Gazing at the portfolio of artist Matthew Albanese, you’re likely to marvel not just at his guts for getting so dangerously close to a tornado or erupting volcano, but luck for always seeming to be in the right place at the right time. But Albanese isn’t a storm chaser – the truth is even more interesting and impressive than that. These incredible landscapes are actually miniatures made from everyday materials.

Steel wool stands in for ominous clouds, salt for a waterfall blurred by motion, cotton for smoke and phosphorous ink for lava. Albanese even grew sugar crystals for a month to create the vaguely otherwordly look of an arctic landscape.

It all started when Albanese accidentally spilled a tub of paprika and began seeing the colors and textures of a landscape in the grains. That discovery led to “Paprika Mars”, which required 12 pounds of paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder and charcoal to create.

For the photograph to look convincing, Albanese must use a mix of scale, depth of field, lighting and white balance techniques. It takes hours to set up the backdrops and determine the exact angle from which to take the photo.

“My work involves the construction of small-scale meticulously detailed models using various materials and objects to create emotive landscapes,” Albanese writes on his website. “Every aspect from the construction to the lighting of the final model is painstakingly pre-planned using methods which force the viewers perspective when photographed from a specific angle.”

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Ruben Brulat hasn’t been a photographer long; the French artist picked up his first camera just two years ago. But since then, he’s been exploring what it means to be a human and how we interact with our environment. His series “Primates” places him – both as photographer and as subject – in inhospitable terrains to contrast the vulnerability of the human body with the stark roughness of nature.

The photographs in the “Primate” series are all nudes, and they all feature the photographer himself as the subject. His naked body is placed carefully in the landscape, at once a part of it and an obviously misplaced object among the rocks, grass, snow or water. By placing a human into these natural settings, Brulat hopes to show that we are all connected to the planet on which we live.

But the focus of the photographs isn’t the artist’s body at all; rather, it is the relationship between the relatively small, vulnerable human form and the immense, emotionless backdrop. In some of the photos, the subject isn’t immediately identifiable and one must spend a moment searching for the body tucked away in the landscape. In others, the body is immediately visible and seems to be in danger – or at least in an environment in which one should not be nude.

In stripping his body of clothing and avoiding in the photographs of any sign of human developments, Brulat is bringing the entire human species to the same level as any other type of animal. He rids us of the need for modern trappings and displays the soft, tender, beautiful being that resides in us all. The asexual presence of a small body in these vast landscapes is alarming at first, but becomes almost comforting if we shift slightly from thinking of this body as stranded and lifeless to thinking of this body as being at home in its habitat.

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Thankfully, evolution has most recently tended to reward creatures for strong thinking abilities, as it’s allowed us to rise to the top of the food chain. If we’d been alive in earlier eras, however, we may not have been so lucky. Different times called for different attributes, and there was a time when size and ferocity were a species‘ most important quality. Here’s an exploration of 14 of the largest, strongest, and in some cases, strangest, creatures that have called our planet home:

(Images via sumner, copyrighted, tenth medieval, wapedia)

The Moa were flightless birds that resided in New Zealand as recently as 1500 AD. Hunted to extinction by Maori tribesmen, this bird’s dominant physical presence wasn’t enough to fight off sharpened spears. At 12 feet in height and over 500 pounds in mass, the Moa make the modern Ostritch seem diminutive.

(Images via sedgwick museum, moblog , ny times, plesiosaur)

Pliosaurs haunted the world’s oceans, attacking with intense power and speed. With short necks and huge jaws, they were killing machines. The largest Pliosaur skeleton was an incredible 52 feet long, with its head making up almost 8 feet of its total length.

(Images via sasquatchers, free republic, unexplained mysteries, crypto mundo, API)

A possible inspiration for King Kong, Gigantopithecus’ appearance resembled modern day apes, only it was much, much larger. The heftiest ape in history, they could top out at nearly 10 feet and weigh over 1,000 pounds. Gigantophithecus was a distant relative of the modern Orangutan, so most artistic depictions take this into account.

