Indoor Desert, Ghost Towns

In 1908, the town of Kolmanskop in southern Namibia  had become a profitable gold mine. Once the resources were exhausted, it was abandoned in 1954 and homes, hospitals, theaters, and factory buildings were left at the mercy of the Namib desert. Since then, the winds have filled the rooms of these deserted buildings with sand. Here is a series of haunting photographs of abandoned Namibian diamond towns by Spanish photographer Alvaro Sanchez-Montanes with a post-apocalytic feel, the desert appears to be swallowing the houses.

Images courtesy of Alvaro Sanchez-Montanes

World Famous Opera Houses

La Scala, le Palais Garnier, the Metropolitan Opera and many more.... Rediscover these magnificent Opera Houses with the beautiful series of photographs by David Leventi. Titled "Bjoerling's Larynx", Leventi's current project records the interiors of world-famous opera houses. The large prints historically document these national landmarks, capturing rows of velvet seats, ornate private boxes, chandeliers and gift decorations in incredible detail.


The project is titled after Jussi Björling, a Swedish operatic tenor and arguably the best singer of the century – known for his technique, feeling and the range of his voice. Bjoerling debuted at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm and eventually became a principal at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

La Scala, Milan

Palais Garnier, Paris

The Metropolitan Opera, New York

Romanian Antheneum, Bucharest

Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg

Magravial Opera House, Bayreuth

Drottningholm Palace Theatre, Stockholm

Teatro di San Carlo, Naples

This exhibition will be on view at Arthur Roger Gallery from August 7 to September 11, 2010.
Images courtesy of Arthur Roger Gallery

The Book Art of Jacqueline Rush Lee

They are books. They are carved, warped, fired like pottery, they are books transformed into visual art.

Lee, a Hawaiian artist most known for her book art, uses a variety of experimental techniques to transform books. Lee says she tries to “obscure the nature of the material,” and by hiding the fact that these are books she changes our expectations about what a book is, forcing us to look anew at these volumes that surround us.

I consider myself experimental year artist who works decisively and intuitively between the borders off kraft and fine art to create sculptures informed by personal and art historical ideas. I amndt has sculptor whose primary medium has been the book form for almost twelve years. I transform used books into art works that create new narrative by applying processes to transform physically and metaphorically. 
-Jacqueline Rush Lee

Images courtesy of Jacqueline Rush Lee

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More Green, The Green School in Indonesia

More green, more beauty.....
Located in Bali, the Green School was started as a way to promote sustainable education and green building. It's a beautiful example of what can be accomplished using local sustainably-grown bamboo.
Each and single construction of these green schools from Indonesia are made from bamboo and other very natural materials. And the greatest things about the buildings are that they blend with nature and build in nature, one in fact was built next to the river where the roof stands between each big rocks standing at each of the banks of the rivers. It’s a great way to support healthy living and coming back to the nature. 

How it started

The Green School has recently been shortlisted for the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture for its sustainable merits.

Source Inhabitat