Fantastical footwear by Kobi Levi

Smath — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:13:46 +0000

Quite some time ago my friend posted a link to the most bizarro and incredible shoe collection ever. I've had the tab open ever since, through power outages, through browser crashes...

These are not every-day kind of footwear. You won't step out in these babies without making a screaming statement and demanding to be noticed.

Kobi Levi is an Israeli designer who makes "artistic footwear". Really creative and really unique. He has lots listed on his site.

Thank you Jen Walker for this. Consider my mind blown.

Tiny pencil-tip sculptures by Dalton Ghetti

Smath — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 03:29:11 +0000

Every now and again ones mom sends one an email with pictures that one must google because they seem near impossible.

This morning's email forward was about a man named Dalton Ghetti who has been creating these little guys for 25 years. From April to August this year some of his work was exhibited at the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut in an exhibition called Meticulous Masterpieces.

From the museum's website:
Dalton Ghetti, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has been making his pencil creations since he was a schoolboy in Brazil. Using a variety of simple razors and needles, he carves incredibly detailed miniature sculptures out of the lead core of pencils without the aid of technology or even a magnifying glass. Alphabet, 2005, comprised of 26 individual pencils, is his most famous work.

Alphabet

The level of detail is phenomenal and I'm definitely a fan (plus I like hearts - could you tell?).

I did a bit of poking around and it seems, sadly, that he doesn't have his own website. There's plenty of buzz about him on the net though and he was even featured in a post on BoingBoing.

Some Things You Are Not Allowed to Send Around The World

Smath — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:02:59 +0000

Near the end of a long trip in 2006 I visited the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol where I picked up a poster entitled "Some things You Are Not Allowed To Send Around The World". By sheer coincidence I now have a blog post of that very same title. Perhaps it is a sign.

Artist Melanie Jackson created a poster as an artwork which lists different countries' bizarro mailing rules. This is a snippet from her website:

Some Things You Are Not Allowed To Send Around The World is a poster made up of the recent ‘prohibition and restriction’ guidelines issued by international post offices. The assembled list reveals some of the superstitions and regional eccentricities associated with the exchange of goods. This poster will be available as one of a series of free publications produced for the exhibition.

I was completely fascinated and amused by the list and while you will sadly not be getting any free posters from this website, I have provided you with its contents below *.

I love YOU, Czech Republic: "Chain letters". My comments are in grey.

Algeria	Australia	Benin
China	Croatia	Czech Republic
Ecuador	Dominican Republic	Faroe Islands
France	Germany	Iceland
Israel	Italy	Jamaica
Jordan	Kuwait	Morocco
Oman	Paraguay	Peru
Somalia	Sri Lanka	Tajikistan
United Kingdom	Unites States of America	Quatar
Vietnam	Zimbabwe

Algeriatop

Articles made of tortoise-shell, mother of pearl, ivory, bone meerschaum and amber (succin), natural or reconstructed, worked jade and mineral substances similar to jade
Canned vegetables, fish, plums and nuts
Funeral urns
Household articles made of tin
Perishable infectious biological substances
Perishable non-infectious biological substances
Pictures and printed matter of pornographic or immoral nature, or which tend to incite crime or juvenile deliquency
Saccharine in tablets or packets
Used clothing, accessories, blankets, linen, textile furnishings, footwear and headwear
Watches and clocks.

Australiatop

Fruit cartons (used or new)
Goods bearing the name "Anzac"
Animals and animal products, brushes, second-hand carpets, margarine, vaccines, plant and plant material (including pot pourri, heather, fir cones, shamrock), sugar, syrup and molasses, straw packing
Goods produced wholly or partly in prisons or by convict labour

"We'll produce our own, mate."
Cinema films

They aren't big into non-alcohol related fun in Australia
Registered philatelic articles with fictitious addresses

And let's all be truthful here. Nobody likes a stamp-collecter.
Seditious literature

Benintop

Alcoholic beverages and products which could be used for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages
Banana, citrus, cocoa, coffee, cotton plants, sugar cane, saccharine and chemical food colouring
Gramaphone records
Medals and coins
Military equipment
Mineral water
Uncut diamonds
Water hyacinths

Chinatop

Articles in hermetically sealed non-transparent containers
Funeral urns containing ashes
Pork products
Printed matter, manuscripts, notices, photographic negatives, gramophone records and sound-track tapes which could do political, economical, cultural or moral harm to the People's Republic of China
Radio transmitters or receivers
Wrist-watches, cameras, television sets, radio sets, tape recorders, bicycles, sewing machines and ventilators

