Awesome Art & Design

Berlin-based artist Florian Goerlitz makes incredible mechanical artworks that have appeared in large installations and at festivals. This smaller piece is notable because it creates so much movement using just a single motor. Made almost entirely from wooden gears, it has three arms that move around its center, undulating like tentacles on an octopus.

This unique tabletop clock from Iain Gellatly’s Retro Gear Laboratories displays the time on a pair of backlit analog gauges, accented with a bright Nixie tube pilot light. The Industrial version has a wood case and a steel front panel, while the Steampunk version has a vintage wine case with a brass face. It even automatically sets its time with a Wi-Fi connection.

This animated short film follows an overworked woman who’s falling apart at the seams under the stress of everyday life. Can she escape the chaos? Writer/Director Sam Southward and a talented team of artists and animators bring the story to life with brilliant character design and a clever use of space and motion.

Paul Jackman has made a lot of drink coasters out of recycled pallet wood. This time, he made a bunch of coasters that look exactly like real pallets. After designing a 1:10-scale model on his computer, he got to work fabricating 200 of the tiny replicas, complete with laser-engraved logos. You can grab a 2-pack on the ISOTunes website for $50.

This modern home is anything but a traditional cabin. Levi Kelly takes us on a tour of this unique rental property in Hocking Hills, Ohio, known as The Block Tower. Its stacked 4-story construction packs in five bedrooms, three bathrooms, cozy living spaces, a hot tub, and multiple decks that overlook the surrounding woods. Book a stay on Airbnb.

Despite only firing rubber bands, we would not want to be on the business end of this wooden minigun. Generic Woodworking shows off the incredible amount of blood, sweat, and tears it took to build this impressive toy weapon. It uses parts from a lawn trimmer and a belt sander to drive its mechanism, and makes an unnerving popping sound as it fires off rounds.

TraceLoops creates eye-catching mixed-media art and animation. Much of their recent work involves making sequences by layering precision-cut sheets of paper and layering them to create a stop-frame sequence. Their YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram pages are filled with more of these hypnotic animations.

This set of miniature hand tools from Japanese outfit Meta Mate are what happens when your tools get mixed up with some Pym particles. The kit comes with 11 injection-molded mini metal tools, including scissors, nippers, pliers, a monkey wrench, caliper, bow saw, vise and more. Each tiny tool works just like the real deal.

The Mandalorian’s Darksaber is the most sword-like weapon in the Star Wars universe. So, it only makes sense that a blacksmith would build a real-world replica. Black Beard Projects forged his Darksaber’s blade from high-carbon and stainless steel, recreated its handle using 3D printing and sand casting, and machined its guard from steel.

Pastry artist Liz Marek of Sugar Geek Show created this awesome checkerboard-patterned cake that looks like a lumberjack’s flannel shirt on the inside and a tree stump on the outside. In this tutorial video, you’ll learn how to make this cake, and also get a glimpse at the edible chocolate axe Liz made to go with it.

This unique wall clock is made up of more than 300 components, which come together to accurately tell time. It features numerous wood gears, and a hot air balloon that rapidly descends at the top of each hour then rises as each minute ticks by. Designed for advanced builders, with an estimated 11-hour build time.

It’s easy to take the high-fidelity 3D graphics in today’s video games for granted, but a lot of artistry, hardware, and software goes into every frame you see on screen. Branch Education provides an in-depth yet understandable explanation of the processes and technology at work when rendering video game graphics.

This unique fidget spinner from MCA Studio features a mechanism inspired by the famed Wankel rotary engine. Like the engines found in some classic Mazda cars, it has a Reuleaux triangle that rotates in its center. Each is CNC machined from a combination of stainless steel and brass.

Scandinavian brand Indigofera is known for its oversized Norwegian wool blankets. They teamed up with artist Björn Atldax to create a series of eye-catching textile art. The surrealist images incorporate skulls, monsters, and traditional Mixtec symbology. Each blanket measures 2 m x 1.5 m (~6.56 ft x 4.92 ft) and will wrap you in warmth and weirdness.

The S is back with another really cool looking cardboard weapon. The laser-cut blaster looks like something straight out of a sci-fi first-person shooter, and fires projectiles by igniting small bursts of butane gas stored in water bottles hidden inside its ringed cardboard cylinders.

For his latest build, JBV Creative combined elements of a roller coaster with one of those rolling ball clocks. His enormous tabletop clock tells time using wooden balls that roll into multiple tracks representing hours, 10-minute increments, and minutes. It took weeks of designing, planning, and fabrication, but the finished piece is a true work of art.