In 1910, French illustrator Villemard depicted his vision for the year 2000.

Some ended up being more accurate than others. A complete set is available from the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

(via Found by James)

I saw one of these at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. [Ed. Note: The University played a major role in the sparsity of posts in the last two years.] I think they are lovely. They’re made from “organic materials,” which includes dirt, blood, beer, millet, and anything else, really. These figures are assembled from diverse organic materials over a wooden core. They are thought to symbolize the universe and to harness spiritual power. Called Boli, they are placed on altars.

via Hamill again

Little example of utility expressed through form. Basically, I just like it.

The serpent or snake from the Baga tribe of Guinea is used to ward off evil spirits at initiation ceremonies of young men, as well as to protect the village from evil spirits. Often these tall sculptures would be worn by dancers as a head or shoulder-supported figure.

from africanart.com

“Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth.” - Oscar Wilde

Egungun Headdress

The word Egungun refers to masking associated with honored male lineage ancestors. While each mask has a personal name, it does not usually refer to a specific ancestor. Rather, Egungun masks embody the “collective force of the ancestors. All of the Egungun in a community appear annually during a joyful festival that celebrates the distinguished dead. During the festival, the ancestors bless the living, promote physical and spiritual health, settle disputes, enforce tradition and morality, and cleanse the community of witchcraft.

from African Shapes of the Sacred: Yoruba Religious Art by Carol Ann Lorenz, Senior Curator, Longyear Museum of Anthropology, Colgate University.

via Hamill Gallery, Boston

[Ed. Note: I found this in the drafts folder… started this draft on February 8th, 2010 and now it’s February 3rd, 2011.]

I’m totally floored.

This TED Talk is from November 2009. It shows some of the awesome possibilities of augmented reality—way beyond that of Nearest Tube or Yelp’s Monocole.

In the talk, Mistry says SixthSense will be open-sourced. Five months later, it’s still vaporware.