Croatiatop

Celluloid and film
Grain grown or stored in the UK
Plants and seeds
Raw meats, meats, milk and dairy products of all kinds from cattle, goats, pigs, sheep and other cloven hoofed animals
Spoons, forks, whistles

Czech Republictop

Chain letters
Publications, sheet music, drawings, photographs, films etc prejudicial to the Republic

Heaven help you if you're caught posting prejudicial chain letters

Ecuadortop

Feeding bottles
Footwear of leather, fabric or rubber
Horse bits and mouth pieces of copper
Items and objects of immoral nature eg horse bits?
Pointed or sharp-edged objects
Preparations for erasing ink or other writings
Roulette wheels or gambling articles
Straw hats

A straw hat in Ecuador stays a straw hat in Ecuador

Dominican Republictop

Communist literature
Poniards, daggers, stilletos, sticks, or fans with concealed blades or firearms

At least one country has recognized stilletos as the dangerous items they are and classified them accordingly
Roulette games and other gambling devices

Faroe Islandstop

Danish currency
Dried milk products, honeycombs
Raw hides

I hadn't even heard of this place but should I ever wind up there I will now know not to try and post my raw hides and Danish currency

Francetop

Measuring instruments marked in units not complying with French law

The French are really serious about implementing standards.

Germanytop

Absinthe
Articles bearing political or religious notions on the address side

What, so you can post them as long as they're not on the address side? *shreds all the religious-notion postcards I'd just written to all my friends and family
Melatonin

I find this one quite interesting considering that melatonin is an over-the-counter drug in many other places
Playing cards, except in complete decks properly wrapped

"Ve vill not tolerate anyone in foreign countries cheating anyone in a game of cards posted in ZIS country!"
Pulverized cocoa beans

Icelandtop

Bees

But Iceland is facing an economic meltdown! How am I supposed to get my bees out?!
Hay and straw
Lead toys
Rags
Silk worms

Israeltop

Blank invoices with headings
Games of chance
Indecent or obscene marks, paintings, photographs, books, cards, lithographs, or engravings
Organic fertilizers
Lottery tickets or advertisements

If any of these are discovered they will be tossed straight into the non-organic fertilizer pile
Soil and sand

I think that the person who tries to mail sand has a bigger problem than Israel's restrictions
Spices exceeding 1kg
Used beehives

Sorry, Amy Winehouse.

Italytop

These guys are severe

Albums of any kind
Artificial flowers and fruits and accessories for them

Huh? You mean like those awful garden gnomes?
Bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof

for these shall surely drive the mailman nuts
Cartridge caps, cartridges
Clocks and supplies for clocks

this is part of their plan to have the rest of the world be as un-punctual
Compound medicaments and medicines
Coral mounted in any way
Ether and chloroform

Ok, fair enough...
Exposed photographic and cinematographic films
Footwear of any kind

Oh sweet torture. Why Italy, why? We love your shoes.
Haberdashery and sewn articles of any kind, including trimmings and lace; handkerchiefs; scarves; shawls; needlework including stockings and gloves; bonnets, caps and hats of any kind
Hair and articles made of hair

Like my dad!
Leather goods
Lighters and their parts, including lighter flints
Live bees, leeches and silkworms
Nutmeg, vanilla, sea salt, rock salt, saffron
Parasites and predators of harmful insects
Perfumery goods of all kinds (except soap)
Playing cards of any kind
Postage stamps in sealed or unsealed letters
Ribbons for typewriters
Roasted or ground coffee and its substitutes, roasted chicory
Saccharine and all products containing saccharine
Salted, smoked or otherwise prepared meats, fats and lard
Toys not made wholly of wood
Treated skins and furs
Weapons of any kind and spare parts for them

Jamaicatop

Cotton and parts of cotton plants
Cordage and twine
Figurines
Honey, cocoa and cocoa products, coffee products, condensed milk

Jordantop

Advertisements concerning treatment of venereal diseases or medicinal preparations intended to serve as preventatives against those diseases

Kuwaittop

Rubber balloons
Binoculars
Alcoholic drink

Because you know what happens with balloons and binoculars after a few alcoholic drinks..!
All goods of Israeli origin
Political publications
Tapes and casettes

Moroccotop

Seditious literature
Spirits
Spurious substances designed to adulterate food and drink

You mean like McDonalds?

