From vibrant rope to metal frames to acrylic panels, the chromatic installations of Poh Sin Studio invite viewers into glowing thoroughfares and sprawling pavilions. Founded by Pamela Poh Sin Tan, the studio emphasizes public art as a means of fostering relationships between people, their communities, and their surroundings.

Tan’s immersive works blur the boundaries between disciplines, evoking a sense of curiosity and discovery. “I’m particularly drawn to engaging the public through art and creating experiences that inspire dialogue and connection,” she tells Colossal. “I believe public art is a powerful catalyst for urban renewal and psychological well-being, providing moments of reflection, joy, and connection.”

For example, the artist shares that her most recent installation, “Structural Resonance,” explores the interplay between art and architecture, embodying layers of spatial and experiential narratives.” She is interested in how physical spaces interact with their environment and affect us visually and emotionally.

Embracing fragility as a form of strength is central to Tan’s practice, manifesting in the way soft materials, like rope, complement those associated with resilience and permanence, like metal. “I find inspiration in overlooked details, such as plant veins, diatoms, mechanical and electrical systems, or even the skeletal framework of objects like a piano,” she says. “These hidden elements hold quiet beauty and complexity that I love to bring to light.”

Art and architecture are inherently intertwined in Tan’s view. Design and engineering provides structure, context, and utility, while the artistic aspect adds compelling narrative and emotion. “Together, they reveal hidden dimensions, evoke movement, and connect deeply with viewers,” she says.

Explore more on Poh Sin Studio’s website and Instagram.

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In a lush, wooded pocket in Rouen, France, a meditation space rests on the forest floor. Designed by Linfeng Zhou of Vancouver-based LFZ Studio, “Le Monde dans un Gland,” or “The World in an Acorn,” invites visitors into its shell to have a seat and reflect.

Diamond-shaped, interlocking panels of marine plywood nest together to create the scaled cupule of the nut, which allows light to pierce through and cast dappled sun spots around the interior. The entrance mimics a crack in the shell before the root appears, which asks visitors “to step inside and embrace the perspective of an awakening tree.”

Set atop concrete blocks and lined with weather-resistant materials, the immersive acorn is designed to withstand the wet, rainy climate without disrupting the forest ecosystem. Utilizing minimal nails and screws emphasizes a more natural building approach that relies on perfectly cut interlocking components rather than additional hardware.

Find more from LFZ Studio on its website. (via designboom)

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Behind the unassuming red brick facade of a gable-roofed flat in Birkenhead, England, sits a home like no other. The only clue passersby would have had, until recently, was a pair of hand-sculpted figurative columns that flanked the wooden front door. But to step inside this corner flat near Liverpool is to be transported into the imaginative world of Ron Gittins.

A gifted artist who also dabbled in local acting groups and music, Gittins was a complex character. He took day jobs here and there, but he was much more inclined to work for himself, on his own terms. Anecdotally, he was known for his zest for life and determination to do great things; his sister recounts that he once exclaimed to their brother, “I will not be ignored!” His creativity shone through in every facet of his life, and his home is no exception.

In a ground floor rented flat, which he let in 1986, Gittins created monumental hearths in the shapes of a lion, minotaur, and relief-adorned Roman altar. He painted bright murals inspired by ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, including a central hallway adorned with hieroglyphs. The columns at the front door were reminiscent of palatial stone depictions of pharaohs and deities.

Gittins turned to the era of English romantic portraiture in one room’s Georgian era-inspired murals, which feature framed paintings in a row above an ornate hearth. And in the bathroom, the walls swim with aquatic-themed images.

“Although Ron was extremely proud of his artwork, he generally refused entry to landlords, maintenance staff, and any kind of officialdom in order to protect the fantasy world he had created for himself,” says a statement from Wirral Arts & Culture Community Land Trust, which now owns and manages the property. It adds, “After all, not every property owner would allow their tenant to build an epic concrete lion fireplace in their living room.”

Gittins’ tenancy agreement permitted him to “decorate the interior of the property to his own taste and the external porch in classical style without the prior written consent of the Landlord.” He also had access to the garden, which he was able to landscape at his own expense.

Few people were granted the privilege of seeing Gittins’ creations during his lifetime, as he was protective of his art and preferred to maintain his privacy. He continued to collect unique objects and transform his home into his ultimate fantasy, his self-described “villa.” Then, following his unexpected death in 2019, its fate was suddenly uncertain.