(Images via national geographic, WSU, scifi meshes)

Whorl Sharks were similar to their modern cousins despite jetting along almost 300 million years ago. While modern sharks have rows of serrated teeth ready to replace any that fall out, the whorl shark has an interesting lower jaw that looked like a circular saw, where newer teeth would push older teeth further along the line. There’s some debate about the placement of the tooth structure, but regardless of its location in the mouth or deeper in the throat, it had a startlingly unique appearance.

(Images via fmnh, fogato)

Gastornis, formerly known as Diatryma, is another horrifically large flightless bird. The most terrifying aspect of this animal is the fact that its beak implies it was carnivorous.

(Images via uta, atw, deep sea news, dinosaur pictures, hmnh, dinocasts)

Unlike sharks, that have survived for over 400 million years, Dunkleosteus had a short run of 50 million years. They would get up to 30 feet in length and weigh over 4 tons. They were the last of their kind, as we’ve been unable to find any closely related descendants.

(Images via aljazeera)

Little needs to be said about Titanoboa beyond this: 50 feet long and over 2,500 pounds. Like a titanic exaggeration of the modern boa, be thankful this snake went extinct nearly 58 million years ago.

(Images via yale, avph, charlie’s playhouse)

Arthropleura armata was the worst nightmare of any homeowner: an 8 and a half foot long bug. Similar in appearance to the modern centipede, it was one of the first invertebrates on land, and as such, most likely had little to no predators. Thankfully, they lived well over 300 million years ago, and won’t show up in your hallway any time soon.

Even the smallest creatures deserve mention, and the horned gopher (Ceratogaulus Rhinoceros) is no exception. As the smallest mammal to ever have horns, they should have at least a little recognition. It was originally thought the horns were meant for digging, but the consensus now seems to be that they were used for defense.

(Images via sitioco, cope podo, cool fun blog, mediterraneo diving, naturalist)

Jaekelopterus Rhenaniae is similar to Arthropleuria, only it lived in the ocean. At over 8 feet in length, this “sea scropion” (only in appearance) makes the largest lobsters seem like toys. It crawled along the ocean floors nearly 390 million years ago.

(Images via encyclo123, wikipedia, exhibitsrex, zimbio)

Mamenchisaurus looks much like another famous dinosuar, Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus), and is similar except for one odd difference: neck length. Their necks were up to 46 feet in length and made up 50% of their full body length. They lived nearly 150 million years ago and were entirely herbivorous.

(Images via times online, nature)

What’s more fun than a kangaroo? A 10 foot tall, 500 pound kangaroo. Procoptodon Goliah was a marsupial just like its modern cousins, and had similar features, but with a shorter face and slightly different feet. They were alive as recently as 18,000 years ago and their demise is attributed to human activity.

(Images via abc, avph, absolute astronomy, darwin online)

Macrauchenia lived around 20,000 years ago and were first discovered by Charles Darwin on his famous voyage on the Beagle. These creatures seem like a grab bag of different animals, with a small trunk and a body reminiscent of a camel. Too large to be fast enough, and too small to frighten off potential predators, they never had much of a chance.

(Images via ucmp, blogol, wikimedia)

Chalicotherium was a giant beast that walked on its back feet and knuckles, and used its long arms to pull down high branches for feeding. They were most likely slow and spent a majority of their time consuming leaves. Their only protection was their size and heavy claws on their forelegs, both of which would deter modern predators, but were unexceptional at the time.

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Living It Up On Mars

(image via: Erbzine)

Back in the days before the Space Race really got going, our impressions of landing, living and lasting on Mars came courtesy of sci-fi writers like Ray Bradbury at first, Hollywood producers after.

(images via: Fan de Cinema, Moviepro and Atomic Redhead)

Films like Robinson Crusoe On Mars, Abbott And Costello Go To Mars, and Santa Claus Conquers The Martians took a lot of liberties when it came to portraying life on the Red Planet – who was going to argue?

The Air Up There

(images via: Chemistryland and BCA’s SciFi Club)

As robotic probes like the Mariner orbiters and the Viking landers revealed the red planet’s forbidding nature, Hollywood shifted gears slightly and gave us screen gems like Total Recall. While short on hard science and heavy on Ah-nold, Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall (1990) at least tried to give a reasonable impression of what the seedier side of life would be like if grafted onto the Martian landscape.

