph: Slideshow—The hidden fluorescent colours of the oceans
(Via: Maria Popova, Via: Boingboing)

Russian Underground Submarine Base

It was a big underground submarine base and docks once in USSR. After the Soviet Union collapsed and Russian army left Ukraine it was partly abandoned and some of its parts was converted into a museum later.

More photos and information at this LINK.

The Electric Canvas @ The National Museum of Singapore

The Electric Canvas, Night Festival 2008 @ The National Museum of Singapore. LINK: Youtube

Salvador Dali painting the ceiling of his museum in Figueres

I really love Salvador Dali art.

I found this video at daliaday.tumblr.com, where you can see more of Salvador Dali art. New artwork is posted there daily. It's a must see.

Art Museum Strongoli: Italy

Located on the top of Motta Grande in Calabria, Italy, the new Art Museum Strongoli in Calabria is the third Coop Himmelb(l)au project in Italy. Viewable from the city on a hilltop, the museum will not only be a cultural center but a step towards future development in Calabria, a place for cultural entertainment and recreation.

Featuring a cone-shaped design, the symbolic structure offers a panoramic view of the sea. The new museum houses a panorama restaurant and a small “multi-hall” which offers a temporary exhibition space, lecture hall, auditorium and cinema for public events or gatherings. LINK

The Pez Museum in Burlingame, CA

The Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia, Plug1 has a great write-up and photos from their visit.

Curator and owner, Gary Doss has been collecting Pez dispensers for almost 15 years. The space was originally a computer retail and repair business. He set up his personal Pez collection as a distraction for the customers. Over time, word spread and the computers had to go to make room for the rapidly growing collection of mechanical candy dispensers.



LINK