In December 2021, artist Jan Williams—who is also Gittins’ niece—along with Chris Teasdale of The Caravan Gallery, launched a campaign to save the flat. Along with a dedicated team of volunteers comprising family, friends, and experts in arts and heritage, a last-minute purchase at auction was successful in March 2023. Since then, the team has continued caring for the installations and sifting through the artist’s eclectic collection of books, magazines, videos, clothes, furniture, and trinkets.

The Wirral Arts & Culture Community Land Trust continues to catalogue Gittins’ belongings and work to preserve this unique environment for years to come. Learn more and take a virtual tour on the organization’s website.

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In artist Jun Ong’s luminous installations, rays of light pierce through concrete, stone, and steel. In his ongoing Stars series features LED strips that intersect with the human-built environment in monumental, illuminated geometries.

Ong’s latest piece, “HALO,” relies on an existing architectural structure to provide a site-specific framework. Beams of light appear to permeate stone and concrete, simultaneously contained by the buildings yet impervious to their solidity.

Exploring themes of time and space, “HALO” radiates from within the Xiu De Bai Pavilion, a former Buddhist temple in Yan Shui, Tainan, Taiwan. “Built in 1919, the temple has history tracing back to the Qing dynasty and was pivotal in supporting the community,” Ong says.

“Light in Buddhism is an important metaphor for enlightenment—the awakening or the understanding of truth,” says a statement from YueJin Art Museum. Just as Buddha, in addition to sacred figures in other religions, is often portrayed with a bright aura or halo around the head or body, Ong envisions the burst of light as a means of illuminating our surroundings and our past.

“HALO” builds upon a work titled “STAR/BUTTERWORTH,” which he installed in Penang, Malaysia, in 2015. The artist was inspired by the idiosyncratic designs of Buckminster Fuller, like his geodesic domes, and M.C. Escher’s optical illusions.

He says, “Using only two materials—tensile steel cables and LED strips—I manipulated light and architecture to create a colossal object that seemingly burst out of the building like a glitch in time.”

For “HALO,” Ong created a starburst form that can also be interpreted as a ring of light, reimagining a 2022 piece called “STAR/KL,” which he installed in brutalist interior in Kuala Lumpur. “I hope that the Star series continues to emerge across different cities and cultures and possibly also in interesting terrains, like caves, the desert, or even forests,” Ong says.

Commissioned by for the 2024 Yuejin Art Museum Festival, “HALO” remains on view through February 16. If you’re in The Netherlands, you can also see Ong’s piece “POLARIS” on view as part of the Amsterdam Light Festival through January 19. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

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In ancient Greece, amphorae were commonly used for carrying or storing liquids and grains like wine, oil, or cereal. A narrow neck and a large, oval body were easily moved with handles on each side. For Paris-based Döppel Studio, a collaboration between Lionel Dinis Salazar and Jonathan Omar, a millennia-old form inspires a contemporary collection.

Néophore is a series of terracotta and enamel vessels intersected with looping, handle-like tubes of glowing neon. Situated between sculpture, vessel, and lamp, the series takes a sophisticated yet playful approach to the relationship between form and function.

Salazar and Omar teamed up with ceramicist Aliénor Martineau, who specializes in mineral-based natural glazes, to customize a reflective enamel that would come alive under the light. Find more on Döppel Studio’s website and Instagram, and if you’re in Paris, you can see Néophore at ToolsGalerie through January 11.

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In 1759, Staffordshire potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) founded a ceramics company that achieved global recognition and continues production today. He soared to success as a leader of industrialized pottery in Europe, tapping into a renewed 18th-century vogue for classical forms in home decor and tableware.

A meticulous studier of current trends and materials, “Wedgwood conducted thousands of experiments to perfect his unique clays and glazes,” says the Victoria and Albert Museum, which stewards more than 175,000 works of art, ceramics, manuscripts, and photographs in the V&A Wedgwood Collection.

Once he streamlined factory production, Wedgwood turned his eye to marketing and is credited with pioneering some of the retail promotions and strategies we take for granted now, like illustrated catalogues, direct mail orders, money-back guarantees, self-service, buy-one-get-one, and free delivery.

The company was known for its earthenware and stoneware, which could emulate porcelain while being cheaper to manufacture. Some of Wedgwood’s original contributions to the world of ceramics include green glaze, creamware, black basalt, and jasperware, which were in high demand and often copied by competitors. Early examples fetch thousands of dollars today.