A Savage Beauty

(images via: English Online and Doobybrain)

While Mars’ rugged beauty cannot be denied, the facts, figures and photos show the planet to have a harsh, unforgiving environment that will be a huge challenge for the first colonizers to deal with.

(images via: JPL/NASA and Arcadia Street)

Even so, enough raw materials, sunlight and most importantly water are all available on Mars – if we have the strength and stamina to use them.

Land Ho!

Landing on Mars isn’t easy to begin with, and when manned spaceships try it it’ll be even more difficult. Bouncing ball landings like those the Mars rovers conducted are out of the question, of course, so rocket-assisted landings such as the one made by the Apollo astronauts (on the moon) and the Phoenix lander are the alternative.

(images via: Slipperybrick and Space Gizmo)

At least parachutes can be used to slow the lander down during descent through the thin Martian atmosphere.

Checkin’ Out The New ‘Hood

(images via: Daily Galaxy and Ren Wicks)

Once on the ground, it’s time to look around. At first, astronauts landing on Mars will focus on conducting scientific experiments, finding & testing mineral samples and generally exploring the landing area. They’ll do this in souped-up variants of the reliable solar-powered rovers who have vastly outlasted their original projected lifespans.

Gimme Shelters

(images via: Meet Matt Browne, Antiquark and Telesavoirs)

Shelter will be a priority for explorers who plan on staying a while. The first “homes” on Mars will likely be spaceships designed for a one-way journey: if they can survive the rigors of space flight, their structure should be able to handle anything Mars throws their way.

Roots In Reddish Soil

(images via: NASA, Disturbed Pixels and Planet Masters)

Along with shelter, food is an essential requirement for anyone who wants to stay on Mars after all the packed rations have been consumed.

(image via: NASA)

Martian greenhouses filled with (and inflated by) Earthly atmospheres will draw upon the ice that, as reports from the Phoenix lander indicate, can be found mere inches beneath the surface. Will Martian soil be to the liking of earth crops? Thorough testing will have to be done to make sure it is.

Making Martians

(image via: Frank Frazetta)

We have seen the Martians, and they are ourselves. It’s only natural that once Mars colonies are established, the colonists will do their fair share to help the colony grow… by doing what comes naturally.

(images via: Blemya, Space Frontier Foundation and Malin Space Science Systems)

That “heart” above? Just one of the curious features of the Martian surface which, along with the famous Face On Mars, look eerily familiar but are completely natural.

Urban Planet 2.0

(image via: Baens Universe)

From tiny acorns, mighty oaks will grow… and so it will be with the first permanent settlements on Mars. The time will indeed come when today’s science fiction is indistinguishable from science fact.

(images via: Books On Mars and Tim Landry)

How mature Martian cities will look is purely speculative but if one applies urban trends on Earth, the results on Mars don’t seem so surprising. The urban model isn’t exclusive to Earth – cities, once established, will grow and evolve regardless of which planet’s soil they stand upon.

Terraforming Mars

(images via: Globalnet)

Ready to think big? Instead of adapting our lives and lifestyles to suit Mars, why not adapt the planet to suit OUR needs? It’s called terraforming and it takes time – hundreds to thousands of years (as opposed to Total Recall’s 2 or 3 minutes).

(images via: Wikimedia and Hudsonfla)

The results would be well worth the time and effort, however, as these images of a terraformed Mars show so well.

New Planet, Old Habits?

(image via: Between The Lines)

Colonizing Mars is one way for humanity to start over, as it were, with a clean slate. This is a challenge we’ve accepted before, following Columbus’ (re)discovery of the New World… the results were mixed, depending on who you ask. Will we have better (or worse) luck with Mars?

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USA: Space Race for the Pole

(image via: LiveScience)

Although the United States has scaled back its spacefaring plans considerably from the heady days of Apollo and Skylab, the general consensus of the country’s astronomical community is that colonization of the moon and planets is inevitable.

