Casa Areia or Sand House

Called Casa Areia, the seaside houses with sandy floors are designed by Lisbon firm Aires Mateus Architects for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2010. These charming and unusual bungalows, a total of four, are made of wooden frames and covered with natural fibre.

The living space and kitchen floors are covered with sand

The bedrooms are in separate buildings

Images courtesy of Nelson Garrido via Dezeen

Regards d'artistes by Denise Bellon

Regards d'artistes is a special exhibition organized by les Arts Associes, a tribute to Denise Bellon, the legendary French photographer.
Currently in view on the platforms of the Saint-Germain metro station in Paris, this new exhibition displays around 100 images of artists like Miro, Prevert, Dali, Miller, Duchamp and many more.

Denise Bellon (1902-1999) was a pioneer in photojournalism. One of the original members of the Alliance Photo Agency, founded in Paris in 1934 and a precursor to Magnum Photo Agency, she was also a friend and associate of leading members of the surrealist movement from Dali and Duchamp, to Andre Breton.

Installation in the subway, Metro Saint-Germain 

Absolutely fabulous !!

Salvador Dali and his mannequin, Surrealist Exhibition, Paris 1938

Andre Masson's mannequin, Surrealist Exhibition, Paris 1938

Simone de Beauvoir, Cafe Flore, Paris 1945

Marcel Duchamp

Henry Miller and Eve, 1948

Denise Bellon self-portrait

Jean Giono, Martinique, 1941

Jacques Prevert, Paris, 1945

Picasso, Nimes, 1947

Denise Bellon

Images courtesy of Olivier Dougoud at les Arts Associes, France

To see more on Denise Bellon

Masquerade, a Decade by Phyllis Galembo

For more than a decade, Phyllis Galembo has been traveling to Africa and the Caribbean to photograph ritual performances and celebrations. Some of Galembo's most striking work comes for Haiti, and in the last 14 years, she has visited the island almost annually.
" Haiti is just an amazing place, I don't know whether it's the survival mechanisms they have in music and art, but there is a very special energy there that is hard to describe, "she says.
Phyllis Galembo has captured images of voodoo ceremonies under Haitian waterfalls, masquerades in Zambia and kings and queens in Nigeria.
" I think in all societies, people like the opportunity to express themselves through virtual, or through dress,"she says.

Haiti

West African Masquerade

Images courtesy of Phyllis Galembo

The Eclectic Home of Duilio Forte

Swedish-Italian architect and artist Duilio Forte transformed an old textile factory on the outskirts of Milan into an eclectic home inhabited by sculptures of horses, dragons and dinosaurs. Forte's sculptures of horses, made of iron and wood, are scattered throughout the 5,400-square-foot home. They were inspired by the legend of Troy and the Nordic Myth of Sleipnir. The 60-foot horses, three in the property, also serve as saunas - a nod to the artist's swedish heritage.

“The horses are at once ready to vanquish an arsenal or lightly glide across Swedish lagoons,” he said. “They represent exploration and the opportunity to discover new worlds.”

Giant wooden horses on stilts

Room inside one of the horses

Wooden walkway leads from the roof of the building to one of the sauna-horses

Cavernous interior divided into different levels

Passageway in the two-story library

Forte's artwork

For more info on the artist, click on Duilio Forte

Source and images, courtesy of  NYTimes