The Amazing Stuff

We often downplay just how drastically the weather can affect our state of mind, but some studies suggest that our moods change with the seasons. This could explain why it’s just as hard to imagine being lethargic and irritable on a warm, sunny day as it is to imagine being upbeat and productive when the sky opens up with heavy rain and thunder.

Just ask the people of Seoul, South Korea. Right now, they’re facing the worst part of the year: monsoon season. Needless to say, they know a thing or two about letting the weather get them down. That’s why Pantone — a leading color technology and design firm — decided to team up with creators from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to turn the bustling city’s damp, dreary streets into exuberant works of art.

These creative minds teamed up to bring Seoul and its many residents back to life during monsoon season.

After all, it’d be hard not to smile while swimming with beautiful sea creatures on the way to work and school.

Instead of washing these creations away, however, heavy rainfall activates them!

So how exactly does that work?

Each piece is created with hydrochromatic pigments. They’re applied like regular paints, but they become invisible once they dry. The only thing that can bring them back to life is water.

As is the case in many major cities, life in Seoul revolves around the nearby river.

That’s why artists decided to incorporate marine life into these whimsical images in a way that captures the importance of the Han River to life in Seoul, while still shining a spotlight on the city’s famously vibrant culture.

(via My Modern Met)

It’s tempting to let rain put a literal damper on your day, but it’s important to find beauty at every turn. That being said, it’s probably much easier to do that when talented creators cover your city’s streets with stunning images of whales, fish, and sea turtles. We wish the people of Seoul luck as they endure the final stages of monsoon season, and we hope that this awesome art is helping them get by!

Starting in 2013, the people of Sydney, Australia, began to notice something a bit odd around their city. There were some strange (and often very funny) signs popping up in public spaces. They probably made a lot of people smile, but most people didn’t have a clue who was behind them.

That person is Michael Pederson, and he uses his background in art, film, and music to inspire his funny, conversational signs. Take a look at some of his work and try not to smile.

Okay, this one is a little unsettling.

Because they’re exposed to the elements and to other people, many of Pederson’s pieces don’t last more than a month. But that’s okay, he says. In that time, plenty of people see them, and there’s something nice about the fleeting nature of this public art. It teaches people to look more carefully, but also not to take anything for granted.

With signs like this, half the fun is how official they look. Some people might not have even noticed this!

If you’re feeling stressed, seriously try this. It works! It’s public art and a public service.

So why do all this if the pieces aren’t even going to stay put? For Pederson, it’s more about helping people notice their surroundings. “I think we travel through urban space without really seeing it most of the time,” he explained. “I like the idea of interfering with the overly familiar background blur.”

Admit it. You’ve needed this.

And we’ve all been in situations where we’ve wished for an emergency exit.

(via BoredPanda)

You can see more of Pederson’s work on his website. We recommend looking through the whole thing.

Email the ViralNova team!

If you came outside one morning to discover that someone had used your car as a canvas for their personal expression, you’d probably be rightfully ticked off. Destroying someone else’s property is a crappy thing to do. But as with anything, there are exceptions.

The exception in this case is artist and photographer Max Siedentopf, who prowls the night and gives people’s cars some awesome makeovers. And it’s all done without harming the vehicles.

Siedentopf calls the project Slapdash Supercars.

He uses cardboard and masking tape to add spoilers and other zippy accessories to ordinary cars.

Since these additions can be peeled off, the “vandalism” is temporary and harmless.

(And no, masking tape does not damage paint. That’s why painters use it.)

He finds these cars on the streets of Amsterdam, and specifically targets the most plain-looking cars he can find.

He has to work quickly, lest someone spot him. We assume that he constructs the big pieces at home.

When he’s done, he snaps a photo and slips back into the night.

People then find these weird creations in the morning.

(via BoredPanda)

So why does Siedentopf do this? For him, it’s a statement about individuality. In an interview with Vice, he said, “Individuality, self-expression, and status are more important than ever these days. But for some reason, cars are getting personalized less and less, [even though] it could be a great form of self-expression. I thought I’d do people a favor by giving them a custom-made supercar.”

Well, we can’t argue with that. You can see more of Siedentopf’s work on his website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

Email the ViralNova team!

Street art is the perfect way for passionate artists to put their work right in front of everyone’s face. Banksy infamously brought his guerrilla style graffiti art to the public’s attention. Unlike him, however, Gigi Rodgers of Puck’n Khaos doesn’t want to hide her face from the public eye.

In fact, she uses it and the rest of her body as her living canvas. The incredible result, photographed by Paul Chin Jr., will blow your mind.

This beautiful painting looks like something you can stick in a frame — but that’s Rodgers standing in front of a wall.

She takes two hours to fully make herself up with various body and acrylic paints.

There were some difficulties, such as putting on the stiff-painted t-shirt.

Rodgers compared it to “putting on knights armor,” adding she had to have friends help her and almost got a little too claustrophobic.

But it was worth it when she saw how perfectly the photos captured the shadows and texture of the paint, seamlessly blending her into her surroundings.

She dubbed the project “Worlds” and plans to continue with more photos in the future.

Even after staring at these amazing photos, it’s still so hard to believe. Her life-filled eyes looking through the beautifully detailed paint is definitely an image that sticks with you.

To see more of Gigi’s work, visit her online portfolio or Facebook page.

While they’re a necessity in most modern cites and towns, utility boxes tend to look pretty…well…utilitarian. But that’s not the case anymore in Auckland, New Zealand, thanks to the work of artist Paul Walsh.

Chorus, the company that owns many of these units, has given Walsh permission to decorate their Auckland boxes. We think this quirky art is a great addition to the city!

So how did Walsh come by this sanctioned public art opportunity?

According to the artist, it all started in 2013. He painted an image of Grumpy Cat on the wall of his local dog park, and it quickly became popular with visitors. City officials weren’t having it, though, so they painted over it.

This sparked a slew of public backlash, and people even started a petition to have the painting restored. That caught the attention of a local newspaper, and that coverage then caught Chorus’ attention. Chorus contacted Walsh with an offer: if he couldn’t paint on the walls, he could unleash his creativity on their units around the city.

Taking them up on their proposal, he immediately got to work.

Walsh receives a small payment for each box, which covers time, materials, and travel.

This skilled painter uses Internet memes as inspiration for many of his pieces, since Internet service to the city’s residents is facilitated by the boxes themselves.

Without the boxes, there would be no memes at all. According to Walsh, “pictures of ‘AstroSloth’ and ‘Awkward Seal’ had probably already been transmitted through these boxes before I painted them on the outside.”

This one seems to have been inspired by a certain alien-looking kitty.

Other images are simply painted because they’re delightful.

The painted boxes have been a big hit, both with Aukland residents and people following the project online. Walsh says that he plans to continue painting in Auckland, but his ultimate goal is to start creating public art in other cities around the world.

(via BoredPanda)

You can see more of Walsh’s utility boxes on his website, where you’ll also find his illustrative and commercial artwork. And make sure you follow his projects on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with this artist’s many adventures.

Street art is being fought for and protected around the world. Check out what’s happening now in Brooklyn, New York: