Scale model of a war-torn WWII town built and photographed by brain-damaged beating victim

Mark Hogancamp was beaten into a "brain-damaging coma" by five men outside a bar. After he awoke, he devoted himself to building "Marwencol," a 1/6th scale WWII town, in his back yard: "Mark populated the town he dubbed 'Marwencol' with dolls representing his friends and family and created life-like photographs detailing the town's many relationships and dramas. Playing in the town and photographing the action helped Mark to recover his hand-eye coordination and deal with the psychic wounds from the attack. Through his homemade therapy, Mark was able to begin the long journey back into the 'real world', both physically and emotionally - something he continues to struggle with today."

The level of detail is amazing, and heart-wrenching, and sometimes just plain weird and disturbing. But it's also wonderful -- both as a display of sheer craft and dedication, and as a monument to a difficult and painful recovery.

Marwencol (Lookforthewoman), Via: Boingboing

Paint The Town Pink THE MUSIC VIDEO!

Paint The Town Pink 2009. LINK: Youtube

Duluth, Minnesota - 1905

This photo is not "scenic" by modern standards, because it emphasizes the thoroughly working-class, industrial nature of turn-of-the-century Duluth. Further north (to the left of this photo) was/is an area studded with the mansions of millionaires, but at the base of this funicular are the docks for the harbor. Further out is the island ridge that separates the harbor from the fury of Lake Superior.

Minnesotans will want to view the full-screen version of this photo at the Shorpy site, where there is a discussion thread and some related photos of the funicular. LINK: TYWKIWDBI

Carcasonne

Located in Southern France, Carcassonne is the ultimate example of a heavily fortified medieval town. Built on top of a hill, the town is surrounded by high and thick walls with towers and all kinds of fortifications giving the town a fairy tale appearance.

Link, Via: Neatorama

Town of the Rings - New Self-Sustainable Town in Korea

Surrounded by a picturesque lake and forested hills, Korea is set to create a sustainable township which will be a self sufficient city of 77,000 inhabitants, to be located about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Seoul, South Korea. Called Gwanggyo, all elements of the new town will be designed as rings so that each part of the program has a terrace for outdoor life.

Expected to be completed by 2011, the architectural design consists of a series of overgrown hill shaped buildings to target high urban density and further developments around the Gwanggyo Power Center, one of the two envisioned centers of the future new town. LINK



LINK: Youtube