Desserts such as cake, cookies, and pie have long lended themselves to cute food art. But a creative chef known as Nao has found a unique way to turn the timeless Japanese fruit sandwich into a treat embedded with sweet characters. In their creations, tiny cats and charming dogs made out of oranges, strawberries, and grapes greet you from the whipped cream.
To achieve this, the artist cleverly arranges the fruit within the sandwich, which can be cut diagonally or horizontally. And surprisingly, the food artist works partly blind, as they'll only get to see how the characters look after the sandwich has been cut. Time after time, the results of these cut fruit sandwiches are a feast for the stomach and the eyes.
Nao really brings the characters alive by carefully adding a smiling face to each edible character. On par with kawaii culture, the food artist imbues these tiny creatures with a sweet personality just by adding a few lines of liquid chocolate to each one.
Nao's work is also a testament to the versatility of fruit. A horizontal slice of strawberry works great as a flower petal, but doubles wonderfully as corgi ears. A grape cut in half could either be the wings of an owl, or part of a teddy bear's face. Above all, orange slices are a great option for the adorable rounded faces of these fruity friends. They even managed to depict Pooh Bear almost entirely with this citrus!
On top of their sandwiches, they've also translated this clever concept to other delicacies, like rolls, jelly, and even breakfast plates. To stay up to date with Nao's cute sandwich art and explore the rest of their creations, you can follow them on Instagram.
A creative chef known as Nao has found a unique way to turn the timeless Japanese fruit sandwiches into treats embedded with delectable designs and cute characters.
When Sara Rivers Cofield picked up a vintage 19th-century dress in 2014, she didn't expect to find a mystery along with it. The curator and archaeologist purchased what looked like an ordinary bronze silk bustle dress from 1888 that was in extremely great condition. However, after she was able to inspect the complex garment, she realized that it came with a mysterious message—the contents of which would not be decoded until nearly 10 years later.
Cofield initially shared her excitement over the purchase on her blog. There, she broke down the different features of the dress that made it unique, such as still having its original buttons and a handwritten name tag sewn into the bodice lining that reads “Bennett.” However, things got more exciting when Cofield realized that there was a secret pocket built into the dress. “Usually built-in pockets don't play hard-to-get, but even with help from my perennial antiquing partner, my mom, it took a while to get to the thing,” she writes. “Instead of being easily accessed through an inconspicuous slit in the over-skirt, this pocket opening is completely concealed by the over-skirt; as in, you have to hike up the draped silk, expose the cotton under-skirt, and generally disrupt the whole look to get to the pocket.” Furthermore, Cofield realized that due to its design and location, the pockets could only be accessed without damaging the dress if no one was wearing it.
Amazingly, when Cofield reached this secret pocket, there was something left inside—two translucent sheets of paper covered in handwritten notes. Unfortunately, the jottings themselves were not enlightening at first, with most of the lines containing strange sentences like “Bismark Omit leafage buck bank/ Paul Ramify loamy event false new event” alongside numbers and color notations. After some research and assistance, Cofield deduced that it was a telegraph code but it would be years later that data analyst Wayne S. Chan would figure out the meaning of the secret message. The odd phrases were part of telegraph messages used by the army and weather bureau to describe weather observations in the U.S. and Canada.
Through his research, Chan was even able to narrow down the day of the secret message to May 27, 1888. The translation for one of the lines was shared in The New York Times, and reads: “‘Bismark Omit leafage buck bank' indicated the reading was taken at Bismarck station, in the Dakota Territory. ‘Omit' was for an air temperature of 56 degrees and pressure of 0.08 inches of mercury, though the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said the true reading could have been higher. ‘Leafage' for a dew point of 32 degrees, observed at 10 p.m. ‘Buck,' clear weather, with no precipitation and a northerly wind. ‘Bank,' a wind velocity of 12 miles per hour, and a clear sunset.”
While the mystery of the cipher has been solved, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the message and why the owner kept them hidden in such a secret pocket.
Curator and archaeologist Sara Rivers Cofield purchased an 1888 silk dress at an antique shop in Maine.
Photo: Sara Rivers Cofield
She found several sheets of translucent sheets of paper in a hidden pocket in the dress.
Photo: Sara Rivers Cofield
They were scribbled with mysterious messages.
She later discovered that they were telegraph messages.
Recently, data analyst Wayne S. Chan finally solved the meaning of the notes.
