German artist Matthieu Bourel finds old images of well known and beloved faces such as Gregory Peck and Yul Brenner and transforms them into surreal art pieces. Bourel says, 

“I like to evoke a fake history or inspire nostalgia for a period in time that never truly existed.The obsession of collecting disparate images from books, old magazines and other found material becomes as much a part of the emerging image as the mark-making... A piece often becomes about the search and desire to combine those emergent narrative symbols that seem charged with a familiar yet distant emotion.” 

Bourel lists famed surrealist painter René Magritte as one of his influences; I think hints of Magritte's imagery abound here. Visit Bourel's website to see more of his work and purchase prints. 

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Jebediah is a Boer goat who is in rut, a term used to describe the mating season of ruminant animals such as goats, deer, sheep, elk and moose. As his owner says,

"He sounds so goofy! This is how intact male goats act and sound when the weather gets cooler and they are looking for love."

Now, now. That's not showing Jebediah the proper respect, is it? To add insult to injury, the owner says he's stinky, too. Perhaps that's what Jebediah is trying to vocalize here. He needs to protect his male goat card in any way possible, in the face of such abuse. 

I've watched this video twice now, and at :38, I've burst out laughing both times. Thanks for the laughs, Jeb. -Via Tastefully Offensive

A Syrian ambulance driver named Alaa has been taking care of the cities' cats, abandoned by their owners in the midst of constant shelling over the city of Aleppo, the largest in the war-torn country. 

Alaa spends what amounts to $4.00 USD to purchase raw meat, after which he drives to Masaken Hanano, an area now uninhabited due to bombing. Hundreds of domestic cats, unaccustomed to procuring food for themselves, come running when Alaa appears. 

It's always uplifting to witness the selflessness, empathy and heroism that the human spirit is capable of, even in tragic and desperate circumstances. Via Lost in E Minor. 

Images: Hosam Katan/Reuters

Australian photographer Peter Stewart's photo series "Stacked," of densely populated Hong Kong, give us an idea of the millions of worker bees that make up this giant hive habitat. Stewart's captures of Hong kong’s public housing developments are beautiful as well as dauntiing in the way they picture so much life in such limited space. Stewart uses compositing and color enhancement techniques during post processing to create these works of art. 

See more of Stewart's series at his website. Via Trendhunter. 

 

 
 

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This Vimeo Staff Pick entitled Aspirational by Matthew Frost and featuring actress Kirsten Dunst shows how times have changed in the way of celebrity encounters. In years past, celebrities were besieged by autograph seekers. Today they are expected to stand still and smile while posing with fans intent on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram fodder. The encounter isn't so much about the thrill of meeting a person they admire as it is about promoting their own lives as being exciting and special. Via 22 Words

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This beautiful game table from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was designed and built by acclaimed German cabinetmaker David Roentgen. Once owned by a wealthy European family, the table features separate boards for chess and checkers, cards and backgammon, and also fits a desk with a leather writing surface and a book rest into its compact form.

Visit the Metropolitan Museum's collection online to learn more about this gorgeous antique.

See another creation of Roentgen's, an astounding cabinet full of secret compartments, here. -Via The Presurfer. 

Komorebi (Japanese): n. The sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees.

Illustrator Ella Frances Sanders (previously featured at Neatorama) has lived in locations all over the world. Her experiences led her to reflect on how many words from different languages are beautifully descriptive, yet cannot easily be translated. In her new book Lost in Translation, just released on September 16, Sanders selected and illustrated over 50 foreign words that exemplify the beauty and nuance of human language. 

Visit Sanders' website for Lost in Translation to learn about ordering this winsome book. -Via Mental Floss. 
 Wabi-Sabi (Japanese): n. Finding beauty in the imperfections, an acceptance of the cycle of life and death.

Mangata (Swedish): n. The road-like reflection of the moon in the water

 

Kilig (Tagalog): n. The feeling of butterflies in your stomach, usually when something romantic or cute takes place.

