A Bouquet Of Birds. Artist Hong Yi Uses Flowers Petals To Construct Birds.

above: Owl made of white, orange and maroon chrysanthemums with trumpet flowers for the eyes and a dried leaf for beak

Malaysian artist and architect Hong Yi (aka Red) whose wonderful portrait made of socks and coffee stain portrait for Nespresso I have already shared with you, has this sweet series of birds made from flower petals, herbs, dried leaves and twigs.



Hong Yi realised that flower petals - especially gerbera petals - look similar to feathers especially when they are arranged on top of one another, layer by layer. This is how she was inspired to start this particular series.

Northern cardinal made of red gerberas and deep purple chrysanthemums with dill:


Dodo bird made from white, pink and orange chrysanthemum flowers:


Flamingos made from pink gerberas and twigs:


Flamingo x2:


Kingfisher made of gerberas, butterfly peas and purple shamrocks:


Peacock made from butterfly pea flowers, bottlebrush leaves, coconut leaf sticks, alamandas / trumpet flowers:


Hornbill made of chrysanthemums, germeras and purple shamrocks:


Eagle made of white, maroon and yellow chrysanthemums:


Rooster made from gerberas and leaves:


Parrot made from butterfly peas and gerberas:

all images courtesy of the artist

Hong "Red" Yi

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Arek assemblages, bird art, bird design, birds, chinese modern art, fine art, flowers, modern chinese art, mosaic art

The 20 Most Incredible Photos Of Living Creatures From 2013.

National Geographic's 2013 Year in Review is a beautiful interactive site on which one could spend hours and hours exploring many of the most incredible scientific findings, technological advancements, space exploration, geopolitical stories, travel images, adventure scenarios, ancient worlds, human cultures, environmental happenings, animal photography and more from 2013.

I've pulled 20 incredible images of wildlife, birds, insects, amphibians, sea life and reptiles from various categories of their year in review site as well as from their most shared stories of 2013.

From Bears to Blobfish and Fornicating Lions in the Serengeti to Tadpoles underwater, here are my favorite 20 photographs of living creatures from National Geographic's stories in 2013:

A camouflaged screech owl, masterfully disguised perched inside a woodpecker’s nest:


An underwater shot of tadpoles swimming through a jungle of lily stalks in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island:


An Arctic Fox pup plays with a lemming carcass:


Naturally neon-colored Katydids (thought to e caused by a gene similar to albinism):


The Cassowary, a human-sized flightless bird found in New Guinea and Australia Rain Forests:


Eurasian Otter in The British Isles:


The Leaf-tailed Gecko is a new species found in March of 2013:


Male lion mating with a female lion in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park:


A Mountain-Lion (aka Puma or Cougar) living in the Hollywood Hills (photo by Steve Winter):


The Pinocchio Lizard of Ecuador was thought to be extinct:


Yacare Caiman Crocodilus in Brazil:


A Brown Bear cub rests against a tree in a Finnish boreal forest near the Russian border:


A songbird rescuer in Cyprus uses his saliva to remove sticky plum tree sap from a blackcap’s feather and feet, so that the bird can safely fly when released:


Never revealed before 2013 is this beautiful photo, taken in 1967 by the famed photographer William Albert Allard, of American bison charging through heavy snow in Yellowstone National Park:


Male lion eats his kill in the Serengeti while connecting eye-to-eye with the photographer at close range:


A jaguar stalking and about to kill a caiman crocodile in Mato Grosso, Brazil:


The Pacific blue sea star can regrow itself, so long as it has its central nerve ring intact:


A gray mouse lemur, perched on a finger:


And of course, the generally recognized "Ugliest Animal in the World"- the Blobfish:


The final one is this incredible Grand Prize and Nature Winner photo from NatGeo's photo competition taken by Paul Souders of Seattle, Washington:

above: A polar bear peers up from beneath the melting sea ice on Hudson Bay as the setting midnight sun glows red from the smoke of distant fires during a record-breaking spell of hot weather. The Manitoba population of polar bears, the southernmost in the world, is particularly threatened by a warming climate and reduced sea ice.

See all the National Geographic photo winners from 2013 here

Check out NatGeo's Year In Review site

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Arek animal photography, animal photos, animals, art photography, birds, photography, photos, photos of bears, wildlife

Archibird, A Combination Birdcage and Console Table by Gregoire de Laforrest.

Made of bleached oak, stainless steel cables and glass 'Archibird' is the blending of sculpture and furniture. A one-off piece by designer and architect Gregoire de Lafforest, the birdcage (which functions as such complete with small washing pool, eating area and the ability to be opened for cleaning) is integrated into a bleached oak wood console table.




The original idea behind the piece was to reinterpret a bird cage that would radically change the way the feathered creatures are viewed and combine it with a functional piece of furniture to showcase the birds.




The glass domes or cloches represent taxidermy and serve as a reference to curiosity displays of the past.




The main intention was to strive for lightness as exemplified by the suspended nature of the bottom part of the cage held up by steel cables (close-ups shown below) and the tapered legs help achieve this aerial-like feeling.



The piece was constructed by les Ateliers Seewhy , measures 150 centimeters tall,  72 centimeters deep and is available through Galerie Gosserez.

Construction photos:







The final product:


DIMENSIONS: H: 150 cm - l: 200 cm - D: 72 cm
MATERIALS: Bleached oak, stainless steel cables and glass
Unique piece, price upon request
See more here 

Photos courtesy of Jérome Galland for Les Atelies Seewhy, Galerie Gosserez and the artist

About the designer:

Gregoire de Laforrest is an Interior designer and architect by training, Grégoire graduated from the ESAG Penninghen. He successively worked for some of the most prestigious interior design studios in France, namely Bruno Moinard, Noé Duchaufour Lawrence and Gilles & Boissier where he collaborated on major projects such as Hermès corporate headquarters in Paris, the Cartier jewellery shops, a private hotel for Veuve Cliquot and most recently for the “Ciel de Paris” restaurant at the top of the Montparnasse tower. -

A shout out to HellooDesigner where I first spotted this awesome project.

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Arek bird house, birds, custom furniture, furniture design, interactive table, kinetic bird table, limited editions, snail birdcage, unique furniture

PICTO, The 2D House Symbol Turned Into A Charming Abode For Birds.

Picto created by Birds For Design for brand Qui est Paul? is a birdhouse that offers a modern attractive shelter for small birds. The simplicity of its 3D shape is inspired by the common 2D symbol or pictogram of a house, hence the name Picto, as in pictogram.



Besides its reduced design, it is mountable on different ways: standing on a wooden spike or suspended. In Fall, when all the birds leave the protective birdhouse, it is easily opened from inside in order to clean it properly. The backside clap consists of translucent-grey Plexiglas window which allows you to observe the nesting birds.



Suspended or perched, the cute and colorful Picto fits all gardens and balconies and it available in tons of color options.

Material : Polyethylene HD (Leg is wood)
Dimensions : Nest box : 25 cm x 20 cm x H 28,5 cm - Leg : H 140 cm

buy it here.

For distribution in various countries, go here

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Arek birdhouses, birding, birds, garden sculpture, modern bird feeders, modern bird houses, modern birdhouse, outdoor accessories, product design