A Sea of Glass

Sheets of Glass Cut into Layered Ocean Waves by Ben Young Using sheet after sheet of carefully cut glass, self-taught artist Ben Young builds both abstract and realistic interpretations of waves and bodies of water. Incredibly, Young's glass sculptures are completely hand-crafted.   Sleep in the Trees Inside a Portable Suspended Treehouse by Tentsile Created by UK inventor Alex Shirley-Smith, Tentsile is an ingenious portable suspended treehouse that installs much like a hammock while offering the convenience of a multi-person tent. Simply locate any three anchor points and install the tent above ground where you're immediately clear of threats from rain and all those ground-based creepy crawly things.      Stitched Leaves by Hillary Fayle Hillary Fayle is the artist behind these exceptional stitched leaves. While many different artists work with leaf cuttings (which Fayle does as well), the suspended embroidery aspect of Fayle's work is pretty special.   Vases Constructed from Hundreds of Pencils by Studio Markunpoika Amalgamated is a new series of vessels by studio markunpoika constructed from assembled pencils. Taking advantage of the pencil's unique hexagon shape, the pencils are first tightly glued together at each facet to form a solid block. The final pieces are then carved on a machine lathe to reveal the insides of each pencil.   Mysterious Landscapes of People Exploring the World by Nicolas Bouvier To explore the photography of French art director and concept designer Nicolas Bouvier is to become lost in strange new worlds, the inhabitants of which are dwarfed by the towering silhouettes of trees and mountains, or swallowed completely by eerie fog and haze. Though these landscapes are indeed real, it may not be surprising that Bouvier's day job is pure science fiction: he creates stunning concept art and illustrations for video games like Halo and Assassin's Creed.   The Fine Art of Japanese Parquetry Using Razor-Thin Slices of Wood Mosaics From 2012-2013 Gucci Japan produced an online video series called "Hand" that payed homage to 35 artists and designers who eschew modern mass-production in favor of traditional techniques. One of the most impressive videos is an example of Japanese parquetry demonstrated by Noboru Honma, where geometric mosaics of wood are cut into razor-thin veneers for application on boxes or other decorative objects.   From the Colossal Shop: New Earrings from Nervous System The team over at Nervous System produces some of the most visually fascinating wearable objects around. Almost as fascinating is the Nervous System design and production concept. Using computer simulations intended to mimic the complex natural structures--such as the growth pattern of coral or the organization of plant cells--Nervous System is capable of cutting incredibly detailed natural shapes from stainless steel and other materials. In this way, it might be more appropriate to say that Nervous System's wearables are grown rather than designed. New in the Colossal Shop are two beautiful sets of earrings. The Cross-Venulate Earrings were created using Nervous System's leaf venation simulation to model the delicate, seemingly random lines of veins running through a leaf. Using yet another simulation, the Branch Earrings were created from the principles of algae and plant growth. Both are cut from stainless steel with surgical steel ear wires. They are available to ship immediately.