Skirill's Soundless Horror

Russian illustrator Skirill creates masterful, detailed works that could be described as something between the masterful etching and lithograph work of Gustave Dore, H.R. Geiger's gruesome portraits and a metal-worshipping modern day graphic artist.

Floating City of the Future

A British and Chinese-based design firm called AT Design Office has developed a concept for an incredible floating city of the future as a sustainable alternative to land-based cities in order to meet the demands of our ever burgeoning global population.

AT Design Office was commissioned by the Chinese construction firm CCCC to design this futuristic ocean city that would be built using the same technologies used to produce a 31 mile long bridge that connects Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. “Part of that bridge is an underwater tunnel, which is joined by a 150-meter-long precast concrete box,” said architect Slavomir Siska. “The mega box is cast on a nearby island and floated to site before being connected. We were appointed to work with the engineer to come up with a masterplan for a 10-square-kilometer floating island that can be built with the same technology.”

The floating city is comprised of hexagonal modules that have both underwater and above water layers. The aim of the project is to be as green as possible; the main modes of transport around the island will be submarines through interwoven canals and electric cars. The city will have a large dock for big ships so that the island remains well connected with the outside world. The dream is that in the future, numerous floating cities will exist that are arranged in interconnected clusters.

 With sustainability in mind, the team has included vertical farms and fish hatcheries in the plans so that food can be produced on the island.  The floating city will also be fitted with trash disposal and recycling systems that will deal with waste in an environmentally friendly manner.

If you fancy paying the island a visit, it will even have an underwater hotel and huge amusement complex. It transpires that one of China’s largest property investors is actually in the process of reviewing the proposal with plans to trial this project next year, albeit on a smaller scale. 

The Imagined Worlds of Gregory Crewdson

When Gregory Crewdson creates one of his photographs, it is truly a Hollywood production. Each photograph requires days of location scouting usually in western Massachusetts. Once the models are hired and the location is found, the street is completely closed off and scaffolded lights and fog machines are brought in. For the one photograph, a crew of about 40 people is required. The resulting large format film images portray a strangely dark world filled with bold colors and characters who often appear haunted by an unseen force. Each scene is a moment the invites the viewer into it and create their own story for each photograph. A documentary about Crewdson and his work titled “Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters” is available on Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes. 

Original Star Wars Concept Art

Some of the Star Wars concept illustrations of Ralph McQuarrie who designed the original trilogy as well as Battlestar Galactica, E.T. and Cocoon. "Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars. His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'

"Beyond the movies, his artwork has inspired at least two generations of younger artists—all of whom learned through Ralph that movies are designed. Like me, they were thrilled by his keen eye and creative imagination, which always brought concepts to their most ideal plateau. In many ways, he was a generous father to a conceptual art revolution that was born of his artwork, and which seized the imaginations of thousands and propelled them into the film industry. In that way, we will all be benefiting from his oeuvre for generations to come. Beyond that, I will always remember him as a kind and patient, and wonderfully talented, friend and collaborator." —George Lucas