Spomenik: Retrofuturistic Monuments of the Eastern Bloc, via Brain Pickings

"Vast, unidentified, structures have been spotted by satellites in the barren Gobi desert, raising questions about what China might be building in a region it uses for its military, space and nuclear programmes."

Wire sculptures by Tomohiro Inaba, via thisiscolossal, via kk+

As heard in "One Froggy Evening."

Haunting pictures from photographer Chris Jordan:
"On Midway Atoll, a remote cluster of islands more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent, the detritus of our mass consumption surfaces in an astonishing place: inside the stomachs of thousands of dead baby albatrosses. The nesting chicks are fed lethal quantities of plastic by their parents, who mistake the floating trash for food as they forage over the vast polluted Pacific Ocean.
For me, kneeling over their carcasses is like looking into a macabre mirror. These birds reflect back an appallingly emblematic result of the collective trance of our consumerism and runaway industrial growth. Like the albatross, we first-world humans find ourselves lacking the ability to discern anymore what is nourishing from what is toxic to our lives and our spirits. Choked to death on our waste, the mythical albatross calls upon us to recognize that our greatest challenge lies not out there, but in here."

About Us

Art.sy helps you discover art you’ll love, from works for sale by leading galleries to those on display in museums and private collections.

Art.sy is led by Carter Cleveland, a Computer Science Engineer from Princeton University, and Sebastian Cwilich, a former Christie’s executive who launched the Christie’s private sales business and subsequently became Commercial & Business Director of Haunch of Venison Gallery after Christie's acquired the gallery. Sebastian is also the founder and Chairman of ProyectArte, an international nonprofit art school for young emerging artists.

Art.sy created The Art Genome Project, an ongoing study of the characteristics that distinguish and connect works of original art. Developed in collaboration with art world professionals (including curators, artists, academics, and art dealers) and Joe Kennedy (CEO of Pandora and the Music Genome Project), The Art Genome Project and Art.sy’s proprietary search technology allow Art.sy to make intelligent artwork recommendations based on your personal preferences.

Benefits

Whether you're an experienced or novice collector, here's how you can use Art.sy:

Discover: Explore art and artists ranging from established masters to emerging new talents. While traditional databases require you to know an artist's name to find their work, Art.sy will begin with the name of an artist you know and recommend works by other artists you are likely to love, drawing connections between artists and works based on hundreds of criteria.

For example, if a new collector searches for "Andy Warhol" but is only interested in art under $5,000, Art.sy returns works by emerging artists that are influenced by or similar to works by Warhol. Similarly, if an experienced collector searches for "Yves Klein," Art.sy returns any works by Klein as well as, for example, works by Enrico Castellani, an Italian artist connected to Klein.

Learn: Once you’ve discovered something you’re interested in, Art.sy provides the context necessary to understand the work and the artist behind it. Collectors can explore other works by the artist, as well as artist statements, exhibition and publication histories, and other supplementary materials. These resources are created by the artists themselves or their galleries, ensuring that collectors on Art.sy receive authoritative information they can trust.

Connect: At Art.sy, we believe that art is best experienced in person. Once you’ve fully explored a work on Art.sy, click the “Introduce me to the gallery” button to request an introduction to the artist or gallery representing the work. With the knowledge and introduction provided by Art.sy, collectors can confidently follow up to learn more, arrange a viewing, and discuss pricing and acquisition.

Art.sy is just getting started. The Art Genome Project continues to improve as our collection grows, with new works added every day. And as more collectors interact with Art.sy, our algorithms use machine learning to process this data and become increasingly intelligent. We welcome you to Art.sy and hope you enjoy your experience!

Interesting - they are partnering with Pandora on "The Art Genome Project"

via emh