Jasperware is considered one of the designer’s most notable contributions to ceramics. Its matte, “biscuit” finish came in a variety of colors, but most popular was a strikingly pale blue—known as Wedgwood blue—decorated with white, cameo-like reliefs.

Wedgwood created around 5,000 trial pieces in the process of perfecting creamware, and nearly 3,000 individual trials were required to innovate jasperware. Numerous trays of the samples are preserved by the V&A, illustrating Josiah’s painstaking attention to detail and his approach to protecting intellectual property.

“Each piece features a number that corresponds to an entry in an experiment book, housed in the V&A Wedgwood Collection archive,” the V&A says. “Josiah wrote his experiments in secret code because of the risk of industrial espionage.”

Many trial trays were found in Wedgwood’s Etruria factory and are now on display at the V&A as part of World of Wedgwood in Stoke-on-Trent, where Wedgwood brand pottery is still produced. Visitors can check out the creative studios, factory, a tea room, and shops, but if you can’t get there in person, you can always explore thousands of objects online.

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“Love hotels are a unique and deeply ingrained part of Japanese culture,” says photographer François Prost. “These venues have a very ‘talkative’ quality visually—they’re expressive in their design, reflecting aspects of local culture, values, and even fantasies.”

During a trip to Japan in 2023, when Prost was exhibiting an earlier series of works called Gentlemen’s Club at a gallery in Tokyo, he embarked on a road trip from the capital city to Shikoku Island in the southeast of the country. With the gallery’s urging, he undertook a new project while visiting, documenting the facades of love hotels—also sometimes called “boutique” or “fashion” hotels—that offer rooms at cheap rates for brief stays.

Prost, who is based in Lyon, France, approaches his subjects as features of the landscape that characterize a specific vernacular and highlight quirky or taboo facets of local culture. Gentleman’s Club, for example, documented American strip clubs along a southerly route from Miami to Los Angeles in 2019. He has also sought out Ivorian, French, and Spanish nightclubs in series like After Party and discoteca.

“I choose specific types of venues in each country—those with distinct, often kitschy or roadside architecture—and photograph them across the region with a consistent framing style,” Prost says. “I’m drawn to the aesthetic of these places, and how their facades reveal something about the people who inhabit or frequent them.”

His latest series, Love Hotel, captures the unmissably colorful designs of roadside lodging, ranging from ships and castles to flowers and a pink whale. “The venues aim to evoke a sense of romance, escape, and fantasy, yet they also need to feel safe and inviting—not tacky or sordid,” Prost says. “It’s why some of these places have an almost ‘Disney-like’ aesthetic, playful yet carefully curated.” Estimates of how many love hotels dot Japan range from 10,000 to 40,000.

Prost has launched a new book for the series on Kickstarter that highlights the creativity and occasional hilarity of these infamous destinations. “I hope viewers are struck by the incredible attention to detail and devotion to design that defines these spaces in Japan,” Prost says.

You can support the book on Kickstarter until January 10, and stay updated by following Prost on Instagram. Explore all of his projects, including more books, on his website.

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From single sheets of green paper, Los Angeles-based designer Maho Motoyama devises a veritable forest of Christmas tree-shaped boxes. Ranging from a few basic folds to elaborate, multifaceted constructions, each evergreen has a personality of its own based on its tiers and twists. Every one, of course, is topped with a bright yellow star.

Motoyama has built a following for his intricate box-folding templates, creating tiny, hollow structures in a wide range of geometric shapes. Through painstaking precision and a puzzle-like approach to creating unique pieces, form takes precedence over function. Find tutorials on YouTube, detailed templates on X, and more fun shapes on Instagram. (via Present & Correct)

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Throughout 2024, we were awed by archaeological finds, vibrant paintings, striking sculptures, remarkable photography, immersive installations, and so much more. It’s tough to choose only 10 top articles for the year!

Lucky for us, dear Colossal readers, you’ve helped pick the best. Below, dive into our most-read stories on the site during the past twelve months, and find hundreds more in the archive.

Ewa Juszkiewicz’s Reimagined Historical Portraits of Women Scrutinize the Nature of Concealment

From elaborate hairstyles to hypertrophied mushrooms, an array of unexpected face coverings feature in Ewa Juszkiewicz’s portraits. Drawing on genteel likenesses of women primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries, the artist superimposes fabric, bouquets of fruit, foliage, and more, over the women’s faces.