Photo: Sara Rivers Cofield
They were written in code to describe weather observations for the army and weather bureau.
Photo: Sara Rivers Cofield
However, it is still unknown why the owner of the dress kept these messages in such a secret pocket.
I know European Starlings are not everybody’s favourite in America (for good reason, and I know it is not the bird’s fault), but can we for a moment sit down and admire their most beautiful plumage?
Whenever I see an Ivan Aivazovski painting the sea monster in me goes absolutely feral
I see this and I’ve never wanted to sink a ship so much in my life I’m biting through wood as we speak
God if I saw this in person I’d straight up start slithering. Start writhing
The way he just *clenches fist* makes water light up from the inside. Ugh, I once zoned out in front of one of his larger paintings in a gallery and came to, like, twenty minutes later, smelling saltwater and tasting driftwood.
This is his largest painting ever. It is 2,8×4,2 meters large. That is about 9'3"×14'1". It took him ten days to paint. This is a guy who painted normal-sized paintings in an hour, two, tops, according to contemporaries.
The collaboration between visual artist Eric Paré and contemporary dancer Kim Henry continues as the duo traveled to Bolivia's Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni). While there, Paré executed more of his dazzling light paintings, which feature halos of light around Henry's body. Though this is the fourth time that they've used this incredible scenery as the backdrop for their work, they were in for a surprise this time around.
Instead of the typical blue, the skies were stunning hues of reddish-pink and orange, likely caused by particles left in the air from the underwater volcano that exploded near Tonga in January 2022. Paré and Henry made the most of the unique situation, allowing them to create light paintings that were completely different from those previously captured at the salt flats.
Though people may be quick to assume the images are the work of Photoshop, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, one of Paré's favorite aspects of the work is that he's not simply a photographer behind the camera, but an active participant in the scene.
“I am in the frame, actively participating in the creation by crafting the light by hand around my subject,” he explains to My Modern Met. “There's something very satisfying in this as the creative process involves capturing the whole scene while making sure the light-painting intensity blends well with everything. It's about having a nice light shape, but also about lighting up my subject all in one take. There are no other sources of light involved. The only source of light is the one in my hand.”
The process is one based on faith and chance, as it's impossible to know the final outcome until the image has been captured. As Paré and Henry have collaborated for years, they can lean into their instincts. The trust in their partnership is evident in the final images, with Henry striking regal poses as Paré bathes her body in light.
Created over the course of 19 evenings, the magical collection of images strikes up a sense of wonder in the viewer. The duo refers to their work as visual poetry and hopes that their light paintings spark a sense of wonder in others and get them to open up to both the reality and fantasy of the situation.
“We don’t approach creation as a capture of a specific moment in time. It is, but we usually aim for a sense of timelessness,” Paré shares. “In that sense, we don’t approach creation from a storytelling perspective. It’s an open page for the viewer to see a story if they want to, but we come from a place of wishing to feel things and being comfortable with the idea of not understanding intellectually why.”
“There is a lot of mystery and potential for imagination in what is not being said; what is not explained or shown,” he continues. “As an audience and a creator, this is what we enjoy—that space for the individual experience and connection to a piece.”
Visual artist Eric Paré and dancer Kim Henry traveled to Bolivia's Uyuni Salt Flats to create incredible light paintings.
The halo of light surrounding Henry is created on-site by Paré; no Photoshop needed.
While the duo had visited the site previously, this time, the sky was a stunning shade of pink and orange.
They later realized that this was due to particles left in the air by the 2022 underwater volcano explosion in Tonga.
Watch this behind-the-scenes look at how the duo works together to create these light paintings.
Dawn Mostow & Snow Winters, United States. “Digital Ascension of Kitsune,” Gold Section. 2023 International Design Award: Overall Winner, 2023 International Design Award: Americas, 2023 Gold Section Winner
Each year, the World of Wearable Art Show attracts talented designers from around the world to showcase their creative talents. Over a three-week competition in Wellington, New Zealand, artists are challenged to create a variety of stunning works centered around six chosen themes. While three of these—Aotearoa, Avant-Garde, and Open—repeat annually, 2023 featured an additional three sections unique to the year—Bizarre Bra, Gold, and Mars & Beyond. Following a fashion show spectacular that is full of theatrical displays, a few costumes came out on top.
