Awesome Art & Design

Amazing, but simultaneously creepy footage of a piano that was rigged up by artist and composer Peter Ablinger to modulate key presses in such a way that it sounds like it’s speaking. Our overlords have arrived, and they have 88 keys.

If you haven’t seen Kubo and the Two Strings yet, you must. It’s simply one of the greatest achievements in animation ever. Then watch this 16-minute behind the scenes reel, which shows off some of the stop-motion, miniatures, VFX, and voiceover work that went into the film.

Each of Craighill’s metal desk puzzles does double duty as a pint-sized work of art and a brain-teaser. The six-piece puzzle measures 3″ x 3″ x 3″, weighs about a pound, and is milled from solid cartridge brass in Massachusetts.

Designed by nonprofit Architects for Society to provide rapid, dignified, sustainable housing for disaster relief and other humanitarian efforts, Hex Houses can be set up quickly and easily, and can be linked together to create to provide long-term communities for those in need.

“I think in a way that destroying things is a creative process…” Alan Williams explains how his childhood knack for breaking and re-configuring toys inspired his design aesthetic. His current works are intricate animals with bio-mechanical bodies. A film by Ben Cox.

Computer Direct Outlet’s Volta V is a custom-made PC that houses high end components in a compact bamboo or walnut chassis. It has liquid cooling and magnetic dust filters to keep it cool, clean and quiet, and comes with a lifetime warranty.

“My art is a collision. And it’s a collision of fine art, craft, and what I call the fringes of society.” San Francisco-based artist Ben Venom uses recycled fabric and old clothing to make punk and heavy metal-themed quilts, patches and more.

Robert Xavier Burden is a collectible toy geek. He’s also an incredibly talented painter. He combines his passions by creating massive and intricate Renaissance-style oil paintings – sometimes as tall as 15 feet – of his toys and their related characters.

Artist Stephen Andrade loves to make realistic pulp fiction or Choose Your Own Adventure covers based on popular series such as Rick and Morty, Labyrinth and Seinfeld. Prints of the Get Schwifty cover will be available on Gallery1988’s Rick and Morty exhibit.

Designer Daniel Ballou and Dashdot are working on this cool DIY audio system which lets you take ordinary cinder blocks and turn them into speakers. Apparently, the concrete minimizes vibration and coloration of sound. Ballou hopes to retail the kit for about $150.

Artist Nadja Buttendorf loves to make unorthodox jewelry. As their names suggest, the EARring is a pair of earrings that are life-size silicon ears, while the FINGERring is a life-size silicon finger. We wonder what a NECKlace looks like.

Honda’s one-off Riding Assist motorcycle uses an advanced steering actuator to keep itself balanced at rest or at low speeds. Its front wheel and fork can also be adjusted to provide greater balance. As a bonus, it can move on its own and follow a subject.

We want a personal zoo filled with these polygonal stoneware animals from Brooklyn ceramicists Bronsen Company. Choose from Gerard Giraffe, Leo Lion, Calvin Crocodile, Grayson Gorilla, or Hamilton Hippo. Available in white or black, individually or in a complete set.

Engineers from MIT Media Lab’s Tangible Media Group developed a unique tangible interface – a modular system which can change shape and color, and detect inputs anywhere along its surfaces. If we ever need a robotic pet snake or caterpillar, we know who we’re calling.

A few years ago Jason Allemann built a working LEGO keyboard. He recently one-upped his creation by using mechanical key switches for that clicky feel and sound. He 3D printed custom key caps that worked with both LEGO pieces and Cherry MX switches.

Oscar Boyson traveled around the world to interview people working to create new cities or improve existing ones under a humane and optimistic mindset: that real estate companies and governments will build cities not for buildings or cars, but for people.

We’ve seen laptops with more than one display before, but Razer takes things to the next level. Its Project Valerie is a proof-of-concept that adds two additional 17.3″ 4K displays to the Razer Blade Pro, with a mechanism that automatically deploys the side displays.

An up-close look at a rig built for the stop-motion film Two Balloons. The animators used an intricate network of strings and push rods to move dozens of shiny plastic layers to create the undulating waves of an ocean. The trailer for the film looks amazing.

Designed by Alan Wisniewski for Umbra, the Subway Multi Hook is a steel wall-mounted rack that looks like a public transit map. Each of the 10 hooks can support up to 5lb. Available in multicolored or black. A perfect gift for rail buffs.

Instead of hiring a welder to fix his car, Instructables member Mr-Mash thought he’d do the welding himself. The problem is, he didn’t know how to weld. To teach himself, he picked up a book and made a bicycle with car wheels. He says the end result is not that hard to ride.

A look inside the process of crafting one of the world’s greatest grand pianos, from the careful bending of its frame, to the arduous hand-stringing of the soundboard, and precision placement and tuning of each key. Narrated by the late John H. Steinway.

Dropbear Digital’s incredible music video for Dan Sultan’s track Magnetic was created through a mix of 3D printing, stop-motion, and projection mapping techniques to bring the singer’s digitized avatar to life. The behind-the-scenes photo album is equally fascinating.

Nanoleaf’s interlocking triangular light panels transform any wall into a dynamic work of modern art. The starter kit includes nine panels, along with a controller, power supply, mounting hardware and connectors. Works with Apple HomeKit, Android and Alexa.