A Rare Cross-Section Illustration Reveals the Infamous Happenings of Kowloon Walled City

At its height in the 1990s, Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong housed about 50,000 people. Its population is unremarkable for small cities, but what set Kowloon apart from others of its size was its density. For a now out-of-print book titled Kowloon City: An Illustrated Guide, artist Hitomi Terasawa drew a meticulous cross-sectioned rendering of the urban phenomenon to preserve its memory.

Remarkable Drone Footage Captures a New Volcanic Eruption in Iceland

In January, photographer and drone pilot Isak Finnbogason captured stunning footage of an eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula in December, documenting the nearly two-mile-long lava vent on the first day it was active. 

Landscapes Radiate Light and Drama in Erin Hanson’s Vibrant Oil Paintings

In vivid pinks, blues, and greens, radiant landscapes emerge in Erin Hanson’s impressionistic oil paintings. The artist is based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where the rolling hills and surrounding mountain ranges cradle miles of vineyards.

Framed by Frozen Lakes, Richard Johnson’s ‘Ice Huts’ Capture Wintertime Communities in Canada

Every year, Ontario’s 279-square-mile Lake Simcoe draws more people for its ice fishing than any other lake in North America, attracting upwards of 4,000 huts each year. The colorful villages caught the eye of Toronto-based architectural photographer Richard Johnson (1957-2021), who captured hundreds of the structures, from the artistic to the ad-hoc, in a series of bold portraits taken between 2007 and 2019.

Archaeologists Discover an Extraordinary 2,100-Year-Old Mosaic Near the Colosseum

Early this year, we shared news that the Italian Ministry of Culture had a remarkable find in the heart of Rome. In the late Republican era, a luxurious townhouse had been laden with designs made from shells, glass, white marble, and Egyptian blue tiles. A large “rustic” mosaic dating to the last decades of the 2nd century B.C.E.—a little over 2,100 years ago—was likely inspired by the decorative styles of Near East monarchies.

Spanning Seven Centuries, ‘Judging a Book by its Cover’ Celebrates an Enduring Art

The Grolier Club’s exhibition, Judging a Book by its Cover, highlighted some of the most unique editions within its collection, including a pigskin- and brass-bound Jewish Antiquities and the Jewish War created for a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria around 1473—the oldest in the club’s library. The collection also features several religious texts, like the miniature book of psalms shown above, made by women at the Royal Exchange in London with a variety of silk and gold threads.

Vivid, Translucent Quilts by Wally Dion Stitch Together Indigenous Culture and Making Traditions

For many rural and economically strapped communities throughout history, quilting was a necessity. Tattered clothing and blankets were cut up and refashioned into new blankets, their patchwork styles evidence of the fabrics’ earlier uses. For Indigenous people, though, quilts “hold a particularly important cultural value,” says artist Wally Dion, “appearing as gifts, ceremonial objects, and celebratory markers.”

Immersive Bamboo Installations by Asim Waqif Whirl and Heave in Monumental Motion

In his monumental, swirling structures, Delhi-based artist Asim Waqif merges tenets of architecture and sculpture into sweeping site-specific compositions. Using natural materials like bamboo and pandanus leaves, he often incorporates found objects, scaffolding, sound elements, cloth, and rope.

From Fire to Wind, JiSook Jung’s Ceramic Sculptures Animate the Elements

JiSook Jung has long been drawn to clay for its inherent malleability. “Clay has the advantage of being able to quickly mold an image in my head into a visual form because it is soft and plastic,” the Seoul-based artist tells Colossal. “In that sense, I think clay is an intuitive and instinctive material.”

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Aman Khanna’s symbolic ceramic sculptures, referred to as Claymen, are hand-crafted in New Delhi by the artist and a team of assistants. With emotive faces and an approachable aura, the figures evoke the human condition, non-binding to any gender and representing the universal act of introspection.

Refined and unembellished heads are a recurring motif within Khanna’s work. “I have always been fascinated by human psychology—the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that define us,” the artist shares. “Heads are not just a vessel for thoughts and feelings but also encompass the face, which is how we recognize and connect with one another.”

In recent works, Khanna’s minimalist clay characters take on different roles associated with everyday functionality. For instance, the artist shares that the series of Headrest stool sculptures “double as a seat and a metaphor for pausing and relieving the burden of modern life.” Split Head Light and Table, vases within Blob Set, and Super Moon Lamps are all examples of practicality converging with aesthetics.

You can discover more on the Claymen studio’s website, as well as Instagram.

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