(images via: Space Gizmo, Rhapsody In Books and Space-Post)

Plans are already afoot to establish an American base on the moon, possibly in or near the shadowed Shackleton crater near the moon’s south pole. NASA’s recent LCROSS mission determined that ice exists in the moon’s polar craters into which the sun never shines. Perhaps fittingly, a bill set before Congress mandates that the first American long-term lunar base be named after the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong!

Russia: The East is Ready

(images via: The Space Review, Freaking News and American Chronicle)

Though the former Soviet Union lost the Space Race to the United States, Russian dreams of space exploration live on and may yet “bear” fruition. Russia inherited much knowledge, equipment and experience from the days of the USSR and they’ve managed to keep their hand in the space game by being the world’s heavy lifter. Many pundits feel it’s only a matter of time before Moscow goes over the moon, not to mention Mars.

(image via: Modern Mechanix)

Much scaremongering took place over Soviet space aspirations during the Cold War and fanciful imagery helped put the fear of a Red Planet – ANY planet – into the fevered imagination of the public.

China: The Great Leap Upward

(images via: Mutant Palm and Astronautix)

China has forged into space gradually but steadily, and a moon base is definitely on the Middle Kingdom’s agenda. Plans, though yet unfunded, foresee a series of robotic landings and sample return lunar missions leading up to manned missions to the moon and the construction of a small permanent moonbase by the midpoint of the 21st century.

(images via: Cumbrian Sky and China Daily)

China’s main advantage in megaprojects such as space exploration and the establishment of lunar bases is that, being a non-democratic nation, such projects are not subject to public debate. As well, a permanent moonbase would be a great boost to national prestige, something China’s leaders have always sought as a way to maintain support for their political system.

India: Monsoon, Moon Soon?

(images via: Lunar Networks and Astrosurf)

India may be flying under the radar compared to China’s spectacular economic liftoff but the world’s largest democracy is by no means being left in the dust when it comes to space exploration and, eventually, the establishment of moon bases.

(image via: Hobbyspace)

Blessed with an abundance of educated young people and a government led by practical technocrats, India’s space agency (ISRO) has already scored an unqualified success with its Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe. Chandrayaan-1 gave the world the first solid hint that water could be found at the lunar poles. Better – and likely wetter – things are sure to follow.

Japan: Land of the Rising Moon

(images via: Moon Daily and MSNBC)

Advanced in robotics and an active participant in the International Space Station with its Kibo science module, Japan has already taken significant steps towards the creation of an ongoing presence on the moon. Startlingly clear video relayed from Japan’s Kaguya orbiting lunar probe illustrated the island nation’s expertise and their space agency, JAXA, has grand plans for the future.

(image via: JAXA)

JAXA has set up a Human Lunar Systems Team to get the ball rolling for lunar exploration in the years ahead. As currently stated, JAXA will be following Kaguya up with a robot lunar lander and sometime after that, a manned lander. A scene showing the Rising Sun flag with a rising earth in the background may not be all that far away.

European Union: To Europa!

(images via: John Eaves, Phil Smith and Lunar Networks)

The European Union, through the ESA (European Space Agency) has scored a number of space successes though most have involved missions to Mars and assorted comets. That doesn’t mean the Europeans have been neglecting the Moon; just that the time for a wide-ranging lunar exploration program hasn’t arrived yet. It likely will, though – the Eurozone’s economy is (like the rest of the industrialized world) dependent on abundant raw materials and though they may not be cheap on the Moon, they make up for it in sheer abundance.

(images via: Scitech UK)

The ESA also hopes to build – literally – on its expertise with robotic missions by someday landing astronauts on Mars and perhaps, the moons of the outer solar system. Europe to Europa, anyone?

Luna Toons?

(images via: Starwreck and Kagaya Studio)

According to one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories around, there already IS a moon base and it’s existed for upwards of 65 years. The so-called “secret moon base” on the far side of the moon was established and built by Nazi Germany in the early 1940s and was discovered and photographed by American astronauts aboard Apollo 10 in early 1969. The idea of a Nazi Moon Base has provided fodder for dozens of space artists, conspiracy theorists and sci-fi novelists – and the concept is weird & wacky enough to warrant further exploration (in a future WebUrbanist post).

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