(1) WHERE do glass bottles depict rain ? ——- Japanese design studio, NENDO, has used art to capture the several ways of describing rain in the Japanese language. The variations depend on the condition and time of the rain. They have used clear glass bottles to showcase it, usually an item, along with raindrops. A droplet at the end of a branch represents the ‘kismet’ type of rain, and the thick vertical strands of rain symbolise a ‘torrential downpour’, referred to as ‘niwaka-ame’. The designers have exhibited the bottles at the Maison & Objet trade fair in Paris this year. From ‘drizzle’ to ‘downpour’, everything has been depicted. It’s a wonderful way to reflect on the fine nuances and sensibilities of Japanese as a language, reports Design Taxi.(2) WHY was a documentary made on bunnies ? —— Two photographers have captured the imprints of WW-11 at Kunoshima. The photographers, who had decided to explore Japan, decided to visit the island simply because it was famous for the abundance of bunnies. They were astonished when they found out about it being the base of a WW-11 poison gas factory. Gases produced here were used in chemical warfare as many as 2,000 times. Pieces of the poisonous past are scattered throughout the island and documented on a video along with the different kinds of ‘timid bunnies’ inhabiting the place. The report on Bored Panda also provides information about a museum that was established in order to alert as many people as possible to the dreadful truths about poison gas.
(3) WHAT did 19 ‘munis’ do on a mountain ? —– Mountain uni-cycling is an adventure sport that consists of treading rough terrain on a unicycle. Mountain unicycling or ‘muni’ has become a much sought after outdoor activity among youngsters. A group of 19 cyclists unicycled down the mountains of Moab, located in south eastern Utah. Unicyclists regularly visit the Moab Munifest, a non-competitive event. Along with bike paths and sidewalks in Moab City, there are actual trails, called the ‘PRACTICE LOOP’ and ‘POISON SPIDER PORTAL’. You don’t go as fast on the unicycle as you would on a bicycle, but that’s probably because their enormous brass set is weighing them down more than anything else, reports Sploid.
(4) WHEN did books come with hidden paintings ? —– According to Viral Nova, your old and battered copy of Canterbury Tales may actually have more hidden meanings in it than you thought. In fact, old copies of the book may contain an illustration or painting hidden on the edge of the pages of the book. This technique of painting a book’s fore-edge dates back to the 1650s, but thanks to a group called Colossal, we have a few photos of examples of this fleeting art form. The website explains that by bending together the pages of these books, one can see a hidden story in painting form as well.
(5) WHO created quirky vertical apartment ? —— IKEA, one of the sought after home furnishing companies in the world, is in a celebratory mood as they open their 30th store in France. Apart from their traditional log sawing ceremony to mark its inauguration, IKEA did something creative to promote of its next store at Clermont-Ferrand —– a fun furniture festooned vertical wall apartment. The home furnishing giant teamed with communications agency ‘ubi bene’ to install this first ever rock climbing wall which is a fully furnished apartment with furniture and accessories from IKEA, such as shelves, tables, beds, sofas etc. Interestingly, the 9m tall wall has been named ‘a wall of inspiration’. Its layout looks no different from a showroom setup, except that it is fixed in a vertical position. And for the convenience of ‘climbing’ around, hand-grips and steps are installed on the artificial wall for the visitors. In addition to a safety harness for climbing, a professional guide will also be at their service to help them explore and try out the furniture in a never-seen-before manner, reports Design Taxi.