Omantop

Articles contrary to the principles of Islam
Liquid chemicals
Fire extinguishing products
Cultured, immitation, artificial and bleached pearls

Paraguaytop

Batteries
Plastic Toys
Soaps
Stocking and socks except those made of jersey

>Because they want their country to be totally rid of any stockings made of jersey! I can respect that.
Suitcases, leather bags
Wool blankets

Perutop

Artificial flowers and interior ornaments

Because they're in poor taste?
Cameras
Ceramic products and immitation jewellery
Clothing, accessories, and underwear

I'm sure stockings made of jersey do not count as being any of those items
Communist propoganda
Contraceptive products, remedies or apparatus
Credit cards
Daggers
Electrical household appliances
Ether
Footwear, shoes, boots and accessories
Furs and clothing made of fur

Good for you, Peru. This is one I can stand by
Gloves and hosiery
Household articles of iron, steel, copper and aluminium
Household linens
Knuckledusters
Lighters
Perfume products or soaps
Playing cards
Politically sensitive material

Having trouble imagining who would, or how this ever would happen
Sabres
Sound recorders and reproducing devices

I hope you specified a return address on the photocopier that you mailed to Peru
Textiles and carpets
Toys or games for children which might harm the cultural or historical heritage of Peru
Travel articles, suitcases, attache cases, kits or similar articles
Waxes and creams for shoes

Because these items do not exist in Peru
Wooden utensils

It seems that what exists in Peru, stays in Peru.

Somaliatop

Abortifacients
Aphrodisiacs

I suppose banning this item helps eliminate the need for the previous item
Condensed milk

Likewise with this ;)
Picture postcards

lol

Sri Lankatop

Account books, albums, calendars, carbon paper, chalk, envelopes, exercise books, pencils, pens, pen-holders, pins, registers, rubbers, wire clips

In fact, make that any item that might encourage nerdy behaviour.
Ashtrays
Bicycle parts
Cameras and other photographic apparatus
Clothing and footwear
Crockery, tablewear, picnic baskets, flasks
Chemical products
Electric lamps for household use, torches
Greeting cards
Handbags and cases, traveling cases
Household electrical equipment
Jewellery and jewel cases
Household electrical equipment
Playing cards and similar games
Illustrated postcards
Publicity materials including films
Sarees
Scales
Sports goods
Sunglasses
Tape recorders and tape recorder parts
Toiletries
Toys made of earthenware or wood
Varnishes
Waste paper

Eh?

Tajikistantop

I'd never even heard of Tjikistan before receiving this poster.

Documents, printed matter, photographs, and so on likely to be construed as prejudicial to Tajik views
Corrected proofs and printed matter with marked words or phrases
Stamp collections sent to private persons
Sulphate or copper

United Kingdomtop

Any postal item containing enclosures addressed to different persons at different addresses
Citizenz Band Radios, walkie-talkies, microbugs, and radio microphones that are capable of transmitting on any frequency between 26.1 - 29.7 megacycles per second and 88-108 Mhz per second
Goods made in foreign prisons, except those imported for a non-commercial purpose or of a kind not manufactured in the UK
Horror comics and matrices
Obscene articles, prints, paintings, cards, films, videotapes, etc
Seal skins except those from an accepted source
Switchblade knives

Unites States of Americatop

Advertisements for obscene/immoral articles

I wonder how they gauge what is obscene or immoral in the land of the free?
Advertisements relating to lotteries
Contraceptives
Goods originating in Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam

Quatartop

Articles giving off a fetid odour
Cultured, immitation and bleached pearls
Items whose make-up does not comply with regulations
Garments bearing the name of the divinity or verses from the Koran
Obscene or immoral articles
Musical greeting cards
Remote controlled toy aircraft for children

Vietnamtop

Invisible ink, codes, cyphers, symbols or other types of secret correspondence, and shorthand notes
Perishable infectious biological substances
Radio transmitters and receivers and radio set accessories of any kind
Sealed, tinned foodstuffs
Unused postage stamps
Used clothing, blankets, mosquito nets, and shoes

These guys are crazy. How did shoes wind up categorized alongside mosquito nets?

Zimbabwetop

Aphrodisiacs

Perhaps this explains the mess that Zim is currently in.
Circulars relating to lotteries

Because nobody anywhere has any money anymore in Zimbabwe
Fortune telling advertisements

* DISCLAIMER: I have not validated or even attempted to validate or cross check any of the information in this list. I have a job and more importantly I have a life that extends beyond the internet, so please don't turn up at my home wielding pitchforks and bad vibes if you spot something here that you believe to be incorrect. Having said that, I'd like to believe that this is all true and most especially the bit about the Czech Republic and chain letters, which would make them a more evolved being than the rest of us.