Gizmodo: statues

Man Builds Statues Out of Household Dust

Rosa Golijan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:20:00 EST

When I see dust, I start cleaning like crazy. When Paul Hazelton sees dust, he collects it, and turns it into statues. Yes, this skeleton was really made out of a pile of dust bunnies, just like Hazelton's other art.

The artist explains that "humans were supposedly made from dust, so it is interesting to create other things with it," and he certainly takes to that task well. Or, if nothing, he must have some superpower that allows him to keep from sneezing long enough to make these statues:

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky. Am I the only one who somehow started thinking of Bowie after looking at Hazelton's art? [Saatchi Gallery via Metro]

Life-Size Bronze Atlas Holds the Weight of Apple Shareholders On His Shoulders

Joanna Stern — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:20:00 EDT

Greek Gods? More like geek Gods. That is a life-size statue of the ruler of Mount Olympus with the God of all phones. But don't worry sculptor Adam Reeder gives other large sculpted deities gadgets too.

Reeder has been sculpting mythological figures with modern gadgets for awhile (you can even buy them for a lofty price on his site), but they have been recently been put on display in San Fransisco. He (like most artists) obviously seems to prefer Apple products as he gave both Atlas and Pan iPods. Though his version of the Drunken Satyr passed out with a video game controller in his hand.

Hey Adam, let's put an Apple Tablet in the hand of Aphrodite, shall we? [Adam Reeder via AP]

Japan Building Another Gigantic Robot: Tetsujin

Mark Wilson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EDT

We knew this day would come. Japan builds one giant robot and, like a first taste of heroin, the country follows a destructive path of building opulent robo statues until there's a 60-foot robot for every man, woman and child.

Now that the Gundam is complete, Kobe's Wakamatsu Park is next on the list to build their very own life-sized Tetsujin (also known as Gigantor, I believe). 60 feet tall and weighing in at 50 tons, Tetsujin will be on permanent display starting in October (an installation that may turn to semi-permanent should Tetsujin grow tired of photo ops).

And as you can see in the clip and gallery below, building a fake giant robot can't look much different from building a real giant robot. Sparks. Hardhats. Subtitles. Imminent human death. Yeah, this is about as real as fiction gets. [Kobe Tetsujin Project via toysrevil via The Awesomer via botropolis] The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.

What Lies In The Shadow Of The Statue? Dubai, Of Course!

Jack Loftus — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:30:00 EDT

OK. Sorry for the geeked out LOST reference. Couldn't help it. But seriously, Dubai is planning to build this huge, talking statue for the Zaabeel Park. And I think there's a discotheque in the head.

Called al hakawati (the storyteller), the naked Dr. Manhattan/Jolly Green Giant monolith will ironically contain a children's library in the feet, some elevators, and will—get this—move as it recites stories to passers-by.

Special joints in the arms and neck will ensure the people lounging around inside don't notice the movement, and that the elevators work properly. The gaudy "Gold Room" (looks like a discotheque to me, hit the link) will take up most of the head, with the eyes serving as view ports.

Dubai has outdone itself again.

Updated: Yes, this appears to be a contest entry, and could be built someday. But it's Dubai, so I remain convinced this will stand tall near the Burj al Arab. [Design Boom via Design Blog]

Regular Russian City Immortalizes Enema With $42,000 Statue Held Aloft By Angels

Jack Loftus — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT

The enema is a gadget you probably don't think about too often, but for many people it's a invaluable tool that's made many an uncomfortable situation flow more smoothly. For the Russians, it's obviously something more, because one city there erected an 800-pound, $42,000 statue to honor the device for its many years of unsung service to the backside of mankind. "There is no kitsch or obscenity, it is a successful work of art," said Alexander Kharchenko, a resident of the regularity-loving Zheleznovodsk. "An enema is almost a symbol of our region." That's great, Mr. Kharchenko, but which "region," exactly, are we talking about here?

When you dig a little deeper into this story, you start to see that Zheleznovodsk is in fact the perfect location for this statue. Nestled deep within the Caucasus Mountains region, the city is best known for its spas, and their mineral water-infused enemas drawn from mountain springs. A banner declaring, "Let's beat constipation and sloppiness with enemas" was posted on one of the spa's walls to commemorate the statue.

And those angels? By design. Sculptor Svetlana Avakina said she designed the monument with "irony and humor" and the little cherubs on the work of Italian Renaissance painter Alessandro Botticelli. That's totally deep, man. [The Huffington Post]

7-Foot Optimus Prime Constructed From Old Car Parts

Mark Wilson — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:55:00 EDT

When cars die, they don't go to some magical car heaven (except for hybrids, maybe). But the best, luckiest ones just might become Transformer replicas. Standing at 87 inches tall and weighing a respectable 485 pounds, this Optimus Prime statue is a probably the most compelling argument for recycling we've ever seen. And its leg detail is as incredible as the torso:

At $4,838.71 (plus shipping, of course), we'd say that this hand-crafted Transformer has a downright reasonable price. But that's not going to help one bit as we pitch the spouse on another car...that can't actually run. [Robot Models via GeekAlerts]

Yoda, Palpatine Statues Fight It Out in Realistic Miniature

Charlie White — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:15:15 EDT

Can't seem to get enough Star Wars? Now here's a 15-inch altar at which you can worship, with ARTFX Kotobukiya statues of Yoda and Palpatine fighting and shooting sparks out their fingers at each other, and it'll only cost you $174.99. It's relatively big, with Palpatine standing 11 inches tall, but whatever that purple shit is coming out of their fingers, we really don't want to know. Not to worry, though, that scum is removable. Take the jump for a couple of closeups of the Forceful battle.

You'd think for all that money this model would come to you already assembled, but no. You still must snap together the sacred parts. You'll have to wait, too, because this glorious sculpture won't be available until next March. [Star Wars Shop, via The Uber Review]