Flight of Fancy

Gorgeous Macro Photographs of Butterfly and Moth Wings by Linden Gledhill A biochemist by training, photographer Linden Gledhill is fascinated by the beauty of infinitesimally small aspects of nature and science, from capturing the flight of insects to exploring the beauty of magnetic ferrofluid. Among his most jaw-dropping images are macro photographs of butterfly wings that reveal complex patterns that look like perfectly organized flower petals. These tiny protrusions are actually scales, similar to what you would find on reptile, though extremely small and fragile.   A World Where Outdoor Advertising is Replaced by Classical Paintings In this fun series of photos from the streets of Milan and Paris, artist Etienne Lavie imagines what the world might be like if invasive street advertisements were replaced with classical paintings.     Time-lapse Scenes of Swarming Fireflies by Vincent Brady [VIDEO] This is a fantastic feat of photography and editing by Vincent Brady who shot this montage of firefly timelapses in 2013 at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri and around his home in Grand Ledge, Michigan. To make the time-lapse Brady had to master several different cameras, learn about photo stacking, 360° panoramas, and even how to pilot a pontoon boat to get all the requisite shots.   The World's Smallest Sandcastles Built on Individual Grains of Sand by Vik Muniz and Marcelo Coelho Artist Vik Muniz is known for his gigantic composite installations and sculptures created from thousands of individual objects. In this new collaboration with artist and MIT researcher Marcelo Coelho, Muniz takes the opposite approach and explores the microscopic with a new series of sandcastles etched onto individual grains of sand.   DreamWorks Special Effects Artist Transforms His Son into a Superhero Just when you think you've mastered every filter and editing technique when making a video of your kid chewing on Legos and pulling the cat's tail, DreamWorks special effects artist Daniel Hashimoto arrives to trump us all. On his YouTube channel Action Movie Kid Hashmito bestows his son James with superhuman abilities and gives him gadgets of every child's wildest imagination.   Slow Life: A Macro Timelapse of Coral, Sponges and Other Aquatic Organisms Created from 150,000 Photographs [VIDEO] Created by University of Queensland PhD student Daniel Stoupin, this remarkable macro video of coral reefs, sponges and other underwater wildlife, brings a fragile and rarely-seen world into vivid focus. Stoupin shot some 150,000 photographs which he edited down to create the final clip.   Airy Dresses Carved From Marble by Alasdair Thomson These lightweight, airy dresses look like they're about to be worn to a fancy gala or dinner party. But as irony would have it, they will never be worn. In fact, the dresses are actually made from Carrera Marble, the same material as the world's most famous naked statue – Michelangelo's David. Starting out as a solid mass of marble that can weigh several tons, they are chiseled and sculpted down by Alasdair Thomson, a sculptor living and working in Edinburgh, Scotland.   Back in Stock: Cardboard Creature Puzzles from D-Torso These fantastic puzzles from D-Torso are the perfect addition to your desk. Ideal for kids from ages 7 all the way through 107, the laser cut rigid cardboard pieces do not require glue or any special tools to be put together. The Colossal Shop stocks several different models from cats and pigeons to raptors and giraffes. You could start an entire cardboard zoo on your desk. All puzzles are in stock, ship immediately, and are even eligible for free U.S. shipping when included in orders over $75!