As a communication designer, Kelli Anderson began her career in information design. “The act of data visualization is all about bringing facts from the abstract and numerical realm into the sphere of perception, so you can see them,” she says in a video on Kickstarter. “And I thought, why stop there? What if you could […]
From record-breaking droughts and catastrophic flash floods to contaminated pipelines and increasingly thirsty AI farms, water is at the nexus of the climate crisis. The life-giving liquid is both scarce and too abundant, causing half the global population to lack sustained access to fresh drinking water, while much of the world is subject to hotter, […]
Ceramics and textiles share several traditions. Both media have long occupied the realm of craft, are often functional, and tend to be tied to narrative and storytelling, whether sharing in family lore or communicating something about their owner. For Shae Bishop, combining the two offers a way to tether the enduring and universal with the […]
Armed with tweezers, a porcupine quill, and more patience than most of us could fathom, the senior paper conservator of the Victoria & Albert Museum tackles a finicky restoration project in a new video. Susan Catcher walks us through her impeccably precise process as she restores a damaged fan dating back 200 years. She shares […]
In 2016, while artist McKay Lenker Bayer was still an undergraduate, her professor assigned the class the task of exhibiting their work. Unsure about presenting her work to the public, she downsized, quite literally, showing miniature paintings with teensy-tiny labels. And the idea for a minuscule exhibition space was born. In 2018, Lenker Bayer established […]
In the famous first stanza of the 17th-century poem “Auguries of Innocence,” William Blake writes: To see a world in a grain of sandAnd a heaven in a wild flower,Hold infinity in the palm of your handAnd eternity in an hour. Perhaps Blake didn’t intend us to literally hold infinity in our hands, but he […]
In Paolo Puck’s imaginary realm of Fliffmellington, surreal characters come to life through elaborate costumes. Often weathered and tumbled-looking, a series of handbags, purses, and helmets glimpse a wonderfully weird world. “I’m in the long process of faithfully recreating various artefacts from the world of Fliffmellington,” Puck tells Colossal. “Long-term, I will be making a […]
When it comes to knitting complex motifs, a pattern is a needleworker’s best friend. But what if you want to customize one yourself? What about text? Fortunately, Zurich-based designer Rüdiger Schlömer wondered the same thing, resulting in a series of typefaces for knitting. Under the project umbrella of Typeknitting, his new font is called Knit […]
In vibrant colors, patterns, and shapes, the immersive works of Craig & Karl invite us to relish moments of joy and surprise. While Craig is based in New York, and Karl is based in London, the two collaborate across the pond—and around the world—to produce multimedia installations that revitalize urban spaces and celebrate the power […]
Wellington’s extravagant World of WearableArt is back for 2025, including pieces by 85 finalists that showcase today’s most elaborate and fanciful costumes. One hundred designers from 17 countries competed for a prize pool of more than $200,000 New Zealand dollars across 25 awards. The competition culminates in an elaborate performance, with this year’s top honor, […]