Matthew Albanese makes miniature dioramas out of everyday materials and photographs them, producing Uncanny Valley landscapes that seem almost, but not quite, real. His Paprika Mars, above, is made of 12 pounds of charcoal and spices (paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder). Fields, After the Storm, below, is mostly faux fur and cotton.
Albanese's scenes are convincing precisely because they're so paradigmatic - the standard desolate planetary surface, Western grassland, etc. His work exploits our cognitive tendencies to interpret stimuli against the backdrop of our experience, especially when it comes to conventional perspective.
Via Behance, at the suggestion of reader Jake. Thanks!
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The year before our first kid was born, my wife and I went on vacation in Budapest. It was a beautiful city, and the food was wonderful - I particularly loved the chicken paprikash that they seemed to server everywhere. When I got home, I started looking for recipes to reproduce it.
Concerned that their male red bird of paradise, Paprika, might turn off female companions by repeating human words he learned from visitors, animal keeper Patti Cooper took matters into her own hands.
The fall cool-down has come here, and it is time for soup. My kids' current favorite is Portugese style Chick-pea, Garlic, Potato and Sausage, although they liked the vegetarian lentil version I made yesterday when we were out of chicken broth, chick peas and sausage ;-).
Today is the first week of Fall quarter at UC Davis and the Student Farm has harvested some glorious vegetables.
Wow! That is amazing. Paprika Mars is blowing my mind.