The Files
Pin-up girl
This is the work of German photographer Ivo Mayr. He shot local people in Koblenz as though they were hanging in mid-air. With some crafty digital tweaks, he then placed them against typical architecture from the city. "They are just like lost-and-found objects," he says, "like a glove hanging on a fence".
Lightminded
For this ‘Balloon Bench’, Japanese designers Satoshi Itasaka and Takuto Usami drew inspiration from French film Le Ballon Rouge. The 1957 film tells the story of a boy who befriends a red balloon and roams the streets of Paris in its company. Despite appearances, the bench isn’t suspended in mid air: four hidden anchors firmly attach it to the ceiling and wall.
Lady in green
Where most artists focus on present or future, Swiss-Italian born artist Christian Tagliavini presents us with a window into art history. His ’1503′ series, including this Portrait of a lady in green, is inspired by the masters of the Renaissance. Tagliavini constructs the costumes himself. The tall neck is a carefully created optical illusion, rather than crafty post production.
Reach for the sky
‘The Empty Chair’, with its ladder back reaching five metres up, was created by Dutch designer Maarten Baas for Amnesty International. It is meant to represent reaching for the sky, and the fact that freedom of expression is important for all.
Flight club
This unusual matchup is between a common seagull and a white-tailed eagle. The latter is a 5kg, 2m-wingspan, highly-efficient predator, but it’s the former that has the upper wing. Gulls occasionally attack larger, predatory birds when protecting their young, and have developed a dive bombing technique that sees them sneak up behind eagles to attack, evading their deadly claws and beak.
