Swedish artist Love Hulten’s pieces can be enjoyed as stand-alone art, but most of the works are functioning devices, with working series of knobs, buttons, screens, and receivers. The result is often something that seems as though it was ripped out of a vintage sci-fi film, often incorporating hidden, modern technology that makes it function. Hulten’s work is at home in both a gallery and a tech expo. Find his work on Instagram here.
The series The Brix System, modeled after LEGO space sets, features its own set of devices that can be used as walkie talkies or sound manipulation. In a statement, Hulten discusses his aim with his fantastical devices and sculptures: “I want my objects to create a state of curiosity – not just nostalgia. Nostalgia is involved to a certain extent, yes, but not by looking backwards. It’s by taking steps in different directions simultaneously by using fragments from both the past and the present, creating unique and balanced objects.”
Flourishes like lights and glowing planetariums add to the mystery built into each device. And even though we may encounter more advanced technology in our pockets each day, there’s something more elegant and absorbing in the simplicity of Hulten’s work, in both function and overall design. Check out a video demo here.
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Of all the creatures on the planet, perhaps no other has inspired us quite like birds; they are strong, light, beautiful, and have the freedom to go anywhere they want to go. Birds have long inspired artist Tom Hill's mixed media sculptures made of carved wood, forged copper, and steel. The birds that he builds are characterizations of real species like owls and and black birds, capturing their natural personalities in a playful, even cartoonish way. He gives them big, rounded and expressive eyes, delicate feathers spun out of hardy wires, and long, spindly legs. "I tend to think of all my pieces as character studies. Spend a few seconds observing a bird; the turn of the head, the flash of an eye, puffed up feathers; each gesture conveys a wealth of visual material for the artist as we see the bird consider and interact intelligently with the world around it," he says.