November 28, 2014
Art
Christopher Jobson
Early last year, artist Sonja Hinrichsen (previously) and some 60 volunteers wearing snowshoes trekked out onto the frozen Catamount Lake in Colorado to trample miles of swirling and twisting patterns into the deep snow.
Titled Snow Drawings at Catamount Lake, the work was a continuation of her community-based snow drawing projects that bring together local volunteers to transform snowy landscapes into temporary artworks based on parameters provided by Hinrichsen.
From her statement about the project:
It is important to me that participants experience the elements of nature while they help me transform their own familiar snow landscape into a piece of art. I hope that the aerial photographs that I take right after completion of each piece can demonstrate also to a larger audience how the landscape is transformed into a piece of art through a system of designs. This changes our perception of the landscape and accentuates the beauty and magic of the natural environment, and thus inspires awe and appreciation for art as well as for nature. I deem this important – especially as modern society becomes increasingly disconnected from the natural world.
Hinrichsen most recently completed a snow drawing project that traced the original flow of the Yampa River in Routt County, Colorado and has upcoming projects scheduled in Illinois and the French Alps.
More: An Expansive Swirling Snow Drawing Atop a Frozen Lake by Sonja Hinrichsen
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References:
[1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/….
[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159…
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science…
[4] https://academic.oup.com/conphys/arti…
[5] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/art…
[6] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/art…
[7] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science…
[8] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles….
[9] https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/…
[10] https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowle…
[11] https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073…
[12] https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/…
[13] https://www.researchgate.net/figure/H…
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The Ig Nobel Prizes – awards presented for research that first makes you laugh and then makes you think.
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By Emma Taggart on December 3, 2024
One of the world’s longest-running and elaborate treasure hunts is finally over, thanks to the discovery of a buried bronze replica of the golden owl in France. The statue was first buried by French writer Régis Hauser in 1993 who released 11 clues to its location in a picture book, On the Trail of the Golden Owl. He promised that whoever found the treasure would receive a matching owl made of gold, silver, and gemstones.
Hauser teamed up with illustrator and sculptor Michel Becker to bring his vision to life. Becker crafted two intricate owl sculptures, and the duo collaborated on a picture book filled with riddles, clues, games, and mathematical puzzles designed to guide treasure hunters to the hidden prize. Only Hauser knew the exact location of the buried owl—not even Becker was privy to the secret.
After Hauser completed the book of clues, he released it under the pen name “Max Valentin.” He also sealed a set of clues inside an envelope and hid it in his home to safeguard the solution. After Hauser died in 2009, Becker retrieved the envelope from Hauser’s family and personally traveled to the spot to verify that the bronze owl was still there.
Hauser’s legendary “Golden Owl Treasure Hunt” sparked fierce competition among thousands of treasure hunters worldwide, who came to be known as “Owlers.” Now, over 30 years after the owl was buried, the treasure hunt website has shared a big update: “Don’t go digging!” The announcement continues, “We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night. It is therefore useless to go digging.” As for the lucky person who found the Golden Owl, their identity is being kept under wraps as they’ve asked to stay anonymous.
Made from 6 pounds of gold, 15 pounds of silver, and embellished with diamonds, the incredible gold owl has an estimated worth of $165,000. The exact location of the bronze replica is yet to be announced, but the anonymous “owler” who found it was able to prove they had solved all 11 riddles, rather than stumbling upon it by chance.
The answers to the clues won’t be revealed until April 23, 2025, marking the end of an era and leaving many unsuccessful Owlers grappling with mixed emotions […]
More: 31-Year Treasure Hunt for a Golden Owl Ends w/ Discovery in France
December 2, 2024
Art
Craft
Nature
Kate Mothes
From vibrant thread and wire, Yumi Okita conjures thrillingly lifelike sculptures of moths, butterflies, and flowers.
From vibrant thread and wire, Yumi Okita conjures thrillingly lifelike moths, butterflies, and flowers. The Raleigh-based artist (previously) meticulously embroiders insects’ colorful wings with an eye for realism, so until you’re up close, they appear as though they could flutter away at any moment. And in her more recent series of otherworldly botanicals, petals, leaves, and roots curl to look as though they were just plucked from their habitats. […]
More: Yumi Okita’s Butterflies and Botanicals Metamorphose from Colorful Thread
