sculpture – Tacky Raccoons

Graveyard of Molds

Littering the field behind the workshop of giant-building firm Fiberglass Animals, Shapes, and Trademarks (FAST) is an eerie collection of titanic molds, left over from almost every job they’ve ever done. FAST specializes in creating giant, eye-grabbing figures and items, the likes of which one might see outside of kitschy roadside restaurants and gas stations across the country. After a job, the company keeps the mold and stores it in the field out back. Now there are hundreds of giant, unpainted forms scattered all across the lot in every imaginable variety and shape.

[Found in here; more images & story here. Click images to zoom.]

Animalia Metallica

Tatyana Shubina of St. Petersburg, Russia creates sculptures of birds, fish and other creatures out of scavenged scrap metal.

“Tatyana Shubina‘s studio is located within the Red Triangle factory complex, some of whose buildings are so dilapidated that they’re literally falling on one’s head. This crumbling industrial monster serves as both an inspiring backdrop and an excellent source of materials for Tatyana’s work.

Born in Veliky Novgorod in 1978, she studied at the Rachmaninoff Novgorod Regional College of Arts and the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia in St. Petersburg. She is a member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists and the Polyrealism creative association. She is a laureate of the Youth Prize of the President of the Russian Federation.”

[Found via MOBT.]

Acyrological Hot Links

Love Theme from The Flight of the Phoenix, The Brass Ring (1966)
The Brass Ring, a group of NYC studio musicians led by saxophonist and arranger Phil Bodner, turned a classic Italian song into The Now Sound (cigarette commercial music) popular in the 1960s. Senza fine (the original version) was written by Italian singer-songwriter Gino Paoli and first recorded in 1961 by Ornella Vanoni. The film version was recorded by Connie Francis, and retitled The Phoenix Love Theme.

Brick tiled floor.

Gas station battle.

Homemade pencils.

Carnivorous couch.

Cerveza del Pacifico.

Nagasaki bus shelters.

Remembering Ol’ Remus.

The Red Baron (no not that one).

Eigendrum [via Memo Of The Air].

Where the rubber meet the roost.

Pennsylvania’s burning ghost town.

Homemade birds [via Everlasting Blört].

Cab Calloway’s Hepster Dictionary (1939).

The Moist Towelette Museum [via Neatorama].

Vintage Czech record sleeves [via sloth unleashed].

Batman & Robin vs. Dangerous Dr. Daka [via Thompson, blog].

[Top image: Shake by Annie Glass (2021). Story and more at My OBT.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Little Brass Bunny

A 30-foot tall bronze statue of South African president Nelson Mandela was unveiled on the Union Grounds of Pretoria, South Africa, ten days after Mandela’s death in December 2013. The artists, Ruhan Janse van Vuuren and Andre Prinsloo, were not allowed to engrave their names on their work.

After the unveiling, government officials spotted a little brass rabbit inside Mandela’s right ear – the sculptors’ trademark. The Afrikaans word for rabbit is haas, and represents the speed at which their work was completed.

The government officials were not amused.

“We don’t think it’s appropriate because
Nelson Mandela never had a rabbit in his ear.”
–Government spokesman Mogomotsi Mogodiri.

The sculptors were made to apologize and removed the offensive bunny.

[Image found here via here. Background story here.]

Koniological Hot Links

This granite sculpture titled “Cranberry Eater” (Dzērveņu ēdājs) was created by artist Kārlis Īle in 2006 for the International Stone Sculpture Symposium. The artwork features a distinctive coiled form and is located in Dzirnavu Square (Mill Square) in Ventspils, Latvia.

Chicken Payback, The Bees (2004)Known in the US as A Band of Bees, the British indie / psychedelic / garage rock / country / reggae / jazz group from the Isle of Wight has been performing and recording since 2001. Recorded at Abbey Roads Studios, Chicken Payback was featured in a television advertisement for Sure Deodorant.

“You got it, docker.”

Karelian Bear Dogs.

A bunch of campers.

Sumpm’s goin’ down.

Flaming corrugations.

Bless the vile apostates.

Earworm / ringtone / video.

“Shhh” whispered the trees.

Sea battle [via Thompson, blog].

Animatus [via Everlasting Blört].

GWB touching bald men’s heads.

1936 Cadillac Series 60 Convertible Coupe.

Mid century motel rooms [via Memo Of The Air].

The History of Slavery You Probably Weren’t Taught in School.

[Top image “Cranberry Eater” found here.]

From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago. 15 years ago.

Cows of Venspils

Via Google Translate:
“Ventspils [Latvia] is a city of sculptures. Naturally, the cows stand out among them, having become a sort of symbol of the city. There are about 30 cows in the city in total. Most of them (IMHO) can hardly be called ‘masterpieces.'”

[Found here.]