In his 2012 project E-Book backup, artist Jesse England (previously) used a photocopier to create a physical copy of an Amazon Kindle e-book. England created each page of the “backup” by simply placing the Kindle on the photocopier’s scanner. The reader thus has the experience of reading a photocopied image of each digital page from the e-book. For the project England chose an e-book of George Orwell‘s classic book Nineteen Eighty-Four–as England notes the book was the subject of a controversial e-book recall by Amazon back in 2009. For good measure, England also uploaded a digital version of his paper backup to his Kindle. He does note that the E-Book backup “is best viewed in paper format.”

“The backup is best viewed in paper format.”

photos by Jesse England

More than 50,000 keys are suspended from a ceiling in the immersive art installation The Key in the Hand by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota. The keys, each suspended by red thread, were provided by donors from all over the world. The Key in the Hand is on display through November 22, 2015 at the Japan Pavilion of the 56th Venice Biennale.

Keys are familiar and very valuable things that protect important people and spaces in our lives. They also inspire us to open the door to unknown worlds. With these thoughts in mind, in this new installation I would like to use keys provided by the general public that are imbued with various recollections and memories that have accumulated over a long period of daily use. As I create the work in the space, the memories of everyone who provides me with their keys will overlap with my own memories for the first time. These overlapping memories will in turn combine with those of the people from all over the world who come to see the biennale, giving them a chance to communicate in a new way and better understand each other’s feelings.

photos by Sunhi Mang via a href=”http://www.designboom.com/art/chiharu-shiota-venice-art-biennale-the-key-in-the-hand-05-06-2015/”>designboom

via designboom

The Hydaway is a reusable and collapsible alternative to disposable water bottles that can easily fit in a pocket when collapsed. The bottle is made from food-grade silicone and BPA-free plastics, and comes in a 600ml large size and 350ml small size.

The Hydaway was created by designer Niki Singlaub, who is currently raising funds to bring the bottle to market with a Kickstarter campaign.

images via Hydaway

via This Is Why I’m Broke

The Ikawa Home Roaster is a countertop coffee roaster that lets home users roast their own coffee. The roaster’s digital interface allows users choose predefined roast recipes or program their own. Green coffee beans can be roasted in three to ten minutes. The Ikawa Home Roaster is available for pre-order on Kickstarter and is expected to ship in February 2016.

images via Ikawa

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

“Covered With Kittens” is a fun video series that features the talented singer/songwriter Sarah Donner (previously) singing to her resident felines who don’t really seem to care about the music one way or the other, or as Donner puts it, “Sarah Donner sings to kittens who just don’t give a shit.”

via Carolyn McCarthy

For Mother’s Day, the real voice of Apple’s Siri digital assistant, Susan Bennett, stars in a comedy sketch by The Daily Dot about what life would be like with Siri for a mother. The sketch also stars Daily Dot staff writer Marisa Kabas as Siri’s daughter.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Chinese artist Hua Tunan‘s newest body of work captures the elegance of wild animals on paper. Tunan’s use of quick brush strokes and splatters amazingly organize to form pensive animals that look ready to leap off the page in a moment’s notice, similar to the style in much of his incredible street art around Tapei and Foshan.

Tunan recently had a show at Galerie F in Chicago.

images via Hua Tunan

via Colossal