Awesome Art & Design

Jessica Harrison’s Flash is a series of porcelain figurines of women in ball gowns with tattoos on their exposed skin. If you think that’s hardcore, check out her earlier work. Flash is currently on display at Galerie L.J.

Inventor Trisha Cleveland is working with Quirky in hopes of producing this set of folding mats which convert staircases into impromptu indoor slides. It’s designed for kids, but we’d like to head downstairs this way every day.

While most beer bottles end up being recycled or trashed, Russian designer Constantin Bolimond envisions durable wood and plastic bottles which could double as bowling pins once you’re done enjoying their contents.

Artist Spacewolf laser engraves cherry wood to create these totally awesome limited-edition posters. In addition to flicks like Godzilla, he’s done posters of popular TV shows like Game of Thrones and True Detective as well.

Engineers at the EPFL are working on a robot arm that can figure out how to catch objects on its own. Like humans, the robot learns through imitation and trial and error. Robot baseball is going to be short and boring.

JBF Customs made this one-off pair for Cleveland’s Got Sole. Its upper and lower halves are from different Air Max 1 releases. It also has lizard, python and sueded crocodile skin, lambskin leather and a custom painted midsole.

Pop Chart Labs not-so-scientific wall chart catalogs 303 metal bands from AC/DC to Zyklon and everyone in between. Our favorite element: Te – The Tony Danza Tapdance Experience. Seriously, has anyone heard of Zyklon?

Learn how to read over 400 basic Mandarin characters using simple illustrations which help your brain associate words with images. A great coffee table book, but also quite useful if you need to pick up the language in a hurry.

Hoang Tran creates detailed miniature sculptures by carving crayons. He often add extra colors to a piece by melting other crayons. He also accepts custom orders. You can see more of his work on his blog.

Made of fir and iron, this unique furniture can be used in three ways. Keep it flat and use it as a dining table, lock it vertically as a standard shelf, or lock it halfway through to create a leaning shelf (or impromptu ladder).

Put on your headphones, turn down your lights and go full screen to experience a tangle of geometric filaments fluttering to life at the speed of light in this installation by Mimi Son and Elliot Woods. Where’s an oculus rift when you need it?

From 5/21 to 9/7, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta will be hosting Dream Cars, an exhibit of various concept cars from 1932 up to the present, as well as related media. If you can’t make it there, you can check out the gallery.

DIY effects artist Joey Shanks shows off a couple of really cool practical visual effects which can produce the illusion of holographic or floating images. The clothes steamer and humidifier ones are really pretty nifty.

Music lovers and audiophiles will love this clever coat rack made from vinyl decals and wood and aluminum peg hooks. Once the sliders are attached to your wall, they don’t move, so be sure you get your EQ right the first time.

Artist Pete Ware creates these images of pop culture icons made from typographic treatments of their most quotable quotes. He sells prints ranging in size from a pocket-sized 4.1″ x 5.8″ up to a substantial 23.4″ x 33.1″.

This stunning and substantial desk is handcrafted from slats of pine salvaged from old doors. An inset glass top provides a smooth surface, and three drawers are hidden behind the door on the right. Measures 63″(W) x 32″ (D) x 30″(H).

Katharine Morling specializes in creating sculptures that look like tangible ink sketches. She uses clay and porcelain to sculpt and then paints and traces their outline with black stain to create the illusion.

The pages of The Drinkable Book contains tips on proper sanitation & hygiene, but more importantly, they’re function as water filters. Each book can provide clean water for up to four years and costs just pennies to make.

Add a personalized touch to your car with these easy-to-apply, non-permanent vinyl decals, adapted specifically to the shape of your vehicle. StickOut plans to offer a variety of designs by artists from around the world.

Hugh Herr and his colleagues at MIT’s Biomechatronics group develop artificial limbs that complete or augment the human body. His presentation is amazing, but if you’re short on time skip to 13:40. Really, watch the whole thing.

Mondo teamed up with Middle of Beyond to create Mondo 237, a line of knitted apparel and home decor bearing the dizzying pattern of the carpeting in the Overlook Hotel. Orders will only be accepted until 5/10.

Cory Alexander made a life-size replica of Sasha, the Heavy’s Minigun in Team Fortress 2. It weighs 30lbs., has lights and sound effects as well as music and sound bites from the game. Skip to 3:50 for the demo. More on The RPF.

Designed by formAxiom, this folding stainless steel grill has a unique cooking surface that resembles a sunflower, and a soft, mesh basket that holds its fire source. It’s still in the prototype phase, as they ensure it can be safely operated.