American designers Dawn Mostow and Snow Winters put together the Digital Ascension of Kitsune for the Gold section of the competition. It features a person in a gold full-body suit with nine voluptuous tails curled around its body in various ways. The figure sports an angular mask that is supposed to resemble a fox, and long, claw-like nails. “The mischievous nine-tailed fox spirit, a thousand years old, ascends to digital heaven,” states its official description. Not only did this ensemble take home first prize in Gold, it was also called the 2023 International Design Award: Overall Winner, as well as the winner of the International Design Award: Americas.
Another stand-out work from this year was New Zealander Craig McMillan's submission for the Aotearoa section, called Childhood. The costume resembles a realistic insect, and the model of the suit even crawled along the stage to give the full effect of a critter. Taking home the prize in the Avant-Garde section was Antonaneta Tica's Love Me Tender. The large heart shape made up of various pens and objects references how “society pushes us to fall in love with more and more objects, then to buy them for a happier life.”
Scroll down to see more amazing costumes from this year's WOW show.
The 2023 World of Wearable Art Show is a three-week competition in Wellington, New Zealand.
Avant-Garde section 2023
Craig McMillan, New Zealand. “Childhood,” Aotearoa section (Winner)
Gold section 2023
It gives talented designers the opportunity to showcase elaborate designs on the world stage.
Avant-Garde section 2023
The six themes of 2023 were Aotearoa, Avant-Garde, Open, Bizarre Bra, Gold, and Mars & Beyond.
Open section 2023
Over $185,000 NZD in prize money and 33 awards are given to the finalist designers.
Erna Van der Wat, Joanne Van Wyk, & Lena Van der Wat, New Zealand. “Blooming Proof!”, Mars & Beyond (Winner), Stuff People's Choice Award
Kristy Kirkpatrick & David Kirkpatrick, New Zealand. “Groundbreaking,” Bizarre Bra (Winner)
The overall winner of the 2023 show was the costume Digital Ascension of Kitsune by American designers Dawn Mostow and Snow Winters.
Antoaneta Tica, Romania. “Love Me Tender,” Avant-garde section (Winner)
Gill Saunders, New Zealand. “Earthling,” Open section (Winner) and Supreme WOW Award
Mars & Beyond section 2023
Mars & Beyond section 2023
Open section 2023
See the highlights from this year's competition in this video:
And if you or someone know is interested in joining, you can learn more by watching this clip:
this is probably going around here like several times, but you can order 4 more free covid tests starting today. if you didn’t order any back in september/october (I hadn’t heard about it, so I hadn’t gotten more tests), you might be able to get up to 8. it just told me ‘hey you can get more’ and let me do it again, it was very easy to do.
if you’re like 'well, I should leave that for people who need it!’ don’t. order them. stockpile them. the more the program is used, the more likely it is that it will remain a funded program and send the message that covid-19 is still a concern. use the program. there’s no needs testing, no nothing, just put in your name and address. if nothing else, you can give a couple to a friend who has a larger family, since it’s a per household thing and some people might need more or less, or a mutual aid group in your area, or something. the more people who do this, the more likely they are to keep reupping this program.
Y'all ever open a book on a new subject, read a little bit, and have to put it back so you can process the way in which your mind was just expanded?
The textile book: okay here is some of the ways that textiles are important to human life
me: Okay!
The textile book: Clothes separate the vulnerable human body from the conditions of the outside world, and in doing so absorb the sweat and debris of human existence, accumulating wear and tear according to the lives we live. In this way, various lifestyles and professions are represented by clothing, and the clothing of a loved one retains the imprint of their physical body and their life being lived, as though the clothes absorb part of the wearer’s soul
Me: …oh
The textile book: The process of weaving a garment and the process of a child being formed in its mother’s womb are often referred to using the same language. Likewise, when a baby is born, a blanket or other textile material is the first material object it encounters and protects it. Textiles can create the idea of two things being inextricable, as with being “woven together,” or can create the sense of separateness, as with a curtain or veil that separates two rooms or spaces, even separating the living from the dead, or separating two realities, such as a performance ending when the curtain falls
Me: …oh God
The textile book: Odysseus’s wife Penelope undid her weaving in secret every night to delay the advances of her suitors. In this way she was able to turn back the passage of time to allow her husband to come home. Likewise the Lakota tell a story of an old woman embroidering time by embroidering a robe with porcupine quills. If she finishes the embroidery, the world will come to an end, but her faithful dog pulls out the quills whenever her back is turned, turning back the clock and allowing existence to continue.
me: …is…is…is that why we refer to the fabric of space and time?
