Relentless

Andres Amador's race against the tide.

There is something incredibly fulfilling and near-perfect in the way wet sand can be leisurely shaped into all sorts of intricate forms.

It only takes a handful of seconds and a dash of imagination - we can swiftly emulate nearly any shape, destroy it and create another one. Nothing is lost or gained, except perhaps, an afternoon at the beach. But that is what summer’s for.

From what we can tell, Andres Amador has spent quite a lot of his time on the beach, exploring the seemingly limitless potential of what can be done with sand.

Slovenian fixed-gear collective Muslauf take on a hydroelectric station.

Urban exploration is not just the preserve of the chosen few, resilient enough to navigate the angular topography of cities on a skateboard or BMX.

The misleadingly regimented fixed-gear crowd has their own rather extreme take on things, and whilst admittedly less ‘blood and guts’ in attitude it certainly delivers on its adrenaline promise.

Due to the engineering limitations of a fixed-gear piste bicycle, you have to be extremely creative in your choice of location so that you don’t compromise your ride. Flat, uninterrupted roads are a must, as is a good angle of inclination to fully benefit from centrifugal forces - two things that rarely exist on their own, let alone combined.

That is the case until fortune takes you to a deserted hydroelectric station, which is where Slovenian fixed-gear collective Muslauf found themselves earlier this year.

A series of subversive readings of Disney’s animated fairy tales.

Fairy tales have traditionally had a tremendous task on their shoulders. They have to function as a moral corrective, a convincing emotional vignette, and more than often lull their audience into slumber.

Adhering to the “happily ever after” principle and all its prerequisites is the tried and tested way of softening the narrative crescendos to a palatable final line, in order to cue our audience to rest.

Disney’s modern interpretations of the classical Grimm narratives are the dominant form of the traditional fairy tale. The multi-million dollar animated features have essentially idealized a lot of what was at first cautionary tales - rife with betrayal, peril and often an ominous conclusion. The resulting product created a misbalance with both reality and the original creative edge of fairy tales.

New work from an old friend, cyber-artist Christopher Conte.

We featured Christopher’s extraordinary art in Issue 2 of This Is The Order mag, and he has recently been in touch to tell us about his latest work.

The breathtaking ‘Steam II Insect’ stands 2.5” tall by 6” long and is made of cast bronze with machined brass and stainless steel. As a man spellbound by robotics and biomechanics, the six-legged bugs have long been a muse for Christopher:

Fancy observing your own descent into hell?

This video mural entitled Civilisation was created by Marco Brambilla for the new (and bizarrely named) Standard hotel in NYC. 

The mural uses over 400 ‘found’ video sources, including film samples, which are weaved into a massive vertical canvas that runs the length of the elevator shaft. The 1920 x 7500 pixel piece either chronicles your ascent to heaven as you go up, or your descent to hell as you head to the lobby.

Go for the full screen HD option - very cool.