 

Akihi (Hawaiian): n. Listening to directions and then walking off and promptly forgetting them means that you've gone "akihi."

 

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Makeup: as a woman, I'm fully aware of its power to transform. Even the lightest touch of makeup can be the difference between looking tired and pale to pretty and vibrant. Movie makeup takes things to the next level. It can change people into another gender. It can age someone decades backward or forward. It can turn them into monsters.

When you think of the most stunning movie makeup transformations, what characters do you envision? Come up with some answers and then watch the video to see if they covered any of your choices. I was able to guess a few before I hit play. How about you? What would you nominate for honorable mentions? -Via Tastefully Offensive

Moon Table
Liana Yaroslavsky, Designer

I find myself saying this repeatedly in furniture features: all it takes is one spectacular piece to make a room. A chair. Lamp. Rug. Staircase. Or in this case, a table. Something so eye-catching that it doesn't matter if all other pieces in the space barely register. Just one piece can set the tone and define your style. I think these tables fit that bill.

See more exceptional tables here and here. 

For more design delights, be sure to visit Homes and Hues. 

 Sparkling Table
John Foster, Designer






Branch and Tree End Tables
Bleu Nature, Designers

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Tourists feeding fish from a dock in the Maldives were surprised by the sudden appearance of a hungry stingray. The large specimen swam up to the tourists close enough for them to touch. Undaunted, they petted him and continued to throw fish food into the water.

How would you react to a close encounter with a large stingray, in or out of the water? Would you keep your distance from these lovely creatures after the death of Steve Irwin raised awareness of their rare but possibly lethal reaction to being threatened? -Via Tastefully Offensive 

Government officials in Moscow are installing park benches that are high tech scales, among other things, in an attempt to emphasize fitness in the population. These park benches are equipped with large screens that display the weight of any person who decides to take a rest. The benches will first be placed in the most popular city parks.

This high-tech, shame-based seating will also feature smart phone and tablet charging stations. Each unit will cost 50,000 rubles ($1,300 USD). The expense will be paid by advertisers, mostly gymnasiums hoping to capitalize on the reach of the project. Read more about these weigh station benches here.

Image: Moscow Times

The Folio Society has released a new edition of Anthony Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange. The images shown here are illustrations created especially for the new edition by illustrator Ben Jones.

Because director Stanley Kubrick's unforgettable, stylistic imagery in the film version leaves such an indelible imprint in the minds of viewers, Jones had his work cut out for him in creating new, memorable art that could stand on its own. Jones discusses that point and more in the video below.

Part of Jones' planned separation from Kubrick's version involved him not watching the film as he created the new artwork. In the end, however, Jones did pay homage to Kubrick's visuals, as he acknowledged that Kubrick played a huge role in giving the novel longevity. 

-Via Dangerous Minds. Images Credit: Ben Jones

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In January of this year, Miss Cellania posted 25 Facts About the Movie Fight Club. Here are seven more little-known Fight Club facts, without repeating any of the previously featured list. Thus, this list is different. It's special. It *is* a beautiful and unique snowflake. (NSFW due to language.) -Via Tastefully Offensive

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In a video that proves, among other things, that terror can be universally understood by all, no matter what language in which it's expressed, this group of Brazilians in a small boat spot a massive anaconda. As the woman on the boat proceeds to loudly voice her discomfort with the situation, a man on board pursues the yellow anaconda and grabs it by the tail, presumably so it can be better seen on the video they are shooting. (If I'm not mistaken, at 1:54 I think the woman tells him he's sick in the head.) What an amazing sight! Via Geekologie.

   Wonder Woman in her original costume from 1941 

These old-school-sexy pinups of female superheroes by illustrator Stephen Langmead feature them in the very costumes they sported in their first comic book appearances. Drawn with classically shaped physiques and with hair and makeup to match, the pinups are the total package in terms of vintage appeal. Visit Langmead's Art Station site to see more of his work. -Via Design Taxi.

   Crystal, 1965 

   Sue Storm, 1961