The textile book: The technological revolution of textile making is sadly underappreciated. The textile arts are possibly the most fundamental human technology, as once people created string and rope, they could create nets for catching fish and small animals, and bags and baskets for carrying food. In the earliest prehistoric times, the first string or cord perhaps came from sinew, found in the body of an animal. Because of this perhaps the body of a living being could be understood as made of a textile material. Indeed textiles have the function of preserving life, as with a surgeon stitching back together the human body or bandages being placed on a wound. Textile technologies are being used to create life-changing implants to restore function to injured parts of the body, as though a muscle or tendon can be woven and made in this way. Cloth can be used to create a parachute that will save a human’s life as they plummet out of the sky. Ultimately, the textile technologies are used to enter new parts of the universe. [Photo of an astronaut and details explaining the astronaut’s suit]
From Here To There: A growing map of Manhattan made only of directions from strangers on scraps.
[image description by @kallistoi: two photos of the map described above, pinned to a wall. the scraps include pieces of paper, post-its, napkins, and a paper plate, all with directions drawn on them.]
“Kazul’s not my dragon.“ Cimorene said sharply. “I’m her princess. You’ll never have any luck dealing with dragons if you don’t get these things straight.”
Dealing With Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede
NB: The image above is cropped from the cover illustration for the first (1990) edition of the book, which was the work of Caldecott Medal-winning artist (and member of the LGBTQ community, as I learned only recently!) Trina Schart Hyman:
God I hate these fucking floating monoliths. They always go, like, 10mph below the speed limit and if you try to pass them they just fucking distort reality around them until you’re back behind them again. One of them cut me off on the highway once and when I honked it banished me to a hoary netherworld where I wandered, lost and alone, for untold centuries, trapped in the liminal space between what could have been and what never was, black stars dotting the bright infinity yawning out around me as I drove out of thought and time, through endless ruined cities and blighted lands unmarked by the sun’s cold rays, and when I finally got out I was more than 20m late for my dentist appointment and they had to reschedule me.
pelcan Mouth perfec t size for put baby in to n\ap! inside very Soft and Comfort baby sleep soundly put baby in Pelican Mouth. Put Baby In Pelican Mouth. no problems ever in peliccan mouth because good Shape and Support for baby neck weak of big baby head. Apelican Mouth yes a place for a baby put baby in pelican mouth can trust pelican for giveing good love to baby. friend pelican
This year Netflix released a monument of a film with Nimona. The story follows a disgraced knight and so-called “monster” who team up to solve a mystery—one that could put them in the good graces of the futuristic-medieval world they live in. Adapted from a graphic novel by N.D. Stevenson, the story was in development hell for years. Before Netflix picked it up, Disney censored its more overtly queer elements before canceling the project altogether. Now, just a few weeks out from 96th Academy Awards nominations announcement, Netflix is providing another gift to fans. As part of what might be the studio’s For Your Consideration campaign, it released a 350-plus page Nimona artbook.
(Netflix / various artists)
The book begins with a forward by Stevenson, statement from the film’s directors, and opening scrolls reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts of old. The book features pages breaking down the process of developing the story, design, characters, FX, environments, and materials. It ends with the cinematography and the “look” of the film. Books like these serve as both eye candy for those who just like gazing at amazing art and a guide of sorts to help artists understand process. Even those who don’t want to go into TV/film or games can better understand how a particular frame came to life. All of this is helpful, but the 3D renderings in their rough form are especially instructive. This is almost like a massive sketchbook, but organized and created by a large team instead of a single artist.
came back wrong but its from the perspective of the person who came back
Seeing pictures of yourself -the real you, the one people miss, the one people look for in your eyes- is like staring into a foggy mirror. The parts are there, you think, but the details are lost.
Someone who loves you makes you breakfast. You thank him and eat it despite the fact the eggs are too crisp on the sides and missing much needed salt. He says its how you like it, but that just makes your frustrations boil.
How I used to like it, you want to say, how I used to be.
You grip your butter knife harder and light catches the polished metal. The glimpse you catch of yourself in the cutlery looks nothing like the photo on the mantle.
you can’t leave this in the tags
[ID: Tumblr tags that have been for formatting. They read: “you never liked the eggs that way, you loved the person who made them. You ate them that way dozens of times because they could never get it right. that’s okay you would say, this is how I like them anyway. you carved so many little pieces of yourself out and gave them to others, you don’t recognize what you look like whole. stories.” End ID]
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